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Author Archive | Alex Kamody

Holiday Film Series: NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION

Watch Trailer Director: Jeremiah S. Chechick
Writer(s): John Hughes
Cast: Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Saturday, December 14th, join us for this evergreen-ly hilarious holiday movie!

Admission is a canned or non-perishable food product, or a monetary donation to a local food charity.

About the Film

The Griswolds – Clark, Ellen, Audrey, and Rusty – are all set to celebrate Christmas with all the classic, Norman Rockwell-esque trimmings: a huge tree, a beautiful home covered in twinkling lights, a delicious holiday feast surrounded by family. However, things soon get wild and wacky in the way that only a National Lampoon’s movie can because, after all, these are the Griswolds we’re talking about! When Clark’s big plans to surprise his family with a special Christmas present get derailed by a workplace misunderstanding, it’s up to his crazy Cousin Eddie to set things right and help everybody learn the true meaning of the holidays.

Written by John Hughes, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is one of those movies you can watch a thousand times and still laugh out loud each time! Starring Chevy Chase, Randy Quiad, Beverly D’Angelo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Johnny Galecki, this classic holiday film is stuffed with more comedy gold than an x-mas turkey!

 

Click here to see the line-up of films for our Holiday Film Series

 

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Running Time: 97 MIN97 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Holiday Film Series: THE GRINCH

Watch Trailer Director: Scott Mosier
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Pharrell Williams

Saturday, December 21st, turn that frown upside-down and join us for this classic Seuss-ian story of holiday transformation!

Admission is a canned or non-perishable food product, or a monetary donation to a local food charity.

About the Film

The town of Whoville is eagerly preparing to celebrate yet another wonderful Christmas. However, just beyond the city limits lives The Grinch – a green-furred, nasty-tempered fella with a heart two-sizes-too-small. The Grinch, you see, was raised in an orphanage and missed out on the traditional joys of a holiday season filled with cheer and being surrounded by friends and family. So, filled with bitterness towards the exuberant Whos down in Whoville, The green meanie decides to dress up like Santa, invade the town on Christmas Eve, and steal all the presents for himself. However, he encounters a young Who girl whose Christmas wish may just have the power to change The Grinch’s tune towards the holidays.

Directed by Scott Mosier, this delightful animated film is a faithful adaptation of the classic Christmas story by the one-and-only Dr. Seuss and features a whole host of excellent voice talent!

Click here to see the line-up of films for our Holiday Film Series

 

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Running Time: 85 MIN85 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

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Let’s Do Lynch: THE ELEPHANT MAN

Watch Trailer Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

Join us Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00 p.m. as we kick off Let’s Do Lynch: A David Lynch Retrospective with his award-winning 1980 film The Elephant Man.

Admission $8

About the Film

Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man relates the story of a man with incredible physical deformities who lived in Victorian England during the 19th Century.

While visiting a freak show in London’s West End one night, surgeon Frederick Treves (played by Anthony Hopkins) happens upon an exhibit featuring the grossly deformed Merrick and is immediately struck with curiosity about the man. This begins a relationship between the two men that will have lasting consequences on both of their lives. Treves can tell that beneath Merrick’s crude exterior lies a pure soul with a boundless intellect, and he helps to cultivate Merrick’s senses of humanity and dignity, in addition to making inroads for Merrick in high society. However, Treves soon realizes that, regardless of his good intentions, Merrick continues to be an object of ridicule and exploitation and eventually finds himself back on the freak show circuit. With his physical condition worsening, Merrick may lose his chance to die as a man.

Nominated for 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, The Elephant Man is regarded highly by critics and fans. Although it is a bit more conventional than most of his other films, the beautiful black-and-white cinematography, strange subject matter, and exceptional cast make this film arguably one of the best movies of David Lynch’s career.

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Check out the rest of our exciting line-up of Let’s Do Lynch films

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Running Time: 124 MIN124 MIN
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The Met: Live in HD: Verdi’s AIDA

American soprano Angel Blue headlines as the Ethiopian princess torn between love and country in a new production of Verdi’s Aida by Michael Mayer that brings audiences inside the towering pyramids and gilded tombs of ancient Egypt with intricate projections and dazzling animations. Romanian-Hungarian mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi also stars as Aida’s rival, Amneris, alongside Polish tenor Piotr Beczała as the soldier Radamès—completing opera’s greatest love triangle. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes the podium to conduct the unforgettable new performance.

