Saturday Afternoon

Saturday Afternoon
Saturday Afternoon (continued)
Healing & Wholeness
Maps for the Journey
Written and Directed by Mike Binder
Starring Don Cheadle, Adam Sandler, Jada Pinkett Smith
Rated R for language and some sexual references
Alan has everything he needs to get through life: a good job, a beautiful and loving wife, and their
wonderful children. Yet he feels isolated because he finds having a hard-working job and managing
a family too much to handle and has no one to talk to about it. Charlie, on the other hand, doesn’t
have a job or a family. He used to have both until a terrible loss, and the grief caused him to quit
his job and isolate himself from everyone around him. As it turns out, Alan and Charlie were
roommates in college, and a chance encounter one night rekindles the friendship they shared.
Discussion Leader – Roy Parker
Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by Simon Beaufoy
Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language
This is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is just one
question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a
street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life as the film
examines how any of us know what we do about life and love.
Discussion Leader – Karen Gilbert
The Nature of Evil Within Us
Sports
Reign Over Me (2007) – 124 min.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – 120 min.
Othello (1995) – 123 min.
We Are Marshall (2006) – 131 min.
Written and Directed by Oliver Parker
Adapted from the play by William Shakespeare
Starring Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob, Kenneth Branagh
Rated R for some sexuality
This is an intense adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about the Moorish general
who “loved not wisely, but too well.” Othello weds the beautiful Desdemona and promotes
Cassio over his longtime assistant, Iago, who seeks revenge by causing Othello to mistrust
Desdemona’s fidelity, leading them all on a murderous path of destruction.
Discussion Leader – Harry Parker
Directed by McG
Written by Jamie Linden
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, David Strathairn
Rated PG for emotional thematic material, a crash scene, and mild language
In November, 1970, virtually the entire football team and coaches of Marshall University die in a plane
crash. That spring, a student rally led by Nate Ruffin, a player who was ill and missed the fatal flight,
convenes to convince the board of governors to play the 1971 season. The college president, Don
Dedman, must find a coach, who then must find players. This is a true story of loss and inspiration.
Discussion Leader – Brent Beasley
*family friendly discussion
Homelessness
Homeless to Harvard (2003) – 104 min.
Directed by Peter Levin
Written by Ronni Kern
Starring Thora Birch, Kelly Lynch, Ellen Page
Not Rated (mature thematic elements, some drug content)
Born into a poor, dysfunctional family, Liz Murray spends her formative years exposed to drugs
and neglect that eventually drive her toward living on the streets of New York at 15. It isn’t
until her mother’s death from AIDS that Liz decides to turn her life around by going back to
high school, becoming a star student, and earning a scholarship to Harvard University through
an essay contest sponsored by The New York Times.
Discussion Leader – Kristine Tisinger
Playing God
Jurassic Park (1993) – 127 min.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Starring Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough
Rated PG-13 for intense science fiction terror
On a remote island, a wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living
dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening the attraction to the public, he
invites a team of top scientists, and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and
help calm anxious investors. However, their park visit is anything but tranquil as the park’s
security system breaks down, the prehistoric creatures break out, and the excitement builds to
surprising results.
Discussion Leader – Holly Phillips
All synopses and information come from The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), netflix.com,
and Rotten Tomatoes (rottentomatoes.com)
Reservations
Online at www.lifelong.tcu.edu
Phone at 817-257-7132
E-mail at lifelong @tcu.edu
Snacks
Throughout all the film showings, FREE
popcorn, coffee and bottled water will be
available in the Arches area at UCC.
Lunch
Lunch, catered by Cousins Bar-B-Q, will be available on Saturday,
January 30, starting at 12:30. Cost is $9.00 adults, $7.50 children under 12.
Paid reservations must be made by Wednesday, January 27.
Friday Evening
Healing & Wholeness
Maps for the Journey
Homelessness
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Written by Nancy Oliver
Starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson
Rated PG-13 for some sex-related content
Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings
home the girl of his dreams. The only problem is that she’s not real - she’s a sex doll Lars ordered
off the Internet. Sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship.
His family thinks he’s nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in
support of this sweet natured boy that they’ve always loved.
Discussion Leader – Kerry Neuhardt
Written and Directed by Doris Dörrie
Starring Elmar Wepper, Hannelore Elsner, Aya Irizuki
Not Rated (nudity and thematic elements)
Trudi is the only one who knows that her husband, Rudi, has a disease that will kill him. She takes
Rudi to visit their children in Berlin, but a shocking event changes their lives, and a trip to Tokyo
ensues which changes the family forever.
(1996) – 112 min.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007) – 106 min.
The Nature of Evil Within Us
The Dark Knight (2008) – 152 min.
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace
Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon
and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal
organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon
find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to
the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker.
Discussion Leader – Suzanne Castle
Homelessness
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) – 117 min.
