FILM APPRECIATION SERIES: ROBERT ZEMECKIS
FILM APPRECIATION SERIES: ROBERT ZEMECKIS
FILM APPRECIATION SERIES: ROBERT ZEMECKIS
The next class is a Robert Zemeckis Series from June 13th through August 22nd. He’s an extremely popular and influential writer/director and we’ll look at some of his more interesting films. With the huge commercial success of films like Romancing the Stone, the Back to the Future trilogy, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Zemeckis gained a creative freedom that most directors can only envy.
His work, although extremely commercial and technically innovative, has a depth and humanity that is worth studying. The films in the series are from all genres and feature stellar performances.
June 13 – Contact (Released 7/11/1997) 150 minutes. How exactly would an alien civilization make contact with our civilization on Earth? Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel tried to answer that question in a realistic way using the current astronomical data available. Zemeckis used cutting edge technology to bring it to the screen, famously blending in actual footage from President Clinton with the actors of the film: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, and Tom Skerrit. The result is a thought provoking meditation on the universe and our place in it.
July 11 – What Lies Beneath (Released 7/21/2000) 130 minutes. Claire Spencer (Michelle Pfeiffer) suspects that the Vermont lake house she shares with her husband Dr Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford) is haunted by a female ghost. This homage to Alfred Hitchcock was filmed during the year hiatus of Cast Away in order to maintain the original production crew. We can see the influence of such classics as Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Rear Window.
July 18 – Cast Away (Released 12/22/2000) 143 minutes. A man whose life is ruled by the clock, both professionally and personally, becomes a castaway on a desert island from the civilization he served. This modern Robinson Crusoe story was a huge hit with critics and viewers alike and resonates even more deeply today.
July 25 – Flight (Released 10/14/2012) 138 minutes. Denzel Washington plays Whip Whitaker, an alcoholic airline pilot who crash lands a plane and saves nearly everyone on board. This is a hard hitting dramatic film with exceptional performances and our director uses his technical prowess to serve the story rather than to dominate and over shadow the very human characters.
August 1st – The Walk (Released 9/26/2015) 123 minutes. A tightrope walker plans and executes the most daring walk in history. Zemeckis achieves the impossible with this enjoyable and optimistic movie: he recreates a very specific time and place that no longer exists and makes you believe it. How does he do it? That’s something we’ll talk about in class.
August 22nd – Allied (Released 11/9/2016) 124 minutes. Two spies meet and fall in love on assignment during World War Two. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star in this moving love story and our director tackles yet another movie genre.
Film Appreciation is an ongoing class open to everyone with a love for movies. We examine and discuss in a relaxed atmosphere all aspects of film and filmmaking from how movies are made to each film’s unique place in movie history.
Our class is a dedicated, easy going group of film lovers who have respectful discussions. We talk about what makes a movie great and why some last for decades and others are lost in obscurity. Think of it as a book of the month club for movies.
Please pay attention to the schedule of this class as it will last all summer long! Although each class officially begins at 3pm, some participants choose to come early at 2:30pm to watch bonus material such as scenes from related movies and extra content related to the series or each particular screening.
The class is led by Luke MacCloskey an actor with a degree in Film Studies from the University of North Texas who has experience working on stage and screen all around the country. Please call him at 646-705-4807 or email him at lukedad@gmail.com if you have any questions about Film Appreciation.
