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El cantante (2006)
Hector Lavoe's life on the big screen
I knew very little about Hector Lavoe or his music before seeing this film and I must admit that apart from knowing a few of his songs, I still can't say that I know the man or why he was the way he was. The film almost glorified his tragic lifestyle and choices but gave us no real insight into what motivated the man.
I take the film 'Ray' as an example. We go deep into Ray's childhood to understand why he does what he does, positive and negative, and why he thinks and feels the way he does. We never see Hector as a child, I don't know what happened to his mother and never get a sense of the relationship between him and his father.
Honestly, and sadly, this film doesn't make me see Hector Lavoe the man or the even Hector Lavoe, the musical genius. From the first sequence, this film was about a drug addict who also sang who was named Hector Lavoe.
I think he deserved more than that.
With that said, the music is very well done and there were flashes of brilliance but there was too much quick cutting and jumping away from dramatic moments. It's fine if you wanted the music sequences to be fast paced but even dramatic moments were rushed along and stylized to the point of taking me out of the film.
Good film but poorly directed and not a classic which, like I said, Hector deserved better. He deserved the full 'Ray' treatment of this being a shining testament to his genius and not a movie about Puchi's husband.
The Fountain (2006)
The Fountain Is Truly A Masterpiece
Pi was very deep. With twists and turns and a very interesting message about spirituality, organized religion and the inner workings of the human mind. Shot intensely and with the flair of an artist, it was great.
Requiem For A Dream descended us into the pure nightmare of addiction in all its forms. Drugs, love, attention. Aronofsky's vision highlighted many things wrong with our instant gratification society but with a visually innovative style that was unprecedented. His use of editing and visual/story suspense are unmatched. I remember sitting in the theater when this film ended and never before seeing an entire audience not move. Stunned and what they had just witnessed then rise up, one by one disoriented and moved, exiting the screening room. That is the power only a true artist wields.
Now, with the Fountain, Aronofsky's progression as a filmmaker and as an artist have taken the next evolutionary step. This film has too many layers to fully digest with simply one viewing. From the first few frames down to the last few, you're imagination and intellect are engaged and running at top speed to keep up with his constant in-references, visual clues and allegory. This work is simply a masterpiece. A true film fan's thanksgiving feast fusing the concepts of pure love, spiritual folklore, life & death, science and suspense and the very nature of creation. It will hopefully take me another two screenings to fully comprehend everything I saw last night but I haven't looked forward to re-watching a film as much since The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects.
His use of color, editing, audio cues and dynamic performances elevate this tale from the story of one man's undying love for his dying wife into a metaphysical, time-bending metaphor for life itself. Most people won't get this film but I think that's a good thing. It doesn't pander and it doesn't give up one inch of artistic integrity for mass appeal.
It is a true work of art.
Shortbus (2006)
Brilliant...A complex masterpiece of human emotion...
Just came from a showing on Houston St. in NYC last night and of course, like everyone else, I was there to see some 'real sex' and internally giggle a little. That lasted all of two minutes as Shortbus established itself as an artistic treatise not on sexuality but the foundations of relationships and the foundation of inner-relationship.
What it had to say about loving ourselves was brilliant and the message that being happy in a relationship has almost nothing to do with the other person. It's all about our own happiness first and foremost. No one can MAKE us happy. That's a gift we have to give ourselves.
After truly getting into these people lives and their heads, you see that the sex is nothing. It's just skin on skin contact that lasts a bunch of minutes. The complex thing is the human interaction that they share, and don't share, for the other 98% of their time together and it was awesome.
Gifted performances, inspired direction, incredible special effects and a sublime storyline makes this sophisticated, adult yarn one of the year's best.
If you're mature enough to handle it, I wholeheartedly recommend it. I believe it is an honest, defiant masterpiece that understands complex human emotion better than any film in recent memory.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
One of the greatest films on government ever made
I had always heard of this film but just saw it for the first time today. I was blown away.
Blown away at how relevant this 70 year old film is today. How it speaks to things that still plague our government today: graft, complicity of the media, big business exercising way too much influence, hell...ANY influence, over our elected officials.
This is truly a film for all time and should be shown to anyone even running for elected office on the federal, state or local level.
Bravo, Mr. Capra for a beautiful film about true freedom. Freedom not just from gun- wielding despots but freedom from those dictators whose weapons are money and the printed word.
Bravo to Mr. Stewart for the performance of a lifetime. If you weren't pulling for Smith as he wavered and waned on that Senate floor then your heart must be made of ice.
Classic film. Should be seen by all.
