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TFT Introduces NIGHT AND THE CITY This Monday at The Belcourt

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Love Film Noir? In Nashville this Monday? Then you have no excuse not to see the delirious NIGHT AND THE CITY at The Becourt Theatre at 4:50 or 7:00 pm.

If you’re at the 7pm screening you’ll get to see yours truly introduce this fever dream of a film – a pic that has what may be the most astonishing performance I’ve ever scene in cinema- you have not seen Film Noir my friends – or film acting, till you’ve seen the non-stop man-on-a-wire performance of Richard Widmark as hustler and would-be wrestling mogul Harry Fabian.

See you there film lover!

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Posted in Belcourt Theatre, Jett Loe, Repertory Cinemas | Comments

‘My Son My Son What Have Ye Done’ – Starting Tomorrow at The Belcourt

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

It’s a story of crime inspired by a real crime story. A young man does something terrible one morning in suburbia – in the hostage situation that follows, the police and the young man’s friends struggle to understand his actions.

That could be the plot of some witheringly tired corporate product – yet look at the cast of My Son My Son What Have Ye Done:

Wilem Dafoe as Detective Hank Havenhurst. Chloë Sevigny as Ingrid. Udo Kier as Lee Meyers. Verne Troyer as ‘midget’. Brad Dourif as Uncle Ted. Grace Zabriskie as Mrs. McCullum and Michael Shannon as her son Brad.

Yes that’s right, it’s a Werner Herzog film produced by David Lynch. Thank god – just when I was losing my faith in cinema yet again after screening yet again another corporate offering.

My Son takes place in a world parallel to ours – a world where there is no mental illness – or more accurately, where mental illness has yet to be discovered; mental illness and possibly psychology itself.

If this was a film striving for surface realism instead of the inner dark heart of things it would be clear right from the start that the young man, Michael Shannon’s Brad McCullum, is mentally ill – but in this world, (of magic? where nature is still untamed? where magic and nature are inseparable), the police, Brad’s girlfriend and his associates struggle to understand the nature of nature’s malfunction.

It’s extraordinary in this way – and it makes sense that Werner Herzog runs a film school – what a wonderful exercise – to alter just one element of our world, (in this case the aforementioned non-discovery of psychology), to create a new filmic reality. One can imagine more films along these lines – with plots that take place in a world where where there never was a Magna Carta, or to go more deeply as in My Son, a reality where there is only one sex, or the ‘denial of death’ was not a wellspring for creativity, etc.

In this ‘alter-reality’ way My Son is a parallel world flick, (what would happen if Hitler had never been born, etc.), and therefore is the finest science fiction film I’ve seen in years. And not just history of the world is different in My Son – with all due respect to James Cameron’s extraordinary work on Avatar, nothing on Pandora is as mesmerizing, strange or otherworldly as Mrs. McCullum’s front lawn as seen in this pic.

Now if the above doesn’t appeal to you I’d suggest it’s worth watching just for what I’ll call the ‘Willem Dafoe Coffee Conversation’; I won’t say more – that would just spoil it. Dafoe is wonderful in the scene and in the film – as is Michael Shannon, Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif and the great Irma P. Hall, (are her actions morally correct in Bad Lieutenant? You decide).

My Son My Son What Have Ye Done is a superb film – and due to it I’ve once again fallen in love with the movies after having to suffer this over the weekend. Thank you Werner and thank you to everyone involved. Onward cinema, onward!

My Son starts tomorrow at the always necessary Belcourt Theatre here in Music City – if you can’t see it here screen it anyway you can.

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Posted in Belcourt Theatre, Jett Loe Reviews, Nashville, Reviews | Comments

Belcourt Screenwriter Membership Up for Grabs

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

If ya haven’t listened to this week’s podcast:

TFT 104 – EVERYBODY’S FINE / PAPER HEART

you may not know that the fine folks at that great repertory cinema The Belcourt Theatre here in Nashville, are offering an absurdly wonderful gift to a new ‘The Film Talk’ Member this week, (it could be you!).

As part of our Pledge Drive the first person who joins TFT at ‘The Fuller‘ level or above this week will receive a ‘Screenwriter Membership’ to The Belcourt. What does this mean?

Well, ya get $2.50 off of every movie for a year, 20% off all the snack bar goodies and drinks, (except alcohol – don’t wanna go overboard here), a weekly email newsletter, all online booking fees waved, discounts on select special events and, amazingly for the 21st Century, a Monthly Calender mailed to your house, (I know – a guy actually hand delivers it to you – you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren!).

Oh – and the above is for two people. So, if you live in Nashville and love the movies, (I know I’m not the only one), then click on the ol’ Operation Save the Film Talk link:

OPERATION SAVE THE FILM TALK

and sign up. And if you see me at The Belcourt on occasion please feel free to come over and say hi – I might even buy ya an alcoholic drink – to make up for the one thing the Screenwriter Membership can’t do!

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Oh, and apologies to Belcourt projectionist Matt featured in the photograph above – I haven’t taken pics at the theatre for a while so I keep using the same image of Matt manning the projector at one of the well known local film lover and collector Tom Will’s great outdoor movie events. I promise to refresh my Belcourt image bank soon!

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Posted in Belcourt Theatre, Cinemas We Love, Jett Loe, Nashville, Repertory Cinemas | Comments

TFT 101 – 2012 / ANTICHRIST / GAIA

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

TFT 101 / MP3 30.2mb / 1hr 3min / DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

2012: IMDB / on TFT: Oh 2012, What Is It About You That Makes Me Love You So? – 2012 – Raising Arizona Mashup

ANTICHRIST: IMDB / on TFT: Antichrist Poster Mashup / at The Belcourt

GAIA: IMDB / OFFICIAL SITE / on TFT: Film & Spirit: An Invitation

OPERATION SAVE THE FILM TALK

THE COOLER: The Demonizing (of) Armond White

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Posted in Belcourt Theatre, Blockbusters, Drama, Gareth Higgins, Gareth Higgins Reviews, Horror, Jett Loe, Jett Loe Reviews, Nashville, Podcasts, Reviews, Science Fiction, Sex, Spirituality, Thrillers | Comments

‘Antichrist’ – Part 1

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

We’ll be covering the now notorious new film by Lars von Trier: ‘Antichrist’ in an upcoming show. In the meantime I provide a little taster – an ‘Antichrist’/ ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ mashup by SamsMyth.

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The Belcourt Theatre here in Nashville will be screening ‘Antichrist’ for four days, starting this Friday

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