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TAKE A BOW: Above, the winners of this year's Stony Brook Film Festival. Photo from Staller Center.
THE BASICS OF LOVE 2023 CLOSING NIGHT SHORT
CHIPPER 2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
STUCK 2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
FRIENDS FROM HOME 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
FRIENDS FROM HOME 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
WHERE THE ROAD LEADS 2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
YES REPEAT NO 2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE
Winners of this year's Stony Brook Film Festival with festival founder Alan Inkles. Photo from Staller Center

The 28th annual Stony Brook Film Festival, presented by Island Federal Credit Union, wrapped up with a Closing Night Awards Ceremony on July 29.  The evening recognized the outstanding new independent films screened at the festival, which was held at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University from July 20 to 29.

With hundreds of artists creating 36 films from 26 countries, the Stony Brook Film Festival became a hub for some of the best filmmakers working today, a meeting ground for favorite actors and rising stars, and a showcase of new masterpieces. Of those 36 films, 11 received awards. 

Yes Repeat No, a challenging and engaging meta masterpiece, won the Jury Award for Best Feature. Director Michael Moshe Dahan was in attendance for both the screening and to receive his award. “Thank you to all of the people who believe in human rights and democracy all over the world … and to all the people who want to make difficult material all over the world because finding the questions to ask is sometimes harder than getting the answers,” Dahan said in his acceptance speech. 

Two feature films won the audience’s hearts, resulting in two winners for this year’s Audience Choice Award for Best Feature: The Grandson, a charged thriller that boasts “revenge is a dish best served old,” and First Snow of Summer, a masterfully shot and magical romance in a whimsical setting, came out on top. 

The Grandson‘s director Kristóf Deák could not be at the Festival to accept his award but remarked, “I couldn’t be happier that The Grandson won the audience award at this year’s Stony Brook Film Festival. I feel a special connection to U.S. audiences since my short film Sing won the Academy Award in 2017. That film’s festival journey also began with audience awards, and for a filmmaker like me who makes his films for audiences, first and foremost, it remains the most important praise.” 

“Because it may lead to discussions about how we treat the elderly in our society, I hope [The Grandson]is a testament to how we should never ‘write them off’ as useless. I want to thank my wonderful cast, crew, co-writer, and wife for making this film with me,” said Deák

First Snow of Summer, in its North American premiere, was another beautiful and poignant film from German Sales Team, Picture Tree International. Festival Founder and Director Alan Inkles has been working with Founder/Co-Managing Director of Picture Tree, Andreas Rothbauer, for several years and this is the second consecutive year one of their films has won the Audience Choice Award, with last year’s biting dark comedy, Contra, taking home the same prize. 

“You can feel the warmth and genuineness of this new German film, and the audience in our full house screening of First Snow of Summer obviously agreed … the film has a ‘fantasy-like Amelie’ feel to it, and is ripe for a U.S. theatrical run,” said Inkles after the awards ceremony. “One of our goals with the Festival is to get these independent films in front of distributors to help reach larger audiences throughout America,” he added, and said he plans to continue working with Andreas to make that happen.

The Spirit of Independent Filmmaking is awarded to filmmakers that utilize a uniquely indie lens to bring their incredible stories to life. A first in the Festival’s history, this category was awarded to two different features: Friends From Home, a quietly hilarious cross-country odyssey by New York filmmakers, and Where the Road Leads, a Serbian film about a sleepy village brought to life with subtle humor and masterfully directed. 

“If you told us we would be watching our film on a 40-foot-screen, we wouldn’t have believed you, and this was awesome,” said Mike Koslov of Friends From Home. “We just tried to make a film as honest and close to the heart as we could,” said Joe Blank, co-writer and director of the film. Both flew in from LA for their screening and the awards ceremony. 

Director Nina Ognjanovic traveled from Serbia to be here in person for her screening of Where the Road Leads and for the awards ceremony. Ognjanovic praised the film festival at the ceremony for showing her film to over 400 attendees and for recognizing her work.

The Jury Award for Best Short went to Chipper, while the Audience Award for Best Short went to Stuck. 

