About us
-LOOKING FOR THE HIKING GROUP? You can find them here and here—easy-peazy!
-Yes, we do take movie requests!
-Spammers get insta-banned.
This group description was partly written with AI:
Do you crave movies that make you question reality, your existence, and whether your coffee was laced with something? Do you find yourself quoting obscure directors no one else has heard of just for fun? Are you a film school dropout? Does the idea of a black-and-white, three-hour film with no dialogue and a mysterious floating balloon sound like your ideal Friday night?
[Note: I wouldn't say we'll watch anything quite that boring; but oldies can be goodies. And we'll watch some new stuff as well.]
Welcome to Hampton Roads Cinephiles! This is a group for people who want to see the latest indie horror at the Naro, appreciate a slick New Waver by Godard or Varda, thrill in the samurai epics of Kurosawa, and joy in being mindf*d by Kubrick—along with taking pleasure in many newer films that the normies may or may not have heard of.
Whether it’s thoughtful thrillers, surrealist horror, a bloody Yakuza joint, or a gorgeous wuxia film by Zhang Yimou, Hampton Roads Cinephiles is all about the wow factor; we live for those moments when a true work of art leaves you staring at the screen long after the credits roll, trying to process what the hell just happened. (And we're happy to stand outside or go to a bar across the street and talk about it.)
We'll be gathering at local cinemas around Town Center, the Oceanfront, and probably the Naro, but don’t be surprised if we end up in some cozy, tucked-away venue for those avant-garde films you can't see in the theaters.
(I also run two other Meetup Groups, the Hampton Roads Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club and the Richmond Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club. Check 'em out if that's your thing!)
****No-Flake Policy, effective September 26, 2024** (**update: I can't say I've been enforcing this policy with ramrod precision. I generally start reminding people about the policy when multiple people start flaking at once, in a really noticeable and annoying way.)
- What’s Flaking? Flaking is when you cancel or don’t show up for something you RSVP’d to with less than 8 hours’ notice. I understand that things come up, but last-minute cancellations or no-shows affect attendance and waste my time, effort, and occasionally money—especially when I’ve made reservations for rooms or restaurants, or gotten hard copies of movies and AV equipment for watch party events specifically.
- Life Happens: I totally get it—emergencies, illnesses, or other unexpected things can happen. Please just give me a heads-up as soon as possible. If it’s not an emergency, try to cancel at least 8 hours before the event so I can adjust plans.
- Keeping It Fair: If you flake more than three times in a two-month period without a valid reason, I’ll have to remove you from the group. This ensures everyone respects each other’s time and commitment.
- Half of Life is Just Showing Up: Your attendance is what really makes the group special. When you show up, it creates a more engaging and fun experience for everyone, sparking great conversations with fellow cinephiles. The more people who attend, the richer our discussions will be. So, if you RSVP, please make it a priority to come. If something comes up, just let me know at least 8 hours in advance so I can adjust accordingly.
(This policy becomes effective September 26, 2024. If you flaked previous to this date but not after, your slate is clean.)
Upcoming events
8
WATCH PARTY: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020) George Wolfe @ Mary Pretlow Library
Mary Pretlow Anchor Branch Library, 111 W Ocean View Ave, Norfolk, VA, USWe'll be in the large room, Meeting Room 1, to the right of the entrance. Adapted from the play by August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize winner playwright behind Fences. Starring Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, and Chadwick Boseman in his final role.
RUNTIME: 94 minutes
RATING: R for language and some sexual content
SYNOPSIS: Set in 1927 Chicago, August Wilson's play (and film adaptation) follows legendary blues singer Ma Rainey as she battles white producers for control over her music during a tense recording session. While Ma asserts her power, her ambitious trumpeter, Levee, clashes with the band and seeks his own success, ultimately leading to tragedy due to racial exploitation and internal rage.
BLURBS:
"Two searing performances-by Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman-make this film more than just a faithful adaptation of a great theater piece and preserves one of August Wilson's enduring works for all time, enacted by a dream cast." - Leonard Maltin"You never forget that you're watching a play on film, but that's okay because the dialogue snaps and leaps -- it's so intense and so exquisite, and yet the emotion beneath it is real." - Christy Lemire, Film Week
"If the drama is galvanizing enough, that's all you need. And what we have here is more than enough: Viola Davis in one of her greatest performances, and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final and most powerful appearance." - Peter Rainer, Christian Science-Monitor
8 attendees
WATCH PARTY: Sorcerer (1977) William Friedkin @ Richard Tucker Library
Richard Tucker library, 2350 Berkeley avenue, Norfolk, VA, USWe'll be in the large room with the nice screen to the left of the entrance at Richard Tucker Library.
RUNTIME: 121 minutes
RATED: PG
SYNOPSIS: A hallucinatory journey into the heart of darkness, William Friedkin’s pulse-pounding reimagining of the suspense classic The Wages of Fear was dismissed upon its release, only to be recognized decades later as one of the New Hollywood’s boldest auteur statements. In a remote Latin American village, four desperate fugitives—a New Jersey gangster (Roy Scheider), a Mexican assassin (Francisco Rabal), an unscrupulous Parisian businessman (Bruno Cremer), and an Arab terrorist (Amidou)—take on a doomed mission: transporting two trucks full of highly explosive nitroglycerin through the treacherous jungle. Aided by Tangerine Dream’s otherworldly synth score, Friedkin turns each bump in the road into a tour de force of cold-sweat tension—conjuring a hauntingly nihilistic vision of a world ruled by chance and fate.
BLURBS:
"I don't know if there's an audience for this kind of grueling, depressing experience, but Sorcerer might bring back the kind of moviegoer who used to cheer Humphrey Bogart. It's tough and unyielding as a pair of brass knuckles." - Rex Reed, New York Daily News"A defiant, mad gesture of a film that features some of the most exhilarating sequences in movie history." - Sam Adams, The Dissolve
"Friedkin finds these themes amid radical set pieces; a 10-minute struggle to get a truck over a bridge during an intense thunderstorm constitutes some of the finest sound mixing in Hollywood, perhaps cinematic history, rivaling the battle on the ice in Alexander Nevsky." - Clayton Dillard, Slant Magazine
3 attendees
Past events
468
Group links
Members
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