Tonight's Features

Since last night's feature was set in the United States, tonight we will journey to Rio de Janiero and Afghanistan. The first film is a documentary and the second a book adaptation. I would love to have you join us and ask that you RSVP tonight because we will be making dinner and want to be sure there is enough.

TONIGHT'S FEATURES
6:00pm FAVELA RISING
Favela Rising documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela
(a Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sa is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janiero's most feared slum. Through hip hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police.

At the dawn of liberation, just as collective mobility is overcoming all odds and Anderson's grassroots Afro Reggae movement is at the height of its success, a tragic accident threatens to silence the movement forever.

For a preview click here.



7:30pm KITE RUNNER
Years after fleeing the Taliban and immigrating to the United States, an Afghan man (Khalid Abdalla) returns to his war-ravaged homeland to try to repay his debt to a childhood friend whose trust he betrayed. The trip plunges him back into a world that he left behind and forces him to confront both the Afghanistan that he loved as a child and to face what has happened to the country in the aftermath of its war against Russia and the rise of the Taliban. Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball) directs this touching story of family, friendship and bravery, based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini.

The Film Festival Begins

Last night we launched the 62 Romsey Street Film Festival by watching the movie Dogville. This represented a slight change in the schedule to accomodate a special request by a film festival patron :)


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DOGVILLE

The beautiful fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman), arrives in the isolated township of Dogville on the run from a team of gangsters. With some encouragement from Tom (Paul Bettany), the self-appointed town spokesman, the little community agrees to hide her and in return, Grace agrees to work for them. However, when a search sets in, the people of Dogville demand a better deal in exchange for the risk of harbouring poor Grace and she learns the hard way that in this town, goodness is relative. But Grace has a secret and it is a dangerous one. Dogville may regret it ever began to bare its teeth... Written by Anonymous

Set in an American Town in the Rocky Mountains in the 1930s. Lars von Trier re-explores the concept of goodness, but this in an idiom very different from that of his Gold Heart Trilogy (Breaking the Waves, The idiots and Dancer in the Dark). DOGVILLE is shot exclusively in studio with a minimum of props once again allowing the actors' maximum freedom and full exposure inspired by televised theatre of the 70s. In DOGVILLE Trier works extensively with light and sound to obtain and heighten dramatic atmosphere. Written by Trust Film Sales

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The movie was nearly 3 hours but we remained engaged as the movie explored human nature. The cast was star studded and we enjoyed trying to figure out what other movies we knew the actors from. There were actors from 24, Big Love and Sabrina, a teenage witch, just to name a few.

This movie is not for those who need constant action to stay engaged. It reminded me of a dark Tom Stoppard play. For those who enjoy delving into the human psyche this is a must see. Thank you to Ilka and Christine for coming out on a weeknight! I look forward to having you for many nights to come.

FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

FIRST WEEK’S SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 6:30pm
Dogvillle (2004)
Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Chloe Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgard and Lauren Bacall star in director Lars von Trier's meditation on small-town America. When a mysterious woman claims she's being chased by hoodlums and needs a place to hide out, the residents of Dogville come to her rescue. But she must prove herself worthy of this privilege and win the trust of everyone. And in the end, her arrival may be the town's undoing anyway. Recommended by Christine Hayes (177 min)

Thursday, July 9, 2009 6:00pm
Favela Rising (2005)
Co-directors Jeff Zimbalist and Matt Mochary's acclaimed documentary charts the growth of Rio de Janeiro's AfroReggae movement, a grassroots effort to combat the soul-crushing oppression of the city's most notorious slum. Led by former street thug Anderson Sa, the nonviolent program celebrates Afro-Brazilian culture, drawing on hip-hop music and dance to unite the impoverished neighborhood against the ubiquitous drug pushers and corrupt cops. In honor of my growing love of Brazil. (80 min)

Thursday, July 9, 2009 7:30pm
Kite Runner (2007)
Years after fleeing the Taliban and immigrating to the United States, an Afghan man (Khalid Abdalla) returns to his war-ravaged homeland to try to repay his debt to a childhood friend whose trust he betrayed. Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball) directs this touching story of family, friendship and bravery, based on the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini. Great book! (127 min)

Friday, July 10, 2009 8:00pm
Drop Squad (1994)
African-American ad executive Bruford Jamison Jr. (Eriq La Salle) works on campaigns selling Mumblin' Jack Malt Liquor and General Otis' Fried Chicken (w/ a Confederate flag on the bucket) to the black community. Soon, Bruford gets a visit from the D.R.O.P. Squad, activists who "deprogram" him to raise his consciousness about racial stereotypes. This wry satire costars Ving Rhames and Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Spike Lee appears in a cameo. Recommended by Atu White (88 min)

