MOVIE RATING SCALE:

***** (Spectacular) 10

****1/2 (Excellent) 9

**** (Very Good) 8

***1/2 (Good) 7

*** (Above Average) 6

**1/2 (Average) 5

** (Below Average) 4

*1/2 (Mediocre) 3

* (Awful) 2

1/2 (Abysmal) 1

0 (Worthless) 0


Friday, March 23, 2012

The Rest Of The March Reviews....

Hello, folks...

Hope everyone is well this Friday night. Sorry for the delay in getting the rest of the March Reviews posted. With the start of the MLS Season, and the renewed activity of the Sounders on the field, time has become precious. But we knew this would happen, didn't we?

At any rate, please expect the reviews to resume starting tomorrow, starting with the awesome 21 JUMP STREET. Please find below the remaining schedule as a reminder, with some revisions. Some of the reviews may spill into early April, but we also knew that might happen, too. Didn't we?

# 444 - 21 JUMP STREET

# 445 - MINE VAGANTI (ITALIAN TITLE)/LOOSE CANNONS (USA TITLE)

# 446 - THE HUNGER GAMES

# 447 - CLASH OF THE TITANS

# 448 - WRATH OF THE TITANS

# 449 - THE HELP

# 450 - THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

# 451 - MONEYBALL

# 452 - CINDERELLA MAN

The trailers for the above have been posted before, so I won't post them again. And while I have tried to keep soccer and movies separate, blog-wise, I can't help but post a musical tribute to the men of the Seattle Sounders for their awesome victory tonight at Century Link against the Houston Dynamos. All the pictures I took, as good as they are, simply don't capture the essence of the game itself seen live from the stands at Century Link. What a stunner. Suck it, Houston...

I was hoping to find a "Highlights Video" on YouTube already uploaded and waiting, like last Saturday night when we got home from the Sounders vs. Toronto David Estrada Extravaganza. Unfortunately, nothing is out there yet, so for now please accept this humble tribute:

Monday, March 19, 2012

RANDOM HILARIOUS VIDEOS - 21 JUMP STREET Spoof of Jersey Shore!

Evening, folks. Hope everyone's well on this fine Monday evening. Had hoped to post the review for 21 JUMP STREET tonight, but have dinner plans. Saw the flick last Thursday night, but with soccer-related stuff on Friday night, and having to go to the Sounders/Toronto game on Saturday night (plus St. Paddy's day pub crawl), then recovering on Sunday, dinner plans tonight and tomorrow... meaning, well, let's just say the review is a little delayed. You'll see it on Wednesday, though. Rest assured, it is an excellent flick. We laughed so hard we cried (and I slapped my thighs until they were black and blue).

Anyhow, to sate your appetite for 21 JUMP STREET's review on Wednesday, please find below some very funny spoofs of our lovable dorks Schmidt and Jenko (Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) doing surveillance on the Guidos and Guidettes of the JERSEY SHORE. Watch out for those gold chains and hair cement, boys! And Snooki!

Shout out to the admins on Channing Tatum's official website for these vids: Thanks, folks (and Chan)!

Wassup?!?!





Ha ha. Dorks. Love 'em. Buona serrata, folks. Please expect the review on Wednesday evening.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

RANDOM HILARIOUS YOUTUBE VIDEOS: Channing, Jonah, Dave, and the Sounders...

Evening, all... Well, actually, more like Good Morning. Ha ha. Anyhow to celebrate the release of the excellent (and deeply hilarious) 21 JUMP STREET, please find below some comedy videos showcasing the comedic talents of its stars Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Dave Franco (James Franco's little bro).

Then there's a tribute to the Seattle Sounders for their decisive win against Toronto tonight, er, last night, as well as to David Estrada's hat trick.

Oh, and please be warned that Dave Franco's video is way raunchy. But then again, what are you doing on this blog if you don't like raunchy? Let your Freak Flag fly, Dave!

Channing Tatum:



Jonah Hill:



Dave Franco:



Ha ha ha. These guys kill me. 21 JUMP STREET is, believe it or not, the best 2012 movie I've seen so far. I'm not even ashamed to say it. And Channing, Jonah, and Dave are awesome in it. We haven't laughed that hard since, well, since I first watched Dave Franco's "You're So Hot" video 48 hours ago. Anyway, please expect the review when we finally wake up tomorrow.



