“Grindhouse” – A Very Special SNFC

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, April 8th at 8:00pm for “Grindhouse” at the Regal Fenway Stadium 13.

This is a double-feature and will run about 3 hours. Because of the length of this film combined with the available showtimes, the club is going to be a little different this week, as we will be meeting for food and drink BEFORE we venture over to the Fenway 13 Theatre for the film. Meet us at Boston Beer Works (61 Brookline Ave. – Opposite Fenway Park) at 6pm, look for Sean wearing a nametag outside the restaurant. We will get a table based on the headcount at 6pm, but if you need to show up later we can hopefully get a second table and float between them.

Purchasing tickets in advance is strongly suggested, as this is likely going to be a popular show. It is in one of the larger theatres at Fenway (#13), but at a minimum you might want to buy tickets before coming to the restaurant, if you don’t order them ahead of time online…

“Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez join forces to offer a cinematic tribute to the blood-soaked exploitation epics of yesteryear with this hyper-violent coupling of two 60-minute features punctuated by a collection of outrageous trailers. In “Death Proof” — director Tarantino’s take on the slasher films of the 1970s and ’80s — Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his victims hit-and-run style. Rodriguez’s segment — entitled “Planet Terror” — details the violent struggle between a ravenous army of zombie-like humanoids who have taken over a planet not so different from our own, and the remaining survivors who refuse to go down without a fight. Its tantalizing title borrowed from the term frequently used to describe the seedy, 1970s-era inner-city movie theaters that screened excessive, low-budget independent films containing copious amounts of violence and nudity as a means of offering counter-programming to the decidedly more restrained big-budget studio films, Grindhouse takes its love for these unabashedly sleazy efforts one step further by offering an intermission which showcases a jaw-dropping collection of fake exploitation trailers.” ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

“Les Ordres” – Apr 1st

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 1st at 6:00pm for Les Ordres at the Harvard Film Archive . 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 October 1970 the Canadian government passed an ordinance which suspended the civil rights of the Québec people in order to infiltrate the actions of the FLQ, the left-wing separatist group responsible for a series of bombings. Michel BraultÂ’s impassioned docudrama reenactment was a crowning achievement in the directorÂ’s prolific career.”

“Hot Fuzz” – Mar 25th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 25th at 5:30pm for Hot Fuzz at the Brattle Theatre . Look for Sean wearing a nametag outside of theatre after the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

There are some special things to be aware of regarding this weeks film:

1) As I mentioned a few weeks ago, both on the mailing list and the club webpage, this is a special free screening. If you don’t already have a pass to get into the screening, more information on how to get one is available from the Brattle Theatre as well as the SNFC homepage.

2) A screening pass does not guarantee you a seat in the theatre, and seating is first-come, first-served. This is a “hot ticket”, so it would be wise to arrive quite early.

3) I won’t be saving a place in line for anyone, that wouldn’t be fair to the people who showed up early. No exceptions.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop a line.

“Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright – the makers of Shaun of the Dead – are back together for a fabulously funny and fast-paced action-comedy. Pegg plays Nicholas Angel, a top London cop who’s so good that he makes his fellow officers look bad. Banished to a sleepy, seemingly crime-free village Angel soon finds himself up to his badge in bodies, though he has a hard time convincing his new colleagues that they’re dealing with murder. The style of a Hollywood action-thriller is crossed with the sensibility of the team’s enduringly popular TV series Spaced, creating a sharp, surprising and endlessly entertaining comedy. – notes from the ICA, London”

“The Host” – Mar 18th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 18th at 7:05pm for The Host 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.

“The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival, the newest thriller from director/co-writer Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder) utilizes state-of-the-art special effects to tell a tale that’s equal parts creature-feature thrill ride, comedy and poignant human drama. The idyllic landscape of the Han River suddenly turns to bedlam as a terrifying creature climbs out of the water and grabs Hyun-seo (Ko A-sung) from her father Gang-du (Song Kang-ho). The government announces that the creature is the host of an unidentified virus. Despite fearing the worst, Gang-du makes plans to infiltrate the forbidden zone to rescue his daughter from the clutches of the beast.”

ANNOUNCEMENT: Hot Fuzztival

This announcement is a bit earlier than your usual SNFC fare, but you need to act quickly, so I figured the sooner the better!

The Brattle Theatre is running a “super cop” film festival called the Hot Fuzztival, in honor of the upcoming release of Hot Fuzz (the new comedy from the creators of Shaun of the Dead). The highlight of the festival is a preview screening of Hot Fuzz on Sunday, March 25th, one month before it is released here in the states. Creators Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg will be in person.

The trick is, in order to get a pass to this screening, you need to buy a ticket to one of the other films in the Hot Fuzztival in advance. If you bring a print out of the order to the box office on or after March 16th, you will get a free pass to see Hot Fuzz. While this is a little unorthodox, it’s the only way to get a pass for the screening. More details can be found at the Hot Fuzztival Page.

Obviously, I am telling you all this for a reason. The SNFC film for Sunday, March 25th, will be Hot Fuzz. If you are interested, you should jump through these hoops and get yourself a ticket!

“300” – Mar 11th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 11th at 5:40pm for 300 at the AMC Loews Boston Common 19 . 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 might be a popular film, so it’s probably a good idea to pre-order tickets over at Fandango.

“In 480 B.C. a state of war exists between Persia, led by King Xerxes, and Greece. At the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas (Gerard Butler), king of the Greek city state of Sparta, leads his badly outnumbered warriors against the massive Persian army. Though certain death awaits the Spartans, their sacrifice inspires all of Greece to unite against their common enemy. Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) and Lynn Varley.”

“Zodiac” – Mar 4th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 4th at 7:00pm for Zodiac at the Regal Fenway Stadium 13 . 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 the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey) become obsessed with learning the killer’s identity and bringing him to justice. Meanwhile, Zodiac claims victim after victim and taunts the authorities with cryptic messages, cyphers and menacing phone calls.”

“An Unreasonable Man” – Feb 18th

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 18th at 7:00pm for An Unreasonable Man 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.

A look at the career of consumer advocate Ralph Nader from wannabe presidential candidate to public pariah. Once upon a time not a long ago, Nader was one of the most admired Americans and the leader of the modern Consumer Movement. Without ever holding public office, Nader built a legislative record over the last thirty years rivaling that of any contemporary president. Many things we take for granted including seat belts, airbags, product labeling are largely due to the efforts of Ralph Nader and his citizen groups. Yet today, when most people hear the name “Ralph Nader,” they think of the man who split the vote in the 2000 election gave the country George W. Bush. As a result, despite his impeccable reputation, Nader has become a pariah even among former friends and allies. How did this happen? AN UNREASONABLE MAN traces the life and career Nader, one the most unique, important and controversial political figures of our time.

Welcome Back Washington D.C.!

Back in late 2002, when Max started recruiting people in other cities to replicate his successful San Francisco Sunday Night Film Club, several people jumped at the opportunity. In addition to the Boston chapter, which we all know and love, chapters were started in several other cities (LA, Salt Lake, and Washington D.C., to name a few). Unfortunately, none of the other chapters seemed to reach critical mass and died off after a bit… Sadly, even the original SF chapter passed away when Max moved to the other side of the country.

Recently, however, we were contacted by some people in Washington D.C. who were interested in bringing the chapter in that city out of suspended animation. After some discussion and technical setup, that chapter is ready to go, and will be “officially” meeting for the first time this Sunday! So if you know anybody in D.C. who might be interested, tell them to go check the club’s site over at http://dc.sundaynightfilmclub.com/!