Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

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

Check out the added report on the Provincetown International Film Festival by Beth Curran on our Film Festival Reviews section. Beth was a patron SUPERSTAR at the festival and has a lot of interesting things to say about the films she saw. Meanwhile, the reviews keep coming in. Michael Moore’s controversial FAHRENHEIT 9/11 is the most succesful documentary of all time! See what Chlotrudis members think about it. Will the forthcoming doc, THE CORPORATION be a winner with Chlotrudis members? Our first review for that film is up. Things aren’t looking up for DE-LOVELY if early Chlotrudis reviews are any indication.

Local filmaker Andrew Sniezek sent us his film, THE KILLING HAND and asked for a review. Well, he got one, but it may not be what he was looking for. Still, there’s a talented filmmaker behind the film, and for his first-time out, it’s quite an accomplishment. See what Bob says in his review of THE KILLING HAND.

Other new reviews include last year’s controversial DEMONLOVER, more thoughts on NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, and belated reviews of A MIGHTY WIND, and THE PRINCESS DIARIES.

Hello Film Lovers!

Lots of new movies opening this weekend, but I’m all charged up about Michael Haneke’s new film TIME OF THE WOLF. As you may know, Haneke is responsible for the multi-Chlotrudis Award nominated film THE PIANO TEACHER, which won the Best Actress Award at the 9th Annual Chlotrudis Awards for Isabelle Huppert who also stars in WOLF. Join us at the Brattle Theatre for the 7:20 p.m. show! (I’m sure we’ll be getting together for dinner beforehand as well.)

TIME OF THE WOLF
(2003) dir Michael Haneke w/Isabelle Huppert, Anais Demoustier, Lucas Biscombe, Hakim Taleb, Olivier Gourmet, Beatrice Dalle, Patrice Chereau

With absolutely no exposition, director Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher) creates a stunning story of a family thrust into a dangerous and unpredictable state. Anna (The Piano Teacher’s Huppert), her husband and their two children arrive at their country house for what seems like an innocent vacation but, as we soon discover, all is not as it seems. There is another family already inhabiting their house’ and the husband of this one has a rifle. Soon he is barraging Anna’s family with strange questions (how much food and water do they have with them, etc). And, suddenly, the encounter is over’ Anna’s husband is dead and she andher children have been forced out into the countryside with little of their possessions and no clear idea what to do next.

If this film was set in Iraq or some Baltic State, we would see it as a fact-based drama, but because this is clearly affluent, safe Western Europe it is initially perceived as impossible; science-fiction. But TIME OF THE WOLF is not a science-fiction film, insists its director, but an inverted portrait of the world as it appears to many. This is France as occupied territory’ or a country enmeshed in civil war’ or suffering from an epidemic’ where what is comfortable and familiar has been corrupted and turned on its head. Livestock burns in the town squares, the trains don’t run, the electricity is out, food is scarce and once friendly neighbors are now uneasy xenophobes while homeless strangers can become valuable allies.

Shot in an extremely beautiful naturalistic style, TIME OF THE WOLF unfolds in widescreen ‘ some of the most breathtaking sequences happen at night where all is black until a match is lit or dawn lightens the horizon. An unsettling and thought-provoking film that explores very dark themes but manages to avoid being nihilistic by hewing to what is true about the world: some people are bad but many people are good, desperation breeds strange bedfellows but strong bonds, and there is always room for hope.

Other new films opening this weekend include Richard Linklater’s BEFORE SUNSET, the sequel to his film BEFORE SUNRISE. This one has been getting critical raves, so I’m interested to see what people think. Isabelle Huppert shows up in another film that’s opening at the Kendall Square Theatre this week called LA VIE PROMISE. DE-LOVELY will appeal to some people in Chlotrudis. It’s a musical biopic of Cole Porter starring Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. Helen Mirren fans may want to take note of THE CLEARING starring Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe along with Dame Mirren.

Finally, north of Boston film fans should try to catch THE MOTHER which is playing at both Hollywood Hits in Danvers, and the Newburyport Screening Room. It boasts a terrific screenplay, wonderful performances, and is sure to be a contender next January.

