No matter what one does in life, it’s hard to be the absolute best; there are only so many Michael Jordans, Babe Ruths, John Lennons, and Billy Shakespeares. Perfection is hard to attain, and earning the title of ‘the best of all time’ is even harder. However, it is the humble opinion of this writer that the September-October 2009 Wesleyan Film Series calendar has been just that. Yes: the best Film Series calendar of all time. Sure, there was the legendary Oct/Nov/Dec 2008 calendar, which saw Psycho, Annie Hall, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Big Lebowski all screen in a six week span. Hell, there’s even Jan/Feb 09, which brought you Dr. Strangelove, Alien, Clueless, and Rushmore in rapid succession. But nothing can come close to the tremendous lineup of films on this past calendar. Now, as fall break approaches, we near the end of the quarter, we must say goodbye. Before you get all teary-eyed and nostalgic on me, let’s take a look back and relive some of the glory.
Way back in the beginning of September, when we were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to dive into the semester head first, we kicked things off with the epic cinematic powerhouse that is The Godfather Part II. The 3+ hour epic shook us all to the core, setting the tone for the rest of the semester. That Friday, we almost blew out the Goldsmith speakers with our screening of The Last Waltz – an event that instantly spawned my man-crush on Robbie Robertson, and had me tapping my toes for days. That Saturday, we popped the cork on the almighty Kazan centennial series with Boomerang!, starting the wild semester-long celebration of the director’s illustrious career.
As the semester progressed, classes gradually became more and more intense, and so did the film series. The house was packed as Stark Trek beamed us into an otherworldly action-packed universe, complete enough lens-flares to make you go blind, and enough classic one-liners to induce uproarious applause about once a minute. Soy Cuba on 9/19 practically turned me into a communist with its never-ending tracking shots and mystifying mis en scène. At this point on the calendar, we had traveled to Sicilly, Cuba, and the Planet Vulcan… and we were just getting started. Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, my personal favorite showing of the entire calendar, shot us all dead on the big screen. Johnny Depp in stark Black and White, combined with Jarmusch’s trippy vision was an undeniably lethal combination, especially on an ordinary Wesleyan Wednesday. Next, The Legend of Drunken Master kicked our collective wasted asses, and Cabaret seduced us through its sultry song and dance. Cult-classic The Warriors came next, ending the month of September appropriately – with a series of pulpy, well-costumed gang fights.
October saw the hilariously horrifying Drag Me To Hell, the darkly mysterious Fallen Angel, and the slow, creeping sci-fi space drama Moon screen in stunning succession. The Kazan series held strong into the new month with A Streetcar Named Desire and Viva Zapata, two highly different, but highly amazing Kazan/Brando collaborations. Last Friday, The Hangover added some big-blockbuster flair to the series, attracting frat bros and film snobs alike. Personally, that closing-credit sequence has had Zach Galifianakis on my mind ever since, and not in a good way.
Alas, we arrive at the fateful last week of the series, which is certainly one for the history books, folks. Rear Window, Hitchcock’s flawless exercise in limited space, looked incredibly gorgeous (as did Grace Kelly) in a restored 35mm print, and breathed new life into this textbook thriller. Last night, the Kazan series came to a close for the quarter with one of the director’s career-defining flicks, On the Waterfront – a film that was both Kazan’s “Fuck You!” to Hollywood nay-sayers and a classic Marlon Brando angst-fest.
Well, just in case you’re kicking yourself for not showing up to each and every one of these amazing shows, there is still time to redeem yourself. Come to the two remaining flicks and consider yourself a part of this legendary film series lineup. Rest In Peace, September/October 2009; you were the mother of all calendars, and it will be hard to beat you.
UP
2009. USA. Dir: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson. Animated. 96 min.
TONIGHT, October 16th, 8PM $5
In Pixar’s follow-up to 2008’s stunningly sweet, vivaciously visual robot love story Wall-E, the studio shows us, quite literally, that the sky is the limit. Up tells the story of the unlikely bond that forms between a crotchety old man, who has marooned himself inside of his airborne house-ship, and an eager young boy-scout, along for the ride. At once a colorful, magical tale of childlike wonder, and a surprisingly mature, often adult-themed adventure, this movie is undeniably captivating on many levels. Float on over and be lifted.
STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.
1928. USA. Dir: Charles Reisner. With Buster Keaton, Tom McGuire. 71 min.
Saturday, October 17th, 8PM FREE
Kiss the quarter goodbye with this silent Keaton classic. In the last picture he would make with United Artists before defecting to MGM, the man with the ‘sad baby face’ performs unthinkably dangerous gags that will have you squirming with delight and suspense. Cited by Jackie Chan as one of his primary influences for on-screen physical action, this movie stands as one of the most awe-inspiring of its day. And running only 71 minutes long, you’ll have plenty of time to catch some Keaton and hit up Beta’s 80s party.
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