• Home
  • Join
  • Partners
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Film Society KC

Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone Number

Your Custom Text Here

Film Society KC

  • Home
  • Join
  • Partners
  • Resources
  • About
  • Contact

Member Screening - 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY @ Screenland Armour - Nov 4 - 7PM

October 24, 2019 Justin Gardner
74423165_2424171724487089_6149579980239011840_n.jpg

See Stanley Kubrick's classic back on the BIG screen for one night only! Film Society KC presents 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY at Screenland Armour on Monday, Nov 4 at 7PM!

This is a Film Society KC members screening, so we've purchased 30 tickets for PAID Film Society KC members. That means each paid member can claim TWO tickets apiece, a $20 value! Click here to claim your tickets!

If you’re not a PAID member, click here to join today!

https___cdn.evbuc.com_images_77214969_165642355433_1_original.jpg

The film will be introduced by Film Society KC Board Member and UMKC Film Studies Professor, Mitch Brian, and we'll have a brief discussion after the film with UMKC professor Erin Hamer-Beck.

https___cdn.evbuc.com_images_77215177_165642355433_1_original.jpg

IMPORTANT NOTE - If you aren't a PAID Film Society KC member, you CAN NOT claim tickets to this event. Once you've purchased a membership, you can claim tickets to this event.

https___cdn.evbuc.com_images_77215129_165642355433_1_original.jpg

ABOUT THE FILM - Widely considered among the greatest films of the 20th century, 2001: A Space Odyssey will return to select U.S. theatres in 70mm. With 2001: A Space Odyssey, director Stanley Kubrick redefined the limits of filmmaking and cemented his legacy as one of the most revolutionary and influential film directors of all time.

https___cdn.evbuc.com_images_77215287_165642355433_1_original.jpg

Originally released on April 4, 1968, the film ignited the imaginations of critics and audiences alike and its impact continues to resonate to this day. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the seminal film, Warner Bros. Pictures is releasing an “unrestored” 70mm print of the director’s groundbreaking science fiction epic.

A true photochemical film recreation, this print was struck from new printing elements made from the original camera negative. There are no digital tricks, remastered effects, or revisionist edits. Christopher Nolan, a longtime admirer of the late American auteur, worked closely with the team at Warner Bros. Pictures to oversee the mastering process.

Comment

MIDDLE OF THE MAP FILM FEST - Check out these Deals for Film Society KC Members and Fans!

August 22, 2019 Justin Gardner
Untitled design.jpg

FREE Tickets and 30% off Fest Pass for Film Society KC members! 50% off screening tickets for Film Society KC fans!

Middle of the Map Film Fest is back this year at Screenland Armour from August 28th thru September 4th and we have THREE awesome deals for Film Society KC paid members and TWO discount deals for our fans!

AUG 31 - ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL

Screen Shot 2019-08-22 at 10.57.33 AM.png

Join us for a night of nostalgia and see The Ramones in the classic ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL. Click here to get your TWO free tickets if you're a Film Society KC paid member. We also have half price tickets available for our fans too.

SEPT 1 - WAYNE'S WORLD

Screen Shot 2019-08-22 at 10.57.26 AM.png

Party on and get your FREE tickets to this comedy classic, based on the iconic Saturday Night Live duo created by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. Click here to get TWO free tickets if you're a Film Society KC paid member. We also have half price tickets available for our fans too.

AUG 28 - SEPT 4 - MOTM FILM FEST PASSES

Screen Shot 2019-08-22 at 10.41.12 AM.png

Normally, passes to this fest are $35, but we're giving you $10 off the purchase price. Hurry, only TWO passes are left for Film Society KC paid members. First come, first serve! Click here to get yours today!

For more info on Middle of the Map Film Fest, click here for more details!

Comment

Armour Screenings - RAGING BULL - May 25 & 26 - 12 & 1PM

May 8, 2019 Justin Gardner
59456685_10161814653525261_1051851170261237760_o.jpg

Film Society KC presents RAGING BULL at Screenland Armour on May 25th at 12PM and May 26th at 1PM! Get your FREE tickets right now by clicking on this link! 10 available for each screening.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can claim TWO tickets to either screening, but please only claim that many tickets if you're actually going. If you claim a ticket (or tickets) and DO NOT go, it's not good for anybody, including us and the theatre. Thank you for being awesome!

