Film Club!

[Siggie]

Re: Film Club!

Great. Mouse and Oneway, come over and watch... I'll make popcorn.

[One-Way]

Re: Film Club!

Actually, you guys are welcome over. I have a home theater in my house with a projection system. I'd post pictures but I don't want to boast, but you guys are welcome!

[iFemale]

Re: Film Club!

Actually, you guys are welcome over. I have a home theater in my house with a projection system. I'd post pictures but I don't want to boast, but you guys are welcome!

I'll double down!

[One-Way]

Re: Film Club!

um like one way totally suggested a movie already...so that is what we'll be watching for the club.

I'll totally watch Willy Wonka in my spare time though as long as it's the original.

No, scrap Gomorrah for now.

I'm going to post a schedule on Friday, along with some basic rules and when to come back and discuss the film, as well as the order of people who will be picking the next film.

So, there's no film until I announce it on Friday.

[Siggie]

Re: Film Club!

WELLLLLL?

Let's do this! Where's that schedule?

PS - Saw Casablanca finally. <3 Dunno why people call it a love story though... It isn't really one in the traditional sense.

[One-Way]

Re: Film Club!

I'm sorry. I've been a little busy.

Casablanca is a love story, not in the traditional sense, but it nonetheless is a love story. Rick seeing Ilsa in the club? Priceless.

[ara87]

Re: Film Club!

If you don't mind, I'd like to suggest a Spanish language film called "Sin Nombre (Without Name)"



The film follows a story of a teenage gang member on the run after murdering his gang's leader. He meets a Honduran girl and her family that are making their way across Mexico to get to the United States, and decides to make the dangerous journey with them, all while trying to avoid a fellow gang member who has been sent to kill him along the way.

The film won best cinematography and best direction at the 2009 Sundance film festival, and has an 88% rating on rotten tomatoes based off 109 reviews (96 fresh, 13 rotten).

I haven't seen it yet but from what I hear it's supposed to be good. It's available to rent from blockbuster, and is streamable on netflix.

you can watch the trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvbqwx3e_bQ

[One-Way]

Re: Film Club!

Okay, that's fine.

So, we're watching Sin Nombre. Please, find a way to get ahold of this film and report back with your thoughts and review of the film by Friday, October 29.

I'm giving a little over a week for members to go watch this because it's our first film and we're just starting out. It's going to be a week from here on, though. I'll choose the next film on Friday, October 29.

[freakyfreaky]

Re: Film Club!

WELLLLLL?

Let's do this! Where's that schedule?

PS - Saw Casablanca finally. <3 Dunno why people call it a love story though... It isn't really one in the traditional sense.

Apparently, Dr. Zhivago is a love story also.

[One-Way]

Re: Film Club!

Sin Nombre

Cary Fukunaga, the writer and director of Sin Nombre, was an unknown name to me. I figured he's an international filmmaker, considering this film is entirely set in Mexico. It's not so, it seems, because Fukunaga is from Oakland, California. I guess you don't have to be "one of them" to make such a provoking film.

Sin Nombre tells the story of Casper (Edgar Flores), a member of the Mara Salvatrucha. I heard a lot about these guys in my time in high school. I have even seen young gangsters claim they're from the gang, and perhaps they were, but they're nothing like the gangsters we encounter in the film. The gangsters in the film are unrecognizable. I wouldn't be able to tell them apart, because they are all tattooed from head to toe. In fact, the leaders of the gang are tattooed all across their face.

Casper recruits a young gun to the gang, Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer). Smiley doesn't belong in this gang but finds himself in its initiation anyway. Smiley is asked to kill one of their rivals in order to become accepted into the gang, and along with Casper's help, he does. We can tell this is not who Smiley really is. Inside, he's probably a nice boy, but living in the streets of Tapachula leads him down no other path but this one. Casper, however, finds himself in a difficult position after the leaders discover him lying to the gang about where he's been during the day. Lil Mago, the leader of the gang, ends up murdering his girlfriend, and as a result, brings Casper's emotions and true colors on the surface. From here on, the table has been turned, Casper is who we sympathize with and Smiley is who we begin to despise.

In a parallel story, we encounter Sayra (Paulina Gaitán) who is traveling with her father and uncle to the United States. They have a tough rough ahead of them, including jumping on and off trains and hiding from the Border Patrol. The film brings these characters together, Casper and Sayra, and does it quite effectively. Lil Mago takes Casper and Smiley out to rob a train. Lil Mago pins Sayra down and Casper ends up killing him. Smiley gets away but ends up heading back to find and kill Casper.

Sin Nombre doesn't fall into clichés and that's a good thing. I loved the film and my only problems with it probably step from its overall structure. The film is quite intense and takes us on a thrill ride, but once the stakes have been set, they pretty much remain as is. Through the film, we sympathize with Casper, want him to get away, but await his ultimate demise, much like he does. We know he can't go on forever, so we just wait for "when and where" as he does. This leads to an anticlimactic ending - which, I suppose is all we can get, considering - as he's caught and murdered in front of Sayra. Sin Nombre keeps you intrigued - not so much guessing, although I don't mean this to mean that the film is predicable. It's a remarkable film in and of itself, and for a first feature, it's a true testament to the filmmaker's abilities. Why wasn't this film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? I guess you'll just have to check out its competition.

I loved the cinematography, and its praise is well-deserved. I wasn't surprised to discover that Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna both executive produced the film. It's right up their alley, especially considering the duo starred in their own film that deals with young adults, Y tu mamá también. Marcelo Zarvos' original score is haunting and on par with anything else I have heard from all other composers. It's a dark score that adds to the atmosphere of the film. Edgar Flores is the star of this film, and takes a silenced character and turns his inner emotions into a startling performance. Flores is a newcomer but he'll stick around, as long as producers keep their eyes open. In regards to Cary Fukunaga, I suspect I'll be hearing his name, especially considering he's filming an adaptation of Jane Eyre, and as a picture deal with Universal Pictures and Focus Features.