A&E
L awrence J ournal -W orld
Sunday, October 26, 2014
| 3C
A Halloween comedy tradition on the big screen
T
he ongoing Film Church series at Liberty Hall rolls on this month with three screenings today of Mel Brooks’ comedy classic “Young Frankenstein,� a movie that brings a personal Halloween tradition for Maggie Allen, cinema and video store manager, into the public, albeit five days early. No matter where she is or what’s going on that night, Allen watches “Young Frankenstein� on Halloween every year. “One year my former roommate and I had a Halloween party at our house. As the party dragged on into the wee hours of the morning, I realized if I wanted to get my viewing in, I was just going to have to put it on and watch it with a house full of revelers,� Allen says. “The movie wasn’t on for more than 15 minutes when I noticed that the entire party had gathered around to watch. It’s a powerful film.� 1974 was a banner year for Mel Brooks. He released “Young Frankenstein� 40 years ago in December, and it was hot on the heels of the unexpected success of “Blazing Saddles,� which was released that February. Audiences lined up around the block to watch he and Gene Wilder’s pitch-perfect parody of the beloved James Whaledirected Universal classics “Frankenstein� and “Bride of Frankenstein.� The movie is unusual in that Brooks didn’t write the original screenplay. Wilder came to the writer/director during the shooting of “Blazing Saddles� with a script he’d been working on, and before long, the two were working together on rewrites. The project
“Young Frankenstein�
SCENE STEALERS
ERIC MELIN
eric@scene-stealers.com moved from Columbia to 20th Century Fox because the new studio not only agreed to a higher budget but also Brooks’ demand that the film be shot in black and white. “I’m sure the film would still be funny in color, but it would lose that moody, romantic, classic, gothic charm that makes it so enduring,� Allen says. In addition to the evocative cinematography, the set pieces and props from Whale’s original films were found by Brooks and used in “Young Frankenstein� to give it an authen-
tic feel. Of course, Cloris Leachman’s creepy turn as the mysterious Frau BlĂźcher (horse whinny) sells the joke even further, at once recalling the foreboding characters of classic horror while being downright hilarious at the same time. The uninitiated may be surprised to find that “Young Frankensteinâ€? is also kid-friendly. If children don’t understand all the nods to the 1930s films, there are plenty of Brooksstyle gags and fourth-wallbreaking winks to the audience, notably from Marty Feldman’s Igor. It also contains what may be Wilder’s best performance. “Not only is [Wilder] funny, but he is romantic, sexy, tender, crazed, powerful and poetic,â€? Allen says. “Even when the story calls for a melodrama — as it would in staying true to the genre — he executes it with precision and control.â€? “Young Frankensteinâ€? is showing at 4 p.m. 7 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. today at Liberty Hall. It is 106 minutes and is rated PG for adult language, adult content and mild violence.
OGSEK DGCVEQVR 2, & ,/- &/ , 2'0$ $"# /' / &# ,'2& 0/'%'/"1 & 2, & %'," $ '-)"/ $ ', -0))',/"& / #& " " " "
film, the barflies and various unsavory characters Oliver meets through Vincent are all pretty sympathetic as well, but writer/director Theodore Melfi should be given credit for at least taking a couple of detours through some dark places before settling on the inevitable heartwarming moments that the story requires. These scenes fill in the blanks of Vincent’s character. Getting to know your local senior citizen better ends up being the point of the entire film, I 20th Century Fox/Contributed Photo suppose. From the moment that Brother Geraghty (Chris St. Vincent O’Dowd) starts teaching If there were a grumpy the kids at Oliver’s new old man who lived next Catholic school about door to every latch-key historical and modern-day kid in America, we’d have saints, it’s pretty obvious a lot more well-adjusted where “St. Vincentâ€? is children in the world. headed. Melfi struggles At least that’s what to wrap everything up Hollywood would have and hits some