Bryn Mawr Film Institute presents Five Films in Fifth Annual “What’s Up, Doc?” Film Series, Sponsored by Bryn Mawr Hospital

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Bryn Mawr, PA—September 10, 2012—Bryn Mawr Film Institute and Bryn Mawr Hospital are teaming up again this fall to present five films as part of the “What’s Up, Doc?” film series. Now in its fifth year, “What’s Up, Doc?” pairs recent hits and Hollywood favorites with introductions by physicians that explore the medical truths behind the films. The series starts with Penny Marshall’s drama Awakenings on Tuesday, September 18 at 7:30 pm and continues with the medical thriller Contagion on Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 pm, a free screening of A League of Their Own on Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm, William Castle’s shock-fest The Tingler on Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm, and the classic romance Love Story on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 pm. All screenings will include themed giveaways, courtesy of Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Awakenings – Tuesday, September 18 at 7:30 pm
Awakenings is Penny Marshall’s life-affirming 1990 drama based on neurologist Oliver Sack’s book about his work with patients in a Bronx psychiatric hospital in the 1960s. Sacks discovered that the catatonic victims of the devastating encephalitis epidemic in the 1920s might be able to regain consciousness through the use of a new drug, L-Dopa. In the film version, Robin William stars as Sacks’ proxy and Robert DeNiro gives a mesmerizing performance as the first patient successfully treated with the drug. The film was nominated for the Best Picture and adapted screenplay Oscars and the lead actors both received accolades: the National Board of Review awarded them joint Best Actor honors, while DeNiro was nominated for an Oscar and won the Best Actor award from the New York Film Critics and Williams was nominated for a Golden Globe.   

Awakenings will be introduced by Michael S. Cohen, M.D., a Bryn Mawr Hospital psychiatrist specializing in adult, addiction, and nutrition psychiatry. A graduate of the Ross University School of Medicine, he performed his residency at Cooper University Hospital at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

Contagion – Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 pm
Contagion is a compelling, heart-stopping look at what happens when a killer airborne virus becomes a worldwide epidemic. Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh’s star-studded 2011 thriller focuses on the international medical community’s race to stop the pandemic and its impact on citizens’ lives. From patient zero (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her loving husband (Matt Damon), to the doctors on the case (Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard), to an unscrupulous blogger (Jude Law), no one is safe from the pandemic’s effects.     

Contagion will be introduced by Winson T. George, Ph.D., D.O., a family practice physician and researcher with specialties in international medicine and osteopathy. After receiving his Ph.D. inBiomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—where he received the Rensselaer Founders of Excellence Award, the Zelda and David G. Gisser Prize in Biomedical Engineering, and the Biomedical Engineering Department’s Paul Daitch Travel Award—he earned his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in family medicine at Bryn Mawr Hospital, where he was named Chief Resident from 2011-12. He recently joined Bryn Mawr Family Practice.

A League of Their Own – Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm – Free event!
Enjoy a special free screening of A League of Their Own on Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm. A League of Their Own hits a grand slam as one of the most inspiring and beloved baseball movies, thanks to its funny and touching fictionalized account of the beginnings of the All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League, which was founded during World War II to keep baseball alive at home while the boys were overseas. Geena Davis stars as the Rockford Peaches’ top player, dubbed the “Queen of Diamonds,” who spars with her competitive sister (Lori Petty) and their washed up player-turned-coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) as the team works their way towards the championship game. The charming 1992 comedy co-stars Madonna and Rosie O’Donnell and will be introduced by introduced by the medical director of Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Comprehensive Breast Center, Dr. Thomas Frazier and radiation oncologist Dr. Linna Li.

Breast surgeon Dr. Thomas Frazier is the medical director of Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Comprehensive Breast Center as well as the Clinical Professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University. Frazier attended University of Pennsylvania Medical School where he also served his residency. He is a past president of the American Cancer Society and the Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, and is on the Board of Directors and a principal investigator for the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast Project (NSABP). Named the Top Doctor for Breast Surgery by Philadelphia Magazine for the eighth time in 2012, and he was also honored as a Top Doctor in 2011 by the US News & World Report and Main Line Today Magazine.