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, July 1 – 7.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Exclusive Area Premiere!
From the Director of The Piano Teacher!
Time of the Wolf (starts Fri.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Fahrenheit 9/11
Before Sunset (starts Fri.)
Provincetown International Film Festival Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary!
Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Thu.)
Super Size Me (Thu.)
Kill Bill 1 & 2 (Fri. & Sat)
Kung Fu
Royal Warriors (Sat.)
Summertime Blues
Nina Simone: Love Sorceress with live pre-show blues concert from Paul White & Co. (Mon.)
Booksmith Reading with Penn Jillette (Wed.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
C is for Chekhov
Unlce Vanya (Thu. & Fri.)
An Unfinished Piece for a Player Piano (Thu. & Fri.)
D is for Depardieu
Mon Oncle D’Amerique (Sat. & Sun.)
Maitresse (Sat. & Sun.)
E is for Ealing
The Man in the White Suit (Mon. & Tue.)
The Titfield Thunderbolt (Mon. & Tue.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
The Godfather

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Napoleon Dynamite (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (starts Fri.)
The Mother
Saved
Coffee and Cigarettes
Control Room
Super Size Me (Thu.)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (Thu.)
Still We Believe: The Red Sox Movie (Thu.)

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
La Vie Promise (starts Fri.)
America’s Heart and Soul (starts Fri.)
De-Lovely (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Napoleon Dynamite
Saved
Control Room
The Mother (Thu.)
Frankie and Johnny Are Married (Thu.)

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

Loews Theatres
Copley Place, Boston
Saved (starts Fri.)
The Clearing (starts Fri.)
Napoleon Dynamite
Two Brothers
Control Room
Super Size Me
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Thu.)

Harvard Square, Cambridge
The Clearing (starts Fri.)
Before Sunset (starts Fri.)
Fahrenheit 9/11
Super Size Me (Thu.)

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Lost Boys of Sudan (Fru. & Sat.)
Welcome to the Waks Family and My Brother’s Wedding (Thu.)
French Nouveaux Cineastes
Since Otar Left (Thu. – Sat.)
Hungarian Engagement
Hukkle (Sat.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Young Adam (Thu.)
The Mother (starts Fri.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Chlotrudis members convened in Provincetown to help celebrate the 6th Annual Provincetown International Film Festival recently. Thirty-two dramatic features, twenty-six documentaries, and a host of shorts, parties and other special events competed with the lovely P-Town beaches offerring an outstanding array of films. More than 60 filmmakers attended the Festival in Provincetown June 16-20. Visit the Chlotrudis Film Festivals Review page to read about the P-Town festival!

HBO presented the audience awards at a closing night party on Sunday, June 13. Michael Mayer’s A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD won for best narrative feature; Deb Ellis & Denis Mueller’s “HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN’T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN won for best documentary feature; and Kerry Weldon’s TRANSIT was picked as best short. Also in attendance was writer/director Jim Jarmusch who received Provincetown’s Filmmaker on the Edge award.

Mewsings, the quarterly, electronic newsletter published by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film makes it’s online debut with the first issue of it’s third year. Mewsings has been available for members in its print form since its inception, but now it is available online for everyone! Find out the latest Film Festival reports from Chlotrudis members. Boston residents get a peak at what coming to their local indie theatres. Read interviews with up-and-coming indie filmmakers. See what Chlotrudis members are up to in other parts of the country. Read about the latest Chlotrudis events!

In this issue, read all about the 10th Annual Chlotrudis Awards Ceremony (there’s a shot of the audience getting ready for the Awards Ceremony above, courtesy of Brandon Constant) as reported by editor-in-chief, Hilary Nieukirk . An in-depth wrap-up of the Independent Film Festival of Boston features input from several Chlotrudis members. Colorado member Howard Semones continues a new regular column, “Chlotrudis Country,” with a look at the indie film scene in Denver.

Chlotrudis Mewsings is made available to members first, in the special “members” section of the website. Then two to three weeks later, the newsletter goes public. So if you want your Chlotrudis Mewsings hot-of-the-presses, stop by the membership page to find out what other terrific benefits membership provides.

