Pedaling into your heart

On January 14, World Cinema Wednesday returns to CineVerse, this time with an import from Belgium: “The Kid with a Bike” (2011; 87 minutes), directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, chosen by Janet Pierucci. Plus: Play a movie trivia game prior to the start of the film for a chance to win DVD prizes.

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"Back to the Future" meets "Silence of the Lambs"

Imbued with an excellent premise--what if a grown son could communicate via a ham radio with his deceased father when pops was alive 30 years earlier--"Frequency" takes on the time travel subgenre by starting out as a wistful wish-fulfilment flick and morphing into an action thriller. Here's what our CineVerse group concluded about the movie:

“FREQUENCY”, LIKE OTHER TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE-FICTION MOVIES, CAN SOMETIMES MAKE LEAPS OF LOGIC, LEAVE GAPING PLOT HOLES, AND PRESENT CONFUSING NOTIONS ABOUT TIME, SPACE, AND SCIENCE. CAN YOU PROVIDE EXAMPLES?

·         As Roger Ebert suggests: “At one point both the father and the son are fighting the same man at points 30 years separated, and when the father shoots off the 1969 man's hand, it disappears from the 1999 version of the man. But then the 1999 man would remember how he lost the hand, right? And therefore would know.”

·         Another Ebert observation: “Consider a scene where the father uses a soldering iron to burn into a desk the message: I'm still here, Chief. His son sees the letters literally appearing in 1999 as they are written in 1969. How can this be? If they were written in 1969, wouldn't they have already been on the desk for 30 years?”

·         There’s a time warp of sorts that occurs that bridges two events 30 years apart to the day, both involving a ham radio and the Aurora Borealis.

·         John says he has “new memories” of his father dying and living, but yet he can’t remember the serial killer murdering 10 victims or his mom dying.

·         Also, the butterfly effect would have certainly changed things enough to affect the outcome of the 1969 World Series, wouldn’t it?

“FREQUENCY” HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A “WISH-FULFILMENT MALE FANTASY” MOVIE. IF YOU AGREE, WHAT STORY ELEMENTS MAKE IT SO?

·         The desire to reconnect with dead loved ones, especially fathers who have passed away

·         The dream of traveling backward or forward in time

·         The chance to undo our mistakes and change the direction of our lives

·         The opportunity to save a loved one’s life and/or become a hero

·         Our yearning to conquer time and cheat death

·         It’s a very wistful, feel-good, sentimental kind of story that’s hard to overly criticize because it tugs on the heartstrings and is imbued with much passion and feeling.

·         It combines several genres particularly appealing to men: thriller, mystery, police procedural, and fantasy

WHAT MAJOR THEMES ARE EXPLORED IN THIS PICTURE?

·         The notion that love conquers time, space, hate and evil

·         A united family bonded by love is the key to happiness

·         The sins of the father are visited upon the son

·          Breaking with tradition doesn’t have to be a bad thing (the fact that the son becomes a cop despite the fact that his ancestors were firefighters)

·         Good communication can bridge all boundaries and distances and heal wounds

WHAT MOVIES ARE SIMILAR TO “FREQUENCY”?

·         The “Back to the Future” films

·         Field of Dreams

·         The Sixth Sense

·         Jack Frost

·         Ghost

·         Zodiac

·         Contact

·         It’s a Wonderful Life

·         The Time Traveler

·         White Noise

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY GREGORY HOBLIT

·         Hart’s War

·         Fracture

·         Untraceable

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CineVerse takes a holiday until January

There will be no CineVerse meeting on Dec. 24 or 31 for obvious reasons. CineVerse will reconvene on Jan. 7, 2015. Happy holidays to you and yours,

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Kickoff schedule for 2015 posted

You're probably chomping at the bit to learn what's on the CineVerse calendar for January and February. Well, now you can take a bite out of the official schedule, which has been posted for public viewing.

Check out our January/February 2015 schedule by visiting http://1drv.ms/1GVW9GW. 

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Of lemon drops and candycanes...

"The Lemon Drop Kid" may not be an all-time Christmas movie classic, but it does have its charms, as evidenced by the positive reception it received yesterday during our CineVerse meeting. In summary, here's what our group concluded about this antique chestnut:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING OR DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FILM THAT PERHAPS YOU DIDN’T EXPECT?

