Movies for January 2020: Ford v Ferrari and The Irishman

Dean is hosting in January. We will meet on January 8, 2020. The movies to see are:

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

American car designer Carroll Shelby and driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford and challenge Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966.

Director: James Mangold

Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Weller

Stars: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal

The Irishman (2019)

A mob hitman recalls his days on the streets of Sao Paulo as a young boy, followed by his astounding transformation into a concert pianist with the help of Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa.

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Steven Zaillian (screenplay), Charles Brandt (book)
Stars: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci

Scores for December 2019 Movies

The Killers (1946) 6.67 / 10
The Good Liar (2019) 7.00 / 10

Films of Merit

• Broadcast News (1987)
• Line of Separation PBS TV series
• Miss Firecracker (1989)
• Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
• Our Man in Havana (1959)
• Pain and Glory 2019)
• Rocketman (2019)
• The Catcher Was A Spy (2018)
• The Crown Series 3
• The Irishman (2019)
• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
• The Tailor of Panama (2001)
• Watchmen HBO series
• What Lies Beneath (2000)

Movies for December 2019: The Killers and The Good Liar

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

The Killers (1946)

Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.

Director: Robert Siodmak
Writers: Anthony Veiller (screenplay), Ernest Hemingway (from the story by)
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien 

The Good Liar (2019)

Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

Director: Bill Condon

Writers: Jeffrey Hatcher, Nicholas Searle (novel)

Stars: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey

Scores for November 2019 Movies

Judy (2019)  6.00 / 10

Romeo and Juliet (1968)  7.80 / 10

Films of Merit

• Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
• Carmine Street Guitars (2018)
• Catherine the Great (TV series)
• Echo in the Canyon (2018)
• Harriet (2019)
• Inspector Lewis (TV series)
• Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (2019)
• Line of Separation (TV series)
• Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (2019)
• Rotten (TV series)
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
• The King (2019)
• The Kominsky Method (TV series)
• The Laundromat (2019)

Movies for November 2019: Judy and Romeo and Juliet

Bill G is hosting in November and the movies to see are:

Judy (2019)

Legendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts.

Director: Rupert Goold

Writers: Tom Edge (screenplay by), Peter Quilter (based on the stageplay "End of the Rainbow" by)

Stars: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock

Romeo and Juliet (1968)

hen two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.

Director: Franco Zeffirelli

Writers: Franco Brusati, Masolino D'Amico, Franco Zeffirelli, from an idea by Billy "Bud" Shakespeare

Stars: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery

Scores for October 2019 Movies

On the Basis of Sex (2018)  6.14 / 10

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)  7.43 / 10

Films of Merit

• Country Music, Ken Burns Documentary, PBS
• Downton Abby, In theaters
• Herren Veje, Netflix series
• Hustler, in theaters
• Inside Bill’s Brain, Netflix
• Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, In Theaters
• Maiden, Documentary in theaters
• Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins, current in theaters
• The Exception, Netflix

Movies for October 2019: The Peanut Butter Falcon and On the Basis of Sex

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

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Director: Mimi Leder
Writer: Daniel Stiepleman
Stars: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

 Zak runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true.

Directors: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz 

Writers: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz 

Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen

Scores for September 2019 Films

The Farewell (2019)  6.87 / 10
Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019)  6.89 / 10

Films of Merit

• Apollo 13
• Carnival Row (TV series)
• Chernobyl (TV series)
• Days of Heaven
• Fraser (TV series)
• Good Omens (TV series)
• Mind Hunter
• Night Train to Munich 
• Ozark (TV series)
• The Art of Racing In The Rain
• Wild Country
• Yesterday 

Movies for September 2019: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and The Farewell

Steve is hosting in September. We are moving the meeting back one week to Wednesday, September 11th.

We will have a special guest: Location Manager Doug Hobart

The movies to see are:

The Farewell (2019)

A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.

Director: Lulu Wang

Writer: Lulu Wang

Stars: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin 

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (2019)

A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie

Scores for August 2019 Films

Laura (1944) 6.28 / 10
Inherit the Wind (1960) 8.00 / 10

Films of Merit

• All About Eve
• Grantchester (TV series) 
• Herrens Beje (TV series) 
• Kind Hearts and Coronets
• The 2001 Ending Explained
• The Biggest Little Farm
• The Farewell
• The Great Hack
• The Last of the Czars (TV series) 
• The Public

Movies for August 2019: Inherit The Wind and Laura

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

Inherit the Wind (1960)

Based on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution.

Director: Stanley Kramer
Writers: Nedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith, Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee
Stars: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly

Laura (1944)

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.

Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Vera Caspary, Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt, Ring Lardner Jr.
Stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price

Scores for July 2019 Films

Eighth Grade (2018)  5.78 / 10
Cyrus (2010)  6.22 / 10

Films of Merit

• Casablanca
• Celia
• Chernobyl
• Murder of Crows
• Ozark
• Pavarotti
• The Last Czars
• Yesterday

Movies for July 2019: Cyrus and Eighth Grade

Joe is hosting in July, and because of the holiday, we will meet on Wednesday, July 10th.

The movies to see are:

Cyrus (2010)

John and Molly, a divorced middle aged man and a single mother meet at a friends party and start up a small relationship, all John has to do now is meet Molly's son...

Directors: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Writers: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
Stars: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill

Eighth Grade (2018)

 An introverted teenage girl tries to survive the last week of her disastrous eighth grade year before leaving to start high school.

