We’ve finally reached the home stretch of the semester. Only six days of class to go, and only six ridiculously good movies left on the Film Series calendar. Coincidence? I think not. I realize this time of year means plenty of work to be done and quite a bit of fun to be had, and we’re not trying to compete with either (with the obvious exception of “Dazed and Confused”). What else happens on this campus from 8 to 10 p.m.?
We’ve tried especially hard this year to program the last few nights of the film series so they tie in nicely with your social calendar. Case in point: if you’re planning on checking out the Burlesque show tonight, I honestly can’t think of a more fitting precursor than “The Wrestler,” which plays beforehand. In a truly spectacular performance, the apparently age-defying 43-year-old Marisa Tomei gets naked to play Cassidy, a stripper with a heart of gold. Let’s just hope the Burlesque show has a happier ending…
Of course, you might think next Wednesday’s “Waltz With Bashir” isn’t the best mood-setter for our last Bar Night of the year… fair enough. You’re just going to have to take this one on faith. This film is incredible. It won’t let you down.
So please come out to the Film Series this week. At the very least, join me in counting down the days until “Dazed and Confused.” Until then, keep on L-I-V-I-N.
THE WRESTLER
2008. USA. Dir: Darren Aronofsky. With Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei.
Friday, April 24, 8 p.m., $5
Rarely has a 20-year drug and alcohol binge done such good things for an actor’s abilities as it has for Mickey Rourke. I thought he was pretty incredible as the arsonist in “Body Heat,” but he is absolutely brilliant as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a lonely, aging wrestler who’s fallen on hard luck. If you were put off by Aronofsky’s last film “The Fountain,” don’t worry—there’s no Hugh Jackman tapping tree-semen in this one. Quite the opposite. “The Wrestler” is a brutal yet tender portrait of a battered man and the tragedy of his failed dreams. If you missed this in theaters, don’t make the mistake again.
LOVES OF A BLONDE
1964. Czechoslovakia. Dir: Milos Forman. With Hana Brejchova.
Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m., FREE
A personal favorite of mine, this classic film from the Czech New Wave tells the story of Andula, a beautiful young blonde who lives in a factory town in Communist Czechoslovakia where women outnumber men sixteen to one. When a handsome piano-playing soldier rolls through town for the factory dance, she falls for him after they spend the night together. This tender, sexy comedy about the pangs of adolescent longing and desire is a stylish Saturday-night treat.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
2008. Israel/Germany/France/USA. Dir: Ari Folan. Animated Doc.
Wednesday, April 29, 8 p.m., $5
The most talked-about foreign film of the year, “Waltz with Bashir” is an intensely personal animated documentary about director Ari Folman’s experiences in the 1982 Lebanon War. Interweaving interviews with flashbacks, the film uses vibrant animation to tell a dream-like story about memory, trauma and the psychic damage caused by war. Even if you’re not a fan of cartoons, this beautiful film delivers a haunting message that resonates with even the most skeptical of viewers.
“IN TREATMENT”
(“BeTipul”) SEASON TWO
2008. Israel. With Assi Dayan.
Friday, April 30, 8 p.m., $5
In the last event on this quarter’s three-part Israeli film series, the head writer and co-creator of “BeTipul” will return to present episodes from the second season of his acclaimed television series. The Israeli show is nearly impossible to get a hold of stateside, so don’t miss this rare opportunity to view episodes (and speak to the creator) of what critics have described as the best Israeli drama ever created.
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