CWRU Film Society Fall 2006 Schedule

Schedule subject to change without notice. Movie information provided by the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.

Sunday, August 27, 2006 8:00pm
Casablanca (1942)
Rated NR (102 min.) Director: Michael Curtiz
With Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Sydney Greenstreet
Read more about it at IMDB

In another of the Film Society's infamous "traditions," every school year begins with a free screening of this classic film. Bogie, Bergman, Nazis, and romance abound in one of the best movies of all time. The Film Society hopes that "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Performance by IMPROVment at 7pm before the show.

Friday, September 1, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
V for Vendetta (2005)
Rated R (132 min.) Director: James McTeigue
With Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea
Co-sponsored by Model United Nations
Read more about it at IMDB

Set against the futuristic landscape of totalitarian Britain, V For Vendetta tells the story of a mild-mannered young woman named Evey who is rescued from a life-and-death situation by a masked vigilante known only as "V." Incomparably charismatic and ferociously skilled in the art of combat and deception, V ignites a revolution when he detonates two London landmarks and takes over the government-controlled airwaves, urging his fellow citizens to rise up against tyranny and oppression.

Saturday, September 2, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Back to the Future (1985)
Rated PG (111 min.) Director: Robert Zemeckis
With Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
Read more about it at IMDB

Marty McFly helps out his friend Doc Brown, and ends up being taken back in time by Doc's time-machine. Marty, a boy of the 80's, has to come to grips with being in the 50's and get his parents to fall in love to set straight the damage his presence has done to the events of the past.

Friday, September 8, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm, 11:00pm
Over the Hedge (2006)
Rated PG (83 min.) Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
With voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell
Read more about it at IMDB

Upon waking up after hibernation, a group of forest animals discover that a tall hedge has appeared out of nowhere, half their forest is gone, they have little to no food left. While Verne, a nervous turtle who acts as leader, suggests they simply adapt, RJ the raccoon shows up and gives them another option: go over the hedge and get food from the humans! The other forest animals quickly give into RJ, sneaking into the human world to get all the food they can grab. What they don't know is that RJ is actually in debt to a hungry bear, who has given him one week to replenish his food supply, or RJ takes its place!

Saturday, September 9, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Rated PG (115 min.) Director: Steven Spielberg
With Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, John Rhys-Davies
Read more about it at IMDB

Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones, is hired by the U.S. Government to find the Ark of the Covenant, which is believed to still hold the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, agents of Hitler are also after the Ark. Indy, along with his ex-flame Marion, escapes from various close scrapes in a quest that takes them from Nepal to Cairo as they compete with the Nazis - who have hired Indy's rival, Rene Belloq - to gain the awesome power of the Ark.

Friday, September 15, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
Oldboy (2003)
Rated R (120 min.) Director: Chan-wook Park
With Min-sik Choi, Ji-tae Yu, Hye-jeong Kang
Read more about it at IMDB

An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, he soon finds out not only does his kidnapper has still plans for him, but that those plans will serve as the even worse finale to 15 years of imprisonment.

Saturday, September 16, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Rated PG (93 min.) Director: Stanley Kubrick
With Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
Read more about it at IMDB

A US commander becomes insane but no one notices as he continues his duties faithfully. This is not surprising as all the echelons continue their work dutifully oblivious to the fact that their decisions are heading to nuclear catastrophe. General Ripper orders a nuclear bomber into Russia. By the time the Pentagon is negotiating with Russia, the plane has been attacked and its radio damaged so they can't recall it. Then they discover a chain of events that will mean doom. If Russia is attacked its doomsday device will automatically launch in retaliation.

Friday, September 22, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Rated PG (112 min.) Director: Doug Atchison
With Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett
Read more about it at IMDB

Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. She's smart, but her environment threatens to strangle her aspirations. Responding to a threat by her school's principal, Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences. Much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. Her principal asks her to seek coaching from an English professor named Dr. Larabee for the more prestigious regional bee.

