Sunday Night Film Club – Boston

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, March 19th at 6:30pm for “V For Vendetta” 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.

“World War III has come and gone. In its wake, is left chaos. This chaos was quickly reigned-in by small insurgent groups who used fear, force and “faith” to subdue an entire nation, forging a new, “Greater” Britain. It is in this brave new world that V (Weaving), a mysterious, masked, swashbuckling figure, saves the young Evey Hammond (Portman) from unspeakable tortures, and takes her under his wing, into the Shadow Gallery; a world that may prove to be full of tortures of its own. All the while, bodies have been piling up within the ranks of the England’s fairly new but powerful government. All the murders are connected, far deeper than any mere affiliation with any governmental branch. These killings are vastly encompassing, but acutely personal. It is a vendetta: In a totalitarian state, the government has the people convinced that a single “terrorist”, V, would have them under siege. But V would stand to say that he is showing the people that they have been under siege by their government. V is out to avenge individuality, and reclaim freedom for the people, even at the expense of their happiness. We are all in prison, and he is “showing us the bars”. The lines between hero and villain do not blur, but become frighteningly clear and you will become uneasy, at times, when you find yourself cheering for V. That is, anyway, if the film is anything like the graphic novel. Find out for yourself, and read the novel, by Alan Moore, first. “England Prevails”, under one law or under chaos.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, March 12th at 4:35pm for “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” 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.

“A genuine crowd-pleaser, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party spotlights comedy superstar Dave Chappelle as he presents a Brooklyn neighborhood with its very own once-in-a-lifetime free block party. The unprecedented combination of comedy and music was shot on location. In addition to Mr. Chappelle performing all-new material, the stellar roster of artists includes Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, the Roots, Cody ChesnuTT, Big Daddy Kane, and – reunited for their first performance in over seven years – the Fugees.”

The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will be taking the week off to give members the opportunity to watch the Academy Awards on Sunday Night. See you next week!

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 26th at 7:45pm for Kairo (Pulse) 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

Often referred to as one of the scariest films ever made, PULSE (KAIRO) tells the story of a group of young friends rocked by the sudden suicide of one of their own, and his subsequent, ghostly reappearance in grainy computer and video images. Is he trying to contact them from beyond the grave or is there something more sinister afoot? The mysterious floppy disk they find in the dead man’s apartment may provide a clue, but instead launches a program that seems to present odd, ethereal transmissions of people engaged in solitary activities in their apartments. But there is something not quite right in the appearance and behavior of these lonely souls. Soon, there are more strange deaths and disappearances within the group, terrifying rooms sealed in red tape, and the appearance of more ghosts as the city of Tokyo – and the world – is slowly drained of life.

The prolific writer/director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of the most remarkable talents working in cinema today. While his efforts tend to be in the realm of genre stories (mostly horror), his films portray a lyricism and grace that rise far above other horror directors. With PULSE (KAIRO), eschewing gore and easy shocks for a harrowing tone unique to his cinema, Kurosawa has made a dense and complex film whose metaphysical and psychological resonance will last long after the chills have subsided.

After last week’s cancellation I figured we’d go for a “Take Two” on “Why We Fight”. :)

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 19th at 7:35pm for “Why We Fight” at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting 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.

“He may have been the ultimate icon of 1950s conformity and postwar complacency, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was an iconoclast, visionary, and the Cassandra of the New World Order. Upon departing his presidency, Eisenhower issued a stern, cogent warning about the burgeoning “military industrial complex,” foretelling with ominous clarity the state of the world in 2004 with its incestuous entanglement of political, corporate, and Defense Department interests.”

Tonight’s meeting of the Boston Sunday Night Film Club has been cancelled due to the weather. Public transit is running very slow, and we wouldn’t want to encourage anyone to be on the road with the conditions like they are.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 12th at 7:35pm for “Why We Fight” at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting 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.

“He may have been the ultimate icon of 1950s conformity and postwar complacency, but Dwight D. Eisenhower was an iconoclast, visionary, and the Cassandra of the New World Order. Upon departing his presidency, Eisenhower issued a stern, cogent warning about the burgeoning “military industrial complex,” foretelling with ominous clarity the state of the world in 2004 with its incestuous entanglement of political, corporate, and Defense Department interests.”

By popular demand (er, complaint), we’ve decided to have a Sunday Night Film Club gathering this Sunday after all! So if you are looking for something other than the Super Bowl to do this weekend please join us!

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, February 5th at 5:10pm for “Something New” at the Fenway 13. 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 romantic comedy about finding love where it’s least expected, Something New marks the feature directorial debut of Sanaa Hamri. If love is an adventure, it’s one yet to be embarked upon by Kenya Denise McQueen (Sanaa Lathan). A beautiful L.A. career woman, Kenya works as a senior manager at a prestigious accounting firm, and is on the verge of making partner. But she has yet to find her own partner and a fulfilling personal life. It’s not that she’s stopped looking; her (mental) checklist is at the ready. After another Valentine’s Day spent working late, Kenya agrees to a blind date with Brian Kelly (Simon Baker), a sexy and free-spirited landscape architect who turns out to be not exactly what she’d pictured for herself. Then again, she does need the yard of her new house fixed up… Her girlfriends Cheryl, Suzzette, and Nedra (Wendy Raquel Robinson, Golden Brooks, Taraji P. Henson) are there for her with advice, while Cheryl’s new beau Walter (Mike Epps) shares a male perspective with Brian. Kenya’s socially prominent parents Joyce and Edmond (Alfred Woodard, Earl Billings) and womanizing younger brother Nelson (Donald Faison) also voice their own opinions. But it’s when her perfect match, Mark (Blair Underwood), enters the picture that Kenya is truly thrown into confusion. Ultimately, Kenya has to decide for herself and follow her heart – no matter where it takes her.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, January 29th at 7:20pm for “Bubble” at the Kendall Square Cinema. Look for Sean wearing a nametag and sitting 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.

“In this unique cinematic experiment from acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh, an unlikely love triangle is born at a doll factory in a small midwestern town fallen on hard times. Lonely and isolated, long time employees Martha and Kyle have become friends by default in spite of their drastic age difference, but their dynamic is upset by the arrival of a new worker: young, attractive single mother Rose. As Martha grows increasingly wary about Rose’s dubious character, she discovers Kyle and Rose developing a relationship of their own.”

“One morning, Rose is found dead, strangled in her own home. An investigation begins, one that will call into question our established assumptions about these characters and life in their small town. Featuring a cast of non-professional actors from the Ohio location, Soderbergh brings this tragic story of characters striving to establish and maintain meaningful connections to life with startling realism.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, January 22nd at 4:45pm for “Transamerica” at the Kendall Square 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.

“Bree, a pre-operative, male-to-female transsexual, holds down two jobs and saves every penny so that she can pay for one last operation that will make her a woman at last. One day, however, she receives a strange phone call. It appears that on the other side is Toby, apparently her son, who must be the product of a somewhat clumsy sexual encounter years ago when she was a man. He stays in New York, incarcerated. Bree flies from Los Angeles to New York in order to get the boy out of jail. At first she is reluctant to do so, but her therapist convinces her to face up to her past. The boy is handed over to her without a word of explanation and Toby believes the woman to be some Christian missionary determined to convert reprobates to Jesus; Bree sees no reason to clear up the misunderstanding. However, she finds out that the boy just wants to escape from her and hitchhike to Los Angeles. She persuades him to accompany her back to the west coast–secretly planning to leave him at his stepfather’s along the way. Toby is happy to take her up on her offer.”