Doubt. (USA, 2008) 104´ 26/04/2013

This drama film was directed by John Patrick Shanley and is based on a theatre play
It is set in 1964 at a Catholic church in the Bronx, New York, where the progressive-minded Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) tries to introduce new ideas. His aims clash into, Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the strict and conservative principal of the attached school.



Doubt received five Academy Awards nominations on January 22, 2009, for its four lead actors and for Shanley's script. It is also  well-acclaimed by the critics.
"Doubt works best when the performers are simply allowed to spar." David Fear. Time out New York. 15/09/2011.

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrmWLp1Ub8

The Wind Journeys. (Colombia, 2009) 117´ 19/04/2013

The film was written and directed by Ciro Guerra and it tells the story of Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martínez) is a vallenato (popular folk music of Colombia). After his wife's sudden death, Ignacio decides to stop playing and return his accordion, which is said to be cursed, to his master. He is joined by Fermín Morales (Yull Núñez), a teenage boy who admires Ignacio and wishes to become a juglar like him.
The film is going to be hosted by the Edinburgh University Latin America Society, so it will be an amazing opportunity of learning about the situation of South America.



The film was chosen to participate in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in Official Selection.
"Filmed stunningly in 80 locations, the mountains, forests, fields and sands often reduce the two travelers to specks." M. Abby Joseph. Yahoo! Voices. 16/04/2010.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M5bQ3CmWGI
More information about the Edinburgh University Latin America Society: http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/society/LatAm/

Memento (USA, 2001) 112´. 13/04/2013.

This psychological thriller was directed by Christopher Nolan.  It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man who got anterograde amnesia after suffering an accident while he was trying to avoid his wife´s murder. This amnesia impairs his ability to store new explicit memories, so he has developed a system for recollection using hand-written notes, tattoos, and Polaroid photos. Dispite of this problem, he is resolute in finding his partner´s killer and revenge her.



The film received numerous accolades, including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2001  Sundance Festival. Apart from being met with positive reviews from critics, this thriller was also well-praised by scientific community, a lot of experts consider that the depiction of the amnesia is very accurate and realistic.
"A diabolical and absorbing experience." Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun-Times.13/04/2001

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0

The Meaning of Live (UK, 1983) 112´ 04/04/2014

The six pandemonium mad Monty Pythons offer a tasteful sketches involving favourity bodily parts and functions, the wonders of war, the miracle of birth and a special preview of what´s is waiting for us in the Heaven. Nothing is too sacred for the probing Python crew.


It was the winner of the 1983 Cannes Film Festival Special Jury Prize. It was also well acclaimed by critics.
"Prime Monty Python, primo laughs."  Steve Crum. Kansas City Kansan. (15/10/2004)

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ulXNk-bmo

City of God (Brasil, 2002) 130´ 28/03/2013

This crime drama film by Fernando Meirelles depicts the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, with the closure of the film depicting the war between the drug dealer Li'l Zé (Leandro Firmino) and criminal Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge).
The film is based on a novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, but the plot is loosely based on real events.


The film was nominated and won several awards including the Best Editing BAFTA Award. It also was well-acclaimed.
"As the movie's frenetic visual rhythms and mood swings synchronize with the zany, adrenaline-fueled impulsiveness of its lost youth on the rampage, you may find yourself getting lost in this teeming netherworld." Stephen Holden. New York Times. 16/01/2013.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE FILM CONTAINS VERY VIOLENT SCENES.

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

Trainspotting (UK, 1996) 95´. 21/03/2013

This British black comedy was directed by Danny Boyle and it is based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh. The film starring Ewan McGregor, who plays the role of Mark Renton, a guy involved in a world of heroin addiction in a late 1980s economically depressed area of Edinburgh and his passage through life. Beyond drug addiction, other concurrent themes in the film are exploration of the urban poverty and squalor in "culturally rich" Edinburgh.


The film won the award for the Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1995 British Academy Film Awards. It garnered almost universal praise from critics.
"For better or worse, sometimes strictly for the sake of shock value, the stylish irreverence of Trainspotting mimics that drug high and delivers its own potent kick." Janet Maslin. New York Times. 01/01/2000.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=troBCR2VN4M

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN´S DAY. REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. (USA, 2002) 90´ 07/03/2013

On 8^th of this month the International Women´s Day will be celebrated, and in the Cinema Club we want to join the festivity. For that reason we have decided to screen Real Women Have Curves.

This film by Patricia Cardoso is based on a theater play by Josefina López. It tells the story of Ana (America Ferrara), a first generation Mexican-American teenager on the verge of becoming a woman. She lives in the predominately Latino community of East Los Angeles. Freshly graduated from high school, Ana receives a full scholarship to Columbia University. Her very traditional, old-world parents feel that now is the time for Ana to help provide for the family, not the time for college.


The film was commended by critics and won different awards, for instance it won the Audience Award in addition to Special Jury Prizes for America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros at the Sundance Film Festival.
"A charming and funny story of clashing cultures and a clashing mother/daughter relationship." Laura Bushell. BBC. 16/01/2003.

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpDifyDIp0

Match Point (UK, 2005) 124´ 28/02/2013.

This dramatic-thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen tells the story of Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Chris, a recently retired tennis professional, is taken on as an instructor at an upmarket club in London. He strikes up a friendship with a wealthy pupil, Tom Hewett, after discovering their common affinity for opera. Tom's older sister, Chloe, is smitten with Chris and the two begin dating. During a family gathering, Chris meets Tom's fiancée, Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), and they are instantly attracted to each other.
 

Allen was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The film received generally strong reviews from critics.
"[Allen's] new movie, Match Point, devoted to lust, adultery, and murder, is the most vigorous thing he's done in years." David Denby. New Yorker. (03/01/2006).

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wISRAOb6xm0

The Elephant Man (UK, 1980). 124´. 21/02/1980

This drama film was filmed by David Lynch and it is based on the true story of of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film).
 London Hospital surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) discovers John Merrick (John Hurt) in a Victorian freak show in London's East End, where he is managed by the brutish Bytes. Merrick is deformed to the point that he must wear a hood and cap when in public, and Bytes claims he is an imbecile. Treves is professionally intrigued by Merrick's condition and pays Bytes to bring him to the Hospital so that he can examine him.


The Elephant Man was a critical and commercial success. It also won the BAFTA Awards for Best Film and Best Actor.
"This tale of a pure soul struggling to be heard over the prejudice of the many is quite heart-rending." Almar Haflidason. BBC. 30/05/2001.
See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye4YTZOq2fk

Ordinary People (USA, 1980) 124´ 14/02/2013

Robert Reford debuted as a director with this drama that tells the story of the Jarrets, an upper-middle-class family trying to return to normal life after the death of one teenage son. The misfortune deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother (Mary Tyler Moore), the good-natured father (Donald Sutherland), and the guilt-ridden younger son (Timothy Hutton).



It is a well-acclaimed film and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Although it was the first film directed by Robert Reford, the actor won the award for Best Director.
"An intelligent, perceptive, and deeply moving film." Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun-Times. (23/10/2004)

See the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdjlLq1tqmU