ISSUE #70
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.
Thanks to all who joined us in celebrating a GRFS family birthday at our Girlfriends screening, AND to everyone who packed the house for that incredible screening of Joel Potrykus’ Vulcanizadora this past weekend!
TOMORROW NIGHT (9/24), at 6:00pm, we are excited to invite the community out for another FILM SOCIETY PITCH NIGHT, our free social event where local filmmakers will present what they’re working on (or hope to work on) to an audience. Come on out to support the GR independent filmmaking community!
And NEXT MONDAY (9/30), join us for a special screening of Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE. We’re also using this event as a SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE for Campus Elementary.
Learn more about the supplies drive and why we love this film below!
RUSHMORE AND THE COST OF TEACHING
[BY: LAUREN PATCHETT & KIRSTEN FEDOROWICZ]
Wes Anderson’s 1998 movie Rushmore is a fan favorite with the planning body of GRFS. Autumn is nearing, kids are back in school…so, what better time than now to screen this gem? To give back to the community, and look to the future, we wanted to add something special to this screening to benefit one of our local schools.
The school closest to our main venue, Wealthy Theatre, is local Campus Elementary. Part of Grand Rapids Public Schools, Campus “provides scholars and families with a family-oriented environment that is nurturing and safe” for pre-k through 5th grade students. “Campus strives to provide a culture of learning where scholars feel welcomed and supported with the best opportunities to succeed academically and in life,” says Principal Yamaka Bracey.
While in the film, Max works to create a school aquarium, we thought we could use the same amount of fiery effort to give back to the students close to home.
GRFS worked with Kirsten Fedorowicz, a Grand Rapids local who works for national education nonprofit AdoptAClassroom.org, to tackle this issue in our community. Here’s what she had to say: For low-income families in our community who are concerned about food and rent, school supplies are often the last thing on their list. So, for kids to have what they need to learn, their teachers step up, spending an average of $860 out-of-pocket on school supplies.
In the three years that I’ve worked at AdoptAClassroom.org, I’ve been able to talk to a lot of teachers, both here in Grand Rapids and nationwide. Their passion for making sure their students feel respected, cared for, and have what they need to learn is inspiring. It’s also not okay how much they need to spend to support their students, especially on what is infamously a pretty meager salary.
I’m extremely proud and grateful that the Grand Rapids Film Society and Wealthy Street Theatre are stepping up to tackle this problem.
On September 30, during the screening of Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, GRFS is gathering supplies and monetary donations for Campus Elementary, a high-needs school close to the theatre. All donations will be directed through AdoptAClassroom.org to third-grade teacher Emily Hanna, who is looking to raise $300 for art supplies.
Folks who donate will enter into a giveaway for the chance to win aRushmoreCriterion collection DVD and other Rushmore-related items at the end of the showing. The more you donate, the more chances you have to win.
IN APPRECIATION OF THE RUSHMORE SOUNDTRACK
[BY: DAVID BLAKESLEE]
Since I first discovered and began closely following the films of Wes Anderson back in the early 2000s, one of the first details my eye has gravitated to whenever a new title was released has been a survey of the musical soundtrack. Though most of the attention and critical discourse surrounding Anderson’s filmography has focused on his signature visual style and recruitment of impressive ensemble casts, it’s fair to say that his aptitude for blending a mix of original instrumental compositions with perfectly curated needle drops from decades past has become an established touch of distinction that many of his fans eagerly look forward to.
The Rushmore soundtrack, from his second feature-length film released in 1998, offers an ideal introduction to anyone who hasn’t yet picked up on this aspect of Anderson’s work. In it he continues his collaboration (begun in Bottle Rocket, his debut from 1996) with Mark Mothersbaugh, most famous for his work with DEVO but whose accomplishments as a movie and TV composer must be considered among the most distinctive of his era. Mothersbaugh’s instrumental pieces establish the atmosphere that Max Fischer and his companions move within, while Anderson’s hand-picked selections of mostly deep cuts from the mid-1960s British Invasion provide amusing, ironic commentary on key moments in the narrative.
A key highlight of the latter is The Creation’s “Making Time,” the opening bars of which are brilliantly utilized to accompany the introduction of the film’s protagonist, a precociously ambitious and self-absorbed high-school student whose extra-curricular interests make him an object of fascination to viewers and the source of vexing interpersonal conflicts for characters in the film. While the song eventually came to be regarded as an influential pop-psychedelia classic for its innovative use of a violin bow on electric guitar, on first release it barely made the UK Top 40, and the band itself was pretty short-lived. In commercial terms, this was not an obvious choice to use in establishing the personality traits of his lead character, but Anderson’s taste and instincts served him well and probably had an influence in positioning “Making Time” as the opening track on the Nuggets Volume II box set, a collection of mostly obscure “original artyfacts” from the latter half of the 1960s that was released as a four-CD compilation by Rhino Records in 2001.
A few other examples of Anderson’s genius for plucking gems from the back of the crate involve his use of tunes from legendary British acts like The Who, The Kinks, John Lennon, and Cat Stevens. Each of those performers have highly acclaimed anthems and radio hits that would have been more easily recognizable to viewers than those he chose to use in Rushmore. But rather than just going for a gratuitous reaction of instant familiarity, tracks like “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ About That Girl,” “Oh Yoko,” and “The Wind” serve as evidence that Wes Anderson gave prolonged and thoughtful consideration in ensuring the exact right fit between the sounds and images he connected, much to the audience’s delight (and let’s admit it, asking for rights to lesser-known tracks probably kept the licensing budget a lot more manageable, especially at this early stage of his career when he was just beginning to establish his artistic reputation and box-office viability).
Anyway, my purpose here isn’t so much to give a full review of the soundtrack but more to just bring this facet of Anderson’s talent to the attention of readers prior to attending our GRFS screening on Monday, September 30. For me, this is the only feature of his that I haven’t yet seen in a theatrical setting, and I’ll be happy to check it off my list. I’m just as eagerly looking forward to hearing the music pumped out through Wealthy Theatre’s dynamic sound system, comfortably settled in with an appreciative, engaged, and entertained audience. Come be part of the fun, and don’t forget to bring your school supplies!
UPCOMING EVENTS
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, September 24th, 6:00pm (Doors: 5:30pm — arrive early to mingle!)
WHERE: Koning Micro-Cinema @ Wealthy Theatre
RUSHMORE (Anderson, 1998)
WHAT: A screening of Wes Anderson’s prep school romantic comedy, AND a school supplies drive! All supplies are donated to Campus Elementary. Plus, folks who attend and donate supplies will receive $1 off popcorn!
WHEN: Monday, September 30th, 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 week, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
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Look for ISSUE #71 in your inbox NEXT WEEK!
Until then, friends...
Love the commentary on the soundtrack. One of my favorite parts of this particular film!