March's Movie

March's Movie is The Lookout.  It's directed by Scott Frank, in his directorial debut. It features Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels and Matthew Goode.

The Lookout is rated R for language, some violence, and sexual content.

It is available in DVD format through Netflix, and is available from Knox County Public Library. I have not found any streaming sources yet.

Unless there is a change, we are meeting at 7:00 pm on March 21 at McAlister's Deli on Morrell Road. Come casual and feel free to have dinner, dessert, or just a beverage while we discuss the movie.

La Ironía o Coincidencia

I have mentioned before how The Strand on BBC World Service has occasionally sparked interest in a film that I may have otherwise missed. In what is either a twist of irony or just a coincidence The Strand highlighted Spanish-language cinema at the Goya Awards on February 15. That is the date we met last, and had our own criticism of the Spanish-language film "The Last Circus (Balada triste de trompeta.)"

In another twist, Álex de la Iglesia, who directed the film, is a former President of the Spanish Film Academy, which awards the Goya. He resigned his post in 2011 over a new Spanish anti-download law.

Click Here to listen to The Strand

Meeting Tonight!

Remember, the movie group meets tonight, February 15, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. at McAlisters Deli on Morrell Rd. We will be discussing The Last Circus.

Movie Discussion on The Strand

I have been told that I find cool stories because I'm a fan of the BBC. Before the internet, I listened to World Service on shortwave radio. Although now I have upgraded to listening online, its not all about news and politics. The Strand is broadcast on World Service 4 times daily and showcases the best of the arts, including movies. Listen to today's show, but you may be interested in February 6th's show. It features Director Stephen Daldry discussing the Oscar-nominated Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. John Williams discusses composing some of the most recognizable musical themes in a generation and working with Steven Spielberg.

You can listen to BBC World Service live including The Strand at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/

Past episodes of The Strand including the one from February 6 are at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsn3

Podcasts of The Strand are also available at the iTunes store or on The Strand's homepage. 

Does Oscar Care About Impartiality?

BBC News is reporting that parents of 2 of the boys murdered in West Memphis in 1993 are upset that Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory is in the running for an Academy Award. The first film in 1996 raised doubts about the case, and it and subsequent films have garnered celebrity support for the release of the West Memphis 3.

The parents who believe that the West Memphis 3 murdered their sons are understandably upset, but must the film be impartial in order to be considered or to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature? In documenting the experiences of the West Memphis 3, is the film-maker allowed to express a point of view? Is there such a thing as an impartial documentary, or does putting scenes together into cause and effect relationships inevitably create a point of view?

For the complete story from BBC, click here.

February's Movie

February's Movie is The Last Circus (Balade triste de trompeta). It is directed by Álex de la Iglesia and stars Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Terre, and Caroline Bang.

Please be aware that this movie is rated R for brutal violence throughout, some strong sexual content, nudity, and language. The movie is available both as a DVD and streaming through Netflix and is available on Amazon Instant Video.

Our meeting will be at 7:00 pm, February 15, 2012 at McAlisters on Morrell Rd. We are casual so feel free to have dinner or dessert while we discuss the movie.

We did briefly discuss moving February's meeting to another location, but I have not heard anything else about that. If there is a change, I will post it here as soon as I know about it.

January Movie Recap

It has been a couple of weeks since we talked about Hereafter. I thought I would give everyone a last chance to share any thoughts about this movie, which may have come to mind after the discussion ended. I thought we had a good discussion and covered a lot of territory in only about 35 minutes of back and forth. 

Two points particularly struck me. First, Clint Eastwood doesn’t fully develop any of the main characters. He sets them in motion as an emotional type. The story isn’t about the sequence of events or specific characters, but about how each of these emotional types react to the events. I have been thinking about other Eastwood movies since we met, and I have been considering whether this is truly a pattern on his part.

Secondly, we had a question about whether the movie promoted the idea of Fate vs. Randomness in life. The idea that was put forward that these characters defined by their emotions are more likely to respond in predictable ways. I don’t want to recap the entire discussion, but I like the idea of Likelihood rather than either Fate or Randomness. Likelihood seems to be a more elegant answer.

Of course you may think I am completely off my rocker. Please, leave any of your last minute observations as comments.