President's Choice Series Highlights Capiloutos' Best Flick Picks
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan, 26, 2012) — How do you really get to know someone? You can listen to what they say. You can watch what they do. You can ask questions and weigh the answers.
But charting a stranger’s emotional map is more difficult. What makes them laugh, what makes them sad, what fills them with wonder, and what fills them with grief? Touchy subject matters, unless you start talking about their favorite movies. Start talking about your favorite movies, and suddenly walls come down and empathy blooms.
That was the idea behind the President’s Choice Film Series, a special collection added to the Late Night Film Series shown at the University of Kentucky Student Center.
“The President’s Choice Film Series aims to provide a unique venue for President Capiluto to acquaint himself with the university in a creative and engaging way. We hope our audience will not only come away from each movie feeling entertained, but also more familiar with their president,” said junior English major Zach Lamb.
President Eli Capilouto and his wife, Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto, personally chose the lineup, an eclectic collection of some of their favorite movies, which also happen to be among the best films ever made. If you identify with groundbreaking science fiction, there’s “Back to the Future” (1985). If you swoon for romantic comedies, the series offers three of Hollywood’s best: “When Harry Met Sally” (1989), “Annie Hall” (1977), and “The Big Chill” (1983). And rounding out the series are the politically charged “The Deer Hunter” (1978) and the always insane “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).
"We're providing for students the unique opportunity to feel a closer connection with President Eli Capilouto in an entertaining environment. In selecting the films himself, the president invites students to kick back, relax and share a memorable experience with the side of the man that they may not have known," said freshman computer science/computer engineering Parker Britton.
All movies in the President’s Choice Film Series will be shown at 7 p.m. Sundays in the Student Center’s Worsham Theater. Admission is free to UK students, faculty and staff. The schedule with a brief synopsis of each movie follows.
“Back to the Future”
Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
“Back to the Future tells the epic story of Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox), an everyday suburban American teenager of the ’80s, who is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean "time machine" invented by his long-time friend Dr. Emmett Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd). While stuck in the 1955 version of his hometown, he must make certain his teenage parents-to-be meet and fall in love so he can get back to the future. This 1985 film was directed by the critically acclaimed Robert Zemeckis and was regarded in 2008 by the American Film Institute as the 10th best science fiction movie ever made.
“When Harry Met Sally”
Feb. 12, 7 p.m.
Oscar-award winners Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner team up to tell one of the most engaging romantic comedies of the ’80s. Starring Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally, the story follows the duo from the time they meet just before sharing a cross-country drive, through 12 years of chance encounters in New York City. The film raises the question "Can men and women ever just be friends?" and advances many ideas about love that became household concepts, such as those of the "high-maintenance" girlfriend and the "transitional person."
“Annie Hall”
Feb. 26, 7 p.m.
This 1977 classic romantic comedy is considered by many an esteemed critic to be one of director/writer Woody Allen’s best films. Indeed, “Annie Hall” would go on to win four Academy Awards, including the coveted Best Picture. Co-starring Diane Keaton as the film’s title character, it explores the adventures of comedian Ivy Singer (played by Woody Allen) attempting to maintain a romantic relationship with the exuberant Hall, with sometimes disastrous results.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
March 25, 7 p.m.
A remake of the classic Ken Kesey novel finds Jack Nicholson portraying a man trying to escape his criminal record by entering psychiatric care. While there, he meets the infamous Nurse Ratched, part nurse, part dictator. The two find themselves frequently at odds with one another. This 1975 Milos Forman adaptation was the second movie to win all five major Academy awards (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Lead Actor and Lead Actress) and was ranked #20 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movies of all time.
“The Deer Hunter”
April 15, 7 p.m.
“The Deer Hunter” is an in-depth examination of three young factory workers in rural Pennsylvania who all enlist to serve in Vietnam. The story follows the three men and the psychological effects the war has on each of them. The 1978 film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. “The Deer Hunter” was also named by the American Film Institute as the 53rd greatest movie of all time on their most recent top 100 list.
“The Big Chill”
April 22, 7 p.m.
This 1983 romantic comedy/drama is about a group of Baby Boomers reuniting 15 years after college due to the suicide of a close friend. Featuring an all-star ensemble cast, including Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum and William Hurt, and an equally impressive Motown soundtrack, it was one of the year’s most successful films at the box office, and continues to be a steady, popular seller on DVD.