The lights dim, and as the projector whirrs and flickers to life, the audience begins to silence themselves. Whispers echo throughout the room in anticipation. As the music begins and titles roll across the screen, everyone seated and anxious, magic fills the room. Welcome to the world of cinema.
This past October of 2011, a group of Jesuit students equally excited and exhilarated by the cinematic experience formed a new group dedicated to viewing and discussing the best (and worst) cinema has to offer – the Jesuit Film Appreciation Society. Affectionately dubbed JFAS (pronounced JAY – fass), the club aims to screen films from a variety of eras, genres, and countries, all in the name of cinematic exploration.
The first movie JFAS chose was a classic– Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 Rear Window, starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. The film centers around Stewart’s character, a photographer confined to a wheelchair in his apartment, and his investigation of a murder he believes occurred in another room across the courtyard from his window. Nominated for four Academy Awards and often cited as being one of Hitchcock’s greatest and most suspenseful movies, Rear Window was enjoyed by all members of the club. After viewing the film, Jon Birondo ’15 remarked, ”Rear Window gave us a new way of looking at suspense movies.” Alex Hernandez ’15 enjoyed the movie as well, calling it “a way of viewing the world through the eyes of a film genius.”
The club’s November film can be immediately recognized as an important aspect of our culture even today – Jim Henson’s 1976 classic The Muppet Movie. This particular screening allowed the members of JFAS to visit the cinematic roots of the colorful felt characters they know and love, especially with the approaching Thanksgiving debut of their return to the big screen in Disney’s The Muppets, starring Amy Adams and Jason Segel. In typical Muppet-esque fashion, the original film’s story revolves around Kermit, the beloved and always-earnest frog, and his pursuit of fame and glory as a Hollywood movie star. Along the way, he meets many eccentric characters – from his Muppet friends Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo, to the many celebrity cameos (such as Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and even the great Orson Welles). All aspects of the film, from its memorable songs to its heavily pun-infused humor, were a hit with members of the club. As Cesar Lopez ’14 succinctly puts it, “The Muppet Movie is a classic.”
As 2012 begins, JFAS members will have much to enjoy and discuss as lovers of cinema, with many meetings currently in the planning stages. Screenings are typically held once or twice each month, with each month’s films contributing to a collective theme. Among the themes under consideration for 2012 are documentaries, past Academy Award-winners, B-movies, Marvel superhero movies (leading up to this summer’s premiere of The Avengers), the work of famed Japanese anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro), and a possible “teacher’s choice month.” In addition, students will be diligently following several major events of the cinematic world in the coming months– the Academy Awards, a.k.a. the “Oscars,” will be rounding the corner this February, as will the Sundance Film Festival in Parks City, Utah, where many of this year’s best indie films and award-winners will likely make an appearance. All in all, 2012 looks to be a killer year for fans of the cinema, and the students of the Jesuit Film Appreciation Society will most certainly be there for it all. “Because movies, good or bad, never cease to amaze and enchant us,” Drew Curran ’15 summarizes. “They allow the impossible to come true and imagination to come to life.”
For more information in regards to the Jesuit Film Appreciation Society, please contact sophomore Jack Ford or Mr. Colin Hanley in the English Department.
