If April showers bring May flowers, then what, pray tell, does this blistering April sunshine bring? Well, for one, it has brought us all to the grassy paradise of party and skin, Foss Hill, at least a week earlier than expected. Along with funky Foss-ing has come an instant, all-too-common aversion to libraries for some, and perhaps an attack of allergies for others. Hey, this unexpected spring bliss may have even coincided with the unparalleled, unadulterated joy of having completed a thesis. Whether the times have brought you sticky sweat or sweet spirits, one thing is for sure: this Mother April has gifted us a killer week on the film series to match the unbridled intensity of her sweltering sun.
I know, I know – it’s always a good week on the film series, especially according to us ‘Cinefiles’ writers. But trust me, folks – this is an especially good week, like scary good. We’ve got a coming of age story from across the pond, a sci-fi primate party, a touchingly beautiful war epic, and a member of Hollywood royalty gracing us with his presence and his fine work. With a spring breeze outside and finals on the horizon, what more could you ask for? To immediately answer that question, I’m asking you to come on down and enjoy the four following fabulous movies:
AN EDUCATION
2009. UK. Dir: Lone Scherfig. With Carey Mulligan, Pete Sarsgaard. 95 minutes.
TONIGHT, APRIL 9, 8 p.m., $5
Newcomer Carey Mulligan’s charming, heartbreaking breakthrough performance isn’t the only profoundly enjoyable part of this gem; it’s a well-crafted, touching, impeccably-art-directed effort deserving of its Oscar-hype. In it, Mulligan plays a barely-legal high-schooler who falls for a middle-aged womanizer and is swept into a world of extravagance, affectation, and eventually harsh reality. But can you really blame her? I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with that smarmy Sarsgaard smile? Come and see for yourself.
PLANET OF THE APES
1968. USA. Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner. With Charlton Heston. 112 min.
SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 8 p.m., FREE
Our Sci-Fi/Religion series keeps on chuggin’ this week, and takes you to a land of simian supremacy. Far from that shitty Tim Burton remake you all probably begged your parents to see when you were 10, Schaffner’s version is innovative, powerful, and exciting – not to mention deliciously teeming with tons of Charlton Heston. Beneath the ape makeup (ape-up?) and charmingly dated sets and special effects, APES is a human story, with real resonance even 40 years later. But mostly, it’s just an awesome adventure-fest with crazy monkeys and a bad-ass, oft-shirtless hero. Either way, it’s surely worth checking out on the big screen.
THE THIN RED LINE
1998. USA. Dir: Terrence Malick. With James Caviezel, Sean Penn. 170 min.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 8 p.m., $5
Maybe I’m biased, since BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN are both among my favorite films of all time, but everything that King Malick touches turns to cinematic gold. Malick’s return to the craft after 20 years off is well worth the wait; this epic tale of a band of soldiers during the Battle of Guadalcanal in WWII is at once enigmatically poetic, exhilarating, and moving. With an impeccable cast of players, including James Caviezel, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte, John C. Reilly, John Travolta, and Jared Leto, this movie lives and breathes in a way wholly apart from any other contemporary combat fare. If you’re still not convinced, listen to good ol’ Marty Scorsese, who cited it as his second favorite film of the 1990s.
UP IN THE AIR
2009. USA. Dir: Jason Reitman. With George Clooney, Vera Farmiga. 109 min.
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 8 p.m., FREE
When Michael Bay came to Wesleyan to screen TRANSFORMERS my freshman year, I thought my life was complete. There was nowhere to go but down, right? Wrong. In the third installment of our Independent Filmmaker Speaker Series, we bring you a bona-fide Hollywood bigwig, and reach a new high in scheduling contemporary auteurs to speak. Not only is Jason Reitman the son of the guy who directed such ’80s-comedy romps as GHOSTBUSTERS and STRIPES, but he’s also the mastermind behind such contemporary favorites like THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and JUNO. His latest effort, a critical and commercial titan of 2009, is a well-realized, well-acted, zeitgeist sort of film. Come see the film and hear the man himself; it’ll be the best tax day you’ve ever had.
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