If all our free tickets are taken, purchase one by clicking here: https://screenland.com/armour/movie/raging-bull

ABOUT THE FILM
The story of a middleweight boxer as he rises through ranks to earn his first shot at the middleweight crown. He falls in love with a gorgeous girl from the Bronx. The inability to express his feelings enters into the ring and eventually takes over his life. He eventually is sent into a downward spiral that costs him everything.

Comment

Terror Tuesdays - BLOOD & BLACK LACE - May 28 - 930PM

May 8, 2019 Justin Gardner
57530992_10161732407170261_8048651627600543744_o.jpg

Film Society KC presents BLOOD & BLACK LACE with Alamo Drafthouse's TERROR TUESDAYS on May 28th at 930PM! Get your FREE ticket right now by clicking this link! Just 10 available.

Please only claim ONE ticket if you plan on coming, and please only claim a ticket if you're actually going to come. Thank you! :-)

If free tickets are no longer available, join us anyway! Buy tickets at this link: https://drafthouse.com/kansas-city/show/terror-tuesday-blood-and-black-lace

ABOUT THE FILM
New uncut 2K restoration presented in Italian with English subtitles! Before Dario Argento’s DEEP RED, there was Mario Bava’s BLOOD AND BLACK LACE. At the Cristiana Haute Couture fashion house, models and their boyfriends excel at the art of backstabbing, blackmail, and snorting cocaine. That is, until a faceless maniac embarks on a mission of death!

After the one-two punch of BLACK SUNDAY and BLACK SABBATH, Mario Bava unleashed BLOOD AND BLACK LACE -- the movie that perfected the ultra-violent sub-genre that would come to be known as “giallo.” With a mood that mashes together the elegance of a quiet rain on a summer night with the luridness of a trashy paperback, it’s no wonder why Martin Scorsese once referred to this movie as “an incredible moment for cinema.”

Comment

Tapcade Screenings - REPO MAN - May 25 - 10PM

May 8, 2019 Justin Gardner
Screen Shot 2019-05-08 at 11.17.15 AM.png

Film Society KC presents REPO MAN at Screenland Tapcade on May 25th at 10PM! Get your FREE ticket right now by clicking this link. 10 available.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please only claim ONE ticket if you plan on coming, and please only claim a ticket if you're actually going. If you claim a ticket and DO NOT go, it's not good for anybody, including us and the theatre. Thank you for being awesome!

If all our free tickets are taken, purchase one by clicking here: https://screenland.com/tapcade/movie/repo-man

ABOUT THE FILM
After being fired from his job, Los Angeles slacker and punk rocker Otto (Emilio Estevez) lands a gig working for an eccentric repossession agent named Bud (Harry Dean Stanton). At first, Otto is reluctant to work as a repo man, but he grows to love the fast-paced job. After learning of a Chevy Malibu that has been given a $20,000 price tag, Otto embarks on a quest to find the car with the beautiful Leila (Olivia Barash), who claims the trunk's contents are otherworldly.


Comment

KC Film Premiere - BIG FUR - May 5th - 530PM

April 30, 2019 Justin Gardner
1556633335304_Poster.jpg

Join Film Society KC, filmmaker Dan Wayne and champion taxidermist Ken Walker for a very special Kansas City premiere of their documentary, BIG FUR. Also in attendance will be Ken's creation, Patty, a 9-foot-tall recreation of Bigfoot he made for the World Taxidermy Championship!

The film will be followed by a Q&A with Dan Wayne and Ken Walker. Film Society KC Board Member Justin Gardner will moderate.

All the free tickets are taken, so please purchase tickets here: https://screenland.com/armour/movie/big-fur

ABOUT THE FILM
BIG FUR is a wry, funny portrait of an eccentric artist-hero. World Champion taxidermist Ken Walker builds a life-sized Bigfoot, based on frames from an iconic 1967 movie, and unveils her at the World Taxidermy Championship.

While Ken would love to win Best in Show, his real hope is that putting “Patty” on display will prompt some hunter to open his freezer and pull out the proof that Bigfoot is real. Instead, it’s Ken’s love life that gets thawed out.

Although true love proves illusory, Ken is still sure that any day Bigfoot's existence will be confirmed. Until then, he’ll keep searching for both.

