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.

Film Society Meeting Tonight!

The Farmington Film Society will be meeting tonight at 6 PM. To prepare for our discussion of the film check out some of the topics we covered when we read the book in June at the Farmington Book Club!

http://farmingtonnhbookclub.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-great-gatsby.html

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

Werner Herzog Tackles Texting and Driving in His Latest Documentary

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/29/werner-herzogs-one-second-to-the-next-targets-texting-and-driving/

"Under Our Skin" Film Screening on Wednesday August 7th, 6 PM

“UNDER OUR SKIN”…A gripping tale of microbes, medicine & money will be shown at the Goodwin Library in Farmington on Wednesday, August 7th at 6 pm.  The documentary showing is sponsored by Lyme411 a NH patient support group.

UNDER OUR SKIN exposes the hidden story of Lyme disease, one of the most serious and controversial epidemics of our time. Slate Magazine called it “Head-spinning…riveting…a rigorously researched and highly thorough piece of investigative reporting.”
Each year, thousands go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often told that their symptoms are all in their head. Following the stories of patients and physicians fighting for their lives and livelihoods, the film brings into focus a haunting picture of the health care system and a medical establishment all too willing to put profits ahead of patients.  Please note that the movie is not suitable for children.

A question and answer session with Dr. Steve Clark, ND will follow immediately after the film.  Dr. Clark is an experienced Lyme-treating Naturopathic doctor..  Lyme411 holds monthly support group meetings in Laconia for people living with tick-borne illnesses as well as their family members and friends.  For more information about Lyme 411 visit www.LYme411.org or call 888-596-5698 (messages are usually returned within 24 hours).  For more information about the showing call Cyndi at 755-2762.

If you missed the showing last night view it now here:

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.

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