March 2022 - Calvary
Happy March everyone! We are very excited for our next Cinema Club screening on Monday night. A few days late for St. Patrick's Day, but still in time for the church season of Lent, we are showing Calvary, John Michael McDonagh's 2014 crime mystery/drama with a heavy dose of black-humor.

Brendan Gleeson stars as Father James, a small-town Irish priest whose life is turned upside down when someone in a confessional booth threatens to kill him in seven days. With philosophical and religious themes interwoven throughout McDonagh's smart script there's bound to be a lot for our group to discuss. There are still a few seats available so register now if you have not done so already!

Reminder: Cinema Club meets in the Aspen Drive Library Meeting Room in Vernon Hills. Masks optional.

Here's a few articles to skim beforehand.
Read Slate critic Dana Stevens' review for Calvary. It is a great writeup that describes just enough about the movie to give you a feel for its tone and mood but also highlights some of the layers and thinks deeper about what the movie is trying to do.

"Calvary treats religious faith and the significance of its loss (both by an individual and by a culture) as a serious subject, a quality I admire."
Writer/director John Michael McDonaugh and star Brendan Gleeson sit down for an interview with film critic Brian Tallerico and talk about the process of making Calvary.

"I start with character first and whatever the subtext will come out, it will always be there if you create a great work of art. People will see things that you may not have intended. If it’s dense and it’s rich, those things will come up all the time. But it’s to be entertaining first. The film should appeal to both atheists and true believers."
This featurette on Calvary features members of the cast along with religious leaders talking about some of the themes presented in the movie such as suffering, brokenness, and virtue.

"He carries the burden of a broken church on one shoulder and the burden of a broken world on the other."
Next Movie: Minding the Gap
April 18, 2022
Aspen Drive Library Meeting Room

2018 | Not Rated | 1h 33 min | Documentary Film
Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust-Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.

REMINDER: You must register for each Cinema Club screening. Receiving this newsletter is not an indication you are registered for next month's showing.