Sunday Night Film Club – Boston

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 5th at 7p for Secret Mall Apartment at the Somerville 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.

Note: This is part of the Independent Film Festival Boston and is a local film, so it will likely be well attended. You may wish to buy tickets in advance.

In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside the busy Providence Place Mall and lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. They snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even constructed a wall, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for its inhabitants–a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a clubhouse to coordinate artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot “F you” to The Man.

Due to host unavailability, the Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not be meeting this Sunday, April 28th.  We will return the following Sunday, May 5th, at IFFBoston 2024!!

The Independent Film Festival Boston 2024 starts this upcoming Wednesday, May 1stand continues through the following Wednesday.  Head over to iffboston.org for details!

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 21st at 4:30pm for Civil War at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Look for Howard 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 journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 14th at 4:10p for Monkey Man 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.

Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.

The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not meet this Sunday, April 7th. We expect to return the following Sunday.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 31th at 5pm for Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros at the Somerville 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.

Note: Be prepared: This film is 4 hours long.

For over 50 years, the venerable French restaurant La Maison Troisgros has held three Michelin stars. That’s nearly as long as the career of filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, age 93, who embedded himself at the restaurant for several weeks in the spring of 2022.

Wiseman has spent his career documenting the inner workings of institutions. The bulk of his work is set in the US, but he has long been drawn to France, spending a few youthful years in Paris in the 1950s and, more recently, making the city his home base. For this new film, he travels outside Lyon to the town of Roanne.

The phrase menus plaisirs translates to “small pleasures”–and this film is rich with them. Wiseman explores the rarefied world of the Troisgros family, who have operated their establishment for four generations. He and his cameraman James Bishop observe the restaurant’s owners and workers from multiple perspectives. They catch the place in a moment of transition as long-time proprietors Michel and Marie-Pierre gradually pass the reins to their son Cesar. In the kitchen, the chefs operate like artists in their handling of exquisite dishes. In the dining room, the staff address all guests as “Madame” and “Monsieur.” The place attracts people who care deeply about food, savouring each dish with their eyes, noses, and smartphones.

You may never get to visit La Maison Troisgros yourself, but for the nearly four hours of this film, you can soak up the atmosphere at an unhurried pace.

Due to illness, our host Sean is not attending tonight. Keep an eye out for Howard instead.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 24th at 7:15p for Love Lies Bleeding at the Somerville 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.

From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 17th at 6:45p for Pulp Fiction at the Alamo Drafthouse Seaport. Look for Sean wearing a multicolored shirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film.  Note: Unlike our usual meetups, the plan is to eat in the theatre (Alamo has food service) and maybe grab a drink at their bar after the movie. You should buy tickets in advance, Sean will be seated in Row 6.

A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster’s moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not be meeting this Sunday, March 10th, in our annual observance of Oscar Night. We expect return the following Sunday, March 17th.