Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 14th at 7pm for Prodigal Sons 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.

Prodigal Sons tells the story of three fascinating siblings: filmmaker Kim, a transgender woman; Todd, a gay man; and Marc, their adopted brother who discovers heÂ’s the grandson of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. The bond between longtime rivals Marc and Kim, which defies both KimÂ’s gender and MarcÂ’s pedigree, exists as the fascinating heart of the film, and is orbited by a colorful, articulate cast of characters, including jailhouse chaplains, Montana farmers, intrigued high school classmates, and Orson WellesÂ’ soul-mate Oja Kodar, among others. Carol, the remarkably resilient mother who accepts her childrenÂ’s surprises with grace and optimism, provides a strong backbone for the family, as well as a clear-eyed entry-point to this drama of Wellesian proportions. All along the way surprising revelations abound: MarcÂ’s innate savant ability to play the piano, KimÂ’s smooth acceptance from schoolmates and community, and their younger brother ToddÂ’s well-adjusted attitude about being gay. After pulling for this family through its trials and tribulations, we learn that a poignant sense of hope will carry them through

In our annual observance of the Academy Awards ceremony, we will be not meeting this Sunday, March 7th. We will resume our normal schedule next weekend, on March 14th.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 28th at 7:40pm for The Crazies 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.

“David Dutten (Timothy Olyphant) is sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a picture-perfect American town with happy, law-abiding citizens. But one night, one of them comes to a school baseball game with a loaded shotgun, ready to kill. Another man burns down his own houseÂ…after locking his wife and young son in a closet inside. Within days, the town has transformed into a sickening asylum; people who days ago lived quiet, unremarkable lives have now become depraved, blood-thirsty killers, hiding in the darkness with guns and knives. Sheriff Dutten tries to make sense of whatÂ’s happening as the horrific, nonsensical violence escalates. Something is infecting the citizens of Ogden Marsh…with insanity. Now complete anarchy reigns as one by one the townsfolk succumb to an unknown toxin and turn sadistically violent. In an effort to keep the madness contained, the government uses deadly force to close off all access and wonÂ’t let anyone in or out – even those uninfected.”

I wanted to take this opportunity to ask you a favor as well as let you know about some upcoming events.  Hopefully these infrequent bulletins, outside of the normal weekly newsletter, don’t rub you the wrong way.  (And this week’s newsletter is still to come, either later today or tomorrow)

First off, I’d like to let all of you know that our local non-profit theaters need your support:

1. The Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square is probably our greatest repertory resources in the area.  Aside from their repertory runs, they are also a popular location to premiere first-run indie films.  Add to that a fantastic balcony, beer and wine served at the concession, and an awesome location, and it really is one of my favorite places in the city to catch a film.  Membership details and benefits are available here.
2. The Coolidge Corner Theatre is another beautiful non-profit theatre, with several screens featuring first-run independent films as well as classics.  It is a favorite destination of the club, and have a membership level that may be of special interest to film club members:  If you join at the Cinematographer level you get FREE admission to regular films on Sundays after 6pm!  Membership details and benefits are available here.

Along with the usual in-theatre benefits you get to joining either of these features, you will also get discounts at area stores and restaurants as well as special member offers from time-to-time.  But more important than any hard benefits, you will be supporting two truly independent area venues.

I also wanted to mention that the 2010 Independent Film of Boston ( IFFBoston) is approaching!  It will run from April 21st to the 28th, so save the dates!

Finally, I have heard about a few upcoming screenings you may be interested in:

1. The Coolidge continues it’s long-running “Science on Screen” series on March 15th with Christopher Guest’s classic, “Best in Show”.  Before the film, Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, one of the world’s most noted veterinary behaviorists, explores the sometimes curious bond between people and their dogs.  More information is available here.

2. IFFBoston has two of their “year-round” screenings coming up:

3. THE ART OF THE STEAL  - A chronicle of the long and dramatic struggle for control of the Barnes Foundation, a private collection of Post-Impressionist and early Modern art valued at more than $25 billion, told in as gripping a style as any crime thriller. - Wednesday, March 3 - 7pm at the Kendall Square Cinema. (Director Don Argott in person). Learn more and download a pass for two.

