Boom! Bouf! Shia La Bouf! That’s it! That’s the Fall semester for ya. It went by faster than any semester ever before. And for some of us, there’s just one more. A-oo-gah! That’s weird! But more importantly (at least for the purposes of this column), it’s the end of the Film Series. But don’t cry, little lambs. When you return from your restful recess, the Film Series will be right here waiting for you. It is, after all, the old standby. But don’t let its constant presence make you stand idly by! If there’s a movie that looks interesting, take a chance on it! And I maintain the point of view that next semester’s films will rock your socks from here to the equator.
So, of course, “Best of the Year” issues of music and film magazines are beginning to pop up and awards season is encroaching. And, yes, I have my own list. But it’s the best of the Film Series. I want to recommend to you, dearests, a few movies that were in the series that you did not get a chance to see, for whatever reason. We’re all busy people. But, we are here to learn. And we can learn from films.
And now, I proudly present my personal top 10 movies from the Series that, if you weren’t able to see, you should try to see because, well, because I like them. They are, in the order that they were shown:
“The Rules of The Game”
“Once Upon A Time In The West”
“Dogville”
“The Man Without a Past”
“The Hudsucker Proxy”
“Stop Making Sense”
“Network”
“Some Like It Hot”
“Madchen in Uniform”
“Beyond the Valley of the Dolls”
And now, the unintentionally best call of the Film Series:
Showing “Dr. Strangelove” the day after Bush’s re-election.
And now, the worst call of the Film Series:
Showing “Stop Making Sense,” but having the volume too low. Even though that showing will go down in the dance party history books, I wish it had been louder.
It’s been a fun semester. Enjoy your breaks, beautiful readership, thou.
THIS WEEKEND IN THE FILM SERIES:
The holidays are coming, friends. And it’s time to decide if you fully embody the holiday spirit (o ye of little cynicism) or if you’re a scrooge-type ne’er do-well. Well, we’re presenting a movie to please your sensibilities this weekend, whether you love the holidays or loathe them. First, if you’re the holiday lover, we proudly present the Frank Capra classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring the one and only Jimmy Stewart. It is a timeless holiday tale that will please the hell out of you. But if you HATE the holidays and all that, then the movie for you this weekend is “Bad Santa.” Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Bernie Mac and John Ritter, and directed by Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World,” “Crumb”), and with a story by the Coen Brothers, this movie is so mean-spirited that it is transcendently funny. It is true that I saw it three times in theaters. It is true that it was Jeanine Basinger’s favorite movie of last year. It is true that it got a bad review in the Argus upon its initial release. It is true that Thornton plays a shopping mall Santa who pisses in his pants, drinks heavily, curses at and beats up kids, steals shit, and fucks in cars and Jacuzzis. Now, if this doesn’t sound like a funny movie to you, then I understand that, to you, the idea of Santa is a sacred one and I’m not going to try to change your mind. But I find this movie incredibly funny. Or, on Saturday, you can go see “It’s A Wonderful Life,” which is, obviously, a better picture. And a more sentimental one. And I’m a cynical college student. But I can be sentimental as well.
Bad Santa, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 10 & 11 in the CFA Cinema, 7:30 & 10 pm.
It’s A Wonderful Life, Saturday, Dec. 11 in the Center For Film Studies, 7:30 pm.
Both films are $4.
FOR FREE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY, IN THE SCIENCE CENTER:
Friday: Purple Rain, starring Prince and his arch rivals Morris Day and the Time. OMG this movie is fantastic and Prince is so little, but cool as hell.
Saturday: The Third Man, stars Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton. A lot of people think that Welles directed it. But he did not. Carol Reed did. Dig that zither score!
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