![[Picture of the Wyo Theatre, 309 S. 5th]](wyo.gif)
The Laramie Film Society has successfully revived the Annual Spring Film Series at the Wyo Theatre, by selling over 1,100 advance tickets for the series. On Monday, February 6, LFS members presented over $6,000 in cash and checks to the manager of the Wyo Theatre, ensuring the Spring Film Series for another year.
In 2010 the annual Fall Film Series at the Wyo was canceled due to poor attendance. In response to the threatened cancellation of the Spring Film Series, the Laramie Film Society agreed to sell advance tickets for the series. Our goal was to sell the required 500 tickets and raise $3,000 in combined ticket and membership sales by February 6, 2012. The owners of the theater agreed to run a 2012 spring film series of 11 films (listed below), if we could raise that much money by selling that many tickets and memberships. We have more than doubled the combined ticket and membership sales required to revive the film series. Tickets are still on sale at the Wyo Theatre box office. Tickets cost $30 for a packet of five or $55 for a packet of 10 and $60 for 11 tickets.
The owners of the Wyo Theatre, Karen and Marshall Smith of Rocky Mountain Resort Cinemas, extend their heartfelt thanks to all those people who bought and sold tickets, and to the businesses involved in the sale. They are very surprised and happy with the result and said all of this support “is really going to help the Wyo.” They are happy to present the film series, starting with "Martha Marcy May Marlene" at 7 p.m. on Feb. 19. The only reason they had planned to cancel the series in the first place is that they were losing money on the film series. That will not be the case this time, thanks to this great community support.
Below is the list of films and dates for the Spring Series. All the films are now booked and the schedule should not change, barring unforeseen circumstances. The schedule below starts with films and ratings, linked to reviews, followed by a synopsis of each film below the list. If there is a film series, the films would show at 7 p.m. every Sunday except for Easter Sunday, when there is no film. To be notified of any changes in the schedule or status of this series, Join the LFS e-mail list.
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February 19 — Martha Marcy May Marlene: A young woman, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) joins a rural cult, not unlike the Manson Family. She escapes and goes to live with her sister, but the cult members follow her. She has trouble escaping the hold the cult has on her mind. This film has won nine awards at international film festivals and other film competitions. It has also been nominated for a number of other awards. Rated R, running time 120 minutes.
February 26 — Like Crazy: An American boy and and a British girl fall in love, only to be separated by immigration rules when the girl overstays her student visa and can't return to the U.S. This film has already won eight awards at international film festivals and other film competitions. Rated PG-13, running time 90 minutes.
March 4 — My Week with Marilyn: Marilyn Monroe (played by Michelle Williams of “Blue Valentine”) creates havoc on the 1956 British set of “The Prince and the Showgirl”. She is at odds with her famous and increasingly frustrated director, Sir Lawrence Olivier, played by Kenneth Branagh. She makes a fast friend with an assistant director, Colin Clark, and the two slip away from the set for some escapades. This film has won 12 awards from international film festivals and other film competitions, including a best actress Golden Globe award. Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh were both nominated for acting Oscars. Rated R, running time 99 minutes.
March 11 — Carnage: Two sets of parents go to a meeting to resolve a fight by their sons in this comedy drama. As the meeting progresses, the parents behavior becomes increasingly childish. Starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly. Directed by Roman Polanski. This film has won three international film awards and has been nominated for more. Rated R, running time 97 minutes.
March 18 — Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: Based on the John le Carré spy novel, this film follows master spy George Smiley (played by Gary Oldman) as he tries to find a double agent hiding in the highest levels of British intelligence during the Cold War. The film has received three Academy Award nominations, including an acting nomination for Oldman. This film has won three international film competition awards and has been nominated for other awards. Rated R, 127 minutes.
March 25 — A Dangerous Method: Famed analyst Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), both fall under the spell of a bewitching patient, Sabrina (Kiera Knightley) in this powerful period psychological drama helmed by famed director David Cronenberg. This film has won five awards from international film festivals and other competitions and has been nominated for more, including a Golden Globe Award. Rated R, running time 99 minutes.
April 1 — The Iron Lady: Late in her life, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (played by Meryl Streep) thinks back on her career and struggles with her own mental stability. Streep has won six international awards for her performance in this film, including a best actress Academy Award win and a Golden Globe Award best dramatic actress award win. The film also won an Academy Award for makeup. Rated PG-13, running time 105 minutes.
April 8 — No film for Easter Sunday, (also during a sort of Easter mini-break at UW).
