LUZZO: Dec 17 and 18

Dec 17 and 18 at 8:30 at the IU Fine Arts Theater
A hardworking Maltese fisherman, Jesmark, is faced with an agonizing choice. He can repair his leaky luzzu – a traditional, multicolored wooden fishing boat – in the hopes of eking out a meager living at sea for his wife and newborn son, just as his father and father’s father did before him. Or he could cast his lot with a sinister black-market operation that is decimating the Mediterranean fish population and the livelihoods of the local families who depend on it. Luzzu heralds the arrival of writer-director-editor Alex Camilleri, a gripping storyteller in the neorealist tradition of early Luchino Visconti and the Dardenne brothers and and calls to mind the work of the film’s producer Ramin Bahrani (Man Push CartThe White Tiger). Nonporofessional actor Jesmark Scicluna, a real-life Maltese fisherman, won an award at Sundance for his extraordinary performance. Malta / 95 min / in Maltese with subtitles

There are more exciting Ryder films playing this weekend!

THE VILLAGE DETECTIVE: Dec 10, 11

Dec 10 and 11 at 7pm at the IU Fine Arts Theater
During the summer of 2016, a fishing boat off the shores of Iceland made a most curious catch: four reels of 35mm film, seemingly of Soviet provenance. The film turned out to be an incomplete print of a popular Soviet comedy from 1969, water damaged no less. Did that mean it had no value? Filmmaker Bill Morrison thought not. (Some of you saw his film Dawson City, Frozen Time when we screened it in 2017) Morrison makes movies from ghostly fragments of lost films. He uses these four reels as a jumping off point for his latest meditation on cinema’s past, offering a journey into Soviet history and film accompanied by a gorgeous score by Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer David Lang. 2021 • in English and in Russian with subtitles • 81 min
Morrison’s movies feel like half-remembered reveries formed from memories you can no longer consciously recall. Hovering at the intersection of reappropriation, preservation, history, music, and art, any one of his works will haunt you for the rest of your life. – Hyperallergic

There are more exciting Ryder films playing this weekend!

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can show us your vaccination card us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.
Where Are Films Shown?     Where Can I Park for free on Campus?     Any other Questions? Send an email to editor@TheRyder.com

La Piscine (The Swimming Pool): Nov 12, 13, 19 & 20

Nov 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8:30 at the IU Fine Arts Theater

Sexual tension simmers on the French Riviera in this late-’60s, Euro-chic erotic thriller. Jane Birkin stars alongside Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, and Maurice Ronet as a quartet of tanned, toned, beautiful people who spend their summer swimming, lounging the pool (la piscine) and trysting with one another amid the crystal-blue waters of the Côte d’Azur. But jealousy and a creeping sense of unease gradually infect their languorous idyll. Director Jacques Deray and co-writer Jean-Claude Carrière deliver a sultry, sun-baked master class in slow-burn suspense.

123 min / In French with English subtitles.

Restored in 4K from the original 35mm negative.

Critic’s Pick! – The New York Times

Swan Song: Nov 12, 13, 19 & 20

Nov 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 7:30 at the IU Radio & TV Theater
A retired hairdresser has given up on life and now lives in a nursing home in Sandusky, Ohio. But when he gets word that a former client’s dying wish was for him to style her final hairdo, he sets out on an epic journey across Sandusky to confront the ghosts of his past–and collect the beauty supplies necessary for the job.

The legendary German character actor Udo Kier stars. (Kier’s acting career goes back to the 1960s and the films of Werner Herzog and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.) Linda Evans co-stars Her career also dates back to the early ’60s–anyone remember The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet?

Directed by Todd Stephens, Swan Song is a comical and bittersweet journey about rediscovering oneself and looking gorgeous while doing so.

(2021 • 105 min)

Kier gets the role of his lifetime as a fabulously snarky, acerbic, long-retired hairdresser. – IndieWire

Tickets: only $8

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can photograph your vaccination card and show it to us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.


Where Are Films Shown?     Where Can I Park for free on Campus?     Any other Questions? Send an email to editor@TheRyder.com

“The Velvet Underground” nov 5, 6 and 7

November 5, 6 and 7 at 8:30 at the IU Fine Arts Theater

Back By Popular Demand!