Director and lead actor of Chipper, Shaun MacLean, and Jayson Warner Smith, respectively, were both in attendance at the awards ceremony, with Shaun attending earlier during the Festival for his screening and leading a lively Q&A. Shoval Chiprut and Daniel Brushin from Stuck flew in from Israel and were present for both their screening and the awards ceremony. 

Opening Night Feature Award went to Sea of Time; Closing Night Feature Award went to Divertimento; Open Night Short Award went to The Red Suitcase and The Basics of Love received an for  Closing Night Short.

In addition to Island Federal’s generous support as presenting sponsor, additional sponsors for the Stony Brook Film Festival included Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP; Suffolk County; Altice Media; and WLIW/PBS.

2023 FESTIVAL WINNERS

YES REPEAT NO
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

THE GRANDSON
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

FIRST SNOW OF SUMMER
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE

WHERE THE ROAD LEADS
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

FRIENDS FROM HOME
2023 SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

CHIPPER
2023 JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT

STUCK
2023 AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT

SEA OF TIME
2023 OPENING NIGHT FEATURE

DIVERTIMENTO
2023 CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE

THE RED SUITCASE
2023 OPENING NIGHT SHORT

THE BASICS OF LOVE
2023 CLOSING NIGHT SHORT

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During the Festival, the Staller Center announced its exciting Fall 2023 Live Performing Arts season which kicks off on Sept. 5 with Corinne Bailey Rae, Pat Metheny on Sept. 23, Tara McNeill and Alexander Bernstein on Sept. 30, Disney Pixar Coco Live-to-Film concert on Oct. 9, Emerson String Quartet’s farewell concert on Oct. 14, Ballet Hispanico on Oct. 21, Jessica Vosk on Oct. 28, Evan + Zane on Nov. 3, iLuminated on Nov. 5, Tom Segura on Nov. 11, LeAnn Rimes on Nov. 18, Cat Kid Comic Club Musical on Nov. 19, Starry Nights chamber music concert on Nov. 29, Isaac Mizrahi on Dec. 1, Jane Monheit on Dec. 9, and concludes with GALA 2024 on March 9 with special guest Leslie Odom, Jr. For tickets and more information, visit www.stallercenter.com.

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Bruce Lee in a scene from 'Enter the Dragon'. Photo courtesy of Fathom Events
Three screenings will be held at Regal Deer Park & IMAX.

By Heidi Sutton

Calling all Bruce Lee fans! In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the 1973 classic martial arts film Enter the Dragon will return to select movie theaters on Sunday, Aug. 13 and Wednesday, Aug. 16 courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events’ Big Screen Classics series. 

In Suffolk County, the film will only be screened at Regal Deer Park & IMAX, 1050 The Arches Circle at the Tanger Outlets in Deer Park at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 13 and at 7:05 p.m. on Aug. 16.

Bruce Lee explodes onto the screen in the film that rocketed him to international superstardom. Recruited by an intelligence agency, martial arts student Lee participates in a brutal tournament at a remote island fortress in an attempt to gather enough evidence to convict the international drug-trafficker responsible for the murder of his sister. In the now-classic fight-to-the-death finish, two men enter a mirrored maze, but only one will exit.

Directed by Robert Clouse from a screenplay written by Michael Allin, the film also stars Robert Wall, John Saxon, Bolo Yeung, Ahna Capri, Jim Kelly, Kien Shih, Angela Mao, and Peter Archer. Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan also make an appearance in the film, although they were uncredited.

Enter the Dragon was Lee’s final completed film appearance before his death on July 20, 1973 at the age of 32. An American and Hong Kong co-production, it premiered in Los Angeles one month later. It became one of the most profitable films of all time as well as the most successful martial arts film and cemented Bruce Lee’s legacy. 

In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Each screening will include an exclusive introduction by film critic and historian Leonard Maltin who will discuss the seminal martial arts masterpiece’s unprecedented legacy, which made history as the first Kung Fu action film produced by a Hollywood studio. He will also highlight its meticulous fight sequences that continue to influence the genre to this day.

Special anniversary screenings continue with Rain Man on Sept. 17 and 20, The Birds on Oct. 22 and 23, Scarface on Nov. 12 and 15, and A Christmas Story on Dec. 10 and 13.

