QUOTE

2/25 Dogville (von Trier)*   2/29 Nowhere in Africa   3/1 A Decade Under the Influence   3/3 Lola (Demy)*   3/3 Bay of Angels (Demy)   3/09 Leprechaun III (Smith)   3/09 High Fidelity (Frears)   3/11 Au Hasard Balthazar (Bresson)*   3/12 The Color of Pomegranates (Parajanov)   3/13 Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Parajanov)   3/14 Alexander Nevsky (Eisenstein)!   3/15 Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein)*

See, a lesser man would have left out the Warwick Davis vehicle.

Nah, Nowhere in Africa wasn't that good. Otherwise I have been on a roll. Of all the Leprechaun films, this one probably espouses the best character development, we begin to lose track of the fact that Leprechaun's murderous angst really is the result of two things: His inability to act outside of his strict mythical tradition, and his inability to participate in the transference of "this world's" ironically mellower view of riches to his own. By the time we get to Leprechaun in the Hood and Leprechaun in Space the series had lost its vision.

As per your suggestion The Thing with Two Heads is now en route.

Michael, I suggest you propose an in-depth analysis of the Leprechaun films for Books and Culture as soon as possible. The lack of scholarly criticism on these films is an intellectual tragedy.

QUOTE

2/25 Dogville (von Trier)*   2/29 Nowhere in Africa   3/1 A Decade Under the Influence   3/3 Lola (Demy)*   3/3 Bay of Angels (Demy)   3/09 Leprechaun III (Smith)   3/09 High Fidelity (Frears)   3/11 Au Hasard Balthazar (Bresson)*   3/12 The Color of Pomegranates (Parajanov)   3/13 Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (Parajanov)   3/14 Alexander Nevsky (Eisenstein)!   3/15 Battleship Potemkin (Eisenstein)*

Yeah, that is a pretty good list. But those coming to Flickerings this summer could see a pretty spectacular ten films in four days, and that's not even counting stef and leary's short movie, which is sure to be the event of the year. Dale, do you have another Flickerings short this summer?

Anyway, mike h, have you officially unveiled the Flickerings movie lineup? Some folk are going to want to reserve their airplane tickets shortly.

J Robert

QUOTE

Of all the Leprechaun films, this one probably espouses the best character development, we begin to lose track of the fact that Leprechaun's murderous angst really is the result of two things: His inability to act outside of his strict mythical tradition, and his inability to participate in the transference of \"this world's\" ironically mellower view of riches to his own. By the time we get to Leprechaun in the Hood and Leprechaun in Space the series had lost its vision.

LOL. This has got to be the most hilarious two sentences i've seen on the boards in the last four years. (Except for the dollie eye-stab of Pleasantville. I'm still reeling from the shards of glass from when Russell finally laid waste to his monitor.)

QUOTE

...those coming to Flickerings this summer could see a pretty spectacular ten films in four days, and that's not even counting stef and leary's short movie, which is sure to be the event of the year.

The problem is that we reached too high for our first film. The montage has been overwhelming. I think we are currently aiming for Flickerings 2005.

QUOTE

Anyway, mike h, have you officially unveiled the Flickerings movie lineup?

HAH! I'VE SEEN IT! (and if i have, i know you have too...) and it is going to be FREAKING AWESOME. i am going to do like i did last year and watch as many as i can before i get to Flickerings, so that i can keep up with ya'all in the discussions.

-s.

QUOTE

Anyway, mike h, have you officially unveiled the Flickerings movie lineup? Some folk are going to want to reserve their airplane tickets shortly.

Not to steal mike_h's thunder, but, for any of you with a web connection...
http://www.flickerings.com/2004/films/index.htm

And yes, that's some kinda line-up. Of the flicks chosen from 2002, I've seen three (in 2003): two made my Top Ten, and the third is a close runner up. The only other one I've seen is YI-YI, an all-time favourite. Perhaps my doppelganger sits on your selection committee?

What the heck, here's the list;

Great Awakenings
THE MAN WITHOUT A PAST
WHALE RIDER
YI-YI
THE WIND WILL CARRY US

The Gospel According to Tax Collectors & Sinners
JESUS OF MONTREAL
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW

Lost Boys
THE SON
HARD GOODBYES: MY FATHER
BUS 174

ML, the Sci-Fi channel ran the first of the Leprechaun trilogy last night at 11:00 and I so, so wanted to see it so I could add it to my viewing journal. An early bedtime thwarted that, regrettably.