April 15 — The Artist: A top silent film star, played by Jean Dujardin, sees his career fade as the era of the talkies begins in Hollywood. At the same time he is attracted to a young actress whose career skyrockets as she embraces the era of sound in movies. As his star fades, the young starlet does her best to help him stay afloat, but his pride could destroy her plans. This silent, black and white film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It has won 21 international awards, including three Golden Globe awards. Rated PG-13, running time, 100 minutes.
April 22 — We Need to Talk About Kevin: A boy grows up to be evil, despite his mother's best attempts to redeem him in this devastating drama. This film has won 12 international film awards and is nominated for many more, including a Golden Globe award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination for star Tilda Swinton, who plays the mother. Rated R, 110 minutes.
April 29 — A Separation: A couple must decide whether to move to another country to make a better life for the family or stay in Iran and care for an aging, mentally impaired parent. In Persian (Farsi) with English subtitles. This film has won 25 international film awards, including a best foreign film Academy Award and Golden Globe Award, and was nominated for a best screenplay and Academy Award. Rated PG-13, running time 120 minutes.
May 6 — Albert Nobbs: A woman pretends to be a man in order to get a better-paying job at a hotel in 19th Century Ireland. She tries something even more unconventional to better her situation. This film won nine international film awards and was nominated for more awards, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for stars Glenn Close and Janet McTeer. Rated R, running time 113 minutes.
The Laramie Film Society does not own or operate the Wyo Theatre, nor does it select the films to be shown at the theater. The owner of the theater, Rocky Mountain Resort Cinemas, has been somewhat responsive to LFS suggestions and requests for certain films. The Laramie Film Society was formed, in part, to prevent the Wyo Theatre, a valuable cultural resource, from closing. It is dedicated to keeping this theater open, as well as to attracting better films for Laramie audiences. The effort to keep the fall and spring film series going is part of both of these LFS goals.
The Laramie Film Society presented “Easy Street,” “The Goat” and “An Eastern Westerner” during Jubilee Days. The films were shown on July 8 during the Jubilee Days Street Dance on the north wall of Ken's Music Box near the intersection of Second and Grand. Thanks to Ken's Music Box for letting LFS use its wall. Thanks to the Cross Country Connection for letting us use electricity so LFS could plug in its projector. Thanks to the LFS volunteers Ali Grossman, Ali's husband, Lynn Hamblin, Nancy Sindelar and others, who helped us get set up and help carry everything away afterwards.
"Easy Street," released in 1917 is one of Charlie Chaplin's early comedy classics. This 19-minute Mutual studio silent film pits the diminutive Chaplin, who plays a policeman, against a huge street thug played by Eric Campbell. Chaplin also wrote and directed this film. Chaplin creates humor from the unlikely subjects of poverty and violence in some mean city streets.
“The Goat” is a classic 1921 comedy. It is about a man (played by the legendary Buster Keaton) who is mistakenly identified as a murderer in newspapers and posters. He desperately dodges the police, and a variety of other pursuers, displaying incredible acrobatic skills and ingenuity. This film was selected by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences as one of Keaton's two best short films (the other was "The Boat"). Keaton, a legendary movie actor, writer and director, also co-directed and scripted this film with Malcolm St. Clair. Keaton (1895-1966) was one of the true comic geniuses of film, with a brilliant career that spanned decades. His acrobatic physical style of comedy is similar to that of Charlie Chaplain, Harold Lloyd and Jackie Chan.
“The Goat” is the first film purchased by the Laramie Film Society. "Easy Street" was purchased in the summer of 2004. In the past we have rented all of the films we have shown. By shopping around on the Internet, LFS found a source of 16 millimeter films for a reasonable price. We can buy a film for about the same amount of money it costs to rent one.
“An Eastern Westerner” is a 1920 film starring Harold Lloyd, one of the biggest stars of silent films. The print we bought in 2010 is essentially the second half of this 20-minute film (which is O.K., because it is the funnier half and we got it at half price). The first half of the film takes place in a large city, probably New York. The half of the movie we have takes place in a town in the west populated by bad guys and crooked card sharks. There is also a group of hooded riders who look a lot like the KKK, menacing people in the town. The nimble Lloyd outsmarts the bad guys and gets the girl, of course.
The Laramie Film Society holds free silent film showings at the Eppson Centers for Seniors occasionally. One such showing was "The Goat" on August 6, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. at the Center. The showing was a big success. The audience of mostly seniors enjoyed the show. About 30 people attended the showing.
