Waste of time

From my favorite movies..

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Sin Nombre, a movie which has rightfully received the Sundance Film Award twice, is an emotional movie that navigates the troubles facing gang members and immigrants. Director Cary Fukunaga provides a movie that helped remove certain stereotypes that I have held including the struggle of immigrants trying to reach America. Sin Nombre is an excellent movie choice for students looking to learn more about the struggles of immigrants and the overwhelming hold that Mexican gangs play in their communities. From the violent role of Mexican gangs to the abuse of immigrants by locals, Sin Nombre is an excellent movie. Casper, the main character, is part of a local gang who are at constant war with another. Casper helps initiate a youngster nicknamed Smiley into the gang. In order to join the gang, Smiley must kill a prisoner that belongs to the other gang. Along bumps with lying and deception, Casper is sent to leave town and help hold immigrants up for money, where he saves a girl named Sayra and her family from the wrath of his gang. After seeking refuge among Sayra and her family, Casper decides to leave them in order to prevent them from being hurt by the gang, but the in-love Sayra falls him off the train and away from her family. While dodging border control and the gang who are out for his head, Casper leads Sayra to the border where he ultimately meets his maker. Sayra safely makes it across the border where she connects with her family in New Jersey. Despite the overwhelming hardships that Casper endured throughout the movie, it was still very enjoyable due to the intensity of his situation.Throughout the movie, my personal stereotypes that I had on immigrants and Mexico in general changed and opened my mind through this cinema. Sin Nombre does a very good job at portraying these difficulties, and I would highly recommend watching it.

This film is definitely not an American film as you will soon realize once you begin watching it. It is dark and violent and, unlike most American films, there is no happy ending. The directing was very well done, and I really enjoyed all the different camera angles that really gave you a sense of the perspectives of each character. I think this film captured the unfortunate reality of the Mexican gang life as well as the danger of trying to travel from Central America to the American border. The main characters seemed quite complex and very realistic which I appreciated because it made the movie more real. Do not watch this film if gunshots, violence, and/or blood make you squeamish because there is definitely a lot of that. Overall, I thought Sin Nombre was a captivating, sometimes uncomfortable film that did a very good job of portraying a side of certain realities in Central America while getting a message across. I'd give it 4.5 stars out of 5.

This was a documentary style film looking at two characters wanting to travel away from either poverty or violence. The premise is simple and carries out throughout the movie like the train from the movie.The depicted violence wasn't that grotesque and was filmed in a way that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, so it doesn't overpower the rest of the scenes.What makes it good is the cinematography, the likable main and side characters and the overall atmosphere. The music presented also left me thinking of the film in a relaxed atmosphere.Where the movie fails is the story, which is predictable and simple. The viewer is not left with a lot of unexpected things to happen while the movie rolls on, so the only thing to do is to study the characters and suck in the atmosphere. I expected a bit more based on the Netflix overall review score when I decided to watch this movie. What I got is worth a view, but it could have been so much better.

A wonderful directorial debut for Cary Joji Fukunaga, who actually lived with the subjects to nail the script so so good. The camera work is fine too and gets you into the Mexican/South American atmosphere. A tragedy with two parallel stories : First involves a Honduran teenage girl with her uncle and dad crossing U.S border (illegally) to reunite with her father's other family. Second is about a young hoodlum who is desperate to get out of the gang after loosing his girlfriend. The villain gang has custom-made guns and characteristic face-tattoos which add to novelty to the script. The movie features violence and depressing moments. Also features a sex scene so not for children. The movie's name is "Sin Nombre" meaning 'without name' but still has earned a name as one of the finest foreign films made and a must see for adults who can stand ultra-violence.