July Movie Club Notes

Wow! The July Movie Club Notes are almost on time. I wanted to make certain that we were up-to-date with our notes before the start of our 6th Movie Club season next month.


I should mention upfront that the movies selected for September are:


The Traitor starring Don Cheadle, opening in theaters on August 29 and The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling which is on DVD. The September Movie Club meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 13.


As mentioned in an earlier post, it's been a while since we held a meeting in July. Summer is a notoriously bad time for trying to pull people together. But this year because there were members who didn't get an opportunity to select a movie during the regular 10 month season, we decided to do a one month extension to allow them to share their movie choices with us. Surprisingly we had a pretty good turnout although a lot of folks didn't see both films.

The first selection reviewed was The Diving Bell and the Butterfly chosen by Stephanie our resident professional actor. She told us that the choice was made because she couldn't think of anything else and two friends whose opinions she respected had recommended it. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to see the film. I'm certain that after hearing our comments, she's rectified that situation.

With one exception, most of our members liked this movie a lot. Mona said that she didn't really expect to like it. She doesn't necessarily care for subtitles and therefore the movie started as a C which then moved to a C+, then to a B and then finally to her final rating as an A. Zorah also felt that the movie was beautifully made and loved the perspective from which it was shot. Zanetta thought that the relationships in the movie were done especially well. India, who gave the film it's lowest rating, thought that it was too long although she admitted that it captured the essence of what was like to be Jean-Do.

In writing this I realized that the main character's name is the French version of John Doe. I will have to remember to mention this fact at the next meeting. It might add some additional perspectives on what that might mean.


Here are the ratings for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly:


Puma B+


India C+


David B+


Zorah A-


Ed B


Zanetta A-


Carl A-


Mona A-


Hope A-


The second selection for July was also a subtitled movie. Lust, Caution set in Shanghai during WWII was chosen by Carl. I must say I think the film was aptly titled; there was a lot of lust and the need for a lot of caution. Zorah really enjoyed the film and thought it was suspenseful but she really liked the relationship between Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai. Rylona thought the movie showcased the idealism and the unrealisticness of youth. They were caught up by their passion to achieve their mission.
Zanetta was intrigued by the sex scenes and thought they were excellent. The way these scenes were shot made the viewer feel almost like a voyeur. There was a spirited discussion about whether Mr. Yee and Mak Tai Tai really loved one another. Ed felt that Mak Tai Tai did grow to have true feelings for the married Mr. Yee. She had been so betrayed by so many people in her life and he was willing to do more for her than anyone.

I think that our movies this month proved that subtitles don't detract from films that are well made and interesting.

The grades for Lust, Caution were:

Carl A+

Mona C

John B+

Rylona A+

Patrice C+

Puma A-

India B-

Stephanie B

Zorah A+

Zanetta A

Ed B-

David B+

Hope B-

Looking forward to the opening of our sixth season. See everyone on September 13.

June Movie Club Notes

I must apologize for the lapse in posting on this site. There is no excuse, I'm just lazy. But the vitality which has been exhibited by movie club members over the past five years deserves to be recorded. We've changed a lot over the past five and one-half years but the enthusiasm for film has remained.

The choices for June were The Visitor selected by Kathi and 3:10 to Yuma chosen by Harold.

I'll start with The Visitor which Kathi said she found while looking for another movie. She thought it sounded interesting and hoped that everyone would enjoy it. We all did. The lowest rating this film earned from the group was a B and that is a rousing success in Harlem Movie Club terms.

Ron gave the movie its B saying that he found it slow to start and a little too long. Puma admitted that there are few films she doesn't like but she particularly enjoyed the multiculturalness of the film and felt it was "very real' and "not contrived". She thought the slowness of the film helped give the viewer a chance to see and appreciate the way the main character (Walter) handled the stresses he felt. John felt that it was the "type of film that shows the reason people make films". All agreed that the characters were portrayed in a way that really made you care about them and that the movie was realistic and easy to relate to.

