Sunday Cinema Club

Our Cinema Club started last week--we go to West Newton, MA on Sunday morning every couple of weeks throughout the fall to see movies that have not been released yet. The films are followed by a brief talk by one of two Boston film professors and open discussion. Last week we saw The Boys are Back, a movie based loosely on British political reporter Simon Carr's memoir recounting his attempts to rebuild his family after the death of his wife and directed by Scott Hick (Shine). Clive Owen's does a great job in the lead role--his performance is understated, but powerful as he stumbles through his first year of solo parenting. He adopts an attitude of "Just say yes" which drives all the women around him crazy, but seems to work for all male household. Owen's scenes with the two boys who play his sons are, I think, the strongest parts of the movie. The actor who plays the youngest son, Artie, is terrific. The CBs recommend give this film 4* (out of five).

Of course, one movie was not enough for the CB's. We grabbed some refreshments and headed into see Jane Campion's new film, Bright Star, a fictionalized version of the intensely romantic (yet chaste) love affair of Fannie Brawne, a woman of prospects and “good family,” and the poor, struggling poet John Keats. Fannie falls in love with Keats and with the beauty of his poetry, and she becomes determined that they will be together . . . unfortunately Keats has no money and few prospects. The Australian actress Abbie Cornish really shines as Fanny, an independent-minded woman weighed down by the conventions of proper Victorian society. The attention to period detail (especially the costumes) is great, and the setting is beautiful English countryside. The child actor who plays Fanny's young red-headed sister, like the young actor in The Boys are Back, is perfect for the part. The CB's also gave this movie 4*.