Gary The Life Before Us

We live in an incredible period in history. The computer revolution may be even more life-changing than the Industrial Revolution. We can do things with computers that could never be done before, and computers can do things for us that could never be done before. But our love of computers should not cloud our thinking about their limitations.

Robert Zemeckis is arguably a close second behind Steven Spielberg as the contemporary American director who has most consistently gained critical acclaim while generating massive box office and popular appeal with a slew of iconic films. Even Zemeckis' purported failures—and there indubitably are some—are often lionized for their breathtaking vision and utilization of modern special effects techniques like motion capture. But just a cursory review of the man's contributions to film over the past 40 years reveals a staggering array of acclaimed and often insanely popular titles: Romancing the Stone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact, Cast Away….

Hailed as one of the most moving and influential films of our time, this Oscar nominated documentary by director Marcel Ophüls has continued to garner international acclaim since its release in 1969.
An epic account of the occupation of small French industrial city Clermont-Ferrand by the Germans in World War 2, Ophüls combines interviews along with archive footage to explore the reality of occupation. Speaking to Resistance fighters, collaborators, spies, farmers, government officials, writers, artists and veterans, it is perhaps the most gripping and inspiring portrait of how ordinary people actually conducted themselves under extraordinary circumstances.