To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.

See trailer of movie here.

 

 

 

 

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Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in a scene from 'Barbie' Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

What can you say about someone who has had over two hundred careers—fashion editor, science teacher, paramedic, paratrooper, Canadian Mountie, aircraft engineer—but was quoted as saying, “Math is tough?” While she beat Neil Armstrong to the moon, she encouraged her followers to “Get your sparkle on—show the world where you belong.” 

Featured from toy shelves to The Nutcracker (to The Magic of Pegasus 3-D), Barbie—full name Barbara Millicent Roberts—first appeared in March 1959. The eleven-inch plastic figure was the brainchild of Ruth Handler (Mattel, Inc. co-founder, with husband, Elliot). Inspired by the German Bild Lilli doll, the first Barbie sold for $3. Today, Barbie is a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Barbie’s world includes her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ken, best friend Midge, and sister Skipper. The first celebrity Barbie was Twiggy (1967). Barbie first ran for president in 1992 and has been on the campaign trail at least seven times since. She will continue to evolve and be reinvented. But as busy as she is, Barbie has now made time for a feature film. 

Director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) reteams with Frances Ha screenwriter Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story, Margot at the Wedding) to direct “big screen” Barbie. They have written a fascinating societal exploration, presented through the prism of the alternate world, Barbie Land. Barbie is no theme park ride or action toy translated to a mass market money grab. The film is a serious meditation on gender roles and expectations. It takes on multiple overlapping themes—perhaps too many to answer—and resonates long after its brisk two-hour running time.

Margot Robbie in a scene from ‘Barbie’. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

Barbie deals with a tear in the separation of Barbie Land and the real world, a rip connected to Barbie’s doubts about her perfect existence. She leaves the female/Barbie-dominated universe to learn that women have not achieved the positions of strength they have in her native existence. Initially, the comedic conflict sparks from the clash of the two planes. Still, the bigger issue arises from Ken’s awareness of the disproportionate power allotted to men outside Barbie Land. (In Barbie Land, the Kens are relegated to a peripheral existence, not holding the key positions taken by the Barbies.) Ken’s epiphany causes Barbie Land to devolve into a world of toxic masculinity dominated by the Kens. The host of mindless bros’ tenuous grasp turns the idyllic utopia into an almost hellish frat-scape, Kendom Land. The fact that Ken somehow connects patriarchy to horses speaks volumes.

The resolution strangely errs on the side of hijinks, with the Barbies righting their world through a subterfuge that plays on Kens’ easily flattered egos. The commentary is strong but subsumes the message of self-awareness and empowerment. They fool the doltish Kens rather than directly engage them. However, in the end, the Kens gain a modicum of self-awareness. 

Barbie manages to be comedy, spoof, satire, and message movie, sometimes in turn, other times simultaneously. From its 2001: A Space Odyssey opening to its exquisitely conceived Barbie Land that is both vibrantly two- and three-dimensional, Barbie is a delight, with visual jokes, hilarious asides, and social commentary.

Margot Robbie’s in all ways flawless Barbie proves the actor’s exceptional skills and depth. She manifests a true living doll but allows for both growth and arc, never missing a beat or a laugh. Ryan Gosling makes the ideal foil, as the mostly clueless Ken, coming to a misplaced awareness. The supporting Barbies are effective on different levels, as are the coterie of Kens. 

America Ferrera’s real-world Gloria has the most memorable moment in the film—a speech about the double standard women face daily. Her passion and laser focus give weight without weighing down the significance. Ariana Greenblatt, as her daughter, Sasha, neatly represents today’s generation of detached teens searching for connection. Michael Cera’s sad sack Allan is subtly hysterical.

Rhea Pearlman offers the luminous, not-so-spectral spirit of Barbie creator Ruth Handler. In her two scenes, she manages to be heartbreakingly human and otherworldly wise. She speaks as the head and heart of possibility, which was her inspiration in creating the doll. She is somehow Dumbledore to Barbie’s Harry. 

The film’s major misfire is the comedic Mattel corporate board, headed by Will Ferrell, doing Will Ferrell at his most Will Ferrell. The painfully predictable slapstick seems forced in an otherwise sharp and meditative story.

