It was wonderful to witness so many film fans turn out for the weird and wonderful opening of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at Bernheim Hall. Filmmaker Roger Beebe stated that his own youthful exposure to the festival was important to his development as a filmmaker in smaller towns that weren’t exactly on the experimental film map.
If you missed this opportunity to be inspired, the next film in the series is Oct. 23 and is a documentary called “Third Ward, TX,” in which a guerilla art-project in inner-city Houston becomes a successful, long-term experiment in public art, housing and personal transformation-Project Row Houses.
It’s great to see the library making such excellent use of their gorgeous new building. To the tremendous added convenience of one and all, the Main Library is now opened on Sundays from 1-5, and Sept. 30, as you rush your overdue books in, you can also enjoy the classic 1936 black & white film, “Camille” starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor.
On Oct. 21, the fun Retro Sci-Fi Matinee Series feature will be the 1956 “Forbidden Planet” starring Leslie Nielsen as Commander John J. Adams. An interstellar expedition journeys to planet Altair-4 to look for the survivors of an earlier voyage. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter (Anne Francis) are the only survivors to escape the wrath of a terrifying space monster in this classic sci-fi adventure set in the year 2200. The film runs 98 minutes and is not rated.
For more information on any of the films at Bernheim Hall, call 208-7097.
What’s your sign?
In an effort to slake the thirst for Jake Gyllenhaal that was created by the masterpiece “Brokeback Mountain,” I rented “Zodiac,” a lengthy but engrossing treatment of the true story of a serial killer whose murders spanned decades and were never solved. So single-minded was my pursuit of all things Gyllenhall, I was happily surprised to encounter constant film-improver Robert Downey, Jr. There was even a little Mark Ruffalo thrown in, clawing his way back from unfortunate romantic comedy choices.
As you can see, I liked the cast of this movie. Together, they created a world, not just of a different time period, but of the rites and rituals within the newspaper business and the labyrinth of police procedure. It is interesting to witness the secret worlds of two institutions that so powerfully shape the worlds of those outside of them, and to see the complex codes and politics that affect the very nature of what we laypeople receive as truth.
While director David Fincher, of “Se7en” and “Fight Club” fame, has handled his share of violence, the glaring crime in this story is the frustrating web of jurisdictions, pecking orders, and personal grudges that the writer and director imply kept a killer on the loose and cost victims their lives. Most of us complain of office politics, but they are rarely fatal.
The focus of this movie is the toll that it takes on the lives of those who pursue the elusive Zodiac killer in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr. play newspaper men and Ruffalo plays a detective. Gyllenhaal’s character, Robert Graysmith, expressed his fanatic pursuit of the killer into the book on which this film is based. The drawn-out havoc played on the lives of these men is the continuous current of the film.
However, be assured there is suspense and violence in “Zodiac.” It is a jolting punctuation to the drawn-out pain of the good guys as they struggle to capture their prey. This film delivers frustration and fear in equal amounts, and while the sheer length of time covered by the film lets us draw back from the edge of our seats, the menace remains at all times, and this is a fascinating and affecting film.
“Zodiac” is currently available to rent.
Contact Asia Frey at afrey@lagniappemobile.com.
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