Karrin E. Wilks, Interim President, BMCC Monday | March 30, 2020

Write a review of your favorite movie O U R P E O P L E

MARIA ENRICO (CHAIR) · RAFAEL CORBALÁN · EDA HENAO · SILVIA ÁLVAREZ-OLARRA · MARGARET CARSON · If you want to write reviews that carry PETER CONSENSTEIN · RACHEL CORKLE · ·BERENICE DARWICH · MARÍA DE LOS ÁNGELES DONOSO MACAYA · some authority, then you need to learn everything you can. GERMÁN GARRIDO · EVELIN GAMARRA-MARTÍNEZ · AINOA ÍÑIGO· LAURIE LOMASK · LING (EMILY) LUO · Some believe that in order to be a truly good film critic you must ALICIA PERDOMO H. · PATRIZIA COMELLO PERRY · SILVIA ROIG · SOPHIE MARÍÑEZ · JOHN THOMAS MEANS · have worked as a director, or that in order to review music you CHUN-YI PENG · NIDIA PULLÉS-LINARES · ÁLISTER RAMÍREZ-MÁRQUEZ · MARILYN RIVERA · FANNY M. must have been a professional musician. That kind of experi- RODRÍGUEZ · FAY R. ROGG · LISA SARTI · FRANCISCA SUÁREZ-COALLA · VALÉRIE THIERS-THIAM · KRISTINA s more important to be a well-informed VARADE · ALEJANDRO VARDERI · CAROL WASSERMAN · ANDRÉS AMADOR · JACOB DÍAZ · LUIS A. GARAY · DINO GARCIA · ADELA GEORGE · GIADA GERACI · ALESSANDRA PERALTA-ÁVILA · GABRIELA HILERIO · MO- Just as an aspiring novelist reads the HAMED SOFAINI · XIOMARA ABUD · TANIA ADAMI · MÓNICA AGREST · CARLOS ARAZI · ANDREA MORENO- great writers, a good critic should read accomplished reviewers. DÍAZ · HASSEN BETTAIEB · ERICH BEULIG · BARBARA BREGSTEIN · ARTHUR CAIN · INÉS CARRERA-JUNCO · Read their reviews, analyze what they do, and learn from them, do you agree or disagree, try to make your argument. Such phrases are unneces- s your opinion you’re con-

s analysis is the centerpiece of s not much use to readers if one doesn’t provide enough background information. So if you’re reviewing a movie, outline the plot but also discuss the directors, the actors, and the screenwriter. Tell us a little about influences and Not One Less (Yi ge dou bu neng shao) is a 1999 drama film by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, MARIE-THÉRÈSE CASSÉUS · JONATHAN CAYER · CATHERINE CORDEIRO · EMIL L. CRUZ FERNANDEZ · PEDRO adapted from Shi Xiangsheng's 1997 story A Sun in the Sky 天上有个太阳s. nothing readers hate more than a film critic who gives away the ending to the latest block- DE LLANO · IZZY DE MOYA · CALOGERO DIONISI · JABRI DIONISIO · SAMEH H. EL NAGGAR · DEXTER V. EWERS · JENNIFER FEDERICO · ELIZABETH FIGUEROA · MAREK FILIPCZAK · CLAIRE GALLAND · MARTINE M. GAUTHI- In a remote mountain village, the local teacherbuster. must So leaveyes, give for plenty a month, of background and theinformation, mayor but can don't find ER · HELEN HASELNUSS · SHU-HUEY JENNER · MICHAEL KAUFER · ISABELLE LAPIN · QINGLIU LI · SHANMAN A. only a 13-year old girl, Wei Minzhi, to substitute. The teacher leavesKeep one your stick target of audience chalk infor mind. each LIAO · GUOZHI LIU · ELIZABETH MANUKIAN · ABIGAIL MÉNDEZ · JYTTE MICHELSEN · MARÍA MILÁN · day and promises her an extra 10 yuan if there's not one less student when he returns.even the most LEANDRO MORALES · VÍCTOR MURILLO · LISSETTE NÚÑEZ · ALBA POTES · AMALIA RECHTMAN · KATHERINE t succeed if he bores his readers to A. ROMAINE MAWSON · JUAN SABORIDO · MARA SALVATI · ROBERTO SCARCELLA-PERINO · STEVEN R. TOU- Within days, poverty forces the class troublemaker, Zhang Huike, to leave for the city to work. SLEY · JOSÉ VASQUEZ · MARÍA TERESA VÉLEZ · OLGA M. VILLACÍS · ALBERTO WONG HIU · ROSANA WONG The stubborn Minzhi is determined to bring him back. She t enlistsBe Afraid the to Have 26 remaining Strong Opinions. pupils in · STÉPHANE M. ZABOROWSKI · GIULIA ZENI · KAMERON B. ACKERMAN · MUSTAPHA AKHOULLOU · ABDEL BEN TARIF · CHRISTINA BUENO · LUIS CABALLERO · JOSÉ A. CHACÓN · ROSALIA CONOSCENTI · LILY DU · earning money for her trip. She hitches to Jiangjiakou City and begins her search. The boy, EMMANUEL FODÉ · CARLOS GOMARIZ · ROA HARIZI · ITAI KOVACS · SHANMAN A. LIAO · ERIN MANSUR · meanwhile, is there, lost and begging for food. Minzhi's resolve may be Huike and the village GUADALUPE PERAZA · EDWARD NEVAREZ · FLORE MJV POUQUET · LUIS REGUILLO · DENISE STEPPÉ CARROL school's salvation. · MARGUERITE VAN COOK · CARLOS VILLALBA · EDMILSON XAVIER · JING ZHAO · ROSEMARY ZELAYA · MLD QINGLIAN CHEN

Write a review of your favorite movie CHINESE Know Your Subject. If you want to write reviews that carry some authority, then you need to learn everything you can. Some believe that in order to be a truly good film critic you must The film addresses education have worked as a director, or that in order to review music you reform in China, the economic must have been a professional musician. That kind of experi- gap between urban and rural ence wouldn’t hurt, but it’s more important to be a well layman. populations, and the preva- Read Other Critics. Just as an aspiring novelist reads the lence of bureaucracy and au- great writers, a good critic should read accomplished reviewers. thority figures in everyday Read their reviews, analyze what they do, and learn from them, do you agree or disagree, try to make your argument. life. Avoid “I” and “In My Opinion”. Such phrases are unneces- It is filmed in a neorealist/ sary; your reader understands that it’s your opinion you veying. documentary style with a Give Background. The critic’s analysis is the centerpiece of troupe of non-professional any review, but that’s not much use to readers if one doesn actors who play characters provide enough background information. So if you’re reviewing a movie, outline the plot but also discuss the directors, the ac- with the same names and oc- tors, and the screenwriter. Tell us a little about influences and cupations as the actors have ) is a 1999previous drama works. film by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, in real life, blurring the Don’t Spoil the Ending. There’s nothing readers hate more

than a film critic who gives away the ending to the latest block- boundaries between drama Director: Zhang Yimou In a remote mountain village, the local teacherbuster. must So leaveyes, give for plenty a month, of background and theinformation, mayor but can don't find and reality. Writer: Shi Xiangsheng give away the ending. year old girl, Wei Minzhi, to substitute.Know The Your teacher Audience. leaves Keep one your stick target of audience chalk infor mind. each day and promises her an extra 10 yuan if there'sYou not can one educate less your student readers, when but remember he returns. – even the most knowledgeable critic won’t succeed if he bores his readers to Within days, poverty forces the class troublemaker, Zhang Huike, to leave for the city to work. tears. Tuesday, March 31 The stubborn Minzhi is determined to bring And, him of back. course, Shedon’ t enlistsBe Afraid the to Have 26 remaining Strong Opinions. pupils in earning money for her trip. She hitches to Jiangjiakou City and begins her search. The boy, 12:00 pm-2:30 pm meanwhile, is there, lost and begging for food. Minzhi's WATCH resolve mayTHE beMOVIES Huike and the village Theatre 2 ENJOY OUR COURSES AT MLD

is a 2012 Saudi وجدة Wadjda Arabian film, written and di- ENGLISH rected by Haifaa al-Mansour. re-told over decades, boldly out- It was the first feature film line our shifting values. That’s one shot entirely in Saudi Arabia story WONDER WOMEN! tells, but and the first feature-length to me, it’s not the most interesting film made by a female Saudi one. I hope the film also conveys the unpredictable ways those director. Director: Kristy Guevara- icons can shape and even trans- Flanagan Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl, form us in return. For some it’s living near Riyadh, the capi- Lara Croft, for others it’s Buffy the tal of Saudi Arabia. Although Vampire Slayer, but we all need she inhabits a conservative those iconic heroes: they tell us we have the power to slay our world, Wadjda is fun loving, dragons and don’t have to wait entrepreneurial, and always around to be rescued”. pushing boundaries. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighborhood boy she should not be play- Monday, March 30 ing with, Wadjda sees a 10:00 am-11:30 pm beautiful green bicycle for Theatre 2 sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so she can beat Abdullah in a race, however, Wadjda’s mother won’t al-