Directed by Gabriele Muccino
Written by Steve Conrad
Starring Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton
Rated PG -13 for some language
This true story is set in San Francisco in 1981. Salesman and family man Chris Gardner invests
the family savings in a bad investment. The decision financially breaks the family; his wife leaves
him and moves to New York. Without money, a wife, and finally without a home, but totally
committed to his son, Chris sees the chance to start over by accepting a six month
unpaid stockbroker internship position at Dean Witter.
Discussion Leader – Jorene Swift
Playing God
Sunshine (2007) – 107 min.
Directed by Danny Boyle
Written by Alex Garland
Starring Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Cliff Curtis
Rated R for violent content and language
Five decades into the future, the sun is dying, and Earth is running out of time. After the failure
of a previous mission, it’s up to the crew of the Icarus II to reignite the star with a stellar bomb.
But the crew faces more than just the blistering heat of the sun and the freezing cold of space
as they grapple with the limits of the human mind and heart.
Discussion Leader – David Grebel
Cherry Blossoms (2008) – 127 min. – subtitled
Discussion Leader – Ellen Lewis
Sports
Field of Dreams* (1989) – 107 min.
Written and Directed by Phil Alden Robinson
Starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan
Rated PG for thematic elements
Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, hears a voice in his corn field telling him, “If you build it, he will come.” He
interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear
the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the
game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voice continues, Ray seeks out a reclusive author
to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field.
Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story
Directed by Michael Ray Rhodes
Written by John Wells
Starring Moira Kelly, Martin Sheen, Lenny von Dohlen
Rated PG-13 for a range of thematic elements, some sensuality and brief language
This is a film biography of human rights activist Dorothy Day (1897-1980) who has often been
compared to Mother Teresa. While a young, atheistic woman, Dorothy worked as a leftist journalist
who enjoyed the company of notable figures, such as Eugene O’Neill. Then, her life was radically
changed after meeting a nun who was providing for the poor. Dorothy’s religious conversion leads
her to a life of activism and human rights.
Discussion Leaders – Dan Freemyer & John Barnes
Playing God
Frankenstein (1931) – 71 min.
Saturday Morning
Directed by James Whale
Written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort
Starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke
Not Rated (scary images and some thematic elements)
Scientist Henry Frankenstein and his hunchbacked assistant, Fritz, embark on an unholy mission
by stealing a body from a graveyard and a human brain from a medical college. Unbeknownst to
Dr. Frankenstein, however, Fritz takes an abnormal and murderous brain. Henry’s strange letters about
his experiments worry his fiancée and friends. They arrive at the laboratory to find the spec-tacular
scene of creation under way – and Frankenstein intoxicated with his own godlike power.
Discussion Leader – Sage Elwell
Healing & Wholeness
Maps for the Journey
Discussion Leaders – Russ Boyd and David Connelly
Evan Almighty* (2007) – 96 min.
Directed by Tom Shadyac
Written by Steve Oedekrek
Starring Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman
Rated PG for mild rude humor and some peril
Evan Baxter is a rising congressman with a bright future and a goal to “change the world.” God hears
this message and decides to give him a hand. God delivers the materials and the animals to Evan, and
instructs him to build an ark. After trying to ignore God, Evan eventually goes ahead with the plan,
even if others think he’s mad.
Discussion Leaders – Fran Patterson & Trey Robbins
The Nature of Evil Within Us
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) – 94 min.
Written and Directed by Mark Herman
Starring Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis
Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust
Young Bruno lives a wealthy lifestyle in pre-WW II Germany along with his mother, sister, and Army
Commandant Father. The family relocates to the countryside where his father is assigned to command
a prison camp. A few days later, Bruno befriends another youth, strangely dressed in striped pajamas,
who lives behind an electrified fence.
Discussion Leader – Judy Stempel
Duma* (2005) – 100 min.
Directed by Carroll Ballard
Written by Karen Janszen and Mark St. Germain
Starring Alex Michaeletos, Campbell Scott, Hope Davis
Rated PG for mild adventure peril
Set in the exotic country of South Africa, this is the powerful adventure tale of an unbreakable bond
of friendship between a cheetah named Duma and an intrepid young boy named Xan, who faces
the truest test of love when he must cross the whole of Southern Africa to return his best friend to his
rightful home in the wilds. On his journey, Xan learns that everything always changes, except love.
Discussion Leaders – Julienne Greer & Maggie Jorgenson
Sports
The Cup (1999) – 93 min.
Written and Directed by Khyentse Norbu
Starring Orgyen Tobgyal, Neten Chokling, Jamyang Lodro
Rated G
While the soccer World Cup is being played in France, two young Tibetan refugees arrive at a monastery/
boarding school in India. Its atmosphere of serene contemplation is somewhat disrupted by soccer fever.
Prevented by various circumstances from seeing the Cup finals on television in a nearby village, the young
soccer enthusiasts set out to organize the rental of a TV set for the monastery. The enterprise becomes a
test of solidarity, resourcefulness and friendship for the students, while the Lama, head of the monastery,
contemplates the challenges of teaching the word of Buddha in a rapidly changing world.
Discussion Leader – Darren Middleton