CINEMA QUEST – FALL 2024 VIDEOS
Coordinators: Howard Salik
Cinema Quest is a performing arts course that explores currently released and classic movies; the films, their casts and directors, storylines, scripts, and more are discussed and critiqued.
NOTE: To view a video click on the link below its description. Once the video window comes up (in a new tab), click on the start button to begin.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Ferrari, Coup de Chance, Thelma and Louise
Presenters: Lois Klein, Arlynn Greenbaum, Howard Salik
Presentation Date: September 4, 2024
Ferrari 2023 Reviewed by Lois Klein (Rotten Tomatoes: 81.) In the midst of the excitement and peril of 1950s Formula 1, former racer Enzo Ferrari (portrayed by Adam Driver) finds himself in a crisis. The shadow of bankruptcy looms over the company that he and his wife, Laura (played by Penelope Cruz), had painstakingly built from nothing a decade earlier. Their tumultuous marriage is further strained by the grief of losing their only son. Streaming: Apple, Prime, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) 2hr. 10 min.
Coup De Chance 2023 Reviewed by Arlynn Greenbaum (Rotten Tomatoes: 86/82). Fanny and Jean look like the ideal married couple; they’re both professionally accomplished, live in a gorgeous apartment in an exclusive neighborhood of Paris, and seem to be in love just as much as they were when they first met. But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain, a former high school classmate, she’s swept off her feet. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) 1 hr. 36 min.
Thelma And Louise 2023 Reviewed by Howard Salik (Rotten Tomatoes: 86/82) Thelma, a reserved homemaker, embarks on a brief fishing trip with her friend Louise, a confident waitress. Their excursion takes a drastic turn when Louise intervenes to protect Thelma from a man attempting to assault her, resulting in the man’s death. Fleeing to Mexico, the two women encounter various challenges, including Thelma’s romantic involvement with the charismatic young thief J.D. (played by Brad Pitt) and the efforts of Detective Slocumb (played by Harvey Keitel) to persuade them to surrender before facing dire consequences. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu)1 hr. 36 min.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Wicked Little Letter, Thelma, Hit Man
Presenters: Yona Rogosin, Marian Friedmann, Vince Grosso
Presentation Date: September 18, 2024
Wicked Little Letters Reviewed by Yona Rogosin (Rotten Tomatoes 80/88) When Edith and her fellow residents begin to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Netflix, Fandango at Home
Thelma Reviewed by Marian Friedmann (Rotten Tomatoes 98/83) After 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her. James Bond has nothing on her. Streaming: Prime, Apple Fandango, YouTube
Hit Man Reviewed by Vince Grosso (Rotten Tomatoes 97/93) A professor moonlighting as a hit man for his city police department descends into dangerous, dubious territory when he becomes attracted to a woman who enlists his services. Streaming: Netflix
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Kidnapped, The Graduate, Unfrosted
Presenters: Judy Winn, Saul Makon, Bob Reiss
Presentation Date: October 2, 2024
Kidnapped reviewed by Judy Winn (Rotten Tomatoes 86/80) In 1858, in the Jewish quarter of Bologna, the Pope’s enforcers burst into the home of the Mortara family. By order of the cardinal, they have come to claim their seven-year-old son, Edgardo. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home.
The Graduate, Reviewed by Sol Makon (Rotten Tomatoes 87/90) Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) has just finished college and, back at his parents’ house, he’s trying to avoid the one question everyone keeps asking: What does he want to do with his life? An unexpected diversion crops up when he is seduced by Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), a bored housewife and friend of his parents. Streaming: Prime, Apple Fandango.
“Hit Man” Reviewed by Bob Reiss (Rotten Tomatoes 55/55) Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast forever. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, Unfrosted stars writer/director Jerry Seinfeld. Streaming: Netflix.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Jules, The Grapes of Wrath, WarGames
Presenters: Dena Kerrin, Kathy Cook, Madeline Brecher
Presentation Date: October16, 2024
Jules – Jules follows Milton (Ben Kingsley), who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Streaming: Prime, Fandango at Home, Paramount. /p>
The Grapes of Wrath – The Joad clan is introduced to the world in John Steinbeck’s iconic novel and is looking for a better life in California. After the bank seizes their drought-ridden farm, the family — led by just-paroled son Tom (Henry Fonda) — loads up a truck and heads West. Steaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home.
War Games – The film follows a bipartisan group of US defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers from five presidential administrations as they participate in an unscripted role-play exercise. Portraying a fictional President and his advisors, they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the US military in the wake of a contested 2024 presidential election. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Last Summer, Fargo, His Three Daughters
Presenters: Hedy Schulmann, David Judlowitz, Vince Grosso
Presentation Date: October30, 2024
Last Summer – A brilliant French lawyer, lives with her husband Pierre and their daughters but gradually engages in a passionate relationship with her husband’s son, putting her career and family in jeopardy.
Fargo – A Minnesota car salesman’s inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen’s bungling and the persistent work of the quite pregnant policewoman Marge Gunderson.
His Three Daughters – Reviewed by Vince Grosso. A bittersweet and often funny story of an elderly patriarch and the three grown daughters who come to be with and remember him in his final days.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Lee, Farewell Mr. Haffman, The Pawnbroker
Presenters: Marian Friedmann, Paul Adler, Sandra Abramson
Presentation Date: November 13, 2024
Lee – Reviewed by Marian Friedmann (R/T: 94), The true story of American photographer Lee Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed photojournalist for Vogue Magazine during WW II. Streaming: Prime, Apple, Fandango at Home
Farewell Mr. Haffman – Reviewed by Paul Adler (R/T: 100/99). After the Germans occupy Paris, a talented jeweler arranges for his family to flee the city and offers one of his employees the opportunity to take over the store until the conflict subsides.
The Pawnbroker – Reviewed by Sandra Abramson (R/T: 86/87). A Jewish pawnbroker, a victim of Nazi persecution, loses all faith in his fellow man until he realizes too late the tragedy of his actions.
CINEMA QUEST
Three Films: Ezra, Conclave, Vertigo
Presenters: Gail Spitalnik, Len Lavitt, Sol Makon
Presentation Date: December 4, 2024
First, Gail Spitalnik will introduce a heartfelt film about a stand-up comedian balancing co-parenting his autistic son, Ezra, while living with his father. It’s a touching story about family and personal dreams (streaming on Prime, Apple, and Fandango).
Next, Len Lavitt will take us into the thrilling world of the Vatican in Conclave, which explores the intense process of selecting a Pope. This film is expected to make a splash during awards season (in theaters only).
Finally, Sol Makon will introduce us to the classic Vertigo, at the top of the American Film Institute’s list of the best films ever. It’s a suspenseful story about an SFPD officer hauntingly pursuing the double of his deceased wife (streaming on Prime, Fandango).