Warren Couvillion and Omar Hilario don’t need to warm up the crowd for the Tuesday night movie club, Club-Along. At least 50 people fill the seats of The Screen for the club’s showing of Sweeney Todd, the 2007 Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp. Theater rows fill up with cliques of varying sizes. Shouted conversations assault the ears before the emcees even begin their introduction. Couvillion and Hilario look like they could be brothers, both sporting trendy black hipster glasses. They stand in front of the audience and run through the standard list of “don’ts” at The Screen: don’t have sex; don’t drink alcohol; don’t do drugs. Ironic groans spill forth from the crowd. At the last moment, Couvillion adds, “Oh, and no masturbation.” “But it’s Johnny Depp!” someone screams, earning approving laughter. The club runners head to the projector booth to start the film. The houselights fade and the DreamWorks logo appears on screen, menacing organ music blasting out of The Screen’s speakers. Conversations continue at full volume, scattered throughout the theater. Though the voices die out as the opening credits roll, it is clear that Club-Along is unlike any other film club at SFUAD. The original concept for the Club-Along centered on quoting favorite lines along with the movie, but it dawned on Couvillion that sing-alongs might be more popular. Every other film club prohibits audience members from singing along, so that everyone can hear the movie. “I jokingly say I started the club to spite the other club runners,” Couvillion says. “The first club I ever went to here showed The Lion King and I wasn’t allowed to sing ‘Hakuna Matata.’” When the WTF Film Club played Mulan at the beginning of the school year, students received the standard warning against singing along with the movie. Some students sang anyway. “That was the moment I realized our club might actually be popular,” Hilario says. Film clubs typically stick around SFUAD until the club runners graduate. Couvillion and Hilario say the arrival of Film School almuna Charlotte Martinez as The Screen’s new manager opened up new possibilities. They approached Martinez at the beginning of the school year with their idea. Along with Simple Film Necessities, Club-Along is the second new film club established this year. Is it annoying to sit in a crowd of strangers and hear them singing and quoting along with every line of the film? That may depend on one’s temperament. Studio Art major Hannah Gardner came to the Club-Along to see Sweeney Todd for the first time. “My friends laughed at me when I got here, because I didn’t know it was a sing-along,” Gardner says. “I’m pretty serious when it comes to watching movies. I normally don’t like people talking, but it could’ve been worse. There were no horrible singers.” Yellow subtitles scroll at the bottom of the screen in case anyone forgets the words. As Johnny Depp and Jamie Campbell Bower sing the opening lines of “No Place Like London,” at least half the audience backs them up. The voices are remarkably in tune. More than a few Musical Theatre majors attend the Club-Along. It’s like sitting in the midst of a choir. Those singing have obviously listened to the motion picture soundtrack ad infinitum as they speak in unison with the dialogue that precedes the songs. They gasp along with Helena Bonham Carter just before belting out the lyrics to “The Worst Pies in London.” When Johnny Depp extends his arm, his razor blade shining, the audience shouts out with him, “At last, my arm is complete again!” The voices are a scattered mess. Some have memorized the film dialogue, and others have committed the slight variations of the movie soundtrack to memory. Everyone giggles. “It’s no secret that this club is the most lenient,” Hilario says. “We do make sure that everyone respects each other and don’t just yell out,...
Coming Attractions
posted by Charlotte Martinez
Coming Attractions at The Screen May 1-7 Showcasing the best in classical, independent and foreign cinema, The Screen cinematheque at Santa Fe University of Art and Design presents new releases, special cinema events and performances all day every day! See what critics have to say about the latest screenings, watch a trailer, then visit The Screen for a unique movie-going experience. – About Elly From the Director of “A Separation” Iran- 2009- 1 hour 58 minutes “It has taken six years for this terrific film to work its way back to us, and if possible I think it’s even better and more relevant in 2015 than when it was made.” -Andrew O’Hehir of Salon “About Elly” shows that the ethical dilemmas of ordinary adults can, with this level of talent, become as gripping as any thriller.” – Farran Smith Nehme of New York Post – Of Horses and Men Rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Iceland- 2013- 1 Hour 10 Minutes “Flabbergasting images and a delightfully dry sense of humor make Of Horses and Men a debut worthy of celebration.” – Jay Weissberg of Variety “Benedikt Erlingsson’s magnificently rugged-looking film offers darkly comic mishaps that play out over a series of sly vignettes.” – Trevor Johnston of Time Out Visit thescreensf.com for movie times 505.473.6494 1600 St. Michael’s Drive...
Q/A w/ Manhattan
posted by Charlotte Martinez
As “Manhattan” films Season 2 on campus, its executive team answers questions from Santa Fe University of Art and Design students.
SFUAD Film Clubs
posted by Andrew Koss
SFUAD’s four film clubs cater to different tastes, but all share a love for people watching movies together.
Coming Attractions
posted by Charlotte Martinez
Coming Attractions at The Screen April 3-9 Showcasing the best in classical, independent and foreign cinema, The Screen cinematheque at Santa Fe University of Art and Design presents new releases, special cinema events and performances all day every day! See what critics have to say about the latest screenings, watch a trailer, then visit The Screen for a unique movie-going experience. – Amour Fou Official Selection of 2014 Cannes Film Festival Germany- 2014 – 1 hour 34 minutes “A delicate, cerebral romantic comedy. Hausner’s unapologetically small, exquisitely designed chamber piece plays as a gentle challenge to the ways in which we define love and dictate courtship.” —Guy Lodge of Hitfix “There’s a hushed and almost theatrical atmosphere from which the director draws a deafening intensity fuelled by exceptional aesthetics.” – Cineuropa – The Marquise of O Part of Films to See Before You Die Germany – 1976- 1 hour 43 minutes “It’s a dazzling testament to the civilizing effects of several different arts, witty, joyous and so beautiful to look at.” —Vincent Canby of The New York Times “The film’s slow, stately pace and the quiet way in which it makes its points give it the aura of a neoclassical dream, a fading vision of the virtue of gentility.” —Dave Kehr of Chicago Reader – Still Dreaming From the Makers of “Shakespeare Behind Bars” USA- 2015 – 1 hours 33 minutes “Intriguing. Evocative” -Variety “Enchanting. Engaging. Dazzling.” —Shakepeareances.com “Remarkable, beautiful and truthful.” —June Squibb, Actress Visit thescreensf.com for movie times 505.473.6494 1600 St. Michael’s Drive...
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