I saw The Thing With Two Heads when I was circa fifth or sixth grade. The NBC affiliate out of Johnstown, Pa. ran these four o'clock movies for years, and it was the best stuff, really. Cheesy films, but also themed weeks, like Universal monster week and the week where they showed different versions of Beau Geste. How can it be that television was so much more meaningful and worthwhile when I had five channels as opposed to now, when I have seventy?

Oh, and that Flickerings lineup is fantastic. I'll be there. stef, fold out the couch!

QUOTE

ML, the Sci-Fi channel ran the first of the Leprechaun trilogy last night at 11:00 and I so, so wanted to see it so I could add it to my viewing journal.  An early bedtime thwarted that, regrettably.

I caught about 5 minutes of it. Jennifer Aniston's early days... ah.

Wow--is there room on the couch for me? That line-up is tops...

Doug, can you start and/or reconstruct a movie journal entry? I'm always inspired by seeing what you're watching.

Doug C wrote:
: Wow--is there room on the couch for me? That line-up is tops...

Yep, of those ten films, one (Jesus of Montreal) is an all-time-top-ten pick of mine, and three (The Man without a Past, Yi Yi, The Son) have made my recent year-end top-ten lists, and one (Bus 174) would have been a strong contender last year list if it had been released beyond the festival circuit. That leaves five films -- and I haven't even SEEN two of them yet!

So, Doug, am I gonna meet you at last?

QUOTE

Wow--is there room on the couch for me?  That line-up is tops...

I have a futon, and I am much friendlier than Stef is.

...so who all is planning to attend?

(Jeffrey is quietly weeping somewhere, while a little devil on his shoulder suggests he run his own rival film festival in Seattle that same week, just to cheer himself up.)

QUOTE

...so who all is planning to attend?

Everyone, including Mr. Overstreet. Jeffrey, you know it won't be the same without you. You and Ron need to get CT to fly you guys out here. That is a legitimate business expense. My hope is that Flickerings is quickly becoming the place for Christian film critics to come together.

J Robert

Unfortunately, it's not just an expenses issue. It's also that I probably will not be able to sacrifice a week of work at the office. But I haven't given up hope...

Wow. Being out of circulation for a couple days, I had no idea we'd experienced thread-shift from Russell's excellent viewing list to consideration of the Flickerings program. I'm pleased to hear some positive reviews: it's tougher than ever to put together a program since I've been hanging out with you cineastes here! Knowing the Promontory Board will be looking over my shoulder is now one more awesome responsibility to have to factor into programming, along with budget, balance, etc -- and this year, sponsorship (three cheers for The Matthew's House Project!) I'm sure most of you have seen most of these films: but let me tell you, seeing a film together with some of you folks in that old barn of a theater and discussing for hours afterward makes for an electrifying experience, even if you have already seen the film. I'll never forget how much fun it was to try to unravvel Code Unknown last year with Jeffrey, Robert, Stef, Leary and everybody else. I'm greedy for more of that, so come one come all. (Doug, if you're serious about coming to Cornerstone, let me know: we'll put you to work!)

jrobert wrote:
: Jeffrey, you know it won't be the same without you. You and Ron need to
: get CT to fly you guys out here. That is a legitimate business expense.

Hey, what am I, chopped liver?

QUOTE

jrobert wrote: : Jeffrey, you know it won't be the same without you. You and Ron need to : get CT to fly you guys out here. That is a legitimate business expense. Hey, what am I, chopped liver?  :)

I knew you were already coming, with expenses paid for! Or is that a secret?

J Robert

Doug, PLEASE COME!! We need to finally meet.

Russell -- are you serious?! It will be great to meet you!!

Chattaway. This is going to be the greatest year with you there.

AND DON'T FORGET THE MUD WRESTLING PILLOW FIGHT CAGE MATCH BETWEEN PETER AND DOUG!!

JRobert -- too bad the Detholz aren't on the list this year!! Oh well i hear they play lots locally, still haven't made it to a show though (yet).

Asher ------- THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE!! Look at all these fine people (myself absolutely included) all in one place at one time!

Anders. I'm broke from going back to school so i can't offer to pay your way this year. But man it would be cool to see you!!

