SJC Faculty to Lead Film Discussions

November 04, 2013

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. November 5, 2013 St. Josephs College (SJC) faculty members will continue to host film discussions at the Plaza Cinema & Media Arts Center (MAC) located in downtown Patchogue, as part of its ongoing Film Discussion Series. Hannah Arendt will be shown on Thursday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. with Thomas Petriano leading the discussion and Dr. Peter Mascuch hosting a discussion for Goodfellas on Monday, November 18 at 7 p.m.

Hannah Arendt is a drama directed by Margarethe von Trotta that tells the story of a philosopher and political theorist as she reported for The New Yorker during the Nazi war crimes trial of Adolf Eichmann.

Goodfellas is an American crime film directed by Martin Scorcese that is recognized as a classic mob genre movie about the rise and fall of Henry Hill, an associate of the Lucchese crime family played by Ray Liotta. Joe Pesci won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1991 and the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Film Editing. In 1991, Goodfellas was also nominated for five Golden Globes and won or was nominated for more than 50 other film awards.

"This series provides students, the Plaza MAC audience and me with a terrific opportunity to revisit, or visit for the first time, classic Hollywood genres like the gangster film, said Peter Mascuch, Ph.D., associate professor of English and American studies and coordinator of the film media studies program at SJC. "It will be fun and intriguing to see how well Goodfellas, a contemporary gangster classic if there ever was one, holds up, especially now that the movie is more than 20-years-old. I'm looking forward to seeing it again on the big screen with an audience.

The Film Discussion Series at Plaza MAC has included discussions by SJC English and Writing Professor Thomas Grochowski for the Academy Award winner, Searching for Sugar Man. In 2013, Thomas Petriano led discussions for the documentary The Act of Killing, Terrence Malicks To the Wonder and the Academy Award nominee, 5 Broken Cameras. Peter Mascuch has also led film discussions on 28 Days Later, The Shining, Room 237 and the 2013 Academy Award winner, Amour.

Tickets for Hannah Arendt and Goodfellas are $10 each for the general public and $7 for students with a valid ID. For more information, visit www.plazamac.org. 

ABOUT PLAZA CINEMA & MEDIA ARTS CENTER
The Plaza Cinema and Media Arts Center is a non-profit public charity organization dedicated to bringing the magic and power of movies and filmmaking to the hearts and minds of the community. On a weekly basis, the Plaza provides the Patchogue community with current, quality independent films from around the world while offering special films for children and cultural programming such as broadcasts of operas and ballet from the world stage. Starting in 2013, the Plaza will be offering classes in screenwriting, editing and film production.