Venango College will offer a free showing of “The Meddler” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, as part of its spring independent film series.
About the film: With a new iPhone, an apartment near the Grove, and a comfortable bank account left to her by her beloved late husband, Marnie Minervini has happily relocated from New Jersey to Los Angeles to be near her daughter Lori, a successful — but still single — screenwriter, and smother her with motherly love. But when the dozens of texts, unexpected visits, and conversations dominated by unsolicited advice force Lori to draw strict personal boundaries, Marnie finds ways to channel her eternal optimism and forceful generosity to change the lives of others — as well as her own — and find a new purpose in life. The film is rated PG-13.
“Miles Ahead” — March 4
“Miles Ahead” is a wildly entertaining exploration of one of 20th century music’s creative geniuses, Miles Davis, featuring a career defining performance by Oscar® nominee Don Cheadle in the
title role. In the midst of a prolific career at the forefront of modern jazz, Miles Davis (Cheadle) virtually disappears from public view for a period of five years in the late 1970s, his musical voice
stifled and numbed by drugs and pain medications. Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor), a wily music reporter, forces his way into Davis’ life and, over the next couple of days, the two men unwittingly
embark on a wild and sometimes harrowing adventure to recover a stolen tape of the musician’s latest compositions. The film is rated R.
“The Eagle Huntress” — March 11
“The Eagle Huntress” follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries. Set against the breath-taking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, “The Eagle Huntress” features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl’s quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film. The film is rated G.
“Manchester by the Sea” — March 25
After the death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick, a spirited 16-year-old, and is forced to deal with a past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised. Bonded by the man who held their family together, Lee and Patrick struggle to adjust to a world without him. The film is rated PG.
“Eye in the Sky” — April 1
“Eye in the Sky” follows Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), a UK-based military officer in command of a top secret drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya. Using remote surveillance and on-the-ground intelligence, Powell discovers the targets are planning a suicide bombing and the mission escalates from “capture” to “kill.” But as American pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) is about to engage, a nine-year-old girl enters the kill zone triggering an international dispute, reaching the highest levels of American and British government, over the moral, political and personal implications of modern military operations. The film is rated R.
“Fences” — April 8
Denzel Washington directed and stars in this adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which centers on a black garbage collector named Troy Maxson in 1950s Pittsburgh. Bitter
that baseball’s color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones. The film is rated R.
The films will be shown in the Robert W. Rhoades Center auditorium. The series will feature films from independent filmmakers from the United States and Mongolia. The films are offered free of charge and are open to the public. More information about the series is available by contacting Emily Aubele at 676-6591, Ext.
