Below you will find pages that utilize the taxonomy term “2009”
"Revolutionary Road" - Jan 4th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 4th at 6pm 6:30pm for Revolutionary Road at the Kendall Square Cinema . Look for Audra wearing a “I (heart) bathing in the blood of my departed enemies” 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.
“A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.”
Update for "Revolutionary Road"!
This Sunday’s screening of “Revolutionary Road” is actually scheduled for 6:30pm. Sorry for any confusion!
"Doubt" - Jan 11th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 11th at 7pm for Doubt 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.
“Writer/director John Patrick Shanley brings his Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play to the screen as a gripping story about the quest for truth, the forces of change and the devastating consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction. It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the school’s strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Muller. But when Sister James (Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.”
CANCELLED - Jan 18th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 18th at 6:15pm for The Wrestler at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . 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.
Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.
Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life – trying to reconnect with his daughter, and striking up a blossoming romance with an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) who is ready to start a new life. Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy “The Ram” back into his world of wrestling.
Club Cancelled!
With the snow continuing until this evening and already creating terrible driving conditions and even huge delays on the MBTA, I think it’s prudent that tonight’s club meeting in Harvard Square is CANCELLED. We’ll see you next Sunday, January 25th! Stay safe! sean
"Happy-Go-Lucky" - Jan 25th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 25th at 7:25pm for Happy-Go-Lucky 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.
Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a life-loving, irrepressibly cheerful, Pollyanna-type primary school teacher who is thirty years old, single, and infinitely optimistic and accepting. She lives with her best friend and flatmate Zoe (Alexis Zegerman) in London. She is tested by a repressed driving instructor with anger problems (Eddie Marsan), and tests him in turn. She has exciting flamenco lessons, an encounter with a homeless man, a row with her pregnant sister, and a love-affair with the social worker guiding one of her students.
"Waltz with Bashir" - Feb 1st
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 1st at 7pm for Waltz with Bashir 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.
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that thereÂ’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he canÂ’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal imagesÂ…
"Coraline 3D" - Feb 8th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 8th at 6pm for Coraline 3D at the AMC 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.
Adapted from the Hugo Award-winning, internationally best-selling novel, Coraline is a spine-tingling tale about a curious girl who unlocks a mysterious door in her family’s new home and enters into an adventure in a parallel reality. On the surface, this “Other World” eerily mimics her own life - though it is much more fantastical. In it, Coraline encounters different versions of her own life, including off-kilter neighbors and an Other Mother who attempts to keep her forever. Ultimately, Coraline must rely on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to get back home.
"The Class" - Feb 15th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 15th at 6:40pm for The Class 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.
“François (played by François Bégaudeau, who wrote the screenplay based on his own experiences) and his fellow teachers prepare for a new year at a high school in a tough neighborhood. Armed with the best intentions, they brace themselves to not let discouragement stop them from trying to give the best education to their students. Cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom, a microcosm of contemporary France. As amusing and inspiring as the teenaged students can be, their difficult behavior can still jeopardize any teacher’s enthusiasm for the low-paying job. François insists on an atmosphere of respect and diligence. Neither stuffy nor severe, his extravagant frankness often takes the students by surprise. But his classroom ethics are put to the test when his students begin to challenge his methods… Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. Directed by Laurent Cantet (Heading South, Time Out).”
Oscar Sunday - No Movie
The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not be meeting this week. Enjoy the Oscars, and we’ll see you next Sunday, March 1st.
"Serbis" - Mar 1st
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 1st at 7:30pm for Serbis 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.
The visionary Filipino director Brillante Mendoza envisions a crumbling soft-core porn palace as an allegory for the labyrinthine socio-political history of the Philippines in this chaotic, colorful and engaging film. Multiple generations of the Pineda family live in and operate a run-down movie house, ironically named The Family, which shows dated sex films and offers a discreet meeting place for male hustlers and their patrons. As the members of the family and their employees go about their daily activities, we get a glimpse of how they suffer and deal with each other’s sins and vices. Preoccupied with their personal demons, the family seems oblivious that, inside their cinema, another kind of business is going on between the “serbis” (service) boys and their customers.