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines is a 2012 documentary film. ARABIC The work traces the evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the block- busters of today, WONDER WOMEN! looks at low it, being from a how popular representations of powerful wom- society that sees bicy- en often reflect society’s anxieties about wom- cles as dangerous to a en’s liberation. girl’s virtue. Wonder Women! goes behind the scenes with Lynda Carter, Lindsay Wagner, comic writers Wadjda begins to and artists, and real-life superheroines such earn the money her- as Gloria Steinem, Kathleen Hanna and others, self by selling mix- who offer an enlightening and entertaining tapes, hand-braiding counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero bracelets for class- genre. mates, until she de- In her director’s statement, Kristy Guevara- cides to participate in Flanagan said: “When I started telling people about this film, men and women had wildly a Quran recital ... Director: Haifaa al-Mansour different reactions. Most of the guys admitted Writer: Haifaa al-Mansour that Wonder Woman was their first TV crush. Women reminisced about how they pretended to be her: twirling a rope to capture foes or spinning to transform themselves into super- Tuesday, March 31 heroes. I loved the idea of looking at some- 9:30 am-11:30 am thing as populist as comics to reveal our cul- tural obsessions, and in particular, how wom- Theatre 2 en’s roles have changed over time. The narra- tives of our most iconic superheroes, told and

ITALIAN

cuttingly cynical takedown of the industry. Magnani’s affecting performance as a mother whose desperation for success is outweighed only by her love for her child helps the film achieve true poignancy.

Roma is a 2018 epic drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, shot, and co-edited it. Director: Luchino Visconti Writer: Cesare Zavattini Alfonso Cuarón’s autobiographically inspired film, is set in Mexico City in the early ’70 Screenplay by Suso Cecchi places the audience within the physical and emotional terrain of a middle-class family, whose D'Amico, Francesco Rosi Monday, March 30 and Luchino Visconti center is quietly and unassumingly held by its beloved live-in nanny and housekeeper Cleo. 3.00 pm-4:45 pm The cast is uniformly magnificent, but the real star of ROMA is the world itself, fully present and Theatre 2 vibrantly alive. Cuarón tells us an epic story of everyday life while also gently sweeping us into a vast cinematic experience, in which time and space breathe and majestically unfold. Shot in breathtaking black and white, ROMA is a truly visionary work.

SPANISH Bellissima is a 1951 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Luchino Vis- Cleodegaria "Cleo" Gutiérrez conti. is an indigenous live-in maid

The film, starring Anna Magnani, is a in an affluent household in satire of the postwar Italian film indus- the Colonia Roma, a neigh- try, and particularly the dream of star- borhood of Mexico City. The dom encouraged by the neorealist family's matriarch, Sofía, her movement which plucked out ordinary husband, Antonio, her moth- members of the public to appear in film productions. er Teresa, their four young

The movie centers on a working-class children, and another maid, mother in Rome, Maddalena, who Adela, also live in the house. is a 2018 epic drama film written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who also produced, drags her young daughter to Cinecittà With Cleo at its center, to attend an audition for a new film by Roma’s story takes on a med- Alessandro Blasetti. Maddalena,s autobiographically who inspired film, is set in Mexico City in the early ’70s. The story itative tone. loves movies, makes all possible ef- class family, whose Director: Alfonso Cuarón forts to promote her daughter career in Writer: Alfonso Cuarón in nanny and housekeeper Cleo. film. Tuesday, March 31 The cast is uniformly magnificent, but the real star of ROMA is the world itself, fully present and As in similar Hollywood-plays-itself 3:00 pm-5:40 pm melodramasvibrantly such alive. as SunsetCuarón tells Boule- us an epic story of everyday life while also gently sweeping us into a Theatre 2 vard and Thevast Bad cinematic and the experience, Beautiful, in which time and space breathe and majestically unfold. Shot in Bellissima both romanticizes the power of celluloid dreams and delivers a

Bande de Filles is a 2014 French drama film directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Karidja FRENCH Touré. It is a coming of age film that focuses on the life of Marieme, a girl who lives in a adulthood, driven to the margins rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Paris. by her age, her gender, her race. The film discusses and challenges concep- Watching Bande de filles, you tions of race, gender and class. Sciamma's never get the sense that it is be- goal was to capture the stories of black teen- ing driven by any sociopolitical agers, characters she claims are generally un- objective. On the contrary, what derdeveloped in French films. comes through is the sheer af- Sixteen-year-old Marieme returns home from fection for these characters, a a sporting event and we see casual evidence bittersweet admiration of their of her affectionate relationship with her two strengths and complexities, an younger sisters, while their surly brother, absence of moralising about Djibril,keeps to himself and his street crew. their lifestyles (rare in films Their mother is mostly absent doing night- dealing with teen gangs), a cele- shift cleaning work. A flirtation between bration of their interpersonal Marieme and Ismael is kept on hold out of the diversity. The result is honest, boy's fear of showing disrespect to Djibril. empowering and electrifying.

When she learns that her grades are not suffi- cient to continue high school, Marieme falls in with a gang of three local girls led with cool Director: Céline Sciamma authority by Lady. She watches them shyly Writer: Céline Sciamma from the sidelines at first, but soon becomes Monday, March 30 immersed in their routines, changing her dress 12:00 pm- 2:30 pm code, swapping her braids for a more glam Theatre 2 look and helping to fund their fun-time by fleecing her former schoolmates for cash. La- dy gives her the gang name Vic.

Marianne perfectly embodies the awkward ten- sions of someone torn between childhood and