CHLOTRUDIS AUCTION 2005 - NOW CLOSED!

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks once again to all our generous donors:

DAHN YOGA Somerville, HARBOR SWEETS, the Boston Film School, the BOSTON LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, the NEW ENGLAND FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL, LIONS GATE HOME ENTERTAINMENT, the LYRIC STAGE, Chlotrudis members Beth Caldwell and Hilary Nieukirk, the PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, the AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATRE, the CHARLES HOTEL, the BOSTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL, the THEATRE OFFENSIVE and its Out on The Edge Festival, the INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL OF BOSTON, the LANDMARK THEATRE in Kendall Square, TOSCANINI'S ICE CREAM, the Film Program of the MUSUEM OF FINE ARTS, FILM MOVEMENT, MARIO'S SALON, the BELGIAN TRUFFLE HOUSE, CIBELINE, JIMMY TINGLE'S OFF-BROADWAY THEATRE, SAUCE restaurant, BALL SQUARE FINE WINE & LIQUORS and last but not least, doing double duties as donor and host, the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE.

Chlotrudis Silent Auction Items Available for On-line Bidding!

Monday night's silent auction items are available for preview and online bidding! Go visit our Mewsings blog for a list of our silent auction items and find out how you can support Chlotrudis by bidding for some fabulous items online! The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film presents its 2nd Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser in conjunction with its 6th Annual Short Film Festival. The festivities take place on Monday night, 7:30 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre where 10 short films will compete for the Best Chlotrudis Short Film of the year. As an added treat, we will also present the U.S. premiere of Canadian filmmaker (and Chlotrudis favorite) Don McKellar's latest short films. To find out more about the films in competition, visit our Film Festival page.

Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies & Indie Film Round-Up, September 30 - October 6

Hello Everyone,

Is there any question as to the Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies for next week? It's our 6th Annual Short Film Festival, of course! Ten selections, including animation, experimental work, and international films will compete for the title of the Chlotrudis Society's Best Short Film of the Year. Audiences members also vote for the Audience Award. As a special added treat, the festival will open and close with two U.S. Premiere short films by Canadian Chlotrudis fave, Don McKellar! Don's films, Phone Call from an Imaginary Girlfriend: Ankara and Phone Call from an Imaginary Girlfriend: Istanbul will screen out of competition as a special Chlotrudis exclusive. (THUG, by Swampscott native Geva Patz is pictured left)

The festival begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Bring your Chlotrudis membership card, because admission is $9/$6 for Chlotrudis and Coolidge members. And arrive early, because Chlotrudis will be holding its 2nd annual Silent Auction, with terrific items up for bid such as a two-night stay at the Charles Hotel, tickets to shows at the A.R.T., The Lyric Stage of Boston, and the Theatre Offensive, and a host of film festival passes for such important fests such as the Boston Jewish Film Festival, The Independent Film Festival of Boston, The Provincetown International Film Festival, the Boston Latino Film Festival and many more. Also up for auction are a pair of 6 month memberships for Film Movement, and some original artwork by Chlotrudis member Beth Caldwell. Bring your checkbooks: every bid could win you fabulous prizes, and supports the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film as well!

There are a lot of other terrific films opening this week, so do think about heading out to the movies on another night as well. I'm very excited about MIRRORMASK, a fantasy fable written by comic book rock star Neil Gaiman. I also highly recommend the delicious French sex-farce, C�d'Azur. We caught this sheer delight at the Provincetown International Film Festival earlier this year, and it stars Gilbert Melkhi, so fabulous is Lucas Belvaux's THE TRILOGY. If you're looking for a romp filled with laughs, you'll check this one out.

The Brattle Theatre is showing a pack of films from Spain's master of mutant action, Alex de la Iglesia. I recently saw one of his earlier films, La Comunidad, starring Carmen Maura and it was lots of fun. I haven't seen Maura in such a fabulous role in years. Do try to check it out. And for those of you who missed the smart and entertaining German film, The Edukators can catch it at the Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday as part of their Starring Daniel Br�ries. This is one of Bruce's top films of the year, and I enjoyed it quite a bit at the afore-mentioned Provincetown International Film Festival.

That's it for this week.
See you at the movies!

Playing this week, September 30 - October 6.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Mutant Action: The Films of Alex de la Iglesia
Ferpect Crime (Fri.)
Mutant Action (Fri.)
La Comunidad (Sat.)
800 Bullets (Sat.)
Day of the Beast (Sun.)
Perdita Durango (Sun.)
Harvard Book Store Presents
Dan Savage (Sat.)
Greta Garbo Centennial Celebration
Camille (Mon. & Tue.)
Anna Christie (Mon. & Tue.)
As You Desire Me (Wed.)
The Guaranteed Request Raffle Winner Night!
Smoke Signals (Thu.)
The Straight Story (Thu.)


Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Thumbsucker
Proof
The Aristocrats
Operation: Dreamland
Midnite Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Madness
Crippled Avengers (Fri.)
Kid with the Golden Arm (Sat.)
Brookline Booksmith Presents
John Berendt (Mon.)
Special Event!
Chlotrudis Short Film Festival (Mon.)
Blue Vinyl (Sat.)
Thirst (Sun.)
The Next Industrial Revolution (Sun.)
The 30th Annual New England Film & Video Festival
Living With Slim & Buffalo Soldiers (Thu.)
Balagan
Filmmakers from the West Coast: Rebecca Baron (in person) (Thu.)


FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
Junebug
Mad Hot Ballroom
The Beat That My Heart Skipped


Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Mikio Naruse: A Centennial Tribute
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Fri.)
Mother (Fri.)
Wife! Be Like a Rose! (Sat.)
Traveling Actors (Sat.)
A Tale of Archers at the Sanjusangendo (Sun.)
The Song Lantern (Sun.)
Contemporary French Cinema
The Lovers on a Bridge (Mon.)
Too Human: The Films of Louis Malle
Pretty Baby (Mon.)
Atlantic City (Tue.)
Film Architectures
L'Inhumaine (Tue.)
Imagining the City
Sunrise (with live piano accompaniment) (Wed.)
Harvard LBGT Film Series
Paris is Burning (Wed.)


Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Oliver Twist
Proof
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins
An Unfinished Life


Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
C�d'Azur
Mirrormask
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Keane
Everything is Illuminated
The Constant Gardener
Thumbsucker
2046
Grizzly Man
The Aristocrats

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Thumbsucker
Proof
The Aristocrats
An Unfinished Life
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins


Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
A History of Violence
Oliver Twist
Green Street Hooligans
Proof
Broken Flowers


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Films of Mikio Naruse
Yearning (Fri.)
Every Night Dreams (Sat.)
Sound of the Mountain (Sat.)
Repast (Sun.)
Floating Clouds (Thu.)
Engagement
Side Effects (Fri. - Sun. & Thu.)
Starring Daniel Br�>
Love in Thoughts (Sat. & Wed.)
Vaya con Dios (Sun.)
The Edukators (Wed.)
Brazilian Cinema
I Am Cuba, the Siberian Mammoth (Thu.)
Classic Russian Cinema
I am Cuba (Thu.)


The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Northern Lights Documentary Film Festival
Munch


BU CINEMATHEQUE RETURNS

Screenings are at 7 pm in room B-05 of the Communication Building, 640 Comm.Ave., Boston. Public transportation: the "B" Boston College Green Line, one stop beyond Kenmore Square.

Friday, September 30-AN EVENING WITH MONIKA TREUT. Making features and documentaries since 1985, the Hamburg-based director is probably the most important German woman filmmaker in the last two decades, certainly the most versatile and wittiest. Treut�s films always explore protean sexual identity, endorsing outrageous gender-twisting and role-switching, whether her film subject is Camille Paglia or a "B" Mexican movie star turned New York dominatrix. Treut will show at BU her 2005 documentary, TIGERWOMEN GROW WINGS, a major hit at this year�s Berlin Film Festival. It�s Treut�s take on Asian gender roles, a tale of three couragous, sexually adventurous Taiwanese women who defy the deeply sexist culture in which they were born.


Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Short Film Fest Auction Details - Offsite Bidders Encouraged To Join In The Fun!

It�s less than a week away, and we already have a wonderful slate of items available for bid, thanks to our many donors - and we�re still not done! This year, we are going to open up the bidding early and provide a way for members and friends not in the Boston area to participate in the auction. Check Mewsings after 5 o�clock this Friday night, September 30, for official details and instructions to place bids for one or more of the following items:

2 all-access passes for the Provincetown International Film Festival in June 2006

1 one-year membership as a Friend of Film at the Museum of Fine Arts

1 space in the Introduction to Directing workshop at the Boston Film School, fall 2005 fall semester

2 all-film passes for the Independent Film Festival of Boston in April 2006

2 passes to the Boston Latino International Film Festival this October

2 tickets to the New England Film & Video Festival opening night & after-party

1 6-month memberships to Film Movement (put only 1 online)

1 1-year dual membership in the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film

2 1-night stays at the Charles Hotel

2 tickets to any A.R.T. play during the 2005-2006 season

2 tickets to the Lyric Stage�s production of Caryl Churchill�s �A Number�

2 tickets to any two performances at the Theatre Offensive�s Out on The Edge Festival

2 tickets to any performance at Jimmy Tingle�s off-Broadway

Movie passes to the Landmark Kendall theatre

And there are more being added every day! So check back on Friday to find out how you can participate even if you can't make it to the event itself! Of course, no one will want to miss this terrific slate of short films, including the U.S. premiere of Don McKellar's "Phone Call From an Imaginary Girlfriend: Ankara," and "Phone Call From an Imaginary Girlfriend: Istanbul."

We'd like to thank all of our generous donors: The American Repertory Theatre, Beth Caldwell, Boston Film School, The Boston Jewish Film Festival, The Boston Latino Film Festival, The Charles Hotel, The Coolidge Corner Theatre, Cibeline, Film Movement, The Independent Film Festival of Boston, Jimmy Tingle's Off Broadway, Landmark Theatres, Lion's Gate Films, The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, The Museum of Fine Arts, New England Film & Video Festival, The Provincetown International Film Festival, The Roxbury Film Festival, and The Theatre Offensive.

Films By Don Mckellar To Kickoff Chlotrudis Silent Auction & Short Film Festival

We are pleased to announce that our 6th annual Short Film Festival will open and close with short films by Don McKellar, acclaimed Canadian director/writer/actor. Most recently screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Monday October 3, 2005 showing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre will mark the shorts� U.S. premiere, and will be shown out of competition.

Ten films have been selected to compete in this year�s festival. From experimental films, including one from a 14-year-old filmmaker and another shot in Iceland, to powerful narratives covering such topics as female genital mutilation and teen-aged girls coming of age, this year�s selections should appeal to a wide range of viewers.

As an added treat, DVDs of the Academy-award winning documentary BORN INTO BROTHELS will be given out as door prizes to audience members, courtesy of Lions Gate Home Entertainment. BORN INTO BROTHELS chronicles the transformative journey of a group of extraordinary children in Calcutta's red light district. Ebert & Roeper give the film "two thumbs up," and Newsweek calls it "a remarkable and moving story about the power of art to transform lives." The DVD contains loads of extra features, including updates on each of the children. More information can be found about the DVD here.

Prior to and immediately after the screening, a silent auction fundraiser will be held for such items as passes to area film festivals, theatre tickets, and local business gift certificates. Tickets for the Chlotrudis Short Film Festival are $9/$6 for Chlotrudis and Coolidge members, and the short films begin at 7:30pm.

Chlotrudis Tuesday Night at the Movies + Indie Film Round-Up, September 23 - 29

Hello Everyone,

As is often the case, we follow up a week where little of interest is released with a week where several new releases are calling out for attention. I must beg your indulgence once again as we swap next week's movie of the week to Tuesday. Join Chlotrudis members Tuesday night at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 7:30 p.m. for Mike Mills' THUMBSUCKER. Enjoy supporting performances from Tilda Swinton, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Keanu Reaves while lead actorLou Taylor Pucci plays Justin who throws himself and everyone around him into chaos when he attempts to break free from his addiction to his thumb. Pucci won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for his performance.

THUMBSUCKER
dir. Mike Mills w/Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vince Vaughn, Benjamin Bratt, Keanu Reeves, 1h35m

The first feature film from acclaimed designer and video director Mike Mills (his work defined the look of the indie band Air) is based on the novel by Walter Kirn and features a stunning cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Benjamin Bratt, and Vince Vaughn. But the real casting coup wasn't Keanu Reeves as a New Age dentist (though it is certainly an inspired performance!), it was newcomer Lou Pucci, who steals the film as the title character.

At 17, teenager Justin Cobb is still a habitual thumb-sucker, a habit that is beginning to disturb his family and disrupt his social life. Then his orthodontist helps him change his behavior through hypnosis therapy. Finally, Justin feels "normal" - but his troubles are really just beginning. He begins to spiral into manic behavior, is afraid his mother (Swinton) is about to leave the family, develops a newfound crush, and without really wanting to becomes the best member of the school's debate team.

THUMBSUCKER is an honest and funny look at the struggles of those who yearn to be someone else (or to be "normal") � only to realize that their flaws are what make them human and loveable.

The other big releases opening at the Kendall Square Cinema this week screened along with THUMBSUCKER at the Toronto International Film Festival. Beth saw EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, Liev Schreiber's directorial debut starring Elijah Wood. Schreiber also adapted the screenplay from Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling novel. I also heard good things about Thomas Vinterberg's DEAR WENDY, which boasts a original screenplay by Lars Von Trier
and stars Jamie Bell (so good in UNDERTOW) and Bill Pullman. These releases along with PROOF, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, are just the tip of the iceberg as the fall flood of movie releases begins. There should be plenty to chose from in the coming weeks. However, if you're looking to play catch up this week, the Brattle Theatre offers two well received Chlotrudis options in their Recent Raves series. On Monday night (if you just have to see a movie) don't miss Gregg Araki's MYSTERIOUS SKIN another triumphant literary adaptation. Doc fans will want to take advantage of another chance to catch MURDERBALL on Wednesday night. Both have a good chance at being contenders for next year's Chlotrudis Awards!

Next Thursday is your chance to go out and have good time socializing, get your hands on some inexpensive, original artwork, and do your part in supporting the Brattle Film Foundation at the 2nd Annual ArtHouse Silent Auction at the Brattle Theatre! Enjoy wine, beer and some yummy food while perusing donated artwork from local artisans. Bid on your favorites and you just might end up with an original hanging on your wall. You can get a preview of some of the works that will be auctioned off at the Brattle's ArtHouse page. Admission is only $15 and I can guarantee you'll have a good time.

This week also marks the return of Gerry Peary's BU CINEMATHEQUE, a terrific and free opportunity for Chlotrudis members to see filmmakers talking about their work each week. Obstensibly for BU film students, Gerry has kindly opened up this series to Chlotrudis members. The screenings take place on Thursdays or Fridays weekly. Tonight the BU Cinematheque teams up with the Harvard Film Archive to show student films from the archives. See early student films by such internationally known directors such as Mira Nair and Darren Aronofsky. Next Thursday I hope to attend to see Robert Patton-Spruill's finished film TURNTABLE. You may recall that a select group of Chlotrudis members had the opportunity to see a rough cut of TURNTABLE and offer their input on the finished product. I hope someone from that group attends this screening so we can hear how the film was changed! Check out the September schedule at the end of this post.

That's it for this week.
See you at the movies!

Playing this week, September 23 - 29.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
Special Engagement - New 35 mm Print
Cobra Woman (Fri. - Sun.)
The Goethe Institut Boston Presents an Evening With Andreas Dresen
Grill Point (Sun.)
Willenbrock (Sun.)
Recent Raves
Mysterious Skin (Mon.)
Land of the Dead (Tue.)
The Devil's Rejects (Tue.)
Murderball (Wed.)
Harvard Bookstore Presents
Iraq War Panel
Special Event!
Art House: A Silent Art Auction To Benefit The Brattle Film Foundation (Thu.)


Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Thumbsucker
Broken Flowers
The Aristocrats
Muddy River Environmental Film Series
Slow Food Revolution (Fri.)
The Future of Food (Fri. & Sat.)
Kids Shorts (Sat. & Sun.)
The Lorax (Sat. & Sun.)
Portrait of a Coastline (Sat.)
Turning Down the Heat (Sat.)
Blue Vinyl (Sat.)
Thirst (Sun.)
The Next Industrial Revolution (Sun.)
Bike Like You Mean It (Sun.)
Lost Pond (Mon.)
The Greatest Good (Tue.)
Muddy River Watershed Event (Tue.)
The End of Suburbia (Wed.)
Pale Male (Thu.)
Gotham Fish Tales (Thu.)
Chain (Thu.)
Midnite Movies!
Firefly Marathon (Sat. - Sun. @ noon)
Brookline Booksmith Presents
Zadie Smith (Tue.)
Film Class
Prisoners of Circumstance (Thu.)


FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
An Unfinished Life
Mad Hot Ballroom
Me and You and Everyone We Know
The Beat That My Heart Skipped



Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Too Human: The Films of Louis Malle
Vanya on 42nd Street (Fri. & Sun.)
My Dinner with Andre (Fri. & Sun.)
May Fools (Sat. & Tue.)
Damage (Sat. & Wed.)
Contemporary French Cinema
My Sex Life... Or How I Got Into An Argument (Mon.)
Film Architectures
Metropolis w/ live piano accompaniment (Tue.)
Imagine the City
Paris qui dort w/ live piano accompaniment (Wed.)


Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Proof
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins
The Thing About My Folks


Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Dear Wendy
Thumbsucker
Everything is Illuminated
The Constant Gardener
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
2046
Grizzly Man
Junebug
The Aristocrats

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Thumbsucker
The Thing About My Folks
2046
An Unfinished Life
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins


Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Proof
The Thing About My Folks
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Music on Film
I'll Sing for You (Fri. & Sat.)
Starring Daniel Br�>
Honolulu (Sat.)
Elephant Heart (Sat.)
Ladies in Lavendar (Sun.)
Muddy River Film Festival
Darwin's Nightmare (Sat.)
Mikio Naruse
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (Wed.)
New England Film Artists Present
Mutual Appreciation (Wed.)


The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
The Aristocrats


BU CINEMATHEQUE RETURNS

Screenings are at 7 pm in room B-05 of the Communication Building, 640 Comm.Ave., Boston. Public transportation: the "B" Boston College Green Line, one stop beyond Kenmore Square.

Thursday, September 22-STUDENT FILM CLASSICS FROM THE HARVARD FILM ARCHIVE. Julie Buck, Head Film Conservator for the mammoth Harvard film collection, has put together a special first-time show for BU of 16mm classic films made by now-famous directors when they were students at Harvard. Among these are novice works by Mira Nair (MONSOON WEDDING, VANITY FAIR), Darren Arnofsky (PI, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM), Kevin Rafferty (ATOMIC CAFE)...plus some unannounced surprises!

Thursday, September 29-AN EVENING WITH ROBERT PATTON-SPRUILL. It�s a BU legend, how Patton-Spruill, a then recent BU filmmaking graduate

student, sold his first feature, SQUEEZE (1997), to Miramax instantly after its Sundance screening. Tonight, Patton-Spruill offers the world premiere sneak preview of his just-completed new feature, TURNTABLE! As with SQUEEZE, it�s a subtle, complex gangland story set in an African-American milieu, yet influenced by the French classic cinema of the 1960s. Also attending: the producer of TURNTABLE, Patty Marino, also a BU graduate.

Friday, September 30-AN EVENING WITH MONIKA TREUT. Making features and documentaries since 1985, the Hamburg-based director is probably the most important German woman filmmaker in the last two decades, certainly the most versatile and wittiest. Treut�s films always explore protean sexual identity, endorsing outrageous gender-twisting and role-switching, whether her film subject is Camille Paglia or a "B" Mexican movie star turned New York dominatrix. Treut will show at BU her 2005 documentary, TIGERWOMEN GROW WINGS, a major hit at this year�s Berlin Film Festival. It�s Treut�s take on Asian gender roles, a tale of three couragous, sexually adventurous Taiwanese women who defy the deeply sexist culture in which they were born.


Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

The Last Day of Films

Sadly, Friday finally came, and with it our last day of films. We extended our trip two days precisely so we could see a certain film on Friday night. Before that, however, we saw the Short Cuts 3 program, one of several collections of Canadian short films screened by the festival. This collection entitled, "The Making Of..." was of particular interest to us because is featured two shorts by none other than Don McKellar. His pair of films, "Phone Call from Imaginary Girlfriend: Ankara" and "Phone Call from Imaginary Girlfriend: Instabul" were commissioned by a cell phone company in Canada, and shot on cell phone. They are oddly funny and moving at the same time, something Don is adept at capturing. The rest of the shorts were mostly unsatisfying, with only two others being worthy of the Chlotrudis Short Film Festival: "Troll Concerto" and "At the Quinte Hotel." We followed up the shorts with a quick trip to the Japan Foundation Toronto for their exhibition, Monstrous Visions: Horror and Destruction in Japanese Films. This exhibit of Japanese anime, horror and monster movie posters was a draw because it naturally featured posters of Godzilla and Mothra! Our afternoon film was from Russia and was called BED STORIES.

It was all a build-up to the evening screening of Tsai Ming-Liang's THE WAYWARD CLOUD, of course, and we were rewarded not only with a personal appearance by the director, but by lead actor Lee Kang-sheng as well! Ned had sent a warning to me through Russ the night before that the film took a surprising turn toward the ending making Ned very angry. I wasn't terribly concerned: this was Tsai Ming-Liang we were talking about. Still, I have to admit, days later, the ending of THE WAYWARD CLOUD is still haunting me unplesantly. It's a strong film, powerfully done, with many of Tsai's hallmarks: scant dialogue, static cameras, absurd humor, gorgeous musical numbers. It is also about a porn star and has several fairly explicit sex scenes. Most surprising is the shocking switch in tone from light-hearted and fun to ugly and disturbing. Like Michael Haneke's CACHE, this film has me pondering the motivations of the director to present the story the way he did, although that doesn't take away from my appreciation for it. After the film I considered asking Tsai about his decision during the Q&A, but once again, as with THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE, the audience hurled imbecilic questions at Lee Kang-sheng about what it was like to play the explicit scenes, etc. It was rather surreal to see Lee Kang-sheng standing up there on stage as he looked exactly as he does on screen in his many Tsai Ming-Liang films.

We wrapped the festival with something different, a rock and roll concert! More on that later today.

Short Filmfest Returns to Boston in October

The CHLOTRUDIS SOCIETY FOR INDEPENDENT FILM (CSIF) will present its 6th annual Short Film Festival on Monday October 3, 2005 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. Audience members participate in this competitive one-night event, by contributing their votes for an Audience Award. A cash prize will be awarded the film chosen by the Chlotrudis Society to be the Best Short Film of the year.

Prior to the event and during its intermission, a fund-raising silent auction will also be held, with chances to bid upon prizes that include free weekends at exclusive hotels, certificates for luxury services like massages or personal shopping, and VIP passes to several of the area�s film festivals. Chlotrudis will also be giving away copies of the Academy-Award-Winning Documentary, BORN INTO BROTHELS. available September 20th, 2005 on DVD. as door prizes courtesy of Lion's Gate Home Entertainment. BORN INTO BROTHELS - the 2004 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary - is now available on DVD. Experience how beauty can be found in even the most hopeless of places as this inspiring film chronicles the transformative journey of a group of extraordinary children in Calcutta�s red light district. Ebert & Roeper give BORN INTO BROTHELS "two thumbs up," and Newsweek calls it "a remarkable and moving story about the power of art to transform lives." The DVD contains loads of extra features, including updates on each of the children. More information can be found about the DVD here.

