News

Happy Holidays, Film Lovers!

For the final Monday Night Movie of the Week for 2004, we’ll be heading to Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre for the 7:25 p.m. screening of Pedro Almodovar’s BAD EDUCATION. Almodovar’s films have been growing in popularity among Chlotrudis members, and now he tackles the Catholic church. It’s sure to be irreverent, so please join us for this post-holiday film! And remember, present your Chlotrudis membership card at the box office and get the special discount!

Bad Education

dir. Pedro Almodovar w/ Gael Garc’Bernal, Fele Mart’z, Daniel Gim’z Cacho, Llu’Homar, 1hr 49mins

‘Four Stars! A movie so vividly constructed that its greatness lies outside mere words. BAD EDUCATION achieves surprising emotional truth… in the only place of worship and higher learning that matters to Almodovar: the movies.” ‘ Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Academy Award winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almod’ returns with BAD EDUCATION, an intimate take on the director’s own adolescence, as well as a no-holds-barred look at the issue of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church – all told through a breathtakingly scintillating melodrama of Hitchcockian film noir. Enrique (Fele Mart’z) is a Spanish filmmaker who is handed a short story by his former lover, Ignacio (Gael Garc’Bernal from THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES), who comes to his office unexpectedly after disappearing sixteen years ago. The story is called “The Visit” and features a predatory transsexual femme fatale named Zahara (also played by Bernal), who was once a beautiful boy soprano. Then, he was deeply in love with another young boy, who he was separated from after being expelled from Catholic school. Zahara now performs a luscious stage act at a seedy nightclub, and one day the man who destroyed Zahara’s life re-enters the picture – Father Manolo, the priest who abused him as a child. Revenge is at hand. Ignacio thinks he would be perfect for the lead role in the film version of his story, and even though Enrique agrees to the project, he also doubts Ignacio’s motives. Soon it is revealed that his old childhood friend is not at all who he seems to be, and while shooting the film a surprise visitor – the real Father Manolo – reappears and reveals the truth behind “The Visit”. Filled with rich, vibrant color and an elegant and heartfelt score, Almodovar’s latest film is a visual and emotional masterpiece from a filmmaker whose storytelling talents have never been stronger.

As many of you know, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film have recently announced their Top 100 Foreign Language Films. Selections range from the 1930’s to a film that hasn’t even been released officially in the U.S. yet! The #14 film is Italian master Federico Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA, and that film plays on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday at the Brattle Theatre. See it in all it’s restored 35 mm glory.

Another Chlotrudis favorite makes a return this week as Lone Scherfig’s WILBUR WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF screens Tuesday night at the Museum of Fine Arts. If you haven’t caught this bittersweet film yet, do yourself a favor and catch it. It’s sure to be in contention at this year’s Nominating Committee meeting.

Meanwhile Chlotrudis members, don’t forget to let me know (colford@chlotrudis.org) if you’d like me to pick you up a ticket to Hirokazu Koreeda’s NOBODY KNOWS at the Harvard Film Archive for the January 10, 2005 Monday Night at the Movie. Tickets are $12.00 and the director of AFTER LIFE (#5 on the Chlotrudis Top 100 Foreign-Language Films!) will be present! Tickets are bound to go fast, and I plan on picking up the groups next week.

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, December 24 – 30.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
La Dolce Vita (Sat., Mon. & Tue.) #14 on Chlotrudis Society’s Top 100 Foreign Language Films!
The Leopard (Sun.)
79th Anniversary Special
Stooge-O-Rama (Sun. – Thu.)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Wed.)
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Thu.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Bad Education
Sideways
Paper Clips
Tarnation (Sat. – Thu.)

FEI Theatres Capitol Theatres, Arlington
Being Julia
What the Bleep Do We Know
I Heart Huckabees (Sat. – Thu.)

