Time for Trine's Cinema Sampler

Free film series has "Second Chances" theme

Trine University and its Humanities Institute will roll out Cinema Sampler, a free fall film series, on Thursdays at 7 p.m. beginning on Sept. 11 in the comfort of the 320-seat Fabiani Theatre. The theater is located in the new University Center.

The series will take the theme “Second Chances” to suggest many different ways in which the phrase can be interpreted, in life and in narrative and cinematic art, said Dr. Dennis Petrie of the Humanities Institute and the Trine Department of Communication. The schedule follows.

Sept. 11—“The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek,” a 1944 black-and-white film, will be the season-opener. An Oscar-nominated farce, the film stars Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken, with direction by Preston Sturges. It has been described as “warm-hearted but audacious, frantic and hilarious.” The non-rated film will run for an hour and 38 minutes.

Sept. 18—“The Kite Runner,” a film adaptation of Khaled Hossein’s best-selling novel, has been described as “visually sumptuous” by film.com and “a rare movie that succeeds as pure story” by film critic Roger Ebert. Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer describes it as “a heartfelt saga of cruelty redeemed by belated love.” The 2007 film runs two hours, seven minutes, and is rated PG-13 for violence and language.

Sept. 25—“Little Women,” the most recent theatrical version of Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel, features performances by an ensemble of outstanding actors, including Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byrne, and Christian Bale. It is screened in conjunction with the 2008 Steuben READ Express promotion of “March,” Geraldine Brooks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Steuben READ Express encourages county-wide reading. The 1994 film is rated PG and runs one hour, 58 minutes.

Oct. 2—The PG-rated “Young@Heart” was filmed in 2008 and is described by the Detroit News’ Tom Long as “an undeniably sweet mix of disarming honesty, inspired gumption and brutal reality. ‘Young@Heart’ somehow manages to avoid the maudlin while enhancing the obvious with its portrait of a chorus of senior citizens who sing contemporary rock songs.” It has a PG rating.

Oct. 9—“Iron Man” features well-known actor Robert Downey Jr. as the celebrated Marvel Comics superhero. Wit and action happily collide as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges join the comic fun. The 2008 film is rated PG-13 for violence and suggestive content. It will run two hours and six minutes.

Oct. 23—A 1930s-era drama based on real events surrounding a winning college debate team, “The Great Debaters” stars Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker in an excellent cast. The two hour, four minute film is rated PG-13 for language and sexuality.

Oct. 30—Prepare for a “positively terrifying” thriller, according to Newsday, when “The Orphanage” is screened as a Halloween-time treat. Spanish director J.A. Bayona presents a new spin on the classic ghost story in the 2008 film, which is rated R. It runs an hour and 45 minutes.

Nov. 6—Amy Adams and Frances McDormand star in “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” a charming comedy set in 1939 London. Filmed in 2008, it offers enchanting images and intoxicating laughs. The film has a PG rating and runs for an hour and 32 minutes.

Nov. 13—“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” directed by acclaimed painter Julian Schnabel, examines the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a young French journalist who achieved a life without boundaries, even after suffering a catastrophic stroke. A.O. Scott of the New York Times calls the 2007 film “astonishing, beautiful and inspiring.” It runs for an hour and 52 minutes, and has a PG rating.