Sunday Night Film Club – Boston

During World War I, Scottish soldier Private Plumpick (Bates) is sent to a village in the French countryside on a mission to disarm a bomb set by the retreating German army. When he arrives, Plumpick encounters a strange town populated by what he takes to be charming eccentrics. What he doesn’t know initially is that the original villagers have fled, and the escaped residents of the local psychiatric hospital have moved into the town. Assuming roles like Bishop, Duke, barber, and circus ringmaster, the new townspeople warmly accept the visitor as their “King of Hearts.” With his bomb-defusing mission looming, Plumpick starts to prefer the acceptance of the insane locals over the insanity of the war raging outside.

Though it didn’t make much of a splash in its native France, KING OF HEARTS became a cult sensation when it premiered in the U.S. amidst the burgeoning anti-war movement of the late ’60s. In fact, in our liberal bastion of Cambridge (at the now defunct Central Square Cinema), the film showed for 4 years straight beginning in February of 1971! It has gone on to become a worldwide favorite and stands out as one of de Broca’s most memorable films. Now, fifty years after its original release, this satirical look at the absurdities of war is presented in a gorgeous new 4K restoration for modern audiences to discover.

Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.

Note: This is opening weekend and reserved seating, so you may wish to purchase tickets in advance! Sean will be sitting in Row H.

Note: It’s a good idea to purchase your tickets in advance!

50th Anniversary! New Rare ‘Unmastered’ 70mm Print!

In Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece of science fiction, an imposing black monolith provides a connection between the past and the future in this enigmatic adaptation of a short story by revered sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke. When Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and other astronauts are sent on a mysterious mission, their ship’s computer system, HAL9000, begins to display increasingly strange behavior, leading up to a tense showdown between man and machine that results in a mind-bending trek through space and time.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the Somerville Theatre will be screening a brand new, limited edition 70mm print of the film from June 1-14, 2018.

Struck from a newly-made internegative, these new prints will be made using the original photochemical method. The Somerville Theatre print will be one of only five in existence. The screening of this newly-struck print will be a true cinematic event, affording filmgoers the rare opportunity to experience this landmark film in as close a form as its director intended, without the addition or use of any digital enhancements or effects.

A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.

Note: The club will be seeing the 70mm presentation of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY on Sunday, June 10th at 4:15p. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get tickets in advance, perhaps when you’re at the box office for this week’s film.

Packing 20 musical numbers into a mere 78 minutes, this fantastically entertaining musical features some of the most memorable African-American performers of all time – Fats Waller, Cab Calloway, Lena Horne, the amazing Nicholas Brothers, and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson who plays a version of himself as an entertainer trying to make a career following WWI.

Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy of supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling mutant, Cable.

Note: This is opening weekend, as well as a reserved-seat theatre, so you may wish to get your tickets in advance. Sean will be sitting in Row G.

A new comedy from Academy Award (R)-nominated director Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”) and Academy Award (R)-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno”). Marlo (Academy Award (R) winner Charlize Theron), a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother (Mark Duplass). Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis).

As the United States Supreme Court leans increasingly to the right, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s vigorous dissenting opinions and ferocious 20-push-up workouts have earned this tiny, soft-spoken intellectual giant the status of rock star and the title “Notorious RBG.”

What many don’t know is Ginsburg’s strategic, trailblazing role in defining gender-discrimination law. Intent on systematically releasing women from second-class status, she argued six pivotal gender-bias cases in the 1970s before an all-male Supreme Court blind to sexism.

Now 84, and still inspired by the lawyers who defended free speech during the Red Scare, Ginsburg refuses to relinquish her passionate duty, steadily fighting for equal rights for all citizens under the law. Through intimate interviews and unprecedented access to Ginsburg’s life outside the court, RBG tells the electric story of Ginsburg’s consuming love affairs with both the Constitution and her beloved husband Marty–and of a life’s work that led her to become an icon of justice in the highest court in the land.

Collin (Daveed Diggs, Black-ish) is trying to make it through his final days of probation for an infamous arrest he can’t wait to put behind him. Always by his side is his fast-talking childhood bestie, Miles (Rafael Casal), who has a knack for finding trouble. They grew up together in the notoriously rough Oakland, a.k.a. “The Town,” which has become the new trendy place to live in the rapidly gentrifying Bay Area. But when Collin’s chance for a fresh start is interrupted by a life-changing missed curfew, his friendship with Miles is forced out of its comfortable buddy-comedy existence, and the Bay boys are set on a spiraling collision course with each other.

Note: This is part of IFFBoston 2018, which kicks off today (Wednesday the 25th) and runs until next Wednesday. It is recommended that you purchase your tickets in advance for this screening. It’s also highly recommended that you check out the other films screening at this year’s festival!

“A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.”

The host, Sean, will be sitting in Row G.

NOTE: IFFBoston 2018 begins on Wednesday, April 25th. The club selection during the festival is BLINDSPOTTING. The filmmakers and stars, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal will be in-person.

You can (and SHOULD) buy tickets now!