FEI Theatres Somerville Theatres, Somerville
Garden State (Fri., Mon. – Thu.)
What the Beep Do We Know (Fri.)
I Heart Huckabees (Sat. – Thu.)
Bombay Cinema Presents
Swades (Fri. – Sun.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Happpy Holidays!
No Screenings

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Kinsey
Finding Neverland
Sideways

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Bad Education
House of Flying Daggers
The Sea Inside
On the Waterfront
Sideways
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
A Very Long Engagement
Bad Education
Sideways
House of Flying Daggers

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
A Very Long Engagement
Kinsey
I Heart Huckabees

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Asian Cinevisions
Men Suddenly in Black (Sun., Wed., Thu.)
French Cinema
As If Nothing Happened (Sun., Wed., Thu.)
Our Music (Wed. & Thu.)
Cinema Tropical
To the Left of the Father (Sun., Wed., & Thu.)
Film Administrator Selects
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (Tue.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Kinsey

West Newton Cinema, West Newton
Finding Neverland
Gloomy Sunday
Kinsey
Being Julia
Paper Clips
Vera Drake
Motorcycle Diaries

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Boston Jewish Film Festival
December 29 – January 16
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (see below for exact dates and times)

Jean-Luc Godard’s NOTRE MUSIQUE
(OUR MUSIC) (Switzerland/France, 2004, 80 min.) The latest work by the famed director, in three parts: hell, purgatory, and paradise. Inspired by Dante’s INFERNO, but a meditation on the contemporary world. Seen largely through the eyes of two women who converge on Sarajevo: a journalist of French-Jewish origins from Tel Aviv and a Russian Jew living in Israel.

FILM AND DISCUSSION WITH NOTED LOCAL AUTHORS, ACADEMICS, AND FILM CRITICS:

From 1959’s BREATHLESS (A BOUT DE SOUFFLE) to CONTEMPT (LE M’RIS, 1963) and WEEKEND (1967), French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard has had people talking.’Today, they are talking about his most recent work, NOTRE MUSIQUE (OUR MUSIC).’The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) named it the best film of the year.’Actor Sarah Adler, who stars as Judith Lerner, was nominated for Best Actress for the European Film Awards of 2004.’

The Boston Jewish Film Festival and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston offer you the chance to see the film and discuss some of the questions it raises; we’ve invited authors, academics and journalists to lead audience discussion after each of the 12 screenings. The schedule of screenings and introducers follows:

Wed, Dec. 29, 8 pm
Introduced by Stanley Cavell, writer and emeritus professor of philosophy at Harvard University

Thurs, Dec 30, 6:15 pm
Introduced by John Gianvito, assistant professor, visual and media arts, Emerson College

Sun, Jan 2, 1:30 pm
Introduced by Tom Conley, professor of romance languages & literatures at Harvard University

Wed, Jan 5, 8 pm
Introduced by Peter Keough, film editor and critic, THE BOSTON PHOENIX

Fri, Jan 7, 4:30 pm
Introduced by Wesley Morris, film critic, THE BOSTON GLOBE

Sun, Jan 9, 12:10 pm
Introduced by Alfred Guzzetti, filmmaker and professor of visual arts, Harvard University

Wed, Jan 12, 6:30 pm
Introduced by Ty Burr, film critic, THE BOSTON GLOBE

Thurs, Jan 13, 2:30 pm
Introduced by Nancy Bauer, assistant professor, philosophy, Tufts University

Fri, Jan 14, 8:30 pm,
Introduced by Maryel Locke, co-editor, JEAN-LUC GODARD’S HAIL MARY:
WOMEN AND THE SACRED IN FILM

Sat, Jan 15, 12:20 pm
Introducer To Be Announced

Sun, Jan 16, 12:20 pm
Introducer To Be Announced

Sun, Jan 16, 4:00 pm
Introduced by Edward Baron Turk, professor, foreign languages and literature, MIT
—————————–

