Theater kicks off new film series

The Buskirk-Chumley Theater will premiere its monthly film series this Thursday, featuring the talents and innovations of people who have advanced filmmaking.\nThe BCT Director's Series will show with two films by David Lynch at the theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. \n"Wild at Heart" will show at 7 p.m after a short introduction and "Lost Highway" will begin at 10 p.m. after a break with a live jazz performance.\nThe films are $5 each, and food and refreshments will be available for purchase.\n"We wanted to create an alternative to the regular club scene," said David Pruett, the marketing director of the BCT..\nThe monthly event differs from going to see a movie in that it is set up as an event, he said. The "intermission" between films will consist of a live jazz performance. Joan Hawkins, an associate professor in the IU Department of Communications and Culture, will give a stimulating introduction to the films.\nAll of this will take place in the comfort of a community theater, creating a "film event" that is thought-provoking, educational and comfortable. The Lynch films are being shown to "explore the open road and the unrestrained self," the theater says on its Web site.\n"The inspiration is that films by themselves in this space don't always do so well," Pruett said. "The things that do well are film events."\nThis transition into an event instead of just a film showing, like the former screening of films with Ryder Films, is a conscious effort from the theater. The Ryder Film Series no longer takes place at the BCT due to its low turnout.\nNext month, the film series will feature Spike Lee's films "School Days" and "Malcolm X." The two will be shown as a sample of the importance of Lee's films among the black community. \n"Spike Lee, we thought, would be cool to tie in with Black History Month," Pruett said.\nKaren Bowdre of the IU Department of Communications and Culture will give the introduction and DJ Flufftronix will perform between the films.\nIn March, the theater will showcase Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and "A Clockwork Orange." Guests will include Jason Sperb of the IU Department of Communications and Culture to discuss Kubrick, and the Kinsey Institute will explore sexuality in cinema during the 20th century.\n"We wanted to look for directors that were not really classical, but influential," Pruett said. "We put a lot of thought into the directors we picked"