Cinema Lounge Discusses Movies That Inspire

Twisted Inspiration

I should have known better.

When I asked folks to share with us their inspirational stories of how movies changed their lives for the December 10 Cinema Lounge, I was expecting a lot of weepy stories about It's a Wonderful Life, Steel Magnolias, and Terms of Endearment. Not this bunch. Instead, I got stories about Dressed to Kill, Apocalypse Now, Cape Fear, Rambo, and Blade Runner.

Of course, Star Wars came up. It was, after all, a defining film for a generation. One member made it a ritual to watch the trilogy on videotape when he came home from college for the holiday break. Afterwards, he recalls being so elated, he felt he could take on the world. Another defining movie, ET, was discussed. Someone said that they never cry during a movie, but came extremely close during ET. Another member recalls watching the movie soon after his parents' divorce and identifying with the kids in the film who were coping with the breakup of their parents.

One member said seeing The Rocky Horror Picture Show about 40 times was inspirational. The sense of community felt among the attendees from this former midnight movie event was strong. It was ritualistic, like going to church. The community was forgiving and encouraging of outrageous self-expression and harkened back to the days when theater was closely linked to film. Another member remembers being intimidated by Scream. It was the first horror film he saw and it was genre of which he wasn't fond. Seeing Henry Winkler's character killed was all he could take. He left the theater shaken. When everyone in school found out he left the movie early, he felt he had something to prove. He went back to see the movie and forced himself to sit through the whole thing. He has seen it seven times since.

Other movies that were mentioned included: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Rocky, Roxanne, Metropolis, Godfather I and II, Field of Dreams, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Ordinary People, Die Hard, Snoopy Come Home, American Beauty, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Harold and Maude, Being There, Pulp Fiction, Nashville, High Fidelity, Breakfast Club, Reservoir Dogs, Black and White, Indian Summer, Citizen Kane, From Here to Eternity, Bonnie and Clyde, and South Central. Hmmm. No Terms of Endearment here.

Join us for our next Cinema Lounge on January 14, 2002, as we discuss the ins and outs of going to film festivals. [To get started, see Jim McCaskill's article below.] Share with us your first hand experience of attending film festivals both here and abroad. We'll also highlight some unusual film festivals.

Cinema Lounge has moved to a new location and an earlier time! Our new home is Borders Books, 600 14th Street, NW, in the Café Espresso. We will meet a half hour earlier at 7:00pm. Hope you can join us.

A Veteran's Advice on Film Festivals

By Jim McCaskill

Brian Niemiec asked me to take part in the January Cinema Lounge which will focus on Film Festivals. Sorry I had to decline as I was on my way back to Scotland for the holidays then over to Rotterdam for their film festival. Some how I had the feeling that mingling with 300,000 Revelers celebrating Scots in Edinburgh would be good prep for getting through throngs at film festivals. Festivals are not as bad as that.

Film Festivals can be fun as you are in a community of dedicated film lovers. Everyone has their favorite film of the festival. At times you have to practice your smiles as someone will inevitably name the one film that you thought was the worse film ever made. Most of the serious film festival folks are exceedingly serious. Serious means you see five or more films each day. If you are only going to see four, why did you come? This is serious film orgy time at most festival. This is for folks who really enjoy seeing films months before they are released in the states, if they are. More on that later. Film festivals are for folks who really, really enjoy sitting in the dark with a thousand total strangers.

How do you choose a festival? There are literally hundreds of festivals each year. Every festivals from highly publicized Cannes to unknown Kelibia vie for your attention. Kelibia, by the way, is in Tunisia and hosts an international festival in odd numbered years. The next one will be in August 2003 in case you are in the neighborhood.

Usually Berlin, Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and Venice are considered the major festivals. Excluding our own DC Film Festival which is in mid-April this year. Not to say that there are not treasures at the smaller festivals. Palm Springs holds theirs in late January also and makes an effort to have all the films nominated for the Foreign Language Academy Award. And you are in warm Palm Springs in cold January. Monsoon Wedding, highly regarded at Toronto, will open Palm Springs this year. Edinburgh is offering a new film festival in early April. This one, seven films in seven nights, will premiere there then travel to Glasgow then London.

The best advice I can give on surviving film festivals is to begin to plan early. Use the internet as a basic tool to find festivals, housing, information about films and directors. Most festivals have a website with loads of information. I have found that filmfestivals.com and britfilms.com lead you to websites that give good information. Plan early for housing, plan early for tickets, play early for everything. Toronto will express deliver their packet to you. Faxing back your requests helps to get your first choices.

Pack your patience along with those comfortable walking shoes. Expect to stand in lines. Expect delays. Not all festival going is hard work. You meet not only good people with serious interest in film but also have an opportunity to hear a director, producer and/or stars discuss their film.

Because many people return year after year to their favorite festival moderate priced hotel rooms can be at a premium. Many festival websites offer links to local housing and it is never too early to lock in a room. Some places like Edinburgh have multiple festivals going on at the same time so you will be spoilt for choice. Do remember that there is a city surrounding these cinemas. Consider visiting other local sites just to get your eyes use to daylight again. Now, if you read that sentence without screaming at me you are not a serious film goer. For those serious ones (I have to be numbered with that lot as I will see close to 60 films at most festivals) never want their eyes accustomed to daylight. With luck at Toronto, for example, your film viewing day begins at 8 AM and ends well after midnight.