Nate Clarke... Madison ain't much further than Chicago, BABY!!!

QUOTE

QUOTE Wow--is there room on the couch for me?  That line-up is tops... I have a futon, and I am much friendlier than Stef is.

YOU, of all people! I know for a fact that in the original post to this thread there must've been ten films you saw but didn't list. SO THERE. List away. Amaze Russell and the rest of us.

Everyone else!! FLICKERINGS 2004!! COME ONE, COME ALL!!

(can you tell i am stoked?!??!??!??!?)

-s.

QUOTE

...You and Ron need to get CT to fly you guys out here.

How I wish! Alas, it is not my impression that the aforementioned periodical is rollin' in the dough - at least, not to a degree sufficient unto airfares for the likes of this humble correspondent.

I'm trying to scheme up some way to get there. The combination of that line-up of films, long conversations about same, and most of all, the chance to put faces to all these names that've become so familiar over the past year and more. Sheesh.

Seems unlikely. But I can scheme, can't I?

Ha, yeah, stef, I'm serious. I don't know whether I can make it out for the full length, or whether I'll combine it with a trip to see my sister in Indianapolis, but I'm going to make it happen.

Perhaps now we can add some late-night program that will play to Leary's and my trash genre film experience. "Family Adrift: Issues of Paternity and Paternalism in the Sleepaway Camp Trilogy." "Dualism and Racism Unbound: The Triumph of The Thing With Two Heads."

Russell. You are just flat out brilliant. That would be perfect, I have long toyed with a hypothetical syllabus that introduces college aged students to important contemporary culture and social theory by means of B-film.

I fully recommend Surf Nazis Must Die for such a late night screening.

ahem

Clarify for me the whole relation between Flickerings and Cornerstone, if you please. I know the latter is one branch of the former. Are they held on the same campus? Is one largely a night affair while the other is a day affair? How does it work? In truth, I'm not a big music fan and I don't know any of the acts that are likely to be playing.

Leary: "Zombies As Agents of Grace: A Treatment of the Oevre of Romero" needs to be on that list.

QUOTE

YOU, of all people!  I know for a fact that in the original post to this thread there must've been ten films you saw but didn't list. SO THERE.  List away.  Amaze Russell and the rest of us. -s.

I would never admit to this. I do watch parts of films that I haven't seen for a while and need to see again to answer a question or revisit a sequence. I never list these on my journal. And two weeks ago I did watch two Chuck Norris movies while cooking and reading a book, so I can't quite include something like that. (Delta Force 1 and 2, though Slaughter in San Fran is my favorite of his.) I also try to catch the local B-Film TV show as often as I can, I seldom include those in my journal. And I never ever include a Steven Seagal movie even though FX has been playing them and I may...have watched...one or two.

Last year for example I did watch about ten total trash films from the late 70's and early 80's just to brush up, things like I Spit on Your Grave or Coffy that I wouldn't quite watch in their entirety, therefore I wouldn't include it on my list.

QUOTE

\"Zombies As Agents of Grace: A Treatment of the Oevre of Romero\" needs to be on that list.

That is really good. As long as we could watch both Dawn and Night of the Living Dead to pick up on how race issues factor into this. Night is little more than a dystopian race fable in which we encounter a ultra-localized social structure coming to grips with the re-alignment of racial conventions being thrust upon them by strict survivalism. In this sense, the zombies become a means of the redefinition of social lines such that now they are on one side and humanity on the other. It is interesting to see how some in the group react to this shift.

Followed up by: Troma Films and the Invasiveness of the Wholly Other -The Earthiness of Transcendence in the work of Hick and Otto.

On that note, I wholly recommend Tromeo and Juliet.

Argento has got to be in there somewhere. The boldness of his work though is that he is into sheer Freudian terror, if anything he could be a vague entry point into the "masters of suspicion."

Get this: Wednesday night I'm contemplating watching Leprechaun so that I can sound knowledgeable concerning modern portrayals of Celtic atavism and conflict, and I'm also trying to make time to watch Diary of a Country Priest. A quick look at the clock tells me I don't have time to finish Diary before Leprechaun comes on, so I'm asking myself whether I'm actually going to bring myself to interrupting Robert Bresson so I can watch Leprechaun.

Sensing the inherent injustice in that contratemps, my psyche shut me down with a deep sleep, thus obviating the issue.

