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The Dartmouth
November 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth
Amir Katz
The Setonian
Arts

Sayles' film wanders into the fantasy world

By Amir Katz | February 29, 1996

John Sayles gained his status as one of the most well-known independent writer-directors by making films that are very much grounded in reality. It follows that "The Secret of Roan Inish," a magical tale concerning legendary Celtic creatures who are half-seal and half-human, is quite a departure for him. "Roan Inish," which was also written by Sayles, is a story adapted from the 1957 children's book by Rosalie K.

The Setonian
Arts

Roommates succumb to greed in Celtic film

By Amir Katz | February 22, 1996

Those people who were becoming sick of Celtic films with lovingly photographed shots of the verdant landscapes can revel in the screening of "Shallow Grave," a hip, slick Scottish thriller that is the first film in the Thursday Loew series on new Celtic cinema with a truly urban setting. "Shallow Grave" is the feature-film debut for director Danny Boyle.

The Setonian
Arts

Newell mystifies film

By Amir Katz | February 15, 1996

Family values, the romance of the Old West and Celtic mysticism add up to "Into the West," a delightful film about two young boys and their magical horse showing tonight in Loew Auditorium. "Into the West," was directed by Mike Newell and written by Jim Sheridan, who has proven skillful in bringing diverse views of Ireland to the screen in such films as "The Field," "My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father." This film enters the world of the "travelers," or Celtic gypsies. Gabriel Byrne plays the role of Papa Riley, a man who was once King of the Travelers, but who has since renounced this title and settled down in a housing project in Dublin following the death of his wife. Now all he can do is drink, mourn, and dwell on the past.

The Setonian
Arts

Scorsese scores in film starring DeNiro

By Amir Katz | February 14, 1996

What do you get when you take Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, the Mob and director Martin Scorsese and put them all in a blender? The result is "Casino," an ambitious three-hour chronicle of the decadence of 1970s Las Vegas that will be showing tonight in Spaulding as part of the Film Society's ongoing series on auteurs. "Casino" follows the actions of Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a mob-connected gambler, played by De Niro operating a Las Vegas casino in 1970s Las Vegas. He falls hard for and marries Ginger McKenna, a showgirl played by Sharon Stone, but her gold-digging nature ultimately sends them both on a downward spiral. Joe Pesci portrays Nicky Santaro, a childhood friend of Ace's who comes to Las Vegas a "made man" with his own personal agenda. While on the one hand, "Casino" is a portrayal of the people involved in the gambling business, it is also an attempt in a broader fashion to tell the story of Las Vegas as an entity, focusing on murder, cheating, greed and lust in a way that is unwavering Scorsese. Janet Maslin of The New York Times calls the film's culminating scene "a riotous, terrible meltdown that makes for one of the most scorching episodes Mr. Scorsese has ever filmed." Scorsese comes from the first generation of American directors who were aware of their identities as auteurs.

The Setonian
Arts

'Circle' comes of age

By Amir Katz | January 25, 1996

The efforts of friends to stick together through the toughest of times and the theme of rustic morality opposed to the vices of the city are thoroughly explored in tonight's installment of the "New Celtic Cinema" series. "Circle of Friends," a warm, unpretentious coming-of-age film set in late 1950's Ireland will show at Loew Auditorium tonight as part of its series on Celtic cinema. Based on a 1990 novel by Maeve Binchy, "Circle of Friends" is the story of three girl friends from a small Irish village who find themselves suddenly exposed to the opportunities and vices of big-town Dublin when they start attending Trinity College. The movie focuses on the moral decisions that the three friends have to make about their lives while existing in a society that is uncompromisingly Catholic. Nan (Saffron Burrows) is the most focused of the three.

The Setonian
Arts

'Rob Roy' epitomizes Celtic virility

By Amir Katz | January 18, 1996

"Rob Roy," starring Liam Neeson in the title role of the eighteenth-century Scottish outlaw, will be shown tonight at 7:00 as part of the Loew series featuring new Celtic cinema. The film, directed by Scottish-born Michael Caton-Jones, tells the story of Robert MacGregor, the legendary Scotsman who feuded with British nobility in the early eighteenth century.

The Setonian
Arts

Trio to accompany film showing

By Amir Katz | November 10, 1995

The unique sound of the Alloy Orchestra will once again fill Spaulding Auditorium as it returns to Hanover tonight to accompany Dziga Vertov's silent masterpiece "The Man with the Movie Camera." This will be the third time that the Cambridge-based trio will be performing at Dartmouth, having appeared with "Metropolis" in 1994, and "Lonesome" this past January.

The Setonian
Arts

Low budget film receives accolades

By Amir Katz | October 26, 1995

With five films in the Loew series on new American independents under our belts, it is fitting that we be shown a depiction of the trials and tribulations of making a low budget film. Tom DiCillo's "Living in Oblivion," showing tonight in Loew auditorium, follows one day in the making of an independent movie where everything that can go wrong, does. "Living in Oblivion" was extremely well received when it premiered in March, leading off the New Directors/New Films series in New York City. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called it "a wonderfully funny behind-the scenes-look at the perils of film making, no-budget style." Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is a director trying to shoot his piece de resistence amidst a sea of troubles. His male lead (James LeGros), a studly up-and-coming star, is just using Nick's film as a stepping stone. The female lead (Catherine Keener) has to perform her pivotal scene over and over because technical accidents ruin every take, and the macho cameraman (Dermot Mulroney) is out-of-control. "Living in Oblivion" was originally intended as a thirty minute short about an actress who can't get her big scene right, and it was shot in black and white for $38, 000. But DiCillo decided to extend it, so he wrote and shot a second and third part which were added to the original segment to become the final product. This is DiCillo's second film; his first was "Johnny Suede," which was released in 1992 and starred a pre -"Thelma and Louise" Brad Pitt. The film, although critically acclaimed, was a commercial flop.

The Setonian
Arts

'Clean Shaven' explores the schizophrenic persona

By Amir Katz | October 12, 1995

The exploration of the inner workings of the mind of a schizophrenic is the subject of "Clean Shaven," the latest installment in the Loew Film Series, to be shown this Thursday. It has been described as "brilliant," "extraordinary," and "a blistering piece of cinematic inventiveness," but it has also been called "disturbing," "unsettling," and "unbearable." Director Lodge H.

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