The short film festival is one way the film-lovers of Chlotrudis honor and support the short film genre, and the filmmakers who devote their passion and energy into this lesser seen cinematic art form. At the same time, it�s an opportunity for Boston area audiences to enjoy a night of some of the best short films out there.

Over the years, films in competition have spanned the world, with entries from as far away as Australia and Israel, and as nearby as a neighborhood bowling league in Boston, as last year�s double winner DWAINE'S BIG GAME demonstrates. The winning film-maker is also honored at the group�s annual Chlotrudis Awards ceremony in March 2006.

Spotlight on... Amy Robinson

Check out the Chlotrudis Spotlight page for an interview with renown producer Amy Robinson. After starting her career as an actor in Martin Scorsese's film MEAN STREETS, Robinson turned to producing such quality Hollywood films as FROM HELL, ONCE AROUND, RUNNING ON EMPTY, and AFTER HOURS. Chlotrudis board member Beth Curran enjoyed a telephone conversation with Robinson to find out about her latest film project (the indie film GAME 6 starring Michael Keaton), her thoughts on the future of film distribution, and her feelings about the importance of organizations like CSIF.

Stay tuned for more spotlight interviews from a variety of members in the film industry from Chlotrudis' own roving reporter, Beth Curran.

For Sheer Entertainment Value, You Can't Beat LINDA LINDA LINDA!

What a delight to have all our tickets for Thursday and Friday's films. That means no one had to get up at the crack of dawn to go to the box office! That was particularly important on Thursday because we had tickets for a midnight show of Takashi Miike's THE GREAT YOKAI WAR. In preparation, Scot and I spent the morning asleep. I didn't stir until nearly 11:30 a.m., a testament to the long hours I had been keeping the preceding days.

Our first film wasn't until 3:00 p.m., and I was having trouble mustering much excitement for it. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the high points of the festival for me! Mark Dornford-May's U-CARMEN EKHAYELITSHA was a stunning, modern, South African retelling of Bizet's "Carmen." Dornford-May had already directed the Dimpho Di Kopane lyric theatre company in a stage version of "Carmen," but his realization on screen truly captures the incredible power of opera. Lead actress Pauline Malefane embodies the Carmen character so completely, vocally, visually, and through her acting, that I can't imagine a better person to play her. The sheer emotion her singing evoked in me had me close to tears. It was delightful to see her with the director to introduce the film, but I would have had a much finer appreciation for her presence had I known what she was capable of!

Of course, for sheer entertainment value, the high point of the festival came at Thursday night, 8:30 p.m. Several Chlotrudis members had already been privvy to the joys of Nobuhiro Yamashita's LINDA LINDA LINDA. What could be better than four Asian high school girls in uniform with electric guitars? Set in Japan, the film stars Korean actress Bae Doona, so good in TAKE CARE OF MY CAT, in a hilarious role that had me breathless with laughter. And if I can't get that catchy tune out of my head, I honestly won't be all that upset. Indie music fans take note, James Iha wrote the score.

We finished the night with something unexpected, a Takashi Miike film marketed to kids in Japan. If I saw THE GREAT YOKAI WAR when I was a kid, I definitely would have had a nightmare or three! Gotta say, I don't think kids and Miike make a good fit. I would have enjoyed this film more without the children's film conventions, but the freaky images were certainly a lot of fun.

Stay tuned for the report on our last day!

Wednesday is Egoyan Day

I fell behind during the last few days of the festival, but I will do my best to catch up in the next day or so. Wednesday's high point was catching Atom Egoyan's WHERE THE TRUTH LIES, a film by my favorite director that has been plagued since its screening at Cannes by the ratings board here in North America. It has received an NC-17 rating for some explicit thrusting during a threesome involving two men and a woman. The film is based on a murder mystery novel by Rupert Holmes (of "The Piña Colada Song" fame), and revolves around a 1950's comedy duo a la Lewis and Martin, here played by Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth. This was clearly meant to be Egoyan's breakout film only to be hampered by the ratings issue. It was my pleasure to see Atom in person for the first time, and was thrilled to find him as intelligent, articulate, and personable as I'd hoped. He discussed his most recent bout with the Ratings Board after cutting to try to receive an "R" rating. When he went to the final hearing, there were two additional people there. When he asked who they were, he was told that there was nothing to worry about, they were just members of the clergy. Atom commented sarcastically that he was told that it had nothing to do with the homosexuality in the film. Ha! Such a double-standard in the movies. Atom's latest film has been receiving widely different reactions from critics, but I'm pleased to report that I loved it.

The day wrapped with another anticipated film, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE, Mary Harron's follow-up to AMERICAN PSYCHO. The screenplay was once-again co-written by Harron and Guinevere Turner (for which they won a Chlotrudis Award for best adapted screenplay). Turner was originally slated to play Page, but the film was made with Gretchen Mol in the starring role, the reason for which I have never found. In the photo on the left, Mary Harron answers questions along with three producers (Christine Vachon being one) and Gretchen Mol. The film itself is a little disappointing; perfectly well-done, but it turns out that Page's life wasn't all that interesting other than the fact that she posed for pictures in bondage gear. THere was little dramatic arc to propel the film forward. The Q&A was somewhat painful, with some buffoons asking ridiculous questions of Mol clearly fishing for some revelation about playing such a sex-themed characters.

Over the Hump and Down the Slope

There's a lost day in here somewhere, so I will try to play a little catch-up this morning. Tuesday was a mediocre film day. I saw three films, and the first two were solid "3-out-of-5's". At least the final film of the day managed to eke out a 4 rating. That film was Robin Neinstein's SOUVENIR OF CANADA. Based on a non-fiction work of the same title by Douglas Coupland, this film seeks to explain, or highlight all the things that make Canada uniquely Canadian? Could there be a better film for me, the uncloseted Canadaphile? While the film turned out to be more of an essay about Douglas Coupland and his projects, with a substantial amount of Canadiana thrown in, it was still very skillfully done in a bright, upbeat tone. Pictured left are filmmaker Robin Neinstein and a couple of the films producers.

The face of the Chlotrudis group started to change slightly on Tuesday. Marilyn and Amanda had already left on Sunday evening, and Emily & Greg departed on Monday. Mary left today after joining me and Scot for lunch at Zelda's. Jane Ford joined us rather unexpectedly for a one-day stint overnight on Tuesday. It's been so much fun seeing all the various Chlotrudis members enjoying the grand dame of Film Festivals here in Toronto! I will try to post about Wednesday soon, but I've got to get ready for a long Thursday.

Partying at the Super Market?

Monday was a good day for celebrities. After seeing a pair of good movies, (SORRY, HATERS and Michael Haneke's CACHE) I joined Chris for the splashy screening of Bart Freundlich's TRUST THE MAN. This star-studded film was rather disappointing considering how much I enjoyed Freundlich's first feature, THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS, but we did enjoy a good bit of celebrity sighting. In addition to Freudlich, the cast was in attendance and I was thrilled to finally see Julianne Moore in the flesh! She was, of course, incredibly beautiful. Also there were David Duchovny, Maggie Gyllenhaal (and her date, brother Jake), Billy Crudup and Ellen Barkin. Pretty exciting. Too bad the film didn't match.

From there we caught the much-anticipated new film from Daniel MacIvor, A WHOLE NEW THING, which he stars in and co-wrote. Director Amnon Buchbinder introduced the film and brought the cast on stage, including Daniel, Aaron Webber, Hugh Thompson and Kathryn McLellan. Also present were producers Camelia Frieberg and Kelly Bray. The film was beautifully written (natch) with terrific performances from young lead Webber, Daniel, Rebecca Jenkins, Robert Jay and Callum Keith Rennie). It was also exciting to spy Don McKellar and Tracy Wright in the audience during the Q&A.

