News

Hello Film Lovers!

Some weeks it’s famine… others it’s feast! This is another one of those feast moments, when it seems like they’ve been saving up all the independent film I want to see! We’ve been seeing the preview for a while, so now it’s back to the Coolidge Corner Theatre for the much awarded film, MARIA FULL OF GRACE. Join Chlotrudis members on Monday, August 2, 7:35 p.m. for the film that won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and whose lead actress, Catalina Sandino Moreno, took the Silver Bear Award for Best Acting at the Berlin Film Festival.

MARIA FULL OF GRACE
dir. Joshua Marston w/ Catalina Sandino Moreno, Yenny Paola Vega, Guilied Lopez, Jhon Alex Toro, Patricia Rae, in English and Spanish w/subtitles, 1h 41m

Maria is a bright, spirited 17-year old who lives with three generations of her family in a cramped house in rural Colombia. After losing her job in the local flower factory and discovering that she is pregnant, Maria feels that she needs to make a drastic change in her life. Then she meets Franklin, a cool young hipster who tells her of a lucrative job involving travel. The job is to be a drug mule – swallowing dozens of rubber pellets full of heroin and illegally flying them to the United States. Far from the uneventful trip she is promised, Maria is transported into the risky and ruthless world of international drug trafficking. Her mission becomes one of determination and survival and she finally emerges with the grace that will carry her forward into a new life.

MARIA FULL OF GRACE is a tour de force, not just for newcomer Joshua Marston, who directs this tale with a realism that brings to mind the best verite documentaries, but also for newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno. Her performance as Maria is so multi-faceted and filled with dignity that she alone defines the title of the film, a remarkable accomplishment that earned this first-time actor the best acting award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Are you a fan of Anime? The Brattle brings you a special weekend engagement, the runner up for best animated feature at last year’s Fantasia Festival in Montreal (the winner was the unquestionably amazing TAMALA 2010), KAENA: THE PROPHECY. This French computer animated feature is a wonderful fantasy/sci-fi film that evokes the immortal French classic FANTASTIC PLANET as well as the work of Moebius and even the rock ‘n ‘roll animation of HEAVY METAL. KAENA features some of the most stunning imagery seen in an animated film in a long time. In the era of Pixar ‘s cartoonish versions of reality, this film uses animation to create new worlds and creatures that defy imagination. Featuring the voices of Kirsten Dunst, Richard Harris, and Anjelica Houston.

Another much-anticipated release this week is A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD, based on Michael Cunningham’s novel of the same name. Scot and I have been looking forward to seeing this film for quite a while, so we will be catching the 11:45 a.m. matinee at the Kendall Square Theatre on Sunday. The film stars Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn, Sissy Spacek and newcomer Dallas Roberts. Join us for some Sunday cinema fun! Another well-reviewed film that opens this week is the documentary METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER. I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze this one in this week, but I do hope to catch it sometime soon. Another well-received documentary, MY ARCHITECT makes a return engagement at the Museum of Fine Arts for the month of August, courtesy of the Boston Jewish Film Festival. If you missed this one earlier this year, you’ll have several chances to catch it at the MFA. The MFA is also playing a new African film, ABOUNA (OUR FATHER). With so few opportunities to see new African film, this is one you may want to try to catch. Finally, Thursday night’s Brattle screening of TWILIGHT SAMURAI comes highly recommended from Georgette. If you missed this one during its limited release earlier this year, check it out on Thursday night!

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, July 29 – August 4.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Art of Samurai Cinema
Twilight Samurai (Thu.)
Exclusive Area Premiere
Kaena: the Prophecy (Fri. – Sun.)
Midnight Cult Classics
Takashi Miike’s Ichii the Killer (Fri. & Sat.)
Orson Welles: Rogue Genius
F for Fake (Mon.)
Confidential Agent (aka Mr. Arkadin) (Mon.)
Modern Musicals
The Muppets Take Manhattan (Tue.)
The Blues Brothers (Tue.)
Recent Raves
The Brattle Film Foundation & The Cambridge Arts Council Present a Special Outdoor Screening at Riverside Press Park!
Whale Rider (Wed.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Maria Full of Grace (starts Fri.)
Fahrenheit 9/11
Before Sunset (Thu.)
The Hunting of the President
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (Fri. & Sat)
Kung Fu
Scorching Sun, Fierce Winds, Wild Fire (Sat.)
A Tribute to Marlon Brando
A Streetcar Named Desire/i> (Mon.)

