Movies for January 2025: Wild Target and The World's Fastest Indian

    Dean Hiser will host our January meeting, which will be a week later than usual at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8, because New Year's Day falls on the first Wednesday.  The meeting will be at Dean's house with a Zoom option, and we will discuss:

Wild Target (2010)

     A hitman tries to retire, but a beautiful thief may change his plans.

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Writers: Lucinda Coxon and Pierre Salvadori

Stars: Bill Nighy, Emily Blunt and Rupert Grint

The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

      The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967. 

Director: Roger Donaldson

Writer: Roger Donaldson

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd and Lain Rea

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for December 2024 movies:

Conclave (2024) 8.2 (9 votes)

Ghostlight (2024) 8 (9 votes)

Films of Merit

Cabaret (1972)

Landline (2017)

Hidden, a series (2018-2022)

White Collar, a series (2009-2014)

I Know Where I'm Going (1945)

Elf (2003)

The Piano Lesson (2024)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Movies for December, 2024: Conclave and Ghostlight

     Bill Graves will host our Dec. 4 meeting at 7 p.m. at his house with a Zoom option, and we will discuss the following movies:

Conclave (2024)

    When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church. 

Director: Edward Berger

Writers: Peter Straughan and Robert Harris

Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow

Ghostlight (2024)

     When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

Directors: Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson

Writer: Kelly O'Sullivan

Stars:  Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer and Tara Mallen

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for November 2024 movies:

My Old Lady (2014) 6.9 (9 votes)

Tea with the Dames (2018) 5 (9 votes)

Films of Merit

Disclaimer, a series (2024)

Bank of Dave (2023)

Lee (2023)

The Diplomat, a series (2023)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Daddio (2023)

Breaking Away (1979)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

Locke (2013)

Movies for November, 2024: My Old Lady and Tea with the Dames

      Hugh Heinsohn will host our Nov. 6 meeting online at 6 p.m., when we will discuss the presidential election results and the following movies: 

My Old Lady (2014)

     An American inherits an apartment in Paris that comes with an unexpected resident.

Director: Israel Horovitz
Writers: Israel Horovitz and Jonathan Mason
Stars: Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas and Maggie Smith

Tea with the Dames (2018)

     Dames Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Joan Plowright and Maggie Smith get together for tea to reminisce and discuss their acting careers.

Director: Roger Michell

Stars: Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins and Judi Dench

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for October 2024 movies:

The Master (2012) 3.9 (7 votes)
Searching for Sugar Man (2012) 7.6 (7 votes)

Films of Merit

Moon Flower Murders, a series (2024)

Going Varsity in Mariachi (2023)

Of Horses and Men (2013)

Bodkin, a series (2024)

Movies for October, 2024: The Master and Searching for Sugar Man

      Carl Carlson will be hosting our Oct. 2 meeting at 7 p.m., and we will be discussing:

The Master  (2012) 

A naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future -- until he is tantalized by a Satanic cult and its charismatic leader.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez.

Director: Malik Bendjelloul

Writers: Malik Bendjelloul, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom

Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen "Sugar" Segerman and Dennis Coffey

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for September 2024 Movies

The Peasants (2023)  6.3 (8 votes)

The Monk and the Gun (2023) 7.6 (9 votes)

Films of Merit

Monsieur Spade, a series (2024)

Dark Winds, a series (2022)

Showhouse, a series (2005)

Molly's Game (2017)

Beetlejuice (1988)

The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Perfect Days (2023) 

Max Manus: Man of War (2008)

Movies for September, 2024: The Peasants, and The Monk and the Gun

      Don Nugent will be hosting our Sept. 4 meeting at 7 p.m. at his home, and we will be discussing:

The Peasants (2023) 

     Jagna is a young woman determined to forge her own path in a late 19th Century Polish Village -- a hotbed of gossip and on-going feuds, held together, rich and poor, by adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy.  