Sunday, July 12, 2009 4:45pm
Chinatown (1974)
Private eye J.J. Gittes (Jack Nicholson) uncovers intricate dirty dealings in the Los Angeles waterworks and gets his nose slashed for his grief. Suspicious, porcelain-skinned femme fatale Faye Dunaway (who harbors a nasty family secret) finances Gittes's snooping. Director Roman Polanski reimagines 1930s Los Angeles in this brilliant detective thriller. And Robert Towne's onion-like script reveals itself one complex layer at a time. (130 min)

Sunday, July 12, 2009 7:30pm
Slumdog Millionaire
After coming within one question of winning it all on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," 18-year-old Mumbai "slumdog" Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is arrested on suspicion that he cheated his way to the top. While in custody, he regales a jaded inspector (Irfan Khan) with remarkable tales of his life on the streets and the story of the woman (Freida Pinto) he loved and lost. Danny Boyle directs this Oscar-winning Best Picture. (120 min)
SECOND WEEK’S SCHEDULE

Tuesday, July 15, 2009 6:00pm
Born Into Brothels (2004)
British filmmaker Zana Briski's Oscar-winning documentary is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in Calcutta's red-light district, where their mothers work as prostitutes to ensure their survival. Spurred by the kids' fascination with her camera, Briski decides to teach them photography. As they begin to look at and record their world through new eyes, the kids awaken to their own talents and sense of worth. (85 min)

Tuesday, July 15, 2009 8:00pm
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Convinced little Olive (Abigail Breslin) is beauty queen material, parents Richard (Greg Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette) and the rest of the family embark on a life-altering road trip to a pageant in this madcap comedy. Struggling motivational speaker Richard pushes Olive to win, while her silent brother (Paul Dano), depressed uncle (Steve Carell) and nursing-home reject grandpa (Alan Arkin, in an Oscar-winning role) add their own quirks to the mix. (101 min)

Thursday, July 17, 2009 7:00pm
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Johnny Depp (in an Oscar-nominated role) reteams with director Tim Burton for this adaptation of the hit Broadway musical about the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a man who becomes a deranged murderer seeking revenge after being falsely imprisoned. To add to the macabre nature of his crimes, he enlists the help of his lover, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who disposes of the victims by baking them into meat pies -- sought after by all of London. (116 min)

Friday, July 18, 2009 7:00pm
Once Were Warriors (1994)
Does love conquer all? Maybe not, at least according to Once Were Warriors, a disturbing drama directed by Lee Tamahori and based on Alan Duff's novel of the same name. Her marriage a shambles and her psyche bruised and betrayed, a woman fights tooth and nail to keep her family intact. This was an amazing film, it is intense but definitely worth watching. The movie really shows how indigenous peoples struggle to maintain themselves within a dominant culture that doesn’t reflect their values and it deals with the tough side of family life in the hood. (103 min)

Friday, July 18, 2009 9:00pm
Don’t Be A Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
In this goofy send-up of the gritty urban movies of the early 1990s, Ashtray (Shawn Wayans) moves to South Central Los Angeles to live with his father (who appears to be no older than he) and dope-smoking grandmother. He falls in with his gang-banging cousin Loc Dog (Marlon Wayans), who counts a thermonuclear warhead in his arsenal of weapons. Will Ashtray keep living the straight life, or will he join up with Loc Dog's gangsta homeboys? (89 min)


Saturday, July 19, 2009 1:00pm
Boys of Baraka
In an experimental program to reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency, the city of Baltimore sent a group of 12-year-olds deemed "at risk" to a boarding school in Kenya, affording the boys the rare opportunity to turn their troubled lives around. Focusing on four of the youths, this compelling documentary follows the students as they struggle to overcome the obstacles of their past in their hopeful bid for a shot at a brighter future. (84 min)

Saturday, July 19, 2009 4:00pm
Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Texas congressman Charlie Wilson sets a series of earth-shaking events in motion when he conspires with a CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman, in an Oscar-nominated role) to aid Afghan mujahedeen rebels in their fight against the Soviet Red Army. Julia Roberts, Emily Blunt and Amy Adams co-star in this fact-based political thriller directed by Mike Nichols and based on George Crile's 2003 book by the same name. (97 min)

Sunday, July 20, 2009 4:00pm
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Oscar-winning actor-director Mel Gibson helms this controversial epic film that focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus's life -- from the betrayal, trial and death of Jesus to his brutal Crucifixion and resurrection from the tomb. Starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Maia Morgenstern as Jesus's mother and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, The Passion is spoken entirely in Latin and Aramaic, and the violent Crucifixion scenes are incredibly graphic. (127 min)

Sunday, July 20, 2009 7:00pm
City of Men (2007)
In director Paulo Morelli's follow-up to Fernando Meirelles's Oscar-nominated City of God, 18-year-old best friends Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha) are struggling to come to terms with the pressures of manhood in the midst a bloody neighborhood gang war. Rodrigo dos Santos and Jonathan Haagensen also star in this brutally realistic and heartbreaking exposé on life in the mean streets of Rio de Janeiro. You don’t have to have seen City of God to watch this, but it might make sense if you want to understand the movie better. (110 min)