30 Miles (2004)
This movie was so bad that I felt cheated out of my three dollars
I am not in the habit of writing a review for a film that I don't like but I was honestly shocked at how horrible this movie was.
I couldn't tell what was more atrocious. The horrible acting or the laughable script. I love the idea that Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is finally getting a starring vehicle but his performance here made me see why he never took off in Hollywood. It was truly THAT bad.
The writing was wooden and incredible. Normal people don't speak like these guys did. They go from laughing to crying to anger in minutes. Why would you beg a hitchhiker to get back in your car after 20 minutes of driving? Why would you reveal such incriminating details of your life story after knowing someone for an hour? Why would you allow a stranger with a gun in your car?
Horrible. And the camera work didn't help, either. I'm no expert but here's a tip: when showing a gritty, close up scene, try taking the camera off sticks and going hand-held to get an edgier, more nervous feel. I felt like I was watching public access theater for a while there.
Overall, this is a good concept for a film. The execution, however, drowned the story in a sea of amateurish and obvious mistakes that kids in their second month of film school are warned against.
I wish the actors and crew of this film long, fruitful careers in the entertainment industry but you'll need to bury the masters of this stinker for that to occur. Two words: Alan Smithee.
Idlewild (2006)
I loved this musical. It's original, refreshing and destined to become a classic.
I must admit that I was skeptical about seeing a musical produced, directed and conceived by rappers but OutKast is not just a rap group, they're entertainers.
This film had it all...stellar dance moves, great new original music, an intriguing and entertaining storyline...loads of African-American stars from today and yesterday...it was great seeing a movie in 2006 with Ben Vereen, Patti LaBelle and Cicely Tyson...that was awesome...
I'm glad OutKast paid homage to the days when folks actually got on stage to ENTERTAIN and not just hold their crotch and curse. The singing was hot, the choreography was intricate and the camera moves/special effects enhanced the experience.
This is a homerun for first time film director/long-time video director, Brian Barber. Keep up the good, creative, positive work.
I can't wait to see it again with my mom.
Hustle & Flow (2005)
Hustle & Flow is easily one of the year's best films
The story of a nobody, a nothing, daring to have a dream. Daring to aspire to be something more than what he is. More than what society says he'll always ever be. THAT is what Hustle & Flow is.
The main character is not perfect because life is not perfect. He's flawed. He's damaged goods. Just like the damn rest of us. But there is something deep within him. Something that wants more out of his life than to 'end up like this'.
Gritty, emotional, sometimes hard-to-watch but always real, Hustle & Flow captured the soul of the ghetto. That desperation for a better life that is intrinsic to all human beings. This film was awesome and Terrance Howard did an unbelievable job.
Carlita's Secret (2004)
Horrible waste of videotape
Don't get me wrong. I love independent films. But that is not what this was.
This was a travesty of film-making. The director must have quit halfway through the film.
Here's my biggest beef with this "movie". THE MUSIC. Did the producers owe a debt to some local rappers because the soundtrack is so bad that it's actually funny. Whether the scene is sad or serious or funny, it's the same horrible rap music.
The plot is ridiculous, the set design was non-existent, the dialogue was enough to put a baby to sleep. They literally walked out of jail with not so much as a chase scene. Horrible.
If Eva Longoria wasn't in this monstrosity and my curiosity to see her wasn't prickled, they would give copies of this away at the local shooting range for target practice.
Horrible. I gave it a two only because of Eva.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
The movie that started a peaceful American revolution.
Love him or hate him, Michael Moore presents facts and images in ways that we as Americans have never seen before. His latest endeavor, Fahrenheit 9/11, will go down in history as the film that helped to bring down a corrupt and dangerously inept administration.
The film's power lies not in it's statistics or it's director's obvious message but in it's ability to make one laugh, make one cry and make one think. I did all three numerous times during the film and I will never be the same again.
He managed to put a human face on our 'evil enemy', the men, women and children of Iraq who are suffering endlessly due to the prolonged occupation of a foreign power. I, as an American, am shielded from images of Iraqi mothers crying and holding their dead babies. Images of charred and battered bodies lying in groups on a roadside. Images of pre-Invasion Iraq that, while not perfect, had amusement parks and cafes and discos and shopping malls but now those things, along with their food, water, electricity and loved ones, is gone.
Mr. Moore highlighted the nefarious way George W. Bush came to power in this country, almost under the cover of night and how he has spent the most time on vacation than any American president in history despite presiding over one of the most tumultuous times ever.
The scope of the film touched on the poor, the elderly, the veterans who, when they come back to home, have their benefits cut off by the same president that claims to care so much about them.
I am neither democrat nor republican (both parties have their problems) but as an American I thank Michael Moore for opening my eyes and letting me see the truth for myself so that I may make up my own mind.