The ratings for The Visitor are as follows:

India B+

Lori A-

Nero B+

Kathi A

Zanetta A-

Ron B

Puma A+

Stephanie A

Zorah B+

Carl A

Mona A

David A

John A

Harold A-

Hope A

Patrice A

Gwen A-

Rita B

Tonique A

In contrast to The Visitor, 3:10 to Yuma was a real disappointment, although the grades it received weren't extraordinarily bad. Harold selected the film because, based on what he had heard of the western, he thought it would be much more interesting. David thought the movie was "cliched, corny, boring and irrelevant". "But for Russell Crowe, I would have given the movie an F", he said.

Puma, true to herself, gave the film an A+. Once again she saw the film in mythological terms. She also likes anything with Russell Crowe. Stephaine liked that Crowe's character was redeemed in the end by his relationship with Don Evans, the character portrayed by Christian Bale.

3:10 to Yuma grades:

India B

Lori B

Nero B

Kathi B-

Zanetta C

Ron B

Puma A

Stephanie B-

Carl C

Mona C

David C-

John C

Harold B-

Hope B

Patrice B

Gwen B-

May Movie Club Notes - Trying to catch up

Although I started writing this post in May, it is now August and I am really trying to take care of the backlog of Movie Club notes. Here finally are May's notes.

Our regular Movie Club season usually runs from September through June but we've acquired so many new members this year and we're having so much fun that at our May meeting on the 9th, we decide that this year we will continue meeting into July. (As a historical point, the first couple of years we met year round but had such poor showings during the summer we decided to suspend those meetings.) We have such a good time discussing the movies of the month and everything else under the sun that folks actually miss the social connection when there isn't a meeting.

This month's movies were The Mist, selected by Puma and The Forbidden Kingdom selected by John. I have to say that both films received mediocre ratings as shown below, but of the two The Forbidden Kingdom was probably the bigger disappointment. The first time that megastars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, have been in a film together is big news for a lot of people. Unfortunately, most of the group agreed that the talent deserved a better vehicle. The film was beautifully shot and some of the martial arts scenes were incredible. Nevertheless the film did receive one A+ rating from Puma who said this is her "favorite kind of story", campy, hyped-up adventure. She said that she was "on the edge of her seat with delight". Unfortunately for the filmmakers she was the only one who felt that way at Movie Club and also it seems in the general movie viewing public.



Here are the Movie Club grades for The Forbidden Kingdom



Kathi B

John B

Puma A+

Zanetta B+

Stephanie F-

Ramona C+

Gwen D

David B+

Harold C

Gregg C

Carl B

Ed D+

Hope C

Patrice C


The Mist didn't fair much better. Most thought that the film was somewhat saved by its unexpected ending. Puma thought that the violence and gore was excessive and gratuitous. Harold thought that the best part of the film was its look at how people react when they are locked down together and have few choices. Carl was reminded of The Twilight zone and both he and Stephanie thought the film would have better if it had focused on the interaction that Harold mentioned. How diverse folks act when they are trapped together.

And the ratings for The Mist:

Kathi C-

Yvonne C+

John D-

Puma B

Tonique C

Stephanie B-

Ramona C-

Gwen D

David B+

Harold C+

Carl C

Ed C

Hope C

Patrice C

India A+

Next month's movie selections are: 3:10 to Yuma and The Visitor.

April Movie Club Notes

Thanks to Zanetta for writing the Movie Club notes in my absence.


We were pleased to welcome to the club new members Tanique, Rylona’s friend and neighbor, and Patrice, introduced to the group by India .

Meet the Browns
Yvonne chose the movie Meet the Browns, but, (perhaps fortunately for her) wasn’t there to defend her choice, and could not be reached for comment, though we did try. Puma was one of two participants who gave the movie its highest rating, a B. Puma explained that she enjoyed the romantic aspect of it, as it was a sentimental love story that touched her heart. She disliked the humor however, calling it stereotypical and tacky. Specifically, she said, the beating was nothing to be made fun of. Patrice, the other B-grader, qualified her rating saying that it was a “B for a Tyler Perry-type movie.” She said her score also reflected the fact that she closely identified with the single mother story line.

