Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Test drive Reel Ruminators FREE this month only!
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Hello Reader, If you’ve ever thought, “I wish I could watch obscure arthouse films and still have someone to talk to about them,” the good news is you’re not alone. The even better news is that it’s 100% possible to find other passionate movie lovers to watch off-the-beaten-path movies with so you can discuss them while they're fresh. And they'll make you enjoy the movie even more! I know this because I ran our new membership Reel Ruminators: A Movie-of-the-Month Discussion Club last month and we did just that! In Reel Ruminators, I gathered a diverse group of people from different countries, backgrounds, and generations. Together, we watched an under-the-radar arthouse film I curated. At the end of the month, we all gathered on Zoom together to discuss! It was an extremely engaged, thoughtful, and respectful group. I discovered new ways of looking at the film from the group, even as someone who picked the film and had already seen it 5+ times. Here's what our founding members said about the first month: "There’s real validation from speaking to people about this random movie that I know for a fact nobody I know in my life has watched it. I feel reinvigorated in my excitement about the possibility of movies and what they can offer. And I'm excited for the next one." - Michael Borek "I feel oversaturated with films that don’t speak to me that much. I often feel like my tastes are a “niche of a niche”. With Reel Ruminators, we watch and discuss films that would otherwise be buried. We bring them back to life. I feel like we’re nurturing films together. I followed Alex’s very thorough and thoughtful discussion questions. This helped me get even more out of the film. I learned so much about myself, the story, and the director’s intentions." - Nurri Kim "Reel Ruminators allowed me to have a deeper experience of the film than I would usually have—aided first by the opportunity the prep gave me to think about aspects of the film that I might not have had on my own, and then to have the benefit of others’ thoughts during the actual discussion.
Alex is also great at choosing films. So if you're interested in seeing, enjoying—and learning more—about wonderful movies, I think you'd like it. Plus, the group of Reel Ruminators participants, from my one experience, have very thoughtful things to contribute to the discussion." - Nancy Mills
Try out Reel Ruminators FREEThis month only, I'm offering a free trial of Reel Ruminators. Just like in the paid program, when you sign up, you'll find out the extraordinary movie I've curated for you and where to watch it. Then, we'll convene on Zoom for a 2-hour discussion. By the time we wrap on October 13, you'll have: ✔️ Discovered and watched an extraordinary under-the-radar (think: international, woman-directed, LGBTQ+, etc.) film that will keep you thinking about it for days after ✔️ Dived into what makes the film interesting, what you like or don't like about it, how the film works, and engaged with other people's perspectives (i.e., milked it for all the enjoyment you can!) ✔️ Met and chatted with fellow film enthusiasts from around the world about a film you all just watched and want to discuss. Sound like something you need right now, Reader? Here’s what you get:
I won't announce what the movie is until after you sign up. So, if you’d like to start get to mid-October knowing you'll finish the month having watched at least one extraordinary movie and met other film enthusiasts to chat about it with... Save your seat now!Alex PS Know someone else who may be interested? Please forward this email to them, too! |
Seventh Row
Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Hello Reader, Last week, a listener who had heard my episode on Small Things Like These expressed to me that she couldn't believe how hard it was to see the film. "I live in Brooklyn, and it's only playing in one cinema! This film has terrible distribution!" That is, the film's rollout to cinemas is terrible. And that got me thinking. That is terrible distribution. And yet Small Things Like These actually has very good distribution for an indie movie, especially given its subject matter, even...
Hello Reader, Are you tired of endlessly scrolling through streaming services for something promising to watch besides classics? Do you find that even your local arthouse cinema is reluctant to play films that aren’t in English, don’t have big stars, or haven’t been generating tons of festival buzz? Do you struggle to find recommendations from film critics for films you haven’t heard of? Not everyone has time to go to dozens of film festivals and watch hundreds of foreign films that might not...
Hello Reader, Fresh off his Oscar win for Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy stars in and produces Small Things Like These, a subtle, thoughtful Irish independent film that's one of the year's best. Despite Murphy's deep involvement and tremendous lead performance, the film is more than a star vehicle: it's a character actor's film that's peopled with character actors. It's a film that's as much about the world around Cillian Murphy's character as it is about him. Cillian Murphy stars as Bill...