Director: Bo Burnham

Writer: Bo Burnham

Stars: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson

Scores for June 2019 Movies

Seven Days in May (1964)  7.33 / 10
A Face in the Crowd (1957)  6.22 / 10

Films of Merit

• All in the Family and The Jeffersons live enactments (TV specials)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Chernobyl (TV series)
• Day for Night (1973)
• Dead to Me (TV series)
• Fosse/Verdon (TV series)
• Hannah Arendt (2012)
• Russian Doll (TV series)
• The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
• The Biggest Little Farm (2018)
• Wanda Sykes Live

Movies for June 2019: Seven Days in May and Face In The Crowd

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

Seven Days in May (1964)

United States military leaders plot to overthrow the President because he supports a nuclear disarmament treaty and they fear a Soviet sneak attack.

Director: John Frankenheimer
Writers: Fletcher Knebel (novel), Charles W. Bailey II (novel), Rod Serling
Stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March

A Face in the Crowd (1957)

An Arkansas drifter becomes an overnight media sensation. As he becomes drunk with fame and power, will he ever be exposed as the fraud he has become?

Director: Elia Kazan
Writers: Budd Schulberg (story), Budd Schulberg (screenplay)
Stars: Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Anthony Franciosa

Scores for May 2019 Movies

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) 7.1 / 10
Amazing Grace (2018) 6.1 / 10

Films of Merit

• A Private War (2018)
• Imposters (TV series)
• Peaky Blinders (TV series)
• The Grifters (1990)
• The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2018)
• The Mustang (2019)
• The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
• The Tunnel (TV series)
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Zombie Cats from Mars (2015)

Movies for May 2019: What Happened, Miss Simone? and Amazing Grace

Jon L is hosting in May and the movies to see are:

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

 A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."

Director: Liz Garbus

Stars: Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie

Amazing Grace (2018)

 A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.

Directors: Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollack

Stars: Aretha Franklin, Reverand James Cleveland, C.L. Franklin

Scores for April 2019 Movies

At Eternity's Gate (2018)  6.25 / 10
Apollo 11 (2019)  9.22 / 10

Films of Merit

• 5 Flights Up (2014)
• After Life (TV series)
• Apollo 13 (1995)
• Atlantic City (1980)
• Bandits (2001)
• Delhi Crime (TV series)
• Heaven Can Wait (1978)
• Private Life (2018)
• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)
• The Death of Stalin (2017)
• The Grifters (1990)
• The Highwaymen (2019)
• The Wife (2018)

Movies for April 2019: Apollo 11 and At Eternity's Gate

Bill T is hosting in April and the movies to see are:

At Eternity's Gate (2018)

A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise, France.

Director: Julian Schnabel
Writers: Jean-Claude Carrière, Julian Schnabel, Louise Kugelberg
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac

Apollo 11 (2019)

 A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin & Michael Collins.

Director: Todd Douglas Miller

Stars: Buzz Aldrin, Joan Ann Archer, Janet Armstrong 

Scores for March 2019 Films

Cold War (2018)  6.75 / 10
Never Look Away (2018)  8.67 / 10

Films of Merit

• Accused (2005)
• Batshit Valley (2019)
• Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
• Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) 
• Batshit Valley (2019)
• Endeavour (TV series)
• Free Solo (2018)
• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
• Inspector Morse (TV series)
• Leaving Neverland (2019)
• Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
• On the Basis of Sex (2018) 
• Paddleton (2019)
• Russian Doll (TV series)
• Secret City (TV series)
• Shetland (TV series)
• The Big Sick (2017) 
• The Old Man & the Gun (2018)
• Wallander (TV series - Swedish)

Movies for March 2019: Never Look Away and Cold War

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

Cold War (2018)

In the 1950s, a music director falls in love with a singer and tries to persuade her to flee communist Poland for France.

Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Writers: Pawel Pawlikowski, Janusz Glowacki, Piotr Borkowski

Stars: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc 

Never Look Away (2018)

German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany, but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime.

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Stars: Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer

Scores for February 2019 Films

Roma (2018)  8.0 / 10

Shoplifters (2018)  6.5 / 10

Films of Merit

A Private War (2018)

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Eulogy (2004)

Game of Thrones (TV series)

On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Stan & Ollie (2018)

The Favourite (2018)

The Old Man & the Gun (2018)

The Wife (2017)

True Detective (TV series)

Movies for February 2019: Shoplifters and Roma

Dean is hosting in February and the movies to see are:

Shoplifters (2018)

A family of small-time crooks take in a child they find outside in the cold.

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Writers: Hirokazu Koreeda (original story), Hirokazu Koreeda (screenplay)
Stars: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Mayu Matsuoka

Roma (2018)

A year in the life of a middle-class family's maid in Mexico City in the early 1970s.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writer: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey

Scores for January 2019 Films

Vice (2018)  5.36 / 10
All the President's Men (1976)  8.73 / 10

Films of Merit

About Time (2013)

Bodyguard (TV series)

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Bosch (TV series)

Burning (2018)

Casablanca (1942)

Get Me Roger Stone (2017)

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

Inside Out (2015)

Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018)

Land Girls (TV series)

Mary Poppins (1964)

Patriot (TV series)

The Kominsky Method (TV series)

The Price of Everything (2018)

Trotsky (TV series)