Wednesday, May 28, 2008

The Vote is In

It's a tie. 16 votes for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and 16 votes for The Trouble With Harry. For the first time ever, we've had a dead tie for movie of the month. Although Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was the leader going into last night, the number of in-house votes for The Trouble With Harry brought the two to a neck-and-neck tie for June movie.

At first Micah and I discussed just selecting one of the two movies and making a decision. After considering everyone's comments, however, we decided that it was important to show both films. On both sides, people really wanted to see these two movies.

So, we decided to show both movies. We flipped a coin to decide which movie would screen first, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was the winner. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang will be our official June movie, with a screening on June 24, and The Trouble With Harry will be our official July movie, with a screening on July 29.

The trailer for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Harry's trailer is a few posts down.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Movie Geeks Club Tonight: Subtitle Alert

Don't forget to come out tonight and catch The Seventh Seal on the big screen at Capital City Bar and Grill. As always, the doors will open at 7:00, and the movie will start at 7:30. Drinking can commence whenever you feel like it.

I'm looking forward to tonight's movie. I've never seen The Seventh Seal, so I'm excited to add a new classic to my "watched-movies" list. The copy we secured is from Lincoln Library. I've cleaned the disc, and it looks to be in pretty good shape. I didn't watch the whole thing, but I did pop it into my player here at home and scanned through to see if the disc would give me any problems. It didn't. Fingers are crossed that we'll have another incident-free night tonight.

It's a pretty crappy night tonight, which always makes for a nice night to sit inside with some drinks and a great movie.

Hope to see you there.

WARNING to all of you subtitle haters: this one has subtitles. Better bring your reading glasses.

Friday, May 2, 2008

I'm Pulling for Harry

I'm not going to lie, Movie Geeks. I'm not going to pretend. I am pulling for The Trouble with Harry for next month's screening. The other four films are all great choices, as well, and I hope that everyone casts their vote with the same conviction that I do.

The Trouble with Harry is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love Hitchcock's films, and I think Harry is one of his most unique. For a change, Hitchcock finds a way to make audiences tense in a lighthearted and humorous way. So often known for the darkness of Psycho or the bun-clenching tension of Rear Window or the philosophical musings of Rope, Hitchcock presents a totally different vision of the world in Harry. He presents a utopia where villagers are at peace with the nature of things, the cycle of life. He presents a picture of people who are willing to help out those who are in need. He presents a simple place and simple people. He still manages to dig at the darker elements that make human beings human beings, but he does so subtly.

Not only is Harry a funny picture, it's also a beautifully shot picture. In Technicolor, the sweeping landscape around a small Vermont village in autumn is almost dreamlike. It's the kind of place that you know could never really exist, but secretly you wish it did and you could go there and be a part of life there. A simpler life.

Another reason I like Harry is that a lot of people haven't seen it. Even pretty well-rounded Hitchcock fans I know tend to miss this one somehow. And then when they see it, they're always surprised that it's taken them so long. So, I've cast my vote for Harry. Now, I must wait to see how the rest of you will decide to vote.

The Original Film Trailer: I'm always amazed at how different trailers used to be.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

June Movie Geeks Club Nominees

John and I have finally compiled our list for next month's MGC nominees. We wanted to go in a different direction this month. The past couple movies have been great but the subject matter was kind of depressing. As you can see, there is no real theme here. These are all very different films so choose your mood. They are all certain to be great.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Val Kilmer



The Trouble with Harry directed by Alfred Hitchcock



Mulholland Dr. written and directed by David Lynch



Pan's Labyrinth written and directed by Guillermo del Toro



Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels written and directed by Guy Ritchie