Boston Public Library
Werner Herzog Film Series
Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Rabb Lecture Hall – FREE!
Cobra Verde (Dec. 27)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF) has compiled its list of the top 101 foreign language films of all time. Heading the list is Wong Kar Wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, one of 25 Asian films included in the group’s tally. Rounding out the first five are Germany’s RUN LOLA RUN and WINGS OF DESIRE coming in second and third, AMELIE from France at #4 and Japan’s AFTER LIFE at #5.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as neighbors in a
1962 Hong Kong apartment building whose friendship begins when they realize their spouses are having an affair. The film received high praise from critics upon its U.S. release in 2001, and shared that year’s BEST MOVIE Chlotrudis Award with David Lynch’s MULHOLLAND DR. Another of Kar Wai’s films, CHUNGKING EXPRESS, makes the list at #24, while a recent reunion for Cheung and Leung, HERO, also is represented at #23.

The 100+ members of the Chlotrudis Society submitted their individual top 25, and the votes were tabulated from a total of 369 films represented. The group’s mission to support and encourage the viewing of independent, classic and foreign films is borne out in the variety found in the list. Films from 17 countries make the cut, spanning 8 decades of cinema, from THE BLUE ANGEL, Marlene’s Dietrich’s German classic in 1930, to a favorite of this year’s festival circuit, South Korea’s 3-IRON.

As might be expected on a list compiled by film buffs, legendary directors such as Fellini, Bergman, Almod’ and Kurosawa are well-represented with several of each of their films included. What might be more surprising is the showing other more recent auteurs are granted, in particular Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan’s anime director (SPIRITED AWAY, #7), and China’s Zhang Yimou, (RAISE THE RED LANTERN, #12), whose color-saturated style has garnered worldwide attention. The full list is available on the Our Favorite Films page.

Entering its second decade, the Boston-based Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has members across the country who all share a love of great film. CSIF members participate in daily listserv postings, weekly discounted film viewings and occasional filmfest road trips, to more formal and ambitious seasonal events.

This winter Chlotrudis joins again with Harvard Square’s Brattle Theatre, one of the oldest repertory film theatres in the country. Together we present The Sunday Eye-Opener, a series featuring sneak previews, film
discussions and special guests. For the spring and summer, CSIF looks to
partner with area independent film houses and festivals to co-sponsor special screenings and sneak previews. Autumn will bring a sixth edition of the organization’s popular CSIF Short Film Festival, recently honored by the Boston Society of Film Critics.

On Sunday March 20th, 2005, the Chlotrudis Society will hold its signature black-tie event, the 11th Annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony, to honor the best of 2004’s independent films and film performances, and to recognize and celebrate the talents of individuals who have made a mark. Previous awardees include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kerry Washington and Hal Hartley.

CSIF is a Boston-based non-profit group that teaches people to view film actively and experience the world through independent film, and encourages discussion. The group works with film festivals, local art-houses and theatres, production companies, directors and actors to bring creative, quality films to the attention of audiences and film-lovers.

Hey there, Film Lovers!

Get flying for some more high-flying, color-coordinated, martial arts fun as the Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies enjoys Zhang Yimou’s HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS! Join us for the 7:10 screening at the Kendall Square Theatre. Since the show is so early, we need to meet for dinner at 5:45 p.m. at the Cambridge Brewery (they just updated their menu) so let me know in advance if you’ll be joining us and we’ll save you a seat!

With the Tang Dynasty in decline and unrest raging throughout the land, China’s corrupt government is locked in battle with the House of Flying Daggers, a rebel army. When two local captains, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are ordered to capture the rebels’ new leader, Jin pretends to “rescue” the beautiful, blind revolutionary Mei (Zhang Ziyi, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) from prison, earning her trust so he can escort her to the secret headquarters of the House. The plan works, but to their surprise, Jin and Mei fall deeply in love. An epic martial arts romance from director Zhang Yimou (HERO). (Fully subtitled)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cast: Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Ziyi, Song Dandan

As the holiday season approaches, the independent film world is taking an unusal turn and actually slowing down a bit. However there are several new films being released for you to chose from. THE SEA INSIDE features the considerable acting chops of Spanish past Chlotrudis nominee, Javier Bardem as real-life quadrapelegic Ramon Sampedro. The Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Boston Jewish Film Festival present a heartwarming documentary PAPER CLIPS about a Tennessee elementary school class learning about the Holocaust. Opening at the Coolidge next Wednesday is the much-anticipated film by Pedro Almodovar, BAD EDUCATION. We’ll be seeing that next Monday if you want to wait.