After the screening, Daniel greeted us and invited us to the film's special party at The Super Market in Kensington. We jumped on that idea... a party of Canadian film people? But first, we met Mary and Diane at Flow, one of the very trendy late night Festival haunts for a drink and a nibble. Immediately upon entering the restaurant, Beth spied Freddy Rodriguez, who plays Federico on "Six Feet Under." Of course we were right next to the Four Seasons, so no surprise there. Later Scot and I were out for a cigarette break when we met the enthusiastic Jess who informed us that "Requiem" Phoenix was also here. I deduced that she must mean Joaquim, and she confirmed that. Still, Requiem Phoenix has a nice ring to it.

Anyway, we hopped into a cab and headed down to the Kensington Market area of Toronto, which is where "Twitch City" was filmed. There we found the party starting to wind down, but we still got a chance to chat with Daniel. Don McKellar was also there, as were the director and a couple of cast members from WHOLE NEW THING. I was also able to say hello and thank Camelia Frieber for the all the help she has provided with our screening of WILBY WONDERFUL earlier this year. We dragged ourselves back to the B&B to wrap up a fun and tiring evening.

Curious Diane Celebrates Her Birthday in Toronto

Whenever Diane comes to Toronto, we like to celebrate her birthday which falls on September 10. After a cursory search of some good place to enjoy a Sunday brunch, we ended up back at Sassafraz. Most places were inconvenient location-wise, or closed on Sundays! We took Diane to Sassafraz for her birthday in 2001, and hated to make a return engagement, but at least they do a nice brunch. Of course, not even at Diane's brunch can we escape the Film Festival as witnessed by this photo of Diane and Chris poring over the film schedule before ordering. As I mentioned the brunch at Sassafraz is delicious, and we certainly weren't disappointed. I have to make special note of this delectable desert that Diane and Scot ordered. Everything on that plate is edible, including the little candy star.

More festival antics ensued at Sassafraz as Scot and Diane take a moment to recreate a scene from the ubiquitous TIFF promo that screens before every film. This year's is particularly bad, and I often wonder if the people responsible for selecting the promo stop to think that many people will be seeing this brief clip a couple dozen times in a short span of time?

From Diane's brunch, we forged out on our day of film, which culminated for four of us with the second of the highly anticipated Canadian films, this one being Sean Garrity's LUCID. Unfortunately, this one didn't quite live up to our expectations. Pictured right is Sean Garrity, the film's director and the cast. We did enjoy our first celebrity sighting as Paul Gross (WILBY WONDERFUL, "Slings & Arrows") and his wife Martha Burns ("Slings & Arrows") watched the film in the row in front of us.

The Partying Starts when Marilyn's in Town!

You know the film festival has kicked into high gear when Marilyn comes to town. Phil's mom arrived with her friends Pat (left) and Midge (Phil's high school drama teacher) in tow to see her son's jaw-dropping starring performance in CAPOTE. We all agreed that CAPOTE is a terrific film, with a complex, well-crafted screenplay, and performances that can't be beat, particularly from Hoffman and his co-star Catherine Keener (as Harper Lee.)

Saturday evening we hooked up with Kish (center, with friend Glen and Chlotrudis Board Member Beth Curran), Ellen Page's agent, for a delightful night of good Southern-style food and drink. Kish introduced us to a new Toronto restaurant called Big Momma's Boys, recently opened by a friend of his. Kish is one of the sweetest and generous guys we've met; so counter to the typical stereotype of the Hollywood agent. Marilyn and her posse joined us for the festivities. Arriving in style with their car and driver, Gabriel, Marilyn quickly took court and regaled us with her wonderful stories, such as meeting Jack Nicholson at Cannes a few years ago. Scot and Midge hit it off very well discussing drama and theare, while Pat and Kish's friend Paul gabbed about real estate. Two more of Kish's friends, Alex, a filmmaker, and Glen, a dancer, joined us for the later part of the evening and let me tell you, it was a lot more fun than the rather sedate Sarah Silverman party we went to on Friday night. Of course, any party with Marilyn in attendance is bound to be lively.

One side note on a film from Friday. I must report that I was disappointed with Thom Fitzgerald's epic 3 NEEDLES. I am a big fan of Fitzgerald's work, and 3 NEEDLES is clearly and labor of love for him, spanning three continents and tackling the AIDS virus with all its politics, but I think he overreached on this one, spending a little too much time on sweeping African and Chinese vistas, while skimping on the personal story. We did get to see Thom introduce the film. Thom is pictured on the left with stars Sevigny, Shawn Ashmore, and Sook Yin Lee. The film also features Olympia Dukakis, Stockard Channing, and Sandra Oh.

More soon...

Day Two in Toronto

It's so nice to see that year after year, the system we use to get our tickets is so reliable. For out-of-towners, one way to get tickets for Toronto is to buy them in advance through the lottery system. Some of our members do this, but I've never bothered due to the exorbitant cost. It's true, upon arrival at the box office on Day One, a large percentage of the films we want to see are marked "rush only." Those of you who know me know that I don't "rush." (Photos show the extremely helpful ticketboard. Shows marked in red are designated "Rush Only".) However every morning when the box office opens, tickets for nearly every film are released for day of sale. .")The hardship with this method is the necessity to be at the box office when it opens at 7 a.m., and even better, about 45 - 60 minutes before it opens! Fortunately, I love to get up early and hit the box office when I'm Toronto. It gives me such a feeling of satisfaction, and we almost always get the tickets we want.

Today our target was Thom Fitzgerald's 3 NEEDLES. There is always some anxiety surrounding the Canadian films as they often sell out quickly, and 3 NEEDLES was not listed as a "best bet" on the festival website. However, there was no problem at all getting the three tickets we needed. I felt very satisfied to see our system working once again.

We caught a French film, DOUCHES FROIDES last night, and I was pretty underwhelmed. Things could only go up from there, and up they did go with the first film for today, SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC. I'll be doing formal reviews at a later date, but Sarah's edgy humor kept the audience laughing.

Tonight we are going to the first party of our TIFF career, in celebration of Sarah Silverman's movie! We've never been invited to parties before, and this year we received two invites (we also received a invitation to THE SQUID & THE WHALE party). I still don't know how we got on the list, but I suspect, at least for the Sarah Silverman party, Eric D'Arbeloff has something to do with it. He produced Sarah's film (he also produced WALK ON WATER and LADIES IN LAVENDAR, in addition to Nicole Holofcener's films) and we have had several e-mail correspodences over the years but have only met briefly. I may find out tonight and will have to thank him if that's the case!

Chris has arrived in Toronto, and I will be meeting him in a few moments for SHANGHAI DREAMS, the latest film by the director of BEIJING BICYCLE. Meanwhile, Scot is seeing LIZA WITH A Z, with Liza Minnelli herself in person at the screening! How wild is that?

Okay, Chris just called, he's in line! Gotta go. More later...

It's Good to be Back in Toronto

After a hone hour delay at Logan Airport due to severe thunderstorms in Toronto (it was beautiful by the time we arrived) the flight went off without a hitch. Scot and I shared the plane with Clinton, then met up with Bruce (who had also been delayed flying out of LaGuardia) for a cab ride to the Jarvis House. Not as elegant as last year's (problematic) B&B, the rooms are quite nice and more spacious than I had expected. Met up with Ivy, Ned, Tom and Jen upon arrival and we all trekked out to the Box Office, the first official Toronto Internationl Film Festival task, and one fraught with anxiety. As expected, many of the films we wanted to get tickets for were marked "Rush Only." After brief seconds of disappointment, we reminded ourselves that "day of" tickets are the way we are always successful.

Scot, Bruce and I got into a dishearteningly long line after marking our choices, and proceeded to finalize our list while waiting. Between the three of us, plus requests from Chris, Beth and Mary, all of whom are arriving on Friday, we came up with a pretty extensive list, even with many films disqualified due to their "Rush" status. We did a pretty good job, nabbing 44 tickets on Day One. That's actually pretty amazing. And let me tell you, waiting in line at mid-day on Day One is no picnic. Give me a 6:15 a.m. line anyday.

Afterwards, the three of us made a beeline to Sassafraz for some much needed food and beverage. Scot sighed at the thought of his beloved lychee martini, and I was thrilled with my "Bad-ass" Mojito. After a relaxing dinner, we walked back to the B&B for a brief regroup, and now it's time to head out to our first film. Scot and I will be catching a French film entitled, DOUCHES FROIDES. I suspect I shall be pretty tired afterwards, and plan to return to the B&B in preparation for the first ealry morning ticket run.

