The Cinema Lounge
On Monday, May 20, 2024 at 8:00pm please join the Cinema Lounge, the DC Film Society's monthly film discussion group.
TOPIC: Courtrooms on Film
Two opponents battling for one goal in a confined space, generally with very high stakes. Courtrooms can spark compelling drama, and occasionally side-splitting comedy. What movies have made the most of the courtroom setting, and how have these depictions changed over the years? What are your favorites?
We'll go back to some stalwarts of the 50s and 60s, including The Caine Mutiny, Witness for the Prosecution, 12 Angry Men, Anatomy of a Murder, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Moving to the 70s-80s, we'll look at Al Pacino going ballistic in And Justice For All, Streep and Hoffman facing off in Kramer vs. Kramer and arguably Paul Newman's greatest performance in The Verdict. Peak courtroom film came in the 90s, with A Few Good Men, The Accused, Philadelphia, Primal Fear, and The People vs. Larry Flynt. More recently, Justine Triet won an Oscar for combining a courtroom drama with a portrait of a marriage's crumbling in Anatomy of a Fall. Finally, we'll laugh at how My Cousin Vinny and Legally Blonde had fun with courtroom antics.
Please RSVP to atspector@hotmail.com and you'll get the Zoom link 1-2 days before the discussion.
The Cinema Lounge, a film discussion group, meets the third Monday of every month (unless otherwise noted) at 8:00pm online via Zoom. You do not need to be a member of the Washington DC Film Society to attend. Cinema Lounge is moderated by Adam Spector, author of the DC Film Society's Adam's Rib column.
We Need to Hear From YOU
We are always looking for film-related material for the Storyboard. Our enthusiastic and well-traveled members have written about their trips to the Cannes Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, London Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Palm Springs Film Festival, the Reykjavik Film Festival, the Munich Film Festival, the Virginia Film Festival, the Locarno Film Festival, The Nitrate Picture Show, and the Chicago Critics Film Festival. We also heard about what it's like being an extra in the movies. Have you gone to an interesting film festival? Have a favorite place to see movies that we aren't covering in the Calendar of Events? Seen a movie that blew you away? Read a film-related book? Gone to a film seminar? Interviewed a director? Taken notes at a Q&A? Read an article about something that didn't make our local news media? Send your contributions to Storyboard and share your stories with the membership. And we sincerely thank all our contributors for this issue of Storyboard.
Calendar of Events
FILMS
American Film Institute Silver Theater
"The DC Labor Film Festival" (May 1-30) features films about work and workers. The Opening Night film is Ken Loach's newest film The Old Oak (2023). A Special Feature is Finding the Money (2023) with Q&A featuring filmmaker Maren Poitras, fiklm subject Stephanie Kelton, moderated by Sara Nelson of AFA-CWA. Other titles are Edge of the City (1957); In the Aisles (2018) from Germany; Matewan (1987); Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times (1936); Office Space (1999) celebrating its 25th anniversary; The Promised Land (2023) from Denmark; Unrest (2022) a historical drama from Switzerland; and Working Class Goes to Hell (2023) from Serbia.
"Spanish Cinema Now!" May 31-June 6) is an annual festival of new films from Spain. The Opening Night film is the award winning Saturn Return (2024) and one other title in May The Rim (2024) with the rest in June.
"Tales of Cinema: The World of Hong Sangsoo" (May 5-July 10) offers a portion of Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo's 31 films with more showing at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art and the National Gallery of Art. Titles in May are Grass (2018); Hotel by the River (2018); The Novelist's Film (2022); and Walk Up (2022) with more in June and July.
"Kinuyo Tanaka Classics" (May 18-July 11) focuses on Tanaka's acting performances, with her directorial work already shown at the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Asian Art. Films in May are A Hen in the Wind (1948); and Sansho the Bailiff (1954). More in June and July.
"Mondo Morricone" (May 3–July 11) To follow up the documentary Ennio (Giuseppe Tornatore, 2021) are 35 films (out of more than 500) scored by Ennio Morricone (1928-2020). Titles include Spaghetti Westerns, Hollywood films and comedies. May films are A Fistful of Dollars (1964); A Quiet Place in the Country (1968) in a 4K restoration; Cinema Paradiso (1988); For a Few Dollars More (1965); Fists in the Pocket (1965); Teorema (1968); The Battle of Algiers (1966) in a new 4K restoration; The Cat O'Nine Tails (1971) in a new 4K restoration; The Fascist (1961)--his first feature score; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966); The Great Silence (1968); The Lizard (1963) in 4K; The Sicilian Clan (1969) in 4K; and The Untouchables (1987). More in June and July.
"The STAR WARS Saga" (May 3–9). May the Fourth Be With You! The first three Star Wars films Star Wars: A New Hope (1977-1997); Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980/1997); and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983/1997) are shown in May.
