Movies Now Course: Your Movie Club
Film. Focus on cinema.
This unique and popular movie appreciation course is like having your own private movie club. In it's 20th year, Movies Now offers you ‘private movie premieres’ prior to their commercial release with each featured movie specially selected by the presenter and popular film critic, Andrew L Urban. The selected movies remain a secret until their screening to ensure that you approach each film on its own merits, uncompromised by outside opinions.
Following each screening, a filmmaking professional will join the group for a discussion designed to help explore the background of each film whilst analysing the themes and cinematic elements. Where possible, the special guests will include the filmmakers themselves. You will also be given access to the production notes of each film, providing background information about the film and the filmmakers.
Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- appreciate and discuss films with a broader cinematic vocabulary
- recognise the importance of the many elements that make up a film, from the screenplay (story, subtext, context) to casting and performances, the direction, cinematography, design and music.
Content
You will experience a range of cinematic styles and genres, including foreign language films, exploring the whole spectrum of the human condition as conveyed on screen. Each movie is chosen to engage and challenge, to stimulate discussion and to explore how different filmmakers tell their stories.
Some movies previously screened include:
The Conference (2022), Dir. Matti Geschonneck
On January 20, 1942, leading representatives of the German Nazi regime met in a villa in Berlin-Wannsee for a meeting that went down in history as the Wannsee Conference, at which the systematic murder of 11 million Jews was decided.
Asteroid City (2023), Dir. Wes Anderson
Follows a writer and his world-famous fictional play about a grieving father who travels with his tech-obsessed family to small rural Asteroid City to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his world view disrupted forever.
Godland (2023), Dir. Hlynur Palmason
At the end of the 19th century, a young Danish priest is sent to a remote part of Iceland. The deeper he travels into the Icelandic landscape, the more he loses a sense of his own reality, his mission and his sense of duty.
Thelma (2024), Dir. Josh Margolin
When 93-year-old Thelma Post gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
Prerequisites
You must be 18 years of age or over.
Delivery style
Face-to-face screenings delivered weekly, held at Dendy Cinemas Newtown.
Materials
Course notes are distributed electronically using Dropbox after each week.
Additional information
This six-week course includes a diverse range of English and subtitled foreign language films of various genres and subjects. Some may contain extreme violence and themes intended for adult audiences. CCE will endeavour to notify participants of this in advance, where possible.
Overview
Sessions:
Location:
Price:
Class schedule
<p>{block name:"Course Tagline - Film"}</p>
<p>This unique and popular movie appreciation course is like having your own private movie club. In it's 20th year, Movies Now offers you ‘private movie
...Wed 5 Mar 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Wed 12 Mar 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Wed 19 Mar 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Wed 26 Mar 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Wed 2 Apr 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+11:00)
Wed 9 Apr 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
<p>{block name:"Course Tagline - Film"}</p>
<p>This unique and popular movie appreciation course is like having your own private movie club. In it's 20th year, Movies Now offers you ‘private movie
...Wed 23 Apr 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 30 Apr 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 7 May 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 14 May 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 21 May 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 28 May 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
<p>{block name:"Course Tagline - Film"}</p>
<p>This unique and popular movie appreciation course is like having your own private movie club. In it's 20th year, Movies Now offers you ‘private movie
...Wed 16 Jul 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 23 Jul 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 30 Jul 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 6 Aug 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 13 Aug 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
Wed 20 Aug 2025
6:30pm - 9pm (UTC+10:00)
If there isn't a class to suit your preferred time or delivery format, please JOIN the waiting list.
Featured facilitators
Andrew Urban
Creator & interviewer, Front Up (SBS TV) Channel Host, World Movies Channel Presenter, Movies This Week, Ovation & World Movies Channels Founder and editor A career journalist, Hungarian born...
What others say
Highly enriching, informative, interesting. Wonderful to hear the comments of industry professionals on specific aspects of film making relevant to each film and to participate in the discussions after the films.
- Alison Baillache
As always, this course continues to exceed expectations. Looking forward to future offerings!
- Deborah Xuereb
I really enjoyed the course and hope to sign up for the next one. A wonderful tutor and I also enjoyed the special guests. It's a great way to spend a Wednesday night! Thanks.
- Susan Hargreaves