Centennial Community Education

Join us for a dive into classic movies. Classic films can inspire a new generation of actors and movie enthusiasts and provide a historical perspective unique to that filmmaker. Each Monday evening, we will show a different movie that will be hosted by someone who is an expert on that particular film. The host will provide an introduction and information on the film and why it is significant. After the movie plays there will be a post movie discussion with that evening’s host. Mondays, 6-10 pm $25/per event June 17: “The Maltese Falcon” – 1941 Described as “one of the best examples of action and suspenseful melodramatic story telling in cinematic form. Suspenseful, labyrinthine, and brilliantly cast, The Maltese Falcon is one of the most influential noirs, as well as a showcase for Humphrey Bogart at his finest.” The film received three nominations at the 14th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Sydney Greenstreet for Best Supporting Actor, and John Huston for Best Adapted Screenplay. Host: Eric Webster/Shanan Custer June 24: "The Thing From Another World” – 1951 Considered to be one of the best films of 1951 and one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s. The US Library of Congress deemed the film “culturally significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Time Magazine named it “the greatest 1950s sci-fi movie.” Host: Tim Uren July 8: “Yojimbo” – 1961 Akira Kurosawa’s “Yojimbo” marks an early high water mark in what would become a trend of cross-cultural inspiration in cinema. Kurosawa drew his inspiration from Dashiell Hammett’s detective novels (such as “The Maltese Falcon,” also featured in Classic Movie Club), as well as the western films of John Ford. Yojimbo would itself inspire its own influential western remake, “A Fistful of Dollars,” and Kurosawa’s films would be foundational for a young George Lucas as he began work on his opus, “Star Wars.” Host: Aaron Fiskradatz July 15: “Way Out West” – Laurel and Hardy “Way Out West” is a superb film, distinguished by a magnificent score, excellent production values, a nimble pace, a great supporting cast, and most of all, the wonderful comedy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, instrumental and important pioneers of American comedy. Host: Joshua English Scrimshaw July 22: “Dracula” – 1931 An American “pre-Code” horror film. Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man’s fiancé. Dracula was not only a commercial and critical success when released, it has had a notable influence on popular culture, and Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula established the character as a cultural icon, as well as the archetypal vampire in later works of fiction. In 2000, the film was selected but the US Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Host: Eric Webster/Shanan Custer