4. TERRIBLY HAPPY - Official Danish selection for the Academy Awards. A Copenhagen police officer is transferred to a small provincial town and subsequently gets mixed up with a married femme fatale. Thursday, March 4 - 7pm at the Somerville. Learn more and download a pass for two.

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 21st at 7:15pm for Shutter Island 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.

“The project centers on a U.S. marshal (Mark Ruffalo) who along with his new partner (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels to a Massachusetts island to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. During their inquiry , the two encounter a web of deceit, experience a hurricane and become involved in a deadly inmate riot that leaves them trapped on the island. Ben Kingsley will play Dr. Cawley, the hospital’s enigmatic chief physician who must reluctantly play host to the two U.S. marshals.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 14th at 7:05pm for The Most Dangerous Man in America - Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers 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 Most Dangerous Man in America” is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an “Imperial” Presidency-answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg shook America to its foundations when he smuggled a top-secret Pentagon study to the New York Times that showed how five Presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War that was killing millions and tearing America apart. President Nixon’s National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger called Ellsberg “the most dangerous man in America,” who “had to be stopped at all costs.” But Ellsberg wasn’t stopped. Facing 115 years in prison on espionage and conspiracy charges, he fought back. Ensuing events surrounding the so-called Pentagon Papers led directly to Watergate and the downfall of President Nixon, and hastened the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg’s relentless telling of truth to power, which exposed the secret deeds of an “Imperial Presidency,” inspired Americans of all walks of life to forever question the previously-unchallenged pronouncements of its leaders. “The Most Dangerous Man in America” tells the inside story, for the first time on film, of this pivotal event that changed history and transformed our nation’s political discourse. It is told largely by the players of that dramatic episode-Ellsberg, his colleagues, family and critics; Pentagon Papers authors and government officials; Vietnam veterans and anti-war activists; Watergate principals, attorneys and the journalists who both covered the story and were an integral part of it; and finally-through White House audiotapes-President Nixon and his inner circle of advisors.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 7th at 6:35pm for Crazy Heart 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.

“Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad canÂ’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 31st at 6:45pm for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . Look for Dan wearing a multicolored shirt 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.

“Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), the leader of a traveling show, has a dark secret. Thousands of years ago he traded the soul of his daughter, Valentina, to the devil. Now the devil has come to collect his prize. To save her, Parnassus must make a final wager: Whoever collects five souls first will win Valentina. Tony (Heath Ledger), a man saved from hanging by Parnassus’ troupe, agrees to help collect them, with his eye on marrying Valentina.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 24th at 7:20pm for A Town Called Panic 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.

“Hilarious and frequently surreal, this stop-motion extravaganza has endless charms and raucous laughs. Based on the Belgian animated cult TV series (which was released by Wallace & GromitÂ’s Aardman Studios), A Town Called Panic stars three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse, who share a house in a rural town that never fails to attract the weirdest events. Cowboy and IndianÂ’s plan to give Horse a homemade barbecue backfires when they accidentally order 50 million bricks. Whoops! This sets off a perilously wacky chain of events as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe of pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier-mâché burg, will Horse and his equine paramour—flame-tressed piano teacher Madame Longray—ever find a quiet moment alone? A non-stop whirlwind of inspired silliness that will leave you smiling. Voices by co-directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, as well as Jeanne Balibar and Benoit Poelvoorde. Please note: Despite occasional bad language in the subtitles, the French-language film is entirely appropriate for children.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 17th at 4:30pm for La Dolce Vita at the Brattle Theatre . Look for Dan wearing a multicolored shirt 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.

“With all of the hubbub surrounding Rob Marshall’s Oscar-baiting musical Nine, based on Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2, we can’t think of a better time to celebrate cinema’s greatest maestro - and it also happens to be the 50th birthday of one of his masterpieces. In LA DOLCE VITA, Fellini’s frequent collaborator Marcello Mastroianni plays a member of the paparazzi - back when that was a cool thing to be. From the first shot of a helicopter carrying a Christ statue over Rome, Fellini fills his film with portentous symbols but he never allows them to take away from the pleasure of watching Marcello track the highs and lows of the stars, playboys, and aristocrats of Rome - getting caught up in the lifestyle most of the time. Fellini’s deft and gorgeous filmmaking brings the life of swinging Rome onto celluloid with exuberance and finesse, and then the music of Nina Rota (who composed most of Fellini’s films) pulls it all together.”