Directed and written by Noah Baumbach. Starring Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Owen Kline, Jesse Eisenberg. Rated R 2005, USA, R Rated. 88 minutes.



Synopsis: Based on the true childhood experiences of director and writer Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980's. The patriarch (Jeff Daniels) of an eccentric Brooklyn family claims to once have been a great novelist, but he has settled into a teaching job. When his wife (Laura Linney) discovers a writing talent of her own, jealousy divides the family, leaving two teenage sons to forge new relationships with their parents. Linney's character begins dating her younger son's tennis coach. Meanwhile, Daniels' character has an affair with the student his older son is pursuing.






official Site: Http://www.squidandthewhalemovie.com/main.html





Here’s the trailer: http://www.squidandthewhalemovie.com/main.html



Cinema Sundays is pleased to present the Baltimore Premiere of The Squid and The Whale. The film won two awards at this year’s Sundance film festival and should provide much provocative discussion. There’s nothing like a bit of family strife and bad guitar playing to get us going just a few weeks before Thanksgiving. So grab a bagel and a cup of coffee and come on down. Not that you asked but Australia was fabulous! I have tons of pictures for anyone who has the patience to sit through them. Or if you like I can just give you a CD!



P.S. The Sydney Opera House…outside gorgeous…inside…what a dump!



Our Guest Speaker this week is Laurence Raifman a Psychologist and lawyer who has dealt with many family issues from a therapeutic and legal point of view.





Jonathan Palevsky

Directed by Ira Sachs, written by Michael Rohatyn and Ira Sachs. Starring Rip Torn, Darren Burrows, Dina Korzun, Paprika Steen. 2005, USA, Unrated. 108 minutes.



Synopsis: Forty Shades of Blue" tells the story of Laura, a young Russian woman living in Memphis with a much older rock n’ roll legend, and the personal awakening she experiences in the wake of her unfortunate affair with his estranged son.

Alan James is a legend in Memphis, a white man who produced black music back in the 60's and 70's, the heyday of Memphis Soul. Now in his later years, he’s still living the high life in a comfortable house in the right part of town.

Alan lives with his girlfriend, Laura, a Russian beauty he met on tour in Moscow. Laura spends most of her time alone or raising their three-year-old son, Sam. A stranger in Memphis, she lives an easy, alienated life.

Alan also has a grown son, Michael, with whom he has a complicated relationship fueled by jealousy, disappointment and anger. When Michael returns home for the first time in many years, the initial hostility he radiates towards his father's "girl" develops into something much more, and a messy, dangerous affair ensues.

In the bars and bedrooms of this very contemporary city, a love triangle forms, illuminating the hearts and souls of these three tangled lives.



Official Site: http://www.fortyshadesmovie.com/



Here’s the trailer: http://www.fortyshadesmovie.com/trailer/wmp_small.html



Cinema Sundays is pleased to present the Baltimore Premiere of Forty Shades of Blue. This much touted Sundance Grand Jury prize winning film should provide much provocative discussion. (It has to be good…after all grand juries are usually right about everything.) Sadly I will not be able to join you because I will be in Australia on a trip that was planned well before I took on my position at Cinema Sundays. Needless to say I am leaving you in extremely capable hands. Mike Giuliano will be hosting this week and will perform his usual magic.



Our Guest Speaker this week is Harold Levin, formerly associated with the Baltimore Film Forum and a member of the selection board of the Jewish Film Festival. Harold also teaches film at Baltimore City Community College.

ritten and Directed by Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine. Starring Irina Baronova, Yvonne Chouteau, Frederic Franklin, Nathalie Krasovska, Alicia Markova. 2005, USA, rated DC ? Dance Cultural.

The revolutionary 20th-century dance troupe known as the Ballets Russes began as a group of Russian refugees, who never danced in Russia, and became not one but two rival dance troupes. 'Ballets Russes' begins with the company's Diaghilev-era in turn-of-the-century Paris -- when artists such as Nijinsky, Balanchine, Picasso, Miro, Matisse and Stravinsky united in an unparalleled collaboration. The film then explores the company's halcyon days of the 1930s and '40s, when the Ballets Russes toured America, astonishing audiences schooled in vaudeville with artistry never before seen, The company's demise came in 1950s and '60s when rising costs, rocketing egos, outside competition and internal mismanagement ultimately brought the revered Ballets Russes to its knees.



Official Site:
http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=balletsrusses


Here's the trailer: http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/displaytrailer.php?directoryname=balletsrusses&size=high&extension=mov

This week's films promises to be absolutely fabulous.

Cinema Sundays is pleased to present the Baltimore Premiere of Ballets Russes. Not only did this company include the greatest dancers of its period but it also managed to attract some of the most inspired composers, conductors, and visual artists of the 20th century. It is impossible to imagine what western culture would have looked like without this extraordinary artistic institution. Ballets Russes will not open until 2006 and this is a rare opportunity. Don't miss it.

Our Guest Speaker this week is Gabe Wardell, former host of Cinema Sundays. It's a pleasure to welcome Gabe back from the west coast and give him a proper east coast send off as he assumes his new duties in Sonoma County.