ISSUE #82
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN & SPENCER EVERHART]
Hello and welcome back to an all-new, very special installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY!
A reminder that our final two events of the year are fast approaching! THIS SUNDAY (12/22), join us for a special MATINEE SCREENING of the holiday classic WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954).
Then, on MONDAY, DECEMBER 30th, we close out 2024 on a wild, deranged, steamy note that only STANLEY KUBRICK could craft with EYES WIDE SHUT (1999). Check out this video preview below for all the reasons why you should join us!
And we’ll be exploding into the new year with our next exciting series, which begins just a few days later on FRIDAY, JANUARY 3rd. Find out more below...
INTRODUCING…“MICHAEL MANN-UARY”
It’s our first series of 2025! This is a celebration of MICHAEL MANN, an auteur whose uncompromising vision of the modern world uses common Hollywood tropes and lifts them to the realm of operatic grandeur.
The series begins with a Friday night screening of his magnum opus HEAT (1995) on January 3rd. Regarded as one of the best action films ever made, Mann’s prismatic view of life, purpose, time, and romance brings the genre to new and tragic heights.
THIEF (1981), his first theatrical feature, will screen on Monday, January 13th. A classic crime-noir set in his hometown of Chicago, Mann shoots the city as a capitalistic hellscape where making a clean getaway can cost more than it’s worth.
COLLATERAL (2004), the beginning of Mann’s exploration of digital filmmaking, screens Monday, January 27th. Mann takes the formula of two men on opposite sides of the law that he used in Heat and pushes it to the extreme over the course of one night in LA.
Get your tickets at GRFILM.ORG or at the Wealthy Theatre box office!
THE 2024 GRFS ‘WHITE ELEPHANT’ PROMPT EXCHANGE
In celebration of the holiday season, the GRFS committee members are participating in our own white elephant exchange for your own entertainment!
The idea was simple: each committee member came up with a prompt that another member would then randomly select and write about. In true white elephant fashion, some prompts were more desirable than others.
Enjoy the results...
FOOD FROM THE SCREEN
[BY: DAVID BLAKESLEE]
4 images of movie/tv food you want to eat.
I was happy to get this prompt in our drawing! Even though I don’t consider myself a proper foodie by any stretch (I really don’t get enough enjoyment from the preparation phase of the process), I think I’m a pretty good eater anyway. Here are three images that popped into my imagination rather quickly and a fourth that did require more time, and a little research, for me to finally settle on.
Everlasting Gobstopper from Mel Stuart’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
With several films that have been made based on Roald Dahl’s source material Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the cinematic ‘Wonka-verse’ is probably an obvious source of endless images and ideas for delicious temptations of any conceivable sort. Ever since I saw this adaptation of the novel that I had actually read before the movie came out (when I was around ten years old), one goodie in particular has held a grip on my imagination: the Everlasting Gobstopper, a hard candy that continuously morphs into different colors and flavors without ever reducing in size. It held out the promise of infinite satisfaction with maximum efficiency, even though I have to admit that the prop team didn’t do the greatest job designing a treat that, with its spiky protrusions, looks like it wouldn’t be all that comfortable in the mouth. But I suppose I could adapt just fine.
Food Tray from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Here’s another image that’s been lingering in my mind since childhood, when I first saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey at the tender, highly impressionable age of seven years old. I was very much into the NASA space program at that time and was definitely looking forward to my own opportunity to venture into space after I’d grown up a bit. There are several scenes involving meals that occur in close proximity to key sequences throughout the film, but the one that stuck with me was the one I found most relatable — basically an astronaut eating a high-tech TV dinner, much like I was used to as a kid, though I didn’t have the luxury of a proto-iPad to stare at while I gobbled up my ultra-processed protein paste. The allure here isn’t so much the quality of the food as it is the setting, in the most advanced spacecraft known to humanity, en route to a consciousness-altering encounter with The Ultimate Trip™.