"The Goat," a 25-minute silent film starring Buster Keaton, was originally shown in downtown Laramie during the Jubilee Days Street Dance. "The Goat" is a 1921 comedy about a man (played by Buster Keaton) who is mistakenly identified as a murderer in newspapers and posters. He desperately dodges the police, and a variety of other pursuers, displaying incredible acrobatic skills and ingenuity. The LFS has also shown “Easy Street,” starring Charlie Chaplin, at the senior center. Send me an email if you want to set up a showing of either of these films or “An Eastern Westerner,” our other silent film, starring the legendary Harold Lloyd.
The IRS has determined that the Laramie Film Society is exempt from federal income tax as described in section 501 (c)(3) of the tax code. The LFS received the determination letter in mid-February.
This is a final determination. Since we have a reasonable assurance that our application was filed before the deadline, all donations to LFS dating back to September 5, 2000 should be eligible for deduction from federal income taxes. Donations are only allowable as deductions to the extent that the donations are gifts. LFS memberships and LFS t-shirts, and LFS movie ticket sales are not really eligible because people receive consideration for those purchases.
The complete IRS determination letter can be accessed by clicking on this link. This determination letter has been scanned into text, so there may be some typos. E-mail me (Robert Roten) so I can fix any typos you might spot. My e-mail address can be found on my web page Laramie Movie Scope. A copy of IRS Publication 1771 which outlines the rules for charitable donations was included with the decision letter. This short, two page document is well worth reading if you plan to donate anything to any non-profit organization. I was unable to scan this document into a text file, but I found a copy of it on the Internet (it is not available at the IRS site for some reason). A copy of Publication 1771 is included with the copy of the decision letter linked above. To read it, click on this link.
The 501 (c)(3) application for recognition of exemption (forms 1023, 8718, and 872-C) was delivered to the IRS office in Kentucky at 9 a.m. December 28, 2001, according to the UPS Internet delivery tracking system.
The delivery was three days before the deadline (the end of the 15th month from the date of incorporation). That means donations to LFS back to the date of incorporation (Sept. 5, 2000) should be tax-deductible. I have one copy of the application and I have made two others so that LFS Secretary Lynn Hamblin and Treasurer Casey Woods can keep them on file. I will also keep a copy on file. By law, a copy of the application must be kept on file for public inspection for three years.
The application uses form 872-C to "consent fixing period of limitation upon assessment of tax under section 4890 of the Internal Revenue Code." The reason for including this form in the application is that it is required when seeking an "advance ruling" rather than a "definitive ruling" on our tax- exempt status. Rather than making an advance ruling, however, the IRS chose to make a final ruling, so that form was evidently not needed. Who knew?
(Written in 2001) The Wyo Theatre is once again under the management of Rocky Mountain Resort Cinemas, the company that currently owns the Wyo Theatre building in Laramie. Trans-Lux Corporation, as you may recall, closed the Wyo Theatre last year when it operated the facility. A recent tenant, Bijou, Inc., partnered with Movie Palaces, ceased operations on May 18, 2001. Reportedly, there was conflict between Trans-Lux and Bijou, Inc. Trans-Lux has the power to enforce an agreement which limits what films may be shown in the Wyo.
Marshall Smith, owner of Rocky Mountain Resort Cinemas, has bought all the equipment purchased for the Wyo by the Bijou Inc. and Movie Palaces partners. Smith said although Trans-Lux will operate the theater, Smith himself will be doing all the bookings for the Wyo. Smith is continuing the spring and fall film series as he did in the past, as well as adding a new summer kids film series, co-sponsored by Laramie parent-teacher associations.
Smith said the theater will continue to be run the way it was under Bijou with some minor changes (snacks are cheaper and the matinee discount has been discontinued). Smith is booking the same kinds of "mid-run" movies that were shown earlier this year. The changeover was on May 18. Smith is open to suggestions from LFS on the annual spring and fall film series. Numerous films suggested by LFS have been played in the two annual film series since Smith has re-opened the Wyo.
The Laramie Film Society was established as a Wyoming not-for-profit corporation in September of 2000 after the Wyo closed. It held its first general meeting and appointed a Board of Directors, with well-known Laramie film critic and writer Robert Roten as Chairman. The LFS was formed both to preserve the theater and to promote the appreciation of cinema in general in Laramie. Now that the Wyo is open again, one of the main goals of the organization has been met. While the LFS is in no way connected to the current group managing the Wyo Theatre, the LFS is very interested in making sure the theater stays open. The LFS wants to work with the management of the Wyo Theatre in the future to try to make better movies available in Laramie.