Saturday, September 23, 2006 7:00pm, 10:00pm
Airplane! (1980)
Rated PG (88 min.) Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
With Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges
Read more about it at IMDB

In this classic spoof of airline disaster films, Ted Striker has just been dumped by his long-time girlfriend Elaine Dickinson, who works as a stewardess at Trans American Airlines. In his quest to get her back, he follows her aboard the plane, though he hasn't flown since he lost several men in the war. During flight, he tries to contact her again and again, but as the crew and many passengers get seriously ill due to a bad fish meal, he has no chance to get to her. In fact, he seems to be the only healthy person aboard that has piloting experience. Now, it is up to him to get the bird down in Chicago safely. Performance by IMPROVment at 9:00pm.

Friday, September 29, 2006 7:00pm, 10:00pm
Superman Returns (2006)
Rated PG-13 (154 min.) Director: Bryan Singer
With Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey
Read more about it at IMDB

Superman leaves Earth to try to find his former home world of Krypton after astronomers have supposedly found it. When he finds nothing but remnants, he returns home to Earth - to find out that Lois Lane is engaged to a relative of his boss, and that Lex Luthor is at it again. The psychopathic Luthor vows vengeance against the Man of Steel and contrives a new sinister plot - using the crystals of Krypton to build a continent that will wipe out most of North America! Embedded in the continent's structure is Kryptonite - the lethal substance that is Superman's only weakness.

Saturday, September 30, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm
L.A. Story (1991)
Rated PG-13 (95 min.) Director: Mick Jackson
With Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, Richard E. Grant
Read more about it at IMDB

This spin on the traditional romantic comedy stars Steve Martin as Harris K. Tellemacher, a Shakespeare-quoting, Los Angeles TV weatherman who is looking for something meaningful for his life. The Los Angeles Freeway sign informs him that the weather will change his life in two ways, and Harris begins to search for the meaning behind that message.

Sunday, October 1, 2006 7:00pm
Serenity (2005)
Rated PG-13 (119 min.) Director: Joss Whedon
With Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk
Co-sponsored by Cleveland Browncoats
Read more about it at IMDB

The crew of the Serenity is getting desperate. They have lain lower and lower to protect their doctor, Simon Tam, and his telepathic, traumatized little sister, River, from the Alliance. This has made getting jobs harder, and now they need a job, even a risky one. When they take River on a robbery during which Reavers attack, Simon decides that it's time to leave the crew of the Serenity for his and River's safety. This showing of Serenity is a special presentation as part of a day-long fundraiser - sponsored by the Cleveland Browncoats - to raise money for Equality Now.

Friday, October 6, 2006 7:00pm, 10:00pm
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Rated PG-13 (150 min.) Director: Gore Verbinski
With Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Read more about it at IMDB

Once again thrown into the world of the supernatural, Captain Jack Sparrow finds out that he owes a blood debt to the legendary Davey Jones, Captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. With time running out, Jack must find a way out of his debt or else be doomed to eternal damnation and servitude in the afterlife. And as if this weren't enough, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are arrested and sentenced to death unless Will can get Lord Beckett Jack's compass.

Saturday, October 7, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm
Above the Law (1988)
Rated R (99 min.) Director: Andrew Davis
With Steven Seagal, Pam Grier, Henry Silva
Co-sponsored by Case Aikido
Read more about it at IMDB

Nico learned martial arts in Japan, was in Vietnam with the CIA, and now is a cop in the vice squad of Chicago. A junkie tells him about a big drug deal however it turns out that the deal was about C4 explosives and that one of the parties was the CIA. Nico is ordered to keep out of it, but can't imagine why the CIA would sell C4, so he investigates further. While risking his and his young family's life, he discovers that the CIA tries to cover it's connections to drug dealers in Middle America and wouldn't even stop at murder.