Wild Strawberries and Cream from Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1957)
In both the stark, rustic simplicity and the undeniable richness of the flavors, bowls of fresh-picked strawberries and whole milk just recently extracted from a cow conjures up an ideal of finding deep satisfaction from the plainest of provisions. Finding a moment of respite and recovery from the horrors he’s witnessed on a journey that took him to the Crusades and back home to a plague-infested society in shambles, the knight Antonius Block has a chance encounter with a young family that still clings to hopes for a better life awaiting them if they can only endure the present struggles. His grateful receptivity to an act of kind generosity by these wandering minstrels with very little to spare serves as a reminder that profound joys are waiting to be found if we’re only willing to stop and savor them instead of hastily shoving along on our isolated trek through life. Of course, the experience of being served this humble feast by Bibi Andersson on a sun-drenched hillside in the brief glories of a Swedish summertime looks altogether appealing to me.
Maccherone from Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963)
This is the image that took me a while to settle on. After I landed on my first three choices, it was very clear to me that nothing I had selected so far was likely to get readers drooling with anticipation of chomping into the sensual morsels depicted in the picture. The appeal of each of my picks was based on what the food “meant” to me in its particular context rather than its undeniable supremacy as a gastronomic feast for the senses. So, for my final image, I had to come up with something lush and tantalizing — an epicurean marvel that prompted both curiosity and craving. That got me thinking about the work of Luchino Visconti, cinema’s most accomplished auteur at portraying the ordinary lives of old-time aristocrats (because he himself was one). Visconti was born into an Italian lineage of impressive antiquity, wealth, and pedigree, and he felt perfectly at home among the palaces, ballrooms, and corridors of institutional power that they inhabited. He also developed a highly cultivated eye for the details and sensibilities of sumptuous style and privilege that set the elites apart from the humdrum habits of common humanity, for what that’s worth.
So that led me to conduct a brief survey of the films of his that I’ve seen to check out various epic dining room scenes, and here’s what I came up with: the above frame from The Leopard, a film about the fading glory of a nobleman as his provincial fiefdom is absorbed into a modernizing Italy of the 19th century, offers us a look at the maccherone, a traditional Sicilian multi-layered pastry with each layer composed of exquisitely flavorful ingredients that combine to produce intoxicating, head-spinning effects. Even though the name of the dish is the basis for what we refer to as “macaroni,” cast all thoughts of cheesy noodles from your mind. Here’s a quote from the novel on which Visconti’s film was based: “The burnished gold of the crusts, the fragrance of sugar and cinnamon they exuded, were but preludes to the delight released from the interior when the knife broke the crust; first came a spice-laden haze, then chicken livers, hard-boiled eggs, sliced ham, chicken and truffles in masses of piping hot, glistening macaroni, to which the meat juice gave an exquisite hue of suede.”
I most certainly would love to sink my teeth into a slice of that.
EBERT’S EMPATHY MACHINE
[BY: SPENCER EVERHART]
Roger Ebert has a well-known quote... “The movies are like a machine that generates empathy. If it's a great movie, it lets you understand a little bit more about what it's like to be a different gender, a different race, a different age, a different economic class, a different nationality, a different profession, different hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears.” What are some films that generated empathy for others different from yourself, and who are those ‘others’?
At the risk of seeming like I'm outright dodging the question, I must say that I've always taken issue with Ebert's oft-referenced statement even while recognizing the appeal of both its romanticism (which I appreciate) and its idealism (which I can understand). Beyond that, though, it always leads me to a related topic I think about a lot that continually occupies our current moment. In more recent years, the broad notion of Ebert's claim has expanded into a wider cultural discourse regarding the politics of representation, specifically in demands for more diversity in mainstream filmmaking — the implication being that more movies about marginalized communities or more movies with characters belonging to oppressed identity categories will translate into more widespread empathy and/or acceptance of those lives and identities in the real world.
