UCSD Center for Future Surgery Field Trip

45 Years 2015 (R) 1hr 35m

Geoff and Kate Mercer’s plans for a 45th anniversary party are upset by some unexpected news. A body found in the Swiss Alps has been identified as Geoff’s long ago love Katya, who perished in an accident 50 years earlier. Sterling performances creating authentic human scale; fully fleshed-out characterizations. Pace is slow and subtle but well done.

Cast: Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay

Here’s a trio of politically oriented films to get your mind off the election:

October 26

The Candidate 1972 (PG) 1hr 50min

Bill McKay is a California lawyer urged to run against the seemingly unbeatable Republican incumbent in a senatorial race. McKay is well-meaning innocent, but as support widens for his open platform, the sellout begins. Somewhat based on Pat and Jerry Brown. See how campaigns were run then. Have things changed?

Cast: Robert Redford, Peter Boyle, Melvyn Douglas

November 9

The American President 1995 (PG13) 1hr 55min

Widowed U.S. President Andrew Shepherd, one of the world’s most powerful men, can have anything he wants — and what he covets most is Sydney Ellen Wade, a Washington lobbyist. But Shepherd’s attempts at courting her spark wild rumors and decimate his approval ratings in this romantic comedy. This film was nominated for a Best Score Oscar.

Cast: Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen. Directed by Rob Reiner

November 23

All The President’s Men 1976 (PG) 2hr 19 min

The film that launched a thousand journalism-school students. The movie chronicles how the work of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein contributed to the downfall of President Richard M. Nixon. The duo connected a break-in at the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C., with a Nixon “dirty tricks” team assigned to discredit Democratic rivals, launching a series of tense events that forced Nixon to resign.

Cast: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards