INSIDE OLLI -
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Growing and Learning
Photo by Weebly.com
Photo by Weebly.com
An Interview with Maryellen Buckley,
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Maryellen Buckley
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Editor’s Note: Maryellen Buckley has been the leader of the Share-Film Interest Group since 2020. Here is an interview with Maryellen where she discusses the purpose and typical activities of the Group. The interview was conducted by Mike Lambert, a member of the OLLI community since 2015.
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Mike: Hello Maryellen. Tell us about this Share-a-Film group. What is its focus?
Maryellen: This is a group of OLLI members who are interested in all kinds of films. It was originally structured like the Share-A-Book interest group. The kinds of films we are interested in include, for example, independent, Hollywood, blockbusters, animation, documentaries, and foreign films. In other words, all different kinds of films!
With the onset of the pandemic, movie houses weren’t really open and there weren’t as many new films available or being released. So, we turned to streaming services and began watching various series and older movies.
Since the pandemic, our primary focus is on films, but we also continue to include some series that are available on streaming.
The movie industry has changed because many theaters have closed. Now, many films are only in theaters briefly and some of them end up on streaming services. Additionally, some films never even make it to theaters and just are on-line.
Maryellen: This is a group of OLLI members who are interested in all kinds of films. It was originally structured like the Share-A-Book interest group. The kinds of films we are interested in include, for example, independent, Hollywood, blockbusters, animation, documentaries, and foreign films. In other words, all different kinds of films!
With the onset of the pandemic, movie houses weren’t really open and there weren’t as many new films available or being released. So, we turned to streaming services and began watching various series and older movies.
Since the pandemic, our primary focus is on films, but we also continue to include some series that are available on streaming.
The movie industry has changed because many theaters have closed. Now, many films are only in theaters briefly and some of them end up on streaming services. Additionally, some films never even make it to theaters and just are on-line.
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Mike: Tell us about some of the activities that you and the group engage in during your meetings.
Maryellen: We assign ourselves at least 2 to 3 films to see before next month’s meeting. This is impacted by how long films will be in theaters and if, and when, they go to streaming services. We give ourselves enough leeway so that members can see at least some of the assigned films.
We discuss the films--including the story lines, the acting, directing, some particular scenes, and some of the formula elements of films. At times, we then might focus on a particular director and/or actor and some of us try to see more of that person’s work.
Additionally, we spend a lot of time with members bringing up other films that they have seen in the previous month (whether recommended or not) as well as plays, books, and events they have seen.
We have occasionally tried to organize some of us going to films together--however, it hasn’t worked out (yet).
Mike: When and where do you meet?
Maryellen: When the group initially started, we met once per month in-person at the OLLI downtown campus.
However, with the start of the pandemic, we switched to Zoom meetings.
After the world began to open up again, we took a vote and the group decided to continue meeting on Zoom. In addition to the convenience, this allowed some of our members who live in other counties to continue to be involved.
Mike: How many OLLI members are currently active in the group?
Maryellen: I would estimate that approximately 10 OLLI members are in the core group, attending the meetings more regularly. However, there are more members who only occasionally join the meetings.
Mike: What is the gender mix of the current members?
Maryellen: Our group is primarily women, although more recently, more men have signed up for the group.
Maryellen: We assign ourselves at least 2 to 3 films to see before next month’s meeting. This is impacted by how long films will be in theaters and if, and when, they go to streaming services. We give ourselves enough leeway so that members can see at least some of the assigned films.
We discuss the films--including the story lines, the acting, directing, some particular scenes, and some of the formula elements of films. At times, we then might focus on a particular director and/or actor and some of us try to see more of that person’s work.
Additionally, we spend a lot of time with members bringing up other films that they have seen in the previous month (whether recommended or not) as well as plays, books, and events they have seen.
We have occasionally tried to organize some of us going to films together--however, it hasn’t worked out (yet).
Mike: When and where do you meet?
Maryellen: When the group initially started, we met once per month in-person at the OLLI downtown campus.
However, with the start of the pandemic, we switched to Zoom meetings.
After the world began to open up again, we took a vote and the group decided to continue meeting on Zoom. In addition to the convenience, this allowed some of our members who live in other counties to continue to be involved.
Mike: How many OLLI members are currently active in the group?
Maryellen: I would estimate that approximately 10 OLLI members are in the core group, attending the meetings more regularly. However, there are more members who only occasionally join the meetings.
Mike: What is the gender mix of the current members?
Maryellen: Our group is primarily women, although more recently, more men have signed up for the group.
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Mike: How long has the group been active?
Maryellen: This interest group was started by Ann Drazen, an OLLI member, in December of 2017. It’s been an ongoing group with several other moderators including Linda Carter and Paul Emmert.
I have moderated the group since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. At first, this was a temporary position but because of changes in people’s schedules, it has turned into an ongoing position.
As moderator, I’m responsible for writing up reports, summarizing what we discussed in our meetings as well as sending out reminders of upcoming meetings.
Mike: Tell us about a memorable film you reviewed in a recent monthly meeting. What film was it? Why was it memorable to you?
Maryellen: We do not view the films in our meetings! We also don’t really assess which film is memorable - it’s more a discussion of what our different members found interesting.
In our last couple of meetings, we began to discuss “Widow Clicquot”, a love story that takes place in the Champagne District of France. In addition to the acting and cinematography, we also focused on the plight of women in the 19th century.
We also reviewed “Thelma”, which is a story of an elderly woman (June Squibb, age 94) having been scammed and deciding to find the criminals. It has a lot of comedy/charm while showing the woman and a friend riding on a scooter around LA. We discussed the age issue, the problems with recognizing scams. The group thought this was a very sweet/ touching film.
For next month (October 2024), we are seeing “Between the Temples." A cantor has a crisis of faith while he also prepares his former high school music teacher for her bat mitzvah. We are also going to view and discuss “Didi," a local filmmaker’s story about a Taiwanese American boy, coming of age in Fremont, CA.
Mike: Tell us a little about your background. Where did you grow up and where did you go to school?
Maryellen: I grew up in New York City but spent summers in western Massachusetts. I came to the Bay Area to go to graduate school and never left.
Mike: What kind of work have you done prior to leading this Interest Group?
Maryellen: I was a clinical psychologist, working in hospitals, clinics, and finally in private practice. I had been an English major as an undergrad and I think this combination of interests led me to an appreciation of films.
Mike: How does an OLLI member who is interested in participating in this Share-a-Film group get started?
Maryellen: Typically, those OLLI members who are interested in finding out about and/or joining our group contact Kathy Bruin, our OLLI program Director, and she forwards the contact information to me.
Mike: Thank you, Maryellen, for sharing this information with Vistas & Byways.
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