Winter Fest attendees Calista Hendrickson and Glenda Lannan.
Submitted Photo
Onscreen at the Dietrich
I am a bona fide horror nerd, and no franchise has meant more to me in my movie-going life than the “Scream” franchise. I have been rooting for final girl Sidney Prescott to save herself from a new masked killer for thirty years now, and it never gets old. The formula works, and the movie nerd inside me loves to see the many references and callbacks to past franchise entries and the horror movie landscape at large. Scream 7 brings us back to Woodsboro, where Sidney must face her past and protect her daughter from the same future. For anyone into a good scare, “Scream 7” is just the ticket you are looking for.
“I Can Only Imagine 2” and “GOAT” are still with us for at least another week. “I Can Only Imagine 2” continues the inspirational and heartwarming story from the first film and has captured audiences’ hearts and ears. “GOAT” is a fantastic film for the whole family about the courage to take risks and be the best you can be regardless of who you are or how people perceive you. Isn’t that a great message for kids? If we can deliver that message through a talking basketball playing goat … so be it.
Finally, I haven’t had the chance to see many Winterfest films yet, but the two that I have seen have been so much fun. If you are looking for a laugh, “Fackham Hall” is absolutely the movie for you. The movie doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest. Its job is to take jabs at the sometimes stuffy and uppity aristocracy genre and “Downton Abbey.” It’s lighthearted fun and is just the kind of movie we need right now. No Other Choice is funny at times, but it is far and away, much more serious than “Fackham Hall.” “No Other Choice” follows a paper worker in Korea who loses his job and figures the only way he can get it back and save himself from financial ruin is to rid the world of the other candidates. … permanently. There is so much to unpack in this film like personal responsibility, the changing landscape of industry, and how far someone is willing to go for their family and their future. It’s like an industrial “Parasite” and if you know anything about me … “Parasite” is the blueprint for filmmaking.
The fantastic thing about film festivals is that there are so many showtimes and so many opportunities to see all these films. I’ve seen you come through many times now, Margie, while I’ve been at the ticket booth. What have you seen and what have you thought so far?
—Ronnie Harvey
Live at the Dietrich
I am struck by the fact that several films in Winter Fest are filled with historical details that have enriched my understanding of other times and events. Yes. I have seen three of the 21 films of Winter Fest that have done just that, beginning with “The Choral,” starring Ralph Fiennes as the choral director. I never knew that participating in a community chorus was a way of dealing with the dislocation of British lives during World War I, did you? If and when you see the film, pay attention to the scene when the choral director quotes German philosopher Goethe on the necessity of daily beauty as follows:
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture
“every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate
“the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”
Music is just one of the ways to bring beauty into our lives, and the film “The Choral” is the story of how it can even help in times of war.
I also saw “The Testament of Ann Lee” and learned so much about the history of the Shakers, the religious sect, told through the eyes of writer/director Mona Fastvold, imagining Ann Lee’s early life and marriage and her taking her followers across the ocean from England to America, where freedom to practice your religious beliefs was espoused. Amanda Seyfried, as the founder of the Shakers, and the musical and dancing scenes are outstanding. A new take on part of history we can only imagine and try to understand.
The film “Blue Moon” is the third little slice of history — musical history — that is very personal to me. I can still see and hear my teenage sister Mary Alice seated at our upright piano in Chicago with a book of Rodgers and Hart songs in place, playing so many songs I can still sing by heart — “Blue Moon,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Isn’t it Romantic?” “Where or When,” and so many more. And now, through the film with an amazing performance by Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart, I know the story of how his career changed when his musical partner Richard Rodgers paired up with Oscar Hammerstein. And there is so much more in the film, including a love affair that is destined to be one-sided, but so poignant and heartbreaking.
Finally, some breaking news! Mary Turner just told me that our friends at WVIA will be back at the Dietrich at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 7, to introduce us to a new Masterpiece series, “The Forsytes,” which premieres on WVIA on March 22. It is a bold, new take of a wealthy Victorian family, inspired by John Galsworthy’s celebrated “Forsyte Saga” novels. We love it when we get sneak previews of WVIA programs. To reserve a space, call the Dietrich at 570-836-1022 x3. Or just show up and enjoy the fun. We would love to see you soon at the Dietrich. Winter Fest? A blockbuster film? A class? An event? You are invited to all!
—Margie Young