*Reviewing is the definition of subjective. I left unsure of exactly how I felt about what I had witnessed. I also knew that I was not its true demographic. 

Curious, I engaged with people exiting the film and reached out to others over the next few days. These ranged from adult mothers and daughters with complementary opinions to viewers in their twenties and thirties. Three slightly dazed mothers with a half dozen girls under age eight contemplated how much their young charges had—or had not—understood. 

While a few attendees were mildly disappointed, the consensus was that Barbie was an effective and affecting film. Older viewers seem most linked by the nostalgia, reflecting bittersweetly on childhood hours. However, recurring comments tended towards empowerment, identity, and reflection of girlhood/womanhood. The film seriously considered the day-to-day struggles of being female and cultural over-sexualization. But Barbie also symbolizes the ability to change, hearkening to her creation as representing myriad possibilities. Many were deeply moved by the montage of women throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; almost all cited Gloria’s monologue as a high point. The most common refrain was, “I felt seen.”

Ultimately, Barbie transcends. As a work and work of art, it accomplished something extraordinary, something “more than.” It has let its audience “feel seen.” And that alone makes Barbie exceptional. 

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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A scene from 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl'

As part of Suffolk County’s Parks After Dark Series, Coindre Hall, 101 Browns Road in Huntington will host a special screening of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” under the stars on Friday, August 4 at sunset.

The series, sponsored by the county and the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers, will continue with a screening of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” at Indian Island County Park, Indian Point Road in Riverhead on August 18.

“What better way to spend time with family and friends than enjoying a movie under the stars at one of our county parks,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “The county’s Parks After Dark Series … will showcase iconic films that residents of all ages will enjoy.”

“The Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers is happy to partner with County Executive Steve Bellone in sponsoring these exciting ‘Movies After Dark’ in … Suffolk County’s beautiful and illustrious parks,” said Robert Fonti, co-chair of the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers. “These blockbuster movies will provide fun and an evening under the stars for all families in Suffolk. Looking forward to seeing you at the movies.”

Free tickets are available through Eventbrite. Moviegoers are encouraged to bring their own food and beverages as well as blankets and chairs. Click here to reserve your seat.

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A scene from 'West Side Story'. Photo courtesy of CAC
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A scene from 'West Side Story'. Photo courtesy of CAC
A scene from 'West Side Story'. Photo courtesy of CAC
A scene from 'West Side Story'. Photo courtesy of CAC

Something special is coming to the Cinema Arts Centre. As part of its Best of the Big Screen series, the theater will present a rare big screen viewing of West Side Story (1961) on Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. with an introduction by film historian Philip Harwood.

A modern reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, two street gangs battle for control over the harsh streets of the Upper West Side. Their conflict becomes complicated when a former gang-leader falls in love with a rival’s sister. Winner of 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture, West Side Story holds the record for most wins for a musical. Filled with remarkable dance numbers and elevated by Robert Wise’s brilliant direction, Leonard Bernstein’s score, and Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, it is regarded as the greatest musical film of all time.

Tickets are $15, $10 members here.

And make sure to check out the list of other classic films that the theater will be showing this summer, including Planet of the Apes,  Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights, The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob, some great films for their Film Noir series, and a special Alfred Hitchcock retrospective!

Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington. For more information, call 631-423-7610 or visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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Hit the road with the Griswolds once again, as Fathom’s Big Screen Classics roll on with a pair of special screenings of the 1983 fan-favorite comedy “National Lampoon’s Vacation” returning to select theaters nationwide on Sunday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 19 in honor of its 40th anniversary. 

For the Clark W. Griswolds of Chicago, 50 weeks of work and routine will soon be rewarded with a fortnight of frenzied freedom. Mom (Beverly D’Angelo) and the kids (Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron) would rather fly, but Dad (Chevy Chase) insists on driving west to Walley World. 

He’s programmed everything on the family’s PC — from tire wear to best routes, from choice sights to the finest AAA-recommended lodgings. But what was supposed to be a perfectly planned getaway quickly takes a detour through Murphy’s Law, as the Griswold gang must overcome vandals, car wrecks, and even the LAPD SWAT Team to make it to their destination in one piece. 

