Movies for January 2019: Vice and All the President's Men

Bill G is hosting in January. We will move the January meeting back one week to Wednesday, January 9, 2019. The movies to see are:

Vice (2018)

 The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.

Director: Adam McKay

Writer: Adam McKay

Stars: Alison Pill, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Christian Bale

All the President's Men (1976)

In an attempt to impress girls, two pot-smoking hippies go after the greatest president of our lifetimes and cause him to become a drunken loon. Fortunately for the country, he eventually sobered up long enough to write a letter to Donald Trump urging him to run for political office.

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Writers: Carl Bernstein (book), Bob Woodward (book), William Goldman 

Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden

Scores for December 2018 Films

Green Book (2018):  8.30 / 10
No Pay, Nudity (2016): 5.44 / 10

Films of Merit

A Private War (2018)

Battlefish (TV series)

Blochin: Die Lebenden und die Toten (TV series)

Boardwalk Empire  (TV series)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Crashing  (TV series)

Free Solo (2018)

In Treatment  (TV series)

Journey's End (2017)

Outlaw King (2018)

Tea with the Dames (2018)

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Final Table (TV series)

The Ghosts of Highway 20 (2017)

The Kominsky Method (TV series)

The Tunnel  (TV series)

Widows (2018)

Movies for December 2018: Green Book and No Pay, Nudity

Hugh is hosting in December and the movies to see are:

Green Book (2018)

 A working-class Italian-American bouncer becomes the driver of an African-American classical pianist on a tour of venues through the 1960s American South.

Director: Peter Farrelly
Writers: Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly
Stars: Linda Cardellini, Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali

Open November 21st at The Living Room Theatre (and likely at other locations)

No Pay, Nudity (2016)

Aging actor Lester Rosenthal (Gabriel Byrne), who has lost his way with his career, with his family, and with his friends (Nathan Lane, Frances Conroy, & Boyd Gaines) finds out that the way out is through.

Director: Lee Wilkof

Writer: Ethan Sandler

Stars: Frances Conroy, Zoe Perry, Gabriel Byrne

Currently playing on Starz. Also available on Amazon Streaming.

Scores for November 2018 Films

A Star Is Born (2018): 7.55 / 10
Leave No Trace (2018): 7.00 / 10

Films of Merit

• Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
• Chocolat (2000)
• Colette (2018)
• First Man (2018)
• Goliath (TV series)
• Julie & Julia (2009)
• Monty Python's Best Bits (mostly) 
• Nappily Ever After (2018)
• Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
• Sommersby (1993)
• The Lady Vanishes (1938)
• Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
• Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015)
• Wind River (2017)

Movies for November 2018: Leave No Trace and A Star is Born

Steve is hosting in November and the movies to see are:

A Star Is Born (2018)

A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Director: Bradley Cooper
Writers: Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Eric Roth, Will Fetters, Moss Hart, John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion, Frank Pierson, William A. Wellman, Robert Carson
Stars: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott

Leave No Trace (2018)

 A father and his thirteen year-old daughter are living an ideal existence in a vast urban park in Portland, Oregon, when a small mistake derails their lives forever.

Director: Debra Granik

Writers: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini, Peter Rock

Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Foster, Jeffery Rifflard

Scores for October 2018 Films

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)  6.75 / 10
BlacKkKlansman (2018)  6.11 / 10

Films of Merit

Battlefish (TV series)

Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking (2010)

Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)

If You're Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast (2017)

No Man's Land (2018)

Ozark (TV series)

Parks and Recreation (TV series)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV series)
The Promise (2016)
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003)

Vince Giordano: There's a Future in the Past (2016)

Movies for October 2018: BlacKkKlansman and Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Carl is hosting for October and the movies to see are:

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host, Fred Rogers.

Director: Morgan Neville
Stars: Joanne Rogers, Betty Aberlin, David Bianculli

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Ron Stallworth, an African-American police officer from Colorado, successfully manages to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan with the help of a white surrogate, who eventually becomes head of the local branch.

