The Bowdoin Orient

November 10, 2000
Volume CXXXII, Number 9

Film Society weekend with a twist

JIM FLANAGAN - COLUMNIST

Sorry dance fans, but this isn't a weekend of films starring Chubby Checker. What the Bowdoin Film Society is showing is a series of films with plot twists. These are the movies that keep you guessing until the end; and when the secret is revealed, you are totally stunned.

I've seen three of these films, and I remember feeling that way exactly as the credits began to roll. If you have seen them, you know that each one is a quality film in its own right. And we all know that you can never see everything in a movie like one of these after only a handful of viewings. Each time you see it, you see another little hint at the final outcome-a special, private joke only those in the know can get (and you know how much I love those).

Pulp Fiction - Friday at 7p.m.
Sleuth - Friday at 9p.m.
Chinatown - Saturday at 7p.m.
The Usual Suspects - Saturday at 9p.m.

Friday at 7p.m.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Maria De Medeiros, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna Arquette, Christopher Walken, Bruce Willis

Wow, what a film. We have four stories here, all of which involve members of a crime family run by Ving Rhames; specifically, there are two hitmen (Travolta and Jackson) who seem to get the most screen time. You get so taken in by these characters and the world they populate that you become a part of it. The stories unfold around you, and even though they are complex, you never really get lost. On top of all of this are the quality aspects that you expect from the Q-man: witty dialogue, a great soundtrack, and excessive violence. This really is one of the finest films of the 90s. Rated R

Friday at 9p.m.
Sleuth (1972)
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Starring: Lawrence Olivier, Michael Caine

A mystery writer and his wife's lover combat each other through an epic series of psychological games. There are lots of traps and tricks, and no one ever really knows what is going on at any given time. Also, Anthony Shaffer, who also wrote the screenplay to Hitchcock's Frenzy, wrote this screenplay. Rated PG

Saturday at 7p.m.
Chinatown (1974)
Directed by: Roman Polanski Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Diane Ladd

This is a very cool mystery movie that stars Jack as a private eye. He investigates murders and the cause of a city wide water shortage while poking around the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. Beyond the great story,the images are as breathtaking as the multiple plots. By multiple plots, I don't only mean a few different storylines-there are those-but each storyline also has many levels to it, with a base connection to each that isn't truly understood until the shocking revelation in the film's final scene. Keep an eye out for a cameo by the director; he's the one who does a little work on Jack's nose. Rated R

Saturday at 9p.m.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed by: Bryan Singer Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Torro

We round out the weekend of twist films with one of the all-time best. This movie is absolutely stunning. If have never seen this movie, you have to. There is no way you can be disappointed. The story concerns a crippled criminal who is brought in for questioning after a major drug deal goes bad. Throughout the interrogation, Verbal (the crook) recounts his involvement with a former cop, Dean Keaton, and how he found himself working for a legend of the criminal underworld: Keyser Soze. If this is your first time seeing this movie, you're in for a treat. The utter amazement you feel at the twist ending is so cool. If only all movies were this good. Rated R