Harking back to another Brattle favorite, Tsai Ming-Liang’s Goodbye Dragon Inn, The Family Theatre is as much a character in the film as any human. Unlike Tsai’s feature however, which depicted a cinema on its final, dismal day, SERBIS seethes with life – from the cranky employees, to the various marital problems reflected in all generations of the Pinedas, to the glimpses of explicit sex behind the scenes, to two mind-bending chase scenes through the maze-like guts of the cinema.
"Watchmen" - Mar 8th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 8th at 7pm for Watchmen 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 a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so discover a deeper and far more diabolical plot.”
"Gomorrah" - Mar 15th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 15th at 6:30pm for Gomorrah 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.
“Director Matteo Garrone’s epic, mesmerizing tour-de-force about Naples’ infamous Camorra was a critical sensation at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prize. A sweeping drama with documentary-like realism, Gomorrah explores the mafia’s vice-like hold on all aspects of life in the regions of Naples and Caserta (where the film was shot), as well as its creeping influence on international business and government. The film weaves together five stories of ordinary people forced to reckon with the heavy hand of the Camorra, where every decision, great or small, is a matter of life and death. Garrone’s (The Embalmer) ambitious and powerful breakthrough film sheds light on a shadow organization that rules by fear and unsparing violence, tacitly fostered from above and abroad by greed, corruption and complicity. Based on Roberto Saviano’s explosive international bestseller, which made him a target for mob threats. (Fully subtitled)”
"I Love You, Man" - Mar 22nd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 22nd at 7:05pm for I Love You, Man at the AMC 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.
“In I Love You, Man, a comedy from John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, co-writer of Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Zoolander), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, Knocked Up The 40 Year Old Virgin) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, (The Offices Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward man-dates, before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peters relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his new found bro, in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a friend.”
"Just Another Love Story" - Mar 29th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Mar 29th at 7:30pm for Just Another Love Story at the Brattle Theatre . Look for Audra wearing a “Who’s Your Spydaddy” 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.
" If the first order of business for any self-respecting film noir is a dead body with a story to tell, Ole Bornedal is quick to oblige. But rest assured that this twisted, visually energized genre… If the first order of business for any self-respecting film noir is a dead body with a story to tell, Ole Bornedal is quick to oblige. But rest assured that this twisted, visually energized genre bender has no further use for “custom,” and Just Another Love Story is anything but.
Jonas is a crime photographer, a family man, and a generally beleaguered resident of suburban malaise until heÂ’s involved in a car accident that leaves a stranger, Julia, unconscious in the hospital. Curiosity compels Jonas to visit her, but when JuliaÂ’s family mistakes him for her boyfriend, Sebastian (whom theyÂ’ve never met), Jonas readily steps into the role. His pretense would be short lived, but Julia awakens with amnesia and, enlivened by the new identity heÂ’s inherited, Jonas maintains the deception. Of course, memories return. And so do boyfriends.
Playing with flashbacks, employing a linearly fractured narrative, and freely manipulating noirÂ’s standard devices and archetypes, BornedalÂ’s dexterity with genre conventions is on full display here. Constantly aware of whatÂ’s predictable, he heads in the opposite direction. Moreover, he latches onto a completely universal impulse–the desire to reinvent ourselves. But fatalism rules in noir, and the cruel irony–tailor made for that dead body–is that living a life that isnÂ’t yours is a dangerous game, an illusory freedom. The truth always comes knocking at your door."
"Adventureland" - Apr 5th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 5th at 7:15pm for Adventureland 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.
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A funky, self-professedly “funtastic” Pennsylvania amusement park, Adventureland appears to be the bane of recent college graduate James BrennanÂ’s (Jesse Eisenberg) existence. He previously had big plans to spend the summer on a life-altering trek through Europe that would initiate him into real adult life. But when his family suffers an economic downturn in the middle of the Reagan 80s, JamesÂ’ only summer trip is straight to a minimum wage job manning a game booth so existentially bankrupt, no one is even allowed to win the “giant-ass” stuffed panda. Welcome to ADVENTURELAND, where the worst job imaginable is about to inadvertently turn into the summer that changes everything.”
