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.”

On January 12th, 2003, Heather hosted the first meeting of the Boston Sunday Night Film Club. 3 years later the club is still going strong and some of the members that attended on that first meeting still come today! From time to time over the years people have said they would like to have a list of all the movies the club has seen over the years. I thought that a nice celebration of this anniversary would be to pull this together. It took some digging through the scraps of the old website, my personal email archives, and even some Google cache spelunking. Hope you enjoy it!

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, January 15th at 7:15pm for “The Matador” 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.

“In writer/director Richard Shepard’s dark comedy THE MATADOR, Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) is a hit man who’s very good at what he does. He’s in Mexico City doing another job but sadly for Julian, he has reached a low point in his life – the murder business has all but killed him.

Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is also in Mexico City on business, although a decidedly different kind of business. Danny lives in Denver with his wife Bean (Hope Davis), and while they may have troubles financially, there is a youthful lust between them that belies ten years of marriage. Danny finds himself in Mexico City for a business opportunity whose outcome could be the difference between solving all his financial problems or falling even deeper into debt.

One night, at the hotel bar, these two men meet. Before long, they find themselves involved in a strange friendship – built on the dark and drunken honesty shared among strangers who believe they will never see each other in the light of day.

Spanning four countries, six months and many margaritas, THE MATADOR takes the hit man film and spins it on its head, creating a character-driven story that’s hip and hilarious—strange and full of unexpected heart.

Featuring a bold, outrageously original performance from Pierce Brosnan, and a funny, unexpected turn from Greg Kinnear, THE MATADOR is a buddy film, blended with extra tequila.”

Join the Boston Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, January 8th at 5:15pm for “New York Doll” 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. Note: This film is showing in the Coolidge’s “Screening Room”, which is quite small, so you might want to show up early or preorder tickets.

“With his mild-mannered exterior and day job at a Mormon library, it’s hard to connect buttoned-down Arthur Kane with his raucous rock ’n’ roll past. But during the early 70s Arthur “Killer” Kane was the statuesque bassist for the legendary (and highly influential) glam-rock outfit The New York Dolls. Kane, however, found it difficult to recoup after the Dolls’ demise, struggling to spark his music career, battling alcoholism, and failing in his marriage. Director Greg Whiteley’s film picks up Kane’s story just as his long-held dream of reuniting the Dolls finally comes true with a high profile gig in London, and follows him through the unexpected events of his post-show homecoming.

Before the feature, we present A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN UNDER-APPRECIATED STAR, director David Winkfield’s short documentary about Brookline resident Jerry Pearlswig, a professional autograph hound and all-around sweet guy, who is on his day’s quest to get a photo with actor (and musician) Kevin Bacon.”