Ten Great Shakespeare Adaptations

http://entertainment.time.com/2013/06/10/will-power-10-great-shakespeare-movies/

Earlier this week the Film Society watched Joss Whedon's excellent new adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. If you're interested in checking out some other great (sometimes unorthodox) adaptations of the Bard's plays, check out this list from Time Magazine.

November Film Discussion - Much Ado About Nothing - 11/12 5:30 PM

November Film Discussion

Much Ado About Nothing

After last month’s discussion of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho”, we’ll be sticking with black & white for one more month. This time, it’s a new film however, Joss Whedon’s (The Avengers) new adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.

Writer/director Joss Whedon gives William Shakespeare’s beloved battle-of-the-sexes comedy a contemporary makeover in this feature adaptation starring Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof. In the wake of an eventful trip abroad, Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Denisof) arrive safely back in their hometown of Messina, where Claudio wastes no time declaring his love for Hero (Jillian Morgese). Alas, when clever Benedick learns that his friend has poured his heart out to the daughter of powerful governor Leonato (Clark Gregg), he chides his old friend relentlessly over the syrupy assertion while engaging Leonato’s outspoken niece Beatrice (Acker) in a series of spirited debates. Meanwhile, somewhere amidst all of the pointed insults and playful barbs, something that strangely resembles true love seems to blossom between Benedick and Beatrice.

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and brief drug use.

Watch & Discuss

This month the film society will engage in discussions about the themes of the movie. The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting. Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion right here.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why do you think Joss Whedon chose to use black & white in the film despite it being a modern adaptation?

2. How does the film differ from other Shakespeare adaptations you have seen?

3. How do language, imagery, and music establish (or confuse) period and setting in the film?

Much Ado About Nothing on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094064/

The Goodwin Library Hours are Changing in November

To provide more consistent, convenient hours for the Farmington community, the Goodwin Library will be changing its hours starting November 4th. This will allow the library to be open more hours, including some morning hours. Starting November 4th, the new library hours will be:

Monday 10-5

Tuesday 2-8

Wednesday 10-5

Thursday 2-8

Friday 10-5

Saturday 10-2

Because of the new hours, the meeting days will be changing for the Goodwin Library Programs. In October, the Film Society will meet as scheduled on Monday, October 28th to watch and discuss "Psycho". Once the new hours go into effect in November, the Film Society will move to the second Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM. Moving half an hour earlier will give us more time to discuss the films we are watching. The November Film Society meeting will be Tuesday, November 12th at 5:30 PM.

September Film Society Meeting

September Film Discussion

The Great Gatsby

Thank you to everyone that came to the Film Society meeting on Monday night. The film and the discussion were fantastic. Our film next month will be Baz Luhrmann's stunning new adaptation of the Great Gatsby. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgarton.

In this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, Nick Carraway (Maguire) is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio). As the cracks in Gatsby's artificial world start to appear to Nick, obsession and tragedy come crashing down.

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

Watch & Discuss

This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes of the movie. The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting. Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion right here.

Questions for Discussion

1. How does the film use music to set the time period and control the action on screen?

2. Why is Gatsby so obsessed with Daisy? What does she represent to him?

3. Do you find any of the characters sympathetic?

4. How do the different locations in the film interact with one another and what do they symbolize?

References

The Great Gatsby on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/

10 Greatest Baseball Films of All Time

On Monday the Film Society will be meeting to discuss "42". If you're interested in watching some of the other great baseball films that have come out of Hollywood, this list is a great start!

Best Baseball Movies Ever Made

Harrison Ford Talks Career and 42

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/interviews/actor-harrison-ford/

Don't forget, the Film Society is meeting Monday, August 12th at 6PM!

Watch Actor Harrison Ford on PBS. See more from Tavis Smiley.

July Film Society Meeting

July Film Discussion

Watch and Discuss 

The Ides of March
Thanks to everyone that came this month for Lincoln!  In July, we will discuss George Clooney's The Ides of March on Monday. This fast-paced political thriller should be an interesting companion piece to our discussion of Lincoln. George Clooney wrote and directed this film and received an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. The film boasts a star-studded cast including Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, and  Marisa Tomei.

Ambition seduces and power corrupts in this nerve-wracking thriller from Academy Award nominated director George Clooney. Idealistic campaign worker Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) has sworn to give all for Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), a wild-card presidential candidate whose groundbreaking ideas could change the political landscape. However, a brutal Ohio primary threatens to test Morris's integrity. Stephen gets trapped in the down-and-dirty battle and finds himself caught up in a scandal where the only path to survival is to play both sides.

The Ides of March is rated R for strong language.
17+ unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Watch & Discuss

This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes of this movie.  The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting.  Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion about this film right here.

Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.

1. How do Meyers and Morris change over the course of the film? Is compromising their values necessary for the greater good?

2. Do you think the choice Meyers makes over the course of the film are for the greater good or more personally motivated?

3. How has the role of public image changed for political figures between Lincoln and the Ides of March?

4. Meyers truly believes Morris is the right man to be president, regardless of the choices Morris makes. Do you agree with Meyers at the end of the movie?

5. Are a presidential candidates values and personal integrity even important when compared to their political policies? Are these factors more important now that everything is recorded and accessible on the Internet?

