Delis Alejandro, (310) 566-1530 or   

And the Winner Should Have Been — Acting

Thurs., April 13 | 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM

Whaaat? Peter O’Toole never won the Best Actor Oscar. Let’s consider Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, and The Ruling Class? That’s nuts. Wonder if his “honorary” 2002 Oscar could have possibly compensated for his nine losses?

Then, movie fans, there’s Glenn Close. She’s tied with O’Toole for the times nominated without a win—and she doesn’t even have an honorary Oscar on her mantle. Then, there’s Deborah Kerr…Richard Burton…and, more recently, Amy Adams, and others, all with multiple nominations who’ve missed out.

Of course, Oscar thinks he always gets it right–but the Film Club challenges that. At our April 13 online gathering, we will have three knowledgeable panelists who are ready to prove that Oscar slipped up in handing out past acting awards. Film Club is prepared to right the wrongs. Join us and see if you agree at this year’s “And the Winner Should Have Been...” event. Make sure you are registered for the season’s Zoom events.

OUR “SHOULD-HAVE-WON” FILM STARS

That night, we’ll be talking about three performances that were nominated by the Academy and highly praised but were not declared the winner. In chronological order, they are:

• Denzel Washington in Malcolm X (1993 Oscars)—Biopic follows the life of Malcolm X, the legendary African American leader who went from petty criminal to an influential preacher and grew the Nation of Islam from 400 members in 1952 to 40,000 in 1960. The film is a tribute to this controversial and charismatic activist and leader in the struggle for black liberation in the United States. One critic said, “Probably Spike Lee’s best and most mature film. Malcolm X’s story is as compelling as Denzel Washington’s portrayal of him.” 

• Ed Harris in Pollock (2001 Oscars)—If ever there were an artist to prove that art is more significant than the artist, it was Jackson Pollock. More than a straightforward biopic charting Pollock’s rise to prominence, Pollock is a penetrating study of the work ethic as it applied to one of America’s great post-war painters. It’s been said that, after seeing his intense performance in the film, it was hard to believe that Harris wasn’t a painter himself. One critic said, “Harris…gives the performance of his screen career, making the most of his physical resemblance to Pollack while bringing a scary, single-minded intensity to the part.”  

• Glenn Close in The Wife (2019 Oscars)—A woman questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm to see her husband receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Behind this great man, however, is an even greater (and unacknowledged) woman. One critic said, “The Wife is an insight into long relationships, how men and women heal and hurt each other. There are moments here that all husbands and wives will recognize. But the biggest reason to see this film is to experience the power of Glenn Close.”

You can see these performances in their entirety on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and others. HBO Max is currently showing films other than Pollock. We’ve also included a YouTube link to a clip of each performance. (Sorry for the ads.) 

• Pollock: youtube.com/watch?v=XTo8mqrHj-Q
• Malcolm X: youtube.com/watch?v=lWusIh9SF1g
• The Wife:  youtu.be/tP0PzoPzv7s

THE STARS OF OUR EVENT: OUR MODERATOR AND PANELISTS

Fr. David Guffey, CSC, National Director, Family Theater Productions, will moderate the discussion and welcome our esteemed panel:

• Haskell V Anderson III (supporting Ed Harris) Life is interesting; just look at Haskell’s. His years as a pre-med student in New York took an exciting turn when he became a nationally known teen male model. Putting modeling behind, he finished college, joined the Navy, went to graduate school, and started his long and successful stage career after “being discovered.” Despite his penchant for the stage, he has also appeared on the big and little screen. Most recently, he starred in the thought-provoking short, Heartland and appeared in the TV series Station 19.

• Brian Frates (supporting Denzel Washington) — Brian is an actor, comedian, and writer specializing in films and film history. (Anyone who knows Brian knows he’s a film junkie!) Not surprisingly, Brian’s early career in Boston included a stint emceeing a televised movie night. Over the years, Brian has shared his talents in films (Mystic River, What’s the Worse that Could Happen, My Brother Jack), TV shows (South Boston Legal), and even did voiceovers for a video game. Brian has a special love for comedy — improv and stand-up — and has performed with several troupes on both coasts.