"Sin Nombre" - Apr 12th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 12th at 7pm for Sin Nombre 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.
“Honduran teenager Sayra (Gaitan) reunites with her father, an opportunity for her to potentially realize her dream of a life in the U.S. Moving to Mexico is the first step in a feateful journey of unexpected events.”
"Crank: High Voltage" - Apr 19th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 19th at 7:25pm for Crank: High Voltage at the AMC 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.
In this sequel to Crank (2006), Chev Chelios faces a Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered ticker that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.
"Food, Inc." - Apr 26th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Apr 26th at 5pm for Food, Inc. 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.
This lunch has been brought to you by. . . .
The unspoken mantra of consumer culture may as well be “Bigger, better, faster, more!” The American business sector never stops innovating when it comes to meeting customer demand––but just how many “innovators” have gotten to our food before we do?
Fruits, vegetables, and livestock still carry connotations of a farmer waking up with the rooster’s crow to raise fresh, organic life in the fresh, organic air. The pastoral image masks an intensely mechanized, capitalistic system that is as hell-bent on efficiency, revenue, and competitive advantage as any other industry. The nation’s largest food production and distribution companies have amassed enough influence over the years to control every single stage in the lifespan of our purportedly wholesome ingredients––and their wallets may be too big for our stomachs.
Director Robert Kenner connects with Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and a host of experts––farmers, professors, corporate leaders, politicians, and advocates––to trace just some of the innumerable effects of commercial food production. He casts a wide net, examining everything from chemical applications to the treatment of animals; from sanitation practices to workers’ rights; from disease epidemics to legal battles. At the core of the study is a call to viewers to demand the details of what they put in their mouths. Needless to say, FOOD, INC. will give you plenty of food for thought.
- Sandra L. Frey
"Anvil!: The Story of Anvil" - May 3rd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 3rd at 7:20p for Anvil!: The Story of Anvil 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.
“At 14, Toronto school friends Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and Robb Reiner made a pact to rock together forever…But Anvil’s career took a different path—straight to obscurity. Director Sacha Gervasi has concocted a wonderful and often hilarious account of Anvil’s last-ditch quest for elusive fame and fortune. His ingenious filmmaking may first lead you to think this a mockumentary, but it isn’t. It’s fascinating to see the reality of their day-to-day lives as they struggle to make ends meet, take a misguided European tour, and engage in antics on the road—which is not always lined with fans.“—John Cooper, Sundance Film Festival
"Tyson" - May 10th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 10th at 7:20pm for Tyson at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . Look for Dan wearing a bright 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.
“Love him or hate him, Mike Tyson is inarguably one of popular cultureÂ’s most fascinating figures. In this riveting documentary portrait of the controversial boxer, filmmaker and friend James Toback lets Tyson tell his own volatile story. It all started in a rough-and-tumble Brooklyn neighborhood, where Tyson was picked on and beaten up as a youngster. But when he turned his fear into anger, he realized that his fists had the ferocity to frighten everyone around him. As a teenager, Tyson moved upstate to live with trainer Cus DÂ’Amato, who became the devoted and compassionate father figure he never had. This support helped Tyson develop the strength and focus needed to become a devastating champion inside the ring. But when DÂ’Amato died, something inside Tyson died too, turning him into an even more dangerous monster outside of the ring. As Tyson speaks openly about the ups and downs in his tumultuous life–alternating between moments of sincere introspection and animalistic rage–Toback employs a split-screen approach to further emphasize his emotionally unstable nature. Mixed into this talking-head interview is striking archival footage that shows Tyson in his prime, when he was one of the most feared and idolized athletes on the planet. TYSON is an appropriately subjective journey into the mind of a massively complicated man”
"Sleep Dealer" - May 17th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 17th at 7pm for Sleep Dealer 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.
