Buck
Thursday, February 9 | 7:00 pm
Thornbrough 1307 | 88 min | free
Brannaman’s spirit comes through best in the footage of him working with the animals. It’s enough to break your heart, even as it heals his own.” — Norman Wilner, Now Toronto
“Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems.
Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.
Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, Buck is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.
Docurama is a documentary series co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library and your Central Student Association. Most titles screened are from the McLaughlin Library Media Collection.
Hugo
Sunday, February 12 | 8:00 pm
War Memorial Hall | 126 min | $3 ug students, $6 general
Hugo turns out to be a hi-tech magic lantern presentation on the wonder of early cinema, and its origins in the world of clockwork craftsmanship: toys, games, illusions.”
— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Throughout his extraordinary career, Academy Award-wining director Martin Scorsese has brought his unique vision and dazzling gifts to life in a series of unforgettable films. Hugo is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.
An African Election
Thursday, February 16 | 7:00 pm
Thornbrough 1307 | 88 min | free
Even those who closely follow African (or global) politics will likely be bowled over by the real-life plot twists unfolding before Merz’s camera.” — Ernest Hardy, Village Voice
The 2008 presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa, serve as a backdrop for this feature documentary that looks behind-the-scenes at the complex, political machinery of a third world democracy struggling to legitimize itself to its first world contemporaries. At stake in this race are the fates of two political parties that will do almost anything to win.
Director Jarreth Merz follows the key players for almost three months to provide an unprecedented insider’s view of the political, economic and social forces at work in Ghana. He builds suspense by taking the viewer down the back roads of the nation to capture each unexpected twist and turn in a contest that is always exciting and never predictable.
Throughout the film, Merz depicts the pride and humanity of the larger-than-life politicians, party operatives and citizens who battle for the soul of their country
Docurama is a documentary series co-sponsored by the McLaughlin Library and your Central Student Association. Most titles screened are from the McLaughlin Library Media Collection.
The Muppets
Sunday, March 4 | 8:00 pm
War Memorial Hall | 102 min | $3 ug students, $6 general
Pure fun, no strings attached: ‘Muppets’ revels in ingenious absurdity. I've never seen a movie so perfectly balanced between unabashed nerdiness and hipness. It's transcendent that way.”
— Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.