“The Monuments Men” – Feb 16th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 16th at 3:45pm for The Monuments Men at the AMC Loews Uptown 1 . Look for Brian F. wearing a black splint on his right wrist 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.

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, the film is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners.

“Gloria” – Feb 9th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 9th at 4:30 for Gloria at the Landmark Bethesda Row . Look for Laine wearing a green coat 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.

Gloria (Paulina Garcia) is a “woman of a certain age” but still feels young. Though lonely, she makes the best of her situation and fills her nights seeking love at social dance clubs for single adults. Her fragile happiness changes the day she meets Rodolfo (Sergio Hernandez). Their intense passion, to which Gloria gives her all, leaves her vacillating between hope and despairuntil she uncovers a new strength and realizes that, in her golden years, she can shine brighter than ever. The film is exclusively and radically told from a single point of viewGloria’sand Garcia’s tour de force performance captured the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. Chile’s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film consideration at the 86th Academy Awards. Directed and co-written by Sebastian Lelio.

Bethesda Row now offers assigned seating in its theatres. I have purchased seat H3. If we are not all able to sit together, we will meet back upstairs in the main floor theatre lobby after the film ends.

“Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts” – Feb 2nd

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Feb 2nd at 3:45PM for Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Eric wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans 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.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see all five Academy Award nominees in the category of Best Animated Short and more! Program includes: “Feral” (USA), in which a wild boy, found in the woods and brought back to civilization, tries to adapt to a strange new environment; Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Get a Horse!” (USA), a contemporary homage to the first shorts featuring Mickey Mouse, with all-new, black-and-white, hand-drawn animation; “Mr. Hublot” (Luxembourg/France), about a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character made partially of mechanical parts whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of the dog Robot Pet; “Possessions” (Japan), in which an 18th Century man, lost on a stormy night deep in the mountains, enters a small shrine that suddenly turns into a room in a different world; and “Room on the Broom” (UK), based on the children’s picture book by Julia Donaldson, about a kind witch who invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom, much to the frustration of her cat.

“The Past” – Jan 26th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 26th at 3:50 for The Past at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Laine wearing a green coat 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.

Following his Oscar win for A Separation (Best Foreign Language Film), writer/director Asghar Farhadi returns with the dramatic mystery, The Past. After a four year separation and at his estranged French wife Marie’s (Berenice Bejo, The Artist) request, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa, Leila) returns to Paris from Tehran in order to finalize their divorce procedure so she can marry her new boyfriend Samir (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet). During his tense brief stay, Ahmad discovers the conflicting nature of Marie’s relationship with their teenage daughter Lucie (Pauline Burlet), and his efforts to improve this relationship soon unveil a secret from their past. A terrific cast creates in-depth characters in this gripping story told with generous empathy. Winner of two awards at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival: Best Actress (Bejo) and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Iran’s official selection for consideration at the 86th Academy Awards.

“August: Osage County” – Jan 19th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 19th at 4:10 pm for August: Osage County at the Landmark Bethesda Row . Look for Brian F. wearing a North Face 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.

August: Osage County tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name by Tracy Letts (Killer Joe, Bug) made its Broadway debut in December 2007 after premiering at Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre earlier that year. It continued with a successful international run and was the winner of five Tony Awards in 2008, including Best Play. The film version of August: Osage County is directed by John Wells (The Company Men) and features an all-star cast, including Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep, Best Supporting Actress nominee Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard and Misty Upham.

“Her” – Jan 12th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 12th at 3:30 for Her at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Brian A. wearing a blue, striped sweater 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.

Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, Her follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix, The Master), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice (Scarlett Johansson) who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation) comes an original love story that explores the evolving natureand the risksof intimacy in the modern world. Also starring Amy Adams, Rooney Mara and Olivia Wilde.

“The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)” – Jan 5th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Jan 5th at 5:00 for The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Laine wearing a green coat 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.

Gorgeously photographed in Rome and Tuscany, The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) is a dazzling, lyrical and at times surreal dramatic comedy, like a modern day La Dolce Vita. The magnetic Toni Servillo (Il Divo, Gomorrah) plays dapper journalist Jep Gambardella, slick and soulful, who has been a permanent fixture in Romes literary and social circles since the legendary success of his one and only novel. Armed with a roguish charm, he has seduced his way through the citys lavish night life for decades, but when his 65th birthday coincides with a shock from the past, Jep finds himself unexpectedly taking stock of his life. Turning his cutting wit on himself and his contemporaries, and looking past the extravagant nightclubs, parties and cafes, Jep discovers Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty. Directed and co-written by Paolo Sorrentino (This Must Be The Place, Il Divo). (In Italian, Fully subtitled)

“American Hustle” – Dec 22nd

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 22nd at 4:30pm for American Hustle at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Eric wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans 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 film tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld, who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is enchanting. Jeremy Renner is Carmine Polito, the passionate, volatile, New Jersey political operator caught between the con-artists and Feds. Irving’s unpredictable wife Rosalyn could be the one to pull the thread that brings the entire world crashing down.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” – Dec 15th

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 15th at 4:20 pm for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at the Regal Gallery Place . Look for Brian F. wearing a bemused expression 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.

Having survived the first part of their unsettling journey, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and his companions (Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage) continue east. More dangers await them, including the skin-changer Beorn and the giant spiders of Milkwood. After escaping capture by the dangerous Wood Elves, Bilbo and the dwarves journey to Lake-town and, finally, to the Lonely Mountain, where they face the greatest danger of all: the fearsome dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://www.fandango.com/regalgalleryplacestadium14_aatar/theaterpage?date=12/15/2013

“Nebraska” – Dec 1st

Join the Washington DC Sunday Night Film Club this Sunday, Dec 1st at 4:15 for Nebraska at the Landmark E Street Cinema . Look for Laine wearing a green coat 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.

Alexander Payne (The Descendants, Sideways) directs Nebraska, a bittersweet dramatic comedy about a father-and-son road trip through an emotionally and economically parched homeland. After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Stacy Keach, June Squibb and Bob Odenkirk co-star.

Please consider purchasing your tickets in advance as the film may sell out.