• Tina Jordan (supporting Glenn Close) —Tina comes from a family of film fanatics, including a brother who is a well-known film critic. She is a student of film history — and worked for eight years on a lead team for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Tina is also a stage performer with decades of experience with well-known chorales. She sings and dances—and sits on the Board of the Pacific Swing Dance Foundation, works to preserve history and artifacts related to dance.

Don’t miss this great Film Club annual event. See you on April 13 at 7 pm on Zoom. If you haven’t registered yet for this season’s Film Club Zooms, click the link below.

Click HERE to Register

2022–23 Season

We look forward to seeing you in person and on Zoom.

Film Club Fans: We need your support!

Film Club is committed to bringing “screenings with meanings” to the greater St. Monica community. Thank you for being a vibrant part of our ministry —and attending our Zoom and in-person events.

There is another way to show your support: donate today!

There are two ways to donate:

1.) Online donation:

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION!

2.) Send a check to our Parish Office. We ask that you make the check out to “St. Monica Catholic Community” and note in the memo line “Film Club.”

Thank you again for your support and we will see you at Film Club! 

Delis Alejandro, (310) 566-1530 or   

And the Winner Should Have Been — Acting

Thurs., April 13 | 7:00 p.m. via ZOOM

 

Whaaat? Peter O’Toole never won the Best Actor Oscar. Let’s consider Lawrence of Arabia, Becket, The Lion in Winter, and The Ruling Class? That’s nuts. Wonder if his “honorary” 2002 Oscar could have possibly compensated for his nine losses?

 

Then, movie fans, there’s Glenn Close. She’s tied with O’Toole for the times nominated without a win—and she doesn’t even have an honorary Oscar on her mantle. Then, there’s Deborah Kerr…Richard Burton…and, more recently, Amy Adams, and others, all with multiple nominations who’ve missed out.

 

Of course, Oscar thinks he always gets it right–but the Film Club challenges that. At our April 13 online gathering, we will have three knowledgeable panelists who are ready to prove that Oscar slipped up in handing out past acting awards. Film Club is prepared to right the wrongs. Join us and see if you agree at this year’s “And the Winner Should Have Been...” event. Make sure you are registered for the season’s Zoom events.

 

OUR “SHOULD-HAVE-WON” FILM STARS

 

That night, we’ll be talking about three performances that were nominated by the Academy and highly praised but were not declared the winner. In chronological order, they are:

• Denzel Washington in Malcolm X (1993 Oscars)—Biopic follows the life of Malcolm X, the legendary African American leader who went from petty criminal to an influential preacher and grew the Nation of Islam from 400 members in 1952 to 40,000 in 1960. The film is a tribute to this controversial and charismatic activist and leader in the struggle for black liberation in the United States. One critic said, “Probably Spike Lee’s best and most mature film. Malcolm X’s story is as compelling as Denzel Washington’s portrayal of him.” 

• Ed Harris in Pollock (2001 Oscars)—If ever there were an artist to prove that art is more significant than the artist, it was Jackson Pollock. More than a straightforward biopic charting Pollock’s rise to prominence, Pollock is a penetrating study of the work ethic as it applied to one of America’s great post-war painters. It’s been said that, after seeing his intense performance in the film, it was hard to believe that Harris wasn’t a painter himself. One critic said, “Harris…gives the performance of his screen career, making the most of his physical resemblance to Pollack while bringing a scary, single-minded intensity to the part.”  

• Glenn Close in The Wife (2019 Oscars)—A woman questions her life choices as she travels to Stockholm to see her husband receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Behind this great man, however, is an even greater (and unacknowledged) woman. One critic said, “The Wife is an insight into long relationships, how men and women heal and hurt each other. There are moments here that all husbands and wives will recognize. But the biggest reason to see this film is to experience the power of Glenn Close.”

You can see these performances in their entirety on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu and others. HBO Max is currently showing films other than Pollock. We’ve also included a YouTube link to a clip of each performance. (Sorry for the ads.) 

