Movies for December 2022: The Outfit and A Christmas Story

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

A Christmas Story (1983)

In the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie Parker attempts to convince his parents, teacher, and Santa Claus that a Red Ryder Range 200 Shot BB gun really is the perfect way to shoot his eye out on Christmas morning.

Director: Bob Clark
Writers: Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, Bob Clark

Stars: Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin

The Outfit (2022)

An expert cutter must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.

Director: Graham Moore

Writers: Graham Moore, Johnathan McClain
Stars: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, John Gumley-Mason

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for November 2022 Movies

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)  9.0 / 10
Contagion (2011)  7.11 / 10

Films of Merit

• All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1016150/
• Extraordinary Attorney Woo (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20869502/
• Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097336/
• Margin Call (2011) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1615147/
• Metropolis (1927) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622/
• The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216/
• The Empress (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13720112/
• The Good Nurse (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4273800/
• The Green Mile (1999) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120689/
• The Sapphires (2012) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1673697/
• The Square (2017) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4995790/
• The White Lotus (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13406094/
• Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/

Movies for November 2022: The Shawshank Redemption and Contagion

Bill T is hosting in November and the movie to see are:

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace, eventual redemption, and a pipe filled with excrement through acts of common decency.

Director: Frank Darabont
Writers: Stephen King, Frank Darabont
Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton

Contagion (2011)

Healthcare professionals, government officials, Jenny McCarthy, and everyday people find themselves in the midst of a pandemic as the CDC works to find a cure.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Scott Z. Burns

Stars: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for October 2022 Movies

Brassed Off (1996)  6.78 / 10
As Good as It Gets (1997)  6.0 / 10

Films of Merit

Appaloosa (2008) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/

Bad Sisters (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15469618/

California Typewriter (2016) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5966990/

Entrapped (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21964626/

How To Please A Woman (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10530838/

Logan Lucky (2017) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5439796/

Sidney (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16977750/

The Greatest Beer Run Ever (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10268488/

The Kindness of Strangers (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6515910/

The Patient (TV mini series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15574312/

The U.S. and the Holocaust (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20863280/

Movies for October 2022: Brassed Off and As Good As It Gets

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

Brassed Off (1996)

The coal mine in a northern English village may be closing, which would also mean the end of the miners' brass band or will they use the force to save it? 

Director: Mark Herman
Writer: Mark Herman
Stars: Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor

As Good as It Gets (1997)

A single mother and waitress with a huge forehead, a misanthropic author , and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.

Director: James L. Brooks
Writers: Mark Andrus, James L. Brooks
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for September 2022 Movies

My Left Foot (1989) 7.75 / 10
The Worst Person in the World (2021) 6.71 /10

Films of Merit

• For The Left Hand (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7476336/
• Guilt (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9644058/
• Ideal Home (2018) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5460880/
• Interlude in Prague (2017) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5540194/
• Taking Sides (2001) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260414/
• The Outfit (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14114802/
• The Stronghold (2020) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10404944/
• The Sunlit Night (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8368394/
• The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11291274/
• The White Lotus (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13406094/
• Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14482570/

Movies for September 2022: My Left Foot and The Worst Person in the World

 Joe is hosting the September meeting and the movies to see are:

My Left Foot (1989)

Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy, learns to paint and write with his only controllable limb - his left foot.

Director: Jim Sheridan

Writers: Shane Connaughton, Jim Sheridan, Christy Brown

Stars: Daniel Jerry-Lewis, Brenda Fricker, Alison Whelan

The Worst Person in the World (2021)

The chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

 Director: Joachim Trier

 Writers: Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

 Stars: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for August 2022 Movies

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)  7.67 / 10
Journey's End (2017)  7.88 / 10

Films of Merit

Dick (1999) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144168/

Gaslit (2022 miniseries) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11834592/

Hamlet 2 (2008) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1104733/

M*A*S*H (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068098/

Mr. Jones (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6828390/

Paths of Glory (1957) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/

Scotland, Pa. (2001) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265713/

Slings and Arrows (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387779/

Stranger Things (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4574334/

The Bear (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452776/

The Gray Man (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1649418/

The Terminal List (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11743610/

When Trumpets Fade (1998) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0135706/

Movies for August 2022: The Tragedy of Macbeth and Journey's End

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

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.