I hope to catch BEING JULIA after reading Hilary’s stellar review. I was even more excited to learn that it featured Sheila McCarthy (I’VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING) in a supporting role. It looks like I’ll have to head out to the West Newton Cinema, The Capitol Theatre in Arlington, or Hollywood Hits in Danvers, but I think I’ll be able to manage that. Incidentally, if you haven’t seen VERA DRAKE for Imelda Staunton’s outstanding Best Actress-worthy performance, you still have a chance at the West Newton Cinema. And please take note that I’ve added the independent listings for the FEI Theatres in Arlington and Somerville, as well as the West Newton Cinema.

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, December 10 – 16.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
A Holiday Tradition!
It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a Punk Rock Christmas
End of the Century: the Story of the Ramones (Fri. & Sat.)
Mondo Punko: Punk Rock Performance Footage (Fri. & Sat.)
Urgh! A Music War (Sun. & Mon.)
Special Return Engagement
The Leopard

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Bad Education (Wed. & Thu.)
Kinsey (Fri. – Tue.)
Sideways
Paper Clips
Midnites
Tarnation (Fri. & Sat.)
Bad Santa
Pantyhose Hero (Sat.)

FEI Theatres Capitol Theatres, Arlington
Being Julia
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
What the Bleep Do We Know

FEI Theatres Somerville Theatres, Somerville
Garden State (Fri. – Thu.)
What the Beep Do We Know (Sat. – Thu.)
Bombay Cinema Presents
Swades (Sat. – Thu.)
Veer-Zaara (Sat. & Sun.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Happpy Holidays!
No Screenings

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Kinsey
Being Julia
Sideways
Napoleon Dynamite

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
House of Flying Daggers
The Sea Inside
On the Waterfront
Sideways
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
House of Flying Daggers
Closer
Sideways
The Motorcycle Diaries

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
Kinsey
I Heart Huckabees
The Motorcycle Diaries
Ray (Not eligible, but co-starring Kerry Washington!)

Harvard Square, Cambridge
Closer
Finding Neverland
I Heart Huckabees
A Very Long Engagement (Not Eligible)

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
New England Film Artists Present
Anya In and Out of Focus (Sat. & Sun.)
Asian Cinevisions
The Hunter and the Hunted (Sat & Sun.)
Men Suddenly in Black (Wed.)
French Cinema
As If Nothing Happened (Sat., Sun., Wed., Thu.)
Friends of Film Sneak Preview
The Ritchie Boys (Sun.)
Cinema Tropical
To the Left of the Father

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Red Lights

West Newton Cinema, West Newton
Kinsey
Being Julia
Paper Clips
Vera Drake

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Boston Jewish Film Festival
Upcoming Films (full descriptions follow below):

Marian Marzynski’s documentary about his daughter’s life, ANYA IN AND OUT OF FOCUS, generated a great deal of interesting conversation when it premiered at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) this Sunday. There are two more screenings of the film, beginning this Saturday, and the filmmaker will be on hand to answer questions at both of them. (See show times at the MFA above.)

This Sunday, the BJFF is proud to copresent a sneak preview screening of a new documentary, THE RITCHIE BOYS, also at the MFA. (See showtimes at the MFA above.)

The moving and poignant documentary, PAPER CLIPS, showcased by BJFF in 2003, opens this Friday in Boston at the West Newton Cinema and the Coolidge Corner Theatre. (See Coolidge Corner schedule above.)
—————————–

Boston Public Library
Werner Herzog Film Series
Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Rabb Lecture Hall – FREE!
Fitzcarraldo (Dec. 20)
Cobra Verde (Dec. 27)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Hey there, Film Lovers!

