CineMatinee September 2008
A unique blend of movies, past and present, often with an emphasis on life in the west—which could mean the new west, the old west, or anything in between—and ‘movies that missed us’—films that are notable but never had a lot of publicity—the CineMatinee series is designed to show area residents that film is a form of art as well as entertainment! At least one film a month for this series has a ‘New Mexico Connection’, drawing from the vast pool of movies made in the state or perhaps featuring a star/story from New Mexico talent.
Unless otherwise noted, screening time is 1.30 PM, and admission is $4 for everyone except film society members who are admitted for $1. The theatre is located one half block of the Mesilla Plaza. For more information, please call 524-8287 or 522-0286.
This month we will have three screenings that will include visiting filmmakers. Please note that the Sept 27 CineMatinee is a special event.
Sept 6- Seducing Dr. Lewis (2003, 108 minutes, not rated, but PG would fit, IN FRENCH WITH SUBTITLES) Seducing Doctor Lewis, takes place in a grizzled fishing village in Quebec. Its characters may speak French, but the film, the first feature directed by Jean-François Pouliot, would fit comfortably in the British comic tradition of such films as The Full Monty or Death at a Funeral.
The movie finds humor in small-town idiosyncrasies and in economic hardship. The men of the village, Ste.-Marie la Mauderne, who once rose before dawn to take their living from the sea, now line up every month for welfare checks. Germain Lesage, the portly, perpetually unshaven hero, is desperate to restore the town's decrepit pride. A plastics company is looking for a site for a new factory, and Germain places himself at the head of the campaign to promote Ste.-Marie. But the company stipulates that to be considered, the village must have a full-time resident doctor, one of many amenities it lacks.
Through serendipitous circumstances, an ambitious young Montreal internist is lured away from the city, and what follows might be described as a subtitled version of the television series Northern Exposure.
The locals, under Germain's direction, try to refashion their hamlet into something Dr. Lewis will find irresistible. Discovering that he loves cricket, these die-hard hockey fans become practitioners of a decidedly unorthodox (and very funny) version of the game. One, a skittish fellow named Steve (Bruno Blanchet), must pretend to share the doctor's passion for unlistenable jazz fusion played at high volume. When Dr. Lewis goes fishing, a frozen fish is surreptitiously attached to his line.
Seducing Doctor Lewis is a warm, funny film, whose sweet sentiments are genial and unchallenging, and its jokes are low-key and gentle.
