ISSUE #28
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN]
Hello and welcome back to an all-new installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY!
Last week, we teased an all-new version of our FILM SOCIETY ROUNDTABLE social event that would be focused on bringing our screenwriting and filmmaking groups together to help attendees find projects they may like to work on, or people they’d like to work with. We’ve taken to calling this event FILM SOCIETY PITCH NIGHT, which will find screenwriters “pitching” their scripts to an audience of filmmakers. Check out all the details from our official event description:
This event is an opportunity for filmmakers to pitch their scripts/concepts to a group of their peers in order to get feedback and begin forming crews to bring their stories to life. A projector and screen will be provided by Wealthy Theatre for each presentation but is not required in order to present. Please note that there are only 20 available spots.
Each individual will be given 5 minutes to pitch their idea to the group. This group will consist of all filmmakers or other pitchers who wish to attend that evening in order to pitch and/or get on board with another filmmaker's idea. We will also have a panel of 4 Film Society Members with varied backgrounds in attendance, each of the 4 will ask one question to the individual pitching in order to help understand the concept, and feasibility or help them get clarity.
Once pitches have concluded, we will have sign-ups for each idea pitched, where you can write down your name and contact information to get in touch with one another.
We’ll be hosting this first FILM SOCIETY PITCH NIGHT in just a couple weeks on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19th. Spots are limited, so be sure to RSVP! Have questions? Feel free to send them our way either over on our social media or email us at grandrapidsfilmsociety@gmail.com.
Before any of that, we are welcoming October with TWO events this week! First, we’re screening POSSESSION on WEDNESDAY NIGHT (10/4).
Then, we’re teaming up with our friends at B-MOVIE EUPHORIA and STATIC TAPE to bring you a special VHS screening of EVIL DEAD 2 on FRIDAY NIGHT (10/6). Plus, before the movie, check out our special TAPE SWAP event in the lobby of Wealthy Theatre. Enthusiasts of physical and dead media, collectors, or even general horror fans will NOT want to miss this one!
Let’s kick things off this week with an official preview of our POSSESSION screening...
THE POSSESSION FOREWORD
[BY: MATT EVERITT]
I’m an obnoxiously strict adherent to the sanctity of movie theaters, financially supporting the films I love, and creating a very controlled environment for watching movies at home. Which is why I have to (and hate to) confess that I first saw Possession as a compressed-to-shit file...illegally obtained...viewed on my laptop (I leave my future as a GRFS board member in the hands of my peers).
It was January 2020 (LOL), and I was touring with a band from city to city doing photo and video for their social media. We had a dreary and cold day off in St. Louis which meant I could actually do something with my time that didn’t involve feeding the content machine.
I had see some rave reviews about the new restoration of Possession, and the memes made my FOMO flare up. So I *found* a copy online and fired it up on my computer; the very laptop that had Dorito stains on the screen (rule #129 of being on the road: if it’s after 2am, all food is health food). I had shitty headphones (rule #1902: leave the good stuff at home), and I was alone (rule #1: if you find alone time, CHERISH IT).
Even though the viewing circumstances were more ‘In Mom’s Van Going to Disney in 2004’ than ‘Respectable Film Gets Meticulous Restoration With Calibrated Screen and Pristine Sound,’ Isabelle Adjani’s performance is unlike anything I had ever seen. It makes me wish I was a better writer so I could translate my feelings of “WAIT YOU CAN DO THAT? ACTORS CAN DO THAT? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?” into more respectable language.
For real, her performance is one of the miracles of cinema. Yet, there wasn’t anyone to share that feeling with. I was in awe by myself. For me, that feeling is a wet blanket – or, more fittingly, a tentacle creeping up my leg from my ex who was going through some stuff.
There is some basic irrefutable math about being human: entertainment + other people = joy. Very few experiences compare to the first time I saw Interstellar in IMAX with some friends, and we stood in the lobby for almost 30 minutes just geeking out. Or seeing It: Chapter One in a sold-out theater and being so scared that my leg muscles spasmed, and I inadvertently just stood up during a jump scare, spilling my popcorn everywhere. Or when I saw The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent absolutely drunk with my friends and laughed more than I have at any movie in my life. Is Oppenheimer the best movie of the decade? Only time will tell, but seeing it on 70mm IMAX in a sold-out theater really made it feel like it is.
And those are all normal movies. Possession is not a normal movie.
So, have I seen Possession? Sure, I logged it on Letterboxd. But have I seen Possession? Not yet. The lobby conversation afterward is going to be one for the ages. Hope to see you all there.
POLL: IS EVIL DEAD 2 A SEQUEL OR REMAKE?
Ahead of our screening this week, we thought we would pose the question that has lurked behind Sam Raimi’s follow up to The Evil Dead since it’s release in 1987…
Check back NEXT WEEK in ISSUE #29 for the definitive, unquestionable answer!
Until then, check out what some of these other notable filmmakers have had to say about Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise over the years:
And this particularly great video essay on Raimi’s unique approach to horror from one of our favorite film connoisseurs, Patrick H. Willems:
ECHOES
[BY: SPENCER EVERHART]
Echoes is an exclusively-visual column based on the MUBI Notebook series of the same name – a fun way to find the repetitions, reverberations, and recapitulations in images throughout cinema history.
The Lords Of Salem (Rob Zombie, 2012)
Six Figures Getting Sick (David Lynch, 1966)
UPCOMING EVENTS
POSSESSION (Żuławski, 1981)
WHAT: After Anna reveals to her husband, Mark, that she is having an affair, she leaves him and their son. Anna descends into madness, and it's soon clear that she is hiding a much bigger secret -- one that is both inexplicable and shocking.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 4th, 8:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
EVIL DEAD II on VHS (Raimi, 1987) & TAPE SWAP
WHAT: Grand Rapids Film Society, B-Movie Euphoria, & Static Tape have combined forces to bring you an epic tape swap and screening of Evil Dead II on VHS!
WHEN: Friday, October 6th, 6:00pm (8:00pm film start)
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
FRIDAY THE 13th PART III in 3D (Miner, 1982)
WHAT: Celebrate a spooky Friday the 13th with us as we present: Friday the 13th: Part III in 3D on the big screen! (3D glasses provided with ticket purchase)
WHEN: Friday, October 13th, 8:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
And so we’ve arrived at the end of another BEAM FROM THE BOOTH! We appreciate you taking the time to read it and truly hope you’ll continue to do so. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to get each issue in your inbox every SUNDAY, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
Plus, join us on social media! We’d love to chat with everyone and hear YOUR OWN thoughts on everything above (you can also hop in the comments section below).
Know someone you think will dig BEAM FROM THE BOOTH? Send them our way!
Look for ISSUE #29 in your inbox NEXT SUNDAY, 10/08!
Until then, friends...