Obviously, I agree with the demands themselves; a more diverse film culture is a richer film culture, and cinema is better-served when not beholden to boundaries, prejudices, and other institutional systems of exclusion. It seems to me, in 2024 as it has for so long, this goes without saying.
It's in the logic that follows from those demands where things get tricky, in the assumption of automatic or uncomplicated identification with fictional characters — a kind of ‘empathy via exposure’ which presumes that if you saturate a society with a particular type of popular art, thus enacting a cultural shift, then those who live in that society will be shifted as well, thus (somehow) enacting a material change for those underrepresented populations.
Apart from the reality that viewer identification is actually a deeply complex process, I can't help but think, in all this, about the double-edged nature of such attempts at representation or generating empathy. There's been valuable work done on this, particularly by trans critics and scholars, exploring the apparent contradictions between increasing representations in culture and social attitudes. Certainly: to be more visible in popular media is to be seen, with the possibility of being witnessed (and therefore affirmed, validated, etc.)...but to be so thoroughly observed means to be more out in the open, which also comes with the possibility of being targeted. This is the kind of nuance I often find missing from these conversations (not to mention that the focus usually leans toward ‘on screen’ representation rather than the presence of diversity ‘behind the camera’ — or in writers’ rooms, tech departments, etc. — which are...ya know...the actual material conditions of cultural production).
I'm a bit far afield from my prompt now, so maybe this is all a long way of saying that, at this point in my life (and in the communal spirit of this holiday season), I'm much less interested in cinema's capacity for generating empathy than I am in its potential for creating solidarity.
This is a complex relation in cinema too, and not without its own mediations and pitfalls, but I think we should take Ebert's idea further (and in other directions). He is right to hinge his assertion on the concept of difference; in fact, this is the heart of the matter.
Solidarity does not necessarily entail empathy. This is just one reason, among many, why it is so beautiful: solidarity recognizes difference, acknowledges it, and still sees the shared struggle regardless. Even in a dynamic where empathy or understanding is difficult, solidarity with others commits to the basic truth that those ‘others’ are also deserving of lives of dignity and security. I suppose, in some ways, film has taught me that...but it definitely wasn't the only tool (or experience) that did so.
The question of what role cinema can play in forging solidarity is not a new one. This has been explored, in debate and practice, for decades. But it remains an open and ever-evolving question (more important now than ever, as they say), and I feel that inside whatever kinds of love and passion we have for this art form we owe it to ourselves — and our ‘others’ — to determine what new possible answers there are...now...together.
WHICH MOVIE FAMILY DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG TO?
[BY: MATT EVERITT]
Short answer: Beau is Afraid.
Runner-up: Skinamarink.
I’m kiiiiiidding. Kind of.
These aren’t very warm answers, and I like the holiday spirit so I want to find one that’s a little more appropriate for the season!
Once I turned ten and my dad passed away, my family life got a little convoluted and has stayed that way since. I was never one to use movies as an escape from my confusion at that age — I tried to make sense of the world through whatever movies had to offer me.
And the movies I feel most drawn to are the ones that present a pretty complicated picture of the world that kids are thrown into. Movies like The Tree of Life and The Boy and The Heron hold very, very special places in my heart that I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to describe specifically why...but I do know it has to do with a sense of being seen. That also happens to be what good art does to most people, so I don’t think those are particularly unique answers for this prompt’s question.
If I were to narrow down movie families that felt like mine, like I had some sort of stake in what’s going on or simply that I wanted them to be true, there are two clear winners. Un-coincidentally, they’re both dead dad movies (spoilers for both 3:10 to Yuma and The Place Beyond The Pines coming in hot...).
For 3:10 to Yuma, I won’t try to elevate my experience: I was nineteen and it gave me a man to look up to. I mean, come on, there’s a story of a kid watching his father navigate a complicated world that features Russel Crowe, Christian Bale, a kick-ass western score, and lots of violence. What else could I do but try and emulate these men who wanted to do right in an unjust world?
