Sunday Night Film Club - Boston

"Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly stars in this delightful Jim Henson film. When a teenaged girl (Connelly) thoughtlessly wishes her infant brother would just disappear, she has to face the consequences when the Goblin King (Bowie) whisks the baby away to a maze-like world populated with talking dogs, kindly monsters and Bogs of Eternal Stench. This classic children's story is well-loved by its fans for its amazing set design and thoughtful lessons about growing up. And the five David Bowie songs are just as good as you remember."

Posted by grahams at 7:02 AM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2005

"Murderball" - July 24th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, July 24th at 5:45pm for "Murderball" at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

This is the true story of a group of tough, competitive, and, yes, quadriplegic rugby players who race down the court in souped-up fortified wheelchairs and slam into each other with bone-jarring intensity. The world-class athletes of Team USA are up against their toughest rival yet in a non-stop thrill ride that will leave you breathless. Filmed from a chairs-eye view, the film also shows the lives of the players off the court, for a story filled with family, revenge, honor, sex, and the triumph of love over loss.

Posted by grahams at 11:58 PM | Comments (4)

July 13, 2005

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" - July 17th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, July 17th at 5:10pm for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" at the Boston Common Loews. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the main lobby on the ground floor about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and Charlie (Freddie Highmore), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story."

Posted by grahams at 8:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 6, 2005

"Me, You, and Everyone We Know" - July 10th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, July 10th at 5:00pm for Me, You, and Everyone We Know at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his cane in the little seating area in the lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

A poetic and penetrating observation of how people struggle to connect with one another in an isolating and contemporary world. Christine (writer/director Miranda July) is a lonely artist who uses her fantastical artistic visions to draw her aspirations and objects of desire closer to her. Richard (John Hawkes, Deadwood), a newly single shoe salesman and father of two boys, is prepared for amazing things to happen. But when he meets the captivating Christine, he panics. In July's modern world, the mundane is transcendent and everyday people become radiant characters who speak their innermost thoughts, act on secret impulses, and experience truthful human moments that at times approach the surreal. Winner of a Special Jury Prize (for Originality of Vision) at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and four awards at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Posted by grahams at 9:38 PM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2005

Happy 4th!

The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will be taking a respite this Sunday, July 3rd as we celebrate Independence Day. We will return next Sunday (July 10th).

Hope you have a good holiday, and see you next week!

Posted by grahams at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2005

"Land of the Dead" - June 26th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, June 26th at 7:20pm for "Land of the Dead" at the Boston Common Loews. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his cane in the little seating area near the concession at the top of the escalators about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"In a modern-day world where the walking dead roam an uninhabited wasteland, the living try to lead "normal" lives behind the walls of a fortified city. A new society has been built by a handful of enterprising, ruthless opportunists, who live in the towers of a skyscraper, high above the hard-scrabble existence on the streets below. But outside the city walls, an army of the dead is evolving. Inside, anarchy is on the rise. With the very survival of the city at stake, a group of hardened mercenaries is called into action to protect the living from an army of the dead."

Posted by grahams at 6:26 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2005

"Batman Begins" - June 19th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, June 19th at 6:50pm for "Batman Begins" at the Fenway 13 Cinema. Look for Audra wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"A new restart of the "Batman" franchise under the helm of "Memento" Director Chris Nolan and more in tone with the early "Batman: Year One" style comics. As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra's Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organised crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armoured suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong - he becomes, Batman. In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer Jonathan 'The Scarecrow' Crane, and a mysterious third party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to strike when the time is right."

Posted by grahams at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2005

No Movie This Weekend - May 26th

The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will be taking this holiday weekend off, but we will return the following week with "Brothers" on Sunday, June 5th.

Posted by grahams at 7:57 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2005

"Double Dare" - May 22nd

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 22nd at 3:30pm (another early show) for Double Dare at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches either outside if it's nice or in the lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion. This film is showing in the Coolidge's small screening room, so you might want to purchase tickets ahead of time from their website.

Just as a heads-up, the Boston SNFC will be taking Memorial Day weekend off.

This double-barreled, action-packed documentary follows two un-sung Hollywood heros: Jeannie Epper and Zoë Bell, who have been set on fire, thrown off buildings, dragged by wild horses and hit by cars. As stuntwomen, Epper doubled for Wonder Woman in the 70’s, and New Zealand native Bell landed the coveted job doubling Xena at the age of 18. Academy Award winning director (and Boston native) Amanda Micheli fills DOUBLE DARE with star-studded interviews and rollicking live-action stunt sequences, to create a candid look at these two strong, dedicated women.