Brother John gave the film its lowest grade, a “double F,” and for the first time in the history of our movie club said that he is seeking a refund from the person who chose the movie! In keeping with his usual commentary from a technical perspective, his first observation was a violent objection to the “purple make-up,” making the characters look like the “painted white people portraying Indians in the 1950’s Spaghetti Westerns.” Then, he said there was no script, and on top of that this had to be Angela Bassett’s worst performance of her entire life, compounded by the fact that she is much too old for the role, and her costuming made her look like a hobbit, all tolled making this the worst movie he has ever seen. Ron echoed the opinion, stating that Rick Fox should stay on the basketball court, and there was no flow to the movie. The movie was described as buffoonery and demeaning to women, with most of the characters portraying a “ho’,” both men and women. Most of the other commentary was aligned with the disappointment described above, with Karl adding that it was too predictable, and Rylona echoing that it was a tired story line.

Gregg however, tried to offer the movie’s screenwriter some reprieve—he said “I have to applaud Tyler Perry though for taking on the issue of neglected children. People need to see the effect of what happens. He also appreciated that TP addresses the issue that there are so many negative voices in our community, specifically quoting the line “ Have you been beaten down so much that you can’t recognize a positive person?” Sister Kathi offered that the caretaker was the one character that had some substance. Zanetta, although she didn’t see the movie, was just relieved to have not been called out as the worst movie-picker for once.

Here are the ratings for Meet the Browns

John FF
Gregg C+
India C+
Carl C
Patrice B
Puma B
Ramona C+
Ron F
Rylona D-
Kathi D-
Tanique C
Valerie C+


There Will Be Blood

Notes pending on this film, however ratings are listed below:

John A
Gregg B
India B+
Carl B
Puma A
Ramona B
Ron B+
Rylona C-
Kathi B+
Zanetta B+

May Movie Choices
Puma - The Mist
Brother John - The Forbidden Kingdom

March Movie Club Notes

Welcome to Puma and her daughter India our newest members of the Harlem Movie Club. We hope that you enjoyed your first contact with us as well as we enjoyed meeting you.

Our March meeting was somewhat historic. Never before have we had such an overall widespread difference of opinion concerning a film. 14 members reviewed Best Picture Oscar winner, No Country for Old Men and 50% of them gave the film a B or better, while the other half rated the film as low as a 'V', which of course has no point value but indicates the strong dislike the viewer felt for the movie.

Valerie selected the film based on one clip she had seen in preview where Anton, the Javier Bardem character, forced an elderly grocery store owner to flip a coin. That scene piqued her interest so much that she wanted to see more. Obviously she liked what she saw because she gave the film an A-.

For many others however, the film was disjointed, confusing, senseless and had no flow which they reflected in their low ratings. However our newest member Puma, provided such a different perspective on the film, that even some of those who didn't like it wanted to go back and see it again. Puma felt that the film was an allegory, running on different levels which was not meant to be taken literally. As a keeper of Native (American) storytelling traditions, she saw the film as following old native story principles and symbols throughout. She felt that the Coen brothers must have been influenced by some interaction with Native peoples in their home state of Minnesota. Her comments demonstrate the value of having more and more members in our club and I hope that all our members will make an effort to bring new people to our meetings.

Other comments on No Country ranged from Ron's "didn't flow. scared the hell out of me" to Damon's the "movie was horrible. I just wanted it to end already". David thought that No Country was "a meaningless, cliched waste of the Coen Brother's political clout in Hollywood". That they "drag down the whole industry when they produce an artistic fart just because they can."

Here are the ratings for No Country for Old Men:
Rita A-
Yvonne C
David D+
Carl A
Ron C-
Harold C+
Hope A-
Ramona B
Valerie A-
Zorah C+
India B
Puma A+
Tiffany F
Damon 'V'

Our second film for March was Michael Clayton. Hope chose this film for two reasons. One, George Clooney and two, both George Clooney and the film were nominated for Oscars.