Director: Joel Coen

Writers: Joel Coen, from an idea by William "Bud" Shakespeare

Stars: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Alex Hassell

Journey's End (2017)

Set in a dugout in Aisne in 1918, it is the story of a group of British officers visiting the carnival, led by mentally-disintegrating young Officer Stanhope, as they await their fate.

Director: Saul Dibb

Writers: Simon Reade, R.C. Sherriff, Vernon Bartlett

Stars: Paul Bettany, Sam Claflin, Stephen Graham

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for July 2022 Movies

The Late Show (1977)  5.22 / 10
Grandma (2015)  6.89 / 10

Films of Merit

1883 (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13991232/

1900 (1976) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074084/

Allied (2016 - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3640424/

Annika (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13643704/

Another Round (2020) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10288566/

Borgen (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1526318/

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11703710/

Elvis (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3704428/

For All Mankind (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7772588/

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13352968/

Hacks (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11815682/

Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3766394/

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472954/

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (Mini-series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20560404/

Only Murders in the Building (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12851524/

Ridley Road (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10948746/

Roadkill (Mini-series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10846250/

Sex Education (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7767422/

The Old Man (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5645432/

The White Lotus (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13406094/

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/

Under the Banner of Heaven (Mini-series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1998372/

Young Wallander (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9359220/

Movies for July 2022: The Late Show and Grandma

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

The Late Show (1977)

A grumpy semi-retired private investigator partners with a quirky female client and, with the help of a friend wearing a full Cleveland, seek to catch the people who murdered his partner.

Director: Robert Benton

Writer: Robert Benton

Stars: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill Macy

Grandma (2015)

A teenager facing an unplanned pregnancy seeks help from her acerbic grandmother, a woman who is long estranged from her daughter, and that's the truth.

Director: Paul Weitz

Writer: Paul Weitz

Stars: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Sam Elliott, Marcia Gay Harden

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for June 2022 Movies

The Godfather (1971) 9.25 / 10
Citizen Kane (1941) 6.13 / 10

Films of Merit

• AWOL (2016) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4462372/
• Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9660510/
• Night Sky (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13361448/
• Operation Mincemeat (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1879016/
• Slow Horses (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5875444/
• Soul of a Banquet (2014) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3459090/
• The Quick and the Dead (1995) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114214/
• The Staircase (TV mini series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11324406/

Movies for June 2022: The Godfather and Citizen Kane

Bill Graves is hosting in June and the movies to see are:

The Godfather (1971)

The aging patriarch of an organized cannoli dynasty that insists upon itself in postwar New York City transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant youngest son.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Writers: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

Stars: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Emilio Scungio, Diane Keaton

Citizen Kane (1941)

Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud,' which,  as we all know now and insiders all knew then was Hearst's pet name for Marion's, well, you know.

Director: Orson Welles

Writers: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, John Houseman

Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore

How to find streaming sources for movies: https://www.justwatch.com/

Scores for May 2022 Movies

Midnight Run (1988) 6.40 / 10
The African Queen (1951) 7.0 / 10

Films of Merit

• Anatomy of a Scandal (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12748084/
• Better Call Saul (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3032476/
• Cyrano (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12889404/
• Death on the Nile (2022) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7657566/
• Exodus (1960) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053804/
• Forbidden Planet (1956) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/
• Frances Ferguson (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9613316/
• Gandhi (1982) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083987/
• Heist (2015) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3276924/
• Kavanagh QC (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857177/
• Kinky Boots (2005) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434124/
• Mad Dog and Glory (1993) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107473/
• Old Goats (2011) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1656701/
• Out Stealing Horses (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7319496/
• Slow Horses (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5875444/
• The Freshman (1990) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099615/
• The Girl from Plainville (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12851512/
• The Irishman (2019) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302006/
• The Survivor (2021) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9242528/
• What If (2013) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1486834/
• Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (TV series) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10244600/

Recommended Book

The Kid Stays In The Picture by Robert Evans

Autobiography by a former Hollywood studio chief, ex-husband of Ali McGraw, and friend to Nicholson and Kissinger, chronicles his rise and fall, naming names and telling outrageous tales and infamous anecdotes.