Posted by grahams at 10:39 AM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2005

"Shane" - May 15th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 15th at 3:30pm for "Shane" at the Brattle Theatre. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches outside the box office about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion. This showtime is earlier than we usually meet, and it hardly qualifies as "Night", but it was the last showing of this classic film.

George Stevens' classic Western, adaptated from the Jack Schaefer novel, stars Alan Ladd in the title role. Riding the ranges of Wyoming's Grand Tetons, Shane stops at the farm of homesteader Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) just before Ryker (Emile Meyer), a powerful and predatory cattleman, arrives with his hired muscle to make the farmer a threatening offer for land that he intends to get by any means necessary. When Shane lets the cattle baron know that his gun will back Starrett if there's any trouble, the grateful homesteader offers the stranger a job as a hired hand, which he accepts. Joe's young son Joey (Brandon de Wilde) is drawn to the quiet stranger, whose difference from the men he knows is confirmed by the accidental revelation of a gunfighter's lightning reflexes. Shane becomes a valuable asset to the farm, but is slowly drawn into the continuing hostilities between the two opposing groups. To complicate matters, Shane feels an unspoken, and unwanted, attraction to Starrett's wife Marian (Jean Arthur). This creates a sense of ambivalence in Joe, whose son already idolizes the gunslinger. Stevens' meticulous artistry imbues the simple Western with the mythic aura of an Arthurian legend, as Loyal Griggs' beautifully composed images provide the canvas for career performances by Ladd, Heflin, Arthur, and de Wilde, in what many regard as the finest western ever made.

Posted by grahams at 9:25 AM | Comments (0)

May 4, 2005

"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" - May 8th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 8th at 7:00pm for "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches in the little seating area in the lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"Based on the book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, director Alex Gibney (writer and co-producer of The Trials of Henry Kissinger) presents the inside story of one of the greatest business scandals in history, when top executives of Enron, America's seventh largest company, walked away with over one billion dollars while investors and employees lost everything. Inside accounts and controversial tapes show the unimaginable personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the moral vacuum that posed as corporate philosophy - and how their actions may shape our economy for years to come."

Posted by grahams at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2005

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - May 1st

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 1st at 7:15pm for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" at the Fenway 13. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches in the little seating area in the lobby (between the ticket booths and the video games) about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion (and I promise that this week that establishment WILL NOT be Longhorn. :P).

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times over many years and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers.

The introduction begins like this:

"Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mindboggingly big it is. I mean you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space. Listen ..." and so on.

(After a while the style settles down a bit and it begins to tell you things you really need to know, like the fact that the fabulously beautiful planet Bethselamin is now so worried about the cumulative erosion by ten billion visiting tourists a year that any net imbalance between the amount you eat and the amount you excrete whilst on the planet is surgically removed from your bodyweight when you leave: so every time you go to the lavatory it is vitally important to get a receipt.)

Posted by grahams at 1:20 PM | Comments (0)

April 20, 2005

"The Interpreter" - April 24th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, April 24th at 6:50pm for "The Interpreter" at the Fenway 13. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches in the little seating area in the lobby (between the ticket booths and the video games) about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"Escalating events begin when African-born U.N. translator Silvia Broome alleges that she has overheard a death threat against an African head of state, spoken in a rare dialect few people other than Silvia can understand. With the words "The Teacher will never leave this room alive," in an instant, Silvia's life is turned upside down as she becomes a hunted target of the killers. Placed under the protection of federal agent Tobin Keller, Silvia's world only grows more nightmarish. As Keller digs deeper into his eyewitnesses' past and her secretive world of global connections, the more suspicious he becomes that she herself might be involved in the conspiracy. With every step of the way, he finds more reasons to mistrust her. Is Sylvia a victim? A suspect? Or something else entirely? And can Tobin, coping with his own personal heartache, keep her safe? Though they must depend on one another, Silvia and Tobin couldn't be more different. Silvia's strengths are words, diplomacy and the subtleties of meaning, while Tobin is all about instinct, action and reading into the most primal human behaviors. Now, as the danger of a major assassination on U.S. soil grows and Silvia's life hangs in the balance, Silvia and Tobin play out a gripping dance of evasion and revelation that keeps them both guessing as they race to stop a terrifying international crisis before it's too late."