“In this haunting, inventive vision of the near future, the world is divided by closed borders, but connected through a digital network that ties together people around the world. Memo is a self-taught hacker living in a sleepy Mexican village. After his house is destroyed in a reckless remote-control bombing, and driven by feelings of guilt and a need to earn money, Memo heads to the massive border city of Tijuana to find work and help his family start again. On the way, Memo meets the beautiful Luz, an aspiring journalist who dreams of writing a story that might one day change the world, but makes her living off of selling her memories on the ‘net – a blog, straight from the brain. One anonymous buyer is strangely eager for memories of Memo, so Luz maintains her relationship with him by helping him get the implants necessary to work in the incredible factories where workers plug their nervous systems into machines doing construction in other countries. But these dangerous hi-tech workshops are a far cry from what Memo expected. The workers frequently toil until they collapse, earning the factories the nickname ‘sleep dealers.Â’ As Memo works, Luz sells more installments of his story to her mysterious reader. When the identity of Luz’s reader is revealed, a chain of events is set in motion that will connect three strangers, and change their lives – and maybe even the world – forever.”
No Movie This Weekend - May 24th
The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not meet this Sunday, May 24th in observance of Memorial Day. We will resume our normal schedule on Sunday, May 31st.
"Up" - May 31st
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, May 31st at 7pm for Up at the Regal Fenway Stadium 13 . Look for Dan wearing a Pirates of the Carribean t-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.
“By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn’t alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.”
"The Hangover" - Jun 7th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jun 7th at 7:10pm for The Hangover at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . 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 Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.”
"Il Divo" - Jun 14th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jun 14th at 6:50pm for Il Divo at the Kendall Square Cinema . 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.
Director Paolo Sorrentino’s audacious and inventive biopic of Italian parliamentarian (and “Senator for Life”) Giulio Andreotti doesn’t make the Byzantine world of modern Italian politics any less confusing (non-Italian viewers may want to brush up on the topic beforehand), but the film illuminates, in great emotional detail, important events surrounding an early-1990s investigation in which the perpetual statesman was accused of having Mafia ties. The case was appealed and overturned several times, and Andreotti never served prison time, but it effectively marked the end of his centrist Christian Democratic party and forever changed the age-old relationship between the Mafia and the Italian government. Sorrentino’s fanciful use of titles, quick edits, multiple-perspective flashbacks, slow motion, extreme close-ups, and sublime musical accents–as well as star Toni Servillo’s brilliantly stylized acting–convert this airless and sinister piece of world history into a dynamic tale of moral ambiguity and seemingly invulnerable political power. Servillo plays Andreotti as an arrogant, deadpan Puck–an Italian Richard Nixon replete with easily mimicable physical tics and the conviction of his own rightness. In the film’s most memorable scene, Servillo allows his ironic veneer to crack just once, in a molten monologue where, spit flying, he justifies “perpetrating evil to guarantee good.” Another chilling sequence intercuts a crucial Mafia hit with shots of a particularly tense and triumphant horse race, while a punky blues number roars in the background. Sorrentino’s controlled and masterly storytelling won the 2008 Prix du Jury at Cannes.
"Moon" - Jun 21st
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jun 21st at 7pm for Moon at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . 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.
“Astronaut Sam Bell has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY, sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet’s power problems.”
"The Long Goodbye" - Jun 28th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jun 28th at 7:15pm for The Long Goodbye 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.
Note: The Brattle Theatre now serves CBC beer at the concession!
“Chain-smoking, wisecracking private eye Philip Marlowe drives a buddy from LA to the Tijuana border and returns home to an apartment full of cops who arrest him for abetting the murder of his friend’s wife. After Marlowe’s release, following the reported suicide in Mexico of his friend, a beautiful woman hires him to locate her alcoholic and mercurial husband. Then, a hoodlum and his muscle visit to tell Marlowe that he owes $350,000, mob money the dead friend took to Mexico. Marlowe tails the hood, who goes to the house of the woman with the temperamental husband. As Marlowe pulls these threads together, his values emerge from beneath the cavalier wisecracking.”
No Movie This Sunday
The Boston Sunday Night Film Club will not be meeting this Sunday, July 5th in observance of the Independence Day holiday. We will return to our regular schedule on Sunday, July 12th.
"The Hurt Locker" - Jul 12th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jul 12th at 6:30pm for The Hurt Locker 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.
“An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he’s indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James’ true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever.”