Friday, October 13, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
Kinky Boots (2005)
Rated PG-13 (107 min.) Director: Julian Jarrold
With Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts
Co-sponsored by Spectrum
Read more about it at IMDB

When Charles Price's father died, he inherited the family shoe business only to find out that the business is on the brink of going under. After an ex-employee suggests he find a niche market to cater to, Charlie happens to run into Lola, a flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer. Lola's complaints about the inadequate footwear for drag queens give him the idea to develop heels which can support the weight of men. Charlie hires Lola as his designer and sets forth on a path that will either lead to the poor house or Milan.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm
The Sting (1973)
Rated PG (129 min.) Director: George Roy Hill
With Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
Read more about it at IMDB

In this follow-up to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Johnny Hooker is a young con-man who is being taught by Luther. One day they pull one of their con jobs and net themselves a huge roll. What they don't know is that the man they conned is the courier for a numbers runner. The boss, Doyle Lonigan, considers it an attack on him and orders all the people involved terminated. Hooker is shaken down by a crooked cop, Snyder, who threatens to turn him over to Lonigan unless he pays him off. Hooker pays him, he then tries to warn Luther but is too late.

Friday, Oct. 21 - Saturday, Oct. 22, 2006
No Movies Due to Fall Break

Friday, October 27, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Rated PG-13 (109 min.) Director: David Frankel
With Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci
Read more about it at IMDB

Miranda Priestley - Editor-in-Chief of Runway magazine - is a terror to everyone around her. Her first assistant strives to please her and tries to emulate her. Into this mix comes Andrea, who knows nothing of the fashion industry, has never read the magazine, and doesn't know who Miranda is; she only sees this as a resume-builder. Miranda nonetheless hires Andrea as her second assistant. With the help of a fashion editor, Andrea gets a makeover and a new security. However, with her new appearance and the demands placed on her, she starts to lose her friends, family and her live-in boyfriend.

Saturday, October 28, 2006 7:00pm, 12:00am
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Rated R (100 min.) Director: Jim Sharman
With Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry
Read more about it at IMDB

The Film Society decided to "Do the Time Warp again!" Come join the Film Society and the Rocky crowd in celebrating Halloween with this cult movie classic! Dress up, bring squirt guns, toast, rice, and the Plain Dealer! Dr. Frank N. Furter, Riff Raff, Janet (SLUT!), and the rest will all be there!! A live performance by the campus Rocky cast will accompany this show. Come early for the de-virginization exercises!

Friday, November 3, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Rated PG-13 (110 min.) Director: Adam McKay
With Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen
Read more about it at IMDB

NASCAR stock car racing sensation Ricky Bobby is a national hero because of his "win at all costs" approach. He and his loyal racing partner, childhood friend Cal Naughton Jr., are a fearless duo - called "Shake" and "Bake" by their fans for their ability to finish so many races in the #1 and #2 positions, with Cal always in second place. When flamboyant French Formula One driver Jean Girard challenges "Shake" and "Bake" for the supremacy of NASCAR, Ricky Bobby must face his own demons and fight Girard for the right to be known as racing's top driver.

Saturday, November 4, 2006 7:00pm, 10:00pm
True Lies (1994)
Rated R (144 min.) Director: James Cameron
With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold
Read more about it at IMDB

Harry Tasker leads a double life. At work he is a government agent with a license to do just about anything, while at home he pretends to be a dull computer salesman. He is on the trail of stolen nuclear weapons that are in the hands of fanatic terrorists when something more important comes up. Harry finds his wife is seeing another man because she needs some adventure in her life. Harry decides to give it to her, juggling pursuit of terrorists on one hand and an adventure for his wife on the other while showing he can Tango all at once.

Friday, November 10, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm, 12:00am
Cars (2006)
Rated G (116 min.) Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
With voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt
Co-sponsored by Greek Life
Read more about it at IMDB

Lightning McQueen is a cocky, rookie race car. Speeding on his way to a big race, he crashes into Radiator Springs, destroying lots of the inhabitants' belongings. In order to make up for what he did, the cocky roadster is sentenced to community service. Though he will do anything to get away from the work, McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the Radiator Springs inhabitants in order to get out of the town and back on the racetracks.

