International Film Series

Western Illinois University’s International Film Series, in collaboration with the College of Fine Arts and Communication (COFAC), present a variety films from around the world, most of which are not offered in mainstream, local theatres. The lineup will feature 13 films at the Cinema I and II Theatres, 306 University Drive, throughout the remaining semester. Tickets are $5.50 at the door.

Films run on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Cinema I & II Theatres on University Dr. and Route 67.

Spring 2008 Schedule

The films, presented in collaboration with Western’s College of Fine Arts and Communication and the Carmike Cinema, run at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The lineup, which is subject to change, includes:

Sept. 10 & 11 - Young@Heart
This upbeat documentary about an elderly people’s chorus in Northampton, Massachusetts, offers an encouraging vision of old age in which the depression commonly associated with decrepitude is held at by music making, camaraderie, and a sense of humor. (PG, 1:48)*
Sept. 17 & 18 - Under the Same Moon
This humane journalistic drama zeroes in on illegal immigrants from Mexico and before you can say, “Wow, that sounds boring,” director Patricia Riggen has smuggles us into a culture of half-existence: people who live in two places and nowhere at all. Carlitos (Adrián Alonso) who is 9, heads north to reconnect with his mother, who works as a housekeeper in LA. (PG-13, 1:49)
Sept. 24 & 25 - Love Songs
A musical, a melodrama, a modern sex comedy - this new film from Christophe Honoré is less than the sum of its parts, but charming nonetheless. Its view of Paris is compounded equally by Nouvelle Vague nostalgia and an up-to-the-minute sense of today’s French youth, in perpetual motion from song to song and bed to bed. (No rating, 1:35, in French)
Oct. 1 & 2 - The last Mistress
The sumptuous costumes and florid dialogue in The Last Mistress represent early-19th-century French custom as its most curlicued, but the power of one woman’s molten sexuality is timeless in Catherine Breillat’s rich drama. Asia Argento stars as the title siren. (Unrated, 1:55, in French w/subtitles)
Oct. 8 & 9 - The Visitor
This American drama offers a beautiful tale about finding your place in the world. (PG-13, 1:45)
Oct. 15 & 16 - Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
The good doctor is family around these parts, so cheers to Alex Gibney (Oscar winner for Taxi to the Dark Side) for not screwing up this mesmerizing documentary about the people, places, and substances that altered the mind and battered heart of the Kentucky-born inventor of gonzo journalism. (R, 2:05)
Oct. 22 & 23 - Man on Wire
Daredevil’s wire walk at twin towers is thrilling. Contains some sexuality and nudity, and drug references. Bottom line: sensational documentary on a daring deed. (PG-13, 1:30)
Oct. 29 & 30 - My Winnipeg
For your Halloween strange delight, Guy Maddin directs a tribute - er, “docu-fantasia” - to his hometown. (Unrated, 1:20)
Nov. 5 & 6 - Standard Operating Procedure
A blockbuster of a documentary, Errol Morris’ Standard Operating Procedure is an inquiry into the prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib. It is, predictably, a bleak, depressing movie, but if you stick around through the end credits, you may also be in for a few surprises. (R, 2:00)
Nov. 12 & 13 - When Did You Last See Your Father?
Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth class up a British weepie as a father and son battling and bonding over the decades. (PG-13, 1:35)
Nov. 19 & 20 - My Brother is an Only Child
Italy in the volatile 1960s, through the eyes of two brothers, one a left-wing militant, the other a fascist. A well-told if somewhat familiar story. (No Rating, 1:48,in Italian)
Dec. 3 & 4 - Vicky Christina Barcelona
It took a screenplay set among Americans in Spain for Woody Allen to make his most French film yet. (PG-13, 1:40)
Dec. 10 & 11 - Brideshead Revisited
The saga ultimately lacks the emotional wallop of the TV version. But its clever writing, strong performances and sumptuous production design make for a rich experience nonetheless.