This week’s Monday Night Movie comes highly recommended by Ivy, who saw MOOLAADE in Toronto this year. We’re lucky that it scored a general release in the States, as not many African films are so lucky, especially when they deal with such a controversial subject. MOOLAADE director Ousmane Sembene made the fascinating FAAT KINE, which I did get to see a couple of years ago. Head to the Kendall Square Theatre on Monday night for the 7:10 screening of MOOLAADE. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend, but I hope to catch the film later in the week.

African cinema’s founding father Ousmane Sembene (Ceddo, Xala) offers a rousing polemic against the still-common practice of female circumcision. In a small village, four girls facing ritual “purification” flee to the home of Coll’Fatoumata Coulibaly), who has managed to shield her own daughter from mutilation. Because Coll’nvokes the time-honored custom of moolaad’sanctuary) to protect the fugitives, a stand-off ensues, pitting her against village traditionalists and endangering the prospective marriage of her daughter to the tribal throne’s heir-apparent. Winner of the Grand Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. (Fully subtitled)

Director: Ousmane Sembene

Cast: Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna H’ne Diarra, Salimata Traor’Dominique Ze’, Mah Compaor’Aminata Dao

It was the Sunday Eye Opener last week (when many of us were in New York City) but I certainly hope to catch RECONSTRUCTION this week when it begins it’s week-long run at the Brattle Theatre. I’ve heard fascinating and positive things about Dutch director Christoffer Boe’s startling debut, which won the Camera D’or (Best Debut Film) at Cannes. It’s such an intriguing film that Ivy has offerred free passes to anyone who attended the Sunday Eye Opener last week to come and see it again! I’m going to try and catch RECONSTRUCTION on Saturday night, so watch your e-mail boxes for an announcement. Hopefully you’ll be able to join me!

Speaking of the Sunday Eye Opener, join us on Sunday for the final installment of the Fall 2004 semester. I can’t reveal the title of the Sunday Eye Opener, but it’s not a new film. However, it is a great one, and very approrpriate given the time we’ve spent talking about foreign-language films lately. Drop me an e-mail and I’ll let you know what it is. The Sunday Eye Opener will be back again next year, so spread the word. There isn’t a better place to spend a Sunday morning and talk about movies!

I’m not a midnight kind of guy, but I must highly recommend (if you are) that you head to the Brattle Theatre this weekend for a rare theatrical screening of MOTHRA! People who know me, also know that Mothra is my favorite of the Godzilla pantheon of monsters. And no, she’s not just a giant moth… she’s an earth spirit, and don’t you forget it!

Hey, I need your help! Two big, much-anticipated films are opening in Boston NEXT week. I’d like your help selecting which we’ll see on Monday, December 20. Over at the Coolidge comes the much-anticipated film by Pedro Almodovar, BAD EDUCATION, starring Gael Garcia Bernal. At the Kendall, we have the gorgeous new film by Zhang Yimou, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, starring Zhang Zhiyi and Any Lau. Whichever films gets the most votes will be the Monday Night Movie on the 20th, the runner-up will take the December 27th Monday Night slot. Make your voice heard! Which film is the one we can’t wait to see?

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, December 10 – 16.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Exclusive Area Premiere!
Reconstruction
Midnite Madness
Mothra (Fri. & Sat.)
Sunday Eye Opener
Reconstrction

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Kinsey
Sideways
Tarnation
Bright Leaves
Midnites!
Bad Santa (Fri. & Sat.)
Robotrix (Sat.)
Off the Couch Special Presentation (Tue.)
Con Man
Balagan (Thu.)
Baghdad in No Particular Order

