Back Alley Film Series set to 'mess up your mind'

by Michael J. Solender

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August 8, 2011

“Movies aren’t always about having a message,” said Charlotte Film Society’s Jay Morong. “Sometimes the message is just about going to see a film at a theater with friends and experiencing a movie that tells a story in a different way or presents an experience in a fashion that is new to you. Going to the movies should really be about having fun.”

Morong should know. He is the film society’s program director for its newly established Back Alley Film Series that kicks off Aug. 18. The series offers underground, grindhouse, and unique first run films Morong says are intended to “mess up your mind.”

“The films we are featuring push boundaries,” said Morong. “The intent is to dispel the notion that exists that genre films - films with over-the-top violence, for example - can’t be well-made or offer much to appreciate for cinephiles and casual filmgoers alike. This high art/low art notion is simply ridiculous in my mind.”

Morong, a lecturer in the University of North Carolina Charlotte theater department, is fascinated with films that are “just a bit off-kilter.” He describes Back Alley as way to expand the film society’s offerings and augment their long-running monthly Saturday Night Cine Club series at Theater Charlotte featuring new foreign and independent films.

“I have a personal love for genre or transgressive films – films that may be offbeat, quirky, and don’t follow a classic mainstream Hollywood formula,” Morong said. And here in Charlotte, “There is a demand to experience these films - particularly first run new releases - that is not being met," he said.

“The term ‘Back Alley’ speaks to films that may typically be out of view in Charlotte,” he said. "Part of the film society’s mission for the past 30 years has been to bring films to Charlotte that otherwise wouldn’t be offered here."

And Morong thanks host Carolina Cinemas Crownpoint Theater for its support. "They are community-minded and have helped make bringing this series to Charlotte possible,” Morong said.

Designed as a monthly series, the program will feature two separate screenings in August to jump-start its launch. In what is sure to be hailed by film aficionados, the series is featuring actual 35mm film prints whenever available.

“35mm film is an important component in the film series,” Morong said. “Three of the first four films we’re showing are 35mm prints (Norwegian Ninja was not available in 35mm). There is a quality difference that is noticeable when streaming light through film as opposed to projecting an image via Blu Ray or other digital formats."

The most noticeable difference is in the contrast, Morong said. "Blacks are blacker and whites are whiter with 35mm film," he said.

And in addition to the picture quality, "there is also something about connecting to the medium of film that occurs when showing actual 35mm prints," he said. "Whether it is the faint sound of the projector in the background or simply knowing you are experiencing the true magic of film, motion created by moving still images, that makes this special. We want our audiences to experience that whenever possible.”

The Film Society’s initial line up through October is true to their goal of bringing non-traditional fare:

Aug. 18: The series kicks off with Troll Hunter, in which a group of students set out to capture real-life trolls on camera after learning their existence has been covered up for years by a government conspiracy. “Simply a fine example of a basic monster movie,” Morong said.

Aug. 25:  Hobo With A Shotgun. “Campy, grindhouse, total exploitation film that amps up the violence,” according to Morong. Rutger Hauer plays a homeless vigilante who is on a mission.

Sept. 22: Norwegian Ninja.  A “true” story of how Commander Arne Treholt and his Ninja Force saved Norway during the Cold War. Morong calls this film “fun and creative.”

Oct. 20: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.  “A reversal on the traditional cabin-in-the-woods horror film,” said Morong. Just in time for Halloween.

For more information, visit the Back Alley Film Series website.