happy new year! - EU Jacksonville

cinematic for the people
film is the new art in Jacksonville
by joN boSwortH jaxvillain@yahoo.com
Ever since he moved here from Texas, Tim
Massett has been bringing underground cinema to
Jacksonville the likes of which this town has not
seen before. Back when the San Marco Theatre
was a smoke-filled, second-run house, the closest
you could get to an art film was the off chance
that the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, then
located on Art Museum Drive inside of the Koger
Center between Beach and Atlantic, might run a
couple of art films over the summer. The Florida
Theatre also ran some movies over the summer,
but their’s were mostly nostalgic films and classics.
Then Tim Massett came to town with a collection
of films and rented a little warehouse in
the Brooklyn area of Riverside to store his films. It
wasn’t long before he struck up a deal Fuel Coffeehouse,
then a new business in Five Points, to
show films under the name Subterranean Cinema.
He built up a small but loyal following of filmlovers
that couldn’t wait for the once-a-month
showing. Fuel, on the other hand, was less than
enthusiastic about continuing the program for this
elite, albeit small, group of supporters.
Tim then started showing them in “The
Screening Room at the Pit,” ie. On a smaller
screen inside of his warehouse space. There
was a ramshackle of folding metal chairs, cozy
but brutally used furniture, such as thrift store
couches and handed-down recliners, and walls
lined with towers of film canisters. He quickly
learned that Jacksonville’s underground needed
a little tapping to wake up from their slumber. He
did interviews, he ran ads, and he even started
combining showtimes of the films with live music
performances, since live music was one thing
that young, interesting people came out of their
holes for. After cultivating this audience for many
months, Massett was ready for a bigger screen
and a more accommodating venue so that he
could show films outside of his own collection or
his small network of distributors.
The new owner of the San Marco Theatre,
David Blue, had returned the venue to its original
historic glory, cleaned out the smokers, and
started to show first run films, even sometimes
incorporating artistic fare. Although Blue was not
an easy sell, he eventually let Massett come to
the theatre and experiment with showing midnight
movies. And that was really the start of Tim Massett
having an opportunity to show this cow town
that cinema was about more than Titanic.
In 2002 some local people with plenty of
money and influence decided it would be fun to
start the Jacksonville Film Festival. So they mustered
their forces, got some sponsors, and put
together a half-hearted film festival that piqued the
interest of many locals, but didn’t exactly deliver
groundbreaking cinema to the first coast. Enter
Tim Massett.
Since Massett came on board to the festival,
their films have been better than ever. The standard
family fare is not excluded, but Massett’s
focus is more on the underground films that are
making waves in the independent film circles. So
between his savvy at booking great films and his
innovative concepts, such as “The TALKIES,” he is
poised to take the festival to a higher plane.
The Talkies is a series that Massett came
up with when he invited Florida’s own Herschell
Gordon Lewis, the godfather of gore, to come and
provide live commentary to during San Marco’s
screening of Two Thousand Maniacs. Although
it was a struggle to get the audience he needed
for the event (since it was up against the Florida-
Georgia game) he still pursued the concept.
“These directors do speaking engagements
all of the time, so it isn’t asking much for them to
come here and talk about their own movies.”
He has recently booked the king of kitsch,
John Waters, to come to the San Marco Theatre
during a presentation of Polyester and provide the
live commentary. The bill was steep, but this particular
engagement is being hosted by the Jacksonville
Film Festival, so he has more backing. The
rumor is that he is currently pursuing David Lynch
and even the spastic Quentin Tarrintino to come
and provide live commentary throughout presentations
of some of their films.
Check out the midnight movies that Massett
currently programs almost every weekend. For
the new year, the San Marco Theatre presents
American Hardcore, a film about the lost subculture
of America’s rebellious, Reagan-era hardcore
kids. “Disillusioned by politics, angered by greedy
record labels, and bound together by a powerful
anti-establishment sentiment, bands such as
Minor Threat, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and
Bad Brains paved the way for such later bands as
Nirvana and Pearl Jam by fearlessly questioning
- and frequently mocking - the status quo, and
proving that you don’t need radio play to reach an
audience.”
American Hardcore plays at the San Marco
Theatre December 29th and 30th at midnight and
on New Year’s Eve at 1pm.
If you miss that show, check out Last House
on the Left, a classic horror movie by Wes Craven
from 1972.
“The story of The Last House on the Left
closely follows that of Ingmar Bergman’s classic
film The Virgin Spring (1960), an Oscar winner for
best foreign language film. The Craven film was
controversial for its graphic depiction of violence,
and also for the manner in which the villains imposed
their psychopathic and sadistic will upon
the victims. Craven was highly influenced by news
footage from the Vietnam War and wanted to convey
that sense of violence he saw in that footage.”
Last House on the Left shows at the San
Marco Theatre on January 5th and 6th at midnight.
Celebrating its fifth year in 2007, the Jacksonville
Film Festival continues its mission by
bringing the best in independent and international
film to Northeast Florida by inviting filmmakers
from around the globe to submit their shorts and
features.
If you are a filmmaker, or know one that has
a film to submit, the 2007 Jacksonville Film Festival
is accepting submissions.
To submit a film, go to www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com.