References

The Ides of March on IMDB  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/

Image Credits

www.edgeoftheplank.com

June Film Discussion: Lincoln

  June Film Discussion

Watch and Discuss 

Lincoln
This month we will discuss Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. The film hosts an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Sally Field. Lincoln won two Academy Awards and was nominated for another ten! This critically acclaimed film will be a treat for movie fans and history buffs alike and offers plenty to talk about.

As the Civil War continues to rage, America's president (2012 Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield and fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves. This film chronicles the president's term in office between 1861 and 1865 as he dealt with personal demons and politics during the Civil War.

Lincoln is rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some images of carnage, and scenes of war violence.


Watch & Discuss

This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes of this movie.  The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting.  Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion about this film right here.

Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.

1. How is the Lincoln marriage portrayed in the film? How do Lincoln and Mary Todd's personalities differ?

2. How does the film portray Lincoln's racial views and his perspective of slavery? Do those views change over the course of the film?

3. How are Lincoln's views of faith portrayed in the film?

4. Lincoln is admired as a historical hero by many, well beyond academic circles. Does the film help support this historical perception of the president or does it offer a new perspective?

References

Lincoln on IMDB   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/ 

Image Credits

abovethebuzz.com

http://www.parentalguide.org/assets/rating_pg13.gif

May Film Discussion: Robot & Frank

May Film Discussion

Watch and Discuss 

Robot & Frank
This month's Film Society discussion we will about Robot and Frank.  This Alfred P. Sloan Award winner was directed by Jake Schreier and written by Christopher Ford.  This was the first full length feature film for both writer and director, and was a favorite at the Sundance Film Festival.  The Alfred P. Sloan Award is given annually to a film that depicts science, technology, or math or has a character that is a scientist, engineer, or mathematician.  We hope that this quirky little gem, will win your heart and mind.  And there is much to discuss about a film like this.

Set in the near future, an aging ex-convict named Frank (Frank Langella, in a remarkable performance) lives alone and is experiencing increasingly serious mental deterioration and dementia. Frank's son Hunter (James Marsden), an attorney with a family of his own, grows tired of making weekly visits to his father's home, but is reluctant to put his father into full time care, so he purchases a robot companion (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), which is programmed to provide Frank with therapeutic care, including a fixed daily routine and cognitive enhancing activities like gardening.  This is one buddy film, you won't want to miss.

This film is rated PG 13 for profanity, mostly at the beginning of the film, but peppered throughout.


Watch & Discuss
This month, the Film Society will engage in discussions about the themes of this movie.  The enjoyment of the films we watch can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about them and participating in discussions both online and at our monthly meeting.  Everyone is invited to participate in these discussions with us. Please join us and engage in thoughtful discussion about this film right here.

Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.

1.  The film is set "in the near future" but we never really know when.  How is our present technology enhanced to be "futurized" just a bit, to keep the feel of the film as "present-day" as possible?
2. Why do you think it is important for this story to be in the present day?
3.  What current social or cultural trends does this film portray or satirize?
4.  The film plays with film genres.  How many genres of movie do you find in this film?
5.  What do you think about robot helpers?  Is this a viable way to utilize technology effectively?
6.  Is it possible to have a relationship with a device that has no sentience?  Does this require redefining the term "relationship"?  Does this require a redefinition of sentience?

References
Robot & Frank on IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1990314/

Robot & Frank: vision of the future?  interview with the director in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/mar/08/robot-and-frank-vision-future

Movie Trailer



© Copyright Swank Motion Pictures, Inc.

Image Credits
http://www.thefilmbrief.com/2012/09/tuesday-trailer-robot-and-frank/
http://www.parentalguide.org/movieratingsguide.html

April 10: Film Society Discussion

Now Showing

Watch and Discuss 

Life of Pi
At our next Film Society meeting, which will be held on April 10,  we will be discussing Ang Lee's Life of Pi, which took home 4 Oscars at the 2013 Academy Awards, including the Best Director Oscar. Based on the best selling novel, the film tells the story of Pi, who was shipwrecked after a storm and survived in a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a male Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

This film is rated PG for emotional thematic content and scary action sequences.


In an attempt to expand our horizons, the Film Society will begin to engage in discussions about the themes of the movies we watch.  Our viewing enjoyment can be enhanced by thinking more deeply about the movies we watch and beginning our discussions online with everyone who wants to participate in the discussion with us. Please join us as we enjoy the film on April 10 and engage in thoughtful discussion with us about it here.

Questions for Discussion
Please leave your comments regarding these questions and any thoughts about the movie you'd like to discuss or share in the Comment Box below.

1.  Pi is a very religious person.  What are some of the themes involving religion and belief in God that are brought out in the film?
2.  The novel was about imagination and the movie is very imaginative.  Do you think the stories Pi tells are true of fictitious?  Are there clues in the film that hint at the truth?
3.  Names and identities are also a strong theme running through the movie.  What does this movie say about personal identity?
4.. How do the three themes or religion, imagination, and identity tied together in this story?


References

Life of Pi on IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454876/

Life of Pi, Sparkle Notes about the novel
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/lifeofpi/study.html

Life of Pi Questions on Shmoop
http://www.shmoop.com/life-of-pi/questions.html


Movie Trailer




Image Credits
http://www.themommy-files.com/2013/02/get-a-head-start-on-all-of-the-excitement-with-the-academy-awards-and-life-of-pi/
http://www.parentalguide.org/movieratingsguide.html