D.C. Film Society Previews Grab-Bag of Upcoming Features

Eight-Legged Harry Potters

By Larry Hart

Despite the national trauma of the last few months, a record 180 film-buffs turned out for just plain fun at the D.C. Film Society's Fall Trailer Program on November 5, held at Loews Cineplex at 4000 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. They scarfed up some cool posters, t-shirts and other studio giveaways, scarfed down gobs of free burritos courtesy of Chipotle and settled down for a good look at what Hollywood (and even some other countries) are throwing at us this winter.

Once again, the irrepressible duo of Bill Henry and Joe Barber held forth to analyze the good, the bad and the ugly. This time Bill used a roving mic to get into the audience for the discussion.

The 19 "previews of coming attractions"—known as "trailers" in the biz, a left-over term from the days of double features—were broken down into six groups. Of the first two, the audience vastly preferred Windtalkers to a remake of Rollerball. Windtalkers is the unusual story of how the Navajo language was used as a code during World War II.

Next came four "art house" movies, with Amélie and The Endurance the big house favorites. Amélie, a light-hearted valentine to Paris broke box office records over there. The Endurance is a remarkable documentary of the failed Shackleton expedition to Antarctica. It's not often a documentary trailer can move you, but this one does.

The biggest reaction of the night came from The Royal Tenenbaums, shown with In the Bedroom and A Walk To Remember. If Gene Hackman and an all-star cast is half as funny as the trailer, they'll have 'em rolling in the aisles.

In the "who would ever believe they'd make another one" category, Ocean's Eleven won the day. This is one remake that could be better than the original, remarkable only as the definitive "Rat Pack" movie, and who can argue with George Clooney in the Sinatra role.

And then there's Harry Potter. What more can one say except that the discussion brought out the debate the producers had of whether to combine the first two books. The decision not to has been borne out by the grosses. In the same group was my favorite of the evening, Eight-Legged Freaks (wisely changed from the title, Arac Attack), a hilarious send-up of those old mutant insect horror flicks I grew up on as a child of the fifties.

The final four included two teen flicks and a film, Blackhawk, about our failed military mission in Somalia. This should stir comment in light of our current action in Afghanistan.

Much thanks to Cate Nielan, Mary Lee, Megan Sussman, Cheryl Dixon, Larry Hart, Ky Nguyen, Billy Wickert, Raiford Gaffney, Michael Kyrioglou, and Liz Wagger for lots of great efforts!

Marlene Dietrich Centennial Celebration of Films

In conjunction with its exhibit "Marlene Dietrich--A Legend in Photographs," the Goethe Institut-Washington has organized a series of films starring Marlene Dietrich which began late last September with The Blue Angel and continued in November with The Woman That Men Yearn for, Knight Without Armour and Dishonored. In December the series continues at Films on the Hill, the Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art.

On December 10 at Films on the Hill is The Spoilers (1942) based on the book by Rex Beach and co-starring John Wayne and Randolph Scott. Marlene's character changed from a mysteriously veiled femme fatale to a gin palace queen with the success of Destry Rides Again; many of her subsequent roles were of a similar nature. On December 11 at the Library of Congress is The Ship of Lost Men, one of Marlene's last silent films. On December 12 at Films on the Hill is Shanghai Express (1932), the best of the Josef von Sternberg-Marlene Dietrich collaborations (all seven of which are represented in this series) and the kind of film for which both director and star became legends. On December 13 at the Library of Congress is I Kiss Your Hand, Madame and The Flame of New Orleans. On December 14 at the Library of Congress is Morocco (1931), Marlene's second film with Josef von Sternberg but which was released on the U.S. before The Blue Angel. On December 29 at 2:30pm at the National Gallery of Art is The Scarlet Empress. A documentary about Marlene, Marlene is on December 30 at 2:00pm at the National Gallery of Art and finally, on December 30 at 4:00pm is a double feature of Blonde Venus with The Devil is a Woman, also at the National Gallery of Art.

For more information, see the Goethe-Institut website, the Films on the Hill website, or the National Gallery of Art website.

The photographic exhibit at the Goethe-Institut runs through December 14.

The 12th Washington Jewish Film Festival

The 12th Washington Jewish Film Festival: An Exhibition of International Cinema continues in December with features, shorts and documentaries.

The Festival closes at the Lincoln Theatre on Sunday, December 9 at 7 pm with the charming French comedy Once We Grow Up, with special guest Director Renaud Cohen in attendance. Simon is at his wits end, trying to juggle his job as a writer, his girlfriend with whom he's trying to have a child, his colorful friends, dodgy parents, not to mention his grandma who has taken to wandering the Paris streets. Add Claire, his alluring pregnant neighbor who has been abandoned by her husband, and you have the ingredients for a witch's brew of comedy and romance. With Matthieu Demy (Jeanne Et Le Garçon Formidable) and Amira Casars (Would I Lie to You?, 2000 WJFF). Music (performed by Nefrit El-Or) and a wine reception will follow at the Lincoln Theatre.