Comment

CinemaKC VIP Party & Legacy Screening - RIDE WITH THE DEVIL - April 11 - 530PM

April 8, 2019 Justin Gardner
Screen Shot 2019-04-08 at 9.41.49 AM.png

Join Film Society KC for RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, a part of CinemaKC's Legacy Series, sponsored by KC Film Office and Visit KC at the Kansas City FilmFest International on Thursday, April 11th!

10 tickets are available for the VIP party before the screening at 530PM and the film screening. The film starts promptly at 645PM, which will be followed by a Q&A at 930PM afterwards.

  • VIP Party - 5:30PM – 6:30PM

  • Screening - 6:45PM – 9:25PM.

  • Q&A - 9:30PM

Please only claim ONE ticket per person. Click here to get yours!

ABOUT RIDE WITH THE DEVIL
Directed by Academy Award winning director Ang Lee and filmed right here in the Kansas City area, the film features early work by Tobey Maguire and Jeffrey Wright. The story follows the fringes of the Civil War, as Missouri Bushwackers engage in guerrilla warfare with Union Jayhawkers. Bushwackers Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire) and Jack Chiles (Skeet Ulrich), out to avenge the murder of Jack's father, are joined by George Clyde (Simon Baker) and his former slave, Daniel (Jeffrey Wright). Hiding out for the winter, Jack has a short romance with a war widow (Jewel) before dying. Jake steps in to take care of her and her newborn before joining Quantrill's famous Kansas raid.this film featured Tobey Maguire and Jeffrey Wright before.

Comment

THE WILD BUNCH (Director's Cut) - 50 Year Anniversary 35MM Screening - May 2nd - 630PM

March 28, 2019 Justin Gardner
original.jpg

A notorious preview screening of director Sam Peckinpah’s western THE WILD BUNCH occurred on May 1st, 1969 at the Empire theatre in Kansas City, MO, which is now the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet. The film’s graphic violence was ahead of its time and sent scores of unsuspecting Kansas Citians running out of the theater! THE WILD BUNCH is now considered a classic.

To commemorate this historical cinematic event, Alamo Drafthouse and Film Society KC are honored to present a 35mm screening of THE WILD BUNCH Director's Cut on Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 at Alamo Drafthouse Kansas City IN THE SAME LOCATION the original screening took place. The screening will be followed by an enlightening Q&A featuring author, filmmaker and Sam Peckinpah historian Paul Seydor. 

VIP Tickets are available for current or new Film Society KC members, and range from $25 to $50. Click here to get yours!

Current Film Society KC members pay $25 for a ticket to the show, a special meet & greet with Paul Seydor before the screening, priority seating at the screening and a Blu-ray copy of THE WILD BUNCH Director's Cut, which includes Seydor's 1996 Oscar Nominated documentary short film, THE WILD BUNCH: AN ALBUM IN MONTAGE. 

New Film Society KC members pay $50, which includes a membership to Film Society KC (a $40 value), and everything included in the current Film Society KC member ticket package. 

Only 30 VIP tickets are available for current and new members, so purchase yours today!

ABOUT THE WILD BUNCH

William Holden leads a band of aging robbers through the hard world of the Old West, pursued by former-friend-turned bounty-hunter Robert Ryan. The balletic violence and weary fatalism that Peckinpah brings to his vision of the American West is underscored by some of sweatiest, dirtiest, bloodiest performances from some of the toughest actors of all time. Ernest Borgnine, Ben Johnson and Warren Oates shoot, screw, drink, and ride their way through the film’s harsh landscape, while managing to imbue it with a sense of sublime poetry. This is a film about men who have outlived their time and cling to a code that will be discarded by future generations: stand by your friends, take what you can get, and don’t kill civilians...unless they get in the way.

ABOUT PAUL SEYDOR
Paul Seydor is a film professor at Chapman University and the editor of dozens of feature films including TURNER AND HOOCH, WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP, HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE and many more. He was also the Director and Editor of the Oscar Nominated documentary short film, THE WILD BUNCH: AN ALBUM IN MONTAGE.

1 Comment

STUDIO GHIBLI EXTRAVAGANZA - 5 Films, 4 Nights - April 6th thru 9th

March 28, 2019 Justin Gardner
Screen Shot 2019-03-28 at 8.22.32 PM.png

Join Film Society KC and Alamo Drafthouse presents FIVE amazing Studio Ghibli film by famed director Hayao Miyazaki! If you are a Film Society KC Member or fan you can claim a ticket to any of the 5 films. Click here to grab yours today.

