2008-9 season – First five films
The first five films we have chosen reflect members’ choices and we hope they will be enjoyed by everyone. We have tried to add films from many genres, as well as including a film for all the family.
Selection of the five remaining films will be finalised later in the year (once we see the new summer releases) and as always, the views of our members will be given priority.
(Tip: hover over “IMDB” below each entry for cast and plot details)
Juno – 4th September 2008 7:30 pm BUTTON SCORE: 4.2
US/Canada 2007 Ellen Page, Michael Cera
Certificate 12A
A tale told over four seasons when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she’s pregnant by her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place the child with an adoptive couple.
Will Juno’s plan work,can she improvise, and what about Bleeker?
Running time: 96 mins
The Kite Runner – 2nd October 2008 7:30pm BUTTON SCORE: 4.8
US 2007 Khalid Abdalla, Zekeria Ebrahimi
Certificate 12A
The Kite Runner is the film of the international best-selling novel that tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akba Khan district of Kabul, who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend, Hassan, the son of his father’s Hazara servant. It is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fallof the monarchy in Afghanistan, through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban Regime.
Running time: 128 mins
The Painted veil – 6th November 2008 7:30 pm BUTTON SCORE: 4.85
China /US 2007 Naomi Watts, Edward Norton
Certificate PG 13
Running time: 125 mins
Whale Rider – 4th December 2008 7:30 pm ** Note new date **
NZ 2002 Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene
Certificate PG
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea’s direct descendants. Pai, an eleven-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the chief, but her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
Running time: 101 mins
La Vie en Rose – 8th January 2009 7:30 pm
France 2007 Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu
Certificate 12A
An un-chronological look at the life of “the little sparrow”, Edith Piaf (1915-1963). Her mother is an alcoholic street singer, her father a circus performer, her paternal grandmother, a madam. During childhood she lives with each of them. Alcohol and Heartache are constant companions. The tragedies of her love affair with Marcel Cerdan and the death of her only child belie the words of one of her signature songs ” Non, je ne regrette rien”. The back and forth nature of the narrative suggests the patterns of memory and association.
Running time: 140 mins
