Movie Club Treats Collingswood to Classic Cinema

Too short on cash to make a night at the Loews--or just can't fnd anything on the marquee worth taking in? The Collingswood arts community is getting a new monthly freebie with .

On the fourth Tuesday of every month, Collingswood resident Bob Castle presents a classic film in the the meeting room at the followed by a brief discussion.

To call Castle a film buff almost seems insufficient. For a quarter-century, he's been delivering film criticism, whether in his own fanzine, top film journals, or the high school classroom in which he teaches. Castle was even invited to comment on the most recent DVD release of The Caine Mutiny.

The idea for movie club arose from a night course on film he taught at Haddon Township High School. helped set a regular date, and the inaugural film, Rear Window, debuted in January to a handful of viewers.

The movie club is gathering steam at each meeting, even as it bridges works of style, genre, and generation. Six people showed up in February to see the Coen Brothers classic Miller's Crossing. By the time Castle presented the March selection, The Woman in the Window, that number had jumped to 16.

"Everyone seemed to enjoy the film," Castle says.

Castle's approach to film discussion is to let the work stand on its own. He is happiest when chaperoning the conversation more than leading it, and wants his viewers to bring their own impressions to the table.

His film selections are chosen for their connections of theme, message, or artistic intent, and Castle views every week as an opportunity to introduce cinephiles to works by great artists with which they may not necessarily be familiar.

"I want all the films we show to approach that standard," he says.

The next meeting of the movie club will be Tuesday, April 24, featuring The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978). Castle will join Patch blogging regulars this month with his take on various topics in cinema.