The screening will begin at 12:25 p.m. and will conclude at approximately 4:05 p.m.

Admission $20 (Senior $18, Children $8)

OHIO Students Free with valid ID*

*Thanks to support from Arts for OHIO, we are able to offer a limited number of FREE student tickets available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Must have valid student I.D.

Click here to view the rest of the Met: Live in HD schedule

Special thanks to George Weckman and the following supporters:

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Running Time: 220 MIN220 MIN
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OU School of Film: WINTER SHOWCASE SCREENING

Come celebrate the excellent work of budding filmmakers from the OHIO School of Film as we present the Winter Showcase of student films!

Saturday, January 25th at 7:00 p.m.

The event is FREE and open to the public. The screening will consist of a series of short films by students in the OU Film School program. We’ve done these screenings numerous times, and the quality of work is always top-notch…you don’t want to miss this special event!

The Films and Filmmakers

Flashlight Club by Wes Donnelly. Runtime: 7 min

Synopsis: Two college-aged outcasts who start a club for flashlight enthusiasts have the most important day of their lives during a power outage.

 

 

Tub by Andrew Bowman. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: A cast-iron tub serves as the conduit for three dreams, each in conflict with the other. As the fantasies are realized, they begin to crumble around the dreamers and their hypocrisies are revealed.

 

 

One Time by Zoe Purcell. Runtime: 2 min

Synopsis: An overlapping exploration on storytelling.

 

 

 

LOOKER by Max Kaplan. Runtime: 12 min

Synopsis: LOOKER is an existential body horror short film. It follows Anna who learns that she is inexplicably cursed to melt away whenever she is not perceived by others. In her desperation to survive, she must go to greater and greater lengths to be seen, with terrifying consequences.

 

 

Debris by Nathaniel Bellasea. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: Two young lovers, lost in their own world, frolic through an old building when an unexpected tragedy befalls them.

 

 

Blake Lost Their Face by Griffin Alexander. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: Blake must embark on a surreal journey of self-acceptance in order to find their face.

 

 

 

My Heart Has Changed by Julian Fahl Matlack. Runtime: 4 min

Synopsis: Invasive species, such as the spotted lanternfly, have been in Pittsburgh for a few years now. Our environments are subject to these species, and made vulnerable to change, as are our bodies. This is an exploration of what is home and what is safe.

 

 

PINS by MJ Golzari. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: In a peaceful home shadowed by distant chaos, a woman tends to her quiet rituals. As the winds rise, the boundaries between serenity and turmoil begin to blur.

 

 

Sophie Is Dead by Talisa Lemke. Runtime: 16 min

Synopsis: Sydney, a young teenager holds on to the most common tool to escape reality – lying. First, by not correcting a misunderstanding, people around her start to believe that her sister died, which leads to sympathy and attention. This snowballs into Sydney spinning more lies, until she acts out her final lie by fabricating being kidnapped, which at last gives her what she wanted – being missed.

 

Spirits on Your Shoulders by Joshua Henwood. Runtime: 2 min

Synopsis: Avery is a college student with an assignment due at midnight, but something inside him believes that he should take some time to relax.

 

 

The Music Box Is Slowing Down by Kat Frazier. Runtime: 1 min

Synopsis: An exploration of music, the body, and pushing through the pain.

 

 

 

Brain Freeze by Nesa Rasouli. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: Sometimes we get stuck in our heads.

 

 

 

Inspection by Jay Cline III. Runtime: 3 min

Synopsis: An in-depth exploration of my body.

 

 

 

Dear Jane by Sydney Kalafut. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: A love letter to the girl I was too afraid to love out loud.

 

 

 

Deliverance by Angelina Mellen. Runtime: 5 min

Synopsis: A devout young woman, burdened by an abusive marriage, wrestles with her faith after believing she’s received a sign from God to take justice into her own hands. As her spiritual conviction deepens, the line between salvation and vengeance starts to blur.