false notes you believe. “St. Vincentâ€? leading up to his title stars Bill Murray as a character’s crowning, but mean-spirited drunk who this formula is still hard to takes 12-year-old Oliver resist completely. (Jaeden Lieberher) under Even though the his wing for baby-sitter movie’s ending is about wages when his mother as pat as these kind of (Melissa McCarthy) is coming-of-age movies get, forced to work late-night you’d have to be a bigger hours at her new job. jerk than Vincent not to Vincent takes the boy feel, well ... something. to all kinds of unsavory Running time: 102 places — the racetrack, minutes. Rated PG-13 for the bar — and introduces mature thematic material him to a pregnant Russian including sexual content, stripper (Naomi Watts) alcohol and tobacco use, with a heart of gold. and for language. PlayVincent’s not a total ing at: Regal Southwind jerk, you see — he’s just Stadium 12 rough around the edges. Love is Strange After all, he’s played by Far more subtle at Murray, so even at his Liberty Hall is the termost cantankerous, he’s still charming. The effort- rific new film “Love is Strange,â€? featuring John less chemistry of Murray Lithgow and Alfred and Lieberher are the Molina as a New York main reason that, even at gay couple in a 39-year its most clichĂŠd, “St. Vinrelationship who have centâ€? mostly works. just gotten married. In fitting with the That joyous occasion, generous spirit of the
a low-key gathering with friends and family reflecting their continued love for the longtime companions, turns out to be a catalyst for some life-changing challenges. Co-writer and director Ira Sachs employs an interesting strategy, delivering everyday moments that play like vivid snapshots in time, and letting the audience fill in the blanks between. It allows him to paint a broader picture — without using flashbacks — of the couple’s history and life together. It also gives the film a very lived-in quality that dovetails nicely with the well-rounded performances of old pros Lithgow and Molina. “Love is Strange� has plenty of conflict, but it seems virtually free from the demands of traditional plot-heavy films. It carries the ring of truth at least partially because its subtext is everything, and its scenes are rarely about what they’re really about. The relationships between all of the supporting characters (including Marisa Tomei and Charlie Tahan) are sometimes prickly, even as great love and respect shine through. Sachs shows that great drama and powerful storytelling can exist in the most quiet moments, free from shouting and other kinds of histrionics. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated R for language (which is tremendously short-sighted, considering the positivity and family values that the film displays). Playing at: Liberty Hall. — Eric Melin is the editor-inchief of Scene-Stealers. He’s a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and vice president of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle.
lied.ku.edu
Sunday
NOV 2
Vienna Boys Choir The world’s most beloved choir
2:00 pm
% $ " " $ " 3 & "% '&" " & & $ ',&"& & 0$ & "$ - & , '0, -/ 1'$0&/ ,- & / 2, & ,/- &/ , ' , ' ", /',- ', $$ / ", $) "& % #"& / "- 1 &/ -0 -- % $ " "
Sponsored by
ocjh\n _* b\ggjr\t a\hdgt
Beatrice Rana
"/ / -0))',/ ' '0, & ,'0- '&',- & 0 -/- 2 & ' , & & " $ " ', $$ %"$" - "& '0, '%%0&"/3 & 3'& /' ) ,/" ") / "& 1"-0 $ & ) , ',%"& ,/-* - '))',/0&"/" - & & ) 3-" $ & %'/"'& $ $/ & ' &"/"1 1 $')% &/ & , 1 "$ $ /' $$ "$ , & , , $ -' "$"/3 /' ) 3* " $ "
Audience Award winner, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
,/- 0 /"'& /' %', / & (44 ), - ''$ "$ , & ,'% / ,/ "$ , &+- ,&"& &/ , & "//$ /"'&- / -# $$ & " & /"'&- &"1 ,-"/3 "& & " $ " /' "$ , & "& '0, ,/-! - ), - ''$ & 1"-0 $ ,/- 0 /"'& ', 0%% , '0/ / , 2 ' 2'0$ &'/ '/ ,2"- $ /' // &
Sunday
NOV 9
,/- 0 /"'& /' / 2 ',# ''$ '3- & ",$- $0 / / 2, & ,/- &/ , $ -- - , ' , /' &3 ) ,/" ") &/- "& " ,'/ ,- " "-/ ,- / 2, & '%%0&"/3 $/ , & %"$3 ,'%"-
2:00 pm
#$3 ,/- ),' , %%"& /' / &- / / 01 &"$ / &/"'& &/ , & / '0&/3 3 ''$ ,/- 0 /"'& /' "$ , & & / &- "& $# -# $$ & , &/ '0&/" -
Sponsored by
See Complete Season Online
Sponsored by
Dave & Gunda
HIEBERT
785-864-2787