’Tis the Season … The Force Awakens
With the holidays upon us, Hollywood is in full swing. As we put this issue to bed, the final installment of The Hunger Games, Mockingjay – Part 2 is trouncing the box office and the world is anxiously awaiting Star Wars – The Force Awakens. It’s also time for the movie studios to march out their Oscar bait in hopes of snagging award season gold. So, whether you are looking for family fare, action packed thrills or a more meaningful trip to your local cinema, you are in luck.
For mainstream titles this month we review the 24th James Bond film, Spectre and The Hungergames: Mockingjay Part 2. Both films are solid, crowd pleasing pieces of entertainment, but it’s the award season fodder that really played to our movie geek, film critic sensibilities. Spotlight may be the first ‘must see’ movie this year. It tells the story of the Boston Globe news team that exposed the massive cover up of sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese. It’s the best ensemble piece of the year and it’ll certainly be in the running for best picture.
Bryan Cranston will no doubt receive a Best Actor nod for his portrayal of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Trumbo is a fantastic piece of filmmaking whose story is unfortunately still eerily relevant today. Suffragette, a period piece that received mixed reviews from critics, gets a warm reception from the Good Professor Kaufmann. And last, but certainly not least, there is Brooklyn. This quietly charming little film is an almost perfect film. It is hands down one of the best movies of the year.
Films like Spectre and Mockingjay must be seen on the big screen. You may be tempted to wait to see Spotlight, Trumbo and Brooklyn until they are available on DVD, but we urge you to see these films on the big screen. They are worthy of your support and, particularly in the case of Brooklyn and Trumbo, which are both mid-century period pieces, they play beautifully on the big screen.
Inspired by Trumbo, the good Professor Kaufmann selected Dalton Trumbo’s only directional foray, Johnny Got His Gun, as his DVD pick for the month. I decided we needed to do something to mark the holiday season. With the recent passing of Maureen O’Hara it seemed fitting to select the 1947 classic Miracle on 34th Street.
The Hendersonville Film Society is taking the month off and will return with a full docket of features selected and hosted by Chip Kaufmann in January. The Asheville Film Society has an array of Tuesday night features – all tied the Holiday season in some way shape or form – two of which are delightful titles from British director Richard Curtis, Love Actually and About Time. AFS is also running its Thursday Horror Picture Show through December. See Tuesday and Thursday night listings on page 15.
We’ll return in January with our Top Ten lists and our votes for the ‘Best of 2015.’ Until then, enjoy the show and Happy Holidays!