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The second half of our Oscar double-bill is the film that got Nicolas Cage a Best Actor award, Leaving Las Vegas, as nominated by @omarcomin71. Cage plays suicidal, alcoholic screenwriter Ben Sanderson who, when he feels like he has nothing left to live for, resolves to go to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. While there he meets prostitute Sera, plated by Elisabeth Shue and the bond they form may be enough to bring him back from the brink. As well as Cage's win, the film was nominated for Best Director, Actress for Shue, and Adapted Screenplay. i don't know if i started drinking 'cause my wife left me or my wife left me 'cause i started drinking, but f*ck it anyway

The first half of our awards season double-bill, nominated by @djw180, is the 2008 drama The Reader, for which Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress. This is a film I know nothing about, but the synopsis sounds interesting, with Winslet playing a guard at a concentration camp. It co stars the always brilliant Ralph Fiennes as well as Bruno Ganz and Lena Olin. As well as Winslet's win, the film was nominated for Best Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography. it doesn't matter what i feel, it doesn't matter what i think. the dead are still dead

The first film of 2022 will be our second animated film, and that is Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, nominated by @djw180. An absolute landmark in the history of animation, Akira is a cyberpunk film about a biker gang getting involved in military experiments exploring the limits of telekinetic power. Incredibly detailed backgrounds of the towering, neon drenched Neo-Tokyo set the standard of what cyberpunk looks like and the soundtrack, a mixture of the traditional and the futuristic, perfectly sets the mood. And then there's the finale, which I'll leave you to experience for yourself. I only watched this recently but I'm glad for an excuse to re-watch it as this was a hell of a trip. you called for me, didn't you? and I heard you.

Welcome to the RSC Film Club A chance to watch and discuss films, maybe your favourites, maybe something you’ve never heard of before, with all your favourite crew mates. We will be watching one film per month, hopefully giving everyone a chance to watch the film and to have a decent discussion about it before moving on to the next one. How do we choose what to watch? There will be a different theme/genre every month to keep things fresh, which will be announced in this thread. Everyone is free to nominate a film in this thread, all of which will be put in a random draw and chosen by good ol’ trustworthy @Con (it’ll just be luck that his films get chosen every month ) Since we want as many people to be able to join in as possible please don’t nominate very obscure films that are hard to get hold of. We will leave the nominations open for a few days to give everyone a chance to nominate a film before the random draw, then I will open a separate thread for the winning film. The separate threads for the films will be full of spoilers, but please leave this main thread spoiler free, some people still haven’t seen The Sixth Sense yet. What’s the point? Films are awesome, and any chance to watch them is great. This crew is also full of members from all over the world, with different backgrounds and experiences and tastes, which should lead to some nice discussions about the art form. So without further ado, let’s kick this mother off. The category for April is Best Director Oscar winning films, with the winning film being Parasite. Current Film Club Film: Parasite (2019) Previous Film Club Films: The French Connection (1971) Chicago (2002) Aliens (1986) The Crimson Rivers (2000) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) They Live (1988) The Neverending Story (1984) Dune (1984) The Lost Boys (1987) Train to Busan (2016) Gladiator (2000) Gremlins (1984) Four Lions (2010) Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) The King of Comedy (1982) Blue Ruin (2013) Max Manus: Man of War (2008) The Hurricane (1999) American Psycho (2000) Seven Samurai (1954) The Iron Giant (1999) Jacob's Ladder (1990) Mulholland Drive (2001) Home Alone (1990) Brazil (1985) Can't Stop the Music (1980) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Atomic Blonde (2017) Film Club Extra: Gravity (2013) Rush (2013) The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) The Duellists (1977) Dear Basketball (2017) The King (2019) The Hunt for Red October (1990) *

Our first film of 2023 is the winner of the latest once-a-decade Sight and Sound poll to determine the greatest film of all time, Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles by Chantal Akerman. The film stars Delphine Seyrig as the titular Jeanne Dielman, a middle aged widow who lives a quiet, orderly life with her teenage son Sylvain (Jan Decorte), while also entertaining the occasional gentleman caller for some extra money. The film follows her over three days where you can watch her slowly unravel in the most subtle way. This isn't a film that everyone will enjoy, being nearly three and a half hours long and consisting of minutes long static shots of Jeanne performing banal everyday tasks like cooking and cleaning, but if you give it a chance you'll find the most complete and compelling portrait of a woman ever committed to film. i overcooked the potatoes

I'm pretty sure that Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of, if not the most adapted literary work of all time, and this right here is the best of the bunch. Directed by Brian Henson, son of the legendary Jim Henson, The Muppet Christmas Carol stars Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge with a supporting cast that includes Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy as Bob and Emily Cratchitt, The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens and Rizzo the Rat as himself. Everyone knows this story, but if you've never seen this version before I think you'll be surprised at how faithful this is to the source material. Michael Caine is genuinely brilliant as Scrooge, playing it straight the whole time. This is an hilarious, emotional and festive experience with some great songs that truly puts you in the spirit of the season. a furry blue charles dickens who hangs out with a rat?

