Cinefiles

Let’s face it—the week has been looking a bit grim. Our senior friends have died and gone to thesis hell, the weather is miserable, Foss Hill is soggy and disgusting and, frankly, it’s downright confusing that the sun is still out at 7:30 p.m. But let’s also face the fact that last Friday’s “Unforgiven” was a truly, truly epic night on the Film Series. Can someone on the Film Board remind me why we didn’t program this to begin with? In other news, I can’t get over the fact that “River’s Edge” made it onto the calendar…finally. I got quite a few nasty looks when I suggested this movie a few years ago, but thanks to the support and charming persistence of Destin Douglas, you guys finally got to see teenage Keanu and Crispin in this amazingly weird depiction of suburban teenage-angst. Just goes to show that what is deranged and morally confused to some, is…a really fucking enjoyable Thursday evening…at least for me and Destin.

 

Anyways, let’s get through these April showers together with four more cozy nights in the Goldsmith, and don’t skimp on the Film Series next week when all those fresh-faced, nubile pre-frosh start trickling in for WesFest. Scoop some up and bring them with you to “The Kid Brother,” our special WesFest Film Series event next Thursday, April 15! 

 

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

2008. USA. Dir: David Fincher. With Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett. 166 min.

Friday, April 10, 8 p.m., $5

Fincher’s latest may have been slighted at the Oscars, but we think this epic, visually stunning love-story about the trials of the reverse aging process is well worth a second showing. (The Criterion Collection agrees…they’re releasing a fancy DVD of “Button” this May.) In an enchanting, decades-spanning fairy-tale that stretches between the end of World War I and Hurricane Katrina, the lives of two lifelong friends and doomed lovers, Daisy (Cate Blanchett) and Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), finally converge in the 1960s. Though enormous in its scope and vision, “Benjamin Button” shows acclaimed director Fincher (“Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac”) veering into more personal territory with this intimate meditation on time and death.

 

UGETSU

1953. Japan. Dir: Kenji Mizoguchi. With Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyo. 94 min.

Saturday, April 11, 8 p.m, free

Film critics frequently refer to “Ugetsu” as the most beautiful film ever made, and they’re not just throwing around platitudes—it really is that beautiful. A mesmerizing samurai tale set in 16th century Japan, Mizoguchi’s film was one of the first to turn American audiences on to Japanese cinema. It’s powerful fable about two peasants, one driven by greed and the other by envy, who go off to fight a marauding samurai army. A haunting masterpiece of foreign art cinema that should not be missed.

 

FROST/NIXON

2008. USA. Dir: Ron Howard. With Frank Langella, Michael Sheen. 122 min.

Wednesday, April 15, 8 p.m., $5

Thank god Ron Howard stalled shooting on “Angels and Demons” for a few months last year to complete his riveting adaptation of Peter Morgan’s acclaimed stage play. This smart, fast-paced drama about TV journalist David Frost’s 1977 interviews with ex-president Richard Nixon is a very welcome change of pace from the director, and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon is, in my opinion, the most spot-on casting choice of the entire year. You can literally see the sweat start to bead up on his upper lip as Frost presses him on Watergate. “Frost/Nixon” is tense, gripping, and definitely one of the best of the past Oscar season.

 

THE KID BROTHER

1927. USA. Dir: Ted Wilde and J.A. Howe. With Harold Lloyd. 84 min.

Thursday, April 16, 8 p.m., free

If you’ve never experienced the silent hilarity of Harold Lloyd, you must not miss our WesFest event next Thursday. Donning his characteristic horn-rimmed glasses, Lloyd plays the youngest son of a burly county sheriff, competing against his larger, more physically capable brothers for his father’s attention. As if Lloyd’s comedic genius isn’t reason enough to come, this special event will feature live musical accompaniment by composer Ben Model, who will play his own score to “The Kid Brother” at the front of Goldsmith while the film rolls.