Here's the amazing lineup! (Note: links take you to Alamo Drafthouse’s website, not our ticket page)

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO - Sat, April 6th - 12:30PM
SPIRITED AWAY - Sun, April 7th - 12:30pm 
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES - Sun, April 7th - 6:30pm 
PONYO - Mon, April 8th - 7:00pm 
PORCO ROSSO - Tues, April 9th - 7:00pm

As always, please make sure to only claim a ticket for the film you will actually be attending. Any tickets that are claimed but not used actually counts against us in the long run. We need you to show up if you're claiming a ticket.

Thanks for understanding and we'll see you soon!

Comment

STARFISH - with Writer/Director A.T. White - Apr 4 - 715PM

March 19, 2019 Justin Gardner
53887210_10156318621632947_4480248491477565440_n.jpg

Film Society KC presents STARFISH, with a Q&A with Writer/Director A.T. White at Screenland Armrour on April 4th at 715PM. Click here to get your FREE ticket right now! Just 10 available. 

If all our free tickets are taken, purchase one here: https://screenland.com/armour/showtimes/starfish-4419-715-pm/

(DISCLAIMER FOR TICKETS: Please only claim ONE ticket per person, and only do so if you're actually planning on going. If you claim a ticket and DO NOT go, that takes a ticket away from somebody who would have gone, and it hurts Film Society KC and the theatre. Basically, the more people claim tickets and DON'T come, the less we're able to do these screenings. )

ABOUT THE FILM
When a mysterious signal from an unknown dimension summons the end of days, it appears as if only Aubrey (Virginia Gardner) is left on earth. Trapped in the apartment of her recently deceased best friend, the only clue she has is a single cassette left behind after her friends death, labeled: “THIS MIXTAPE WILL SAVE THE WORLD.” Thrust into a mystery orchestrated by her friend and stricken with grief, Aubrey begins to piece the clues together, uncovering a series of tapes all with pieces of the mystery signal. Along the way, progress is impeded when monstrous creatures begin to overrun the world and enclose in on her. Aubrey is forced to fight off the encroaching creatures and move beyond her own crippling grief in order to find the remaining tapes. But will completing the signal save the world?

Director: A.T. White
Run Time: 100 min.
Starring: Christina Masterson, Eric Beecroft, Virginia Gardner

Comment

Armour Screenings - THE EVIL DEAD/EVIL DEAD 2 - March 20th - 7 & 930PM

March 17, 2019 Justin Gardner
https___cdn.evbuc.com_images_58634276_165642355433_1_original.jpg

Film Society KC presents an epic double feature! THE EVIL DEAD and EVIL DEAD II 4K Remastered at Screenland Armrour on March 20th at 7 & 930PM! Click here to get your pair of tickets to both shows! Just 10 available!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please only claim ONE pair of tickets, and please only claim them if you're actually going. If you claim a ticket and do not go, it prevents us from doing things like this in the future. So please be awesome and don't claim something you won't use. :-)

If all our free tickets are taken, purchase one here: https://screenland.com/armour/2019-03-20/0/

ABOUT THE EVIL DEAD
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

Starring: Barbara Carey, Betsy Baker, Bruce Campbell, Cheryl Guttridge, David Horton, Dorothy Tapert, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Philip A. Gillis, Theresa Tilly

ABOUT EVIL DEAD II
At a cabin the woods, Ash Williams and his girlfriend play a voice recording from an archeologist chanting from The Book of the Dead.

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley DePaiva, Sarah Berry, Ted Raimi

Comment

Film Club - WE ARE COLUMBINE - April 10 - 7 PM

March 13, 2019 Guest User
Columbine.jpeg

Film Society KC presents WE ARE COLUMBINE with Alamo Drafthouse's Film Club on April 10th at 7PM! Get your FREE ticket right now! Just 10 available. Click here to get yours now!

PLEASE NOTE: Only claim ONE ticket per person and please only claim a ticket if you plan on coming. If all the free tickets are taken, purchase one here: https://drafthouse.com/kansas-city/show/film-club-we-are-columbine

Come for the film, and then join us in the Chesterfield Lounge afterwards for a discussion about it!