Saturday, November 11, 2006 7:00pm, 9:30pm
Secondhand Lions (2003)
Rated PG (111 min.) Director: Tim McCanlies
With Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment
Read more about it at IMDB

Thirteen year-old Walter has had a hard life, with his no-good floozy of a mother getting together with many equally despicable men. Before going on yet another husband-hunting trip, she drops him off at the house of his great-uncles Hub and Garth. They disappeared for quite a while in their youth, and are rumored to have acquired a great fortune, which Walter's mother hopes to get her hands on. Though reluctant to put up with him at first, Hub and Garth grow to accept Walter, and even tell him fantastic stories of what they were up to while they went missing.

Friday, November 17, 2006 7:00pm, 10:00pm
The Producers (2005)
Rated PG-13 (134 min.) Director: Susan Stroman
With Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman
Co-sponsored by Spartan Tappers
Read more about it at IMDB

New York, 1959. Max Bialystock was once the king of Broadway, but now all his shows close on opening night. Things turn around when he's visited by the neurotic accountant Leo Bloom, who proposes a scheme: raise far more money than needed, then make sure the show is despised. No one will be interested in it, so you can pocket the surplus. To this end, they produce a musical called Springtime for Hitler written by escaped Nazi Franz Liebken, get the insanely flamboyant Roger De Bris to direct, and hire as a lead actress the loopy Swedish bombshell Ulla. As opening night draws near, what can go right?

Saturday, November 18, 2006 7:00pm, 10:30pm
The Great Escape (1963)
Rated PG (172 min.) Director: John Sturges
With Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
Read more about it at IMDB

Based on a true story, The Great Escape deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries.

Friday, December 1, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm, 11:00pm
Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Rated R (92 min.) Director: Jason Reitman
With Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright
Read more about it at IMDB

Tobacco industry lobbyist Nick Naylor has a seemingly impossible task: promoting cigarette smoking in a time when the health hazards of the activity have become too plain to ignore. Nick, however, revels in his job, using argument and twisted logic to place, as often as not, his clients in the positions of either altruistic do-gooders or victims. When a beautiful news reporter betrays Nick's sexually-achieved trust, his world seems in danger of collapsing. But there's always one more coffin nail in Nick's pack.

Saturday, December 2, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Rated R (82 min.) Director: Rob Reiner
With Rob Reiner, Kimberly Stringer, Chazz Dominguez
Read more about it at IMDB

Marty DiBergi is a film-maker who decides to make a documentary, a rockumentary actually, about the world's loudest band, the British heavy metal group Spinal Tap. The movie is in fact a biting satire and spoof of the whole rock and roll scene that passes itself off as a real documentary of a real band. Hilarious behind-the-scenes footage is combined with faux-concert clips to breathe life into the imaginary group.

Friday, December 8, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm, 11:00pm
Clerks II (2006)
Rated R (97 min.) Director: Kevin Smith
With Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes
Read more about it at IMDB

A calamity at Dante and Randall's shops sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at Mooby's, a fictional Disney-McDonald's-style fast-food empire. Free from his dead-end job (and lodged in a new one), Dante begins to break free of his rut, planning to move away with his clingy fiancé. Dante is ready to leave the horrors of minimum-wage New Jersey behind, but Randal - always the more hostile of the two - starts to become overwhelmed by his own rancor.

Saturday, December 9, 2006 7:00pm, 9:00pm
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Rated PG (102 min.) Director: Dean Parisot
With Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman
Read more about it at IMDB

Eighteen years after their sci-fi adventure show "Galaxy Quest" was cancelled, actors Jason Nesmith, Gwen DeMarco, Alexander Dane, Tommy Webber, and Fred Kwan are making appearances at sci-fi conventions and store openings in costume and character. They're wallowing in despair and at each other's throats until aliens known as Thermians arrive and, having mistaken the show for fact and consequently modeling their entire culture around it, take them into space to save them from the genocidal General Sarris and his armada.