In the meantime, check out vol. 3, issue 1 of Chlotrudis Mewsings! And when you’re through, let us know what you think! We’d love to hear what you’d like to see in the next issue of Mewsings, or any questions you have about Chlotrudis, or the independent film world in general. Simply e-mail us at newsletter@chlotrudis.org. We’ll even publish your letter in a future issue!

There have been a flurry of new reviews posted by Chlotrudis members, thanks, in part, to the Provincetown International Film Festival, and just generally avid movie goers. Don’t miss reviews of hot new films including Michael Moore’s controversial FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and Michael Haneke’s TIME OF THE WOLF (left), starring Chlotrudis Awards winner Isabelle Huppert. Other new reviews include Stephen Fry’s BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, THE CONTROL ROOM, DiG!, A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD, MEAN GIRLS, new thoughts on THE MOTHER, a belated look at THE SADDEST MUSIC IN THE WORLD, SAVED!, THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER, and WORD WARS.

Hello Film Lovers!

There are a couple of BIG Chlotrudis movies opening up this week, and we’re lining them up for the next two Monday night events. First up, is one of the most talked about documentaries in years. After winning the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, how could we not rush out to check out Michael Moore’s latest film, FAHRENHEIT 9/11. Join us Monday night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 7:30 show for what is sure to be a crowded show. If you know you’re coming, try to let me know in early… we may want to get our tickets in advance. More on that in the coming days…

Fahrenheit 9/11

Winner – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival
Michael Moore is back, once again striking fear into the hearts of Republicans everywhere. After the almost shocking worldwide success of BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, Moore now lines up George W. Bush and Co. firmly in his crosshairs and fires pointblank. The result, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, is a powerful, timely, and convincing assault on the family and friends who are currently at the reigns of America. The documentary opens with the contested presidential election in the year 2000, and moves on to the hot-button topic of September 11, 2001. Moore’s ruthless criticism focuses on how American leaders have instilled an overriding climate of false fear since the terrorist attacks through the witch hunt spirit of the Patriot Act, the armed forces in Afghanistan, and a controversial “non-justified” war in Iraq. Moore makes no bones about it, his goal with FARENHEIT 9/11 is to topple the leadership of a “failed Texas oilman turned leader of the free world”. But that alone isn’t what made audiences explode into a 20 minute standing ovation during the film’s premiere at Cannes – a reception that was also extended by festival judges who overwhelmingly voted the film for the Palme d’Or (and for the record, four of the nine jury members were American, including this year’s jury president Quentin Tarantino). Moore is growing leaps and bounds as a filmmaker, and he drops his trademark zaniness in favor of an elegiac approach that is less funny, though still drenched in a thought-provoking irony that is ultimately more effective – and thoroughly entertaining.
“When I make a movie, it’s a movie I’d like to see on a Friday night. I wanted to say something about post-9/11 in America: What’s happened to us as a people. This time I was the straight man and Bush had all the jokes. And I hope it will influence people leaving the theatre, encourage them to be good citizens.” – Michael Moore
For more on the film visit: michaelmoore.com
See the preview on-line at fahrenheit911.com

Here’s an advance sneak preview for those who want to plan their Fourth of July weekend! Monday, July 5 we’ll be catching TIME OF THE WOLF at the Brattle Theatre. TIME OF THE WOLF is the latest film by German filmmaker Michael Haneke, much lauded by Chlotrudis members for his film THE PIANO TEACHER, which one the Best Actress Award at the 9th Annual Chlotrudis Awards for Isabelle Huppert. Huppert also stars in TIME OF THE WOLF, so astute Chlotrudis members won’t want to miss this!

Another film you may want to check out is this year’s winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Provincetown International Film Festival, HOWARD ZINN: YOU CAN’T BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN. This one opens at the Coolidge on Friday. THE MOTHER has been getting rave reviews from Chlotrudis members, and it moves to Hollywood Hits in Danvers, MA on Friday for Chlotrudis members on the North Shore. Finally, a couple of smart and funny teen movies are making the rounds and doing quite well with both Chlotrudis members and the general public. Don’t miss NAPOLEON DYNAMITE or SAVED!

