Focus Group FC

Audrey Hepburn

Fred Astaire

Kay Thompson

Michel Auclair

Robert Flemyng

Dovima

Suzy Parker

Sunny Hartnett

Jean Del Val

Virginia Gibson

Sue England

Ruta Lee

Alex Gerry

Bess Flowers

Iphigenie Castiglioni

Bert Stevens

Harold Miller

Franklyn Farnum

Brandon Beach

Carole Eastman

Leoda Richards

Marion Gray

Marilyn White

Oliver Cross

Charles Fogel

Sam Harris

Marcel De La Brosse

Louise Glenn

Caryl Lincoln

Forbes Murray

Paul Smith

George Gershwin

Stanley Donen

Ray June

Roger Edens

Edith Head

Hubert de Givenchy

Ira Gershwin

Leonard Gershe

Adolph Deutsch

Conrad Salinger

Van Cleave

Alexander Courage

Skip Martin

Eugene Loring

Richard Mueller

Hal Pereira

George W. Davis

Frank Bracht

John P. Fulton

Farciot Edouart

Sam Comer

Ray Moyer

Wally Westmore

Nellie Manley

William McGarry

George Leverett

Winston H. Leverett

Richard Avedon

Carmel Snow

Robert McCrellis

Mike Semenario

Charles Sickler

Music

Comedy

Romance

Funny Face

Paramount Pictures

United States of America

Funny Face - Trailer

Dorothy McGowan

Jean Rochefort

Sami Frey

Grayson Hall

Philippe Noiret

Alice Sapritch

Delphine Seyrig

Fernando Arrabal

Roland Topor

Guy d'Avout

Jacques Rispal

Michel Robin

Joanna Shimkus

Jacques Seiler

Roger Trapp

Paul Bonifas

Bernard Musson

Donyale Luna

Peggy Moffitt

William Klein

Robert Delpire

Michel Legrand

Bernard Evein

Annie-France Lebrun

Janine Klein

Guillouet Lefrançois

Jürgen Vollmer

Patrick Aubrée

Anne-Marie Cotret

Pierre Grunstein

Alain Franchet

Jacqueline Simoni

Jean Boffety

Antoine Bonfanti

Drama

Who Are you, Polly Maggoo?

Club des Produceteurs

Delpire Productions

France

Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (Opening Scene)

Christian Dior

Raf Simons

Pieter Mulier

Bernard Arnault

Donatella Versace

Anna Wintour

Luca Guadagnino

Jennifer Lawrence

Harvey Weinstein

Marion Cotillard

Isabelle Huppert

Sharon Stone

Frédéric Tcheng

Guillaume de Roquemaurel

Gilles Piquard

Julio Perez IV

Ha-Yang Kim

Documentary

Dior and I

CIM Productions

Dior and I - Official Trailer

Fashion: Facets of an Industry

"This is about the thrill of wearing another man's skin." - Dennis Reynolds

Imposters

Is the World Actually Ending? (Nuclear Style)

Shadows of Power: The Cost of Secrecy and Survival

In a world where secrets dictate survival and deception blurs the line between right and wrong, three gripping stories reveal the human cost of espionage and political ambition. From a hunted CIA analyst, to a relentless assassin, to a defense strategist haunted by the fog of war, this collection explores the perilous dance between power, morality, and fate.

This Valentine's month, proceed with caution.

Fuck Around & Find Out

It takes two, baby (or three, or four, or...)

Polyamory/Throuples

It's beginning to look a lot like...disaster!

Christmas, Interrupted

The Grit & The Glamour

Stalkers

Slapstick Palate Cleansers

Films about young women, choices, and the fucking patriarchy

Give Me Back My Girlhood

In the dim spaces between places, the lines between reality blur and time halts.

Liminal Spaces

Strangely Familiar Places in Movies Explained

The Horror of Liminality

In the dim spaces between places, known as liminal zones, the lines between reality blur and time halts. These transitional areas, often ignored or dismissed as mere passageways, hold a mysterious pull that urges the curious soul to delve deeper into the unknown.

