 "Photo: Flickr/Creative Commons")
Next Wednesday night, anyone with the desire to see Homer Simpson and family "d'oh" their way through an entire motion picture will be able to do exactly that just by hanging out on Norris' lawn at around 9 p.m. or whenever the sun begins to set.
The outdoor screening is one of many going on every Wednesday throughout the summer, presented by Block Cinema. Though the summer screenings have maintained a loose focus on the late, Northwestern-educated and Evanston-native Charlton Heston (Planet of the Apes was shown on July 9, Soylent Green on July 23 and Touch of Evil screens August 6), they can be as varied as a black and white classic like Inherit the Wind (August 13) to something a bit more contemporary like next week's The Simpsons Movie (July 30).
"When you show movies outdoors, you show a slightly different type of movie. You want it to be more of a broader appeal you want it to be more family friendly, " said Block Cinema President Will Schmenner. "A movie that does well outdoors will probably be a movie that people see and then walk away saying 'wow, that was good.'"
The movies that Block Cinema believes will elicit that reaction include the latest Harry Potter film as well as Ratatouille in addition to the old Charlton Heston epics. "I thought Ratatouille was a darn good movie," Schmenner explained.
Summer Outdoor Movies is just one of the handful of methods in which Block Cinema is luring Northwestern students and Evanston residents to take an interest in film. Other initiatives Block has launched over the years include their film series, in which films chosen to fit a specific theme are shown weekly for a quarter. Chosen by the Film & Projection Society, these series have been as specific as Alfred Hitchcock to as broad as South Korean cinema.
But outlets available for avid film fans are not limited solely to what's screened by Block. Day for Night, Block's film magazine, provides another opportunity for enthusiasts to study cinema. "Part of the idea is that film programmers for block cinema could always write articles for Day for Night," Schmenner says of the publication. "If their film series didn't make it in, then they would always be able to have a voice about film in the magazine."
After Aug. 13, when Inherit the Wind screens outdoors, Block Cinema programming will go on hold until a new series begins in the fall quarter, when more students move back onto campus and into Evanston. "Have you been on-campus during that period before?" Schmenner asked, referring to the gap between mid-Summer and the state of a new schoolyear. "It's very dead."
jacob-nelson@northwestern.edu
Be the first to comment on this article!