Little Voice (2014, R) On Monday, December 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Room of the Community Center, we will present the award winning film, “Little Voice” starring Michael Caine, Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn and Ewan McGregor. Set in a backwater northern English town, the film centers on Laura, a very shy young woman called “Little Voice” because of her soft speaking voice and quiet ways. She spends endless hours in her bedroom above the record store once owned by her late father, listening to, and imitating the tunes of classic song stylists like Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe – songs that she and her father both loved. When her tarty mother brings home a new boyfriend (Michael Caine), a washed-up talent agent, he hears Little Voice singing and becomes determined, despite her shyness, to book her into a local club and make her a star. Great performances all around in this bittersweet comedy drama, but the standout is Jane Horrocks, whose ability to mimic the great female singers of the past is nothing sort of astonishing. Come and be amazed.
The Secret Garden On Monday, January 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Room of the Community Center, we will present “The Secret Garden.” Director Agnieszka Holland has taken this classic children’s book and fashioned a beautiful film far more compelling and complex than anything aimed solely at the young. It’s the story of a young girl, Mary, who, after being orphaned is sent to live with her wealthy uncle at his lonely estate in York, England. Devastated several years earlier by the loss of his beloved wife, who died in childbirth, he is most often absent from the estate and Mary is left largely on her own, supervised only by a rather cruel housekeeper, (wonderfully portrayed by Maggie Smith). Mary discovers that there is a locked garden on the estate, once tended lovingly by her uncle’s wife. Mary also finds that there is another child living in the house: her uncle’s son, who has lived all his life as an invalid, hidden away in his bedroom. Mary, along with the son of a maid Mary meets on the estate, set out to return the garden to its original splendor and to bring the bedridden boy out of his bedroom and into the world. The results of the childrens’ efforts are magical. As critic Roger Ebert said of the film, “it’s a work of beauty, poetry and deep mystery.” Come to the “Secret Garden” and see the magic– just the thing to warm you on a chilly mid-winter evening!
Monday Night at the Movies is a great way to have an enjoyable evening out. Come see terrific film, and if you desire afterwards, stay for a brief discussion of the film. It’s free and open to everyone at Hershey’s Mill. If you’d like more information, please contact Lynne Urian (phone number and email are in the HM Directory),