I rewatched it recently, and I still find myself watching in awe. I want that world where you get to embark on a dangerous and meaningful journey with your dad. You see his flaws. He lets you down. But in the end he tries to create the world he wants for you by making the biggest sacrifice possible.
The Place Beyond the Pines picks up right where 3:10 leaves off. When the film switches gears and follows fellow member of the Dead Dad Club, Dane DeHaan, as he flails in high school, I knew I was watching a movie that was going to burrow into my heart. I won’t belabor the point, as I feel it’s very obvious why someone in my position would latch on to his depiction of a guy trying to understand how he fits into the world.
But the reason why I want to end my happy little Christmas piece talking about this film is because of the final scene and the hope it represents to me still. He finds his dad’s old motorbike and drives off into the sunset.
It’s images like these that I feel belong to me. There’s a truthfulness that became part of who I am. To try and explain why they’re mine is to pollute the concoction. I can’t explain why they matter to me so much more than similar images. There are a million more options I could pick, but these ones are mine.
For a few frames of a movie, you know you’re not the only one to have felt the way you do. You don’t have to justify why you are the way you are. They can provide that sense of home you never got to have. And if family isn’t that sense of feeling totally and completely at home, I don’t know what is.
THE TOP 5 ROM-COMS MADE IN THE 21st CENTURY
[BY: JACKSON EZINGA]
Naturally, this prompt title was received by someone who isn't all that into Romantic Comedies, but as I started to think through this list I realized that one of my favorite movies of all time is (in my opinion) a ‘rom-com.’ Because of my narrow viewing history of the genre, this is a list of the 'Top 5 Rom-Coms made in the 21st Century that I have seen. There may be better ones out there, but if it's not on this list I either haven't seen it...or I like these more.
#5. I Love You, Man (John Hamburg, 2009)
This may be a tiny bit of a stretch, but I think this movie cleverly takes the rom-com formula and applies it to two dudes trying to be best bros. Jason Segal is the perfect wildcard foil to Paul Rudd's ‘Nice Guy’ character as Rudd attempts to fill out his groomsmen lineup and choose a Best Man when he realizes he doesn't really have any “guy friends” as his wedding approaches. This platonic romantic comedy hilariously shows the struggles of making friends as an adult.
#4. Palm Springs (Max Barbakow, 2020)
A modern Groundhog Day (1993) that came out at an eerily perfect time during the pandemic about two people who get stuck in an infinite loop at a resort in Palm Springs and aren't able to leave. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play off each other so well in this unpredictable and hilarious sci-fi romantic comedy.
#3. The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)
Romantic comedies can be dark too! Yorgos Lanthimos takes a stab at the genre in a beautifully bizarre way with a story about a society that sends single people to The Hotel where they need to fall in love in 45 days or they will be turned into an animal of their choice and released into the woods. Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz attempt to meet the deadline in this deadpan, demented, and disturbing rom-com satire.
#2. 13 Going On 30 (Gary Winick, 2004)
This was one of my older sister's favorite movies, but all my brothers and my parents really like it too. Somewhat of a modern update to Big (1988) but with time travel instead of Zoltar. Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo are excellent in this colorful and crowd-pleasing early aughts rom-com! I haven't seen this movie since I turned 30, so I am probably due for a rewatch!
#1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
One of my favorite movies of all time. I've watched it at least thirty times. A mind-bending and visually stunning sci-fi rom-com from director Michel Gondry, written by Charlie Kaufman, and starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Every time I watch this movie I notice something new, a joke or gag lands in a new way, and the romance between Joel (Carey) and Clementine (Winslet) pulls at my heartstrings on every rewatch.
HOLIDAY FILM FAVORITES
[BY: CALEB JENKINS]
In honor of the holiday season, tell us your favorite holiday movie to watch this time of year and why.
This question is STRESSFUL.