"(500) Days of Summer" - Jul 19th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jul 19th at 6:55pm for (500) Days of Summer at the AMC Boston Common 19 . Look for Howard wearing a “Life is Good” 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.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in director Mark Weber’s wry, non-linear romantic comedy about a man who falls head over heels for a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Mark (Gordon Levitt) is an aspiring architect who currently earns his living as a greeting card writer. Upon encountering his boss’ beautiful new secretary Summer (Deschanel), Mark discovers that the pair have plenty in common despite the fact that she’s seemingly out of his league; for starters, they both love The Smiths, and they’re both fans of surrealist artist Magritte. Before long Mark is smitten. All he can think about is Summer. Mark believes deeply in the concept of soul mates, and he’s finally found his. Unfortunately for Mark, Summer sees true love as the stuff of fairy tales, and isn’t looking for romance. Undaunted and undeterred by his breezy lover’s casual stance on relationships, Mark summons all of his might and courage to pursue Summer and convince her that their love is real. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
No Movie This Sunday
Sorry for the late notice, but there is no movie this Sunday. See you next weekend!
"In The Loop" - Aug 2nd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 2nd at 4:45p for In The Loop 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.
A bumbling British government minister (Tom Hollander) makes a verbal snafu during a TV interview, setting in motion this smart comedy and Sundance Film Festival hit that’s already drawing comparisons to some of the great political and absurdist comedies, including Dr. Strangelove, Wag the Dog, Thank You for Smoking and Monty Python. With razor-sharp, truly laugh-out-loud dialogue, the film pokes fun at the absurdity and ineptitude of our highest leaders. With everyone looking out for number one, and the fate of the free world at stake (but apparently incidental), the hilarious ensemble cast of characters bumbles its way through Machiavellian political dealings, across continents, and toward comic resolutions that are unforeseeable. From the acclaimed team who created the award-winning BBC comedy series “Alan Partridge” and “The Thick of It.” Also starring Peter Capaldi, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Mimi Kennedy and Steve Coogan.
"The Cove" - Aug 9th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 9th at 5:20pm for The Cove at the Coolidge Corner Theatre . Look for Dan wearing a multicolored stripe 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.
Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renown dolphin trainer Ric OÂ’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
"District 9" - Aug 16th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 16th at 7:10pm for District 9 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.
“Aliens become refugees in South Africa where they are kept isolated from any human contact. While being contained in the refuge being ignored of their welfare, their weapons become the sole interest of Multi-National United (MNU). But only one man , Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), can activate these weapons. He becomes hunted for and only one place can give him refuge, District 9. From producer Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and writer/director Neil Blomkamp.”
"Ponyo" - Aug 23rd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 23rd at 7:10pm for Ponyo at the Kendall Square Cinema . Look for Michael 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 son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses her father’s magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo’s father sends the ocean’s mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo’s dreams of becoming human. (Synopsis written by The Massie Twins)”
"It Might Get Loud" - Aug 30th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 30th at 4:20p for It Might Get Loud 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.
“Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim focuses his probing lens on a subject that’s decidedly less urgent but no less fascinating with this look at the electric guitar featuring Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, U2’s The Edge, and The White Stripes’ Jack White. Growing up, all three guitarists realized their rebellion through music: Page was attempting to subvert the sugary sweet pop music of the 1960s, The Edge was hell-bent on making the guitar solos of the 1970s a distant memory, and White used his screeching strings to buzz out the droning bass machines of the 1980s. Later, Page makes way for Headley Grange to revisit the birthplace of “Stairway to Heaven,” The Edge digs out the original four-track rehearsals for “Where the Streets Have No Names” in Dublin, and White expresses his exuberance for revered bluesman Son House – all the while displaying their deep love for their instrument of choice by permitting the viewer a rare chance to see them refining as-yet-unreleased material. When the trio comes together for a landmark jam session, their spectacularly diverse styles and instruments become just as apparent as the shared passion that binds them all together.”
No Movie This Weekend
In observance of the Labor Day holiday this weekend, the Sunday Night Film Club (SNFC) will be taking this weekend off. See you next Sunday, September 13th!