For more information, please visit the Festival web site at www.wjff.org or call 202-777-3248. To order tickets call: 1-800-494-8497 or www.boxofficetickets.com.

Calendar of Events

FILMS

Freer Gallery of Art
The Freer concludes its films by Japanese director Kon Ichikawa in December with Ten Dark Women (1961) on December 2 at 2:00pm, A Full-Up Train (1957) on December 7 at 7:00pm and I Am Two (1962) on December 9 at 2:00pm. More Kon Ichikawa films are shown at the Gallery, see below.

National Gallery of Art
The Gallery also concludes its share of the Kon Ichikawa films with Alone on the Pacific (1963) on December 1 at 2:30pm, Tokyo Olympiad (1965) on December 8 at 2:00pm, I Am a Cat (1975) on December 9 at 4:00pm, The Makioka Sisters on December 15 at 2:30pm, and The Wanderers on December 16 at 4:00pm.

The Gallery's share of the Marlene Dietrich Centennial films (see story above) are The Scarlet Empress (Josef von Sternberg, 1934) on December 29 at 2:30pm, Marlene (Maximilian Schell, 1984), a documentary, on December 30 at 2:00pm, and a double-feature of Blonde Venus (Josef von Sternberg, 1932) with The Devil is a Woman (Josef von Sternberg, 1935) on December 30 at 4:00pm.

Also in December, the Gallery continues with its films on sculptor Henry Moore with The Mystery of Henry Moore (Harry Rasky, 1986) on December 12, 13, 14, and 15 at 12:30pm and Henry Moore (Robert Fresco, 1980) on December 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 at 12:30pm.

Miscellaneous films in December at the Gallery include One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (Chris Marker, 1999) about the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky on December 22 at 2:30pm; a double feature of two recent films by Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi Soul is Singing (1997) and Hidden Treasures (2000) on December 22 at 2:30pm; and a lecture and film, "Modernism, Postmodernism, and Godard" shown with The Band of Outsiders (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964) with Christian Science Monitor film critic David Sterritt on December 2 at 2:00pm.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
The National Museum of Women in the Arts takes part in the Jewish Film Festival with a screening of Anna's Summer (Jeanine Meerapfel, 2001) on December 5 at 7:00pm.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust Museum takes part in the Jewish Film Festival on December 2 at 2:00pm with The Optimists (Jacky and Lisa Comforty, 2001), the story of how Bulgarian Jews survived the Holocaust with Jacky Comforty present to answer questions after the screening.

Pickford Theater
The Pickford Theater also takes part in the Marlene Dietrich Centennial Films with The Ship of Lost Men (Maurice Tourneur, 1929) on December 11 at 7:00pm, I Kiss Your Hand Madame (Robert Land, 1929) and The Flame of New Orleans (René Clair, 1941) on December 13 at 6:30pm and Morocco (Josef von Sternberg, 1930) on December 14 at 7:00pm.

Films about Margaret Mead continue with "Margaret Mead Films at the Library of Congress: An Overview" on December 6 at 7:00pm, Goona Goona (Andre Roosevelt, 1932) on December 18 at 7:00pm and Ubangi (Louis Neuman, 1931) with Untamed Africa (Wynant Hubbard, 1933) on December 28 at 6:30pm.

Films on the Hill
Films on the Hill concludes its participation in the Marlene Dietrich Centennial films with The Spoilers (Ray Enright, 1942) on December 10 at 7:00pm and Shanghai Express (Josef von Sternberg, 1932) on December 12 at 7:00pm. See the article above about Marlene Dietrich. Other films in December are a double feature of William S. Hart films The Narrow Trail (Lambert Hillyer, 1917) with The Cradle of Courage (Lambert Hillyer, 1920), the second a rare non-Western appearance by William S. Hart, the most important and influential of the early western stars on December 17 at 7:00pm. The Road to Glory (Howard Hawks, 1936) is about French soldiers in the trenches of World War I, shown on December 19 at 7:00pm. Finally, a Christmas film, Christmas Eve (Edwin L. Marin, 1947) is on December 21 at 7:00pm.

National Geographic Society
On December 1 from 10:00am to 3:00pm are the 2001 Earthwatch Film Awards. The films include Crown of the Continent (John Grabowska), Of Ochre and Water (Joelle Chesselet and Craig Matthew), Eyeball to Eyeball (Errol Morris), and Realm of the Lobster (Clarita Berger and Nick Caloyianis).

French Embassy
On December 5 at 7:00pm is La Femma Nikita (Luc Besson, (1990) with Anne Parillaud, Jean-Hugues Anglade and Jeanne Moreau.

National Museum of Natural History
Two documentaries about the Congo are Congo: The River That Swallows All Rivers (2001) on December 27 at 12:00noon and Congo: Spirits of the Forest (2001) on December 28 at 12:00noon.

Transafrica Forum
La Vie Est Belle (Mweze Ngangura, 1987), a film from the Democratic Republic of Congo is on December 19 at 6:30pm. A discussion will follow the screening. Call 202-797-2301.

Previous Storyboards

November, 2001
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December,2000
November, 2000