Yah, even more stressful than fathoming the organized chaos of the one big corporation shipping out 1.6 MILLION boxes every. single. day!...the packages with the little smile + dimple on them, you know the ones. I wonder if a fraction of a quarter of those boxes contain holiday DVDs & Blu-rays. If so, someone please reach into one of those parcels and pick a movie for me to talk about! I CAN’T POSSIBLY CHOOSE ONE.
Ah, exaggerations. But, still! What a task it is to share just one holiday movie and justify without bias.
...
Okay done. Ernest Saves Christmas.
YUP! “You can keep your 'Channel' Number 5, just give me a whiff of the old lonesome pine!”
Not truly my answer, just had to resurrect some love for Jim Varney.
I UNDERSTAND:
People are partial to the nostalgia of Rankin/Bass stop-motion animation.
Others may be saps for a Bill Murray holiday sing-a-long (although, I much rather prefer “More Than This” on karaoke).
There are dads who feel a little more cheer this time of year at the sight of a lit-up fishnet.
Songs of steamy hot chocolate fuel the winter spirit of passionate locomotives and kids alike.
One cannot avoid joining in on an NYC-wide caroling of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town!”
Rooting for the stranded ‘underdog’ up against a Pesci-Stern conniving duo.
Some people NEED to see Tim Allen transform into the Toy Man Taylor every single year.
Lastly, I understand and do believe everyone should use both eyes to watch The Holdovers.
ALSO - Tim Burton, thank you! Bing Crosby, you rock, sister.
I must think about what Christmas movies do best ~ make one feel the most at home, full of vibrant spirit, and centered into what’s most important.
For these reasons, and for me personally, I must choose It’s a Wonderful Life.
I love the way James Stewart cries “MARY, MARY...MERRY!”
I do believe the buffalo gal should come out tonight.
The snarly Mr. Potter is the poster child for greedy miser, a person we must all avoid becoming.
It’s the film my family and I watched every year for the holidays...the one that brings me to tears each time I watch it, and the one that makes me think about the specialness and fragility of life and the significance of our place in it.
Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls...Byron Center...Ft. Meyers...San Juan...Grand Junction...Rapid City...Moab...Sedona...Los Angeles...Atlanta...Manhattan...Rio de Janeiro...Onomichi...Everyone Everywhere...
Auld Lang Syne.
THE WOLF OF LAME STREET
[BY: BREANA MALLOY]
Why we need to chill out about Martin Scorsese.
As soon as I read this prompt title, I knew it was perfect for me.
As a filmmaker and film lover, I know and appreciate Scorsese’s work; however, I have always disliked the “Auteur Worship” that exists within cinephilia today. So although, on first glance, the prompt seems to want me to focus on Scorsese specifically, I am going to widen the scope and use it to bring something to the forefront of your mind: the intense idolization of male directors in today’s society. With this being stated, I do not intend to undermine the work of talented male directors. I hope to show you that they can be talented and renowned directors without being put on a pedestal (also, I want you to form your own opinions, start a bigger conversation). So I am listing some things below, and I’ll let you ponder the implications.
When you think of ‘iconic’ directors frequently discussed today you probably think of people such as Hitchcock, Nolan, Tarantino, Kubrick, Fincher, and Scorsese among others, right? But there are so many other marginalized directors that aren’t recognized — we are forgetting the work of trailblazing visionaries like Celine Sciamma, Greta Gerwig, Chloe Zhao, Spike Lee, Agnès Varda, and Barry Jenkins. From my experience, male directors dominate these conversations, leaving these other prominent directors out of the conversation.
Often male directors are seen as singular geniuses when their work is analyzed, however filmmaking is one of the most collaborative arts. As a filmmaker myself I know that while the director works with each department there are dozens of minds that help to create the story, world, and overall aesthetic of a film. It’s a truly collaborative art form. You can praise a director for their vision while also recognizing other filmmakers’ contributions to a project.
