Denver Cinema Club

Let's join the lovely Chez folks and John Anzalone for a lively evening of Ernest Lubitsch!

Here is a little Walter Chaw blurb to set the stage, 4/4 stars for Design for Living


by Walter Chaw The impulse to call the work of Ernst Lubitsch “frothy” and “bubbly” and otherwise insubstantial (a practice excoriated, rightfully so, by film scholar William Paul on Criterion’s Blu-ray release of Design for Living) obscures the fact that none of Lubitsch’s romantic masterpieces would carry any kind of resonance without an essential heart of darkness and decay. The oft-invoked “Lubitsch Touch”–that well-circulated anecdote that Billy Wilder hung the words “What Would Lubitsch Do” above his office door–suggests to me the wellspring of the asshole element in Wilder’s works: the idea that Wilder was just Hitchcock undercover, with Lubitsch influencing both directors in ways obvious and not so and not in terms of a “light” touch so much as a decidedly bitter one

Free parking available on site

THIS THEATER HAS ASSIGNED AND LIMITED SEATING, IF YOU CARE WHERE YOU SIT YOU MAY WISH TO PURCHASE TICKET IN ADVANCE

https://www.landmarktheatres.com/events/24443-chez-artiste-film-classics-at-greenwood-village/

I am seat c9

Ryan Coogler's new film Sinners is getting rave reviews! Michael B. Jordan plays twins in this period horror / musical (!). Nearly perfect scores on the Tomatometer/Popcornmeter. Raves, like this:

"Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler team for their best and most daring work yet, a game-changing vampire-gangster-western-musical that’s divisive, dangerous and primed to explode. it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen and the best movie of this young year." -- Peter Travers

Sounds amazing! Join us!

I'll be in the Mayan lobby at 6:45 with a DCC sign for greetings. After the film I'll be in the same spot to collect the group and then we'll walk somewhere for food, drink, and conversation (venue to be determined based on group size and availability). RSVP with integrity, as I'll be making a table reservation for the group!

ETA: I didn't share the trailer because it's kind of spoilery (booo!) so here's Ryan Coogler's official playlist for the film to get on its wavelength.

As part of the April Showers series at the Sie Film Center, they're playing Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

Dear Zachary is a 2008 American documentary film written, produced, directed, edited, shot and scored by Kurt Kuenne. It is about Kuenne's close friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered after ending a relationship with a woman named Shirley Jane Turner. Turner was arrested as a suspect, and, shortly thereafter, announced she was pregnant with Bagby's child, a boy she named Zachary Turner.

Despite the heaviness of the story, it plays as a touching tribute for a friend. True Crime enthusiasts and Emotionally Available Film Lovers can unite in watching this heart-wrenching journey of loss and grief on the big screen! Truly deserving a spot in the April Showers series. Box of tissues recommended!

Tickets available purchase online at the Sie Website
https://www.denverfilm.org/about/sie-filmcenter/ or at the box office!

Parking: Free parking garage behind Sie, or free street parking.

I will be in the lobby by 11:45 am with a makeshift DCC sign to gather members and stragglers! Then after the film, we can skedaddle to Bruz
Off Fax for some lively discussion and delicious Colorado brews.

See y'all there!

I'm a fan of slow cinema. When I'm asked what I like about it, I say that when it's done well it's hypnotic, immersive. I don't notice the time because I'm in this place, this mesmerizing place. When it's over I feel like I've been somewhere, lived someone else's life, created a strange new memory. And I don't think slow cinema gets any better than Werckmeister Harmonies, which I saw once in 2011 and have pined after another viewing ever since. Long unavailable in the US, it was restored last year by Janus Films and now you can catch this rare screening as part of CU Boulder's International Film Series.

For a more compelling pitch, read this excellent essay on Indiewire or this loving testament from Roger Ebert on the IFS page for the film. And do watch the gorgeous trailer.

I'll be in the lobby before the film, just look for the lady with grey curly hair. I have plans for the evening, so no official after event, but we can definitely chat in the lobby a while! There will be an introduction by CINE Professor Emeritus Suranjan Ganguly. The film is 140 minutes, quite short by Béla Tarr standards. Tickets are $10.

If you haven't been to CU Boulder before, allow extra time for parking and walking. You can put "Lot 360" right into Google and it will take you there. It will cost you about $3 to park, then walk west to the Muenzinger Auditorium. Enter the building on the east side through a big enclosed courtyard, with ground-floor doors to the left of the stairs. It can be a bit tricky the first time, so allow extra time. You can also study the IFS map. There are also free parking options if you don't mind extra walking.