ISSUE #58
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN & SPENCER EVERHART]
Hello and welcome back to an all-new installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY!
TONIGHT at 8:00pm, we’re hosting a screening of Hype Williams’ BELLY — the rarely-shown 1998 hip-hop neo-noir starring Nas and DMX!
Arrive early for our Hype Williams music video pre-show and stay after for our post-screening panel discussion!
And TOMORROW NIGHT, starting at 6:00pm, we’re thrilled to host another PITCH NIGHT. While all spots to pitch have been reserved, we would still love to have you in the audience so you can see what exciting projects are going to be coming out of Grand Rapids in the very near future.
With both of those events, we bring our May programming to a close. It was an exciting month full of exciting films, and we hope to do it all again next month! Check out this preview of what we have planned for you...
JUNE 2024 PREVIEW
JUNE 3rd: HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (GRAND RAPIDS PREMIERE!)
A drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
Chances are you’ve heard the buzz about this one. Don’t miss your chance to see this new release on the big screen!
JUNE 9th: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE [2004] (COSTUME PARTY!)
In this adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel, Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. As the eldest, she faces mounting pressure from her parents to marry. When the outspoken Elizabeth is introduced to the handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen), sparks fly. Although there is obvious chemistry between the two, Darcy's overly reserved nature threatens the fledgling relationship.
We have so much fun in store for you at this Sunday matinee.
The fun will start early, thanks to our friends and collaborators on this event at Books & Mortar and Hyssop Floral. To pay homage to the book that inspired the film, Books & Mortar will be set up with Jane Austen books for sale. Hyssop Floral will be set up with blooms from their garden to pin in your hair for the occasion along with a few curated offerings like taper candles and posy bouquets for sale.
The event is also a costume party inspired by the Regency Period. We’re talking flowy shirts, vests, fitted bodices, regency dresses, bonnets, gloves, etc. Dressing up is not required but strongly encouraged...for the fun of it!
Prepare to swoon over Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet on the big screen while reveling in the timeless charm and wit of Jane Austen’s beloved tale!
Oh, and check out our special Pinterest board for costume inspo!
JUNE 17th: SHE IS CONANN (MICHIGAN PREMIERE!)
Hellhound Rainer roams the abyss, following Conann in each phase of her life, from childhood as a slave to Sanja through to her accession as queen.
Distributed by Altered Innocence, the same folks who brought you The People’s Joker, this new release is sure to be a truly unique and thrilling take on an iconic character.
THE SUMMER OF SEQUELS IS UPON US...
Oh yes. We’ve got big plans for this summer. Tune back in to ISSUE #60 for a special preview of this new series from GRFS, beginning JUNE 24th.
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Tickets for ALL events (and more!) available NOW on our website.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
LET IT BE ARRIVES ON STREAMING
[BY: RYAN COPPING]
Let It Be is a movie? It’s an album that you’ve probably heard a zillion times, and if you haven’t, you at least know the title song. That record was originally intended as the soundtrack to the documentary film (though whether the album is actually a soundtrack or the movie is actually a documentary is complicated). Like almost everything involving The Beatles, the album has ingrained its way into the background of popular culture, a reference text that is almost Homeric in its influence. Clips from the film, notably from the Rooftop Concert, have been used in countless Beatle documentaries and news pieces, and Peter Jackson assembled his recent TV documentary Get Back (2021) mostly from this picture’s unused outtakes, but Let It Be has been almost unseen since its release in 1970 aside from bootlegs until a restored print was relatively unceremonially released on Disney+ a few weeks ago.
So why has something with The Beatles been suppressed to the point that many casual fans may not even be aware of its existence? It’s known that that Paul McCartney has strongly disliked the Let It Be project, believing that some of the songs on the album were ruined by producer Phil Spector long after they had been recorded (accurate). Many have also argued that he comes off as the antagonist of the film (it’s complicated). Although Beatles fans — myself included — have certainly wanted to see Let It Be for years, there has not been much of a campaign for its release, possibly because those who saw it in 1970 didn’t like what they had seen.
I didn’t like a lot of what I saw either, which is not to say the movie is bad. I feel like director Michael Lindsay-Hogg must have got one of the most unlucky breaks in movie history: a commission to make a nonfiction film about The Beatles only to record them argue, look bored, and come to the brink of breaking up...which they ultimately did a year later.
Ironically, the film may have prolonged the group’s existence. After recording the masterpiece The White Album (1968), The Beatles focused on completing a three film deal they had made with United Artists, which had already resulted in A Hard Day’s Night (1964) and Help! (1965), both fiction films directed by Richard Lester. After convoluted negotiations among the group that have been recorded in excruciating detail by Beatle historians, it was decided that they would perform a concert, something they had not done since Candlestick Park in 1966, and commissioned Lindsay-Hogg to document both the performance and its preparation. Watching the movie, one gets the sense that if they were not legally required to make the film they might have just gone on an extended hiatus and never come back.