Directors: DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

Writers: Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont, DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman

Stars: Kamila Urzedowska, Robert Gulaczyk and Miroslaw Baka

     

The Monk and the Gun (2023)

     An American travels into Bhutan in search of a valuable antique rifle and crosses paths with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again.

Director: Pawo Choyning Dorji

Writer: Pawo Choyning Dorji

Stars: Tandin Wangchuk, Tandin Phubz and Kelsang Choejay

How to find streaming services for movies: 

http://justwatch.com

Scores for August 2024 Movies

The Crime is Mine (2023)  7.1 (8  votes)

Kinds of Kindness (2024) 1.8 (5 votes)

Films of Merit

Our Almost Completely True Story (2021)

Mr. Turner (2014)

A Gentleman in Moscow, a series (2024)

Federer: Twelve Final Days (2024)

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) 

Mash (1970)

Ordinary People (1980)

Land of Bad (2024)

Movies for August, 2024: The Crime is Mine, and Kinds of Kindness

     Jon Lee will host our Aug. 1 meeting at 7 p.m. outside at his home, and we will be discussing:

The Crime is Mine (2023)

     In Paris, 1935, a young actress has just been acquitted of murdering a famous French producer. This is where the story just begins. Is she really innocent? Or has she gotten away with murder?

Director: Francois Ozon

Writers: Francois Ozon, Philippe Piazzo and Georges Berr

Stars: Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Rebecca Marder and Isabelle Huppert

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

     A man seeks to break free from his predetermined path; a cop questions his wife's demeanor after her return from a supposed drowning; and a woman searches for an extraordinary individual prophesied to become a renowned spiritual guide. 

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou

Stars: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and Willem Dafoe

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for July 2024 Movies

Rear Window (1954) 7.6 (8 votes)

The Taste of Things (2023) 8 (7 votes)

Films of Merit

The Bear, a series (2022-2024)

Operation Mincemeat (2021)

Fits and Starts (2017)

Shameless, a series (2011-2021)

Eric, a series (2024)

The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir (2024)

A Gentleman in Moscow  (2024)

 

    

Movies for July, 2024: Rear Window and The Taste of Things

      Bill Triest will host our July 3 meeting at 7 p.m. outside at his home, and we will be discussing: 

Rear Window  (1954)

     A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writers: John Michael Hayes, Cornell Woolrich

Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey

The Taste of Things (2023)

    The Story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin--the fine gourmet chef she has been working for over the last 20 years.

Director: Anh Hung Tran

Writers: Anh Hung Tran, Marcel Rouff

Stars: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger

How to find streaming services for movies: 

http://justwatch.com

Scores for June 2024 Movies

Average rating on a 10-point scale: 

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 6.8 (9 voting)

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) 6.8 (9 voting)

Films of Merit

Sugar, a series (2024)

The Gentlemen, a series (2024)

The Tree of Life (2011)

American Symphony (2023)

The Blue Angels (2024)

Blood, a series (2018-2020)

The Fall Guy (2024)

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

The Judge (2014)

Movies for June, 2024: The Day the World Stood Still and Close Encounters of the Third Kind

      John Cleary will host our 7 p.m. June 5 meeting at his home, and we will be discussing: 

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

    An alien lands in Washington, D.C., and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets. 

Director: Robert Wise

Writers: Edmund H. North and Harry Bates

Stars: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

     Roy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches. 

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writers: Steven Spielberg, Hal Barwood and Jerry Belson

Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Francois Truffaut and Teri Garr

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for May 2024 Movies

Average rating on a 10-point scale

American Fiction (2024) 8 (9 voting)

Past Lives (2023) 6.7 (9 voting)

Films of Merit

The Beautiful Game (2024)

Ripley, a series (2024)

Killing Eve, a series (2018-2022)

Freud's Last Session (2023)

The Gentlemen, a series (2024)

Falling for Figaro (2020)

The Teachers' Lounge (2023)

The Ipcress File, a series (2022)

Movies for May, 2024: American Fiction and Past Lives

     Nic Bentley will host our May 1 meeting at his home with an online Zoom option, and we will be watching: 

American Fiction (2023)

    A novelist who's fed up with the establishment profiting from Black entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.