ABOUT THE FILM
WE ARE COLUMBINE highlights the stories of four freshmen students who experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history at Columbine High School in 1999. Director Laura Farber, who was also a freshman during the shootings, sensitively captures her classmates' deeply personal and unique perspectives during an unprecedented walk-through of the school itself, shedding light on the complexity of a life impacted by violence and loss at a young age 20 years after the tragedy.

Comment

5 Amazing Movies for FREE this March at Screenland Armour

March 7, 2019 Justin Gardner
collage.jpg

Screenland Armour and Film Society KC are teaming up for 5 awesome screenings in the month of March that you can see for FREE! Film Society members and fans can click the event's link to grab a ticket today! 

(IMPORTANT NOTE: Please only claim one ticket per person, and only claim a ticket if you plan on going.)

  • A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - March 8th - 930PM

  • A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - March 10th - 1PM

  • EVIL DEAD/EVIL DEAD 2 - March 16th - 7&930PM

  • WATCHMEN DIRECTOR'S CUT - March 23rd - 8PM

  • GHOSTBUSTERS - March 31st - 1PM

Not a member of Film Society KC? Let's change that. Click here to join!

Comment

Women's History Month - BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, AUDITION, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

February 28, 2019 Justin Gardner
collage.jpg

Film Society KC presents 3 nights of bad ass females for Women's History Month at Alamo Drafthouse on March 4th, 5th and 11th!

  • First up is BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER on March 4th at 7PM! Get your FREE ticket right now by clicking here!

  • Next, the infamous AUDITION on March 5th at 930PM! Click here for your FREE ticket! (NOTE: This one is NOT for the faint of heart!)

  • Grab your besties and see FRIED GREEN TOMATOES on March 11th at 730PM! Click here for a FREE ticket!

There are limited tickets available for each screening, so please only claim ONE ticket to each screening per person.

AND, very important... don't claim a ticket unless you plan on coming. We know it's tempting to click a link and grab a free ticket, but if you don't show up to a screening, you're preventing somebody else from going for free. 

We'll see you at the movies!

Comment

Tapcade Screening Series - LORDS OF CHAOS, MEGA TIME SQUAD & THE ROCK!

February 14, 2019 Justin Gardner
Untitled collage.jpg

Film Society KC presents 3 nights of unbridled movie madness at Screenland Tapcade on Feb 20, 21 and 22!

First up is LORDS OF CHAOS on February 20th at 645PM! Get your FREE ticket right now by clicking here!

Next, MEGA TIME SQUAD on February 21st at 930PM! Click here for your FREE ticket!

Last, THE ROCK on February 22nd at 9PM! Click here for a FREE ticket!

There are only 10 tickets available for each screening, and please only claim ONE ticket to each screening per person. Thank you! :-)

ABOUT LORDS OF CHAOS
A teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the 1980s results in a very violent outcome.

Lords of Chaos tells the true story of True Norwegian Black Metal and its most notorious practitioners - a group of young men with a flair for publicity, church-burning and murder: MAYHEM.

ABOUT MEGA TIME SQUAD
A small-town crook finds an ancient Chinese time-traveling device that can help him pull off a heist and start a new life, but he may not survive the consequences of tampering with time.

ABOUT THE ROCK
FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) is sent on an urgent mission with a former British spy, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), to stop Gen. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) from launching chemical weapons on Alcatraz Island into San Francisco.

Gen. Hummel demands $100 million in war reparations to be paid to the families of slain servicemen who died on covert operations. After their SEAL team is wiped out, Stanley and John deal with the soldiers on their own.

Comment

Film Club - SHOPLIFTERS - Feb 27 - 7 PM

February 10, 2019 Justin Gardner
44574581_10156754463171489_8884769137499308032_o.jpg

Film Society KC presents SHOPLIFTERS with Alamo Drafthouse's Film Club on February 27th at 7PM! Get your FREE ticket right now by clicking this link.

Just 20 available. Please only claim ONE ticket if you plan on coming. Thank you! :-)

Come for the film, and then join us in the Chesterfield Lounge afterwards for a discussion about it!

ABOUT THE FILM
Golden Globes Nominated - Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language

After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces.

Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them...