Directed by Harold Ramis with a script by John Hughes, Vacation also stars Imogene Coca, John Candy, Christie Brinkley in her acting debut, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, Eddie Bracken, Brian Doyle-Murray, Miriam Flynn, James Keach, Eugene Levy and Frank McRae. 

Each screening features an exclusive introduction by noted film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, discussing the enduring appeal and influence of the side-splitting road trip epic widely hailed as one of the finest comedies of all time.

Locally the film will be screened at AMC Loews Stony Brook, Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville and Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale on July 16 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on July 19 at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.

See a trailer of the movie here.

 

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Harrison Ford in a scene from 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'. Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. / Disney

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

The Indiana Jones films are among the most popular blockbusters of all time: beginning with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), followed by the prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), then Indiana Jones and the Lost Crusade (1989). It was almost twenty years before the fourth chapter was released: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). This last received the poorest reviews and the weakest response. Stephen Spielberg directed all four films, with Harrison Ford starring as Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones, Jr., an archeology professor. Worldwide grosses have approached two billion dollars. 

In between the third and fourth films, a television series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, followed Jones as a child and youth. Twenty-eight episodes and four made-for-television films ran from 1992 through 1994. In addition, dozens of books, comic books, toys, and other tie-ins surround the Jones icon.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, as Helena, and Harrison Ford, as Indiana Jones, star in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.’ Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny opens in the closing days of World War II. Jones faces Nazi adversaries as he attempts to recover the Lance of Longinus. The German officers reveal Hitler believes the relic to contain extraordinary powers that could reverse the course of the war. The Lance is a fake, but Nazi astrophysicist Jürgen Voller has found half of Archimedes’ Dial, an invention of the ancient Syracusan mathematician said to be able to locate fissures in time. 

After an extended fight and chase on a train, Voller is killed (spoiler alert: he is not), and half of the Dial is supposedly lost (spoiler alter: it is not). Of course, Jones and sidekick, archaeologist Basil Shaw, survive.

The action jumps from 1944 to July 1969, just after the moon landing. Borderline alcoholic Jones, a passionless professor at New York City’s Hunter College, instructs indifferent students on the eve of his forced retirement. His son, Mutt, died in Viet Nam, and his wife, Marion Ravenwood, left him. Enter his goddaughter, Helena Shaw, Basil’s only child. Helena seeks the Dial, and while Jones had promised the near-insane Basil to destroy it, he preserved it in the college storeroom.

While retrieving it, Jones and Helena are attacked by muscle sent by Voller, now a scientist working for NASA. During this melee, Helena reveals herself to be less a student of archeology and more a mercenary treasure hunter planning to sell the Dial fragment in a Tangiers black-market auction. What ensues is a world-crossing journey, with a plethora of fights and escapes. These—the film’s raison d’être—are slightly cartoonish but grandly, energetically executed. However, they are too long. Much, much too long. 

Somewhere along the way, the series traded its signature humor and bold but neatly developed characters for impressive but bloated action sequences: extended chases in narrow streets and open spaces, replete with rooftop leaps, helicopters, planes, motorcycles, and innumerable cars. There is even an escape on horseback through a parade, invading the New York City subway.

With a few exceptions, the body count is composed of expendable characters. The almost bloodless violence borders on heightened slapstick, with square-landed punches usually followed by an attempt at a wry quip. The core villain, Voller, could be straight out of a Hollywood propaganda film; his henchmen are the usual obedient thugs. Helena’s sidekick, Teddy Kumar, vaguely replicates Short Round from the earlier films.

So much of The Dial of Destiny is an homage to Indiana Jones, one through three. While the trio paid tribute to the serials of the 1930s and ‘40s, Dial celebrates the trilogy. As soon as the chords of John Williams’ unmistakable underscore play, Jones saves the day (or at least the moment). But building an entire two hours and twenty minutes on waves of nostalgia comes up, if not empty, certainly less than satisfying. The film’s climax, a bizarre sword-and-sandal sequence, becomes uncomfortably comical and slightly clumsy.

