ISSUE #8
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN]
Welcome to another installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY!
It has been an exciting week for us here at GRFS, as we’ve announced two more events that we will be hosting in April. Joining our TITANIC: AN EVENING AT SEA (4/14) event is a special matinee screening of a true classic, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (Kelly & Donen, 1952) on SUNDAY, APRIL 16th. It’ll be a weekend of great films shared with great people, and we hope you all can join us for both screenings.
But before either of those will be the first of many GRFS social events!
Introducing…
Do you want to get involved in the Grand Rapids Film community and get to know fellow cinephiles and filmmakers? Are you looking for a platform to share ideas, ask questions, get feedback, and meet new people? If you are, then this event is for you!
Here you will be meeting with other local film lovers and be given time to chat all about issues, ideas, and anything else film-related! Come with a friend, or come solo. This will be a safe space and support system for people with interest at any level; a place to talk about any aspect of film.
We’re very excited to finally be able to offer a communal event outside of screenings for us all to share in our love of cinema and we can’t wait to see you there.
But that’s next week! Today, we have another excellent collection of columns for you. Enjoy.
ALTERNATIVE SOUNDTRACKS
[BY: LAUREN PATCHETT]
Sometimes I hear songs and instead of relating them to my own life, I relate them to the characters or plots of certain films. In this series, I’ll pick songs that could’ve been used in the movie - mostly because of hyper-specific lyrics.
Hotel Chevalier (Anderson, 2007) & “From the Dining Table” by Harry Styles
The Scene:
The Song:
“Woke up alone in this hotel room
Played with myself, where were you?
Fell back to sleep, I got drunk by noon
I've never felt less cool
We haven't spoke since you went away
Comfortable silence is so overrated
Why won't you ever be the first one to break?
Even my phone misses your call, by the way
…
Maybe one day you'll call me and tell me that you're sorry too
But you, you never do
Woke up the girl who looked just like you
I almost said your name”
NEW RELEASE REVIEW
[BY: SAM MCKENNEY]
John Wick: Chapter 4 (Stahelski, 2023)
Everyone’s favorite assassin is back in theaters this week, four years after Keanu Reeves last graced our screens in the beloved action franchise John Wick. Chad Stahelski is back in the directors chair, this time with co-writers Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, taking the almost DTV-level style (in narrative and budget) of the original film and the globe-trotting Bond-esque nature of the later films and combining them (now with double the budget) to make something like a mythological action film. The runtime nearly exceeds three hours, but it doesn’t feel a shade over two as the action is non-stop and breakneck in its pace, constantly moving the narrative forward in a way that is never too fast but just right. All this culminates in a final hour that is on par with any action filmmaking in the history of the genre.
With this fourth installment in the franchise, John is on the run once again from the High Table, a group of overseers who govern the assassin underworld. This time, they have sent a former associate and friend of John’s named Caine to finish the job along with what seems like endless amounts of cannon fodder to stop him. Stahelski and his team of choreographers take these endless hordes of bad guys and make some of the most dynamic and intense action sequences you’ll see. One sequence in a building under renovation in France containing shotguns that shoot fire-spewing shells got cheers in the theater that are usually reserved for cameo appearances in comic book movies (Cinema is back, baby). Speaking of locations, this film contains some sets that are so elaborately designed and shot that you’ll be spoiled watching action movies with lesser budgets and/or filmmakers. From nightclubs surrounded by waterfalls to buildings in France that seem right out of the French revolution, each location is more beautiful than the last.
When looking at the intricacy of the choreography, it is hard to imagine any other performers in the roles than who is present here. From Akira’s (Rina Sawayama) skill with the bow and arrow, to Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his gun-fu expertise, and especially Killa (Scott Adkins) with his cross between the Penguin and Bruce Lee, every single actor is here to put on a show and kill some guys. One major standout for me was Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) as a sort of techno-cowboy siding with John until the very last second, as he keeps raising Wick’s bounty higher and higher. But you can’t start naming action stars without talking about both Keanu Reeves and Donnie Yen. Keanu is as good as always, and I will die on the hill that if you think he is not a good actor, you are wrong and are not to be trusted. He brings a physicality to the action and a simultaneously gentle and intimidating presence to the few scenes with no bullets spent. Action legend Donnie Yen is in the same boat as his presence is undeniable the second he is on screen. I could watch the scene of him sliding through a kitchen setting traps for the incoming bad guys for hours. Both Reeves and Yen bring a sentimentality and melancholy to the scenes they share that adds an emotional side to the endless murder that they doll out (“It is so good to sit with a friend”). There is something to be said about the current star system in Hollywood action films because when you bring up the current action stars, names like Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Donnie Yen are all among first ones to come up, and they all have something major in common: they are about to enter their 60s. We need more young action stars, and we need them soon or we will be lacking some quality action cinema!
If any film deserves to be seen in IMAX, it is absolutely this one. The opening punch-in (literally) will shake you to the core. With a monologue from the great Laurence Fishburne and a reference to Lawrence of Arabia (!!!!!) all in the first five minutes, openings truly don’t get much better than this, folks. Chad Stahelski has truly outdone himself, and this film has cemented him as one of the great contemporary action filmmakers. I cannot wait to see how he tops this.
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.
Tombs of the Blind Dead (Amando de Ossorio, 1972)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg, 1997)
UPCOMING EVENTS
FILM SOCIETY ROUNDTABLE
WHAT: Want to get more involved in the Grand Rapids film community? Want to meet other local cinephiles and filmmakers? Join us for the first of many GRFS social events!
WHEN: Friday, April 7th, 7:00pm
WHERE: The Front Studio of Wealthy Theatre
TITANIC: AN EVENING AT SEA
WHAT: An all-out event featuring live music, a commemorative ticket, and a screening of James Cameron’s 1997 epic, TITANIC. *Formal wear highly encouraged.*
WHEN: Friday, April 14th, 6:00pm (Film start: 7:00pm)
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
WHAT: A special matinee screening of the classic film!
WHEN: Sunday, April 16th, 2:00pm
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 FRIDAY and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS!
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Look for ISSUE #9 in your inbox NEXT FRIDAY, 4/7!
Until then, friends…