Before Sunset
Fahrenheit 9/11

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Pre-release Screening
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
African Cinema
Abouna (Our Father) (Thu. – Sun.)
Cinema Tropical
A Cab for Three (Fri. & Sun.)
Art on Film
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (Sat. & Sun.)
My Architect (Sat. & Sun.)
Russian Cinema
The Return (Sat.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
The Clearing (Thu.)
The Control Room (starts Fri.)

Boston Jewish Film Festival Events
Another Chance to see…
My Architect at the Museum of Fine Arts (Sat. & Sun.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Independent film fans know what happens in early September… the Toronto International Film Festival, of course! This year, the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has put together a group excursion to the festival including members and friends. Chlotrudis has taken over 10 Cawthra Square, a gorgeous bed & breakfast, as home base, in the midst of the film festival excitement.

As the big, star-studded galas are slowly announced, film fans grow more excited. Already new films by Zhang Yimou, Taylor Hackford, John Sayles, Jean-Luc Godard, Todd Solondz and more have been announced. When the complete film schedule is announced on August 24, 2004, you can bet Chlotrudis members will be all over it.

Several Chlotrudis members attending the festivities are hoping that Daniel MacIvor’s second directorial effort, WILBY WONDERFUL, will be in the lineup. The film is scheduled to open in Canada on October 1, with a hopeful debut at the festival a perfect scheduling fit! MacIvor charmed the audience at the 10th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony this past March when he was in town to accept his Chlotrudis Body of Work Award. WONDERFUL features an all-star Canadian cast including Sandra Oh, Callum Keith Rennie, and Paul Gross.

Anyone interested in joining Chlotrudis for the 29th Annual Toronto International Film Festival, taking place from September 9 – 18, should contact us at toronto@chlotrudis.org as soon as possible. Accomodations are limited.

Hello Film Lovers!

This week’s Chlotrudis Monday Movie of the Week is sure to thrill some, and send others heading for the hills. One person who is definitely excited is Scot! Join us Monday night for a film called, BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN YEARS! This documentary plays at the Kendall Square Theatre at 6:50 p.m. and is sure to be a change from the plethora of political docs that have been flooding the screens both good and bad! Unleash your inner-Broadway star and join us!

Writer/director Rick McKay shines a bright light on a bygone era of American theatre, filming over one hundred legendary Broadway performers. Using interviews, home movies and found footage, he recreates an era that, if left undocumented, would be lost forever. “The largest cast of stars ever assembled for one film” includes Angela Lansbury, Jeremy Irons, Shirley MacLaine, Stephen Sondheim, Tovah Feldshuh, Carol Burnett, Uta Hagen, John Raitt, Eva Marie Saint, Frank Langella, Carol Channing, Elaine Stritch, Fay Wray, Ben Gazzara, Alec Baldwin, Kaye Ballard, Al Hirschfeld, Ann Miller, Tommy Tune and many more.
Director: Rick McKay
Run Time: 1hr 51mins

It’s Democratic National Convention week… who better than to have as a super special guest at the Brattle Theatre than past Chlotrudis Taskforce Award winner John Sayles! Sayles and his business partner Maggie Renzi will regale a lucky audience with stories and clips from his forthcoming election-themed film, SILVER CITY. This exciting event takes place on Friday, July 23, 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance (available through the Brattle’s website) and $18.00 at the door. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear from one of the early mavericks of independent film!

