Friday Night at the Movies becomes Sunday Matinees

Friday Night at the Movies: Easy Street and City Lights

City LightsEasy StreetThis month Friday Night at the Movies will look at Silent Film. We will be viewing Charlie Chaplin's Easy Street and City Lights. Easy Street is an early Chaplin film and City Lights, from 1931, is the most famous and hailed of Chaplin's films. Both films highlight Charlie Chaplin's power as a writer, director, and actor, as well as showcasing his development from early film to later. City Lights is a wonderful comedy and love story that will set the mood for Valentine's Day! Easy Street will surprise the audience with its social commentary as well as classic Chaplin humor. Come revisit (or see for the first time) the power of movies "back in the day!"

The discussion this month will be lead by Sue Thornquist.

Sign up in the church office starting January 1st.

Popcorn, soft drinks, dessert, and coffee provided; suggested donation $2.

Location: 
Safford Home
Date: 
Friday, January 27, 2012 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: South Pacific

Continuing with our “A Look at Genres” theme, the 1958 musical film South Pacific is our December offering. Accompanied by an outstanding Rogers and Hammerstein score, this timeless movie takes us back to World War II in the Pacific Islands, where Navy Ensign Nellie Forbush, RN, is romanced by the ex-patriot French planter Emile deBecque amid the tensions of the war with Japan, which approaches ever nearer to their island paradise. Billed as a musical, the theme also encompasses many elements of comedy and drama, from the hijinks of the Navy Seabees and their leader Luther Billis to the dangerous spy mission carried out by deBecque and the ill-fated Marine Lieutenant Joe Cable. Those of us of a “certain age” know well the members of the cast: Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, Ray Walston, John Kerr.

So call the church office to sign up for “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Happy Talk” with discussion leaders Stan and Maria Clements!

Popcorn, soft drinks, dessert, and coffee provided; suggested donation $2.

Location: 
Safford Home
Date: 
Friday, December 16, 2011 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: The Shawshank Redemption

A Look at Genres

In collaboration with Sue Thornquist, we have come up with a theme for this year's Friday Night at the Movies: "A Look at Genres." We'll elaborate on that in the next Tower Bell, but for now, sign up in the church office starting November 1st for our next offering:

The Shawshank RedemptionThe Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 release based on Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The movie tells the story of Andy Dufresne, portrayed by Tim Robbins, a young banker wrongly convicted of killing his wife and her lover and sentenced to life in prison at Shawshank prison. Andy is befriended by Ellis "Red" Redding, another lifer, played by Morgan Freeman. What follows is a powerful story of friendship, hope, survival, and triumph in the face of a most hopeless situation. The film garnered 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Actor (Morgan Freeman) and best picture, and resides on Roger Ebert's all time best film list.

You may want to read the novella before seeing the movie, so Sue Thornquist has graciously loaned several copies of the book to FUMC. Stop by the office if you wish to borrow a copy.

The November Movie Night will be Friday, November 18, 7:30pm, at the Safford Home Theatre. This month's discussion will be lead by Howard Bensen. A $2 donation will help cover soft drinks, popcorn, coffee, and dessert.

If you would enjoy leading the post-movie discussion, let Caryl or Don Safford know at 630-985-8555.

Location: 
Safford Home
Date: 
Friday, November 18, 2011 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: City Island

City IslandSlow Dance Film Festival

Welcome to Friday Night at the Movies 2011-2012, or The Slowdance Film Festival! We begin this year's series with a delightful comedy, City Island, starring Andy Garcia and Juliana Margulies. Meet the Rizzo family in this touching, funny, and smart tale about the secrets of the past catching up with the lies of the present, and acceptance of the fact that no one is perfect, least of all your loved ones.

The discussion will be led by Sue Thornquist. Sign up in the office for Friday, October 21, 7:30pm, at the Safford Home Theatre. Soft drinks, popcorn, dessert and coffee will be served; a $2 donation is suggested.

Location: 
Safford Home
Date: 
Friday, October 21, 2011 - 7:30pm

Movie Night at the Safford Home Theater

September 21, 2011 - 10:34pm

Film ReelIt is that time of the year again to begin the movies. Everyone knows of the Cannes Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, but soon to be world known will be the Slowdance Film Festival. All the other festivals come and go in a few days or a few weeks, but no, the Slowdance Film Festival takes eight to nine months to be held. The movies might be fast and furious, slow and easy, touching or comedic but the discussions by our fabulous leaders are always interesting and the fellowship after the movie is quite wonderful. The Slowdance Film Festival begins in October.