Comment

Essential Cinema - THE LADY EVE - Feb 20 - 7PM - Tivoli Theatre

February 6, 2019 Guest User
ladyeve2.jpg

One of ingenious writer-director Preston Sturges's most clever and beloved romantic comedies, THE LADY EVE balances broad slapstick and sophisticated sexiness with perfect grace. The "lady" of the title is Barbara Stanwyck. She's a calculating card shark who fleeces passengers on transatlantic ocean liners. When she discovers that an ingenious young millionaire (Henry Fonda) is on board, the scheming Stanwyck figures he'll be a pushover if she plays her cards right. Sure enough, he does fall for her, but surprise - she also falls for him. When he's tipped off that true romance is not in the cards because she's giving him a fast shuffle, Fonda's fondness fades. Now Stanwyck realizes that if she wants to win him back, she's got to stop her double-dealing and she does, but not before she turns up a few tricks of her own. "The Lady Eve has snap, crackle and plot and, with famous character actors also on deck, the movie is a winner, hands down that has inspired countless battle-of-the-sexes comedies.

CLICK HERE for your free ticket.

Comment

Celebrating Black History Month with IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT

January 29, 2019 Guest User
in_the_heat_of_the_night_1_758_426_81_s_c1.jpg

Film Society KC presents an Alamo Drafthouse Kansas City screening of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger on February 10th at 4PM!

There are 10 FREE tickets reserved for Film Society KC members and fans, so grab yours today as seating is limited and tickets are provided on a first-come-first-serve basis. CLICK HERE to claim your tickets to this extremely special screening.

If you haven't signed up for a Film Society KC membership, now is a perfect time! Get yours today! http://www.filmsocietykc.com/join.

ABOUT THE FILM

They call him MISTER TIBBS!

Norman Jewison’s adaptation of John Ball’s novel of Southern murder and racism was a ground-breaking work, both socially and cinematically. Teaming a black Philly homicide detective with a racist Mississippi police chief, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT took a tough look at the racial strife tearing America apart in the 60s and placed that examination against the backdrop of a thrilling and tense murder mystery. And when audiences weren’t on the edges of their seats because of the mystery, they were cheering at the sight of a black man slapping a racist white man in the face.

When an out-of-town industrialist winds up dead in the small, sweaty town of Sparta Mississippi, police chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger, ON THE WATERFRONT) puts out a dragnet to pick up any… suspicious people. Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER), a black man waiting at the train station at 3am gets brought in, and Gillespie, seeing the color of the man’s skin, thinks he has his killer. But it turns out that Tibbs is a homicide detective from up north, and soon the two men are forced into an uneasy alliance to find the real killer. It’s an alliance that is filled with tension but that eventually comes to a place of understanding.

Winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Steiger, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was a movie unlike any the public had seen, and that’s why it was a sensation. Virgil Tibbs - who would go on to be the main character in two more mystery movies - slapping a racist who had slapped him in the face was a stunning moment that hit the culture like a bomb. Audiences had seen black characters treated badly in films with anti-racist messages before, but never had they seen a black man stand up for himself in that way. That scene - which was in danger of being cut from the film at various points in production - was one of the reasons Poitier, one of the finest actors to ever grace the screen, took the role.

More than that, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT is notable for how cinematographer Haskell Wexler combatted the unconscious and unobserved bias in motion picture technology. Most movie lighting was tuned for white actors, which meant that black actors rarely photographed well in color. Wexler made sure to adjust his rigs in such a way that Poitier would photograph as handsomely as his co-stars, a small change that mitigated years of unthinking white bias.

Of course all of that wouldn’t matter if the film wasn’t any good, but IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT is one of the great crime movies, with a twisty mystery and thrilling reveals. It’s a landmark in the cinematic examination of race, but it’s also a crackerjack entertainment.

Tags race, african-american, race relations, social activism, The Sixties, rod steiger, sidney poitier

THE COLOR PURPLE - SPECIAL SCREENING - BLACK HISTORY MONTH

January 21, 2019 Guest User
Still_ColorPurple_758_426_81_s_c1.jpg

Film Society KC and the Alamo Drafthouse Kansas City celebrate Black History Month with the landmark and controversial adaption of Alice Walker's novel, THE COLOR PURPLE. See the Steven-Spielberg directed film in its theatrical presentation. Reserve your ticket by visiting this link.