On a side note, there is no wireless access here at the Jarvis House, so my posts might not be as frequent as I'd hoped. I will do my best! Stay tuned...

Check out the newest update to our website, 'Spotlight on ... Amy Robinson', in which I have a conversation with this well-respected film producer.

Quick - who can tell me, without an assist from Google or IMDB, which movie was her first with Martin Scorsese? Winner gets, uh, a Chlotrudis bookmark!

Toronto-bound Tomorrow

It's 10:09 p.m. on Wednesday night, and we're all packed (except for my laptop, of course) and ready to go to the Toronto International Film Festival tomorrow morning. I must mention how generous and cool Scot is, as he let me extend our trip by two days... for a couple of reasons, but mainly so I could see Tsai Ming-Liang's THE WAYWARD CLOUD on Friday night. It helps a little that Scot gets to see the new Takashi Miike flick, THE GREAT YOKAI WAR, and we get to join Beth for the Hugh Dillon Redemption Choir show on Friday night. (For those of you who don't know, Hugh Dillon is a Canadian actor who has appeared in HARD CORE LOGO and the forthcoming DOWN TO THE BONE... he's also in a rock 'n roll band.)

As for Toronto preparations, for the first time I advance ordered tickets online. Tickets for Canadian films are notoriously difficult to get at the festival, so just to play it safe, I got my tickets to Atom Egoyan's WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. So I'm sure to see that one anyway! (I'm actually just hoping that I get to say hello to Arsinee Khanjian!

Speaking of our fabulous Canadian friends, I have been in touch with Daniel MacIvor, Wiebke von Carolsfeld, and Kish Iqbal (Ellen Page's agent) via e-mail, and we are planning to get together at various points during the festival. I've spoken to Marilyn and discussed our plans to meet up at the Saturday screening of CAPOTE, starring her fabulous son, Phil. The biggest surprise of all is the fact that I've received invitations to TWO parties! I've never partaken in the party scene in Toronto, but that all changes this time out. On Friday night, we'll be heading to Sarah Silverman's party celebrating her new film SARAH SILVERMAN: JESUS IS MAGIC, and on Tuesday night we'll be joining Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels to celebrate the release of their film, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE.

So the excitement is mounting. I will do my best to blog each day from Toronto and let you know what's going on, but it all depends on our internet access. Now I've got to put a few finishing touches on my film list and get to bed!

Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies & Indie Film Round-Up, September 9 - 15

Hello Everyone,

As most of you know, this week many Chlotrudis members head north to the Toronto International Film Festival! We will be seeing a whole bunch of films all week, and I was going to set up something for this week's Monday Night Movie of the Week, but nothing really calls out for it. I will leave the decision up to Beth Caldwell, who offerred to plan this week's Monday Night at the Movies. Meanwhile, keep track of what's going on in Toronto via Chlotrudis Mewsings, the new Chlotrudis blog. I will try to report daily... or as close to daily as possible, with all the north of the border shenanigans. It all depends on whether or not we have a high-speed internet connection, so I will do my best.

So, apologies for the abbreviated announcement this week! A couple theatres didn't have their listings ready for next week, but I wanted to get this on the site before we left. Have a great week, and next year, think about joining us in Toronto!

That's it for this week.
See you at the movies!

Playing this week, September 9 - 15.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Complete Kubrick
Lolita (Fri. & Sat.)
Dr. Strangelove (Fri. & Sat.)
Spartacus (Sun.)
Paths of Glory (Mon. & Tue.)
Full Metal Jacket (Mon. & Tue.)
A Clockwork Orange (Wed.)
Eyes Wide Shut (Thu.)


Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Broken Flowers
A State of Mind
The Aristocrats
March of the Penguins
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Murderball (Sat. & Sun.)
Midnite Movies!
The Harder They Come (Fri. & Sat.)
Boston Comedy and Movie Festival presents
Best in Show (Fri.)
Bluff: the Movie (Sat.)
Funny Shorts (Thu.)
Celebrating the 70's
Deliverance (Mon.)
Film Class: Prisoners of Circumstance
The Magdalene Sisters
Brookline Booksmith Presents
Candace Bushnell (Thu.)


FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
Mad Hot Ballroom
Ladies in Lavender
Howl's Moving Castle

Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Too Human: The Films of Louis Malle
The Silent World (Fri. & Sun.)
Human, Too Human & Vive Le Tour (Fri. & Sun.)
Phantom India (Episodes 1-3) (Sat. & Mon.)
Phantom India (Episodes 4-7) (Sat. & Tue.)
Calcutta (Wed. & Thu.)
Place de la Republique (Wed. & Thu.)


Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Junebug
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins


Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
Sequins
The Constant Gardener
The Memory of a Killer
An Unfinished Life
2046
Grizzly Man
Junebug
The Aristocrats
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Me and You and Everyone We Know

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Pretty Persuasion
2046
An Unfinished Life
Broken Flowers
Murderball
Mad Hot Ballroom
March of the Penguins


Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Pretty Persuasion
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins
An Unfinished Life (Sat. & Sun.)


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Music on Film
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (Sat.)
Touch the Sound (Sat.)
Rhythm Is It (Sun.)
The Films of Louis Malle
Zazie in the Metro (Sat.)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (Sun. & Thu.)
The Fire Within (Thu.)
Argentinian Theatre
Felicidades (Sat.)
New England Film Artists Present
Parallel Lines (Sun. & Thu.)
Starring Daniel Br�>
No More School (Thu.)


The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Broken Flowers


COMING SOON!

September Events from The Boston Jewish Film Festival

The Louis Malle retrospective continues at the Harvard Film Archive and the Museum of Fine Arts.�We co-present AU REVOIR, LES ENFANTS September 11 and 15 at the MFA.�On September 11, the filmmaker�s daughter, Chloe, will introduce.

ReelPass Video Bash tickets for Thursday night now available online.

Group sales for the 2005 Boston Jewish Film Festival (November 2 � 13, plus two screenings in Arlington November 15 & 17) are starting now!

Click here�for details on all upcoming events

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BJFF co-presents final film in the Louis Malle Retrospective presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge

Sun, Sep 11, 1:30 pm, with an introduction by Chloe Malle, daughter of the director Thu, Sep 15, 6 pm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (France, 1987, 104 min.).
Few films have more effectively revealed the day-to-day atmosphere of the Nazi occupation of France, the suspicions and fears and misplaced glances that can suddenly bring on disaster. This moving tour de force takes place in the winter of 1944 as Julien and his schoolmates prepare for a new semester at their Catholic boarding school. Three new students are admitted, and one of them, Jean, becomes Julien's roommate. Circling each other warily, the boys become friends; Jean is bright and talented but seems to be harboring a secret. The eventual revelation of that secret�surely one of the most powerful sequences in Malle's entire body of work�will not only rob Julien of his childhood but, the film implies, will decisively shape the man he will eventually become.

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Especially for audiences in their 20s and 30s:
ReelPass Video Bash
Come party with the Boston Jewish Film Festival!
September 8, 2005, 6:30-9pm
The Tonic Bar, 1316 Commonwealth Ave. Allston, MA (This event is 21+)

Join us for a night of cocktails, hors d'oeurves, giveaways, film shorts, music, and more, as we introduce our new ReelPass!

More information and buy online

Twice Screened Short Filmmaker Releases DVD!

Artist Signe Baumane is one of the few filmmakers to have had two short films play the Chlotrudis Short Film Festival in different years. Many will remember NATASHA from the 3rd Annual Short Film Festival, about a lonely housewife who shares a special bond with her vacuum cleaner. Then last year at the 5th Short Film Festival, she returned with WOMAN. Now you can see these and eight other films by Signe on her newly released DVD, 10 ANIMATED FILMS BY SIGNE BAUMANE.