• The Damon Runyon cosmology of quirky streetwise characters and situations; Runyon typically wrote about New York City mobsters, shysters, gamblers and caricatured underworld personalities who often employed a distinctive dialect and vernacular style and who possessed quirky names like “Good Time Charley” or “The Lemon Drop Kid.” Runyon’s stories and characters were popular during the golden age of Hollywood and radio (the 1930s and 1940s).
• Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell have good chemistry as an onscreen couple, perhaps because they also carried on a secret personal affair offscreen).
• This is the film that introduced the song “Silver Bells,” although it was recorded by Bing Crosby and others around the same time; what’s interesting is that the song describes an urban rather than a rural setting, as many holiday tunes do, and it fits perfectly within the downtown stroll montage sequence within the film.
• Like many other supposed “Christmas” films, this is not thoroughly a Christmastime movie; it’s set during the holiday season, but it doesn’t necessarily celebrate the spirit and joys of Christmas (besides the “Silver Bells” sequence) as, say, “A Christmas Story” or “Miracle on 34^th Street” does. Like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Christmas happens to figure into the plot, but it’s not an necessarily an essential part of the plot.

WHAT QUALITIES DOES A GOOD CHRISTMAS-TIME MOVIE HAVE TO POSSESS FOR IT TO BE MOST ENJOYABLE TO YOU?

•  Some prefer a holiday film that is primarily lighthearted and comical, such as “A Christmas Story,” as well as romantic comedies like “Shop Around the Corner.”
• Others favor emotional and sentimental stories that tug at the heartstrings, like “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
• Many opt for musicals, including “Holiday Inn,” “White Christmas,” and “Meet Me in St. Louis.”
• Then there are those that lean more toward adaptations of classic stories or more religious films, including “Scrooge” and “The Nativity Story”
• Yet others rank higher those satirical and over-the-top romps that poke fun at traditions and tropes, such as “Bad Santa” or “Christmas Vacation.”

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Filling your stocking with Christmas Hope

Here's a holiday movie that doesn't get near the airplay and attention that yuletide favorites like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story"; it's "The Lemon Drop Kid” (1951; 91 minutes), directed by Sidney Lanfield and starring Bob Hope, scheduled for Dec. 17, and chosen by Tom Nesis. Plus: join us for a preview of the January/February CineVerse schedule.

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A film that's no fraud in the thriller department

CineVerse's examination of "The Imposter" garnered a diverse array of strong opinions and insightful reactions from group members last evening, many of whom were surprised by the power and structure of this decidedly different type of documentary film. Here's a roundup of our most salient talking points:

HOW IS THE IMPOSTER DIFFERENT FROM OTHER DOCUMENTARIES YOU’VE SEEN?

·         It uses dramatic re-enactments with actors to show you what happened, instead of relying solely on talking head testimonies.

·         It has the actors lip synch to words given by the real people talking heads.

·         It features archival footage from TV news as well as pop culture video snippets from shows like “Kojak”

·         It uses a few pop songs, including “Listen to the Music” (Doobie Brothers) and a tune by Cat Stevens

·         Even though it’s rehashing news that occurred years earlier and that may be known to some viewers, it tries to tell its story in a fresh, revealing way as if this was a never-told-before tale

·         The major talking head, and a major coup for the filmmakers to obtain, is Bourdin himself

THE FILM FORCES US TO ASK SEVERAL KEY QUESTIONS TO RATCHET UP THE TENSION AND BUILD SUSPENSE FOR THE VIEWER. WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS?

As posed by Urban Cinefile reviewer Louise Keller:

·         Why would a 23 year old dark haired man with a French accent want to assume the identity of a missing boy seven years his junior?

·         What of the story of military sexual and physical abuse?

·         How does this man know of Nicholas' disappearance?

·         How can he fool the boy's family on the other side of the world? Or do they want to be fooled?

·         Is it human nature to want closure on the disappearance of a loved one?

·         Or is there another reason why they are quick to embrace him?

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR SURPRISES AUDIENCES EXPERIENCE WHILE WATCHING “THE IMPOSTER”?