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, June 24 – 30.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
This So-Called Disaster (Thu.)
Exclusive Area Premiere! Two Weeks Only!
From the Director of The Piano Teacher!
Time of the Wolf (starts Fri.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Fahrenheit 9/11 (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Super Size Me
Provincetown International Film Festival Audience Award Winner for Best Documentary!
Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train (starts Fri. – Howard Zinn in person Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.)
Word Wars (Thu.)
My Architect (Thu.)
Jackie Brown (Fri. & Sat)
D.J. Shadow: In Tune and On Time (Fri.)
Kung Fu
Dance of Death (Sat.)
Jazz in June!
Oscar Aleman: A Swinging Life with live pre-show jazz concert from Geoffrey Miller Trio

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
A is for Aldrich Westerns
Vera Cruz (Sat. & Sun.)
Ulzana’s Raid (Sat. & Sun.)
B is for Backstage
Sweethearts (Mon. & Tue.)
The Boyfriend (Mon. & Tue.)
Contemporary Hollywood Cinema
Easy Rider
Shaft

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
The Mother (starts Fri.)
Saved (starts Fri.)
Coffee and Cigarettes (starts Fri.)
Control Room
Super Size Me
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
Still We Believe: The Red Sox Movie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Thu.)

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Frankie and Johnny Are Married (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Napoleon Dynamite
My Sister Maria (Thu.)
Saved
Control Room
The Twilight Samurai (Thu.)
The Mother

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
The Story of the Weeping Camel
Napoleon Dynamite
Control Room
The Mother
Super Size Me
Good Bye, Lenin! (Thu.)

Loews Theatres
Copley Place, Boston
Napoleon Dynamite (starts Fri.)
Two Brothers (starts Fri.)
Control Room
Super Size Me
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Coffee and Cigarettes (Thu.)
Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie (Thu.)

Harvard Square, Cambridge
Fahrenheit 9/11
Coffee and Cigarettes (Thu.)
Super Size Me

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Lost Boys of Sudan (Thu., Sat. & Sun.)
Thirst (Sat.)
French Nouveaux Cineastes
Since Otar Left (Thu. – Sun.)
Mon Idole (Thu. & Sun.)
A Piece of Sky (Wed.)
Hungarian Engagement
Hukkle (Thu. – Sat.)
Magbool (Fri. & Sun.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival Encore: Encore and More
Divan with a Good Uplift (Thu.)
Youth Film
Do It Your Damn Self!! National Youth Video and Film Festival (Sat. & Sun.)
New England Film Artists Present
Trouble in Paradise and Today I Vote for My Joey (Sun.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Young Adam (starts Fri.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Hey Everyone!

This week’s Chlotrudis movie of the week is a special treat fans of the stage. Join us at the Brattle Theatre for the exclusive area premiere of Michael Almereyda’s THIS SO-CALLED DISASTER. This backstage look at the latest production of Sam Shepard’s play “The Late Henry Moss,” is an insightful look not only at the process of bringing a dramatic work to the stage, but of Shepard himself. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and it’s sure to be a fascinating documentary experience. Here’s the Brattle’s synopsis:

This So-Called Disaster

(2003) dir Michael Almereyda w/Sam Shepard, Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, James Gammon, T-Bone Burnett, Woody Harrelson, Cheech Marin, Anne Militello, Sheila Tousey

After appearing in Michael Almereyda’s film version of HAMLET (in which he played The Ghost), Sam Shepard invited the filmmaker to document the staging of his most recent play, “The Late Henry Moss,” when it premiered in San Francisco in the fall of 2000. Almereyda and a small crew were given access to rehearsals and preview performances leading into opening night, and the project evolved into something more intimate and multi-layered than a straight record of the play. Shepard speaks candidly about his father and his history in the theater in rare interview footage and the actors (including a mix of seasoned stage professionals and movie stars) are at their most vulnerable ‘ working hard to wrap their minds and their talents around Shepard’s sparse, meaningful language. The resulting documentary is a remarkable group portrait ‘ a vivid look at masterful performers working their way through a process of creative discovery ‘ as well as a pseudo-biographical examination of Shepard himself.