Baumane was born in Latvia, educated in Russia and has been working in the U.S. since 1995. After extensive work in film and illustration in Europe, she began an extensive collaboration with artist Bill Plympton. Her films are filled with whimsy and myth... and quite a bit of sexuality as well. Visit Signe's website for more information about the woman and her work.

Thanks to Lazy Limabean Film Magazine for the info.

An Introductory Post

Hi, I wanted to dip my toe in the waters and say a bit about what I'm hoping to do with my slice of the Chlotrudis blogosphere. I'm a second-generation film fan - I get it from my father, from whom I also inherited an intense drive to learn absolutely everything I can about my particular hobbies and interests. As I've gotten more involved with Chlotrudis over the years, I've gotten more and more determined to find out about every other small or non-profit or volunteer-driven film-related event in the metro Boston area, as well as film-related website on the Internet. Sure, it's a tall order to fill, and if I'm not careful, that way surely lies madness.

But in the meanwhile, and until such messy end, accompany me on my journey of greater film knowledge, won't you? My humble goal is to post a new entry once a month, in which I will share what I've learned, or answer to questions I've puzzled over - for example, exactly how many niche film festivals are contained within the city of Boston?

From time to time I will also post other sorts of 'roving reporter' type fare - in fact, the next post of mine will fall into this category. Check this space in the next couple of days for the first of what I hope will be an occasional series of conversations with various members of the independent film community.

HBO's "The Comeback" is Brilliant TV

With "Six Feet Under" airing its series finale two weeks ago, "Entourage" and "The Comeback" wrapping their seasons tonight, and "Slings & Arrows" bringing its first season to a close next week, our Sunday night TV line-up is slowly winding down. I've really enjoyed all these well-written, well-acted series, but although it's not really movie-related, I had to take a moment to write a little about Lisa Kudrow's reality TV/sitcom hybrid.

Lisa Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish, a former sitcom star who had a smash hit called "I'm It!" over a decade ago. Now Valerie has struggling to make a comeback by appearing as a Mrs. Roper-style supporting cast member on a T&A UPN-style sitcom called "Room and Bored" while also filming a reality TV show about her life called "The Comeback." The double layers of fiction and "reality" are spun brilliantly showing the way reality TV is filmed and edited while looking at some harsh "realities" of life in Hollywood. It's easy to view Valerie Cherish as pathetic, with her inability to let go of her moment in the sun as TV's It Girl and deal with the realities of being a woman of a certain age in the entertainment business. Her desperate need to make the "A-list" again is painfully exposed by the rough footage that is being shot for her reality show. She is humiliated at nearly every turn, and deals with it by tightening her smile or trying to nobly rise above it. I see something strangely heroic in Valerie's "I'll do anything to survive" attitude and her attempt at trying to do the right thing while at the same time doing anything she can to get noticed.

Kudrow is particularly adept at balancing on this line between harsh comedy and painful drama. Her two indie film roles (THE OPPOSITE OF SEX; HAPPY ENDINGS) have shown she is a talented actress capable of handling this dichotomy. Her supporting cast has grown strong over the course of the season, led by the hilarious antics of Valerie's flamboyant yet closeted hairdresser Mickey (played by Robert Michael Morris; her dour, manipulative, yet gradually sympathetic producer Jane (played by Laura Silverman; her jiggly "Room & Bored" co-star, and current It-Girl Juna (played by Malin Akerman); the insulting, coarse "Room & Bored" writer and co-creator Paulie G (played by Lance Barber; and her supportive, yet frustrated husband Marky Mark (played by Hal Hartley alum Damian Young).

The writers of the show have created a terrific, evolving arc throughout the first season. Valerie's character was more superficial and less "real" in the first several episodes, but as she gradually let her guard down, and as adversity reared its ugly head (usually in the form of Paulie G) in subsequent episodes, glimpses of the real woman and been more frequent. While these glimpses are not always flattering, they are humanizing, and hence Valerie's heroism emerged. In the penultimate show of the season, Valerie can no longer stomach the verbal abuses flung her way by Paulie G and she slugs him. I can't imagine anyone who had been watching throughout the season not letting out a cheer. Because of this evolution, and the odd structure of the show, some viewers may have given up after the first two or three episodes. Those that remained were privy to the emerging brilliance of a unique comedy/drama capping the Sunday night line-up on HBO. Here's one fan who hopes "The Comeback" comes back next season.

Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies & Indie Film Round-Up, September 2 - 8

Hello Everyone,

Not too much new opening this weekend, and it's Labor Day weekend to boot, so it's a good time to play catch-up. I know some of you have seen this film already, but I just don't want to miss Werner Herzog's new documentary, GRIZZLY MAN. Join us Monday night for the 7:20 screening at the Kendall Square Cinema. Herzog chronicles life and studies of Timothy Treadwell who tried to live among grizzlies in the Alaska wilderness. Herzog's films are always fascinating, so don't miss a chance to see this one.

Director Werner Herzog's latest documentary explores the life of Timothy Treadwell, an activist who thought he could live safely among the grizzly bears of the Alaskan wilderness while he studied them. But Treadwell was eventually killed�along with his partner Amie Huguenard�by one of the very animals to whom he had devoted years of research. Using Treadwell's own video footage, Herzog examines the emotions and mind of an intriguing, infuriating and perhaps even tragic figure. Original music by Richard Thompson. Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at 2005 Sundance Film Festival.
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Timothy Treadwell (archival footage), Amie Huguenard (archival footage), Franc G. Fallico


It's still playing at the Kendall and the Embassy, but sububanites take notice: Wong Kar Wai's rhapsodic 2046 expands this week to Hollywood Hits in Danvers. Fans of his gorgeous IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE won't want to miss this sequel, and even if you haven't seen that film, you should check out 2046. Tony Leung stars with able assistance by the revelatory Zhang Zhiyi, Gong Li, Faye Wong and many more. Get swept away by 2046.

The Brattle Theatre begins a two-week retrospective on the works of Stanley Kubrick this week. Friday night kicks things off with two lesser seen films, THE KILLING and KILLER'S KISS. If you want to get caught up on the works of a filmmakers whose films include 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and DR. STRANGELOVE, OR HOW I STOPPED WORRYING AND LEARNED TO LOVE THE BOMB, this is your chance. There aren't many theatres in the country that provide this kind of programming. Support the Brattle Film Foundation!

Next Thursday I fly to Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival. Keep track of what Chlotrudis is up to in Toronto at Chlotrudis Mewsings, the new film blog by members of the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Stop by and check it out. I've been blogging about the build-up to Toronto, and Chris has supplied some info on the many films being released this coming fall. Others will be posting as well, so do drop by. As for next week's listings, I will try to get them sent out by Thursday morning before I leave. Beth Caldwell has offerred to organize the Chlotrudis Monday Night at the Movies on September 12, so watch for the announcement!

That's it for this week.
See you at the movies!

Playing this week, September 2 - 8.

Brattle Theatre, Cambridge
The Complete Kubrick
The Killing (Fri. & Sat.)
Killer's Kiss (Fri. & Sat.)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Sun. & Mon.)
Barry Lyndon (Tue.)
The Shining (Wed. & Thu.)


Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Broken Flowers
A State of Mind
Murderball
March of the Penguins
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Midnite Movies!
The Warriors (Fri. & Sat.)
Celebrating the 70's
Jaws w/ pre-show Beach Party & Introduction by a Shark Expert! (Mon.)


FEI Theatres
Capitol Theatre, Arlington
Mad Hot Ballroom
Ladies in Lavender

Somerville Theatre, Somerville
Murderball
Mad Hot Ballroom
Bombay Cinema Presents
Mangal Pandey (Sat. - Mon.)
No Etnry (Sat. - Mon.)


Harvard Film Archive, Cambridge
Screenings Resume September 9.

Hollywood Hits Theatre, Danvers
Grizzly Man
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins
2046


Landmark Theatres
Kendall Square, Cambridge
The Constant Gardener
The Memory of a Killer
The Tunnel
2046
Grizzly Man
Junebug
The Aristocrats
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Me and You and Everyone We Know

Embassy Cinema, Waltham
Pretty Persuasion
2046
Asylum
Broken Flowers
Murderball
Mad Hot Ballroom
March of the Penguins


Loew's Harvard Square, Cambridge
Pretty Persuasion
Broken Flowers
March of the Penguins
An Unfinished Life (Sat. & Sun.)


