Did you know that the Kentlands Film Society offers free movies on alternate Tuesday nights? These have really been fun, especially due to the rousing discussions after each movie led by film experts (and Kentlands residents) Angus Crane and Eric Martinis.

The next movie will be "Touch of Evil," directed by Orson Welles. It will be shown on Tuesday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Gardens of Kentlands, 217 Booth St., Building A, 3rd floor viewing room. In addition to Welles (who also has a leading role in the film), the all-star cast includes Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Dennis Weaver, Mercedes McCambridge, and Marlene Dietrich.

This is the 5th in the KFS "Director as Narrator" series. The film series is sponsored by the Kentlands Community Foundation and is new and evolving, so we'd really like your input. What kinds of films would YOU like to see? Please join us and tell your friends. We're eager to reach out to people in Kentlands, Lakelands, and the surrounding areas.

-- Dee Aronson (deearonson@erols.com), May 12, 2000

Answers

Just to piggy back on what Dee wrote, this is truly a wonderful experience. It is like being in a book club, but about movies, and the fact that Kentlands Community Foundation volunteers like Angus and Eric are doing the leg work of setting this up is a wonderful gift to all of us.

For me, the best film showing so far was "Rules of the Game," a famous Jean Renoir film that I had heard about but which I had never seen. About 50 of us were sitting around watching it -- people from the Kentlands that I knew, as well as people from the surrounding communities in Gaithersburg. Angus gave a neat introduction, and helped us look for some things like picture composition as we got ready to watch the film.

Then after the showing, we stayed around for refreshments -- provided by the Foundation -- and shared various thoughts. We were fortunate to have a wide range of perspectives. One viewer was originally from France, and she commented on the use of language -- of the wordplay that those of us forced to read the subtitles would not have picked up. Others knew something about Renoir's arts connection (his father, I learned, was the famous impressionist painter August Renoir). And others contributed their thoughts and ideas in a lively discussion.

It was such a different film-going experience than your run-of-the- mill night out at the movies. It brought me back to memories of college film societies, and my favorite particular group: "Things That Go Bump in the Night," which specialized in horror flicks.

Which brings me finally to trying to answer Dee's questions. Why not have a short series of 4 especially frightening, and hard-to-rent, horror films? Those are so much more fun when you see them with people you can talk to afterwards! We could even bring sleeping bags so that those of us who get really terrified do not have to venture out into the night and cross that spooky, unlit dam bridge back to the Gatehouse neighborhood. . . Boo!

-- Michael Berney (mberney@aol.com), May 12, 2000.

As a long-time movie nut, I'm delighted to have the chance to re-see old films I liked (such as Chinatown) and older films I never saw, but have always heard about (Double Indemnity) with commentary that puts them in a context I never fully understood before. The film series is way more than late-night TV movies at a more convenient time.

I like Michael's suggestion for a series of horror movies and I'd also like to see a series which contrasts Hollywood and foreign versions of the same story or theme, such as Magnificent Seven/Seven Samurai and Macbeth/Throne of Blood. There must be many more from around the world. I'd be interested, too, in seeing films with great actors at their peak, or breakthrough films of actors or directors (Yojinbo?).

Yes, I like Japanese films and also Indian, Italian, British, Chinese, and all others of power and quality.

-- Joel Aronson (jaronson@erols.com), May 12, 2000.

SETTLEMENT GIVES KENTLANDS STADIUM 8 ACCESS TO MORE FIRST-RUN MOVIES

According to the Washington Post, patrons of the Kentlands Stadium 8 Cinema in Market Square can now see more first-run, high-grossing films as a result of a settlement with Loews Cineplex Inc. Holiday Productions, Inc., of Bethesda, which owns the Kentlands Cinema, sued Loews last February in Montgomery County Circuit Court. According to the Post, Holiday alleged that Loews had hurt business for the Kentlands theater by securing exclusive rights to many blockbuster movies for its Cineplex Odeon Rio 14 Cinema. The Cineplex theater is about two miles from Kentlands in the Rio Washingtonian Complex off Sam Eig Highway in Gaithersburg. The Post said that Loews persuaded some distributors not to license films shown at Rio to the nearby Kentlands Cinema at the same time. This meant that Kentlands moviegoers missed out on many of the most popular movies, according to Rockvillle lawyer Stephen Mercer, who represented Holiday. According to the Post, Loews denied that it engaged in improper or unlawful conduct in the agreement, but agreed with the the Kentlands Cinema that neither would ask distributors for exclusive rights to movies. The agreement took effect May 8, Mercer said.

-- Dick Arkin (richardarkin@aol.com), May 19, 2000.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday night, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. when the Kentlands Film Society will show the 1959 classic "Anatomy of a Murder." Directed by the renowned Otto Preminger, the all-star cast includes James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazarra, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden, George C. Scott, Orson Bean, and Kathryn Grant. This is a courtroom drama in which the defendant in a murder trial says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. The question is, what is the truth and will he win his case? The film will be shown at The Gardens at Kentlands, 217 Booth St., Bldg. A, 3rd floor viewing room. ADMISSION IS FREE!! A discussion following the film will be led by film experts and Kentlands residents Angus Crane and Eric Martinis. Light refreshments will be served. It is guaranteed that a good time will be had by all.

-- Dee Aronson (deearonson@erols.com), May 19, 2000.

Film Buffs, I would like to personally invite everyone out there that keeps up with these postings and anyone just passing through. Like Dee said, we really do have a good time viewing and discussing some of the greatest films of all time. This has become an incredible opportunity for many people to see movies that might only be available some obscure Saturday afternoon with commercial interruption on TV. Most of the films we show will never be found on television or even at blockbuster...and even though they are on videotape, we show them on a large projection screen at the Kentlands Gardens.

Our hope in the future, provided that the society continues to grow by leaps and bounds, is that we will be able to offer films in all their true glory...on 35MM. The only way to do this is to seek out all of those movie fans out their in Kentlands, Lakelands, Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, etc. etc. that will come and support us as we continue to grow and have fun in the process.

The beauty of bringing a group of people together with various backgrounds to talk about film is that our discussions can become quite interesting. Our hope is that everyone that comes to film society bring their thoughts and openly express ANYTHING that comes to mind. (you might even appreciate the fact that Angus can relate any film to Bette Davis!)

I believe that their are many facets to film and should be discussed like any beautiful painting or sculpture. Therefore, no opinion is ever wrong or idea, dumb. I appreciate all of you that continue to come week after week and look forward to seeing many new faces in the future.

-- Eric Martinis (emartinis@presidio.com), June 03, 2000.