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Arts & Entertainment

Tivoli to Host an 'Epiphany in the Dark'

Author and Patch editor Robert K. Elder leads AHFS discussion following the screening of "Rebel Without a Cause."

It’s a book that melds his favorite passions: great films and epiphany moments.

The book is "The Film that Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark" and the author, film critic and Patch regional editor Robert K. Elder, will lead a discussion about it following the screening of "Rebel Without a Cause, at 7 p.m.  Monday, April 25, at the Tivoli Theatre. The event is sponsored by the After Hours Film Society (AHFS).

Elder said that his book, which was released in January, was five years in the creation. During that time, he talked to 30 directors about their most transformative film-watching experiences. Directors featured in the book include John Woo, John Waters, Peter Bogdanovich and Richard Linklater.

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Elder first fell in love with movies when he saw Quentin Tarantino’s "Reservoir Dogs" while in high school. “It changed my life completely," he said. "I had always rented movies in high school, but this was the first time that I saw someone’s personality stamped on the film. I could really feel Tarantino’s style, his own influence on the film. It was as if he walked into my living room.”

Elder went on to major in journalism at the University of Oregon. “There was not a film minor or film major at the time, but I took every film class that I was allowed to,” he said. After college, Elder established an impressive resume working as a staff writer at the Chicago Tribune and writing for the New York Times, LA Times, MSNBC.com and more.

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In addition to his passion for film, “I am fascinated by epiphany moments,” Elder said. His book , "It Was Over When…Tales of Romantic Dead Ends," is “about the exact moment that you knew your relationship was doomed. I just have this passion for epiphany moments.”

Elder wrote film reviews for about five years, but prefers discussing rather than critiquing movies. “I like talking about films and talking to the creators rather than putting on a critical hat. I much prefer talking about the art and the craft and the technology of films,” he said. Writing "The Film That Changed My Life" permitted him to delve into the transformative power of film.

Elder is a long-time fan of the After Hours Film Society. Founded in 1988 by Glen Ellyn resident Deborah Venezia, AHFS brings independent, art, classic and foreign films twice-monthly to the Tivoli Theatre. Elder said he’s known Venezia for years, and was delighted to have the opportunity to introduce her to "The Film That Changed My Life."

 “I sent her a copy and told her that I had this new book that might be a good fit for her audience," he said. "She was very excited and warm and welcoming.”  The screening of "Rebel Without a Cause" was a fitting time for him to lead a related discussion, as it is the film cited in his book as having inspired Woo to become a filmmaker.

“I just love the Tivoli Theatre and the After Hours Film Society,” Elder said. And on April 25 , “I’m getting to do a lot of things that I love at one place that I love.”

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