Spring 2003 - Friday Film Festival "Five Contemporary Actresses" Films featuring: 1) Frances McDormand; 2) Kathy Bates; 3) Emily Watson; 4) Joan Allen; and 5) Gwyneth Paltrow

This series is being brought to you by the CUNY Ph.D. Program in Mathematics

All screenings will be held in the Film Screening Room on the "C" level (Rm. C419) of the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, NYC. There are 15 films in this series.  Each film will be shown on a Friday evening at 6pm, January 31st through May 16th (with the exception of Friday, March 28th, which is during the spring recess).  Doors open at 5:30pm.  Early arrival is suggested as seating is limited.  The running time of each film is indicated in the table below following the year in which the film was released. Click on each title for additional information within this website. Clicking on titles that are listed after the table will take you to further information on that particular film at IMDB [the Internet Movie Database], the web's premiere movie site.  Some of you may prefer, however, to wait until after you have seen the film to read about the plot and analyze the reviews.         The films to be shown this spring are as follows: [The upcoming film in the series is indicated by the moving red arrow.]

#	Screening Date [Starting Time: 6pm]	Film Title	Year	Running Time
1	Friday, Jan. 31st	Fargo	1996	1 hr. 38 min.
2	Friday, Feb. 7th	Wonder Boys	2000	1 hr. 51 min.
3	Friday, Feb. 14th	The Man Who Wasn't There	2001	1 hr. 56 min.
4	Friday, Feb. 21st	Misery	1990	1 hr. 47 min.
5	Friday, Feb. 28th	Dolores Claiborne	1995	2 hr. 12 min.
6	Friday, March 7th	Primary Colors	1998	2 hr. 23 min.
7	Friday, March 14th	Breaking the Waves	1996	2 hr. 33 min.
8	Friday, March 21st	Angela's Ashes	1999	2 hr. 25 min.
9	Friday, March 28th	The Luzhin Defence	2000	1 hr. 52 min.
10	Friday, April 4th	Searching For Bobby Fischer	1993	1 hr. 50 min.
11	Friday, April 11th	Pleasantville	1998	2 hr. 4 min.
--	Friday, April 18th	[No Film: Spring Recess]	- - - -	- - - - - - - -
12	Friday, April 25th	The Contender	2000	2 hr. 6 min.
13	Friday, May 2nd	Hard Eight	1996	1 hr. 42 min.
14	Friday, May 9th	The Talented     Mr. Ripley	1999	2 hr. 19 min.
15	Friday, May 16th	Possession	2002	1 hr. 42 min.

Note: The films in this series will be projected from DVD. Seating is limited; first-come, first-served.          Admission is free.  Munchies will be available! [Click on image for larger view.]    Note: This site looks best when viewed using the "Internet Explorer" browser.

——— The Spring 2003 Film Series ———

1) Fargo (‘96) Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen.   Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare, Kristin Rudrüd, & Tony Denman Genre: drama / crime thriller The sheriff of a small town in chilly Minnesota works to solve a case involving kidnaping and murder.  [Frances McDormand won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as the pregnant sheriff.]

2) Wonder Boys ('00) Directed by Curtis Hanson Starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Richard Knox, Jane Adams, Michael Cavadias, and Richard Thomas Genre: drama / screwball comedy Set on a college campus in Pittsburgh, a burnt-out English professor with writer's block must deal with his marital problems, a student who idolizes him, and the arrival of his editor who demands the novel that he has been working on for seven years.

3) The Man Who Wasn't There ('01) Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz, Jon Polito, Scarlett Johansson, Richard Jenkins, and Tony Shalhoub Genre: crime drama / film noir Set in a small town in California in 1949, a barber becomes entangled in blackmail and murder.

4) Misery ('90) Directed by Rob Reiner Starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagen, Lauren Bacall, Graham Jarvis, and Jerry Potter Genre: drama / horror / thriller A famous novelist, surviving a car crash on a snowy New England road, is "rescued" by a woman who claims to be his "number one fan." Based on a novel by Stephen King.  [Kathy Bates won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as the unstable fan.]

