Authored By Joshua Pickard
The Week in Film is a column dedicated to bringing awareness to award-winning films, special movie screenings, rereleases, limited-distribution runs and avant cinema that should be seen in theaters to be properly appreciated. “2001: a Space Odyssey” Director Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi masterpiece, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” is a film that can forever shake your notions of what film can reveal and suggest about our own humanity. It possesses kaleidoscopic visuals, remarkable (and instantly memorable) musical sequences and characters whose resonance has lived on long past the film’s initial release. When David Bowman, the Starchild and Hall-9000 are mentioned among movie fans debate is inevitable. The film speaks to grand ideas of human evolution, the confluence of technology and humanism and our need to push past our own understanding of the universe. Recently filmmaker Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Dunkirk”) began the process of restoring the film for modern audiences. But he wasn’t concerned just with the visuals; he laboriously worked on preserving the feel of the film. He’s been quoted as saying that he wanted an “unrestored” version, an analog rehabilitation that didn’t change the movie so much as keep intact its power and cinematic revelation. And he’s certainly done that. This new version is gorgeous, breathtaking and reveals details that you probably never noticed before. Watching this print is like seeing the movie for the first time all over again. You do not want to miss this on the big screen. When: Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 27-29 Where: AMC Chattanooga 18 Rating: G https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITv0MObg7DU “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone"/"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” Since the release of the first film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” back in 2001, the Harry Potter movie franchise has raked in around $6.5 billion in revenue for Warner Brothers. And as remarkable as that figure is, the entire brand is currently worth around $25 billion. So despite an absence of Potter-centric films (the sequel to 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is set for release in November), Harry Potter seems to be doing pretty well for himself and his creator. If you want to look back on Mr. Potter when he was a bit younger, however, AMC Chattanooga 18 has a treat for you. It will be screening the first two films in the series on Sunday, Sept. 2. “The Sorcerer’s Stone” will screen at 2 p.m. while “Chamber of Secrets” will play at 6 p.m. Wands are optional. When: Sunday, Sept. 2 Where: AMC Chattanooga 18 Rating: PG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyHV0BRtdxo “Rudy” A story of hard work, football and the indomitable spirit of Sean Austin (er...um, I mean Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger), “Rudy” follows the life of the titular character as he struggles to achieve his dream of playing football for Notre Dame. Directed by David Anspaugh, the film reveals the discouragement from family and teachers as well as the events leading up to his becoming a walk-on player for the team. This was actually the first film to be shot on Notre Dame grounds since “Knute Rockne, All American” in 1940. Lauded for the determination and success of its underdog protagonist, the film often places high on lists of the best sports movies of all time. When: Tuesday, Sunday, Aug. 28, Sept. 2 Where: Regal Hamilton Place 8, AMC Chattanooga 18 Rating: PG https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEO4q6ElCX8 Joshua Pickard covers local and national music, film and other aspects of pop culture. You can contact him on Facebook, Twitter or by email. The opinions expressed in this column belong solely to the author, not Nooga.com or its employees.