Todd Haynes’s new film about the seminal band, The Velvet Underground, mirrors its members’ experimentation and formal innovation. Combining contemporary interviews and archival documentation with newscasts, advertisements, and a trove of avant-garde film from the era, Haynes constructs a vibrant cinematic collage that is as much about the New York of the ’60s and ’70s as it is about the rise and fall of the band. Haynes unearths rich details about Andy Warhol, The Factory, Nico, and others, adding vivid context and texture that never diminish the ultimate enigma of the group that has been called as influential as the Beatles. 2021 • 120 min

Tickets: only $8

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can photograph your vaccination card and show it to us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.
Where Are Films Shown?     Where Can I Park for free on Campus?     Any other Questions? Send an email to editor@TheRyder.com

(2021 / 120 min)

“Critic’s Pick!” – The New York Times (Oct 15) Read the full review

Tickets: only $8

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can photograph your vaccination card and show it to us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.
 

Universal May Just Deliver New Monster Classics

by Mirabelle Peabody

In recent years we’ve witnessed the hugely successful re-invention of the Marvel franchise with the introduction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Films are now intertwined with each other, although not titled concurrently. There have been hints of this for at least a few years; some may not have noticed that Universal had something similar on its mind when they announced the DarkUniverse in a tweet.

Witness the beginning of a #DarkUniverse. pic.twitter.com/8g9eIbQfGa

— #DarkUniverse (@darkuniverse) May 22, 2017

Tom Cruise would be The Mummy, Johnny Depp The Invisible Man, Javier Bardem as Frankenstein’s monster and Russell Crowe would do double-duty as both Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. That sounded pretty impressive on the face of it, but following the failure of The Mummy reboot, the Dark Universe idea suddenly slipped into the shadows.

It was arguably best that the plan didn’t come to fruition back in 2017; after all, there are certainly more deserving characters and movies that would fit better like Horror of Dracula. After all, if you consider the two titles in isolation there’s no way The Mummy would be more revered than Dracula, although the Mummy is a classic in its own right with the original movie appearing just a year after Dracula first surfaced.

There is still an opportunity though that Universal could grab with both hands. Just look at some of those aforementioned classic characters. Frankenstein and Dracula are massive and are synonymous with horror, there’s not anyone who doesn’t know who they are.

Add to that the availability of the classics on streaming platforms including on the YouTube Fear: The Home of Horror channel, which has been showing classic Universal Monster movies since January for free. The presence of these characters is constant; they are always relevant in popular culture. Moreover, they cut across other genres of entertainment, with Dracula popping up on one of the most popular video games, Castlevania for example. Dracula appeared in Symphony of the Night; it was even adapted into an award winning Netflix series and it doesn’t stop there. Dracula and Frankenstein-based slots are common across slot sites, and Dr. Jekyll even makes an appearance in the “Dr. Jekyll Goes Wild” game hosted on Gala Casino.

Alongside the digital and gaming platforms there’s now Universal’s streaming service, Peacock, which promises to keep things firmly in your mind’s eye. On Peacock you will find originals such as Bride of Frankenstein and the original 1933 version of The Invisible Man and more.

Last year saw the revival of the Invisible Man and even in a stop start year hit by the pandemic, worldwide box office receipts for the Leigh Whannel directed movie stood at over $140m. It demonstrates the hunger for reboots of these classics and proves that there really isn’t a need for there to be a thread linking them together. Nor do they don’t need to command a massive budget to make a successful movie. The Invisible Man which was made for a relatively moderate $7m; compare that to the $120m+ outlay on The Mummy which made $409m worldwide.

Next up for a modern day reboot is Dracula, in which Karyn Kusama will work with Blumhouse productions on the classic title. It is believed that it will be made with a similarly low to moderate budget much like it’s successful stablemate, The Invisible Man. In an interesting, twist there will also be a cover of the blood thirsty legend directed by Chloe Zhao which will come under the Universal banner.

It’s a truly exciting time for fans of the genre, The manner in which these classic movies are being reproduced seems to be a true nod to their history and their heritage. Very interesting indeed.