 

 

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Let’s Do Lynch: DUNE

Watch Trailer Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Everett McGill, Patrick Stewart

Join us Tuesday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. as we continue our Let’s Do Lynch: A David Lynch Retrospective with his epic 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic!

Admission $8

About the Film

Arrakis. Dune. Desert planet… The year is 10,191 and the known Universe is ruled over by an emperor whose power is built upon the spice melange – a coveted commodity that makes long-distance space travel possible and which can only be harvested from the arid wastes of Arrakis’ vast interior. Rival Houses — The Atreides and The Harkonnens — are pitted against one another by the intrigues of the emperor, and Arrakis becomes the battleground. Rumors abound of the Fremen, an indigenous tribe on the planet, and it remains to be seen what role they will play in the power struggle. There’s also young Paul Atreides, the son of the duke, who may hold the key to the entire conflict.

David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic literary sci-fi epic Dune has become a cult classic in the years since its original release. A difficult story to translate on film, Lynch’s production is huge in scope and encapsulates his visionary style with its strange imagery, existential themes, and a cast of top-notch actors.

Check out the rest of our exciting line-up of Let’s Do Lynch films

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Running Time: 137 MIN137 MIN
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Red Bull Presents: ANY ONE OF US

Watch Trailer Director: Fernando Villenas
Cast: Paul Basagoitia

Wednesday, January 29th, Red Bull will be hosting a screening of the beloved film “Any One of Us” — a journey of resilience, and determination in overcoming the adversity of spinal cord injury.

The screening will include a talk and a Q&A session with Justin Lennon

For admission to the film, you will need to show the theatre your Bib Number/Registration for the Wings for Life Charity’s World Run (to take place on May 4th, 2025). 100% of proceeds from registrations will go to the charity.

Seating is limited to first 148 attendees. To learn more about the charity, and the event, please visit: https://www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/en

Schedule for the event:

Seating – 5:30-6:00 p.m.

Short Introduction by Justin Lennon: 6:00-6:15 p.m.

Film Screening of “Any One of Us”: 6:15-7:45 p.m.

Justin Lennon Talk + Q&A: 7:45-8:30 p.m.

About the film

Professional mountain-biker Paul Basagoitia suffered a debilitating injury during an excursion which severely damaged his spinal chord – in fact, his doctors felt certain that he would likely never walk again. Fernando Villenas’ documentary follows Paul’s recovery by chronicling the courage, determination, and grit (sometimes in graphic detail) that led this undaunted athlete to recover the use of his legs. Although Basagoitia managed to stand on his own after only three short weeks, that hard-won milestone was only the beginning of a longer journey as he encounters more challenges when attempting to regain full mobility.

This inspiring cinematic story serves as a stark reminder that spinal cord injuries could happen to any one of us at any time; however, it also demonstrates that we each have the power to find the internal strength to overcome what may, at the beginning, seem insurmountable.

 

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Running Time: 87 MINS87 MIN
This Film is Wheelchair Accessible

Uncommonly intimate and detailed in its chronicling of Basagoitia's efforts at recovery, Any One of Us serves as a vivid reminder that we, too, often take our mobility for granted.

Frank Schek
The Hollywood Reporter
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From the Hills and Hollers: POTTERO + RECLAIMING: ORAL HISTORIES OF SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE WELLNESS TRADITIONS IN APPALACHIAN OHIO

Director: Lindsey Martin (Pottero) / Talcon Quinn, Clara Haizlett (Reclaiming)

Pottero – with Lindsey Martin

Written and animated by OU Film School Associate Director Lindsey Martin with illustrations by Thomas Parnes, this short 10-minute film is a contemporary Appalachian folktale that recounts a woman’s attempt to escape her childhood monster, the “Pottero”. The journey forces her to reconcile with the place she came from and the monsters waiting for her there.

Reclaiming: Oral Histories of Sexual & Reproductive Wellness Traditions in Appalachian Ohio – with Talcon Quinn

Winner of the 2024 Jack Spadaro Documentary Award for Best Short and an Official Selection at the 2024 Appalachian Film Festival, Reclaiming: Oral Histories of Sexual & Reproductive Wellness Traditions in Appalachian Ohio is comprised of insightful interviews with six Appalachian women of various ages who discuss the traditions of sexual and reproductive wellness related to the culture of the region.

