I've always been sort of proud, in a strange way, that I've never seen Rocky. 1) It's a classic, and 2) it's set in Philadelphia. How could I have never seen it?! Frankly, I never cared if anyone found my ignorance of Rocky offensive, because I never actually had any interest in seeing it in the first place. However, since I've started this blog, I've committed myself to seeing everything that might be shown in a Film Appreciation class.

First time filmmaker, Evan Glodell, wrote, directed and starred in his visually-compelling feature, Bellflower. The film follows two friends, Woodrow and Aiden, who are obsessed with the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max and its sequel, The Road Warrior. Living in California, the two spend their time imagining life after the apocalypse and building real weapons and other objects for their imagined world.

As a Penn State graduate with a BA in film and television media studies, I admit that I fancy myself a film expert, especially for a 23 year old. That is, until I start up a conversation about the greatest movies of all time with a fellow (older and wiser) film lover. I am very aware of the types of films that make it on to these sorts of AFI 'best' lists, but I am embarrassed to admit, there are quite a few I haven't seen - movies like The Godfather and Rocky that are considered staples of American cinematic culture.

For months, the film world has been aflutter with news of this festival darling. It is one of the few films to be screened at the "Big 3" -- Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto (September 8-18).

Martha Marcy May Marlene is about a young girl, Martha, who escapes an abusive, cult-ish "family" and moves in with her sister and brother-in-law. Transitioning from the communal community, which promoted living in the moment, to the excessive home of a yuppie couple proves extremely difficult for Martha, who went by Marcy May and Marlene in the cult.