While Ford announced this would be his final performance in the role, he remains in fine form as the curmudgeonly Jones, with his have-hat-and-whip-will-travel presence. He continues making the most incredible situations palatable. (Perhaps the CGI that renders the prologue’s younger Jones is the most extraordinary special effect.) 

Phoebe Waller-Bridge creates a quirky, amoral Helena, a great foil for Jones. She infuses the grifter with a mix of noir femme fatale and girl-next-door charm. Mads Mikkelsen’s Voller succeeds as the typically erudite fascist with requisite lip-curling contempt. Ethann Isidore manages to avoid precociousness as Teddy.

The supporting cast play mostly enlarged cameos. Antonio Banderas twinkles as Renaldo, a boat captain. John Rhys-Davies is delightful in his return as Jones’ old friend, Sallah. Toby Jones strikes the right balance between sanity and madness as Basil. Shaunette Renée Wilson gives one of the more dimensional performances as a government agent. 

While forging no new ground, those looking for another chapter in the saga will be either disappointed with its failure to compete with the earlier films or delighted with its improvement over the fourth, ill-conceived outing. With exotic locations, Teutonic villains, time travel, giant bugs, eel-filled waters, and enough stolen car chases for a dozen films, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny neither improves nor weakens the franchise. 

Disney recently announced that The Dial of Destiny is the final entry. And while not perfect closure, it is good enough to draw the curtain on four decades of epic adventure.

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in a scene from His Girl Friday, 1940 Image courtesy of Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group

On Thursday, July 13, Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre will launch a new film and discussion series, presented in partnership with Wallace Matthews, former columnist for Newsday, the New York Post and ESPN. The series will use the medium of film to examine the relationship between Hollywood and the News.

Titled This Just In! The love-hate relationship between Hollywood and the News Media, the series will begin by looking at films from Hollywood’s pre-code era, and move throughout history, examining films that depict newsrooms and journalists — analyzing how they have been depicted in the movies throughout different periods of history. Each program will feature a film screening followed by an audience discussion led by Matthews.

The first three films covered in the series will be Lewis Milestone’s The Front Page, Mervyn LeRoy’s Five Star Final, and Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday.

‘The Front Page’

Thursday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago’s reporter Hildy Johnson (Pat O’Brien) wants to quit newspaper work and get married, but his editor, Walter Burns (Adolphe Menjou), is determined to keep him on the job. The court pressroom is full of lame reporters, all waiting to cover the hanging of Earl Williams. When Williams escapes custody, Hildy seizes the opportunity and bribes an insider to get the scoop on the escape. Can he keep Williams’ whereabouts secret long enough to get the scoop, especially with the Sheriff and other reporters hovering around? 

‘Five Star Final’

Thursday, August 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Edward G. Robinson stars as Joseph Randall, the ruthless newspaper-editor who will go to any length to get a headline for the Five Star Final. Facing declining circulation, he decides to dig up a 20-year-old killing. He sends reporter Vernon Isopod (Boris Karloff) undercover to get a photograph of Nancy Townsend as she prepares for her daughter’s wedding. Now a pillar of society, Townsend shot her lover decades ago. But there are tragic consequences when Randall publishes the photo of Townsend with the story of the shooting. 

‘His Girl Friday’

Thursday, September 14 at 7:30 p.m.

One of the fastest, funniest, and most quotable films ever, His Girl Friday stars Rosalind Russell as reporter Hildy Johnson — who is matched only by her conniving but charismatic editor and ex-husband, Walter (Cary Grant), who attempts to use every tick in the book to keep her from remarrying. When adapting Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s play The Front Page, Howard Hawks had the idea of turning reporter Hildy into a woman, and the result is an immortal mix of hard-boiled newsroom setting with ebullient remarriage comedy. 

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The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Ave in Huntington. Tickets to the films are $15, $10 members. For more information on this and other events at the CAC, call 631-423-7610 or visit www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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Margot Robbie in a scene from 'Barbie'. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

By Tim Haggerty & Jeffrey Sanzel

This summer’s cinematic offerings range from blockbusters to independents, with Hollywood stars intermingled with well-known character actors and a handful of up-and-coming personalities. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

First up is the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones franchise: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Three decades in, Harrison Ford continues his adventures three decades in as the titular professor of archeology, Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. Approaching retirement, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact, the Antikythera, doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays his goddaughter.

