Movie News
The Movie Committee has announced that movies are now showing every Saturday evening at 7 p.m In the Auditorium and on Tuesdays twice a month.
​
August 3: Chariots of Fire – Amazon rental
Based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who runs for the glory of God, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew who runs to overcome prejudice. With Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell. Four Academy Awards.
1981 Sports history PG 2 hr 4 min
August 10: Bull Durham – Amazon rental
Partly based on the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton. Kevin Costner plays "Crash" Davis, a veteran catcher brought in to coach rookie pitcher Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). Susan Sarandon is a baseball groupie.
1988 Romantic comedy R 1 hr 48 min
August 13: The Card Counter – Amazon rental
A film about the guilt experienced by a soldier who was imprisoned after committing abuses at Abu Ghraib. Oscar Isaac plays “Tell,” who becomes a small-time gambler after his release. Written and directed by Paul Schrader. With Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe.
2021 Drama R 1 hr 51 min
August 17: Klute – Amazon rental
The film follows a high-priced New York City call girl who assists a detective from Pennsylvania in solving the missing person case of a john who may be stalking her. An American psychological thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland.
1971 Thriller R 1 hr 54 min
August 24: Breaking Away – Amazon rental
A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends. The film stars Dennis Christopher and Dennis Quaid. It won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.
1979 Comedy/Drama PG 1 hr 41 min
August 27: Things to Come – Amazon rental, Kanopy
Nathalie Chazeaux (Isabelle Huppert) is a middle-aged philosophy professor whose life undergoes a series of changes. The film explores the themes of aging, family ties, intellectual passion, and personal freedom. Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve. In French with subtitles
2016 Drama PG-13 1 hr 42 min
August 31: Real Women Have Curves – Amazon rental, Max
In East Los Angeles, 18-year-old Ana García struggles to balance her dream of going to college with family duty and a tough economic situation. Her mother wants her to help in the small family-owned textile factory. America Ferrera’s first film appearance; directed by Patricia Cardoso.
2002 Comedy/Drama PG-13 1 hr 33 min
​
Saturday, Sept. 7: Hit Man—Netflix
A professor of philosophy pretends to be a hitman, luring in potential clients and then turning them over to the New Orleans Police. Directed by Richard Linklater and starring Glen Powell.
2024 Dark comedy R 1 hr 55 min
Saturday, Sept. 14: Tick Tick Boom!—Netflix
The film is based on Jonathan Larson’s stage musical about the writing of “Superbia” (never produced). Larson died shortly before his musical “Rent” opened Off-Broadway. Directed by Lin-Manual Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield.
2021 Musical drama PG-13 1 hr 55 min
Tuesday, Sept. 17: Little Big Women—Netflix
A Taiwanese restaurant owner and her three daughters grapple with the death of their estranged father and the life he led during his absence. In Chinese with subtitles.
2020 Drama R 2 hr 3 min
Saturday, Sept. 21: Thelma—Amazon rental
93-year-old Thelma is the victim of a scam involving someone posing as her grandson. Unable to get help from the police, she and a friend set out on a scooter to get her money back. With June Squibb, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, and Malcolm McDowell.
2024 Comedy/Drama PG-13 1 hr 38 min
Tuesday, Sept. 24: And Breathe Normally—Netflix
Lara is a struggling single mother living in her car with her young son near an airport. After securing a job as a border security guard, she encounters Adja, a traveler from Guinea-Bissau escaping persecution, and the two women form an unexpected connection. In Icelandic, with subtitles.
2018 Drama PG-13 1 hr 42 min
Saturday, Sept. 28: Worth—Netflix
The film dramatizes the creation of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which the federal government established to limit lawsuits against the airlines. It follows Kenneth R. Feinberg, the lawyer appointed as the special master of the fund, through the two-year process of getting potential plaintiffs to sign on. With Michael Keaton, Amy Ryan, and Stanley Tucci.
2020 Historical drama PG-13 1 hr 58 min
The Movie Committee always appreciates feedback. Thank you to all the residents who have suggested movies for future showings. These suggestions are always welcome.
Streaming Movies
Many residents prefer to watch movies at home for a variety of reasons, or they miss a particular movie because they have other plans for that night.
​
Almost all the movies now shown at Broadmead are available from streaming services. (See the end of this post for the services used for this month’s movies.)
​
For most services you sign up on your computer or phone. Newer TVs have the apps for Amazon and Netflix already on them and may have others as well. Of course you can also use Roku and similar devices.
​
Amazon rentals are the major source of our movies. You need an Amazon account but you don’t need Prime to rent movies. The Prime service includes a number of new movies; they are available free for a limited period of time and then they move to rentals. Oppenheimer, for example, is now free on Amazon Prime, and costs $6 as a rental. At the end of January, Amazon is raising the cost of a Prime subscription if you want to see movies without ads.
​
Most Amazon rentals are $4 to $6, except when the movies are brand new and popular. (They can be as much as $20 at first, but after a while the price drops.) You have 48 hours to watch a rented movie once you start to stream it.
​
Kanopy is a free service sponsored by libraries and has increased the number and depth of its offerings. You sign up online using your Baltimore County library card. Kanopy has always regulated the number of movies you can watch each month. It used to be 15 movies; they have now moved to a different method. You get 45 “tickets” a month, and each movie “costs” 2 to 4 tickets. Again, once you start streaming, you have a limited time to complete the movie.
​
Netflix is a subscription service with various levels: ads, no ads, etc. There are no restrictions on the number of movies you watch or a limited time in which to complete them. But Netflix doesn’t carry many older movies and its focus is shifting to series.
​
An excellent source for locating movies is the website www.JustWatch.com.
JustWatch - The Streaming Guide All your streaming services in one app.
It tells you which streaming services are carrying the movie and the cost (not always accurate, but close). I use JustWatch to track movies that are still playing in theaters. I’m then notified when they become available for streaming.
​
The Voice movie listings will now indicate the streaming source (if available) for each movie.
Movie Reviews
For those looking for movie reviews, most major movies are reviewed on the Roger Ebert site, which has a rotating group of reviewers. The reviews give a detailed plot summary. Four stars is the highest rating.
​
Wikipedia has entries for most movies. In addition to a very detailed plot summary (including spoilers), the entries give the production history, cast, summary of critical reviews, and awards for which the movie was nominated or won.
​
The Guardian, one of the few major newspapers without a pay wall, also has reviews.
If you have access to the New York Times, their reviewers are excellent, and their recommendations are noted as “Critics’ Choice.”
Movie History
For those interested in movie history, MIT, in its Open Courseware program, has a series of recorded lectures by David Thorburn, with an associated list of suggested films. The lectures include some movie clips. Thorburn has a very animated style of lecturing. His approach is particularly interesting because he places cinema in the context of society and points to connections with the other arts. His lectures are carried on YouTube, so you can view them on your TV, but you have to search for them. You can find information about the lectures at https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/21l-011-the-film-experience-fall-2013/video_galleries/lecture-videos-notes/
​