Produced and directed by Clara Haizlett (King Coal) and Talcon Quinn – both of whom are native Appalachians – Reclaiming was made possible through funding from Mid Atlantic Arts and the Ohio Humanities Spark Grant.

About the Speakers

Lindsey Martin

Lindsey’s films are humorous, dark stories about the inner workings of families going through crisis. Her interests are in locations and how humans connect to the places they are from and the bizarre tactics people, especially young girls and women, design to cope with poverty in rural America.

Lindsey will discuss creating new narratives around transformation in our region using the medium of animation.

 

Talcon Quinn

Talcon Quinn is an Appalachian folk artist generationally native to Athens County. Her artistic work highlights traditions by relating them to modern times. Talcon will share with us why the stories in Reclaiming are relevant to today, and welcome questions from the audience.

 

 

Check out the rest of our films for the Appalachian Stories series

This series is sponsored by the Ohio Honors Program, University Libraries, College of Health Sciences and Professions, The Department of Social and Public Health, GO Local, University College, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The Multicultural Center and The Black Student Cultural Programming Board, Center for Campus and Community Engagement, and The Women’s Center.

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Running Time: 39 MIN39 MIN
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1-800-ON-HER-OWN: Ani DiFranco Documentary – One Night Only!

Watch Trailer Director: Dana Flor
Cast: Ani DiFranco

Join us Friday, January 31st for a special, one-night-only event screening of 1-800-ON-HER-OWN, a documentary film celebrating the music of one of the most prolific singer-songwriters in folk-rock – Ani DiFranco!

At the event and all month long, we will be raising money for Emily’s List, an organization that works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country. So, anyone who’d like to donate can do so at The Athena during our normal lobby hours.

Click here to learn more about Emily’s List

Admission $8

About the film

Ani DiFranco crashed onto the music scene in the early ‘90s, a thundering new voice in the cultural wilderness, unapologetically bisexual, political and feminist. She toured relentlessly, thrashing out hundreds of frenzied shows that were part mosh pit, part hootenanny and part full-on tent revival, then selling cassette tapes from the trunk of her car to make it to the next gig.

Ani became a worldwide phenomenon when she beat the male-dominated music industry at its own game by founding Righteous Babe Records, the first “woman-run non-corporate queer-happy” label, still going strong after nearly 35 years. The press called her “an entrepreneurial wonder” and “the industry’s worst nightmare.” Prince called her “my hero.” Ani simply called herself a folk singer, dedicated to art, activism and staying true to herself, no matter the cost.

1-800-ON-HER-OWN takes us on a wild cinematic road trip, from DiFranco’s punk-folk past to her life today as she reinvents herself as a passionate activist and revered rock star. Throughout the ride, she’s brutally honest, famously foul-mouthed and totally hilarious. Her daily challenges resonate as we reveal both an enduring, inspiring musical icon and a very relatable contemporary “everywoman” with her own epic fails and hard-won victories.

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Running Time: 77 MIN77 MIN
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Mean Girls Mimosa Matinee: MEAN GIRLS

Watch Trailer Director: Mark Waters
Writer(s): Tina Fey
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey

Join us Saturday, February 1st at 12:00 p.m. for a fun matinee screening of MEAN GILRS…with mimosas!

Admission $5

About the film

North Shore High-schooler Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) begins her first day of classes after spending years being homeschooled. As is often the case with a fresh face in the halls of any school, Cady finds it tough to make inroads with the students and teachers. When she strikes up a friendship with two other misfit girls, Cady learns about “The Plastics” – a clique of popular girls who are notoriously ruthless. Cady ends up making in-roads into The Plastics, but when she becomes infatuated with on of the clique’s ex-boyfriends, things get down-right mean!

With a screenplay by SNL’s Tina Fey (and an ensemble cast featuring several members of the show), Mean Girls is a smart and hilarious take on the typical “teen movie”!

Check out the rest of our line-up of films in the Mean Girls Mimosa Matinees Series

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Running Time: 97 MIN97 MIN
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