Imagine an empty train station at midnight, its lights flickering and casting long shadows on the worn pavement. Footsteps echo through the deserted corridors, creating a symphony of solitude that envelopes the weary traveler in uncertainty. Here, in this liminal space, one is suspended between leaving and arriving, between the known and the unknown, caught in a timeless limbo where all possibilities exist.

Or envision a deserted shopping mall on a rainy Sunday afternoon, its once lively halls now eerily silent except for the faint buzz of fluorescent lights. The vacant storefronts stand as silent witnesses to the passage of time, their faded signs murmuring stories of days gone by when consumerism reigned supreme. In this forgotten space, the lines between past, present, and future blur, beckoning contemplation of the fleeting nature of human existence.

Liminal spaces are not just physical locations; they can also exist within the mind, where thoughts and emotions clash in a tumultuous dance of uncertainty. The threshold between wakefulness and sleep, for instance, is a liminal space where dreams and reality intertwine, creating a surreal landscape of shifting perspectives and fragmented memories.

In literature and art, liminal spaces have long inspired creative minds seeking to explore the boundaries of human experience. Artists like Edward Hopper, with their haunting portrayals of empty rooms and desolate streets, capture the essence of these in-between spaces, prompting viewers to ponder the mysteries just beyond consciousness.

In the realm of psychology, liminal spaces are linked to moments of transition and transformation, when familiar structures crumble to reveal hidden layers of the self. Carl Jung’s concept of individuation involves traversing these liminal spaces in search of wholeness and self-realization, a journey that demands bravery, introspection, and a readiness to embrace the unknown.

As we navigate the tumultuous currents of modern existence, it is perhaps in these liminal spaces that we can find solace and significance, a sanctuary from the ceaseless march of time and a reminder of the boundless possibilities beyond the horizon. Let us welcome the uncertainty, the ambiguity, and the enigma of these in-between spaces, for it is here that we might uncover the true essence of our being.

Can't live with them, can't live without them

Neighbors

Movies about the inspiration for and the possibilities of the early internet.

The Early Internet

On the road with your "really good friend/roommate".

Queer-coded Road Trips

Interpretations of the classic setup of a little guy versus a big guy; in these cases, the big guy is a big institution.

David v. Goliath

A collection of movies where the narrative plays out in real-time

Movies in Real-time

A rejection of cinematic realism, emphasizing internal feeling utilizing distorted visuals and hyper-expressive performance.

German Expressionism

An exploration of all the what-ifs in our lives

What Could've Been

A stylized genre of film marked by pessimism, fatalism, and cynicism.

Noirvember

The fear of disturbing and violating change in the human body.

Body Horror

abjection-and-body-horror.pdf

Abjection and Body Horror

Is it changing her? Or making her open to herself?
- Said about Anna (Isabelle Adjani) in Possession (1981)

The theme for this month is Body Horror, a sub-genre defined as the fear of disturbing and violating change to the human body. This change can come from without (mutilation, augmentation) or within (disease, aging).

What sets body horror apart from other sub-genres is the intent. The horror inflicted upon a body is usually a cracked prism through which we explore the very idea of change. Words like distortion, corruption, and disintegration will describe not just what can happen to a physical body, but also metaphysical bodies like a marriage or a nation (Possession), gender (Titane), and family (Color Out of Space).

Jump scares are not the source of terror here. Instead, these films are more in the vein of psychological horror, sometimes even cosmic horror. That said, I think these films will provoke empathy just as much as they'll provoke dread or disgust. Hopefully they'll make you wonder if we can keep our humanity while our bodies, physical or otherwise, become inhuman.

Anyways, I can't wait for us to discuss these films. As I'm sure you know, horror is my absolute favorite genre of film (or any medium, really), and I hope these will showcase what I love about it.

Focus Group - Spooky Month

Sometimes, you need to sing your way through life

Musicals

Movies that feature architecture in a way that's integral to the themes of the movie

Architecture

Counterprogramming that resulted in a legit cultural phenomenon

Barbenheimer

Movies that explore the process and subjective experience of filmmaking

Movies About Movies

What's the point of going through life if you can't do it with a friend?

Buddy Comedies

A satirical look at traditional romantic comedies

Screwball Comedies

Movies where the location is as important as the characters.

Location as Character

Food