Welcome to the Spring semester! As we head towards Valentine’s Day we’ve decided to kick off Film Club with something “romantic” (heavy quotes), a movie all about love – its promises and perceptions and sometimes tough realities.

500 Days of Summer is typically classified as a romantic comedy, although in many ways it is a subversion of the genre, focusing on the nuances of a new relationship. The narrative is non-linear, gradually unpacking layers of the story and its shifting emotional tones. While not a traditional rom-com the movie has plenty of romance, comedy, honesty, and even a bit of wisdom.

500 Days was made on a low indie budget of $7.5 mil and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. It garnered a fair amount of critical praise as well as several screenwriting awards, including an Independent Spirit Award.

Happy Holidays film club friends! As our final movie for the semester, we’ve decided to do a live Twitter watch party for the 1988 “holiday classic” (argue amongst yourselves) Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman.

For the uninitiated, Die Hard is a classic action film, originally based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. The story follows NYC police detective John McClane (Willis) as he becomes caught up in a terrorist takeover of a skyscraper in Los Angeles.

Die Hard has become the quintessential American action movie while also subverting traditional tropes, tempering action and suspense with fun, humor, and compelling characters. In 2017 Die Hard was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Happy Noirvember! This month we will explore noir and neo-noir, starting with a film widely considered to be quintessential to the genre.

Out of the Past features strong examples of noir motifs: shadows, smoke, deadpan dialogue, double-crosses, and of course, the femme fatale. The film was adapted for the silver screen by Daniel Mainwaring, who also authored the source novel, then rewritten by B-movie writer Frank Fenton. It was produced at RKO by the legendary Val Lewton unit on a relatively large budget.

Director Tourneur (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie) crafts a moody, suspenseful atmosphere while lead Robert Mitchum performs the perfect hard-boiled anti-hero. Jane Greer and Kirk Douglas also give breakout performances. Out of the Past is a multi-layered, affecting noir known for its snappy dialogue and brooding sense of fate.

Halloween is coming up fast, and there’s nothing like a monster movie to get into the spooky spirit! To finish up the month we will watch Bong Joon-ho’s The Host, one of the most interesting creature-features of this century from one of its greatest directors.

This South Korean blockbuster became the country’s highest-grossing film of all time when it was first released. It has been critically praised ever since for its blend of genres and tones, high energy pace, compelling character dynamics, and unique creature design (we’ll see how those VFX hold up 15 years later).

The Host was Bong’s third feature and includes the themes that would become the director’s calling card – class consciousness, political satire, and the strong bonds of family. This is an adrenaline-pumping monster flick in the grandest tradition, while also revealing some fascinating depths.

October is spooky season, and what better way to start than some shiver-inducing, mind-bending psychological horror!

Kubrick’s The Shining is widely considered a masterpiece of the horror and thriller genres, visually stunning with iconic (and somewhat controversial) performances from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Loosely based on Stephen King’s novel, the film follow the Torrance family as they take care of the historic and imposing Overlook Hotel, a luxury inn with a terrifying past.

This movie is a masterclass in atmosphere, with a chilling soundtrack and a story that creeps forward with psychological twists and increasingly bizarre imagery. Over the years, dozens of fan and critical theories have emerged about hidden symbolism, underlying themes, and untold backstories, giving The Shining a prominent place in American cinematic culture.