Movie Nights
Wednesdays 6:30pm
St Mary's Room (upstairs)
childcare available
Come on by for some great movies! (and, of course, popcorn!)
Each month, we'll show a different movie that explores a different social justicetheme. Each movie will be followed by a coffee-fueled discussion of the movie, how its story and subject affected us, and what we can do to address this issue in our lives and in the world. We'll look at how scripture, tradition, and reason shape our reactions to what we see in the films.
Everyone is welcome!
Movie Night Schedule
September 2nd | Community | Lars and the Real Girl
October 7th | Aging | Strangers in Good Company
November 4th | Veterans Day | Taking Chance
Saturday, November 14th | 6:00pm | Horton Hears a Who!
- FamilyDecember 2nd | GLBT | Our House
January 6th | Refugees | God Grew Tired of Us
Saturday, January 23rd | 6:00pm | A Little Princess
- Family
February 3rd | Black Hx Month | The Great Debaters
March 3rd | Afghanistan | Osama
April 7th | Earth Day | Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
May 5th | Homelessness | Where God Left His Shoes
Sept 2 - Lars and the Real Girl ****1/4 PG-13 (95 minutes) Ryan Gosling plays the title character in this oddball comedy about a delusional young man who buys a life-size sex doll over the Internet -- and then falls in love with her. When the besotted young man starts telling people that the doll is his girlfriend, his brother and sister-in-law decide it's time to intervene in this film co-starring Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner and Paul Schneider.
Oct 7 - Strangers in Good Company **** PG (101 minutes): When a bus filled with eight elderly women breaks down in the wilderness, the group of strangers is stranded at a deserted farmhouse with only their wits, their memories and eventually some roasted frogs' legs to sustain them. For several days, the women share their life stories and intimate thoughts. Director Cynthia Scott directs these nonprofessional actors delivering largely improvised dialogue to heartwarming effect.
Nov 4 - Taking Chance (2008) ****1/4 NR (100 minutes) Based on an article by Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, this HBO original film tells the story of Strobl's emotional experience traveling across America as a volunteer escort officer for the body of fallen 19-year-old marine Chance Phelps. The 2004 journey was made especially significant by the fact that both Strobl and Phelps share the same hometown of Dubois, Wyo., with a population of less than 1,000.
Dec 2 - Our House *** NR (56 minutes) – Filmmaker Meema Spadola travels across the country to collect the stories of children of gay and lesbian parents, examining five diverse families of varying religious backgrounds and ethnicities. Ranging in age from 5 to 23, the children offer frank insights into their feelings about their parents' sexual orientation, their experiences of growing up and the reactions they encounter from friends and neighbors.
Jan 6 - God Grew Tired of Us ****1/4 (PG 11+) (89 minutes) After raising themselves in the desert along with thousands of other parentless "lost boys," Sudanese refugees John, Daniel and Panther have found their way to America, where they experience electricity, running water and supermarkets for the first time. Capturing their wonder at things Westerners take for granted, this documentary, an award winner at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival, paints an intimate portrait of strangers in a strange land.
Feb 3 - The Great Debaters ***3/4 PG-13 (12+) (124 minutes) When African-American poet Mel Tolson (Denzel Washington, who also directs) creates a debate team at historically black Wiley College, he pushes the team to a level of excellence that allows them to challenge powerhouse Harvard in 1935. But despite public success, personal clashes foment as the father (Forest Whitaker) of one of Tolson's students resents his son's loyalty to his coach. Denzel Whitaker co-stars in this drama based on a true story.
March 3 - Osama ***3/4 PG-13 (83 mins): Set during the height of the Taliban rule, Osama is a tragic story of a young Afghan girl in Kabul (beautifully acted by Marina Golbahari, whom Barmak found begging on a street in the city). The girl is forced to cut her hair short and pose as a boy so she can earn money at a tea stall and support her mother and grandmother. When her identity is revealed, the child is tried by a Taliban-style Islamic court and given away as a bride to an old mullah. 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Camera d'Or Special Mention; 2003 Golden Globe, Best Foreign Language Film.
April 7 - Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai ****1/4 NR (81 minutes) This documentary provides a window into the extraordinary life of activist and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who has worked to regain ownership of her country and its fate after years of colonialism. While gentle and thoughtful, Maathai carries a powerful message: the First World holds much of the responsibility for the environmental, economic and social struggles of the developing world.
May 5 - Where God Left His Shoes ***1/2 NR (99 minutes), Sundance Film Award winner. A tight-knit family is forced onto the streets of New York City and into a homeless shelter in this heartfelt Tribeca Film Festival selection from director Salvatore Stabile. With Christmas Eve fast approaching, an ex-boxer (John Leguizamo) is buoyed by the prospect of moving his wife (Leonor Varela) and two children (David Castro and Samantha M. Rose