"AFI Silver After Dark" is a new series of midnight-style movies. The film for May is Hundreds of Beavers (2022).
For the "Stage and Screen" series in May is "Macbeth" with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma.
"George Romero's Independent Cinema" (April 4-May 2) has one last show of Day of the Dead (1985).
"The Bong Hive: A Bong Joon Ho Retrospective" (April 5-May 2) has two last shows of Mother (2009); and Parasite (2019) which won four Oscars.
"2024 Recent Restorations" (May 3–July 2). A range of recent digital restorations, some in 4K. Titles in May are After Hours (1985); Amelie (2001); the documentary Bushman (1971); Coup de Torchon (1981); Delicatessen (1991); Destry Rides Again (1939); the documentary Give Me a Riddle (1966); Last Year at Marienbad (1961); Messiah of Evil (1973); Nostalghia (1983); Not a Pretty Picture (1976); Nothing But a Man (1964); Peeping Tom (1960); The Plot Against Harry (1989); Point Break (1991); Vengeance Is Mine (1984); Winter Kills (1979) and "The Restored Films of DEVO" including Q&A with DEVO's Gerald Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh and restorationist Peter Conheim. More in June and July.
"Special Events" for May include Forbidden Planet (1956) presented by "Count Gore de Vol," one last show of Phantom of the Paradise (1974); and The Third Man (1949), celebrating its 75th anniversary. The documentary The Philadelphia Eleven (2024) features a post-screening panel discussion with special guests.
"Columbia Pictures" Part I (February 2-May 2) is a Centennial retrospective. Titles in May are Anatomy of a Murder (1960); and Bell, Book and Candle (1958).
"Columbia Pictures" Part II (May 3-July 11) continues from Part I. Titles in May are A Raisin in the Sun (1961); All the King's Men (1949); In a Lonely Place (1950); Jubal (1956); Man's Castle (1933); The More the Merrier (1943); Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936); Night of the Demon (1957); Picnic (1956); She Married Her Boss (1935); The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953); The Crimson Kimono (1959); The Guns of Navarone (1961); The Man From Laramie (1955); and The Tingler (1959). More in June and July.
Freer Gallery of Art
On May 8 at 2:00pm is After Life (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 1998), for this month's "Japanese Classics" film series.
On May 1 at 7:30pm is a discussion with author Viet Thanh Nguyen about adapting his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer" for the screen.
"Movie Music Matchups" is a series of films with music. On May 5 at 2:00pm is Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest P. Schoedsack, 1925), a silent film documentary about the mirgration of the Bakhtiari people of what is now Iran. Live musical accompaniment by Kamyar Arsani.
"Tales of Cinema: The World of Hong Sangsoo" is a series of films by Korean director Hong Sangsoo, shown at the Freer and the AFI Silver Theater. On May 17 at 7:00pm is Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), winner of the Golden Leopard at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival; on May 19 at 1:30pm is The Woman Who Ran (2020); on May 19 at 3:30pm is Woman Is the Future of Man (2004). More at the AFI.
National Gallery of Art
The series "Art Films and Special Screenings" on May 4 at 2:00pm is a short program of documentary and experimental films exploring the labor and politics of textile production and clothing. See the website for a complete list of the short films.
The series "Cauleen Smith: In Space, In Time" begins May 4 at 3:00pm with Drylongso (1998), preceded by a short film Songs for Earth and Folk (2013). On May 11 at 2:00pm is a series of short films "Black Echoes and Imperatives," with filmmaker Cauleen Smith and curator Steve Anker present for discussion. See the website for a complete list of the short films in this program. On May 18 at 2:00pm is another series of short films "Epochal Cultures: Chicago and Los Angeles." See the website for a complete list of the short films.
The "Film Knots and Threads" series continues on May 25 at 2:00pm with short films and a conversation with Laura Hertas Millan and Zoe Leonard. Programmed in conjunction with the exhibit "Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction."
National Museum of the American Indian
On May 27 at 2:00pm is The Warrior Tradition (Lawrence R. Hott, 2019), about Native Americans in the U.S. military. Co-author Alexandra N. Harris will discuss the book "Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces."
Museum of American History
On May 12 at 2:00pm is Shari and Lamb Chop (Lisa D'Apolito, 2023), a documentary about Shari Lewis, best known as the ventriloquist behind sock puppet Lamb Chop and others. The film's director will be available for discussion. Location: Warner Bros. Theater. Shown as part of the JXJ Festival of film and music.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
On May 10 at 7:00pm is The Riot Report (Michelle Ferrari, 2024), a documentary about violence in the summer of 1967. A panel discussion will follow the film featuring Michelle Ferrari, writer, director, and producer of The Riot Report; Jelani Cobb, writer and co-producer of The Riot Report; and Elizabeth Hinton, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Yale University. Cameo George, executive producer of American Experience, will moderate the conversation. Location: Oprah Winfrey Theater.