"Extract" - Sep 13th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 13th at 5:40pm for Extract at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . 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.
“Joel, the owner of an extract manufacturing plant, constantly finds himself in precarious situations that steadily worsen by the minute. First, his soon-to-be floor manager acquires a serious injury in a machine malfunctioning accident. This subsequently endangers the well being of his company. Second, his personal life doesn’t fair much better when he takes the advice of his bartending friend, Dean. Dean during a drug-induced brainstorming session suggests how to test his wife’s faithfulness. Finally, compounding these catastrophes is new employee Cindy, who also happens to be a scam artist intent on milking the company for all its worth. Now, Joel must attempt to piece his company and his marriage back together, all while trying to figure out what he’s really after in life.”
"The Informant!" - Sep 20th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 20th at 7:30pm for The Informant! at the AMC 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.
“The Informant is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), an Ivy League Ph.D. who was a rising star at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in the early 1990s. The bipolar hero wound up blowing the whistle on the company’s price fixing tactics and became the highest-ranked executive to ever turn whistleblower in US history. Whitacre secretly gathered hundreds of hours of video and audio tapes over several years to present to the FBI which became one of the largest price fixing cases in history. In the story – a dark comedy / thriller in director Steven Soderbergh’s hands – Whitacre’s good deed dovetails with his own major infractions and struggle with severe bipolar disorder.”
"Pandorum" - Sep 27th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 27th at 6:45pm for Pandorum at the AMC Boston Common 19 . Look for Audra wearing a yellow “perfectly cromulent” 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.
“Two crew members are stranded on a spacecraft and quickly - and horrifically - realize they are not alone. Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It’s pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the ship. They can’t remember anything: Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft’s shocking, deadly secrets are revealed…and the astronauts find their own survival is more important than they could ever have imagined.”
"Zombieland" - Oct 4th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 4th at 7:15pm for Zombieland at the AMC Harvard Square 5 . 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 horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss – but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying’ bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.”
No Movie This Weekend
The Sunday Night Film Club will be taking this Sunday, October 11th off in observance of Columbus Day. We will return to our regular schedule on Sunday, October 18th.
"Where the Wild Things Are" - Oct 18th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 18th at 7:10pm for Where the Wild Things Are 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.
“An adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world–a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.”
"Antichrist" - Oct 25th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 25th at 7pm for Antichrist at the Kendall Square Cinema . Look for Audra wearing a “zombie eat flesh” 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.
“A grieving couple retreats to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.”
"A Serious Man" - Nov 1st
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Nov 1st at 8:10pm for A Serious Man at the AMC Boston Common 19 . 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.
A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house.
"Up in the Air (Free Screening)" - Nov 8th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Nov 8th at 7pm for Up in the Air (Free Screening) at the AMC Boston Common 19 . 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.
Note: This is a free screening and is first-come, first-serve. Audra will be in the theatre lobby around 6pm with the passes. Director Jason Reitman will be in attendance and a Q&A session shall follow the screening.
“From Jason Reitman, the Oscar®-nominated director of Juno, comes Up in the Air, the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham (Oscar® winner GEORGE CLOONEY), a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveler who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection.
Ryan has long been contented with his unencumbered lifestyle lived out across America in airports, hotels and rental cars. He can carry all he needs in one wheel-away case; he’s a pampered, elite member of every travel loyalty program in existence; and he’s close to attaining his lifetime goal of 10 million frequent flier miles – and yet . . . Ryan has nothing real to hold onto.
When he falls for a simpatico fellow traveler (VERA FARMIGA), RyanÂ’s boss (JASON BATEMAN), inspired by a young, upstart efficiency expert (ANNA KENDRICK), threatens to permanently call him in from the road. Faced with the prospect, at once terrifying and exhilarating, of being grounded, Ryan begins to contemplate what it might actually mean to have a home.”
"Pirate Radio" - Nov 15th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Nov 15th at 7:30pm for Pirate Radio 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.
““The Boat That Rocked” is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the ’60s and pop music. It’s about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock – a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that’s populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation.”
"The Messenger" - Nov 22nd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Nov 22nd at 6:45p for The Messenger 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.