Many directors that are idolized have most of their problematic tendencies or wrongdoings pushed to the wayside:
Hitchcock often made advances on his female leads (not to forget he traumatized Tippi Hedren on the set of The Birds).
Tarantino insisted that Uma Thurman do a potentially life-threatening driving scene for Kill Bill after she repeatedly asked for a stunt double. She drove the car and sustained serious injuries. He also confessed to knowing about Harvey Weinstein’s abusive behavior towards women and prioritized his career over taking action.
Kubrick was often accused of behaving problematically towards women on his sets as well as taking extreme and psychologically taxing measures to make his vision a reality. One example was isolating Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining and forcing her to do dozens of takes just to make her feel exhausted and drive up her paranoia.
Many of the films by these directors include poor portrayals of women, glorification of male behavior, and have an overall focus on male-driven interests.
Crime and Gangsters (Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction)
Male Trauma and Heroism (Inception, The Dark Knight)
Hyper-Masculine Narratives (The Wolf of Wall Street, Inglourious Bastards)
The next time you watch one of these directors’ films, I urge you to take an extra minute when logging it on Letterboxd to think about these things. I believe that we can recognize their shortcomings while also appreciating and celebrating their works and contributions to cinema without idolizing them.
ART OF THE ADAPTATION
[BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN]
Is there any value in comparing an adaptation — of a novel, or play/musical, or a remake of an older movie — to its source material?
Of course there CAN be value!
There may be a profound realization lurking in the way a film adaptation resonates with its source material, or even contrasts it. Conversely, comparing a film to its source material may end up being the fatal flaw for some viewers — the film could never capture the greatness of the original work!
The part of the conversation regarding film adaptations that has always frustrated me is the way that some will ONLY consider a film adaptation within the context of it being an adaptation of its source material — as if the film’s sole mission is to adapt the original as “faithfully” as possible.
Sure, for some filmmakers this is the goal, and maybe there can be something interesting about seeing an identical concept/scene portrayed in a different medium. But to me, this is the less interesting route.
The most exciting adaptations, I find, are the ones that are in conversation with the source material but not beholden to it; the ones that aren’t afraid to take some liberties and make something NEW in the process. Isn’t it more interesting to have two distinct visions of a work across two distinct mediums? Rather than have a filmmaker adhere to the source material as if it were the instruction booklet for a Lego set?
So can there be value? Yes. Should we spend much time mulling over the fact that a film is an adaptation? I don’t think so. After all, an adaptation is — ultimately — its own work.
Beam from the Booth is heading on another brief hiatus to allow the gang some extra space to enjoy the remainder of the holiday season. Don’t worry: we’ll still be in your inbox to remind you of all the good stuff coming up, and you can expect the newsletter proper to return in early January.
We’ll see you at the movies!
- The GRFS Committee
UPCOMING EVENTS
WHITE CHRISTMAS (Curtiz, 1954)
WHAT: MATINEE SCREENING! Two singing acts join together to perform a Christmas show in rural Vermont to plan a yuletide miracle: a fun-filled musical extravaganza! Join us for this holiday classic.
WHEN: Sunday, December 22nd, 2:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
EYES WIDE SHUT (Kubrick, 1999)
WHAT: After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed, discovering an underground sexual group and attending one of their meetings -- only to quickly discover that he is in over his head.
WHEN: Monday, December 30th, 7:00pm
WHERE: The Wealthy Theatre
HEAT (Mann, 1995)
WHAT: Kick off 2025 with our MICHAEL MANN-UARY series!
Master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is planning one last big heist before retiring. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) attempts to track down McCauley as he deals with the chaos in his own life. McCauley and Hanna discover a mutual respect, even as they try to thwart each other's plans.
WHEN: Friday, January 3rd, 7:00pm
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 week, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
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Until then, friends...
David!!! Love your answers! Thank you for going above and beyond with my prompt ❤️