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
An Evening with Stephen Prina (Fri.)
Setting Up the Document: Artists Working in the Ethnographic Mode
Calcutta Intersection, Blues, Corn, and No (Fri.)
SouthEast Passage (Fri.)
Dommi i Colore (Sat.)
Thirst, Intervista, lak tat, and Teatro Amazonas (Sat.)
Never My Soul (Sat.)
The Third Memory, Blanche/Neige, Lucie, and Moi un Noir (Sun.)
Am’ca Central and Too Early/Too Late (Sun.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Mon.)
Two by Laetitia Masson
Love Me (Mon.)
Film Architecture
Wings of Desire (Tue.)
Ingmar Bergman: Early Works
A Lesson in Love (Tue.)
Monika (Wed.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
I Heart Huckabees
Being Julia
Sideways
Napoleon Dynamite

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Moolaad’a>
Testosterone
WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction
Sex is Comedy
Sideways
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Closer
Sideways
The Motorcycle Diaries
What the #$*! Do We Know

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
Kinsey
I Heart Huckabees
The Motorcycle Diaries
Ray (Not eligible, but co-starring Kerry Washington!)

Harvard Square, Cambridge
Closer
Finding Neverland
I Heart Huckabees

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Cinema Tropica
Herod’s Law (Fri. – Sun.)
The 11th Annual Boston Festival of Films and Music from Iran
20 Fingers (Fri. & Sat.)
Afghan Alphabet and Return to Kandahar (Sat.)
Here, a Shining Light (Sun.)
New England Film Artists Present
Anya In and Out of Focus (Sun. & Wed.)
Asian Cinevisions
The Hunter and the Hunted (Wed. & Thu.)
French Cinema
As If Nothing Happened (Thu.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
We Don’t Live Here Anymore

UPCOMING EVENTS!

Boston Jewish Film Festival
Upcoming Films (full descriptions follow below):

December 8, 6pm, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston RINGL AND PIT, with director Juan Mandelbaum in person

December 12 ‘ December 19, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ANYA IN AND OUT OF FOCUS, with director Marian Marzynski in person
All films are co-presented with the MFA Film Program.

Boston Public Library
Werner Herzog Film Series
Mondays at 6 p.m. in the Rabb Lecture Hall – FREE!
Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Dec. 13)
Fitzcarraldo (Dec. 20)
Cobra Verde (Dec. 27)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Chlotrudis members traveled to New York City last weekend on a special outing to see Canadian director/writer/actor Daniel MacIvor’s one-man-show. Michael & Scot Colford, Beth Curran, Chris Kriofske, and New York resident Bruce Kingsley represented Chlotrudis at P.S. 122 to see MacIvor’s “Cul-de-Sac.” MacIvor masterfully transforms into the nine different residents of a suburban neighborhood who react to the death of one of their neighbors. It’s 2:00 a.m., and through the rain drifts a sound. It is an undeniably human sound, and one that wraps itself around a disparate cast of characters, all beautifully captured by MacIvor.

Daniel MacIvor is an Obie-winning playwright whose work has been performed in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Israel and Australia. Also a filmmaker, Daniel’s projects include writing the award winning short film THE FAIRY WHO DIDN’T WANT TO BE A FAIRY ANYMORE, and writing and directing PARADE (with Brad Fraser), PERMISSION, UNTIL I HEAR FROM YOU, and SYDNEY THAT SUMMER. Daniel’s first feature film PAST PERFECT, received critical acclaim when it was played for Chlotrudis members at the Sunday Eye Opener. Daniel can also be seen in Thom Fitzgerald’s BEEFCAKE, Don McKellar’s CBC television series “Twitch City,” and Jeremy Podeswa’s film THE FIVE SENSES, for which Daniel was nominated for a Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor. Daniel’s screenplay adaptation of his play MARION BRIDGE, which was brought to film by Wiebke von Carolsfeld, was nominated for a Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film won the coveted Buried Treasure Award at the 10th Annual Chlotrudis Award Ceremony, where Daniel was honored with a “Career-So-Far” Award.