This month we're delving into the filmography of Oscar winning director Danny Boyle thanks to @Con's nomination. His is an incredibly varied filmography, from gritty drama to Bollywood musical through to sci-fi and feel-good family fare he's pretty much done it all. The film we'll be watching, nominated by @djw180, is a biopic, that of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, also the title of the film. Written by Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing fame, Steve Jobs stars Michael Fassbender in the title role. The film covers the period in his life from 1984 up to the release of the iMac in 1998. It co-stars Kate Winslet as Apple marketing exec Joanna Hoffman, Seth Rogen as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Jeff Daniels as Apple CEO John Sculley. I've not seen this so I don't have much more to say, but I have seen David Fincher's The Social Network, about Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook, and I really enjoyed that even though it plays like a super-villain origin story. I don't know if that will be a useful comparison to have in my head when watching this, but it's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this film. Boyle himself is kind of hit-or-miss for me. There are films of his I love - Sunshine is an amazing sci-fi film - but when he misses I find his films kind of boring (The Beach, Yesterday). But I do like more of his films than I don't and have high expectations of this film thanks to the writer and the stellar cast. he dropped out of a better school than i dropped out of

Our fiftieth film for the film club is a cult classic and guilty pleasure, as per @omarcomin71's category nomination. That film is 1980's Flash Gordon, chosen by @djw180. Sam J. Jones plays Flash, football star of the New York Jets who has to defend the Earth from Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow). As well as Sydow there are a number of fantastic actors in supporting roles such as Topol, Timothy Dalton, and the shy and retiring Brian Blessed. I have vague memories of seeing this as a child but I couldn't tell you a thing about it apart from the legendary soundtrack by Queen, so I can't wait to watch this again. gordon's alive

Our Halloween selection this year was nominated by our resident horror expert @Con, and that is Rosemary's Baby from 1968. It stars Mia Farrow as Rosemary Woodhouse, a young pregnant woman moving into a new apartment with her husband Guy, played by director John Cassevetes. But she soon starts to suspect that her elderly neighbours may have a less than innocent interest in her baby. Widely regarded as one of the great American horror films, it won several awards, including a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Ruth Gordan, who plays Rosemary's sinister neighbour Minnie. This is another classic horror film that I haven't seen yet, so I'm looking forward to getting nice and spooked while watching it, despite the director being a giant piece of sh*t. god is dead, satan lives

We're diving into the world of organised crime this month with @djw180's nomination of Brian De Palma's The Untouchables. Based on a true story, this film stars Kevin Costner as by the book lawman Eliot Ness who is determined to bring down Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and his illegal bootlegging activities. He is helped by his crew of untouchables, so called because they can't be bribed, unlike most of the cops in Chicago. This group is made up of Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, and, in an Oscar winning performance, Sean Connery. Throw in a classic Ennio Morricone score (my favourite of his), and you have one classy flick. It's been a while since I've watched this, but this was always my favourite Costner film - even though I love Waterworld - and I can't wait to jump back into this world. Just don't p*ss off De Niro or he'll show you his batting technique. they send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue

Our second film for this month's double feature is @omarcomin71's nomination of the recent western, Old Henry. The film stars the always excellent Tim Blake Nelson in a rare leading role. He plays the titular character, a widowed farm owner who must protect it, and his sons, from local outlaws. Not having even heard of this film, let alone seen it, I don't have much to say, so here are some quotes from favourable reviews. From TheWrap, Steve Pond said he wished parts of the film were "more expansive" but overall described it as a "beautiful elegy" with a finale that feels "just right." Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney described the direction of the film as a "well-crafted exercise in old-fashioned but durable genre tropes" that later "evolves into a satisfying reflection on the more complicated, somber realities behind the icons of the Wild West." I'm always up for a bit of western action, and I can't wait to check this out. But it better be good @omarcomin71😉 The world is changing... It's a place I don't belong in no more