• Pollock: youtube.com/watch?v=XTo8mqrHj-Q
• Malcolm X: youtube.com/watch?v=lWusIh9SF1g
• The Wife:  youtu.be/tP0PzoPzv7s

 

THE STARS OF OUR EVENT: OUR MODERATOR AND PANELISTS

Fr. David Guffey, CSC, National Director, Family Theater Productions, will moderate the discussion and welcome our esteemed panel:

• Haskell V Anderson III (supporting Ed Harris) Life is interesting; just look at Haskell’s. His years as a pre-med student in New York took an exciting turn when he became a nationally known teen male model. Putting modeling behind, he finished college, joined the Navy, went to graduate school, and started his long and successful stage career after “being discovered.” Despite his penchant for the stage, he has also appeared on the big and little screen. Most recently, he starred in the thought-provoking short, Heartland and appeared in the TV series Station 19.

• Brian Frates (supporting Denzel Washington) — Brian is an actor, comedian, and writer specializing in films and film history. (Anyone who knows Brian knows he’s a film junkie!) Not surprisingly, Brian’s early career in Boston included a stint emceeing a televised movie night. Over the years, Brian has shared his talents in films (Mystic River, What’s the Worse that Could Happen, My Brother Jack), TV shows (South Boston Legal), and even did voiceovers for a video game. Brian has a special love for comedy — improv and stand-up — and has performed with several troupes on both coasts.

• Tina Jordan (supporting Glenn Close) —Tina comes from a family of film fanatics, including a brother who is a well-known film critic. She is a student of film history — and worked for eight years on a lead team for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Tina is also a stage performer with decades of experience with well-known chorales. She sings and dances—and sits on the Board of the Pacific Swing Dance Foundation, works to preserve history and artifacts related to dance.

Don’t miss this great Film Club annual event. See you on April 13 at 7 pm on Zoom. If you haven’t registered yet for this season’s Film Club Zooms, click the link below.

 

Click HERE to Register

 

2022–23 Season

We look forward to seeing you in person and on Zoom.

 

Date	Topic
9/8	In-person (Acting introduction + panel)
9/29	In-person (Film + discussion—Don’t Look Up)
10/13	Zoom (Acting—Young Mr. Lincoln discussion]
11/17	Zoom (Acting—Coal Miner’s Daughter discussion)
12/8	In-person (Holiday—A Christmas Carol Competition)
1/12	Zoom (Acting—The King’s Speech discussion)
2/9	Zoom (Acting—Harriet film discussion)
3/9	In-person (Oscar clips/voting)
4/13	Zoom (The winner should have been…TOPIC: Best Actors)
5/11	In-person (Film + discussion—classic film noir TBD)

 

Film Club Fans: We need your support!

Film Club is committed to bringing “screenings with meanings” to the greater St. Monica community. Thank you for being a vibrant part of our ministry —and attending our Zoom and in-person events.

There is another way to show your support: donate today!

There are two ways to donate:

1.) Online donation:

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION!

 

2.) Send a check to our Parish Office. We ask that you make the check out to “St. Monica Catholic Community” and note in the memo line “Film Club.”

 

Thank you again for your support and we will see you at Film Club! 

 

Join the E-mail List!

If you are not on the Film Club e-mail list and wish to receive promotional materials for future events,  click the link below!

 

Click Here to Join Our E-mail List!

 

*Sample e-mail to the left!

 

 

Industry Insiders!

Calling all Industry Insiders!

Fr. David and the Film Club would be thrilled to receive your recommendations for guest speakers involved in some aspect of filmmaking. If you know someone you think would be an interesting guest, contact with your suggestions.
  

About Film Club

What is Film Club?

Screenings with Meanings

The Film Club brings together movie lovers for a monthly discussion on a selected film. The 2019-2020 theme is Art of Cinema, and each film is chosen for its meaning and in the context of a specific aspect of filmmaking (e.g., screenwriting, set decoration). It’s incredible how much more you can see once you appreciate the techniques that make one film stand out.

 

The Film Club also hosts two seasonal events: A Holiday Party, featuring a classic Christmas movie, and Oscar Night, where we review the nominated films and vote for our “best picture of the year.” (Our track record for predicting the Oscar has been uncanny.)

 

The Film Club meets in the Grand Pavilion on the second Thursday of the month from September through May. Our discussions are led by Father David Guffey, CSC, Director, Family Theater Productions.