The sentiments for Michael Clayton were a lot more uniform than we saw with our privious selection. Everyone enjoyed the film on some level but some more than others. Zanetta really liked the film but thought it could have easily been done as a "made for TV movie". Tiffany and Ed also liked the film but thought it had been done before, and better, in movies like Erin Brockavich, The Firm etc. Valerie and Ramona, both with experience at law firms, felt that the movie offered an accurate depiction of what life is like in large firms.

Ratings for Michael Clayton:

Valerie A
Zorah B+
Ron B+
Yvonne B-
India B
Rita B
Harold B-
Gregg B+
Puma A+
Carl B+
Mona B
Hope B
David B+
Zanetta A-
Ed C
Tiffany C
Damon C+

What's Goin' On?

Prince Among Slaves



Tuesday, March 25 - 7 PM-9PM, Columbia University Morningside Campus Earl Hall, Dodge Room - FREE!



A True Story

A highly educated member of the ruling class, Abdul-Rahman was captured in a regional conflict, sold into slavery, survived the Middle Passage, and ended up in Natchez, Mississippi. After 40 years of enslavement, his journey to freedom eventually included the support of Sec. of State Henry Clay and Thomas Gallaudet as well as meeting Pres. John Quincy Adams in the White House. But the story doesn't end there; he struggles to free his nine children. Will he succeed? Directed by Andrea Kalin and re-enactments by Bill Duke │Documentary │60 minutes 2007



Discussion and refreshments to follow. For further information regarding this event, please contact Raquel Whittaker by sending email to oucfilmseries@columbia.edu or by calling 212-854-4194.



Harlem Symphony Orchestra



Apollo Family Series, Sunday, March 30, 4PM, Apollo Theater



The Harlem Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2004 to highlight the visibility and historic contributions of African American classical musicians. The orchestra is made up of African American graduates of the nation’s top conservatories and music schools, including The Julliard School, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Indiana University. The orchestra performs traditional symphonic works, and music by African and African American composers. Violist Amadi Hummings is a native of New York City and serves as conductor and music director.

For tickets: Ticketron or call the Apollo box office, 212-531-5305

What's Goin' On?

Here's what's happening in Harlem and around town that you might want to check out.


Romare Bearden - Works: Cubist and Caribbean
Now through Saturday, March 29 see the works of
master artist, Romare Bearden, at the Essie Green Galleries, 419A Convent Avenue, in the village of Harlem. 212-368-9635. Shown is "The Uncoupling of the Hounds" ( 1946)
Not to be missed!

Afro Diaspora Sounds
Abdou Mbacke will perform traditional African music and drumming at the City College of New York, Friday, March 14 - 3 PM - Shepard Hall, Room 95. FREE

Big Apple Jazz/ EZ's Woodshed - Harlem Rent Parties
Every Friday night in March. Shows begin at 8:30 PM until... Free
2236 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd between 131st and 132nd Streets.
March 14 - featuring The Vocalists. Frank Senior, LeeOlive Tucker, Jimmy Jones, Audrey Silver, Lester Deane.

Black Magic
ESPN will televise a two-part documentary, Black Magic, commercial free, on Sunday, March 16 and Monday, March 17 at 9 p.m. The film covers the Civil Rights Movement as told through the lives of basketball players and coaches who attended black colleges and universities. It is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and Wynton Marsallis, and is produced by former NBA star Earl Monroe.

Hulu
Watch movies, movie clips, TV shows and videos online all for FREE via Hulu, a joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp.

What's Goin' On?

Here's what's happening in Harlem and around town that you might want to check out.


First Thursday Strolls: Hats off to JAZZ on W.181st Street presented by the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance
Thursday, March 6, 7PM (concert 7:30 - 9:30pm) NOMA Stroll to KB Gallery to see an exhibit of local artists and hear a jazz concert by The Allen Won Quartet, the first of three concerts at the gallery sponsored by local arts organization Artists Unite. Artists Unite presents a Jazz Composers Series at the new KB Gallery featuring contemporary musicians based in the NYC area.