Rated PG-13 · Release date June 30

Insidious: The Red Door

Patrick Wilson makes his feature directorial debut with The Red Door. Wilson and Rose Byrne appear in this last entry of the Insidious run, in which the original Lambert family attempts to (finally?) exorcise the demons plaguing them. (As with most horror movies of this ilk, demons surprisingly can be resurrected by decent box office returns.)

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 7

Joy Ride

Joy Ride stars Oscar-nominated Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) joins Ashley Park, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu in a buddy comedy about a quartet of friends who embark on a trek across Asia to help one of their group search for her birth mother. Directed and co-written by Adele Lim (Crazy Rich Asians).

Rated  R · Release date July 7

Mission: Impossible 7

Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson join headliner Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning, Part One. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team embark on “their most dangerous mission,” tracking down a weapon that threatens humanity in this action-franchise. The claim is that Dead Reckoning, Part Two (due out June 28, 2024) will be the final chapter. 

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 12

Theater Camp

Budding thespians are the target of the satirical Theater Camp which follows the eccentric staff of a rundown theatre camp in upstate New York as they come together with a less-than-theatrically-inclined member of the camp family to keep the program going following the sudden absence of the beloved founder with Dear Evan Hansen’s Ben Platt playing a counselor guiding the campers in their summer’s big show. 

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 14

Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer promises to be a dark, powerful, and cutting-edge biopic of the scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, chronicling his work on the atomic bomb and the repercussions on his professional and personal lives. Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer, supported by an extraordinary cast: Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek, and Josh Hartnett.

Rated R · Release date July 21

Barbie

Possibly the most anticipated release is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. With an all-star cast—Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Dua Lipa and many others—the meta-comedy shows a particular Barbie (Robbie) and Ken (Gosling) as they venture into the real world. If the trailers reflect the finished production, it should be one of the summer’s best.

Rated PG-13 · Release date July 21

Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion is Disney’s latest foray into bringing amusement park rides to the big screen. A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. All -star cast includes LaKeith Stanfield, Danny DeVito, Owen Wilson, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder, Tiffany Hadish and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Rated  PG-13 · Release date July 28

Talk to Me

The Australian horror film Talk to Me was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival and has already garnered excellent reviews. The traditional plot centers on friends who unwittingly unleash malevolent forces when conjuring spirits with an embalmed hand.

Rated  R · Release date July 28

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle phenomenon returns with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The movie’s revival is due to longtime fans Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and is computer animated feature emphasizing the “teenage” element of the original comics.

Rated  PG-13 · Release date August 2

Strays

Will Ferrell leads an all-star voice cast (Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Josh Gad, Will Forte, Sofia Vergara) in the adult live-action animal adventure Strays. A naive border terrier (voice of Ferrell), abandoned by his deadbeat owner, decides to trek back home to exact his revenge. 

Rated  R · Release date August 18

Blue Beetle

Those seeking a superhero infusion will embrace Blue Beetle. Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña plays the title character in this DC origin story about a recent college grad who becomes possessed by the Scarab, an ancient alien biotechnological relic, which turns him into the Blue Beetle. With Susan Sarandon and George Lopez.

Not Rated  · Release date August 18

Bottoms

After her dark comedy Shiva Baby, director Emma Seligman’s sophomore outing is Bottoms. Seligman reunites with Shiva Baby’s Rachel Sennott for this teen sex comedy in which two high school seniors create a fight club so they can hook up with cheerleaders.

Not Rated  · Release date August 18

Brief Encounters

Brief Encounters is the summer’s most unusual opening. Filmed in 1967, the movie was banned in the Soviet Union and is finally getting its formal American release. Romanian-born director Kira Muratova (generally identified as Ukranian) sets a romantic triangle amid the casual shortages and shoddy apartments of professional-class Odessa.

Not Rated · Release date August 25

With a mix of comedy, drama, thriller, and pure escape—along with the usual sequels—summer 2023 promises something for every filmgoer. 