This month the film club was open choice, and the first of the two films selected is Radu Jude's confrontational and explicit Bad Luck Banging or Loony p*rn. This film stars Katia Pascariu as teacher Emi whose s*x tape that she makes with her husband is somehow leaked online. Kids in her class see it and she is quickly summoned before a group of teachers and parents who are to decide if she's fit to be a teacher. Told in three distinct acts, this is the very definition of confrontational cinema, with it opening with the McGuffin of a s*x tape in all of its glory. But the real meat of the film is the meeting to decide Emi's fate, things getting more and more heated as Emi's s*x life and her moral fibre are thrust into the spotlight as if it's anyone else's business. Like I said in the main film club post, some of you may not want to see what is ostensibly amateur p*rnography, so I'll make that warning very clear now: !WARNING! This film contains scenes of graphic, un-simulated, real f*cking, with er*ct c*ck and full p*netration and oral s*x and all of that stuff. You have been warned. !WARNING END! the world is sinking in the ocean of time which is infested with crocodiles called death and decrepitude

This month we are celebrating the work of the legendary Mel Brooks by watching one of his films, namely Young Frankenstein, as nominated by @djw180. Gene Wilder stars as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the infamous mad scientist who re-animated a corpse. After inheriting his estate, Frederick takes up his grandfather's work and makes a monster of his own (the brilliant Peter Boyle). This is peak Brooks, with the jokes coming thick and fast - the first joke happens before a single word is said, just count how many times the clock tolls over the opening credits - all delivered perfectly by an incredible supporting cast including Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars and a brilliant cameo from Gene Hackman. Released the same year as Blazing Saddles, this represents a high point in Brooks's film career and is one of the great comedy films of all time. I'm gonna have a blast re-watching this! i was gonna make espresso

This month's film club selection, nominated by @djw180, is the Australian rom-com Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann. This is the first part of an unofficial trilogy, followed by Romeo + Juliet in 1996 and Moulin Rouge in 2001. The film sees talented dancer Scott Paul Mercurio) team up with beginner Fran (Tara Morice) as no one else will dance with him due to his unconventional style which has seen him denounced by the Australian Dancing Federation. I've not seen this before, but having had seen Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge I'm expecting something bold and brash and oozing with style and energy and melodrama. i'm not dancing with you 'til you dance like you're supposed to

The second half of our Oscar special, a winning Best Screenplay film, is the legendary Citizen Kane, arguably the greatest film ever made, easily the most influential. When elderly, reclusive billionaire media mogul Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies in his palatial estate, dogged reporter Jerry Thompson (William Alland) sets out to discover the meaning behind his enigmatic last word, "Rosebud". He interviews people who knew him and we get to see Kane's entire life from childhood through to his lonely death. This is Orson Welle's debut film, and as well as starring in the lead role he also directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. Not bad for a 26 year old. You know this film is good when even its name is used as a synonym for the best, as in "this is the Citizen Kane of online gaming crews". Nominated for nine Oscars, including three others for Welles (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor), the Original Screenplay award was its only win. people will think what I tell them to think

To celebrate this years Oscars, and Will Smith's mental breakdown, we're rounding out the 'big five' by watching films that won the award for Best Actress and Best Screenplay. @omarcomin71will be pleased with the results of the Best Actress pick, Frances McDormand's winning performance as Marge Gunderson in the Coen Brother's Fargo, something he's been nominating for months 😉 A pitch-black crime comedy, McDormand plays the sweet natured yet ruthlessly efficient cop investigating a kidnapping case for car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) and a series of murders committed by the psychopathic Gaear Grimsrud (Peter Stomare) and his quick talking partner Carl Showalter (Steve Buscemi). One of the Coen Brothers most acclaimed films, this was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for William H. Macy. As well as McDormand's award, the film also won for Best Original Screenplay. he was a little guy, kinda funny lookin'

This month's film club selection comes from the filmography of Ethan and Joel Coen, as nominated by @djw180. The winning film is their lesser known 1991 thriller/comedy/noir film Barton Fink, selected by @Con. Set in the early 40s, Barton Fink stars John Turturro as the titular character, a hot new playwright who goes to Hollywood to start working on movies. However, upon arriving he finds that he is being told what to write, and has to stay at the rundown Hotel Earle, which may in fact be hell. This film has a great, and terrifying, supporting turn from John Goodman as Charlie Meadows, his hotel neighbour, and smaller but memorable roles for the likes of Steve Buscemi and Tony Shalhoub. A dark and sometimes surreal film, this has elements that remind me of Mulholland Drive, but with that distinctive Coen Brothers twist. This is actually my favourite film of theirs and need no excuse to watch it again. look upon me