Director: Spike Lee
Writers: Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, Ron Stallworth
Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier

Scores for September 2018 Films

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2017) 7.86 / 10

Festival Express (2003)  6.85 / 10

Films of Merit

Amish Mafia (TV series)

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Crossfire Hurricane (2012)

Juliet, Naked (2018)

Operation Finale (2018)

Ozark (TV series)

The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney (YouTube)

Vikings  (TV series)

Live Theater

OSF: Henry V

OSF: Oklahoma!

OSF: Snow in Midsummer

Movies for September: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2017) and Festival Express (2003)

Don is hosting in September and the movies to see are:

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World (2017)

Feature documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history.

Directors: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana (co-director)
Writers: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana
Stars: Apl.de.Ap, Dan Auerbach, Scott Barretta

Festival Express (2003)

The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour boasting major acts like Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead and The Band.

Directors: Bob Smeaton, Frank Cvitanovich

Stars: Janis Joplin, Grateful Dead, The Band 

Scores for August 2018 Films

Get Out (2017)  5.5 / 10

The Rider (2017) 8.78 / 10

Films of Merit

• Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018)
• Omnibus (TV series, episodes starring Leonard Bernstein)
• Ready Player One (2018)
• The Cakemaker (2017)
• The Deuce (TV series)
• Trumbo (2015)
• Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

August 2018 Meeting Notes

John C hosted in August and the movies to see were:

Get Out (2017) and The Rider (2017)

Scores for July 2018 Films

Training Day (2001) – 6.00 / 10
First Reformed (2017) – 7.67 / 10

Films of Merit

• Dark Money (2018)
• Goliath (TV series)
• Hostiles (2017)
• Journey's End (2017)
• Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005)
• Pati's Mexican Table (TV series)
• The Merry Gentleman (2008)

Movies for July 2018: First Reformed and Training Day

John C is hosting in July and the movies to see are:

First Reformed (2017) 

A priest of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.

Director: Paul Schrader
Writer: Paul Schrader
Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Ethan Hawke, Cedric the Entertainer

Training Day (2001)

On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes beyond a full work day in training within the narcotics division of the LAPD with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears to be.

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: David Ayer

Stars: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn

Scores for June 2018 Films

On the Waterfront (1954)  7.78 / 10

Taxi Driver (1976)   7.74 / 10

Films of Merit

• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• Alone in Berlin (2016)
• City Hall (1996)
• Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)
• Dancing on the Edge (TV series)
• Itzhak (2017)
• Kodachrome (2017)
• Long Strange Trip (2017)
• Pie in the Sky (TV series)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life (2018)
• Stop Making Sense (1984)
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
• The Commander (2003)
• The Handmaiden (2016)
• Three Days of the Condor (1975)
• Water & Power: A California Heist (2017)

Place to visit: Hollywood Heritage Museum

Movies for June 2018: On The Waterfront and Taxi Driver

Bill T is hosting in June, and the moves to see are:

On the Waterfront (1954)

 An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: Budd Schulberg, Malcolm Johnson, Robert Siodmak
Stars: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb

Taxi Driver (1976)

 A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action, while attempting to liberate a twelve-year-old prostitute.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Paul Schrader
Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd

Scores for May 2018 Films

Gemini (2017)  3.86 / 10
A Quiet Place (2018)  6.09 / 10

Films of Merit

• Babylon Berlin (TV series)
• Back to Burgundy (2017)
• Coco (2017)
• De-Lovely (2004)
• Get Out (2017)
• GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II (2017)
• Inside Out (2015)
• The Death of Stalin (2017)
• The Greatest Showman (2017)
• Unforgotten (TV series)
• Wings (1927)

Also:

• Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! at OSF
• Major Barbara at PCS

Movies for May 2018: Gemini and A Quiet Place

Nic is hosting in May and the movies to see are:

Gemini (2017)

 A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss. As the assistant unravels the mystery, she must confront her own understanding of friendship, truth, and celebrity.