Oh, yeah. Romero's first two zombie films were seriously groundbreaking in their use of black protagonists, and if there's a modern horror film with more on its mind than Dawn of the Dead, I have yet to see it.

QUOTE

Clarify for me the whole relation between Flickerings and Cornerstone, if you please.  I know the latter is one branch of the former.  Are they held on the same campus?  Is one largely a night affair while the other is a day affair?  How does it work?  In truth, I'm not a big music fan and I don't know any of the acts that are likely to be playing.

Depends on who you ask. Some people think of Flickerings (or the Imaginarium, schedule coming soon) as the true raison d'être of Cornerstone Festival. Over the years, we have had many powerful testimonies of, for example, parents who brought their kids to the festival for the music, then wandered into either Flickerings or Imaginarium. And now that the kids are grown and gone, Mom and Dad still come to Cornerstone -- and not for music. There are other people who came only for the rock-and-roll and we have been successful over time in weaning them off the Devil's Music entirely. It's always a special moment during Testimony Time when somebody stands and confesses that they did not attend a single concert that year. So do not be afraid to come to Cornerstone if you're not interested in the music.

PS I'm working on the midnight movie facilities. Stay tuned.

QUOTE

ahem

Russell and Alan are carpooling! Who's gonna drive?

QUOTE

Clarify for me the whole relation between Flickerings and Cornerstone, if you please.

Cornerstone is an event dedicated to the most outrageous musicians in ccm, period. Flickerings is one of many events also taking place on the Cornerstone grounds.

QUOTE

Are they held on the same campus?

This "campus" you speak of is the property JPUSA bought several years ago in Bushnell, IL.
It is very large and even has a humongous lake to swim in when things get hot.

QUOTE

Is one largely a night affair while the other is a day affair?

No. Sadly, one of the hardest things about the growth of C-stone over the years is the fact that you have to choose what you want to see. This means you must prepare ahead of time and really put some quality thinking into it. Some of the choices are really hard to make.

QUOTE

How does it work?  In truth, I'm not a big music fan and I don't know any of the acts that are likely to be playing.

I don't think it matters if you know the bands or not. Some of the best musical acts i've seen have been when i accidentally wandered into a tent just to check out what was going on.
(SS Bounty Hunter, Anathallo, Detholz) However, if you're "not a big music fan" as in, "you don't like music, especially loud music," well, prepare to have your head sandblasted. Because there are some very loud, very obnoxious bands at C-stone. That's what it's all about.

-s.

QUOTE

Oh, yeah.  Romero's first two zombie films were seriously groundbreaking in their use of black protagonists, and if there's a modern horror film with more on its mind than Dawn of the Dead, I have yet to see it.

Agreed on all counts. Anytime someone wants to put together a SF or Horror film series without the usual suspects, let me know.

QUOTE

Anders. I'm broke from going back to school so i can't offer to pay your way this year. But man it would be cool to see you!!

Yeah, it would be cool to sit and discuss movies with you guys all night and finally put some faces to some names, but unfortunately I too am a student who is pretty broke most of the time. However, one of these days I'm going to have to come down to Chicago and see you all. It's really not THAT far from Saskatchewan. Only a couple day's drive.

QUOTE

I knew you were already coming, with expenses paid for! Or is that a secret?  :)

With intelligence this bad, I'm thinking somebody's gonna send j Robert looking for WMDs. :wink: Actually, rumors of the Flickerings largesse have been somewhat exaggerated. It is Peter who is the gracious one here: I told him if he could get to the fest on his own nickel, I'd put him on the Imaginarium schedule, with some expenses paid. So, see, he ISN'T chopped liver -- not by a long shot!

jrobert wrote:

: : Hey, what am I, chopped liver?
:
: I knew you were already coming, with expenses paid for! Or is that a secret?

Well, expenses paid for ... except for the particular expense that you mentioned.

I've actually tried pitching an article to one of CT's mags on the basis that it might tie in nicely with what I'll be talking about at Cstone, so who knows, maybe I COULD con them into flying me there ... And pigs may fly ...

Alan wrote:
: ahem

Yes!!

Well, it looks like I will definitely be going to Flickerings. I'm totally out of the music scene, though, so you'll probably only catch me at some seminars or something film-related. I'm very much looking forward to meeting many of you in flesh and blood after so many years of online dialogue.

