| Hosted by film critic Walter Chaw. For more of Chaw’s musings on contemporary film, go to www.filmfreakcentral.net. |
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The Thin Blue Line
Tuesday, July 1, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Shown in the Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center |
1988. Directed by Errol Morris.
"As a detective story, Errol Morris' documentary, The Thin Blue Line is riveting, stylish, swirling with evocative detail. The facts in the case, the 1976 murder of a Dallas police officer, accumulate to a point of mind-boggling density. Out of this whirlwind of enthralling, perplexing data, Morris creates in us a fierce need to know." – Hal Hinson, The Washington Post. 103 min. PG. |
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The Gleaners and I
Tuesday, July 8, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Shown in the Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center |
2000. Directed by Agnès Varda.
"Gleaners traditionally follow the harvest, scavenging what was missed the first time around. In Agnès Varda's meditative film we see them in potato fields and apple orchards, where the farmers actually welcome them. Then we meet urban gleaners, including an artist who finds objects he can make into sculpture, and a man who has not paid for his food for more than 10 years." – Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times. 82 min. Not rated.
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The Fog of War
Tuesday, July 15, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Shown in the Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center |
2003. Directed by Errol Morris.
"The Fog of War is loosely divided into eleven chapters. Each offers a "lesson" that Robert McNamara learned during his life ("Never say never," "You can't change human nature," "to do good, you may have to commit evil," etc.). If one seeks to find an overarching theme, it's that, even when dealing with intelligent, rational men, the baser parts of our nature often come to the fore. Morris doesn't have to specifically draw parallels to what's happening in the Middle East today for the similarities to be obvious." – James Berardinelli, Reelviews.net. 95 min. PG-13.
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Salesman
Tuesday, July 22, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Shown in the Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center |
1968. Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles.
"Born to a "lower working class" family in Boston, Albert and David Maysles helped redefine documentary filmmaking — or, as they called it, "direct cinema" — with an unobtrusive and sympathetic style that as often as not focuses on "ordinary people" going about their daily lives. Salesman is a landmark in American cinema, one that caused confusion as much as it won acclaim." – Sam Adams, Philadelphia City Paper. 85 min. Not rated. |
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Capturing the Friedmans
Tuesday, July 29, 6:30 - 9 p.m.
Shown in the Central Library, Level B2 Conference Center |
2003. Directed by Andrew Jarecki.
"Capturing the Friedmans is as much a philosophical exploration on the nebulous nature of truth as it is an account of the disintegration of a normal, suburban family. Through interviews with family members, investigating police officers, members of the defending and prosecuting teams, former computer class students and a journalist who investigated the case, the director, Andrew Jarecki, establishes that memories are subjective." – Wendy Ide, The Times Online. 107 min. NR
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