Last film: It’s gonna be a silent one

The final film of the Langer Film Series for the 2011-12 school year is “The Artist.”

This film is set in the period of silent films in Hollywood, and as such is itself a black and white, silent film.

“The Artist” follows an unhappy movie star who doesn’t want to participate in the talking revolution that is quickly approaching Hollywood.

The film is showing at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Wednesday, May 30, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

Only two more movies left!

The second to last film for this season is “The Descendants,” starring George Clooney.

“The Descendants” is about a husband named Matt who is indifferently raising his two daughters after his wife suffered a fatal boating accident in Hawaii.

The accident leads to decisions that Matt never wanted to have to make, including whether to sell his family’s land in Hawaii.

The film is showing at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Wednesday, May 23, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

The Iron Lady: Next in the film series

The next installment in the Langer Film Series is “The Iron Lady,” a film following the United Kingdom’s Margaret Thatcher, as played by Meryl Streep.

Thatcher was the UK’s longest-serving prime minister, and the film focuses on the things Thatcher had to give up in her rise to power, such as strong relationships with her two children.

“The Iron Lady” is playing at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Wednesday, May 16, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

Next in series: Kurt Elling

The next big event at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Mercyhurst University is world-renowned jazz vocalist Kurt Elling.

Elling has been performing since the 1990s, and has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, Legends of Jazz, and hundreds of other publications.

He has also been named ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ by the Jazz Journalists Association half a dozen times in the past decade.

Every record he has recorded has been nominated for a Grammy, and he has won one.

Elling will be performing at the PAC on Friday, May 11, at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for Mercyhurst students with ID.

Next Langer film: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

The next installment of the Langer Film Series is “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a documentary that follows 85-year-old Jiro Ono.

Ono has established one of the most famous sushi bars in the world—located in a subway station, people travel all over the world to eat at his sushi bar, which is one of the only restaurants of its kind to receive a 3-star rating from Michelin.

Customers have to call months in advance and pay top dollar to eat at Ono’s 10-seat restaurant.

The film follows Ono as he strives to perfect his sushi—a lifelong endeavor that might not ever be completed.

“Jiro Dreams of Sushi” is showing at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC), on Wednesday, May 9, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

Viva la Danse!

For the past three months, the Mercyhurst University Dance Department has been working on a show called Viva la Danse! which will be performed next weekend.

Many famous works will be performed, including The Dying Swan and Paquita, and will include famous guest artists and alumni as well as current students.

Guest artists who worked with the students were from Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, Martha Graham Company and Baryshnikov’s White Oak Project.

The show will be performed Saturday, May 5, at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, May 6, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15.50 for adults, $12.50 for seniors, and $3.50 for Mercyhurst students with ID.

There will also be a preview showing at 4:30 on Friday, May 4, and all tickets are $5.

Next film!

The next installment of the Langer Film Series is showing tomorrow at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC).

“Living Downstream” is a documentary film based on the book of the same name by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D.

The documentary tells the story of Steingraber’s private struggle with cancer as well as her public struggle to expose links between cancer and the environment.

She travels across North America to try to prove that the chemicals being put into the earth are harming us in more ways than one.

“Living Downstream” is showing tomorrow at the PAC at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

Fazil Say

This is a busy week for the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC): BJM Danse Montreal tonight, “Jane Eyre” tomorrow, and Fazil Say on Thursday!

Fazil Say is a Turkish pianist who began playing at the age of four.

He has become a world famous musician, honored with over 20 awards. He has also played with many different orchestras, including New York Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, Berlin Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, St.Petersburg Philharmonic, National France Orchestra and Tokyo Symphony.

He has also been named a Cultural Ambassador by the European Union in 2008 and hopes to bridge understanding between eastern and western cultures.

Fazil Say will be performing at the PAC on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for Mercyhurst students with ID.

At the PAC: Jane Eyre

The next installment in the Langer Film Series is “Jane Eyre,” the newest version of the classic book by Charlotte Bronte.

“Jane Eyre” follows Jane Eyre, a woman orphaned in childhood who has to make it by herself in the world. Jane receives very harsh treatment throughout her adolescence.

She finally arrives at Thornfield Hall to be a governess, and Mrs. Fairfax, the woman who hired her, treats her with kindness and warmth. Jane is also intrigued by Rochester, and her relationship with him changes them both forever.

“Jane Eyre” will show at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Wednesday, April 18, at 2:15 and 7:15 p.m.

Tickets are $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and free for Mercyhurst students with ID.

On Screen/In Person: Paul Devlin

Yesterday I had the exciting opportunity to interview the producer of this week’s Langer Film Series installment, BLAST!

Paul Devlin was on the Mercyhurst University campus all day yesterday as part of the On Screen/In Person Program started this year.

BLAST! follows Paul’s brother Mark Devlin, a scientist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania and funded by NASA, as he tried to launch a telescope through the use of a hot air balloon, in Sweden and then Antarctica.

Paul explained his idea for the film, saying that he had been driving his brother to the train station when his brother asked him if he would document his latest telescope launch. Paul responded jokingly, saying if it involved an all-expenses paid trip to Sweden, then he was in.

“I didn’t expect to hear anything about it after that,” Paul said.

But his brother returned with the funding and off they went. What was supposed to be a five-day trip turned into five weeks when Paul realized “there was a story line there.”

Paul spent his time interviewing the scientists, waiting for the bad weather to pass, and finally documenting the telescope launch.

The challenge with this film, Paul said, was to balance the necessary scientific terminology with the needs of the audience.

“The scientists couldn’t handle the independent film part of it, and U.S. viewers couldn’t handle the heavy science terminology,” he said.

It was hard to please both sides.

Eventually, though, the film was complete, and was released independently in New York City, where NPR and the New York Times gave it the much-needed press for it to become popular. This enabled him to go on the road and do viewings, hence being at Mercyhurst.

Even Paul’s brother likes it, much to his relief.

“He didn’t like it in the beginning, but he does now,” said Paul. “It’s hard to portray it rightly, and he despaired it wouldn’t be finished. It came out right though, and we got to travel around the world.”

As for the level of secrecy NASA portrays, Paul laughed.

“My brother wanted me around, but they certainly didn’t. But my brother was in charge,” Paul said. So he remained.

As for future plans, Paul is now working on a documentary called “Front Man,” which he described as “the moment where you realize you won’t be a rock star after all,” and the choices to made after that realization.

He also works as a video editer with CBS Sports on NFL Today, and has also covered the Olympics, Tour de France, tennis and soccer.

More information about the movie can be found at blastthemovie.com.