Posted by grahams at 8:46 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2005

No SNFC This Weekend - April 17th

Due to some personal conflicts, there will be no meeting of the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this weekend (April 17th). We will return the following week (April 24th). Enjoy your weekend, and see you next week!

Posted by grahams at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 7, 2005

"Millions" - April 10th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, April 10th at 4:45pm for "Millions" at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches either outside if it's nice or in the lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Don't let the films of Danny Boyle fool you. The director of edgy hits like SHALLOW GRAVE, TRAINSPOTTING and 28 DAYS LATER isn't really a cynic, and this enchanting and supremely charming family (yes - family!) fantasy proves it. Starting anew after the death of their mother, 9-year-old Anthony and 7-year-old Damian move to suburban Manchester with their dad. It is a time of readjustment, and while Anthony is ever practical, Damian uses his imagination to create an array of companions - the Catholic Saints, whom only he can see and hear. When one day a sack of stolen cash falls to him from the sky (or so it seems), Damian decides to donate the money to the poor and help his mother gain her sainthood in the afterlife. His actions lead to high comedy, with the right touch of genuine sincerity, in Danny Boyle's first family classic.

Posted by grahams at 6:40 PM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2005

"Sin City" - April 3rd

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, April 3rd at 5:00pm for "Sin City" at the Fenway 13. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting with his crutches in the little seating area in the lobby (between the ticket booths and the video games) about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"Sin City" is infested with criminals, crooked cops and sexy dames, some searching for vengeance, some for redemption and others, both. The film incorporates storylines from three of Miller's graphic novels including 'Sin City,' which launched the long-running, critically acclaimed series, as well as 'That Yellow Bastard' and 'The Big Fat Kill.' Where Hartigan, a cop with a bum ticker and a vow to protect stripper Nancy (Jessica Alba).. Mickey Rourke as Marv, the outcast misanthrope on a mission to avenge the death of his one true love, Goldie (Jaime King), and Clive Owen as Dwight, the clandestine love of Shelley (Brittany Murphy), who spends his nights defending Gail (Rosario Dawson) and her Old Towne girls (Devon Aoki and Alexis Bledel) from Jackie Boy (Benicio Del Toro), a dirty cop with a penchant for violence.

Posted by grahams at 9:26 AM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2005

SNFC Week Off - March 27th

Since several SNFC members have dropped a line to tell me they are observing Easter this weekend, the Boston Sunday Night Film Club will be taking a break this weekend. We will return Sunday, April 3rd.

Posted by grahams at 5:17 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2005

"Upside of Anger" - March 20th

(I managed to completely destroy my knee skiing, so be aware that the Sunday Night Film Club will have some alternative hosts over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out to each weeks newsletter to see who you need to look for until I get back on my feet -- Sean)

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, March 20th at 4:15pm for "The Upside of Anger" at the Loews Harvard Square 5. Look for Audra wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Two friends wonder if there might be more between them when their lives both take a left turn in this romantic comedy. Terry (Joan Allen) is a middle-aged housewife and mother of four teenaged daughters and gets the shock of her life when her husband, without a word of warning, leaves them behind to move to Sweden with his secretary. Going through a bender of depression and alcohol, Terry finds herself commiserating with Denny (Kevin Costner), a former baseball star turned unenthusiastic radio personality who was her husband's best friend and a frequent presence at the house. With both Terry and Denny feeling down in the dumps about recent events in their lives, the two find themselves drawn to one another, and while Terry fights the notion of a new romance, her daughters -- Andy (Erika Christensen), Hadley (Alicia Witt), Emily (Keri Russell), and Lavender (Evan Rachel Wood) -- have different ideas. The Upside of Anger was written and directed by Mike Binder, who also plays a supporting role as the producer of Denny's radio show. - Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

If you've been itching to see Kevin Costner play another Baseball player, than this is the movie for you! - Sean Graham

Posted by grahams at 8:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 9, 2005

"Raging Bull" - March 13th

(I managed to completely destroy my knee skiing last weekend, so be aware that the Sunday Night Film Club will have some alternative hosts over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out to each weeks newsletter to see who you need to look for until I get back on my feet -- Sean)

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, March 13th at 4:15pm for "Raging Bull" at the Brattle Theatre. Look for Audra wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Based on the life and career of boxer Jake LaMotta, Raging Bull focuses on Jake's rage and violence that makes him virtually unstoppable in the ring. The same anger also drives Jake to beat his wife and his brother Joey, and sends Jake down a self-destructive spiral of paranoia and rage.