Speaking of the DNC, our friend Lucia Small, who made the fabulous Chlotrudis Awards-nominated documentary MY FATHER, THE GENIUS, has produced a new film entitled AMERICAN WAKE. On Wednesday, July 28, you can attend the WORLD PREMIERE of Lucia’s film at a special fund-raiser for the Democratic Party. AMERICAN WAKE is a feature film by Maureen Foley, starring Billy Smith and Sam Amidon. This special world premiere screening will be hosted by Alec Baldwin with special guests Hon. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and the World Renowned Irish/American Band Solas. Tickets for the screening are $50.00 and the film will screen at the Loews Boston Common Theatre at 7:00 p.m. For those who are feeling a bit more wealthy and generous, a $1000 dollar reception takes palce beforehand at the Ritz Carlton hotel. SO think of all the great reasons to consider this event! Help out Lucia and local filmmaking! Support the Democratic Party! Have a blast at a special event during the biggest political week in Boston!

There is so much going on this week, great movies everywhere! The Boston French Film Festival continues at the Museum of Fine Arts and I’m really hoping I’m at least able to make the Boston Jewish Film Festival co-presentation of Chantal Akerman’s film TOMORROW WE MOVE on Sunday. Another political doc opens at the Coolidge and the Kendall this week. THE HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT shows how a small rabid group of politicians did their best to bring Clinton down by digging into his personal life. Kyle McLachlan puts that famous chin to use by playing the ghost of Cary Grant in the frothy, gay comedy A TOUCH OF PINK. I haven’t seen it, so I’m not saying if it’s good or bad, but at least it stars THE GURU‘S sexy Jimi Mistry.

Of course the big excitement of the weekend is the TWITCH CITY MARATHON taking place at Michael and Scot’s place, Saturday, July 24 starting at 2:00 p.m. We’ll watch all 13 episodes of this inspired, hysterical, unique, and brilliant Canadian sitcom, written by Don McKellar and directed by Bruce MacDonald. McKellar also stars along with Chlotrudis faves Molly Parker, Daniel MacIvor, and Callum Keith Rennie. If you were at the 10th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony (and if you weren’t, why not?) then you saw a clip of this fascinating program where Daniel MacIvor’s character explains “the job wheel.” Come to the TWITCH CITY MARATHON and see that and so much more!

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, July 12 – 28.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Art of Samurai Cinema
Zatoichi: the Fugitive (Thu.)
The Boston Social Forum Presents Preview Screening!
The Yes Men (Thu.)
New 35mm Print! 40th Anniversary!
Dr. Strangelove, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Fri. – Sun.)
The Boston Social Forum Presents!
An Evening with John Sayles!
Midnight Cult Classics
Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life (Fri. & Sat.)
Orson Welles: Rogue Genius
The Trial (Mon.)
The American Prospect, The Nation & Mother Jones’ Present
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism (Tue.)
Recent Raves
Bukowski: Born Into This (Wed.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Fahrenheit 9/11
Before Sunset
The Hunting of the President
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (Fri. & Sat)
Kung Fu
Inspectors Wear Skirts (Sat.)
Summertime Blues
The Gospel According to Al Green with live pre-show blues concert from the Nicole Nelson Band (Mon.)
Brookline Booksmith Presents Walter Mosley (Tue.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
L is for Lost in Translation
The Saga of Anatahan (Thu.)
The Geisha Boy (Thu.)
M is for Mack the Knife
The Threepenny Opera (Fri. & Sat.)
The Beggar’s Opera (Fri. & Sat.)
N is for Nasty Nazis
Why We Fight: Divide and Conquer (Sun.)
Is Paris Burning? (Sun.)
O is for Olmi
Il Posto
The Fiances
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Boyz N the Hood (Wed.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
The Door in the Floor (starts Fri.)
Before Sunset (starts Fri.)
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers (Thu.)

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
A Touch of Pink (starts Fri.)
Broadway: The Golden Age (starts Fri.)
The Hunting of the President (starts Fri.)
The Corporation
The Door in the Floor
De-Lovely
Napoleon Dynamite
Control Room
A Thousand Clouds of Peace (Thu.)
Seducing Doctor Lewis (Thu.)
Saved (Thu.)

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
A Touch of Pink (starts Fri.)
The Hunting of the President (starts Fri.)
The Corporation
Seducing Doctor Lewis
Before Sunset
Napoleon Dynamite
Control Room

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
Before Sunset (starts Fri.)
De-Lovely
The Door in the Floor
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers (Thu.)
Super Size Me (Thu.)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Thu.)
Saved (Thu.)

Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Clearing
Before Sunset
Fahrenheit 9/11

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston French Film Festival
Half-Price (Thu.)
Moi, C’r (Thu.)
As If Nothing Happened (Thu.)
All Those Fine Promises (Thu. & Sat.)
Grand Ecole (Thu.)
Work Hard, Play Hard (Fri.)
Monsieur N. (Fri.)
The Living World (Sat.)
Our Precious Children (Sat.)
Eager Bodies (Sat.)
Who Killed Bambi? (Sat.)
Tomorrow We Move (Sun.)
Intimate Strangers (Sun.)
Art on Film
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (Sat. & Sun.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Super Size Me (Thu.)
The Clearing (starts Fri.)

Boston Jewish Film Festival Events
Chantal Akerman’s Tomorrow We Move in the Boston French Film Festival, this Sunday, July 25, at the Museum of Fine Arts (Sun.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Aleksandr Sokurov made quite an impact in 2003 with his gorgeous and darnigly shot RUSSIAN ARK. He comes back quietly this year with FATHER AND SON, a film that echoes the visual beauty of ARK, but includes a story that is both laced with densely buried meaning and an undercurrent of tension. See what Chlotrudis members think of the film on the Reviews page. Another film that CSIF members are buzzing about is THE CORPORATION. With the recent string of political reviews dominating the screens, you will want to see what we’re saying about this latest offerring.

Other new reviews include the new documentary AMERICA’S HEART AND SOUL, Richard Linklater’s unlikely sequel BEFORE SUNSET, more thoughts on other political docs THE CONTROL ROOM and FAHRENHEIT 9/11, some catch-up reviews from recent popular films DOGVILLE, THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, INTERMISSIONand TIME OF THE WOLF, and thoughts on brand new releases IMELDA, SEDUCING DOCTOR LEWIS, A THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE, and TWENTYNINE PALMS.

Check out all our members’ reviews, and if you’d like to comment on any of them, or add your own point-of-view, please don’t hesitate! Simply send your comments to reviews@chlotrudis.org, and we’ll add them to our reviews page.

Jamaica Plain resident, Beth Curran, becomes the latest Trustee for the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, filling the spot vacated by Georgette Gagne, who resigned from the Board in March of 2004. While Georgette remains chair of the Membership Committee, Beth is eager to step up and immerse herself into all things Chlotrudis. In Beth’s own words, “I tend to be a ‘jump in and roll up the sleeves’ kind of person when it comes to joining things.” Well, get those sleeves rolled, Beth, because CSIF is embarking on a second decade that will further their educational mission, along with a strategic plan, new programs, and a focus on membership growth.

Beth has been a member of CSIF for fifteen months, joining the organization in Apriol of 2003. Chlotrudis President Michael Colford remembers his first interaction with Beth vividly. “We were co-presenting MARION BRIDGE (our Buried Treasue winner this year) at the Boston International Festival of Women’s Cinema last April, and I was onstage with the film’s director Weibke von Carolsfeld, moderating a Q&A. Beth asked a question, prefacing it by stating that she was a huge fan of Canadian film. Before Wiebke answered her question, I interjected, ‘I need to speak with you about Chlotrudis after thiw Q&A is wrapped up.’ We spoke, discussed our shared love of Canadian film, and a few days later, Beth was a member.”

Beth’s life is pretty busy, between her job in Boston’s financial district, and her writing, so her first year as a member started off slowly. She did renew her membership, however, and things changed. She managed to attend the 10th Annual Awards Ceremony, met many members at the organization’s spring cocktail party, and joined CSIF at the Provincetown International Film Festival. When she started planning to attend the Toronto International Film Festival with the group, the current Board tagged her as a potential Board member. The rest is history.

In other Board news, CSIF thanks Mary McIntire for putting in a grueling five years as Treasurer. Mary manned the accounts from the non-profit status inception, and the organization is incredibly grateful. Thanks also to Clinton McClung for taking over the Treasury reigns.

Hello Film Lovers!

