Constantine (USA, 2005) 121´ 30/05/2013

This action horror film directed by Francis Lawrence as his directorial debut, starring Keanu Reeves as John Constantine.Constantine is an exorcist who lives in Los Angeles. Born with the power to see angels and demons on Earth, he committed suicide at age 15 after being unable to cope with his visions. Constantine was revived by paramedics but spent two minutes in Hell. He knows that because of his actions his soul is condemned to damnation when he dies, and has recently learned that he has developed cancer as a result of his smoking habit.


See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lfSQTDSVM

Reservoir Dogs (USA, 1992) 99´ 23/05/2013

This film by Tarantino is about a heist that goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.



The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Critic's Award at the 4th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in February 1993.
"It's unclear whether this macho thriller does anything to improve the state of the world or our understanding of it, but it certainly sets off enough rockets to hold and shake us for every one of its 99 minutes." Jonathan Rosenbaum. Chicago Reader. 13/03/2007.

See the tráiler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvoKT481EmU

Death of a Bureaucrat (Cuba 1966) 85´. 16/05/2013

This film by Gutiérrez Alea is a satire that takes on the excess of bureaucracy. Francisco J. Pérez (Manuel Estanillo) is an excellent worker and inventor of a machine that grinds out busts of the Cuban hero José Martí. Francisco dies in a bizarre accident and is buried with his work card. The problems starts when his widow (Silvia Planas) needs the card in order to get the compensation. His nephew (Salvador Wood) offers himself to resolve the problem, in that way he gets involve in a cumbersome situation.
The comedy also pays tribute to the great masters of the cinema, like Buñuel or Harold Lloyd.



Nowadays The Deatch of a Bureaucrat is considered a cult film.
"...Gutiérrez Alea is using comedy to make some serious points, leading him to refuse the traditional course of comedic closure and to make the audience think past the last laugh." The Chicago Reader. 28/09/1979.

The film will be hosted by the University of Edimburgh Latin America Society.

The Conversation. (USA, 1974) 113´. 09/05/2013

This film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola tells the story of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). Harry is a surveillance expert, who runs his own company in San Francisco. Harry has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that a couple he is spying on will be murdered.



The film was nominated For three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It is also well rated by critics.
"The Conversation is an intricate and unsettlingly subtle character study, with a very strong performance from Hackman" Nick Hilditch. BBC. 05/03/2002.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwfI5YwvcrI 

 

Billy Elliot (UK, 2000) 110´ . 02/05/2013

 This drama film was directed by Stephen Daldry. It is Set in northern England during the 1984-5 coal miners' strike, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer dealing with the negative stereotype of the male ballet dancer.



The film won three Baftas including the Best British Independent Movie. It got good reviews.
"Engrossing, funny, very sad, very moving and very uplifting" William Gallagher. BBC. 01/01/2000