Next Film, Etc.

Be sure to make it to the Digiplex this Sunday, April 27 for the film, Much Ado About Nothing - a modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words. The film starts at 3:00. Hope to see you there.

John Anderson's questions regarding this film:
1.  Does keeping the film to a limited setting enhance the impact of the play?
2. To what effect does shooting in black and white have in interpreting the text.
3.  What interpretations of Shakespeare in non-Elizabethan settings have worked the best?


Local Film News

(After finishing this post, I found out the Ken Cinema will not be closing. The parties involved in the negotiations have come to an agreement and the Ken will remain open. Yay!!)

Sad news for film buffs. It looks as if the Ken Cinema in San Diego will be closing. This is one of the few single screen movie theaters left in our area (the La Paloma is still alive).  If you want to read about the confusing negotiations regarding this old treasure, click here:
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/apr/15/ken-cinema-closing/ 

One of the 10 best theaters according to Forbes

But, not to worry, here's a list of the 10 best movie theaters in the U.S. (in case you're traveling around and want to take in a film):

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2012/07/06/10-movie-theaters-worth-traveling-for/

Book Nook

This is a fun book in case you're thinking of becoming a filmmaker. You can save your tuition and just spend $15.00 for this book which will guide you with lots of helpful information. Author Landau only devotes 1 page to Filmspeak - a list of movie terms. This list could have been expanded to a few more pages, if you ask me. When I look at the titles after a film, there are always lots of terms that completely baffle me.

Here are some helpful hints that I thought seemed interesting:
A flawed protagonist is more compelling than a perfect protagonist.
1 screenplay page = 1 minute of screen time
A high concept movie can be explained in one sentence
Plot is physical events; story is emotional events
Etc. etc. You'll have to buy the book to find out more.
The only thing the book doesn't tell you is the most important part of filmmaking. Where to get the money to make your film. I guess they don't teach that in film school.




In Memoriam

We lost one of our most brilliant authors this month - The Nobel Prize winnr, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I'm including him in this film blog because one of my favorite books of his, Love in the Time of Cholera was made into a movie. So he belongs here, don't your think?

  
If you haven't seen it, here's a trailer FYI:

Much Ado About Voting

Now's your chance to vote for the next slate of nominated films:

Choose 8 from each category, then email your choices to ncfilmclub@gmail.com. The deadline for votes is April 20th:

Comedies

Damsels in Distress

Frances Ha

Garibaldi's Loves

Girl on a Bicycle

Gloria

Instructions Not Included

In the House

It's a Disaster

Last Call

Living is Easy with Eyes Closed

LongWave

Safety Not Guaranteed

The Spectacular Now

The Trip

Unfinished Song

The Way, Way Back

Dramas

A Hijacking

All is Lost

Barbara

The Book Thief

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Child's Pose

Enemy

The Good Road

Her

Imperial Dreams

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Invisible woman

The Jewish Cardinal

Le Capital

Nebraska

Neighboring Sounds

The Past

Prisoners

Renoir

The Secret Life of Bees

Short Term

Still Mine

Sunlight

Wadja

Walking with the Enemy

Documentaries

20 Feet from Stardom

The Act of Killing

Coexist Comedy Tour

Cutie and the Boxer

Finding Vivian Maier

The Queen of Versailles

Rich Hill

Room 237

The Square

Stories We Tell

Tim's Vermeer

Of Time and the City

Our Next Film

There will be no film this Sunday because of Easter. But the next Sunday is Much Ado About Nothing - a modern retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words. See it on Sunday, April 27, 3:00, Digiplex Oceanside.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming L.A. Film Festival. They don't have a schedule ready yet, but I'll try to keep you posted.



A friend sent me this fun link. See how many quotes you recognize:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/594Oxq4c0XA?feature=player_embedded





In Memoriam

We lost one of Hollywood's great legends last week, Mickey Rooney. I'll remember him best as Andy Hardy. I loved those old films starring him and Judy Garland. "Hey kids, let's put on a show". And he did put on shows - for over 90 years.

Get Your Votes In

Now is the time to vote for your favorite films. Please revisit Jim Hamilton's email of 3/28 to see the list of nominated films and view the trailers (if available).  Email your votes to ncfilmclub.com by April 6. You may vote for 10 films from each category - drama, comedy and documentary.





Our Next Film:

Akiko, a Tokyo student moonlighting as a call girl is sent to a new client. She's surprised to find a  shy and elderly Takashi. He's a committed academic who is constantly distracted by work-related phone calls and more interested in playing house than having sex. When encountering Akiko's volatile boyfriend, Noriaki, Takashi plays into Noriaki's assumption that he is actually Akiko's grandfather. The three settle into their new roles and Takashi becomes the protector that Akiko so desperately needs.

Here are some questions from John Anderson to think about before viewing the film on Sunday.

1.  Why does the director avoid placing vital information in a number of shots, using long takes and avoiding parallel editing?

2.  Do the characters conform to the archetypes that you would expect their characters to represent?

3.  What is the significance of the painting of the Woman and the Parrot? 


Book Nook

I just purchased a used copy of this book at our local library bookstore (The Bottom Shelf in Fallbrook). I thought it would be interesting to read again. I know I read it when it first came out. Didn't everyone? I remember that it caused quite a stir because it was so controversial. It seems tame compared to what you can find on the internet now.

You'll find info on:
Lana Turner's suspected murder of Johnny Stompanato (did her daughter really do it?)
Charlie Chaplin's marriage to a 16 year-old and the nightmare divorce
that followed.
Rudolph Valentino's early death at 31 and the commotion that followed
and lots of Hollywood murders.
My favorite part of the book is a photo of Mae West's room designed by Salvador Dali:

 

Can you imagine sitting here? 

If you want to review some of these old Hollywood scandals, lots of used copies of this book are available on Amazon.

BTW the author of the book, Kenneth Anger, is a filmmaker, having produced over 40 films which  have been described as containing "elements of erotica, documentary, psychodrama, and spectacle".

See you Sunday at the Digiplex, Oceanside. Don't forget to vote.