BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Public Library, located at 90 Broad St. in Bloomfield, continues with its film series which hosts two films each week, on Mondays and Thursdays, with the exception of holidays. The following films start at 12:15 p.m. in the barrier-free Library Theatre. Admission is free and all are welcome. For information, call 973-566-6200.
• June 12, Monday, “La La Land,” 2016, color, 2 hours 8 minutes PG-13-rated. In this Oscar-winning and highly acclaimed film, Mia, portrayed by Emma Stone, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, portrayed by Ryan Gosling, a dedicated jazz musician, struggle to make ends meet while pursuing their dreams in a city known for destroying hopes and breaking hearts. With modern day Los Angeles as the backdrop, this musical about everyday life explores what is more important: a once-in-a-lifetime love or the spotlight.
Nominated for 14 Oscars and winning six awards including Best Actress, for Stone, Best Director, for Damien Chazelle, and Best Score. Also starring John Legend and JK Simmons.
• June 19, Monday, “Nocturnal Animals,” 2016, color, 1 hour and 56 minutes, R-rated. A “story inside a story,” in which the first part follows a woman named Susan, portrayed by Amy Adams, who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal, a man whom she left 20 years earlier, asking for her opinion. The second element follows the actual manuscript, called “Nocturnal Animals,” which revolves around a man, also played by Gyllenhaal, whose family vacation turns violent and deadly. It also continues to follow the story of Susan, who finds herself recalling her first marriage and confronting some dark truths about herself. Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Ray Marcus, leader of the gang, won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Michael Shannon as Detective Bobby Andes, won an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
• June 26, Monday – No movie this day. A children’s program will be held in the theater.
• June 1, Thursday, “My Beautiful Laundrette,” 1985, color, 1 hour 37 minutes, R-rated. In a seedy corner of London during the Thatcher era, Omar, portrayed by Gordon Warnecke, a young Pakistani, is given a run-down laundromat by his uncle, portrayed by Saeed Jaffrey, who hopes to turn it into a successful business. Soon after, Omar is attacked by a group of racist punks, but defuses the situation when he realizes their leader is his former lover, Johnny, portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis. The men resume their relationship and rehabilitate the laundromat together, but various social forces threaten to compromise their success. Day-Lewis won the Best Supporting Actor from the National Board of Review.
The National Society of Film Critics award for Best Screenplay, by Hanif Kureishi, to the film.
• June 8, Thursday, “Saving Face,” 2004, color, 1 hour 31 minutes, R-rated. Wilhelmina, portrayed by Michelle Krusiec, is a successful New Yorker, but she dare not tell her widowed mother, Hwei-lan, portrayed by Joan Chen, or her very traditional grandparents that she is a lesbian. She is shocked, however, to find out she is not the only one in her family with romantic secrets when she learns that her 48-year-old mother is pregnant. Unwilling to reveal who the father is, Hwei-lan is kicked out of her parents’ home and must move in with Wil. This move puts a strain on WIl’s budding relationship with openly gay Vivian, portrayed by Lynn Chen.
• June 15, Thursday, “The Celluloid Closet,” 1995, color and black and white, 1 hour 42 minutes. A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of the LGBT community and the attitudes behind them throughout North American film history. It shows the evolution of the entertainment industry’s role in shaping perceptions of LGBT figures. The issues addressed include secrecy as well as the demonization of the homosexual community with the advent of AIDS, and finally the shift toward acceptance and positivity in the modern era. Narrated by Lily Tomlin. Based on Vito Russo’s book of the same name first published in 1981.
• June 22, Thursday, “Boys Don’t Cry,” 1999, color, 1 hour 58 minutes, R-rated. Based on actual events. Brandon Teena, portrayed by Hilary Swank, is the popular new person in a tiny Nebraska town. He hangs out with the people, drinking, and cussing, and he charms the young women, who have never met a more sensitive and considerate young man. Life is good for Brandon, now that he is one of the guys and dating hometown beauty Lana, portrayed by Chloë Sevigny. No one in the town knows that Brandon Teena was actually born a woman named Teena Brandon. When his best friends make this discovery, Brandon’s life is ripped apart. Swank won the Oscar, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, LA Film Critics, and NY Film Critics awards for Best Actress. Sevigny won the Independent Spirit, LA Film Critics, and National Society of Film Critics awards for Best Supporting Actress.
• June 29, Thursday, “Beautiful Thing,” 1996, color 1 hour 30 minutes, R-rated. Shy Jamie, portrayed by Glen Berry, and athletic Ste, portrayed by Scott Neal, are teen boys who live near each other in the London projects. Both boys think they could be gay, and finally explore their feelings when Ste is allowed to stay over at Jamie’s place after an incident with his abusive father. There, the boys grow close and open themselves up to the idea of homosexuality, while Jamie’s caring mother, Sandra, portrayed by Linda Henry, and quirky teen neighbor, Leah, portrayed by Tameka Empson, offer much needed emotional support.
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