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The 2004 Season of the Town Hall Feature Film Seminar
The 2004 season opened on Nov 24 with
 THE STATEMENT
a contemporary political thriller based on a novel by Brian Moore. The Statement shines a light on some of the darkest corners of the religious and political establishment. Set in modern day France, it is the story of Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine) who as a young man was a Nazi executioner under the Vichy regime. Brossard has never been brought to trial and has lived a peaceful and anonymous sheltered life. A new investigation into his crimes is launched and Brossard finds himself the target of hit men on the one hand and police investigators on the other. A wily old fox, he keeps outwitting his pursuers while desperately trying to figure out who they are. Who will get to him first? The investigators or the assassins?
Released by Sony Pictures Classics. Rated: R. Running Time: 2 hours
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Subsequent films were:
 December 8th CALENDAR GIRLS. Based on a true story, Nigel Cole's Calander Girls has a mix of comedy and heart-tugging emotion. Annie (Julie Walters) and Chris (Helen Mirren), of bucolic Yorkshire, belong to the Women's Institute (WI), which preserves traditional homemaking practices. While they're just as dedicated as the other ladies in the group, Annie and Chris are adventurous personalities, and they poke fun at the WI's tedious lectures on broccoli and fabrics. In an effort to raise money for the local hospital while also spicing things up at the WI, the ladies decide to put a new spin on the WI calendar, which usually depicts landscapes or churches. It's no surprise that the finished calendar is a wild success, bringing the ladies instant notoriety and adoration.
Released by Touchstone Films Rated: PG-13. Running Time: 1 hour and 48 minutes
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February 2nd GOOD BYE, LENIN! Germany's Official entry for Best Foreign Film Oscar. October, 1989 was a bad time to fall into a coma if you lived in East Germany - and this is precisely what happens to Alex's proudly socialist mother. Alex has a big problem on his hands when she suddenly awakens eight months later. Her heart is so weak that any shock might kill her. And what could be more shocking than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the triumph of capitalism in her beloved East Germany? To save his mother, Alex transforms the family apartment into an island of the past, a kind of socialist-era museum where his mother is lovingly duped into believing that nothing has changed. What begins as a little white lie turns into a major scam as Alex's sister and selected neighbors are recruited to maintain the elaborate ruse - and keep her believing that Lenin really did win after all!
Released by Sony Pictures Classics. Rated R. Running Time: 121. German with English Subtitles. |
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February 23rd SUNDAY ON THE ROCKS. In his feature directorial debut, Joe  Morton has distilled a compelling, voyeuristic romp with four roommates, a bottle of scotch and the struggles of love, faith, sex and friendship. Elly, Gayle, Jen and Jessica are four women sharing a house in New England. When Gayle discovers Elly - having scotch for breakfast, Elly reveals a troubling "secret" and recruits Gayle as a drinking buddy. Jen, always ready for a party, eagerly picks up a glass. As the day progresses water colors, feather boas, drinking, smoking, "girl talk" and an Ouija board prove a potent tonic as the three women expose themselves as only three drunken women can. All fun comes to an abrupt halt when Jessica comes home from a sobering afternoon. Bitter rivalry divides the house and one of the women disappears for an adventure that will shock everyone and define loyalties.
2 Lizzies Productions. Not yet rated. 75 minutes.
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March 8th PERFECT OPPOSITES. Perfect Opposites is a romantic comedy about a young couple facing that momentous transition between college and adult life. Two months before graduation, two college students, Drew (Martin Henderson) and Julia (Piper Perabo), fall in love. Drew asks Julia to move across the country to Los Angeles, where he's set to be an entertainment lawyer. When they get there, they find that maybe they don't have as much in common as they once thought.
Released by MAC Releasing. Rated PG-13. Running time 91 minutes. |
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March 22nd TWILIGHT SAMURAI Based on 3 short stories of popular novelist F ujisawa Syuhei! Nominated as Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards. In nineteenth-century Japan, a widowed samurai caring for his mother and two young daughters has little time or inclination to pursue his profession's traditional warrior life. That changes, however, when he steps forward to defend a young woman from an attack by her drunken ex-husband.
Released by Panorama Entertainment. Rated PG-13. Running time 130 minutes. Chinese with English subtitles. |
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April 12 - MORLANG . Julius Morlang (Paul Freeman) is a successful artist. For fifteen years he ahs been married to Ellen (Diana Kent), his muse and personal manager. When Ellen Confesses to a brief affair with his rival up-and-coming artist, Morlang retreats into the arm of a young admirer. An unexpected and devestating development strains Julius and Ellen's relationship even more. Based loosely on a true story, Morlang is a chilling, psychological drama about jealousy, betrayal and revenge.
Released by Film Movement. Not rated. Running Time: 97 minutes.
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Ap ril 26th BOBBY JONES - STROKE OF GENIUS. Before Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, before professional sports became the behemoth industry it is today, shined one of the most gifted natural athletes the world has ever known. A man whose extraordinary talent and will to win earned him universal recognition as one of the greatest golfers in history. A reluctant hero, his grace and charm made him one of the popular figures of his day. His name was Bobby Jones. Jim Caviezel brilliantly portrays Jones in this inspiring story of an extraordinary man struggling to find balance in his life. His fiery temper and pressure from family, friends, fans, and press turned his fun into toil. His fierce ambition collided with his personal integrity, and he faced the reality that the hopes, dreams and fortunes of the people he loved the most were being sacrificed for his career. Under this unbearable burden his heroic nature became clear. In the modern world, where the pure in spirit are hard to find, Bobby Jones - Stroke of Genius is the story of a man who, in spite of his flaws, strove to be the best he could be.
Released by Film Foundry Releasing. Rated PG. Running time 2 hours. |
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May 10th LONG LIFE, HAPPINESS AND PROSPE RITY
Set against a background of richly drawn characters, each of whom are exploring their own fate and destiny, the film focuses on the story of Kin (Sandra Oh), a young divorced mother raising her 12 year old daughter, Mindy (Valerie Tian). When twelve year-old Mindy Ho inexpertly tries Taoist magic to fix her single mother's financial situation and seemingly hopeless romantic prospects, the results are unexpected, hysterically funny and heart warming.
Released by Film Movement. Not Rated. Running time 91 minutes.
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May 24th MONSIEUR N. A historical conspiracy thriller set on Saint Helena during Napoleon's exile. As well as the battle of wills between Napoleon and the island governor, the film examines the motives of those who chose to share their Emperor's exile.
Running Time 129 minutes. English with French (subtitles).
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June 7 - THE NOTEBOOK. Based on the Book by Nicholas Sparks. As a man (James Garner) reads from a faded notebook to the woman (Gina Rowlands) he regularly visits at a nursing home, his words bring to life the story of a young couple (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams) who are separated by World War II, then passionately reunited 14 years later after their lives have taken different paths.
MPAA Rating: PG 13. Running time 121 minutes. |
June 21 - NOLA - An urban romantic comedy, in which Nola (Emmy Rossum), an aspiring songwriter, leaves an abusive Kansas home and journeys to New York to find her biological father. Once there, she finds more than she expected. Also starring: Mary McDonnell, Steven Bauer, James Badge Dale, Thom Christopher, Michael Cavadias and more. Written and Directed by Alan Hruska.
Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. MPAA Rating: R - Running Time:97 minutes
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