DREAMGIRLS (PG-13) DIG★ (1035 1125 155 240) 655 740
1000 1040
BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1050 120) 410 715
940 1215
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) - ID REQ'D DIG(1100 230) 700 1025
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG★ (1000 1115 1245 200) 345
500 720 800 1000 1030
WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) DIG (1045 145) 445 745 1035
ROCKY BALBOA (PG) DIG (1215) 350 645 755 925 1030 1150
ERAGON (PG) DIG (1155 1250 225) 330 505 740 1010
CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG (1110 1140 205 235) 440 510 725
750 1015 1235
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) DIG (1030 100 130) 400
430 700 730 950 1020
THE HOLIDAY (PG-13) DIG (1120 220) 735 1035
APOCALYPTO (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1005 115) 450 815 1120
BLOOD DIAMOND (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1040 210) 520 825 1140
THE NATIVITY STORY (PG) DIG (1220) 340 645 920 1200
DEJA VU (PG-13) DIG 1005
CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) DIG 630 945
HAPPY FEET (PG) DIG (1025 110) 405 710 955 1230
SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (G) DIG (1010
1255) 355
BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1230) 315 705 920
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1200) 330 700
1030
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG★ (1205 1245 240) 340 510
710 740 940 1015
WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) DIG (110) 410 730 1020
ROCKY BALBOA (PG) (1220) 415 725 1005
ROCKY BALBOA (PG) DIG (1255) 445 750 1040
OC & DA: CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG 440
ERAGON (PG) DIG (1235 105) 355 435 710 755 940 1015
CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG (1210 125 230) 505 720 800 955
1030
PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) DIG (100 135) 400 430 655
745 950 1020
UNACCOMPANIED MINORS (PG) (1250)
THE HOLIDAY (PG-13) DIG (120) 420 715 1010
APOCALYPTO (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1215) 350 735 1035
BLOOD DIAMOND (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1240) 345 650 1035
CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) 335 705 1025
HAPPY FEET (PG) DIG (115) 405 640 1000
Times For 12/30/06
©2006
new coach. Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel
a charismatic coach who rebuilds the Marshall football
team so the kids and parents can move beyond the
grief of the tragedy. Rated R
special showings
americaN hardcore The lost subculture of
America’s rebellious, Reagan-era hardcore set is
explored in filmmaker Paul Rachman’s cinematic
adaptation of Steven Blush’s book. Disillusioned by
politics, angered by greedy record labels, and bound
together by a powerful anti-establishment sentiment,
bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag, Dead
Kennedys, and Bad Brains paved the way for such
later bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam by fearlessly
questioning - and frequently mocking - the status quo,
and proving that you don’t need radio play to reach an
audience. Whether working for a real change or simply
attempting to shake things up in the music scene, these
bands gave a voice to the legions of youthful fans who
felt their opinions had been neglected in mainstream
society. In this documentary, concert footage combines
with interviews to offer a comprehensive look at the
musical revolution that defined an era. Rated R. San
Marco Theatre, Dec. Dec 29th, 30th Midnight 31 st at 1
pm. Info: 396-4845.
happy Feet at imaX Happy Feet will be shown at
the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater through
January. Tickets are $10.50 for adults with discounts
for seniors, students, military, children and groups. The
2D World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater, located at
World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., offers stateof-the-art,
specially-designed cinematic technology.
The only IMAX® Theater in Northeast Florida, the
Hall of Fame’s 300-seat IMAX® Theater houses an
80-foot-wide by six-story-high. The World Golf Hall
of Fame IMAX® Theater is open every day of the year
except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For tickets and
showtimes, call 904-940-IMAX or visit www.wgv.com.
Holiday Favorites “the polar express” and “santa vs.
the snowman” are also showing at the World Golf Hall
of Fame IMAX® Theater.
mozart’s “the maJic Flute” Tinsletown will
be having a matinee showing of Mozart’s “The Majic
Flute” at 1:30 pm. Call 998-2020 for more information.
the last house oN the leFt The story of The
Last House on the Left closely follows that of Ingmar
Bergman’s classic film The Virgin Spring (1960), an
Oscar winner for best foreign language film. The Craven
film was controversial for its graphic depiction of
violence, and also for the manner in which the villains
imposed their psychopathic and sadistic will upon
the victims. Craven was highly influenced by news
footage from the Vietnam War and wanted to convey
that sense of violence he saw in that footage.The film
carried the tagline “It’s only a movie” in its advertising.
This was to suggest that the events of the film were so
terrifying and shocking that the only way to get through
was to remind oneself that “It’s only a movie.”The film
split opinion with critics, unsure whether the film is a
bold artistic statement or exploitative trash, or some
combination of the two. Audiences, however, flocked
to see the film and, along with films such as The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre, it is credited with bringing a new
sense of realistic violence to the modern horror film.
Wes Craven has since directed many popular horror
films including The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare
on Elm Street, and Scream. Producer Sean S.
Cunningham, meanwhile, went on to initiate one of the
biggest horror film franchises in the 1980s with Friday
the 13 th .. San Marco Theatre, Jan. 5 th & 6 th at midnight.
Info: 396-4845.
click it.
read it all online at
www.eujacksonville.com
eujacksonville.com | december 28-january 3, 2006 11