January 26, 2001 was a busy day. The Wyo Theatre reopened that day (featuring "Charlie's Angels," "Unbreakable" and "102 Dalmatians"), and the Laramie Film Society showed "All About My Mother" (Todo Sobre Mi Madre) at the Laramie Plains Civic Center that same evening. We talked this over with Randy Pryde, a partner of the company leasing the Wyo. He indicated the theater's opening was a little uncertain at that time (more on the Wyo below), so we decided to go ahead with our movie as planned. The LFS movie, the Laramie premier of "All About My Mother," winner of the 1999 Academy Award for best foreign film, was a big success. LFS, with the help of four sponsoring organizations attracted 150 people, five times the turnout of our previous feature, "A Christmas Story." We probably outdrew "Charlie's Angels." LFS feels the success of this show, despite the competition from seven other movies at the Fox and Wyo, and despite the fact that our movie was already out on video, vindicates our belief that there is a strong market for high quality films in Laramie.
LFS also showed "A Christmas Story" at the civic center theater on December 15. The December showing was the first featuring a sound system donated by Dr. Charles Ksir, dean of the UW College of Education. It was also the first LFS film shown at the Civic Center. The sound system worked well, being a vast improvement over our previous sound equipment, but it was generally felt there was too much "boom" in the sound reproduction. LFS technicians reduced the bass and boosted the treble for "All About My Mother." "A Christmas Story," also has a number of lines of dialogue spoken by Darren McGavin which are intentionally garbled to indicate he is swearing.
LFS used a rented projector (which did not work well) in its first film and a borrowed projector (which worked very well) for second film. Now LFS owns three Bell and Howell 16 millimeter projectors. Two of the higher quality projectors will be used for showing the films and the third is a backup unit in case of a projector breakdown. The older, Bell and Howell 1850 projector was donated to LFS by me (Robert Roten). I bought it for $10 from a guy who bought it several years ago for $1. It is an old UW surplus unit. New, these projectors cost over $1,000, but most have been devalued because of the popularity of low-cost video cassette players. LFS recently purchased two newer Bell and Howell 2585 projectors for about $80 apiece from Ebay. During the showing of "All About My Mother" a projector bulb burned out. Projectionist Casey Wood (also a board member) quickly switched projectors, using our spare, and the show went on. The only thing that slowed us down was the burned out bulb. It was so hot we had to let it cool a bit before we could replace the bulb. Recently, LFS purchased a number of spare projector bulbs.
"Duck Soup" and "A Christmas Story" were rented from Swank Motion Pictures for about $125 apiece, not counting shipping. "Duck Soup" was shown at our first fundraising event, "Soup and Cinema," held Dec. 3, 2000, from 4-7 p.m. at the Alice Hardie Stevens Center. "All About My Mother" cost $400 (from a different distributor) plus $40 for shipping and handling, so we found some sponsors to cover part of the costs. LFS also raised the admission price $1.50 for this film, to cover a portion of the higher costs. We also paid $50 for renting the Civic Center Theater for two hours, so our total costs for showing this film was about $500 (all labor is volunteer), versus about $200 for our first two films. We lost money on "A Christmas Story" due to a low turnout. That was partly due to the fact that "A Christmas Story" is shown a lot on television, there was a snow storm that evening, and the Laramie Daily Boomerang failed to run an advertisement for the movie that day LFS had contracted for.
Since "All About My Mother" was about three times as expensive as the previous LFS film (which we lost money on), we sought sponsors to help us offset the high cost of the film. We'd like to thank the sponsors of "All About My Mother." Sponsors include, The Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, custodian of the Matthew Shepard Fund; La Radio Montañesa: Voz de la Gente; University of Wyoming Women's Center, and the University of Wyoming Office of Multicultural Affairs (Hispanic Programs).
You can join LFS by sending $15 to the Laramie Film Society, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: The Laramie Film Society, 3019 Pope Springs Road, Laramie, WY, 82070. Donations to LFS can be sent to the same address. Donations are tax deductible.
If you have trouble subscribing to the e-mail list via the Web links above, you can also subscribe to the announcement list by sending a message to film.laramie.wy.us-subscribe@topica.com. You can subscribe to the discussion list by visiting this website http://groups.google.com/group/laramie-film-society-discussions?hl=en. If all else fails, e-mail Robert Roten (address at bottom of page) and ask him to send you invitations to either list.
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Laramie's Community Network and Internet Users' Group.
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Glass. Photo of the Wyo Theater by Robert
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