FanFare

CRFC9: Nicholas Van Orton is a "man who has everything", but who seems to be missing a key piece of himself. On his 48th birthday, his wayward brother Conrad shows up for dinner, and gives Nicholas a card that's good for one free session with Consumer Recreation Services. And so begins The Game. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Jan 20, 2015 - 15 comments

CRFC9: The Constructed Reality Film Club is starting back up for the new year with a slight change in direction. 1986's Labyrinth tells the story of a young girl, Sarah, who is lost in her own fantasy world. When she asks for her baby brother to be taken away she gets more than she asked for, and must enter the Labyrinth of Jareth, The Goblin King, to get him back. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Jan 12, 2015 - 42 comments

Streaming options are starting to run a bit low on movies that fit directly. Here are a few proposed movies that stretch the definition a bit. Feedback is welcome. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Jan 8, 2015 - 3 comments

CRFC8: Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York centers on a theater director named Caden Cotard. Caden, coming off an award winning production of Death of a Salesman, is given a MacArthur grant for his work. With the newfound money he strives to make the most realistic piece of theater ever. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Dec 15, 2014 - 9 comments

CRFC7: In The Truman Show, Truman Burbank lives what seems to be the perfect life: a sunny city with friendly people, a loving wife, a stable job and a devoted friend. However, he is haunted by a lost love who was taken from hom many years ago, and a longing to venture outside of the town that he has never left. Amid a series of bizarre occurrences, Truman begins to formulate his escape. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Dec 8, 2014 - 26 comments

CRFC6: In a dreary city where the sun never seems to rise, a man named John Murdoch awakens in a seedy hotel room with no memories and a murder rap. As he seeks to uncover the truth, and clear his name, he uncovers a much vaster conspiracy than he could ever have imagined. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Dec 2, 2014 - 15 comments

The plan was originally to watch Dark City tonight, but I had some stuff come up with work, and haven't had time to either watch the film or make the post. I should be able to do both tonight, and have the thread up tomorrow around this time. I've also been looking for new movies since I've bumped up the schedule from bi-weekly to weekly, so please post movies that you would like to see discussed here!
posted by codacorolla on Dec 1, 2014 - 5 comments

CRFC5: In 1990's Total Recall, Paul Verhoeven crafts a twisting and turning action thriller about a man named Quaid who wants to take a trip to Mars. Instead he decides to try out a new service that will implant memories of fantastic vacations into the minds of its customers: Rekall Incorporated. However, things become more complicated as the procedure goes wrong, and Quaid is chased by a past that he doesn't quite remember. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Nov 24, 2014 - 18 comments

CRFC4: The 2006 film Paprika features a team of psychotherapists who have invented a device that allows them inside the dreams of their patients. When the device is stolen, they attempt to solve a mystery that blends the real world and the dream world. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Nov 17, 2014 - 8 comments

CRFC3: In Source Code, Jake Gyllenhaal plays soldier Colter Stevens who finds himself in an experimental computer simulation, taking on the life of another in a desperate attempt to find the person who bombed a commuter train in Chicago. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Nov 10, 2014 - 16 comments

CRFC2: At the turn of the millennium the economy is in the dumps, gas is over three dollars a gallon and the police have become a militarized gang. Scraping the bottom of the barrel is Lenny Nero, who deals in "playbacks", virtual reality recordings that transport their audience to the lived experience of another person. When a woman out of Lenny's past comes to him for help he finds himself drawn into a sprawling conspiracy. _{TW: graphic depictions of sexual violence.} [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Oct 27, 2014 - 12 comments

I'm not sure if there's really any interest in this or not, but I'm having fun with it. If you have opinions about what you might like to see for the next film then feel free to post it here. My druthers are for Strange Days, first because it's great, and second because it's on streaming services.
posted by codacorolla on Oct 15, 2014 - 11 comments

The Inaugural Constructed Reality Film Club (CRFC) Thread!: eXistenZ (1999), by David Cronenberg. eXistenZ tells the story of a game designer, Allegra (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who becomes trapped inside of her own creation. She is accompanied by marketing trainee, Ted Pikul (Jude Law), as they embark on a disorienting and mind bending journey across multiple intersecting realities, enabled by the disgustingly lovable Metaflesh Game Pod. [more inside]
posted by codacorolla on Oct 13, 2014 - 11 comments

One of my favorite genres of movie are those where the protagonist is dealing with living inside of a simulated or constructed reality. The Matrix is the most popular example, but there are many, many more (of vastly varying quality). There are already a lot of movie clubs going, so I thought I would put out a feeler for interest.
posted by codacorolla on Sep 26, 2014 - 9 comments