Other new releases worth catching include THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL, which has been winning raves, and recently played the Independent Film Festival of Boston. It opens this week at the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Kendall Square Theatre. I’d love to hear about WORD WARS, so if anyone has caught that at the Coolidge, let me know how it is! How about HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN? We need a review up on the website, so if you’re seen it, let us know what you thought?

No plans for Father’s Day? Take Dad, or your friends, to see the Sing Along FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. This extravaganza is presented by the Boston Jewish Film Festival. This is your chance to belt out “Tradition” or “Matchmaker,” so make the most of it! And if you’re one of the few Chlotrudis members who haven’t caught NAPOLEON DYNAMITE yet, don’t miss it! This one had me in hysterics throughout the film. Here is what some Chlotrudis members have said about ths film:
Barbara says, “A good movie to see if you have had a bad day.”
Chris says, “At first, I feared this was going to be quite the unbearably quirky and stilted film, but a really sweet, endearing (and yes, hilarious) story emerges.”
Diane says, “Oh, it also had the best opening credits I’ve seen!”
Michael says, “The feel good movie of the year!”

See you at the movies!

Playing this week, June 10 – 16.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Complete Uncut, Undubbed Japanese Version!
50th Anniversary! New Translation & Subtitles!
Godzilla (Thu. – Sun.)
Exclusive Area Premiere!
This So-Called Disaster (starts Fri.)

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
The Story of the Weeping Camel (starts Fri.)
Coffee and Cigarettes (Thu.)
Super Size Me
Word Wars
My Architect
True Romance (Fri. & Sat)
Hip Hop Double Feature
Boston Beats and Rhymes & 5 Sides of a Coin with live performance by D-Tension (Fri.)
Kung Fu
Duel of the Masters (Sat.)
Boston Jewish Film Festival presents:
Sing Along Fiddler on the Roof
Jazz in June!
John Zorn: Bookshelf on Top of the Sky with live pre-show jazz concert from The Daniel Roshenthal Trio
Director’s Cut
Morning Sun with director Carma Hinton present (Tue.)

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
No Screenings This Week

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Control Room (starts Fri.)
Gloomy Sunday (starts Fri.)
Young Adam (Thu.)
Super Size Me
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring
Still We Believe: The Red Sox Movie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
My Sister Maria (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (starts Fri.)
Napoleon Dynamite (starts Fri.)
Saved
Control Room
The Twilight Samurai
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Carandiru (Thu.)
The Five Obstructions (Thu.)
The Mother (Thu.)
Badassss! (Thu.)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (Thu.)
Good Bye, Lenin! (Thu.)

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Control Room (starts Fri.)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (starts Fri.)
The Mother
Super Size Me
Good Bye, Lenin!
Carandiru (Thu.)

Loews Theatres
Copley Place, Boston
Check Theatre for Listings

Harvard Square, Cambridge
Check Theatre for listings

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Lost Boys of Sudan (Thu., Sat. & Sun.)
French Nouveaux Cineastes
Since Otar Left (Thu., Sat. & Sun.)
Hungarian Engagement
Hukkle (Thu. – Sun.)
The Boston Jewish Film Festival: Encore and More
The Secret Passage (Thu. & Sun.)
Cinema Tropical
Un Osos Rojo (Fri. & Sat.)

The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Broken Wings (Thu.)
The Ladykillers (starts Fri.)

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Chlotrudis members have been busy reviewing recent and not-as-recent films. We finally got a couple of reviews of GOOD BYE, LENIN! (left), which has been performing quite well at the theatres. I’m glad we can finally report on it. Also, a belated review (my fault) of CAVEDWELLER, The latest film by Lisa Cholodenko (HIGH ART, LAUREL CANYON) that played at the Tribeca Film Festival. Other reviews include BUKOWSKI: BORN INTO THIS, COFFEE & CIGARETTES, THE MOTHER, THE MUDGE BOY, MY ARCHITECT, and NOSEY PARKER.