Daniel’s next project is WILBY WONDERFUL, a deligtful and wonderfully written ensemble dramedy that will be released in the United States by Film Movement in March 2005. This crowd-pleasing and incredibly well-acted film stars a multitude of Canadian superstars including Paul Gross, Callum Keith Rennie, Sandra Oh, Rebecca Jenkins, and Daniel himself, as the residents of a small, eastern-Canadian-island town. DON’T miss this film if it plays in your city. It’s simply delightful

After seeing “Cul-de-Sac,” we were fortunate enough to join Mr. MacIvor for dinner at a neighborhood restaurant. (Pictured from left, Daniel, Scot, Michael, Beth, Bruce, & Chris). There, Daniel regaled us with amusing tales about some of the people he has worked with, harassed the cute waiter for having a distinct bias against vegetarians, and discussed the state of filmmaking in Canada. What a delightful, and sweet man. If you’re fortunate enough to be in New York City for the next two weekends, do yourself a favor and head over to P.S. 122 to catch “Cul-de-Sac.”

Hey there, Film Lovers!

The dearth of new indies being released continues, but there is one new release that I think will be a lot of fun. Hot on the heels of ANATOMY OF HELL (although actually filmed beforehand) comes Catherine Breillat’s SEX IS COMEDY! This fascinating film is a narrative feature the details the difficulties of filming the seduction scene that makes up the central part of her previous film, FAT GIRL. Join in the fun (and as the title implies, sex IS comedy) at the Kendall Square Theatre on Monday, December 6, for the 7:20 p.m. screening of SEX IS COMEDY.

Controversial French director Catherine Breillat (FAT GIRL, ROMANCE) takes us into the world of Jeanne (Anne Parillaud, LA FEMME NIKITA), a film director struggling with a difficult sex scene between a young actress (Roxane Mesquida) and actor (Gr’ire Colin) who can’t stand each other. Aided by her loyal assistant Leo (Ashley Wanninger), Jeanne is hell-bent on getting the scene right without compromise. Inspired by her own filmmaking experiences, Breillat explores the mysteries and humor of social manipulations, sex and power within the confines of a feature film set. (Fully subtitled)
Director: Catherine Breillat
Cast: Anne Parillaud, Gr’ire Colin, Roxane Mesquida, Ashley Wanninger, Dominique Colladant, Bart Binnema, Yves Osmu, Elisabete Piecho, Francis Seleck, Diane Scapa, Ana Lorena, Claire Monatte, Arnaldo Junior, Elisabete Silva, J’Fragata

The Sunday Eye Opener returns this week for its penultimate screening of the year. Join Chlotrudis and Brattle members at the Brattle Theatre, Sunday, December 5, 11:00 a.m. for a preview screening and discussion about RECONSTRUCTION.

“It is all film, it is all a construction. But even so, it hurts.” Christoffer Boe’s first feature, RECONSTRUCTION, features this quote in voiceover early in the film and it sets the tone for this artfully arranged, gorgeously shot, literate romance. Two strangers’ eyes meet on a subway train and later the two reconnect in a Copenhagen bar. One is a young man, Alex, already in a relationship, the other is Aimee, a beautiful blonde who bears a striking resmblance to his current girlfriend (both women are played by the same actress). After Alex spends the night with Aimee he awakes to find that the world has changed during his tryst, and not just in perception. His apartment doesn’t exist, his girlfriend doesn’t seem to recognize him and, worse still, when he encounters Aimee again, her recollection of their meeting isn’t too strong either. This stunningly composed film from Dogme co-conspirator Boe won the coveted Camera d’Or for best debut feature at Cannes in 2003. It explores the uses and conventions of fiction and poses some interesting questions: Has Alex been drawn into an alternate universe? Has Aimee’s aging husband somehow turned his life upside down? Is he just an unusaully aware fictional character? Or, perhaps, are all of the above true? Just two more installments of this year’s Sunday Eye Opener, so don’t miss it! The Sunday Eye Opener series is a copresentation of the Brattle Film Foundation and the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Both organizations are 501c3 nonprofits.

