Film Series

And another semester begins anew. And another Film Series poster is printed at the print shop, distributed to the 06459, and attached to walls everywhere. Immediately following the display stage, many people like to circle their favorite picks. This process usually involves a pen (black or red, never blue) and broad circular strokes, meant to imply a firm belief in the excellence of said circled film. And then these personal film series picks are proudly displayed, with the hopes of finding that special someone who has the same exact taste as you. And then maybe you’ll both go see Golden Globe winner “Lost In Translation” together and make out in the back row. That’s all fine and dandy. And kind of rad, actually.

But why not take more of a risk. Now, I’m not one to take risks. Actually, I couldn’t even muster up the courage to make a reality out of the aforementioned scenario (if you are able to, e-mail me because, as I said, that would be kind of rad). But when it comes to movie selection, take a step out of your plush futon comfort zone. I have a challenge for you, open-minded Wesleyan masses: Look at the poster, read the blurbs, take a moment to think, and then circle some movies you haven’t seen. That’s right! Circle the movie all your friends have been talking about and you haven’t seen! Circle the movie you haven’t heard of because it didn’t play in your hometown of Delaware, OH (or insert your hometown here if you’re not Abe Lateiner)! Circle the movie you can’t pronounce! Circle the movie that your grandparents might have seen when it first came out, before your parents were twinkles in their eyes! Circle the one that sounds cool! Or circle nothing. Maybe you have a good memory. Or maybe you don’t need to remind yourself about the movie that you’ve been wanting to see forever.

Circling is, however, only the first step. The next step is actually getting out to see the movies that you told yourself you wanted to see. I know it’s cold out, and it’s a long walk to the Cinema. Well, the good news is that it’s nice and warm in the Cinema. I know that you’ve got work. The funny thing is that by the time you stop procrastinating Sunday night, you could have seen, like, 30 movies. I know that you can probably download most of the new stuff on your laptop. Well, the bad news is compared to a beautiful 35mm print, whatever you get on the internet is going to look really bad. Imagine that film is the acne-free face of Kate Bosworth of “Blue Crush” and the download is comparable to, say, the skin of Pizza Face McNasty. You know that guy? And downloading is grainy as a sandbox. And it’s illegal, just like killing people. The other great thing about seeing it in a theater is that it’s a shared, collective experience. And watching movies alone can sometimes be depressing. Sometimes, though, it’s fun. For instance, watching adult movies in a big crowd gets very strange.

And now, the part of the article where I tell you the stuff that’s very difficult to see on the big-screen. These are the ones that we’re privileged to get a chance to show, so you should make the effort to see them. Some of these played for only a week or two in New York and Los Angeles. They are: “Cremaster 3” (playing February 4), “My Name Is Ivan” (playing February 12), “Le Cercle Rouge” (playing February 18), “Underground” (playing February 25), “Dracula: Pages From A Virgin’s Diary” (playing March 3), “The Cockettes” (playing March 31), “Demonlover” (playing April 14), and “Bus 174” (April 21). The cool thing is that these movies might fit those earlier criteria from the challenge: movies you haven’t heard of, or didn’t play in your town, that sort of thing. So SEE THIS STUFF! SEE EVERYTHING YOU CAN! As I said last semester, it’s like taking an extra class that has no extra work involved. And, if you’re lucky, you might get to make out with someone in the back row. Welcome back.

This weekend in the Film Series:

“Capturing The Friedmans,” Friday and Saturday, 7:30 and 10pm, CFA Cinema, $3.

This is one of the most gripping, intense documentaries I have seen in a long time. It’s like “Spellbound,” only instead of being about the spelling bee, it’s about pedophilia. And instead of off-the-cuff lines like “Do I sound like a musical robot?” we get direct address such as “This is private. So if you’re not me, you shouldn’t be watching this.” Director Andrew Jarecki, creator of MovieFone (sadly, he’s not the voice of Mr. Moviefone), was going to make a documentary about David Friedman, a.k.a Silly Billy, New York’s #1 Birthday Clown. But after filming him for a while, he uncovered a dark event in Friedman’s past: his father and one of his brothers were accused and convicted of child molestation. The most amazing thing about this film is that the Friedmans were candidly videotaping their lives during the ensuing legal battle. This footage is used throughout the film and provides incredible psychological insight into the family and lets us experience firsthand their…gulp… goofball charm. The film is simultaneously frustrating, frightening, and painful, but it is never pretentious or condescending to its subjects. This movie provides us with no answers, and after you see it, expect to have heated conversations. I saw this movie with my family on Father’s Day; the dinner afterwards was very interesting.

“Diner,” Friday at 7:30 and 10pm, Science Center 150, Free.

Barry Levinson’s classic ensemble comedy of Baltimore circa 1959. With Kevin Bacon, Steve Guttenberg, Mickey Rourke, Daniel Stern, Ellen Barkin, and Timothy Daly.

“Throne of Blood,” Saturday at 7:30 and 10pm, Science Center 150, Free..

Akira Kurosawa’s version of Macbeth, starring the baddest ass, the true last samurai, the screen giant from the East: Toshiro Mifune.

Next Week: Get to Matthew Barney’s “Cremaster 3,” early on Wednesday, as it will not be released in its entirety on DVD any time in the foreseeable future. The Cinema could sell out. And check out “Late Marriage” on Thursday in the Science Center. It’s a recent Israeli film that is funny, sexy and terrifying.