5) Dolores Claiborne ('95) Directed by Taylor Hackford Starring Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judy Parfitt, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Eric Bogosian, and John C. Reilly Genre: drama / thriller To get at the truth, a New York reporter travels to a small town in Maine where her mother, working as a maid, has been arrested for the murder of the elderly woman in her care.  Based on a novel by Stephen King.

6)  Primary Colors ('98) Directed by Mike Nichols Starring John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Adrian Lester, Maura Tierney, Larry Hagman, and Diane Ladd Genre: comedy-drama / satire Satire about a Bill Clinton-esque politician who is running for president, as seen through the eyes of a young campaign volunteer.

7) Breaking the Waves ('96) Directed by Lars von Trier Starring Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Adrian Rawlins, Jonathan Hackett, and Sandra Voe Genre: drama / romance Set in the 1970s in a remote Scottish village, Bess, a simple but devout young woman, marries a Danish worker from a nearby oil rig.  After her husband suffers a serious accident, Bess makes unusual sacrifices that she has faith will help him recover.  [Emily Watson's powerful and startling performance in this, her cinematic debut, earned her a nomination for the Best Actress Academy Award.]

8) Angela's Ashes (‘99) Directed by Alan Parker Starring Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, Michael Legge, Ronnie Masterson, Pauline McLynn, Liam Carney, and Eanna MacLiam Genre: drama Based on the best-selling autobiography by Irish expatriate Frank McCourt, the films chronicles the experiences of young Frankie and his family as they try against all odds to escape the poverty of their slum in pre-WWII Limerick.

9) The Luzhin Defence (‘00) Directed by Marleen Gorris Starring John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James, Stuart Wilson, Christopher Thompson, Fabio Sartor, Peter Blythe, and Orla Brady Genre: drama / romance Set in Italy in the late 1920s, the film tells the story of an unworldly chess genius who, while preparing for a championship match, meets a strong-willed society woman and finds the love of his life.

10) Searching for Bobby Fischer ('93) Directed by Steven Zaillian Starring Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Joan Allen, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Nirenberg Genre: drama A prepubescent NYC chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.  His parents hire a chess tutor for him and encourage his talent, but also desire that he become a well-rounded individual.

11)  Pleasantville ('98)   Directed by Gary Ross Starring William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Natalie Ramsey, Kevin Connors, Jeff Daniels, and Tobey Maguire Genre: drama / comedy / fantasy Fantasy parable about two teenagers from the 1990s - - a brother and sister - - who are sucked into their TV set one night and find themselves trapped back in the 1950s in a "Leave it to Beaver"-type world, complete with loving parents, old-fashioned values, and an huge amount of innocence and naïveté.

12) The Contender ('00) Directed by Rod Lurie Starring Gary Oldman, Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, Sam Elliott, William L. Petersen, Saul Rubinek, Philip Baker Hall, Mike Binder, Robin Thomas, and Mariel Hemingway Genre: drama / political thriller A senator, nominated to become Vice President following the death of the incumbent, must face up to charges of sexual misconduct leveled against her by her political opponents.  [Her role as Senator Laine Hanson earned Joan Allen a nomination for the Best Actress Academy Award.]

13) Hard Eight ('96) [aka "Sidney"] Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson Starring Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Samuel L. Jackson Genre: drama / thriller Sydney, a professional gambler with a past, takes on a drifter, John, as his protege, teaching him the tricks of the trade in the casinos of Reno, Nevada.  All goes well until John falls for a cocktail waitress & occasional hooker named Clementine.

 

14)  The Talented Mr. Ripley  ('99) Directed by Anthony Minghella Starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jack Davenport, James Rebhorn, Sergio Rubini, and Philip Baker Hall Genre: drama / thriller Set in the 1950's, a washroom attendant named Tom, pretending to be a Princeton University graduate, is sent to Italy by a wealthy man to track down his son Dickie and convince him to return home.  Finding himself increasingly drawn to Dickie and his freewheeling lifestyle, Tom hits upon a plan to make Dickie's privileges his own.

 

15)  Possession  ('02) Directed by Neil LaBute Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Lena Headey, Holly Aird, Toby Stephens, Trevor Eve, and Tom Hickey Genre: romantic drama A pair of literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Victorian poets only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell.  The film tells parallel stories, one set in the 19th century and one taking place in contemporary England.

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