This article originally appeared in Summer Times, TBR News Media’s seasonal guide supplement.

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Scarlett Johansson in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Focus Features

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

Auteur Wes Anderson’s first feature film was Bottle Rocket (1996), based on a short he made in 1994 with Luke and Owen Wilson. His sophomore outing, Rushmore (1998), brought him to prominence. The quirky, line-crossing comedy follows a high school student (Jason Schwartzman) with a crush on a fifth-grade teacher (Olivia Williams).The film featured Bill Murray in the first of nine collaborations with the director. 

With a focus on (and often delight in) the dysfunctional and a sense of heightened reality, Anderson’s works (for which he not only directed by served as writer and producer) have included The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and The French Dispatch (2021).

His films have received fifteen Academy Award nominations (winning four, all for The Grand Budapest Hotel). In addition, the works have 20 BAFTA nominations (winning five) and 10 Golden Globes (winning two). 

To discuss Anderson’s latest offering, Asteroid City, two terms are helpful. The first is “meta.” Definitions of “meta” vary slightly. The most accessible is Merriam-Webster’s informal explanation: “showing or suggesting an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category; cleverly self-referential.” It goes on to cite various examples:

“The Bar?” she said. “I know the place. Been meaning to drop by. Love the name. Very meta.” — Gillian Flynn

A new comedy about fantasy football, which follows a group of armchair quarterbacks as they try to tackle life. How meta would it be if people started betting on what was going to happen on the show? — TV Guide

Leave it to Larry [David] to contort public desire for a Seinfeld reunion into a meta plot that chronicles his not-necessarily-noble struggle to pull off a Seinfeld reunion. —Dan Snierson

The second term is “shaggy dog story.”

Again, let us turn to Merriam-Webster: “of, relating to, or being a long-drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an inconsequential happening that impresses the teller as humorous or interesting but the hearer as boring and pointless.”

And therein explains the meta-comedy/shaggy dog story Asteroid City, one hundred and five minutes of tedious indulgence that evokes an occasional strained chuckle but otherwise ceaselessly plods to a non-conclusion. 

A Rod Serling-like host (Bryan Cranston) introduces a television show following the creation of a play penned by world-famous writer Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). The black-and-white framing device evokes the earliest days of television. Earp’s play, Asteroid City (presented widescreen in vivid shades of sherbet), tells of the titular desert town hosting a youth astronomy convention. The action shifts between the presentation of the play and the television special. Some might complain that the documentary gimmick interferes with the narrative action. However, this is a minor cavil since the story plays in virtual stagnation.

Anderson creates a story where everything means something, even if it doesn’t. The 1955 world of the Cold War, atom bomb testing, a movie star, singing cowboys, a grieving widower, and a host of odd types and situations parade limply through the convoluted plot. Eventually, the assorted characters end up under government quarantine when an alien briefly appears, stealing a meteorite fragment. 

There is enormous potential for commentary and outrageous, pointed humor between the two worlds- the theatrical and the narrative. However, Anderson misses on almost every count. Even his concept of a three-act play bears no sense of understanding, with its only true reference to the indication of scenes.

He has assembled an all-star cast (many veterans of his films), headed by Jason Schwartzman (as the widower) and Scarlett Johansson (as the movie star), supported by first-rate talents including Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Matt Dillon, Steve Carell, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, and Margot Robbie. 

Sadly, they all give the same performance—or rather, the idea of a performance of a performance. Everyone speaks in an identically flat cadence, lips barely parting like poorly skilled ventriloquists, mouthing pretentious dialogue, wanting—but failing—to be outrageously quippy or metaphorically deep. Rarely has so much talent gone for so little. 

The only interest rests in the two-dimensional visuals, alternating between crisp black-and-white and hyper-rich colors, the work of cinematographer Robert Yeoman. A few whimsical pieces—vending machines that dispense martinis complete with lemon twists or others that offer valueless desert real estate—evoke a weary smile. But again, not enough to sustain the short but interminable running time.

Great art manifests best when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What happens when there is no center? When the whole is a hole? Several times, the lead actor complains, “I don’t understand the play.” The director’s response: “But just keep doing it.” Well, perhaps not.

Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.

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