Diversity & Inclusion at the Jacobs School of Music: inside the new issue of The Ryder

Our Oct Issue is on the Newsstands!
Conducting Change at Jacobs
The rarified world of classical music has been populated by a predictable cast of white, male, European choreographers and composers. Diversity, equity and inclusion have been little more than an afterthought. The Jacobs School of Music is trying to do something about that.
By Kyle Adams

The Ryder Interview with Jim Manion
Jim Manion has managed and curated the music that we’ve listened to on WFHB since the station went on the air. Twenty-eight years later he is stepping aside.
By Peter LoPilato

Albrecht Dürer at the Eskenazi
From a young age, Albrecht Dürer was Europe’s most highly-sought printmaker, mesmerizing audiences with his intricacy of line and electrifying naturalism. His work is on display at the Eskenazi Museum of Art.
By Leah Marie Chizek

Islands of Resilience at the IU CinemaIn the context of current global threats to cultural and ecological diversity, there are many documentaries made by Western filmmakers about indigenous communities, which, while often valuable, nevertheless treat such people as “other,” as objects of study. The films that comprise Islands of Resilience, screening at the IU Cinema, give center stage to indigenous voices themselves.
By David Stringer

All this and more in the current issue of The Ryder magazine. The Ryder is distributed free in locally owned Bloomington shops and restaurants and the IU campus. Can’t wait to pick up a copy? Click here to read it now.

UNDINE: Nov 5, 6 and 7

Nov 5 and 6 and 7 at 6:30 at the IU Fine Arts Theater
At first blush, the new film from Christian Petzold might seem a departure for the German director, especially to those only acquainted with him from his most recent film, the award-winning Transit (which some of you may have seen at the IU Cinema). Like his earlier films, Undine tells a story of star crossed lovers but this time with a supernatural twist (it’s that time of year).

2021 • Germany • 90 min

CRITIC’S PICK! An offbeat gem! Christian Petzold’s latest begins in the middle of a breakup, with the standard explanations and platitudes, until Undine (Paula Beer), the woman on the receiving end, says something you don’t typically hear in such conversations: “If you leave me, I’ll have to kill you. You know that!” This is no ordinary romance; true to her name, Undine is a water nymph.” –The New York Time

Tickets: only $8

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can photograph your vaccination card and show it to us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.


Where Are Films Shown?     Where Can I Park for free on Campus?     Any other Questions? Send an email to editor@TheRyder.com

WIFE OF A SPY: Nov 5, 6 and 7

Nov 5 and 6 and 7 at 7:15 at the IU Radio & TV Theater
The new film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa is an espionage drama in the league of Hitchcock’s Notorious. Wife of a Spy is set in 1940 in Kobe, on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. After traveling to Manchuria, a Japanese colony, an amateur filmmaker decides to bring to light the things he witnessed there, and secretly filmed. Meanwhile, his wife must seduce, scheme, and even betray in order to outwit a ruthless secret police lieutenant who is suspicious of her husband’s activities. 2021 • Japan • 115 min

“Critic’s Pick!  Linear narrative perfection with every scene perfectly calibrated.” –The New York Times

“Worthy of John Le Carre’s storied blend of tradecraft, history and insight into the ramifications of duplicity.” –The Wrap

Tickets: only $8

Covid Protocols: Filmgoers must be vaccinated and must show proof of vaccination. This includes IU students, faculty and staff. (You can photograph your vaccination card and show it to us on your phone.)
Filmgoers must wear masks in the theater. Seating will be capped at 35% of capacity.


Where Are Films Shown?     Where Can I Park for free on Campus?     Any other Questions? Send an email to editor@TheRyder.com

“pOSSESSION” oCT 22, 23

October 15, 16, 22, and 23 at 7:15 at the IU Radio & TV Theater.

A woman starts acting strangely after asking her husband, a professional spy, for a divorce. His initial suspicions of a secret lover soon give way to something much more sinister. Isabelle Adjani won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her performance. Written and directed by Polish novelist/filmmaker Andrej Zulawski, Possession received mixed reviews upon its release in 1981. Today it is considered a masterpiece of surrealism and cat-and-mouse suspense. Re-released this year in a 4K restoration.

(in English, French and German with subtitles / 1981; 2021 / 124 min)

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