It looks like I may be leading a seminar, so I'd like to ask those of you on this board, "What topics would you be interested in hearing about?" Especially for those who know the C-Stone atmosphere and know my interests, is there any subject that you think might be particularly interesting?

Doug C wrote:
: I'm very much looking forward to meeting many of you in flesh and
: blood after so many years of online dialogue.

<MontgomeryBurns> Excellent. </MontgomeryBurns>

: It looks like I may be leading a seminar, so I'd like to ask those of you
: on this board, "What topics would you be interested in hearing about?"
: Especially for those who know the C-Stone atmosphere and know my
: interests, is there any subject that you think might be particularly
: interesting?

Given that we DO know your interests, I for one would be interested in hearing you explore something a little more off-your-beathen-path, i.e. no Bresson, no Tarkovsky, etc. But, given that the audience at Flickerings will hopefully NOT be composed of promontoryarts.com regulars -- i.e. given that it will hopefully be composed of people who don't know you or your interests (or Bresson or Tarkovsky, etc.) so well -- I certainly wouldn't insist on that.

Fantastic news, Doug. It looks at this point like I'll be coming out alone. I'm also not sure how much of the music part I'll be into.

Possible topics...

Documentaries
Godard/Truffaut
Bresson
Ozu
Horror and sci-fi without the usual suspects
Dreyer

The horror /sci fi topic would go better at the Imaginarium (seminar program just posted, note Chattaway and Parks on that program), where the schedule is already full. A seminar by Doug at Flickerings on a director like Bresson or Ozu would be ideal, since the Flickerings facility is much better equipped to run clips during a daytime seminar. Unfortunately, it's too late to add an entire feature by any director so surveyed, but such a seminar would be a great way to examine a director or genre in-depth which we might program in a later year. On the other hand, we don't have enough slots to truly do justice to the oevre of a director like Bresson even if we did run full films, so a survey with clips would be valuable for its completeness.

QUOTE

Godard/Truffaut

I wouldn't really have too much to say about those two filmmakers in specific, but I was thinking an introduction to André Bazin might be nice--his Christian conviction, his exposure to art and development as a critic through the Catholic lay journal Esprit (and its Christian Personalism, emphasis on social justice, and influence on Dorothy Day), his formation of reading groups and underground ciné clubs during the Occupation, his co-founding of Cahiers du Cinema and the beginnings of modern film theory and the French New Wave, etc.

I think there's a lot there that Christians today could learn from in terms of cultural engagement, productivity, and faith as ideology/sociology...?

Oh goody, I was wondering about facilties and the possibilities of bringing clips.

I could just do a general overview of noteworthy spiritual films from world cinema, a la the recent film series at MoMA? I've seen all but four or five of these...

http://www.moma.org/visit_moma/momafilm/hi...hidden_god.html

Wow. I agree. An introduction to Bazin would be fantastic.

I would like to second Bazin -- a most appropriate place to begin a serious consideration of criticism from within a faith context. But you have to use "Holy Moments" in the title, which I've always wanted to do. (Maybe we can play that clip from Waking Life!) Does this sound like a good direction, everybody? We'll need to nail this down in the next couple days as I'm at program deadline time. (Thanks for the input!)

Yes, gotta have Caveh Zahedi flinging those thunderbolts!

Since there's three sessions, I could do Bazin as a two-parter and then a short intro to Bresson or Ozu for the third session...? (Or Bazin/Bresson/Ozu.)

Many of Bresson's and Ozu's films are being released on DVD this year for the first time, and Ozu has that centennial retrospective going around and Rialto is releasing Balthazar and Mouchette theatrically this year, so it would be a nice time to (re)visit them.

Give us a Bazin reading list in advance, Doug!

I'll be making extensive use of Dudley Andrew's biography, the only English biography I know of Bazin, but if you read that then you won't have to attend the seminar! (I'll also try to work in various pieces of Bazin's own writing, references to Emmanuel Mounier and Personalism, historical facts about the era, Langlois' cinematheque, etc.)

Hopefully, it will simply be a good introduction--no previous research necessary.

Ah, Bazin -- yes, that would be a good topic, indeed.

man, ya'll are in thick with Flickerings and The Imaginarium? I may just have to show up after all--to hear you people rather than just read you.

Great film line-up, btw Mike. If I make it, this may just be the summer I spend more time inside with Flickerings rather than out in the Imaginarium tent.