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Music on Film
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (Fri., Sat., Wed., & Thu.)
Accordian Tribe (Sun.)
The Films of Louis Malle
The Lovers (Fri. & Thu.)
Zazie in the Metro (Sat)
The Fire Within (Sat.)
Elevator to the Gallows (Sun.)
Lancombe Lucien (Sun. & Wed.)
Murmur of the Heart (Thu.)
Croation Cinema
Witnesses (Sat.)
Argentinian Theatre
Felicidades


The Newburyport Screening Room, Newburyport
Broken Flowers


West Newton Cinema, West Newton
The Aristocrats
The Constant Gardener
The Beat That My Heart Skipped
Grizzly Man
Paper Clips
The Memory of a Killer
Ladies in Lavender


COMING SOON!

September Events from The Boston Jewish Film Festival

We are very pleased to copresent Louis Malle�s classic LACOMBE, LUCIEN in retrospective of the director�s work,September 4 and September 7 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

ReelPass Video Bash kicks off our new programming for 20s and 30s, September 8 at Tonic Bar!�

Be sure you receive your 2005 Boston Jewish Film Festival brochure!�Update your address NOW.

See www.bjff.org for details on our upcoming events


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Two films in the Louis Malle Retrospective presented by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge

Sun, Sep 4, 3:15 pm
Wed, Sep 7, 7:30 pm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
LACOMBE, LUCIEN
Louis Malle
France/West Germany/Italy, 1974, 137 min., French with English subtitles

Few films about the German Occupation of France have had the moral force and clarity of LACOMBE, LUCIEN, a disquieting portrait of a young peasant, desperate for social acceptance, who is rejected by the Resistance for his lack of commitment. He turns to the Nazis, who find his casual amorality and instinct for survival useful and attractive. Soon an expert in hunting down and torturing people for the Gestapo, he falls in love with a Jewish girl, failing to recognize the moral dilemma this incurs. "A knockout. Without ever mentioning the subject of innocence and guilt, LACOMBE, LUCIEN, in its calm leisurely way, addresses it on a deeper level than any other movie I know" (Pauline Kael).

Tickets are $8 for MFA and BJFF members, seniors, and students; $9 for general admission.�Tickets may be purchased in advance at 617-369-3306 or atwww.mfa.org/film

Next week in this series:

Sun, Sep 11, 1:30 pm, with an introduction by Chloe Malle, daughter of the director Thu, Sep 15, 6 pm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS

For details on the full Malle Retrospective series, see www.mfa.org/film

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Especially for audiences in their 20s and 30s:

ReelPass Video Bash
Come party with the Boston Jewish Film Festival!
September 8, 2005, 6:30-9pm
The Tonic Bar, 1316 Commonwealth Ave. Allston, MA (This event is 21+)

Join us for a night of cocktails, hors d'oeurves, giveaways, film shorts, music, and more, as we introduce our new ReelPass!

$40:�Gets you admission to the Tonic party and 1 drink ticket PLUS your ReelPass -a flexible 3-film pass that includes an exclusive invitation to a cocktail reception during the 2005 Boston Jewish Film Festival (November 2-13).

$15 in advance/$20 at the door: Gets you admission to the Tonic party and 1 drink ticket (ReelPass may be purchased separately at the party for an additional $25)

Buy online at http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=ma&query=detail&event=627514&interface= or Call 617-244-9899 for more information and to reserve your space NOW.

Not in your 20s or 30s?�Send this notice to someone who is.�And don�t worry � we�ve got plenty of programming for you, too!

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Make sure you receive your Festival brochure!

The 2005 Boston Jewish Film Festival brochure will be available in early October.�Make sure you receive yours � if you�ve moved in the last year, update your address with us by calling 617-244-9899, or email us at info@bjff.org

Know someone who should receive our brochure that�s not on our list?�Let them know to contact us now to sign up!

The schedule will also be available at our website starting October 3.

Michael R. Colford
Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film, President

Fall Film Fun

We’re approaching that time of year when, traditionally, everyone from the largest studios to the tiniest distributors trot ‘em all out: the prestige pictures, the festival acquisitions, the Oscar Hopefuls. Last year, I posted a top ten list of what films I most fervently wanted to see. This year, I’ve decided to group them into categories instead:

1. CHLOTRUDIS FAVORITES
Doesn’t it seem like years since we’ve seen Philip Seymour Hoffman in anything? (Well, two, actually, but still). He returns in October as CAPOTE, a biopic that already collected some positive buzz when a rough cut of it was screened at Kendall Sq. earlier this summer. Come Christmas, we’ll also finally be able to see Ellen Page in the controversial HARD CANDY (which, curiously, is not screening at Toronto this month).

2. LITERARY ADAPTATIONS
Quite a few of ‘em this year; maybe no more than usual, but, for a change, I’ve actually read some of the books. I’m most curious to see BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Annie Proulx’s superb short story about a gay cowboy romance. It once had Gus Van Sant attached to it, but with Ang Lee now directing, I’m intrigued. Other potentially interesting adaptations: EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED (How will first-time director Liev Schreiber handle the book’s surreal, personal narrative?), SHOPGIRL (Steve Martin’s bittersweet novella could make up for years of limp studio flicks and give him his first role of substance since THE SPANISH PRISONER), BEE SEASON (I like that the directorial team behind THE DEEP END is taking on Myla Goldberg’s heady story about spelling bees and Jewish mysticism, but I’m having trouble picturing Richard Gere, of all people, as a cantor) and WHERE THE TRUTH LIES (haven’t read this one, but Atom Egoyan, another Chlotrudis fave, directs Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth in an adaptation of a crime thriller by the guy who once sang “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”: how can you not want to see that?).

3. DEBUT FEATURES
Mike Mills at last follows the footsteps of fellow music video auteurs Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry into film featuredom with THUMBSUCKER. Apparently, it’s about a teenager (Lou Taylor Pucci) who simply can’t stop sucking his thumb. Maybe he’s just overwhelmed that his parents are played by Tilda Swinton and Vincent D’Onofrio (and Keanu Reeves is his shrink!). Screenwriter Craig Lucas (THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS) also debuts with THE DYING GAUL, which features an excellent trio of actors: Campbell Scott, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard.

4. FOLLOW-UPS AND RETURNS
Score a big indie crossover hit, and the world expects another one… if only it were that simple. Just ask Gurinder Chadha, who followed up BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (US box office: $34.2 million) with BRIDE AND PREJUDICE ($6.4 million). Niki Caro probably hopes to fare better with her post-WHALE RIDER project, NORTH COUNTRY, which sounds like a new take on NORMA RAE with Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek. Noah Baumbach (KICKING AND SCREAMING) hasn’t directed a film in eight years. His latest, the autobiographical THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, headed by Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney, had a strong reception at Sundance. Woody Allen, on the other hand, hasn’t directed a *good* film in eight years. Many are already calling MATCH POINT a return-to-form, although its British setting and class-related subject matter make it captivatingly sound like a long-needed break from anything else he’s done.

5. BIG BUDGET STUFF
Amidst the Broadway adaptations (THE PRODUCERS, RENT), the return of Terence Malick (THE NEW WORLD) and another HARRY POTTER film, I’ll be making time to see two stop-animation epics (both likely Chlotrudis non-eligible): Tim Burton’s THE CORPSE BRIDE, and the long awaited WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT.

But wait! There’s also David Cronenberg’s A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, Cameron Crowe’s ELIZABETHTOWN, Neil Jordan’s BREAKFAST ON PLUTO (can’t wait to see Cillian Murphy in this), TRANSAMERICA (ditto for Felicity Huffman) and the ensemble film NINE LIVES (directed by Rodrigo Garcia, who did the underrated THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER a few years ago)... and many more I'm sure I don't know about yet.