New York International Children's Film Festival
Does your child like going to the movies? Did you know that there is a film festival dedicated to children's films? Well there is and from now until March 16 you and your children can enjoy 20 movies grouped by age for children from 3 years old to mid-teens. You can even attend the Best of the Fest awards and closing party on the last day of the festival. A little taste of the Oscars?

Harlem Stage on Screen: Creatively Speaking
For the adult crowd, check out the 16 films showing at Harlem Stage at The Gatehouse Friday, March 14 through Sunday, March 16. The 12th season of the Harlem Stage annual film series, featuring NY Women in Film & Television. Tickets $12, discounts available for Harlem residents and Harlem Stage members.

Black Shadows on the Silver Screen: Friday Matinee Film Festival for Seniors
Finally, you don't have to be a senior to enjoy the weekly showings of some forgotten gems from the '20's, '30's and '40's showcasing the talents of Black filmmakers and actors.
Lincoln East Senior CenterFriday, March 7 through Friday, June 20. A Memory Lane of Black Cinema for Harlem's African American Seniors!

ANF Short Film Collective In Conjunction with NY Perks Present: A Special Film Presentation "A Deeper Love "Written, produced and directed by Darrell Smith.

Thursday, March 13, 2008 -Reception 6:30pm;
Film Screening: 7:30pm;
After Party: 9:00pm
Suggested Donation: $5.00
NY Perks,
193 Smith Street between Warren & Baltic Street,
Brooklyn, NY
F or G Train to Bergen St

A DEEPER LOVE tells the story of the perfect match. Gina and Kevin share a bond that is strong enough to go through anything. But when a new love enters her life, she must make a decision that will change her life forever. Chyna Layne (Lee Daniels' PUSH, HBO's LIFE SUPPORT) and Rayan Lawrence (BACKSTAB, Dr. Miracle Commercials), Petri Hawkins Byrd (JUDGE JUDY), Gwynne Flanagan, Christopher L. McAllister and Nazanin Nour lead outstanding performances.

To RSVP: rsvp@actnowproduction.org or
347-274-0563
Hosted By: Ashanda Tarry
Producers:Gregory Jones, Marty Majeske & Aaron Ingram

Come meet the Director Of This Film On the 13th

What's Goin' On?

Here's what's happening in Harlem and around town that you might want to check out.

National Black Theater

Veteran classical actress and director Petronia Paley leads The TWAS Classical Actors of Color as they join Tony Award Winning Actress Trezana Beverley in MEDEA. Now through Sunday, March 2. For more information visit: http://www.takewingandsoar.org/

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Friday, February 29, 2008, 7:30 PM Harlem Opera Theater honors the memory of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. in the 100th year of their birth. Also, the memory of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 40th year after his assassination, by presenting “Opera in the Court.” Classical artists will perform operatic scenes which take place in the court room. Reception at 6 p.m., followed by concert at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information visit, http://www.harlemoperatheater.org/ or call 212-592-0780.

Saturday, March 1, 2008, 4:00 PM Bicentennial of the U.S. Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade - Film Series -Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North - FREE, first come, first served

Monday, March 3, 2008, 7:00 PM 15th Annual Women's Jazz Festival
Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely,
Opening performance by Mayra Casales
Tickets $18 members, $22.50 non-members

Other Events:

Saturday, March 1, 2008 - Black Video/DVD Fair
Museum of African American Cinema
Gift Shop, 9th Floor
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building
163 W. 125th Street

Now through Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - Honeydripper - directed by John Sayles, starring Danny Glover, Charles Dutton and Stacy Keach
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
Tickets: $11, $7 for members

February Movie Club Notes

This month, in addition to our review of February's two films, we also discussed the future of HMC. We decided that this blog can be used to do more than record our musings about our monthly movie selections, but also as a sort of clearinghouse for happenings in and around the Harlem community and beyond. Theater, film, music and other arts events will be highlighted here. We even talked about the possibility of recommending movies and other events for children, providing restaurant suggestions, and creating a logo for HMC.

So check us out every Thursday for arts and entertainment information that may be of interest to you.

All this comes as we prepare to submit an application for incorporation. Imagine that - HMC will be incorporated!