Dr. Linna Li, a specialist in radiation oncology at Bryn Mawr Hospital, graduated from the Drexel University College of Medicine and finished her residency at Fox Chase Cancer Center. She has published numerous clinical studies and received many awards for her work, including the RSNA Roentgen Research Award, the Young Investigator Award from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the National Cancer Center Network Fellowship Award.

Bryn Mawr Hospital will also be giving away pink baseball caps at the event in honor of the movie.

The Tingler – Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm
William Castle’s schlocky horror classic The Tingler will screen at Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Wednesday, October 24 at 7:30 pm, just in time for Halloween. Castle reteamed with actor Vincent Price (House on Haunted Hill) for this 1959 scream-fest, their second and final film together. As a part-time coroner and scientist investigating the effect of fear on the body, Dr. Chapin (Price) discovers a parasite that lives in the human spine and feeds on fear. Naming it the “Tingler,” he determines that the only way to stop it is to scream. But when the Tingler strikes a deaf-mute woman, what’s she to do? The film contains the first acid trip on American screens and some ridiculous special effects, but the real star of the show was Castle’s inventive marketing. In addition to having theaters hire a planted audience member to faint on cue, he used small buzzers he dubbed “Percepto” embedded in theater seats to shock the audience in sync with a scene in the film. Although Bryn Mawr Film Institute will not be rigged with “Percepto”, Bryn Mawr Hospital will give away one-of-a-kind The Tingler t-shirts at the screening!

The Tingler will be introduced by Dr. Robert F. Carr, the System Chief of Anatomic Pathology at Main Line Health and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Chief of Pathology. A graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he performed his residency at Temple University Hospital and his fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Carr has been on staff at Bryn Mawr Hospital since 1988 and practices out of Main Line Pathology Associates.

Love Story – Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 pm
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” These immortal words echo throughout the 1970 romance Love Story, a screening of which will conclude Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s 2012 “What’s Up, Doc?” film series on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30 pm. In this adaptation of Erich Segal’s bestselling novel, Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal light up the screen as two Boston undergrads who fall in love and start a life together despite the opposition of his wealthy parents. Smashing box office records of the time, the film snagged O’Neal and MacGraw Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress and Love Story was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Arthur Hiller’s direction, Segal’s story and screenplay, and John Marley’s performance as MacGraw’s father.

Love Story will be introduced by Dr. John G. Devlin, an oncologist who practices out of Bryn Mawr Medical Specialists. An attending physician at Bryn Mawr Hospital since 2007, he is certified in hematology/oncology, oncology, and internal medicine. His medical degree is from Temple University School of Medicine and he performed his residency at Temple University Hospital and has completed fellowships at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University Hospital. He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Medical Association, among others.   

Tickets
Tickets for Awakenings, Contagion, The Tingler, and Love Story are $10.00 general admission, $7.00 for seniors and students with ID, and $5.00 for Bryn Mawr Film Institute members. Advance tickets are available in person at the Box Office and online at www.BrynMawrFilm.org.

Admission is free for A League of Their Own. To register, call 1-866-CALL-MLH.

For a full schedule of upcoming events and classes, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org.

About Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Bryn Mawr Film Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to restoring the historic Bryn Mawr Theater and transforming it into the region’s preeminent film entertainment and education center. Founded in 2002 by Main Line academic, business, and civic leaders, Bryn Mawr Film Institute presents a daily program of first-run and repertory art and independent films and provides a comprehensive film studies curriculum, including courses, workshops, discussions, guest lecturers, visual literacy programs, and student screening opportunities. To learn about upcoming events or find news about the theater’s restoration project, visit www.BrynMawrFilm.org, or write to Info@BrynMawrFilm.org.

Contact
Bridget Therriault
Director, Communications
Office: 484-580-1025
Cell: 484-222-9154
therriaultb@mlhs.org