It's taken three years, but we're finally celebrating Christmas at the Film Club with Die Hard thanks to @TheFox2000unit's nomination. Directed by John McTiernan (Predator, The Hunt for Red October, The Last Action Hero), Die Hard is a holiday classic about family, friendship and a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. Bruce Willis stars as blue-collar New York cop John McClane, in town to visit his estranged wife and kids at Christmas. But soon after he goes to meet her at Nakatomi Plaza, the skyscraper in which she works, it is taken over by a group of terrorists led by Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman in a fantastically hammy scene-stealing performance. I don't think we'll get any argument over whether this is actually a Christmas movie here, because it is. It's at least Christmas adjacent, and is as much about the actual holiday as It's A Wonderful Life. This deserves to be ranked amongst the all time Christmas classics just for the awesome Run-DMC song Christmas in Hollis. I'm sure we've all seen this before, but I'm not gonna complain about having to re-watch one of the most entertaining action films ever made. if this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's

This month we are going international as the film club watches a movie in a language that we've not yet covered, as suggested by @djw180. So no films in English, French, Norwegian, Korean or Japanese could be nominated. The winning film, nominated by me, is Federico Fellini's neorealist drama, La Strada (The Road). It stars Giulietta Masina as Gelsomina, a naive and simple young woman whose mother sells her to a travelling circus to be the wife and assistant of the brutish strongman, Zampanò (Anthony Quinn). She soon falls in love with the circus's clown, Il Matteo (Richard Baseheart) and considers leaving her jeasous and violent husband for him. I'm really looking forward to watching this as I'm both a fan of Fellini, and of Masina. Their other collaboration that I've seen, Nights of Cabiria in which Masina plays a down on her luck prostitute, is one of my favourite films ever and her performance one of the best I've ever seen. Masina was his muse and his inspiration, and you can feel the love he has for her in the way he films her. The two were married from 1943 until his death in 1993. This is considered one of Fellini's greatest masterpieces, so if you've never seen a film of his before you are in for a treat. the fool is hurt

It's spooky season and that can only mean one thing here at the film club, time for horror. Just like last year we are having a double bill with a classic and a modern horror film. For our classic selection we have F.W Murnau's legendary German expressionist vampire film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror. Starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok the film is an unauthorised retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the names all changed to avoid lawsuits, but other than that it is a pretty faithful version of the story. It was so faithful that the estate of Bram Stoker sued the production company and won, putting the company out of business and having a judge rule that all copies of the film be burned. Luckily for us one print survived and made its way around the world, becoming one of the first "cult films". There is also an interesting mythology behind the film, the most famous myth being that Schreck was not an actor but an actual vampire, so shocking his appearance and creepy his performance. This idea is brilliantly explored in the film Shadow of the Vampire (2000) which stars John Malkovich as Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Orlok. This is also, by a long shot, the oldest film we've covered here, and our first silent film. I haven't seen this since my college film studies classes and can't wait to revisit one of the most iconic horror films of all time, and hear what you guys think. The whole film is available to watch on YouTube. There is a blu-ray remaster on there, but I prefer this original version with the differently coloured tints. your wife has a lovely neck

The genre for August's Film Club selection, as nominated by @Conwas school/college films. The winning entry, nominated by both @djw180and @Squirrelis George Lucas's ode to his teenage years, American Graffiti. Set over the last night of summer vacation, the film follows a group of teenagers as they hang out for the last time, cruising in their hot rods, trying to pick up girls and looking to the future. It stars Ron Howard (Happy Days) before he became an Oscar winning director and Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), with an expansive supporting cast that includes Harrison Ford (you know who he is). Not only did the film fuel the wave of 50s/60s rock 'n' roll nostalgia of the 70s that resulted in the sitcom Happy Days and culminated in the smash hit musical Grease, but it was also so successful that it enabled writer/director George Lucas to self-fund his next project, Star Wars. This is the only George Lucas film that I haven't seen (if you've never seen his debut film THX 1138 you need to check it out), and is very different from the rest of his filmography which is all sci-fi. This seems like a very personal film to him which I can't wait to see, as he is often criticised for being quite a cold filmmaker. I often wonder what kind of films Lucas would've made if Star Wars didn't take over his whole career. it only took me one night to realize if brains were dynamite you couldn't blow your nose

This month's category, chosen by @djw180 was play adaptations with the winning film being @omarcomin71's selection of A Bronx Tale. The directorial debut of Robert De Niro, A Bronx Tale is based on the 1989 autobiographical play of the same name, which was a one man show by Chazz Palminteri, who also adapted the play for the screen. The film is a coming of age story where the young Calogero (Francis Capra/Lillo Brancato, Jr. as child and teen Calogero respectively) is torn between his father Lorenzo (De Niro) and local gangster Sonny (Palminteri). This is another film club choice that I haven't seen yet so there's not much more I can say. I'm really looking forward to checking this out, not just because I like a good New York crime film, but because I've never seen a film directed by De Niro and it will be interesting to see if his talents as an actor translate when he's behind the camera. the saddest thing in life is wasted talent