How can you make certain that the films are your list are all winners? You can't. Most of the films shown will not have reviews and local newspaper hot lists are not really reliable. I've seen many a "must see" and been disappointed. And, conversely, seen many a gem that did not make their cut. While all films are vetted occasionally you suspect that distributors won't release prize films without their taking a far lesser one.For each film that disappoints you will see others that are terrific and never get released in the states. I am still annoyed that an excellent Chinese film, Adopted Son, never had much distribution. Some films never get released because there may not be much demand for films from small countries. One really good film from the Canary Islands was not even shown in Europe. It has been estimated that 95 percent of the films made never get released.

Another reason that films may not be released is the reluctance of film goers everywhere to read their films. Some people feel that it is just too much work.

There is a lot going on at film festivals these days. There is a tendency to mix screenings and debate. Rotterdam offers 'What is Cinema?,' a take on French critic André Bazin's famous collection of essays. This year the latest film from Peter Greenaway (The Tulse Luper Suitcase) as well as offerings from Goddar, Sokurov, Lynch, Figgis will be seen and discussed.

Consider adding film festival to your holiday activities. There is a festival out there for every taste in films.

Polls Open for The Best of 2001

No acceptance speeches. No statues. No media sponsored parties. Just your opinion and a chance to win.

The Washington DC Film Society announces its second annual vote for The Best of 2001. This is your chance to vote for your favorite movies, performances, and director of 2001. Log on to D.C. Film Society and click The Best of 2001 to cast your ballot and win.

Yes, win! All ballots will be entered in a drawing to win great prizes such as tickets to the 10th Annual Capital Oscars Party, CDs, DVDs, videos, gift certificates and more. Twenty people will win. Hurry! The voting booth is only open January 1 through 31, 2002.

Nominees for The Best of 2001 will be announced on Tuesday, February 12, 2002. Best of 2001 winners will be announced at the 10th Annual Capital Oscars Party in March. See our web site for details.

Calendar of Events

FILMS

American Film Institute
The AFI starts a series of "Robert Altman in the 1970s" films, with A Perfect Couple (1979) on January 28 at 6:30pm and January 29 at 8:45pm. A Wedding (1978) is on January 28 at 8:30pm and January 30 at 6:30pm; Buffalo Bill and the Indians (1976) is on January 29 at 6:30pm and January 31 at 8:45pm; and McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971) is on January 30 at 8:45pm and January 31 at 6:30pm. Continued in February.

Freer Gallery of Art
During January and February, the Freer will show five films by a new generation of Iranian directors who have won awards at film festivals. The films in January are: Djomeh (Hassan Yektapanah, 2000) on January 18 at 7:00pm and January 20 at 2:00pm and Paper Airplanes (Farhad Mehranfar, 1997) on January 25 at 7:00pm and January 27 at 2:00pm. The series continues in February.

National Gallery of Art
The Gallery devotes the month of January to Fritz Lang, the noted German director who came to the US in the 1930s. Most of the films in the series are full-length prints rarely seen in the U.S. The titles are: M (1931) on January 5 at 3:00pm and January 6 at 4:00pm; Dr. Mabuse Part I (1922)on January 12 at 2:00pm and Dr. Mabuse Part II on January 13 at 4:00pm, both with music accompaniment by Ray Brubacher; Spies (1927) on January 19 at 2:00pm; Destiny (1921) on January 20 at 4:00pm, both with music accompaniment by Robert Israel; The Woman in the Moon (1929) on January 26 at 2:00pm and Metropolis (1927) on January 27 at 4:00pm, both with music accompaniment by Dennis James. In addition, Four Around the Woman (1920) will be shown at Films on the Hill with music accompaniment by Robert Israel, see below.

Films on the Hill
To accompany the Fritz Lang retrospective at the Gallery, Films on the Hill will host the Washington premiere of Four Around the Woman (Fritz Lang, 1920) on January 21 at 7:00pm with piano accompaniment by Robert Israel who composed a score for the film which he played at the Berlin Film Festival's Fritz Lang retrospective last year. Also, Clive of India (Richard Boleslawski, 1935) starring Ronald Colman and Loretta Young is on January 18 at 7:30pm and The Desperate Journey (Raoul Walsh, 1942) starring Errol Flynn is on January 25 at 7:30pm.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Excerpts from The Arusha Tapes, a compelling film that documents the trials of genocide suspects conducted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, with a panel discussion afterwards is on January 29 at 7pm.

Pickford Theater
In January, the Pickford Theater shows Tokyo Raiders (Jingle Ma, 2000) on January 18 at 7:00pm, Renaldo and Clara Part I (Bob Dylan, 1978) on January 22 at 7:00pm and Renaldo and Clark Part II on January 24 at 7:00pm, and Alphaville (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965) on January 25 at 7:00pm, among other films.

French Embassy
A series of Luis Buńuel films will be shown during January and February. On January 26 at 1:00pm is An Andalusian Dog (1928). On January 26 at 3:00pm is The Golden Age (1930) and Land Without Bread (1932). On January 27 at 1:00pm is Illusion Travels by Streetcar (1953) and on January 27 at 3:00pm is The Young and Damned (1950). The series continues in February

Smithsonian Associates
See The Shipping News with director Lasse Hallstrom in person to introduce the film on January 11 at 7:30pm. A reception will follow the screening. Two more films the next day, see below.

On January 12 at 2:00pm is Father to Be (Lasse Hallstrom, 1979) and on January 12 at 7:00pm is ABBA: The Movie (Lasse Hallstrom, 1977). Pat Dowell will introduce each film and answer questions afterwards. A half-day seminar with Pat Dowell and Lasse Halstrom is a separate event, see below.

Previous Storyboards

December, 2001
November, 2001
October, 2001
September, 2001
August, 2001
July, 2001
June, 2001
May, 2001
April, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000