There are several new releases opening this week, and I urge you to catch THE CORPORATION if you get a chance, but for the Chlotrudis Monday Movie of the Week, how can we not succumb to the call of Canada? SEDUCING DOCTOR LEWIS is a charming film that played at this year’s Independent Film Festival of Boston, as well as the Provincetown Film Festival of Boston and I still haven’t seen it! If you’re like me, join me at the Kendall Square Cinema on Monday for the 7:00 p.m. screening. Sure it sounds like “Northern Exposure,” but we liked that TV show, it’s French Canadian, and Rob Stanhope, David Iniss, and Beth Curran thought it was charming! After the harrowing chill of TIME OF THE WOLF and the enigmatic sensuality of FATHER AND SON I think we could use a little charming!

In Jean-Fran’s Pouliot’s directorial debut, an impoverished fishing community must persuade a young doctor, Christopher Lewis (David Boutin), to live in their town to get a much-needed new factory. Led by their mayor (Raymond Bouchard), the villagers act with good-hearted duplicity to convince the doctor their island offers all the charms of a thriving metropolis but the deception grows increasingly difficult to maintain. As Doctor Lewis warms to the village’s simple “authenticity,” the question arises: What will he do when he learns it’s based on lies? (Fully subtitled)
Director: Jean-Fran’s Pouliot
Cast: Raymond Bouchard, David Boutin, Beno’Bri’, Bruno Blanchet, Pierre Collin, Lucie Laurier, Rita Lafontaine
Run Time: 1hr 48mins

Here’s a film that’s sure to spark a lot of controversy: TWENTYNINE PALMS. I’ve been reading about it for several months and I’m quite intrigued. This French film by the director of Humanit’i> features a surprising finish that will engender lots of discussion. It’s playing at the Brattle Theatre all weekend. Here’s the synopsis: Denny, a photographer, and his girlfriend Katia, leave Los Angeles to find a desert setting for a magazine photo shoot. Using a motel in Twentynine Palms as their base, they spend their days scouting the Joshua Tree Desert and losing their way on the roads and trails behind the wheel of their 4×4. Their trip is filled with bouts of frantic sex, impassioned fights, and hasty reconciliations, until an act of desperation leads to an unforeseen and brutal climax. The film provides an intensely intimate voyage into the heart of a couple, allowing the viewer to experience both the bliss of pure happiness as well as the desperate anger that so often lurks inside lovers’ hearts.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Art of Samurai Cinema
Seven Samurai 50th Anniversary! (Thu.)
Exclusive Area Premiere!
Twentynine Palms (Fri. – Sun.)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (Fri. – Sun.)
Orson Welles: Rogue Genius
Othello (Mon.)
Modern Musicals
Cabaret (Tue.)
The Boston Social Forum Presents Special Screening and Discussion!
Peace, Propoganda and the Promised Land (Wed.)
U. S. Premiere
Barefoot to Herat directed by Majid Majidi (Wed.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Fahrenheit 9/11
Before Sunset
Provincetown International Film Festival Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary!
Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
Cool As Ice (Fri. & Sat)
A Clockwork Orange (Fri.)
Kung Fu
Inspectors Wear Skirts (Sat.)
Summertime Blues
The Howlin’ Wolf Story with live pre-show blues concert from 2120 South Michigan Ave. (Mon.)
Brookline Booksmith Presents Walter Mosley (Tue.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
I is for Institutionalized
Morgan! (Thu.)
A Few Days with Me (Thu.)
J is for Judy Judy Judy
For Me & My Gal (Fri. & Sat.)
A Star is Born (Fri. & Sat.)
K is for Killer(s)
The Killer (Sun. & Mon.)
The Killers (Sun. & Mon.)
L is for Lost in Translation
The Geisha Boy (Tue.)
The Saga of Anatahan (Tue.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Batman (Wed.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Thu.)
Saved (Thu.)

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
A Thousand Clouds of Peace (starts Fri.)
The Corporation (starts Fri.)
Seducing Doctor Lewis (starts Fri.)
Father and Son (Thu.)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Thu.)
The Door in the Floor
America’s Heart and Soul (Thu.)
De-Lovely
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Thu.)
Napoleon Dynamite
Saved
Control Room
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Thu.)