This month's movies received some of the highest overall ratings of any two films we've reviewed together. The lowest rating either received was a C, and if anyone knows HMC members, they know that many of them are not easy graders.

Let's start with the surprise hit, (at least in my estimation), Pan's Labyrinth.

The movie was chosen by Rita who identified with the little girl in the film, remembering her life in the Dominican Republic during Trujillo's reign. She loved the movie when she first saw it and wanted to share it with us all.

The lowest grade Pan's Labyrinth received was a C from Zanetta. She didn't like the mix of fantasy and reality and felt that character development wasn't consistently good. She "got bored". Carl's take on the movie was almost exactly the opposite. Giving the film an A because he thought the film "worked with the mix of fantasy and reality", and that the "child's vision was well incorporated in the film". He also felt that the Captain was the most intriguing character in the movie.

David thought that the technical aspects of the film were exceptional but didn't think the story was compelling enough and didn't answer why the child was driven into a fantasy world.

Other HMC member comments included: "It was full of mythology, complexity, intrigue" (Stephanie); "Didn't like the ending" (Nero); "I got sucked in" (Kathi).

Here are the individual ratings for Pan's Labyrinth:

• Rita A+
• John A
• Yvonne A
• Stephanie A+
• Ed A-
• David B+
• Carl A
• Rylona A+
• Lori A
• Nero A
• Ron A
• Kathi A
• Harold B
• Hope B+
• Ramona B
• Valerie B
• Zanetta C

The Great Debaters

For the second time in two months a Denzel Washington film was selected, only this time Zanetta had nothing to do with it. Ed chose the film this time because it had two African American Oscar winners in starring roles. (When will we get to see that again?) Denzel also directed it and the subject matter is one that is close to most of our hearts. As a predominantly African American group meeting in the middle of Harlem, it was unlikely that the movie was not going to be seen. But that doesn't mean it would automatically get the high rating it received.

The lowest rating The Great Debaters received was a B but obviously even those who graded it that way enjoyed the film.

This is the kind of movie which as Lori said, "tends to make us think about the theme rather than the movie".

But beyond the social factors that gave value to the film, it also had its own merits as a piece of cinema. Rylona liked that it integrated what was happening at the time while juxtaposing the accomplishments of the students. The film managed to provide a lot of information about the America of the '30's, not just Black America, but also what poor whites were experiencing, the development of the labor movement while also depicting a slice of Black life that many today didn't realize existed; educated, well-to-do, accomplished people like the family of future civil rights leader, James Farmer.

Some HMC members felt that there wasn't enough back story to provide more background on the characters, that parts of the movie felt too much like a documentary but they still felt it was not only uplifting, but also an important film especially for young people. Probably the most telling comment came from someone who is not a movie club member, a 16 year old young man who accompanied Ramona to see the movie. He came away thinking that the story wasn't true because Black people couldn't achieve something like that. We need help.

Great Debaters Ratings:

• Ed A-
• Kathi A
• John A
• Greg A-
• Rylona B+
• Ramona A
• Carl A
• Zanetta A+
• Tiffany A
• Harold B
• Damon B
• David A-
• Stephanie A
• Nero B
• Valerie A+
• Yvonne B
• Zorah B
• Ron A+
• Lori B
• Rita A-
• Hope B+

Happy 5th Anniversary!

WOW!!! What a way to start the New Year and celebrate the official 5th anniversary of movie club. Our first meeting of the year was fantastic. We had overflow attendance with almost all recent members of the group present. Then we had a surprisingly, to me, boisterous and passion-filled discussion about the film, House of Sand and Fog. The level of passion associated with this one was surprising to me, but that's what is so wonderful about movie club.

House of Sand and Fog was chosen by the newest member of our club, Nero. She said she chose the film because it is one of her favorites and she wanted to see it again. Judging by the ratings it was given, it is probably a favorite of a lot more people now.