The first third of Lindsay-Hogg’s movie is almost shocking in its ennui. The group meets on a constructed set at Twickenham Studios where George, John, and — to a lesser extent — Ringo alternate between sourness, detachment, and complete disinterest. Paul, on the other hand, comes off like the guy who is throwing a bad party and is awkwardly and desperately trying to convince everyone to have a good time. As things get worse, he tries harder and harder, barely concealing his own frustration while trying to provide some forward momentum. He’s met with passive-aggressive arguments and looks of depression and boredom from everyone. It’s just sad to watch, though more for the general situation as opposed to Paul’s behavior (he’s not an abusive asshole like Bob Dylan in D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 tour documentary Don’t Look Back, for example). The group is surrounded by girlfriends, technicians, and various others who also look like they are waiting to go home...and think of how bad things must be to not want to attend a Beatles recording session! Aimless for direction, the group often breaks into jams or oldies covers, which, while not quite as bad as some have made them out to be, are still among the worst music they made.
Things get a little better when the group reconvenes at Apple Studios and are joined by Billy Preston, but it’s still awkward. When the movie really takes off it’s near the end, with two staged studio performances of “Two of Us” and “Let It Be” followed by The Rooftop Concert, where the Beatles and Preston — suddenly and without announcement — regale Mayfair in the middle of the day with what was to be their final public performance. They pleasantly surprise office workers and passers-by (Lindsay-Hogg wisely had cameras set up to document their reactions), eventually getting shut down by the police. This is a joy to watch and evidences the Beatles magic, where they effortlessly perform the hat trick of being consummate professionals, really cool, very nice, and anti-Establishment, all at the same time.
It’s hard to evaluate Let It Be as a movie. Since it was intended as a promotional film to make the Beatles look good, Lindsay-Hogg leaves out a lot of drama that has been well-documented elsewhere, most notably George’s departure from the group and later return. This means the movie isn’t really the critical ‘rockumentary’ that, for example, the Maysles brothers and Charlotte Zwerin’s Gimmie Shelter (1970) is for The Rolling Stones. For this reason, the film is a failure at documenting the historical moment, though the censorship must be blamed on the band itself as opposed to the director. It is a resounding success in showing The Beatles in planned, rehearsed performances, something that plays to their strengths — they were too professional to allow their internal strife to spill over into a gig. Had the Rooftop Concert not been shut down by law enforcement (what were they thinking?), perhaps it would have been wise to have it be the subject of entire film. As it is, the movie can’t be anything other than a disappointment, because what we see is disappointing; who wants to watch four friends go through a divorce? Then again, the final third of the film is central to the Beatles legacy — proof that they created things that were magical and special, though the rest reminds us that their ability and desire to make such things together was temporary and didn’t last forever.
Despite its limitations and flaws, I’m glad Let It Be is back in circulation.
PARTNER PICKS WITH GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY
[FEAT. LAUREN PATCHETT]
Inspired by series like Criterion’s Closet Picks and Letterboxd’s Four Favorites, GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY and our friends at the GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC LIBRARY have teamed up to bring you all PARTNER PICKS: an ongoing series of brief videos featuring a member of the GRFS Board as they browse the vast and varied selection of films (and television!) available to check out at our local library.
In this latest installment, check out what our own Lauren Patchett pulled off the shelves...
If you’re interested in reading more about Lauren’s full list of recommendations, check out GRPL’s curated list. You can access these films — and thousands more — on shelves or online with your GRPL library card.
A very special thanks to GRPL’s HAILEY JANSSON for arranging, shooting, editing, and sharing this super fun series.
Stay tuned for another installment of Partner Picks very soon!
UPCOMING EVENTS
BELLY (Williams, 1998)
WHAT: Ever since they were kids, Sincere (Nas) and Buns (DMX) have lived life close to the edge, doing whatever it takes to survive. Featuring a Hype Williams music video pre-show and panel discussion!
WHEN: TONIGHT! Monday, May 20th, 8:00pm
WHERE: Wealthy Theatre
WHAT: An extension of our FILM SOCIETY ROUNDTABLE social events —Up to 10 local filmmakers will have the opportunity to pitch their concepts to an audience of potential collaborators and supporters.
WHEN: TOMORROW! Tuesday, May 21st, 6:00pm (Doors: 5:30pm — arrive early to mingle!)
WHERE: Koning Micro-Cinema @ Wealthy Theatre
[FREE EVENT, JOIN THE AUDIENCE!]
HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (Cheslik, 2024)
WHAT: GRAND RAPIDS PREMIERE! A drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become North America's greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
WHEN: Monday, June 3rd, 8:00pm
WHERE: Wealthy Theatre
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (Wright, 2004)
WHAT: In this adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel, the outspoken Elizabeth Bennet is introduced to the handsome and upper-class Mr. Darcy. Although there is obvious chemistry between the two, Darcy's overly reserved nature threatens the fledgling relationship. In partnership with Books & Mortar and Hyssop Floral. *COSTUMES ENCOURAGED*
WHEN: Sunday, June 9th, 2:00pm
WHERE: Wealthy Theatre
SHE IS CONANN (Mandico, 2024)
WHAT: MICHIGAN PREMIERE! Hellhound Rainer roams the abyss, following Conann in each phase of her life, from childhood as a slave to Sanja through to her accession as queen.
WHEN: Monday, June 17th, 8:00pm
WHERE: 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 MONDAY (usually), and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
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Look for ISSUE #59 in your inbox NEXT WEEK!
Until then, friends...