I firmly believe that every single American should see this film.
Conservative. Liberal. It doesn't matter. If you claim to love this nation, you should bear witness to one of the most important American films ever made.
Fidel (2002)
Fidel was extraordinary
The "gentleman" who commented on this film is obviously, and completely, biased against the good work that Fidel Castro and the Revolutionary movement did in Cuba...
to quote from the film:
On the American government...
"Before 1959, all you wanted to do was exploit us. After 1959, all you wanted to do was destroy us. Now tell me...is THIS democracy?"
Fidel Castro saved Cuba from the plight that so many small nations suffer from. United States Domination Syndrome. Look at Jamaica...the ads show smiling faces and sunny shores when 85% of the country lives in abject squalor as other countries and the rich within Jamaica profit from the hard work of the people.
Long live Castro and the revolutionaries around the world who fight against oppression and domination in the name of money.
This was an excellent film.
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Matrix: Revolutions wraps up the trilogy with a bang
Overall Grade: A
Story: A
Acting: A
Direction: A+
Visuals: A+
The Matrix Revolutions wraps up the series nicely I saw the advance screening of Matrix: Revolutions in Manhattan recently and I was blown away by the level of technical achievement, acting prowess, and suspense that this, the final film of the trilogy, delivers.
If you're a fan of the first two films like I am and see it for more than a hopped-up kung fu flick with cool guns and sunglasses, then you will enjoy this film thoroughly.
It seems that those who hated the second film and don't like this one are not the true fans who enjoy the philosophical and introspective aspects of the film but 'smash-em-up' junkies who couldn't get a ticket for Scary Movie 3. For those who 'believe', the epic battle as the sentinels attack Zion puts The Matrix: Revolutions right next to Star Wars and Alien in the sci-fi pantheon.
This film is the unbelievable achievement of blending complex storyline with visual effects with nail-biting suspense. This film gets an A.
Irréversible (2002)
The best and the worst thing to happen to film in a while.
I had the unfortunate, and fortunate, opportunity to see Irreversible with my girlfriend recently.
While we can talk all we want about Noe's use of color and abstract plot structure, what is really controversial about this film are 2 scenes. The opening scenes that are the epitome of violence and the much-discussed rape scene.
It rattles my nerves and tells me just how powerful this medium of film truly is that it can evoke emotions of love, longing, desire, passion, pain, introspection, hate, and just about every emotion quantifiable. And when it wants to it can grab you by the hair and make you see something that you never wanted to see, feel things that you never were comfortable feeling. What this film did was an example of film flexing its muscle. The medium itself standing up and saying "I will make you sick. I will make you revolted in your seat. I have that power"
The rape scene was important because there has never been a depiction of this crime on film like it. It happens thousands of times a day all over the country, all over the world and we've become desensitized to it. You see that a girl has been raped on the evening news and in between sips of coffee or turning to Sportscenter, you go "awww, that's a shame".
Irreversible holds your hands to the fire and shows you, doesn't 'tell' you or 'leave it to your imagination', but SHOWS YOU how brutal, demoralizing, demeaning, and barbaric this act truly is and does not let you file it away aimlessly in the back of your mind so that the very next time you hear about someone being raped or a woman saying how this is the most horrible thing a human being can experience, you KNOW what she is talking about...you feel it...you don't file it away...
It almost makes us all rape victims for a while because that scene is so invasive that most people have nightmares afterward. I know I did and I know that I called almost every woman in my family the next day and just talked to her. Not about rape or about this film, but just talked to her and made sure everything was fine.
I gave this film a 10 based on its power and thought-provoking nature alone.
One Hour Photo (2002)
One Hour Photo was visually interesting
One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams and directed by Mark Romanek was one of the films I eagerly anticipated once I heard that Robin did another 'dark' role after his work as an Alaskan serial killer in Insomnia. I wasn't disappointed. One Hour Photo's slow, almost snail-pace, storytelling, stunning use of color, startling imagery, and misguided dream sequences made me think of one director...the late Stanley Kubrick. I felt elements of The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Eyes Wide Shut as Sy Parrish went about silently stalking, and living vicariously through, the Yorkin family. Robin does an excellent job just as he did in Insomnia and What Dreams May Come elevating him to the head of the 'comic actors' class (Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks, and Marlon Wayans being the others). While not necessarily a surprise ending, the climax did take me in a direction that most films of this nature just don't. You think you know what happens from the first 5 minutes on but the ending gives you a different spin on it. A very interesting case study in what happens to a soul without someone to love, One Hour Photo was definitely worth the price of admission.