 |
SCHULTZE GETS THE BLUES
SHOW DATE: 5/1
SPEAKER(S): tba
Here's some information about the film:
Directed/written by Michael Schoor
2003, Germany, 114 min. Rated PG
After portly German salt miner Schultze (Horst Krause)
and his cronies are forced into retirement, the
emptiness of their nowhere, smalltown-Germany
existence becomes sadly apparent. The only bachelor in
his circle, Schultze falls into a dull routine of
playing accordion in a polka band, fishing, napping,
and tending to his garden gnomes. Then a chance
encounter with Cajun zydeco music turns his life
around, a little. Soon he is cooking jambalaya for his
pals and playing zydeco to the somewhat shocked
denizens of his sleepy burg. When his friends arrange
for him to be sent to the U.S. for a German folk
festival, Schultze seizes the opportunity to visit the
Louisiana bayou, and so his one chance at a wild
adventure in life begins. Overcoming the language
barrier through his hat-doffing, old-world charm,
Schultze finds himself strangely at home in this new
environment. SCHULTZE is a slow-moving but lovely
little tale about facing mortality, and how the power
of both music and human kindness can transcend borders
and boundaries, no matter what one's age. Director
Michael Schorr plays this--his feature film debut--in
a wonderfully deadpan, minor key. The film manages to
be deeply moving without ever resorting to standard
"fish out of water" cliches or manipulative soundtrack
cues. Krause is resoundingly authentic in the title
role, and the various (actual location) landscapes are
rendered with haunting, lyrical realism.
Official Site and trailer:
http://schultzegetstheblues.com/
THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE
SHOW DATE: 4/17
SPEAKER(S): Geoffrey Himes
Here's some information about the film:
Directed/written by Rebecca Miller
2005, U.S., 112 min. Rated R
Jack (Daniel Day-Lewis) lives on the site of his
abandoned island commune with his 16-year-old daughter
Rose (Camilla Belle). Jack has sheltered Rose from the
influences of the outside world, but now Rose's
emerging womanhood poses troubling questions about the
days ahead. A man who has lived a life motivated by
environmentalism and other altruistic causes, Jack now
rages at those who do not share his concerns, like
developer Marty Rance (Beau Bridges), who is building
a housing tract on the edge of his property. When Jack
invites his girlfriend Kathleen (Catherine Keener) and
her sons Rodney (Ryan McDonald) and Thaddius (Paul
Dano) to live with them, Rose feels betrayed and the
situation quickly becomes precarious. Rose acts out
wildly, creating chaos.
Official Site and trailer:
http://www.ifcfilms.com/ifcfilms?CAT0=3127&CAT1=6346&SHID=19905&AID=11107&CLR=re
d&BCLR=
THIS WEEK’S GUEST SPEAKER: Geoffrey Himes, a writer
for Washington Post, Patuxent Publications and New
Country Magazine. He’s also a big O’s fan. You can
read aall about Geoff here:
http://members.aol.com/GEOFFHIMES/homepage.htm
Gabe will be out of town this week, but CSC stalwart
Mike Giuliano will be handling the opening remarks and
moderating the Q&A this week.
IMAGINARY HEROES
SHOW DATE: 4/3/05
SPEAKER(S): Mike Giuliano
Here's some information about the film:
IMAGINARY HEROES
Directed/written by Dan Harris
2004, U.S., 112 min.
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Emile Hirsch,
and Michelle Williams, IMAGINARY HEROES is a funny and
poignant coming of age story in which the facade of an
ordinary American family is peeled back to reveal that
nothing is as it seems.
Tim Travis (Emile Hirsch) is walking through his life
like it's a bad dream. His mother Sandy (Sigourney
Weaver) is the master of the Travis house with a
healthy drug habit, a decade long grudge, and a secret
that is literally tearing her apart. His father Ben
(Jeff Daniels) is a shell of the man he once was,
crippled by circumstance and blind to the mistakes of
his past.
But in typical American style, the Travises aren't
depressed they're living their lives in a forlorn
haze. As painful revelations are made that threaten to
divide the family, moments of laughter and truth
provide the salve that ultimately bring them closer
together. -- © Sony Pictures Classic
Official Site and trailer:
http://www.sonyclassics.com/imaginary/
THIS WEEK’S GUEST SPEAKER: Mike Giuliano, Cinema
Sundays’ poet laureate, will make his record 30th
appearance!
|
|
