Movies for July 2016: My Own Private Idaho and The Lobster

Joe is hosting for July and the movies to see are:

My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Two best friends living on the streets of Portland as hustlers embark on a journey of self discovery and find their relationship stumbling along the way.

Director: Gus Van Sant

Writers: William Shakespeare (play),  Gus Van Sant

Stars: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo

The Lobster (2015)

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods. 

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos  

Writers: Yorgos Lanthimos,  Efthymis Filippou  

Stars: Colin Farrell,  Rachel Weisz,  Jessica Barden

Special Guest Speaker: Dr. Mario Falsetto

Joe has arranged for a special guest to speak to us: Dr. Mario Falsetto, Professor Emeritus in Film Studies at Concordia University (Montreal) where he helped build one of the most highly regarded Cinema Departments in North America.

He received his Ph.D. from New York University in Cinema Studies where his teachers included such prominent artists and scholars as Stan Brakhage, Annette Michelson, Peter Kubelka, William Rothman, P. Adams Sitney, Manny Farber, Noel Carroll, Dusan Makaveyev, Noel Burch, William K. Everson, Ted Perry and many others.

As Professor in Film Studies at Concordia University, Falsetto developed over 20 different film courses, and is considered a specialist in avant-garde cinema, the films of Stanley Kubrick, American narrative film of the 1960s and 1970s, contemporary independent filmmakers, and key film auteurs, including Gus Van Sant, Federico Fellini, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, John Cassavetes, and many others.

Movies for June 2016: Elvis & Nixon and Palio

Nic is hosting for June and the movies to see are:

Elvis & Nixon (2016)

The untold true story behind the meeting between the King of Rock 'n Roll and President Nixon, resulting in this revealing, yet humorous moment immortalized in the most requested photograph in the National Archives. Co-written by Princess Bride star Cary Elwes.

Director: Liza Johnson  

Writers: Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal, and Cary Elwes  

Stars: Michael Shannon,  Kevin Spacey,  Alex Pettyfer

Now showing at The Living Room Theatres

Palio (2015)

Twice a year the Italian city of Siena goes crazy for the oldest horse race in the world: the Palio. Not your average race: strategy, bribery and corruption play as much a part as the skill of the riders.  

Director: Cosima Spender  

Writers: John Hunt,  Cosima Spender 

Available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hJ3DrXXYM

Movies for May 2016: The Young Victoria and Sicario

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

The Young Victoria (2009)

A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Writer: Julian Fellowes

Stars: Emily Blunt,  Rupert Friend,  Paul Bettany

---

Sicario (2015)

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. 

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Writer: Taylor Sheridan

Stars: Emily Blunt,  Josh Brolin,  Benicio Del Toro 

Films for April 2016: Race and Creed

Bill G will host in April 2016 and the movies to see are:

Race (2016)

Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Writers: Joe Shrapnel,  Anna Waterhouse

Stars: Stephan James,  Jason Sudeikis,  Eli Gore

Creed (2015)

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Director: Ryan Coogler

Writers: Ryan Coogler (story & screenplay),  Aaron Covington (screenplay)  Sylvester Stallone (characters)

Stars: Michael B. Jordan,  Sylvester Stallone,  Tessa Thompson

March 2015 Movies: Hail, Caesar! and Brooklyn

Bob will host for March and the movies to see are:

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line. 

Directors: Ethan and Joel Coen  

Writers: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen  

Stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill

Brooklyn (2015)

An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. 

Director: John Crowley  

Writers: Nick Hornby (screenplay),  Colm Tóibín (novel)

Stars: Saoirse Ronan,  Emory Cohen,  Domhnall Gleeson 

Movies for February: The Big Short and The Hateful Eight

We will meet at Ted's house at 7:30 on Wednesday February 3rd to review the following movies. (Note: Joe Robinson has strongly suggested we also all try to see The Revenant for discussion at this meeting.)

The Big Short (2015)

Four denizens of the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

Director: Adam McKay
Writers: Charles Randolph (screenplay), Adam McKay(screenplay), Michael Lewis (book)

Stars: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling

The Hateful Eight (2015)

In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Movie for January 2016: Bridge of Spies - and a special guest speaker

Hugh is hosting our next meeting on Wednesday, January 6th.

We're only seeing one movie this month:

Bridge of Spies

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Stars: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda

During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

We will also have a special guest speaker: Gregory S. Lamb, a retired United States Air Force Colonel who studied Geography as an undergraduate, earned his Masters Degree in International Relations, and was awarded a fellowship in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He's a graduate of several formal professional military education institutions including the Joint Forces Staff College and the Defense Language Institute.

Greg piloted the U-2 High-Altitude Reconnaissance Aircraft for most of his operational military career and held senior staff assignments with Air Combat Command, NORAD-NORTHCOM, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Coupled with his life experiences, his passion for shedding light on the injustice experienced by refugees drove him to write his first novel, The People in Between: A Cyprus Odyssey.  His most recent novel, A Dangerous Element, was the result of recent events related to STUXNET and the temporary disruption of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.

Greg lives with his wife, Cindy, in Portland, Oregon. The Lambs have three grown sons.