Director: Aaron Katz
Writer: Aaron Katz
Stars: Lola Kirke, Zoë Kravitz, John Cho

A Quiet Place (2018)

 A family is forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound.
Director: John Krasinski
Writers: Bryan Woods Scott Beck, John Krasinski
Stars: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds

Scores for April 2018 Films

Easy Rider (1969)  5.27 / 10

The Sheltering Sky (1990)  4.8 / 10

Films of Merit

• Darkest Hour (2017)
• Get Out (2017)
• Hollywoodland (2006)
• Lost in America (1985)
• Shot in the Dark - TV series
• The Bridge (Bron/Broen) - TV series
• The Last Emperor (1987)
• USS Callister (Episode of Black Mirror TV series)

Movies for April 2018: Easy Rider and The Sheltering Sky

Joe is hosting in April and the movies to see are:

Easy Rider (1969)

Two counterculture bikers travel from Los Angeles to New Orleans in search of America.

Director: Dennis Hopper
Writers: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Terry Southern
Stars: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson

The Sheltering Sky (1990)

The American artist couple Port and Kit Moresby travel aimlessly through Africa, searching for new experiences that could give sense to their relationship. But the flight to distant regions only leads both deeper into despair.

Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

Writers: Paul Bowles (book), Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci (screenplay) 

Stars: Debra Winger, John Malkovich, Campbell Scott

Extra Credit: "Morocco (Tangier)" Episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown on Netflix

Season 1 | Episode 5

What Burroughs called "Interzone", where artists like Burroughs, Bowles, Rimbaud, Verlaine, the Rolling Stones sought escape from Western moral prohibitions and the possibilities of great empty spaces.

Directors: Jared Andrukanis, Nick Brigden

Writer: Anthony Bourdain

Stars: Anthony Bourdain, Bachir Attar, George Bajalia 

Scores for March 2018 Films

• Lady Bird (2017): 7.7
• I, Tonya (2017): 6.45

Films of Merit

• A Thousand Clowns (1965)
• Coco (2017)
• Darkest Hour (2017)
• Harry and Tonto (1974)
• Phantom Thread (2017)
• Science Fair (2018)
• Sullivan's Travels (1941)
• The Last Hot Lick (2017)

Movies for March 2018: Lady Bird and I, Tonya

Bill G is picking the movies for March, but the meeting will be held at Dean's house. The movies to see are:

Lady Bird (2017)

In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.

Director: Greta Gerwig

Writer: Greta Gerwig

Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts 

I, Tonya (2017)

Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Director: Craig Gillespie

Writer: Steven Rogers

Stars: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney

Scores for February's Films

• The Post (2017)  7.1 / 10
• The Shape of Water (2017)  6.82 / 10

Films of Merit

• A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018)
• Babylon Berlin (TV series)
• Definitely, Maybe (2008)
• Get Out (2017)
• Last Flag Flying (2017)
• Live by Night (2016)
• Phantom Thread (2017)
• Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (TV series)
• Strangers on a Train (1951)
• The Polka King (2017)
• The Tunnel (TV series)

Performances Worth Seeing

• Astoria Parts 1 and 2 at Portland Center Stage
• Chamber Music Northwest
• The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Books Worth Reading

• Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark

Movies for February 2018: The Post and The Shape of Water

Dean is officially hosting in February but the meeting will be at Bill G's house.

The movies to see are:

The Post (2017)

A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: Liz Hannah, Josh Singer

Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson 

The Shape of Water (2017)

At a top secret research facility in the 1960s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor

Stars: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon

Scores for Last Month's Films

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)  7.00 / 10
The Disaster Artist (2017)  5.86 / 10

Films of Merit

• All in the Family (TV series)
• Black Mirror (TV series)
• Darkest Hour (2017)
• Get Out (2017)
• Godless (TV series)
• Good Behavior (TV series)
• Happyish (TV series)
• Lady Bird (2017)
• Lost in Paris (2016)
• Molly's Game (2017)
• My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes (2014)
• Roberta (1935)
• Shaka Zulu (TV series)
• The Crown (TV series)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (TV series)
• Vera (TV series)