ABOUT THE FILM
After Alice Walker's 1982 novel THE COLOR PURPLE won both the National Book Award for fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, it was all but certain it would be brought to the screen. Even so, many were startled when Steven Spielberg was announced as the director.

At this point in his career, Spielberg was best known for JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL. Walker's story of growing up in the early 20th-century South, with its themes of domestic violence, broken families, racism and sexual self-realization, hardly seemed suited to the director's style. When the film was released in late 1985, it divided the critics, with some hailing it as a masterpiece and others condemning Spielberg for watering down or soft-pedaling the tougher themes of Walker's work (particularly its abused heroine finding solace in a lesbian relationship). "Mr. Spielberg has looked on the sunny side of Miss Walker's novel, fashioning a grand, multi-hanky entertainment that is as pretty and lavish as the book is plain," griped Janet Maslin of The New York Times. "If the book is set in the harsh, impoverished atmosphere of rural Georgia, the movie unfolds in a cozy, comfortable, flower-filled wonderland." Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times disagreed, hailing it as "the year's best film."

The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, but lost in every category. However, it was a major success with moviegoers, who were enthralled by then-newcomer Whoopi Goldberg's portrayal of Celie, a young woman who finds her own identity and purpose in life after years of suffering at the hostile hands of a husband (Danny Glover) who treats her like a servant. The movie also brought attention to Oprah Winfrey, who was cast as the defiant Sofia. In 1985 Winfrey was still something of an unknown outside of Chicago and had yet to launch her talk show on a national scale. Goldberg and Winfrey were both Oscar-nominated, as was Margaret Avery, playing the saucy singer who helps Celie discover her inner strength.

Curiously, while Spielberg won the Directors Guild of America award, he was not nominated for an Academy Award. But the popularity of THE COLOR PURPLE prompted Spielberg to continue to broaden his horizons as a filmmaker: SCHINDLER'S LIST and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN -- both of which would bring him best director Oscars -- were not far away. (James Sanford)

Tags film, screening, alamo drafthouse, classic film, steven spielberg, whoopi goldberg, oprah winfrey, danny glover
1 Comment

Film Club - VOX LUX - Feb 13 - 7 PM

January 21, 2019 Nita Norris
50695640_368425553959866_2099204165438799872_n.jpg

Film Society KC presents VOX LUX with Alamo Drafthouse's Film Club on February 13th at 7PM! Get your FREE pair of tickets right now by clicking on this link! Just 10 pairs available. Please only claim tickets if you plan on coming. Thank you! :-)

Come for the film, and then join us in the Chesterfield Lounge afterwards for a discussion about it!

ABOUT THE FILM
Shifting in tone from minimal to exuberant, psychedelic to manic, Natalie Portman (BLACK SWAN) takes us on a dazzling journey through our troubled 21st century. With its electro-pop musical stylings composed by Australian pop genius Sia, VOX LUX throws glitter on our darkest moments.

A victim of a high school shooting (breakout star Raffey Cassidy, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, TOMORROWLAND) channels her suffering into a song that hits a national nerve, making her a star overnight. Fast-forward 20 years. Celeste, now played by Natalie Portman, mounts a comeback amid scandal and addiction with help from Jude Law, her sleazy but devoted manager. New trauma meets old demons, threatening not only her career but her sanity.

Described in the film as a “prisoner of a gaudy and untenable present that had reached an extreme in its cycle,” Celeste embodies the intersection between pop culture and violence – and shines a spotlight on the terrifying harmony between fame and despair.

Comment
Older Posts →
Archive
  • June 2015 2
  • July 2015 3
  • September 2015 2
  • October 2015 1
  • February 2016 1
  • March 2016 3
  • April 2016 1
  • June 2016 2
  • July 2016 2
  • August 2016 1
  • March 2017 2
  • April 2017 2
  • June 2017 1
  • January 2018 1
  • August 2018 3
  • September 2018 2
  • October 2018 1
  • November 2018 3
  • December 2018 1
  • January 2019 8
  • February 2019 4
  • March 2019 6
  • April 2019 2
  • May 2019 3
  • August 2019 1
  • October 2019 1

FILM SOCIETY KC
601 East 63rd Street
Suite 400
Kansas City, Missouri  
64110
FILMSOCIETYKC@GMAIL.COM