I still haven't seen ""The King's Speech."" I was supposed to save a spot in line for myself and my roommates when the film was shown at the Play Circle a few weeks ago. But I got distracted sitting with friends in the Rathskellar, and by the time I arrived upstairs, the line stretched down the hallway. Whoops. While my roommates were mildly annoyed, I told them not to worry: There is a huge variety of films and people associated with films coming through Madison. So here you go roomies, a short summary of some film opportunities here on campus.
Josh Fox, director of the Oscar- nominated documentary ""Gasland,"" is coming to Varsity Hall at Union South, Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. This young, well-spoken director is planning to give a lecture with a reception to follow at this free event.
The film details hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the process that uses extreme pressure and chemical agents to remove natural gas from the earth. As ""Gasland"" details, chemicals as well as the natural gas are appearing in people's water supplies, so much that some people can light their tap water on fire. As Fox will discuss in his lecture, this is creating unsafe drinking water and heath risks. There will be an opportunity for a question and answer session following.
Dianne Reeves, winner of a Grammy Award for her soundtrack for the 2005 film ""Good Night and Good Luck,"" is performing at the Wisconsin Union Theater Friday, April 8 at 8 p.m. Student tickets are $10. Reeves' smoky jazz vocals create much of the impassioned atmosphere of this black and white film. The soundtrack is stunning; Reeves' voice soars and surprises while maintaining a tone that sounds as comfortable as a warm blanket. This soundtrack features a few original jazz songs as well as many jazz standards, but Reeves' other work crosses easily into blues, R&B and pop. Her strong stage presence and charisma make her live performances a real treat.
This past weekend venues around campus screened over 200 films as part of the largest campus-based film festival in the nation, the Wisconsin Film Festival. The film festival is truly a one-of-a-kind experience: How often do you have the opportunity to see a thought-provoking, unique film in a full theater where the audience applauds at the end? The wide variety of films screened and times and locations offered means that anyone can find a film that works for them. This year's festival has just finished, but make sure to mark next year's on your calendar.
This weekend, we say goodbye to the Play Circle as the free movie venue on campus. Films will now be shown in the Marquee at Union South. The final film at the Play Circle, ""Young Frankenstein,"" is the most shown film at the Play Circle. The film will be screened on a newly struck 35mm print on Saturday, April 9 at 11:59 p.m. Free cake and punch will be served to commemorate the Play Circle as a film venue. Don't worry roomies, I'll get there early for this one.
Do you feel none of these attractions are an adequate substitute for a regally dressed Colin Firth? Maybe not even a commonly dressed Geoffrey Rush? E-mail Elana with your concerns at siegel.elana@gmail.com.