This month's film club is all about controversy, films that got people riled up for whatever reason. The winning film was nominated by @Beezand is the 2014 comedy The Interview, directed by Seth Rogen and and Evan Goldberg. The film stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a talk show host and his producer who manage to arrange an interview with Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un (Randall Park). When the CIA learn of this, they recruit the two to assassinate him. You can probably see where the controversy comes from here. A few months before it was released North Korea threatened action against the USA if it were to be. This led Sony to heavily edit the film, and release it online instead of in theatres, of which it only got a limited run. Sony were also hacked by a group called the Guardians of Peace, who the FBI traced to North Korea, and they threatened terrorist attacks against any cinema showing the film. All of this over a stoner comedy full of d*ck and fart jokes. In the end, nothing really happened, and this film seems to have fallen through the cracks of the collective pop culture memory. When I watched it a few years ago I remember really liking it, especially Park as Kim Jong-un, and the hilarious cameo by a famous rapper. I preferred Rogen and Goldberg's previous film, the apocalyptic meta-comedy This Is The End, but I'm still looking forward to revisiting this. this is 2014, women are smart now

This month we are celebrating the upcoming Academy Awards by watching a past winner. The category we were picking from was Best Director, after having previously done Best Picture and Best Actor with The French Connection and Judgment at Nuremburg respectively, with the winning film being the most recent recipient of the award, B0ng Joon-ho's Parasite. As well as winning the Oscar for Best Director Parasite also won Oscars for Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay (by B0ng and Han Jin-won) and was the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. It was also nominated for Production Design and Editing. Part black comedy, part thriller, part horror but all social commentary, Parasite is a tale of two families; the poor Kim clan and the wealthy Park family. The film starts with the son of the Kim family, Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) getting a job as an English tutor for the young teenage daughter of the Park family, Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so). Through a series of deceitful and cleverly planned events, one by one, every member of the Kim family gets a job working for the Parks, who remain ignorant of the fact that their new employees are relatives and have been playing them for fools. The first hour of the film plays out like a comedy, with each new plan becoming more involved and devious, culminating in an hysterically melodramatic montage involving the housekeeper and peaches. But at pretty much the halfway point of the movie the tone shifts entirely and a whole new film starts, and it is incredible. I'll say no more for fear of spoilers, but you'll have no idea of what's coming. This, in my opinion, is a masterpiece of filmmaking. Every aspect of the production is perfect. The performances are incredible all round, with Song Kang-ho, one of the most respected South Korean actors and long time collaborator of B0ng's, being one of the best I've ever seen as the head of the Kim family. The directions is, obviously, fantastic, as is the set design. The Park's house will go down in film history as one of the most iconic and recognisable film locations of all time. The script is near perfect with each character being distinct and every twist and reveal expertly set up and revealed. The score, a mostly melodic piano based affair is beautifully melancholic. You can probably already guess what I'll be giving this, but I still can't wait to watch it again. There's even a black and white version on Amazon Prime that I haven't watched yet. I can't wait to read what you guys think of this one! it's so metaphorical

This month's winning genre and film come courtesy of @omarcomin71 who nominated Charlize Theron films, choosing Atomic Blonde as his film. Based on the graphic novel The Coldest City, Theron stars as Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent who has been tasked with finding a list of double agents being smuggled into the west on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall. It is directed by David Leitch, former stuntman and uncredited co-director of John Wick. This is his first credited film, going on to direct Deadpool 2 and Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw. This is a man who knows his action, so I'm expecting some good stuff here. This film also has a fantastic supporting cast including James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan and Toby Jones. Seeing as I've not seen this film yet I don't have much to add here, but going from her performance in previous film club selection Mad Max: Fury Road then I know that Charlize Theron will be kicking some serious *ss and looking good doing it. Fun fact I discovered while making this post: Charlize Theron has had the same number of screen deaths as Sean Bean, both on 25, and she is the the most killed female actor. The top five, just above Theron and Bean, are Samuel L. Jackson with 28, Vincent Price on 32, Bela Lugosi on 36, John Hurt with 45, and top of the list is the late great Christopher Lee with an incredible 60 on screen deaths. you know those movies where the picture just starts to slow down... and melt? Then catch fire? Well, that's Berlin.