Wanted: one kitchen sink
I cannot stress enough how important this month is for the serious cinephile. If you care at all for this art form, I have to recommend you cancel any and all plans for travel outside the Lamorinda area or you will miss out on something wonderful, starting on the first of the month and going all the way to the end.
Our first offering is Derek Zemrak’s continuing program of “50 Movies You May Not Have Seen, That You Should!” during which he presents an odd little confection called “Mary and Max.”
This masterful stop-motion movie could, on its surface, be dismissed as an animated flight of fancy, but it’s anything but. The observations put forth in this film reflect an all too accurate portrait of the real world.
Loneliness, frustration, friendship and humanity are all featured here in poignant detail with no punches pulled. Mary and Max’s world is anything but sunshine and roses, but their contact with each other – mostly via letters – manages to let some light into their very challenging lives.
Featuring a notable voice cast (Toni Collette, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Humphries), it would be wise to take Zemrak’s advice and seek this movie out. It will screen on Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m.
And while we’re on the subject of stop-motion, the next film on the program is one of the earliest examples of the art form. “The Lost World,” made in 1925 and based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of those template films as it sets the tone for countless other movies from King Kong to the Jurassic Park franchise.
It should also be noted that Willis O’Brian used what he learned making this film for “King Kong.” Released well before sound, what distinguishes this showing at the Orinda Theatre is that it will be accompanied with a live orchestra. Not only will you be able to go back in time to a prehistoric island, but you’ll also be able to experience a film in much the same way audiences viewed the film upon its initial release. It screens at the Orinda Theater on Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.
International Film Showcase
Veering away from the fantastic – the International Film Showcase makes a welcome return to the Orinda Theatre with “The New Year That Never Came.” This film deals with the connectivity that binds us all.
In this film, four separate stories take place in 1989 Romania, where civil unrest is a fact of life. Change is also inevitable and in this film, such a change is imminent. With this, of course, comes an uncomfortable adjustment period with many of the people simply trying to survive or taking part in molding a new way of life.
With stories ranging from the comic to the heavily dramatic, no doubt one will walk away from this film with a different, wiser point of view. It premieres Sept. 9. Please check out internationalshowcase.org for previews and showtimes.
Free Movie
Next we have “The Majestic.” This is one of those high-concept movies with an incredible pedigree.
It’s directed by Frank Darabont and stars a young Jim Carrey, whose character is a man suffering from memory loss because of a severe automobile accident. Recovering in a small town, he discovers he may have a past history there. This, however, is almost incidental to what happens next.
Themes of nostalgia, love, both lost and found and, most importantly, movies themselves, play a major part. Also, sharp-eyed viewers may see one or two familiar local locations as part of the film was shot in Orinda. It screens on Sept. 18. Admission is free.
Czechoslovakia Film Festival
I’d like to shift gears a little to let everyone know about an important, upcoming event. From Sept. 25 to 27, the Orinda Theatre will welcome the Czechoslovakia Film Festival.
For three days, this festival will be showing a trio of the very best, award-winning films ranging from the important to the fanciful. Expect the unexpected here as our collective horizons are expanded and we learn more about the world through film.
What’s more, there will be short films preceding the features. For more information go to http://bit.ly/4mE0f1x for times and tickets.
Back to the Orinda Theatre
Saving the best for last, we have “The African Queen.”
This film is, quite simply, a classic, as if putting John Huston, Katherine Hepburn and Humphery Bogart together in one movie could make it anything else but. This is one of those storied films where the making of it was just as harrowing as what goes on in front of the camera.
Katharine Hepburn even wrote a highly recommended book about this film titled, “The Making of the African Queen, or How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind.”
For someone as strong-willed as she was, the very fact that it was a trying experience for her will make plain she suffered for her art. Despite all this, however, the end result is magical, which you will be able to see for yourself on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m.
See. Didn’t I tell you there’d be a lot to take in this month?
It bears repeating that you should visit orindamovies.com on a regular basis, not only because programs change without notice, but also for the many live concerts and events that may be late additions.
With that said, always remember to seek out those wonderful images made from sound and light, for that’s where the reel magic lies.
