“Howl” – Oct 31st

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 31st at 5:30pm for Howl at the West End Cinema . Look for Craig wearing a black baseball cap with an orange “P” in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Young Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) recounts in his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style the road trips, love affairs, and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem “Howl.” Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, “Howl” is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while defense attorney Jake Ehrlich argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the fervently passionate. “Howl” mashes up genres and rides wild emotions as it reveals all the ways a fearless work of art impacted its creator and the world. Directed by Jeffrey Friedman. Starring James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Treat Williams, Bob Balaban.

Please note: this is West End Cinema’s opening weekend, as well as the opening weekend and only venue for Howl in the district; you should plan your ticket purchase accordingly.

“The Killing” – Oct 24th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 24th at 3:20 for The Killing at the AFI Silver . Look for Elizabeth wearing a gray Joan Jett t-shirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Stanley Kubrick was 27 when he directed his third feature, creating one of film noir’s most influential works. This film marked a key transition between the end of the classic noir cycle of the ’40s and ’50s and the neonoir period of the ’60s and ’70s. Ex-con hard case Sterling Hayden assembles a crew of colorful lowlifes to pull off a daring daytime racetrack heist. Poor judgment, bad luck and a faithless wife conspire to undo their big score, and as things fall apart, this time-fractured puzzle of a story comes together. The screenplay was co-written by Kubrick and pulp great Jim Thompson; the sharp cinematography is by Lucien Ballard.

DIR/SCR Stanley Kubrick, based on the novel Clean Break by Lionel White; PROD James B. Harris. US, 1956, b&w, 85 min. NOT RATED

This film is being screened as part of the 2010 Film Noir Festival. Appearing in person will be Foster Hirsch of The Film Noir Foundation.

“Catfish” – Oct 10th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 10th at 4:30 for Catfish at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Laine wearing a pink jacket in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

When a 20-something New York City photographer is contacted on Facebook by an 8-year-old painting prodigy from rural Michigan, he becomes deeply enmeshed in her life. He starts to correspond with her family and ends up having a cyber-romance with her older sister. That is, until a crack appears in her older sister’s story. Documentary.

“The Social Network” – Oct 3rd

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Oct 3rd at 4pm for The Social Network at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Craig wearing a black baseball cap with an orange “P” in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

“The Social Network” explores the moment at which Facebook, the most revolutionary social phenomena of the new century, was invented — through the warring perspectives of the super-smart young men who each claimed to be there at its inception. The result is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that audaciously avoids a singular POV, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time. Drawn from multiple sources, the film captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making — and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart. Directed by David Fincher. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Joseph Mazzello, Rooney Mara.

“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” – Sep 26th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 26th at 4:15 for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps at the AMC Loews Uptown 1 . Look for Laine wearing a denim skirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Back in action again following a long prison term, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) finds himself on the outside looking in at a world he once commanded. Ostensibly hoping to repair his broken relationship with his daughter, Gekko forges an alliance with her fiance, Jacob (Shia LaBeouf). Though Jacob comes to view Gekko as a father figure, he learns the hard way that Gekko is still a master manipulator who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

“A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop” – Sep 19th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 19th at 5:30 for A Woman, A Gun and a Noodle Shop at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Elizabeth wearing a gray Joan Jett t-shirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Wang is a gloomy and cunning noodle shop owner in a desert town in China. Feeling neglected, Wang’s wife secretly goes out with his employee, Li. A timid man, Li reluctantly keeps the gun the landlady bought for ‘killing her husband later’. However, not a single move they make escapes the boss’s notice, and he decides to bribe patrol officer Zhang to kill the illicit couple. It looks like a perfect plan: the affair will come to a cruel but satisfying end… or so he thinks, but the equally wicked Zhang has an agenda of his own that will lead to even more violence. Note: Film is presented in Chinese (Mandarin) with English subtitles.

“DC Shorts Film Festival” – Sep 12th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 12th at 4pm for DC Shorts Film Festival at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Brian wearing a green “Life is good” t-shirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

Some info from the festival organizers: The DC Shorts Film Festival runs from September 9-16. During the week, we will screen 97 short films (from 1 to 24 minutes) in 9 rotating showcases – each about 2 hours. See films from 12 countries around the globe – and some incredible movies made here at home! The week culminates with the special “Best of DC Shorts” screenings on Thursday, September 16, where we will present the jury award winners and the selections chosen by audience vote.

SNFC will be attending a screening of Showcase #2 which includes 10 short films between 6 and 20 minutes in length. The screening is at Landmark E Street Cinema at 4pm. Tickets cost $12 and may be purchased at the theater, or in advance at http://www.dcshorts.com/tickets/.

“The American” – Sep 5th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Sep 5th at 5pm for The American at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Laine wearing a denim skirt in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

The suspense thriller The American stars Academy Award winner George Clooney in the title role for director Anton Corbijn (Control). The screenplay by Rowan Joffe is adapted from Martin Booth’s 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman.

As an assassin, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is constantly on the move and always alone. After a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, Jack retreats to the Italian countryside. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town. While there, Jack takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten).

Savoring the peaceful quietude he finds in the mountains of Abruzzo, Jack accepts the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues a torrid liaison with a beautiful woman, Clara (Violante Placido). Jack and Clara’s time together evolves into a romance, one seemingly free of danger. But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.

“The Other Guys” – Aug 29th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Aug 29th at 6:30 for The Other Guys at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Pete wearing a red tie in the theatre lobby about 15 minutes before the film. As always, after the film we will descend on a local establishment for dinner/drinks/discussion.

NYPD Detectives Christopher Danson and P.K. Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) are the baddest and most beloved cops in New York City. They don’t get tattoos – other men get tattoos of them. Two desks over and one back, sit Detectives Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg). You’ve seen them in the background of photos of Danson and Highsmith, out of focus and eyes closed. They’re not heroes – they’re “the Other Guys.” But every cop has his or her day and soon Gamble and Hoitz stumble into a seemingly innocuous case no other detective wants to touch that could turn into New York City’s biggest crime. It’s the opportunity of their lives, but do these guys have the right stuff?