Each month on the Third Friday of the month we host a movie in our home theater. It has been going on for about 10-11 years now and is open to all church goers. There are seats for 25 available by signing up through the church office. Sign-up starts at the beginning of the month each time. We will begin the season in October on the 21st with the movie starting at 7:30 PM. The last date will be in May on the 18th with the grand Golden Gung Ho Chinese buffet dinner before the movie. We ask for a two dollar donation to cover pop/water/popcorn and desserts.

If you would like to bring a friend along that is fine. Even bring a spouse if you would like or a significant other. We are asking that when you sign up to give us/the church your email address so that we can contact you if plans suddenly change for any given movie. We will use the email addresses only for movie info notification or change of date.

The movie titles will be published each month online and in the Bulletin and Tower Bells.

Please join us for a great season of the Slowdance Film Festival.

Don and Caryl Safford

Friday Night at the Movies: Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real GirlThe Reverend Peg Schultz will present our final movie of the season, Lars and the Real Girl, a 2007 Academy-award nominated comedy about Lars Lindstrom, a loveable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life. Lars invites Bianca, a friend he met on the Internet, to visit him. When he introduces his friend to his brother Gus and his wife Karen, they are stunned to discover that Bianca is, in fact, a life-sized doll. What follows, as friends and family go along with Lars’ delusion, is an emotional journey for all concerned. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer, and Patricia Clarkson. Sign up in the church office now. A $2 donation is suggested to cover cost of popcorn, soft drinks, coffee, and dessert.

Location: 
Safford Home Theatre
Date: 
Friday, May 20, 2011 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: Juno

JunoPresented by Reverend Greta  Macdonald.

Mail your tax return and sign up for this delightful yet poignant comedy/drama that deals with the consequences of an unplanned teen pregnancy. A 2007 release, Juno landed on the Top Ten list of many critics, including Roger Ebert, who said "Juno is just about the best movie of the year." Indeed, it garnered three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Canadian actress Ellen Page in the title role, and Best Original Screenplay, for which writer Diablo Cody carried home the golden statuette. Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, and Michael Cera help round out the cast. Sign up in the church office or register online. A $2 donation is suggested to cover cost of popcorn, soft drinks, coffee, and dessert.

Location: 
Safford Home Theatre
Date: 
Friday, April 15, 2011 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: The Mission

The MissionPresenter the Reverend John Gillham writes: DON’T SEE THIS MOVIE....if you don’t want to be moved to tears by Ennio Morricone’s hauntingly beautiful Golden Globe Award music...if you don’t want to be awed by Academy Award cinematography of the South American jungle setting, and the courageous struggle of native villagers and a few priests against rapacious slave traders and the corrupted Church authorities who
sent the priests.

The Mission: winner of the 1986 Cannes Film Festival Best Picture Award and seven Academy Award nominations – including Best Picture. With Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons. A $2 donation is suggested to cover the goodies.

Location: 
Safford Home Theatre
Date: 
Friday, March 18, 2011 - 7:30pm

Saturday Night at the Movies: 500 Days of Summer

500 Days of SummerThe Reverend John Smoke will present (500) Days of Summer, a 2009 offbeat romantic comedy about a young woman who doesn’t believe that true love exists and the young man who falls for her. Staring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, the film garnered Golden Globe nominations for both Best Actor and Best Picture and received high praise from film critics such as Roger Ebert and Rex Reed.

Sign up now in the church office for this warm and touching movie! Popcorn, soft drinks, dessert and coffee will be served; a $2 donation is suggested.

Please note the change of date.

Location: 
Safford Theatre
Date: 
Saturday, February 26, 2011 - 7:30pm

Friday Night at the Movies: Shadowlands

ShadowlandsThe Reverend Ermalou Roller will present Shadowlands, an Oscar-nominated 1993 biographical film about the love between the British writer C.S. Lewis and his American-born wife, the poet Joy Gresham. Movie critics have hailed the award-winning performances of Anthony Hopkins as Lewis and Debra Winger as Gresham.

Sign up in the church office beginning Monday, January 3. A $2 donation is suggested to cover soft drinks, popcorn, dessert, and coffee.

Location: 
Safford Home Theatre
Date: 
Friday, January 21, 2011 - 7:30pm

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Welcome

God, as known to us in Jesus Christ, welcomes all.

We welcome people of any race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, social or economic status, employment status, or life situation; including people with physical or mental illness or disability.

We practice loving acceptance of each person and respectful discussion
Reconciling Ministries Network of our differences.

Affiliated to Reconciling Ministries Network

First United Methodist Church 1032 Maple Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515 - Phone: 630.968.7120 - E-mail: dgfumc@dgfumc.org

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