I’m stuck in a groove.
Like a record going roundroundround.
This is what happens.
The semester picks up.
Work becomes more serious.
Weekends turn into weekdays.
Especially when you have class each Sunday.
Senior film majors know what I’m talking about.
And time becomes divisible not by the days of the week,
But by the films you’ve watched.
I barely have time to write this article.
In between all the work
And all the films.
Not that this is a bad thing.
People are watching movies. They are. People are watching movies as you read this. But not just people in the general sense. I’m talking about people on this campus. I’m talking about Wespeeps. They’re watching movies in class, and I’m not just talking about Film classes. Have you seen how many people are in Film 310, though? That’s a lot of people. It’s pretty cool. And at night, people aren’t just going to the Film Series movies. Last night the documentary “Mutiny” screened, for example. Film Series screenings like “The Saddest Music In The World” and “Infernal Affairs” have been super well-attended. And why not? These are movies worth seeing, despite their relative obscurity. And you seem to think so as well, which is exciting. A recent study tells us that more students are watching movies than are having sex on any given night at Wesleyan. And it’s cold out, so, as the Zombies sang, “it’s the time of the season for loving.” I guess it’s just easier to ask someone if they want to watch a movie than to ask someone if they want to watch your genitals, you know? Or maybe we’re just dorks. Or maybe I made up the “recent study” bit. But I bet it’s true. I do.
I know that Valentine’s Day was last weekend, but humor me folks, because I forgot to do something important. And, in truth, Valentine’s Day is just an excuse. It’s a randomly designated day. But why can’t every day be Valentine’s Day? Okay, so here’s what I want you to do: invite someone you like to watch a movie with you, out of the blue. It’s a sweet gesture, and maybe you can combine the movie with some sweet loving, right? I guess if we were to do that study, I’d be most interested in seeing who watched a movie and had sex on the same night?
And then I’d invite those people back to my place.
This weekend in the CFA Cinema:
“Maria Full of Grace” has gotten a lot of attention recently, for its depiction of a young Colombian woman’s harrowing journey. It is both a coming-of-age film and a social commentary. The central performance, by newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno, has garnered a bunch of acclaim, including an Oscar nomination. But what do I think is the strangest thing about this movie? It was written and directed by this guy named Joshua
Marston. Colombian? Nope. He’s a Jewish dude who went to Beverly Hills High School. Weird. Because the first half of the film, which takes place in Colombia, feels one hundred percent authentic. The majority of this picture is not in English and Maria is such a fully developed and realized character with a well-constructed arc. How did this white guy achieve this? Well, the bottom line is he really knows how to tell a story cinematically. I don’t want to give anything about the film away if you haven’t seen it, because I think that the film’s events unfold in a manner that I wouldn’t want to spoil. Regardless, I think we’re going to be seeing more films from Marston, and I expect them to deal with far-flung subject matter.
“Maria Full of Grace” Friday & Saturday 18 and 19, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $4.
For free and simultaneously in the Science Center:
Friday: Luis Bunuel’s “The Discrete Charm of The Bourgeoisie.” Oh man, this movie is so ridiculous. It’s crazy absurd with nutso dreams and bizarre characters. It’s a satire about class, but it’s also not. It’s about, like, these people trying to have dinner. No, it’s about- well, it’s about an hour and a half. IF YOU LIKE MOVIES AND HAVEN’T SEEN THIS MOVIE THEN YOU DON’T ACTUALLY LIKE MOVIES. YOU HATE THEM. Just kidding. Kinda.
Saturday: Frank Capra’s “Mr. Deeds Goes To Town.” Why did Adam Sandler shit all over this classic American Comedy starring Gary Cooper? Sorry, by “shit all over” I mean “remake.” My mistake. P.S. Lionel Stander is in it and he is so funny.
Next Wednesday in the Cinema at 8 p.m:
Do you like “Sherman’s March?” Well we’re showing “Bright Leaves,” documentarian Ross McElwee’s newest paean to the South. It’s about tobacco!
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