December 7th discussion : Kandahar

Register for this discussion starting November 16th.

Pick up your copy of the DVD starting November 31st.

Director – Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Screenplay – Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Stars – Nelofer Pazira, Hassan Tantai, Hassan Tantai, Hoyatala Hakimi

Plot: Nafas (Niloufar Pazira) is a reporter who was born in Afghanistan, but fled with her family to Canada when she was a child. However, her sister wasn't so lucky; she lost her legs to a land mine while young, and when Nafas and her family left the country, her sister was accidentally left behind. Nafas receives a letter from her sister announcing that she's decided to commit suicide during the final eclipse before the dawn of the 21st century; desperate to spare her sister's life, Nafas makes haste to Afghanistan, where she joins a caravan of refugees who, for a variety of reasons, are returning to the war-torn nation. As Nafas searches for her sister, she soon gets a clear and disturbing portrait of the toll the Taliban regime has taken upon its people. [from amazon.com]

Review links:
Roger Ebert - Chicago Sun-Times
Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

Other Reviews:
Metacritic

September 21st discussion : The Motorcycle Diaries

Register for this discussion starting September 4th.

Pick up your copy of the DVD starting September 15th.

Director – Walter Salles

Screenplay – Jose Rivera, adapted from the memoir Notas de viaje by Ernesto Guevara, and the biography Con el Che por America Latina by Alberto Granado

Stars – Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna

Plot: Ernesto Guevara and his friend Alberto are medical students on the verge of graduation. They head out on a life-changing motorcycle trip across South America in 1952, a trip that alters their views of privilege and poverty.

Review links:
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
Peter Travers Rolling Stone

Read more reviews:
IMDB
Metacritic

June 15th discussion : TransAmerica

Register for this discussion starting June 2nd.

Pick up your copy of the DVD starting June 8th.

Director: Duncan Tucker

Screenplay: Duncan Tucker

Stars: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegars, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young, Graham Greene

Plot: “Huffman plays Bree Osbourne, a conservative transsexual woman, who learns she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son (Kevin Zegers). The wheels of fortune take Bree and son on a cross-country adventure, including a memorable visit with Bree’s parents, that will change both of their lives. A funny, touching, completely original look at the modern American family” Product description via amazon.com

Review links:

Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

David Edelstein Slate

Read more reviews:
IMDB
Metacritic