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
The Corporation (starts Fri.)
Seducing Doctor Lewis (starts Fri.)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Thu.)
America’s Heart and Soul (Thu.)
Before Sunset
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Thu.)
Napoleon Dynamite
Control Room

Loews Theatres Copley Place, Boston
De-Lovely (starts Fri.)
The Door in the Floor (starts Fri.)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Saved
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers
Control Room (Thu.)
Super Size Me

Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Clearing
Before Sunset
Fahrenheit 9/11

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Boston French Film Festival
See How They Run (Thu. & Sun.)
The Living World (Thu.)
The Story of Marie and Julien (Thu.)
It’s Easier for a Camel (Fri.)
Red Lights
Our Precious Children (Sat.)
Work Hard, Play Hard (Sat.)
As If Nothing Happened (Sat.)
Raja (Sat.)
Eager Bodies (Sat.)
Moi, C’r (Sun.)
Grand Ecole (Sun.)
Monsieur N. (Sun.)
Art on Film
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (Sat. – Sun.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (Thu.)
Super Size Me (starts Fri.)

Boston Jewish Film Festival Events
The Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center Presents The Boston Jewish Film Festival
Secret Passage starring John Turturro (Sun.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

The Museum of Fine Arts, Unifrance and The French Film Office/Unifrance USA, and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Boston present the 9th Annual Boston French Film Festival, July 8 – 25 at the MFA Boston. Nearly 25 films from France will play over the next three weeks, with several filmmakers in attendance. Look around if you attend any screenings. Chances are you’ll find Georgette Gagne, Head of the Chlotrudis Membership Committee in attendance as well! Georgette has tickets to 14 films throughout the festival! To view the complete calendar of screenings, visit the MFA website.

Special guests for this year’s festival include director Sam Karmann who will be present on opening night with his film NICKEL AND DIME, a thoroughly captivating tale about an ex-con starring the ultimately suave G’rd Lanvin. On Friday, July 9, Pierre-Olivier Mornas, director and star of AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED, a delightful story of love at first sight, will be present along with his starring actress, Alice Carel. On Saturday, July 10, actress and director Isild Le Besco will be present for her debut film HALF-PRICE. Chlotrudis members may recognize Mlle. Le Besco from her roles in GIRLS CAN’T SWIM or SADE, both from 2002.

Other highlights include screenings of works by some of the world’s most esteemed veteran directors: Jacques Rivette (THE STORY OF MARIE AND JULIEN), Manoel de Oliveira (A TALKING PICTURE), Chantal Akerman (TOMORROW WE MOVE, co-presented by the Boston Jewish Film Festival), and Chlotrudis favorite Patrice Leconte (INTIMATE STRANGERS, which closes this festival). Also represented are emerging talents including Xavier Giannoli (EAGER BODIES) and Jean-Marc Moutout (WORK HARD, PLAY HARD). All films were produced in France and are in French with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.

Georgette and Michael enjoyed a lovely press luncheon to kick off the Festival at Lala Rokh. There we learned of the strength of the French film industry today, with a record 212 French films produced in 2003, and the United States becoming the largest market for French cinema abroad. A record 37 French films and 21 co-productions were released in the U.S. in 2003. 24 French films (and 9 co-productions) have opened in the U.S. since January 2004, with an additional 43 French films (and 6 co-productions) scheduled for release in 2004 to early 2005.

This is your chance to catch some of these terrific French films early, or in the case of some, perhaps your only chance! Check out the schedule for this year’s Boston French Film Festval now!

Hello Film Lovers!

A bit of a slow week for new films this week. I had a bit of difficulty picking a Monday Night Movie of the Week, but we hope you’ll join us at the Kendall Square Theatre for the 7:40 screening of Alexander Sokurov’s FATHER AND SON. Many of you may recall that Sokurov had a surprise art-house smash last year with RUSSIAN ARK one of last year’s nominees for Best Cinematography. Don’t expect a swiftly paced film in FATHER AND SON, but I’m sure it will be beautiful.