National Museum of Women in the Arts
On May 9 at 6:00pm is the documentary Come Fly With Me (Sarah Colt, 2024), about women who became flight attendants in the 1960s. Following the screening, a panel discussion will feature Sarah Colt, the film’s writer and director; Ann Hood, author and former flight attendant with TWA; and Casey Grant, one of the first African American flight attendants with Delta Airlines. Moderated by Cameo George.
Goethe Institute
On May 18 at 6:30pm is New Tales of Franz (Johannes Schmid, Austria/Germany, 2023) as part of the "Kids Kino" series. Based on the popular children’s book series by Christine Nöstlinger.
Cinema Arts Bethesda
"Cinema Arts Bethesda" is a monthly Sunday morning film discussion series held at Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema. On May 19 at 10:00am is Full Time (Eric Gravel, 2021), starring Laure Calamy.
Breakfast is at 9:30am, the film is at 10:00am and discussion follows, moderated by Adam Spector, host of the DC Film Society's Cinema Lounge and author of the column "Adam's Rib." A season pass is available.
The Avalon
On May 1 at 8:00pm is a new 4K restoration of Le Samourai (Jean-Pierre Melville) starring Alain Delon. Part of the "Programmer's Choice" series of films.
The "Czech Lions" film for May is Brothers (Tomas Masin, 2023) on May 8 at 8:00pm. This film was Czech Republic's Oscar pick and winner of the Czech Lion Award for Best Feature Film.
On May 15 at 8:00pm is On the Wandering Paths (Denis Imbert, 2023) starring Jean Dujardin, this month's "French Cinematheque."
A new series "Science on Screen" continues in May with After Yang (Kogonada, 2021) on May 22 at 7:30pm. A panel discussion follows the film.
Library of Congress
The Mary Pickford Theater starts a series of U.K. Crime Classics. On May 9 at 7:00pm is Murder She Said (George Pollock, 1961) with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. On May 23 at 7:00pm is Clue of the New Pin (Allan Davis, 1961) shown with Ricochet (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1963). Both are based on novels by Edgar Wallace and are part of a series of 47 films (mostly one hour long) adapted from works by Edgar Wallace.
Kennedy Center
On May 5 at 3:00pm is Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story (2023), a portrait of Ukrainian punk legend Eugene Hutz. A Q&A follows with the film's director Nate Pommer and film subject Eugene Hutz. On May 12 at 3:00pm is The Color Purple (Sam Blitz Bazawule, 2023); on May 19 at 3:00pm is Champions (Bob Farrelly, 2023) starring Woody Harrelson; and on May 26 at 3:00pm is Past Lives (Celine Song, 2023).
On May 31 at 8:30pm is Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1993) shown outdoors on the Reach Video Wall.
Old Greenbelt Theater
On May 4 at 1:00pm is Lost World (Harry O. Hoyt, 1925) with music accompaniment by Andrew Simpson.
In the "Cinema Classics" series is To Sir With Love (James Clavell, 1967) on May 6 at 1:00pm and May 9 at 8:00pm.
For the series "Cinema Pop" on May 13 at 8:00pm and May 18 at 1:00pm is the anime film Suzume (Makoto Shinkai, 2022).
On May 16 at 8:00pm is Blues Brothers (John Landis, 1980), part of the "Cult Classics" series.
On May 27 at 7:00pm is Singin' in the Rain (Gene Kelly, 1952) in the "Films in Focus" series.
Alden Theater
The foreign film for May is the award-winning Korean film Parasite (Bong Joon-Ho, 2019) on May 8 at 6:30pm and May 9 at 1:00pm. The performing arts film this month is Wagner and Me (Patrick McGrady, 2010) with Stephen Fry trying to reconcile his Jewish heritage with his love of Richard Wagner's music.
Angelika Film Center Mosaic
The "Angelika Classics" series shows classic films on the first Monday of the month at 7:00pm. On May 6 at 7:00pm is Funny Girl (William Wyler, 1968) starring Barbra Streisland.
"Classics in Black and White" features a classic B&W film on the third Monday of each month at 7:00pm. On May 20 at 7:00pm is The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949) starring Orson Welles.
"Dinner With..." is a series of films on fourth Mondays at 7:00pm. On May 27 at 7:00pm is Lady Sings the Blues (Stephen J. Furie, 1972) starring Diana Ross.
A Harry Potter series (March 30-October 26) is on Saturdays at 11:00am. On May 25 at 11:00am is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004).
FILM FESTIVALS