Brookline-based Ross McAlwee’s latest documentary, Bright Leaves opens this week at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Director of the acclaimed SHERMAN’S MARCH, his story is highly personal–an exploration of his family history that follows the trail of an old cinema melodrama–and at the same time it is a study of the legacy of family, the sordid history of tobacco, and the nature of a MAN who finds he must chronicle everything on film. We’re proud to bring this film back for an extended run, but that also means we won’t have the benefit of the glowing reviews previously published. So, tell your friends not to miss this documentary treat!

Make sure you read all the way to the end of this news piece to find out about some of the great events planned by Gerald Peary’s BU Cinematheque and the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Also, if any of this month’s Monday Night Movies don’t appeal to you, head on down to the Boston Public Library who are running a FREE series of Werner Herzog films! With all our focus on foreign-language films lately, this might be a series that interests some of you. Each films begins at 6:00 p.m. and the first in the series, INVINCIBLE kicks off next Monday, December 6. Even during a slow movie week in Boston, there’s plenty going on!

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, December 3 – 9.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Exclusive Area Premiere!
The Big Red One
Midnite Madness
Napoleon Dynamite (Fri. & Sat.)
Special Screenings!
Autism is a Word (Sun. & Mon.)
Sunday Eye Opener
Reconstrction

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Kinsey
Sideways
Tarnation
Bright Leaves
Midnites!
Ghost World (Fri. & Sat.)
Actress Apocalypse (Sat.)
Special Screning (Wed.)
Adventures in Illegal Art with Mark Hosler of Negativland (Mon.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Ingmar Bergman: Early Works
Frenzy (Fri.)
Prison (Fri.)
Port of Call (Sat.)
Thirst (Sat.)
Illicit Interlude (Sun.)
Monika (Sun.)
Secrets of a Women (Tue.)
Sawdust and Tinsel (Wed.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Gladiator (Mon.)
Two by Laetitia Masson
For Sale (Mon.)
Film Architecture
The Belly of an Architect (Tue. & Wed.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
I Heart Huckabees
Being Julia
Sideways
The Motorcycle Diaries
Napoleon Dynamite

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Sex is Comedy
WMD: Weapons of Mass Destruction Director present on Friday & Saturday!
Callas Forever
Short Cut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela
Sideways
Kinsey
The Motorcycle Diaries

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Closer
Sideways
The Motorcycle Diaries
What the #$*! Do We Know

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
Kinsey
I Heart Huckabees
The Motorcycle Diaries
Garden State

Mr.Schulberg’s appearance coincides with the 50th anniversary of ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), featuring his masterpiece screenplay for the Oscar-winning film starring Marlon Brando, and directed by Elia Kazan. Schulberg’s memoir, Talking Pictures, tells of his growing up in Hollywood, as the son of studio executive, B.P. Schulberg. Active in the Writers Guild, Budd Schulberg became famous as a writer of fiction, authoring, among other books,
What Makes Sammy Run, the definitive Hollywood novel, and The Disenchanted, inspired by his friendship with F.Scott Fitzgerald. Humphrey Bogart’s final picture, THE HARDER THEY FALL, is based on Schulberg’s boxing novel.

In two BU nights, we will show the superb 1950s films made from Budd Schulberg’s finest screenplays. Mr. Schulberg will speak at the Thursday evening A Face in the Crowd screening.

Thursday, Dec.2- Room B-05, 7 pm
A FACE IN THE CROWD (1957)-dir. Elia Kazan. Schulberg’s dark satire about the Faustian rise of a down-and-out heel (an astonishing Andy Griffith) into a powerhouse TV star is a prescient tale of media run amuck in America. With Walter Matthau, Patricial Neal, Lee Remick. (Budd Schulberg, in person)

Friday, Dec.3-Room B-05, 7 pm.
WIND ACROSS THE EVERGLADES (1958)-dir. Nicholas Ray. A rare, rare screening of Schulberg’s early ecology preachment, about a Florida game warden (folk singer, Burl Ives) who takes it on himself to rid the swamp of poachers. “A remarkable achievement, years ahead of its time”-Geoff Andrews, Time Out

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President