Posted by grahams at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)

March 3, 2005

"The Nomi Song" - March 6th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, March 6th at 5:15pm for "The Nomi Song" at the Brattle Theatre. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Looks like an alien, sings like a diva - Klaus Nomi was one of 1980's most profoundly bizarre appearances. He was a cult figure in the New Wave Underground scene who sang pop music like opera and brought opera to club audiences. He was a performer with a look so strong, that his first audiences went wild before he even opened his mouth. On the verge of international fame as a singer, he instead became one of the first prominent artists to die of AIDS. But the reaction Nomi provoked was so strong, that he is still unforgettable even 20 years after his death.

THE NOMI SONG is a story of love of music and love of performing at a time when it seemed as though everyone was struck by a sense of urgency to make something (anything) simply because they wanted to make the most of the limited time they felt they were given on this earth. It's a story that grows out of a group of people who influenced him, loved him, felt pity for him or betrayed by him, yet above all, were inspired by him.

Nomi constructed his own myth out of elements so completely wrong, yet so deliberate, that it all seemed oddly possible. He was an alien amongst the outcasts, a tortured soul who also radiated optimism at a time when optimism was officially out of fashion. He was as much a genuine talent as he was the engine of his own destruction. His appeal is not easy to explain in words. He has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

Posted by grahams at 12:12 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2005

"Cursed" - February 27th

Forget all the high-falutin Oscar mumbo-jumbo this Sunday and come out for a good ol' popcorn flick. (And for those of you who want to watch the Oscars, we're meeting early so you have enough time!)

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 27th at 4:30pm for "Cursed" at the Fenway 13. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the building lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend upon a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"Estranged siblings, still mourning the recent loss of their parents, struggle with daily life in Los Angeles, when a werewolf attack unites them and a stranger, who then must fight for survival against the beast and its curse."

Posted by grahams at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2005

"La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" - February 20th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 20th at 7:00pm for "La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc)" at the Harvard Film Archive. This silent film will feature live piano accompaniment by Yakov Gubanov. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the building lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"The close-up of the tear-stained face of Marie Falconetti in Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc is one of the most famous images in all of cinema. Based on authentic records of the eighteen-month-long trial of the fifteenth-century warrior-saint in Orlians, the film brings a rigorous formal style, exquisite cinematography, and striking architectural sets to bear on the moral questions that surround Joan, her judges, and her ultimate fate. Falconetti had never appeared in films before and would never act again, but her performance here is ranked among the greatest creations of cinema."

Posted by grahams at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2005

"Inside Deep Throat" - February 13th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 13th at 7:40pm for "Inside Deep Throat" at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

WARNING: This film is rated NC-17, and those under 18 years old will not be admitted to the theatre. Consider this and the subject of the film when deciding whether or not to join us this Sunday. If you feel you might be offended, it might be a good week to take off (of course, you can always join up with us afterwards!).

"Inside Deep Throat examines the unanticipated lasting cultural impact generated by Deep Throat, a sexually explicit film first shown in a midtown Manhattan adult theatre in 1972 that quickly became the flashpoint for an unprecedented social and political firestorm. Generally considered the most profitable film of all time (produced for less than $25,000 but earning countless millions), the barely one-hour movie became compulsory viewing for millions of ordinary Americans and celebrities, as an individual's fascination or repulsion identified his or her place in the cultural shifts of the time. Written and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Party Monster, The Eyes of Tammy Faye)"

Posted by grahams at 3:33 PM | Comments (0)

February 2, 2005

"Born into Brothels" - February 6th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 6th at 7:20pm for "Born into Brothels" at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

"In a tribute to the resiliency of childhood, debut writers/directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman offer a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Briski, a photographer, gives each child a camera and teaches them how to take pictures, causing them to look at their world with new eyes. Humorous and heartfelt, the film reveals the power of art and how beauty can be found in the most unlikely of places. Winner of ten major film festival prizes, including the 2004 Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary. Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature."

Posted by grahams at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2005

"The 10th District Court: Moments of Trial"

This Sunday (January 30th), join the Boston chapter of the Sunday Night Film Club at the Harvard Film Archive for the film "The 10th District Court: Moments of Trial".