 Director: Cord Jefferson

 Writers: Cord Jefferson, Percival Everett

 Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross and John Ortiz

Past Lives (2023)

    Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny. 

Director: Celine Song

Writer: Celine Song

Stars: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for April 2024 Movie

The Pillars of the Earth (2010) 7 (7 voting)

Films of Merit

Anatomy of a Scandal, a series (2022)

Suits, a series (2011-2019)

Shetland, a series (2013-2023)

Sugar, a series (2024)

Resident Alien, a series (2021-2024)

Surrounded (2023)

Five Came Back (2017)

20 Days in Mariupol (2023)

Movie for April, 2024: The Pillars of the Earth

      Dean Hiser will host our April 10 meeting at his home with an online option, and we will be watching a formerly eight-part movie series reorganized into two long parts: 

The Pillars of the Earth (2010)

      This series, formerly eight parts, is set against a backdrop of medieval war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart. The series is available for rent in two 3.5-hour parts on Amazon Prime and Apple Plus. 

Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Writers: Ken Follet and John Pielmeier

Stars: Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen and Eddie Redmayne

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for March 2024 Movies

Average rating on a 10-point scale

Poor Things (2023) 5.25 (8 voting)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) 8.2 (7 voting)

Films of Merit

The New Look, a series (2024)

Suits, a series (2011-2019)

Monsieur Spade, a series (2024)

Six Feet Under, a series (2001-2005)

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

Woman of the Year (1942)

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

The Last Repair Shop (2023)

Movies for March, 2024: Anatomy of a Fall and Poor Things

      Bill Graves is hosting our March 6 meeting at his home with an online option, and the movies to see are: 

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

     A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death, and their visually challenged son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

Director: Justine Triet

Writers: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

Stars: Sandra Huller, Swann Ariaud and Milo Machado-Graner

Poor Things (2023)

     The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist, Dr. Godwin Baxter.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Writers: Tony McNamara and Alasdair Gray

Stars: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe

How to find streaming services for movies: 

http://justwatch.com

Scores for February 2024 Movies

Average rating on a 10-point scale

A Compassionate Spy (2022) 4.9 (10 voting)

5 Fingers (1952) 7.l (9 voting)

Films of Merit

The Pigeon Tunnel (2023)

The Ides of March (2011)

Masters of the Air (2024)

American Fiction (2024)

The Newsroom, a series (2012-2014)

Eternally Confused and Eager for Love (2022)

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Interstellar (2014)

   

   

Movies for February, 2024: A Compassionate Spy and 5 Fingers

     Hugh Heinsohn is hosting our meeting at 7 p.m., February 7, 2024, and the movies to see are:

 

 A Compassionate Spy (2022)

     The incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who shared classified nuclear secrets with Russia.

Director: Steve James

Stars: Joan Hall, Ted Hall, Joseph Albright

5 Fingers (1952)

     During WWII the valet to the British Ambassador to Ankara sells British secrets to the Germans while trying to romance a refugee Polish countess.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers: Michael Wilson, L.C. Moyzisch, Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Stars: James Mason, Danielle Darrieux, Michael Rennie

How to find streaming services for movies:

http://justwatch.com

Scores for January 2024 Movies

Average rating on a 10-point scale

The Boys in the Boat (2023) 7.3 (10 voting)

The Holdovers (2023) 7.4 (10 voting)

Films of Merit

Nightmare Alley (2021)

They Call Me Magic (2022)

Winning Time, a series (2022-23)

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Ferrari (2023)

My Grandparents' War, a series (2019- )

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

Maestro (2023)