“Co-written by Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon, THE MESSENGER is a powerful and tender story about a returned war hero making his first steps toward a normal life.
In his first leading role, Foster stars as Will Montgomery, a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq and is assigned to the ArmyÂ’s Casualty Notification service. Partnered with fellow officer Tony Stone (Harrelson) to bear the bad news to the loved ones of fallen soldiers, Will faces the challenge of completing his mission while seeking to find comfort and healing back on the home front. When he finds himself drawn to Olivia (Morton), to whom he has just delivered the news of her husband’s death, WillÂ’s emotional detachment begins to dissolve and the film reveals itself as a surprising, humorous, moving and very human portrait of grief, friendship and survival.
Featuring tour-de-force performances from Foster, Harrelson and Morton, and a brilliant directorial debut by Moverman, THE MESSENGER brings us into the inner lives of these outwardly steely heroes to reveal their fragility with compassion and dignity.”
"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" - Nov 29th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Nov 29th at 7:00pm for Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans 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.
“In Werner HerzogÂ’s new film “The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans,” Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs – while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.”
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" - Dec 6th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 6th at 6:15p for Fantastic Mr. Fox at the AMC 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.
“It is the story of one Mr. Fox and his wild-ways of hen heckling, turkey taking and cider sipping, nocturnal, instinctive adventures. He has to put his wild days behind him and do what fathers do best: be responsible. He is too rebellious. He is too wild. He is going to try “just one more raid” on the three nastiest, meanest farmers that are Boggis, Bunce and Bean. It is a tale of crossing the line of family responsibilities and midnight adventure and the friendships and awakenings of this country life that is inhabited by Fantastic Mr. Fox and his friends”
"Invictus" - Dec 13th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 13th at 7:10pm for Invictus 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 film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.”
"Avatar (3D)" - Dec 20th
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 20th at 5:30pm for Avatar (3D) at the AMC Boston Common 19 . Look for Audra wearing a “who’s your spy daddy” 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.
“A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet’s indigenous Na’vi race in this ambitious digital 3-D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron. The film, which marks Cameron’s first dramatic feature since 1997’s Titanic, follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a war veteran who gets called to the depths of space to pick up the job of his slain twin brother for the scientific arm of a mega corporation looking to mine the planet of Pandora for a valued ore. Unfortunately the biggest deposit of the prized substance lies underneath the home of the Na’vi, a 10-foot tall, blue-skinned native tribe who have been at war with the security arm of the company, lead by Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Because of the planet’s hostile atmosphere, humans have genetically grown half alien/half human bodies which they can jack their consciousness into and explore the world in. Since Jake’s brother already had an incredibly expensive Avatar grown for him, he’s able to connect with it using the same DNA code and experience first-hand the joys of Pandora while giving the Scientific team, lead by Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore), some well-needed protection against the planet’s more hostile forces.
On a chance meeting after getting separated from his team, Jake’s Avatar is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a Na’vi princess, who brings him into her tribe in order to give the humans a second chance at relating to this new environment. When word gets out of his increasing time with the alien species, Quaritch enlists Jake to do some reconnaissance for the company, as they’d like to persuade the tribe to move their home before taking more drastic measures to harness the treasure hidden below. Yet as Jake becomes one with the tribe and begins to understand the secrets of Pandora, his conscience is torn between his new adopted world and the wheelchair-bound one awaiting him when the psychic connection to his Avatar is broken. Soon battle lines are drawn and Jake needs to decide which side he will fight on when the time comes. The film was shot proprietary FUSION digital 3-D cameras developed by Cameron in collaboration with Vince Pace, and offers a groundbreaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects. The revolutionary motion-capture system created for the film allows the facial expressions of actors to be captured as a virtual camera system enables them to see what their computer-generated counterparts will be seeing in the film, and Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning Weta Digital visual-effects house supervises Avatar’s complex visual effects. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide”
"35 Shots of Rum" - Jan 3rd
Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 3rd at 7pm for 35 Shots of Rum at the Stuart Street Playhouse . 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.
“The relationship between a father and daughter is complicated by the arrival of a handsome young man.”