It is a very good movie, on that everyone was agreed. The acting was superb, especially Ben Kingsley's performance, which was exceptional. In truth, all the actors in the film were perfect in their roles; the photography was beautiful and story was told with dialogue and actions that seemed true-to-life. There was no black or white in this movie. The characters were all flawed, no one all good or all bad as we too often see in film.

Carl and Lori both gave the film an A+. Lori commented that while she'll cry at sentimentality expressed in movies, it is "not easy", for a film , "to evoke a lot of different emotions" from her as this one did. Carl felt that it was a "great movie, with great acting" but wondered why Jennifer Connelly's character didn't just open her mail. A sentiment that was shared by many in the room. Of course, if she had, there would have been no story to tell. Harold felt that the "sum was not equal to its parts". For him, the movie didn't add up to a great film although there were a number of great moments in it.

As often happens in our meetings, the arguments and passions stirred during our discussion had little to do with the film's quality but with the issues highlighted in it. The issues addressed in this movie were were complicated, demonstrating how one's perspectives are shaped by cultural and social beliefs. What is right or wrong can be based on how one is taught to view the world, and that being said, both parties can be claim to be on the right and moral side of an issue. I was somewhat surprised that there were so many movie club members who seemed to have chosen a side. Many members latched on to what was legally right and supported the character who had the system on his side. Others, like myself, felt that while the law was on his side, the right path to take would have led him to other actions to solve the problem.

In the end, tragedy happens and everyone loses, some their very lives, because no one was willing to step back and take the time to evaluate what was really at stake. Instead it was more important to win rather than to communicate with one another and look for ways to make everyone a victor. There must be a lesson in that somewhere.

In an effort to make the blog a little more interesting, I decided to try embedding some video to give readers a taste of what this film is all about. Here's the trailer for House of Sand and Fog.

And here are the ratings:

• Nero A
• Zorah A-
• David A
• Tiffany B
• Ramona A
• Carlito A+
• Zanetta A
• Kathy B+
• Yvonne B
• Lori A+
• Harold B
• Ron A
• Rita A
• Hope B+

Average = A-

====================================================================
Our next film, I Am Legend, was selected by Zanetta because of Will Smith. Period. Unfortunately Zanetta didn't see the movie because, being susceptible to nightmares, she was warned that watching it might cause her to have them. Unfortunately too despite our collective support of Will Smith, I Am Legend didn't fare as well as our previous film.

Well Will there's good news and bad news. Let's get the bad news out of the way first, only two A's for the movie. Now for the good news. Most of us really liked your performance and thought you did a really good job carrying almost the entire movie by yourself, of course with great supporting help from Sam. Puts you right up there with Tom Hanks in Cast Away http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0162222/. Tiffany and John really had high praise for the film. John thought that "Will Smith is finally at the point where he can say he can act" and that this was a "breakout" for him and that his "respect went through the roof". He also praised the technical aspects of the film. Tiffany said that she likes horror/thriller style movies and that the monsters in the film, "were cool",plus she like movies shot in New York City.

On the other side of the ratings table Ron said that "this is the third time this movie has been made" citing The Omega Man http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/ as one incarnation. He thought the special effects "stunk" and that "if it hadn't been for Will Smith, it would have been an F". Ed, who also gave the movie a C- rating thought "the plot had too many holes. It was too trite, too Hollywood." Finally Damon who originally gave the movie a C- changed his rating too an even lower D- because he thought that too many good things were being said about the film by those who didn't like it. He thought it was "a corny movie" and only reason to see it was Will Smith. He fell asleep.

Personally I didn't think it was so bad but a lot of my movie going time was spent hiding my face and jumping out of my skin. I was physically sore when I left the theater from tensing up so much during the movie. If you like that kind of thing I guess I Am Legend is the film for you.

Here are the ratings:

• Carl A


• Ramona C


• Gregg C-


• John A


• Kathy B


• Lori B+ (for the movie)/A- for Will's performance


• Yvonne B+


• Rita B


• Ron C-


• Zorah C


• Harold B


• Ed C-


• Tiffany A


• Damon D-


• Hope B-


• David C (for the movie)/A for Will's performance

Average = C+

http://iamlegend.warnerbros.com/