A father (Andrey Schetinin) and son (Aleksey Neymyshev) live together in a rooftop apartment, constructing an insular, apocryphal world with its own codes, travails and rituals. Sometimes their closeness makes them seem more like brothers. Soon after the son decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and attend military school he strikes up a relationship with a young woman. But she discovers that when she tries to become closer with the son, his father stands in the way. The second part of a trilogy that began with Mother and Son, from director Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark). (Fully subtitled)
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Cast: Andrey Schetinin, Aleksey Neymyshev, Alexander Razbash, Fedor Lavrov, Marina Zasukhina
Run Time: 1hr 24mins

The Boston French Film Festival kicks off at the Museum of Fine Arts this week, opening Thursday with Sam Karmann’s NICKEL AND DIME. The director will be present for this screening. The MFA also has a special pre-release screening of a Canadian film entitled SEDUCING DR. LEWIS on Sunday night.

If you’ve got the endurance for a three hour film on a weeknight, then I urge you not to miss Lars Von Trier’s DOGVILLE playing Wednesday night as part of the Brattle Theatre’s Recent Raves (and you know what that means… Wednesday night is Chlotrudis night at the Brattle! Show your membership card and get a discount!) Surprisingly, DOGVILLE is staying strong in my memory and may end up being one of my top films of the year. It’s certainly challenging, dark, and shockingly funny all at once. I would definitely recommend that you see it on the big screen as well. It’s probably your last opportunity!

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, July 8 – 14.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Exclusive Area Premiere!
From the Director of The Piano Teacher!
Time of the Wolf (Thu.)
Word Wars (Fri.)
Twentynine Palms (Fri. – Sun.)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (Fri. – Sun.)
Orson Welles: Rogue Genius
Touch of Evil (Mon.)
Modern Musicals
Chicago (Tue.)
8 Women (Tue.)
Recent Raves
Dogville (Wed.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Fahrenheit 9/11
Before Sunset
Provincetown International Film Festival Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary!
Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
Purple Rain (Fri. & Sat)
Kung Fu
Yes, Madam (Sat.)
Summertime Blues
You See Me Laughin’ with live pre-show blues concert from Sweet Willie D (Mon.)
Sneak Preview
The Corporation (Tue.)
Director’s Cut
Hijacking Catastrophe:9/11, Fear, and the Selling of an Empire (Tue.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
F is for Faulkner
The Tarnished Angels (Thu. & Fri.)
To Have and Have Not (Thu. & Fri.)
G is for Gray Day
Swimming to Cambodia (Sat.)
Monster in a Box (Sat.)
H is for Howard Hughes
Hell’s Angels (Sun & Mon.)
The Carpetbaggers (Sun & Mon.)
I is for Institutionalized
Morgan! (Tue.)
A Few Days with Me (Tue.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Tootsie (Wed.)

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
The Story of the Weeping Camel
The Mother (Thu.)
Saved
Coffee and Cigarettes (Thu.)
Control Room (Thu.)

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Father and Son (starts Fri.)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (starts Fri.)
The Door in the Floor (starts Wed.)
America’s Heart and Soul
De-Lovely
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Napoleon Dynamite
Saved
Control Room
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
La Vie Promise (Thu.)

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (starts Fri.)
America’s Heart and Soul
Before Sunset (Thu.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Napoleon Dynamite
Control Room
Super Size Me (Thu.)

Loews Theatres
Copley Place, Boston
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Saved
The Clearing
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers
Control Room
Super Size Me

Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Clearing
Before Sunset
Fahrenheit 9/11

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Welcome to the Waks Family and My Brother’s Wedding (Thu.)
French Nouveaux Cineastes
Since Otar Left (Thu.)
Hungarian Engagement
Hukkle (Thu.)
Boston French Film Festival
Nickel and Dime (Thu.)
A Real Man (Fri. & Sun.)
As if Nothing Happened (Fri.)
Moi, C’r (Sat.)
The Story of Marie and Julien (Sat.)
La Petit Lili (Sat.)
See How They Run (Sat.)
Half-Price (Sat.)
A Talking Picture (Sun.)
It’s Easier for a Camel (Sun.)
Art on Film
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Worknig with Time (Sat. – Sun.)
Pre-release Screening
Seducing Dr. Lewis (Sun.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
The Mother (Thu.)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (starts Fri.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President