·         We are shocked to discover that Bourdin fools the Spanish authorities as well as the family and is taken home to America.

·         We are awestruck at how Bourdin is able to be so accepted in his new role within the family and surrounding community.

·         There’s a major twist: suddenly, it’s possible that the family has murdered the real Nicholas and has accepted the imposter to cover up that crime.

·         Bourdin’s real identity is finally revealed, and we learn more about his past and possible motivations for attempting this deceit.

·         Consider that the only person who really suspects Bourdin is the private detective hired by a TV news show; this man wasn’t even assigned to investigate what he uncovers.

CONSIDERING THE HARSH TRUTH THAT THE REAL NICHOLAS IS NEVER FOUND, DO YOU BELIEVE, AS SOME CRITICS DO, THAT THIS MOVIE EXPLOITS ITS SUBJECT AND THAT THE FILMMAKERS ARE INSENSITIVE TO THE REALITY THAT A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY STILL REMAINS MISSING?

DOES THIS FILM REMIND YOU OF ANY OTHERS?

·         The Chameleon (a dramatic non-documentary adaptation of this story released in 2010)

·         F for Fake

·         Catch Me if You Can

·         The documentary Capturing the Friedmans

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Catch him if you can...

You won't want to miss CineVerse on December 10, as we examine one of the most compelling documentaries ever made: "The Imposter” (2012; 99 minutes), directed by Bart Layton, chosen by Brian Hansen.

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Maestro Milos makes a masterpiece

Milos Forman pulled off a challenging task in taking the story about a classical composer and making it cinematically vibrant and relevant for contemporary audiences. Indeed, "Amadeus" stands up, 30 years later, as a riveting interpretation of Mozart's life and passion. Here is some conclusions our CineVerse group reached on this picture:

WHAT IS INTERESTING AND UNEXPECTED ABOUT THIS FILM?

·         The way it depicts a genius like Mozart as very coarse, vulgar, childish and human.

·         It’s actually more of Salieri’s story, with him serving as the narrator and telling the story in flashback; this is almost like a psychological confessional, as if he were the patient on the couch and we were the therapist listening to his secrets.

·         This is not meant to be historically accurate: for example, it is widely believed that Mozart died of rheumatic fever; here, Salieri is suggested to be a revenge-driven snake with murder in his heart. Yet, the fact that the story is told in flashback by an older and possibly insane narrator lets the filmmakers off the hook—he is not necessarily a reliable narrator.

·         The casting of Tom Hulce, perhaps best known prior to this for appearing in “Animal House,” was a surprise to many; he pulls off the role quite well, perhaps because he has an impish, boyish face and no haughty English accent—making Mozart more likeable and identifiable to viewers.

·         The movie doesn’t look or feel like a stodgy, traditional biopic or historical costume drama in its cinematic approach: it employs fast cuts, clever editing, and complex flashback-infused storytelling to tell its fairly chronologically progressive but also unconventionally nonlinear story.

WHAT THEMES ARE AT WORK IN AMADEUS?

·         Cain vs. Abel:  this is a tale about a good seed contrasted against a bad seed who is jealous and harbors evil thoughts

·         The struggle of the superego (Salieri, who is bound by convention and tradition) vs. the id (Mozart, who follows his base instincts but also doesn’t feel confined by what is expected of him in society or musically)

·         The conflict between Apollonian and Dionysian elements: the former follows measured restraint and tact (Salieri) while the latter pursues hedonistic ecstasies. In this way, Mozart is Salieri’s alter ego, personifying al the desires, talents and passions that Salieri lacks; conversely, Salieri has the manners, respect and modesty and gift for diplomacy that his rival lacks.

·         This is a study in many contrasts:  between genius and mediocrity, passion and sobriety, light and dark (consider how Mozart has light hair and is often shown in the light, while Salieri dresses in darker garb)

FILMS THAT AMADEUS REMINDS US OF:

·         Immortal Beloved

·         A Song to Remember and Impromptu, both about the composer/pianist Chopin

·         Eroica

·         Mahler

·         Shine

·         Lisztomania

OTHER FILMS BY MILOS FORMAN

·         One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

·         Ragtime

·         The  People Vs. Larry Flint

·         Man on the Moon

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