And last but, in no way, the least... GO SOUNDERS! Congrats on whipping Toronto's ass! What a spectacular event to behold. As gripping as the highlights below are, it was even more dazzling live at Century Link Field last night. Brought tears to my eyes:

# 443 - EASY A (2010)

EASY A (2010 - COMEDY / ROMANCE) **** out of *****

(Olive, honey, I feel your pain - but we both kind of asked for it, didn't we, sweetie?)

What just happened?

CAST: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm MacDowell, Ally Michalka.

DIRECTOR: Will Gluck

WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one bewildered, accidental Mega-Whore - straight ahead...



Remember how in our review for MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (review # 418) I joked that one of its principal characters was my cinematic role model? She is the gracious and elegant geisha Mameha (played by the fabulous Ms. Michelle Yeoh), who mentors the heroine Sayuri on how to become a gracious and elegant geisha herself. Well, Mameha's American equivalent is the heroine of our next review.

She is Olive Pendergast (Emma Stone) and, like Mameha, she is also gracious and elegant, but also highly mischievous, terminally sarcastic, and possesses a drier-than-vermouth sense of humor that people often take seriously - which, in turn, eventually lands her smack dab in the middle of that lovely apparatus called "The Goddamned Rumor Mill". Which makes Olive not so much my Cinematic Role Model - but my Cinematic Alter Ego. But, well, without a dick. And with a much hotter bod.

For me, it started years ago when I was late meeting up with some friends for brunch in Capitol Hill. When asked why I was so late, I deadpanned: "I had a client that just went all night. Dude wore me out. I was supposed to leave his hotel room at midnight, but he wouldn't let me out of bed. It's okay, though. He paid me an extra day's rate. Those fucking Italians are such Stallions."

Obviously, I was kidding. But they, apparently, didn't take it that way. Before you knew it, the following things were happening: (1) some dude came up to me at a party and asked me what my rates were; (2) at a bar, a friend of a friend from that brunch came up to me, asking if the "escort world is competitive" and what he needed to do to "get started" (which, when you think about it, would really have made me like Mameha if I did take him under my wing); and (3) my favorite: a really cute guy (whom we will call Mr. Wonderful) that I hit it off with at a barbeque, asking for the correct spelling of my name to enter into his phone: "Is your name spelled with an H-N at the end, or just an N?" - and before I could respond, one of the dipshits from the brunch "sweetly" interrupted us and answered for me: "It's spelled with a W-H-O-R-E at the end." Thank you very much, you jealous bitch.

Of course, to be fair, I could've nipped the whole thing in the bud when I realized that, Holy Jesus, these fuckers actually do think I'm a prostitute! I mean, when I first cracked the jokes, I never once worried about anyone taking me seriously because, come on, who in their right mind would pay to have sex with me? It's not like I look like Chris Evans, Russell Crowe, Colin O'Donoghue, or Clark Kent. Let me put it this way: I don't have pecs so much as I do "man-boobs", which are exactly what they sound like, and I don't have abs so much as I do "blabs", which are 10% abs and 90% blubber. I ain't exactly a hottie, folks. Which made me confident to josh around about being "Deuce Bigalow: Fat Gigolo". After all, anyone stupid enough to actually believe I was a successful escort deserved everything they got.

All that by way of saying Olive Pendergast has a special place in my heart, because her smart mouth and deadpan humor gets her into all sorts of shit, too. It all starts in the high school's bathroom, where Olive jokingly tells best pal Rhiannon (Ally Michalka) that she fucked some college dude six ways from Sunday. Rhiannon, not being too sophisticated in the art of dry humor, takes that shit as serious as if it were a Congressional Directive. Olive, being the aforementioned mischievous smart-ass, correctly senses her best pal is somehow interpreting this joke as cold hard fact, and understandably twists the knife even deeper. Embellishing the "tryst" with filthy facts that would make even Traci Lords blush, Olive makes it all sound like a rehearsal for a porn film called OLIVE DOES OKLAHOMA.

All of this might've eventually blown over as good old-fashioned "fuck-with-your-friend" fun - except for one rather unfortunate development: inside one of the stalls is another student who overhears the whole exchange between Olive and Rhiannon. But not just any student: Marianne (Amanda Bynes), the leader of the school's God Squad. Olive might as well have been talking dirty in the presence of the Holy Father, The Holy Son, and The Holy Ghost. Or, in this case, the Holy Bitch. Before you know it, the entire student body is gossiping about how Olive drained some frat boy's nuts multiple times over the weekend like she was trying to clock some serious Frequent Fucker Miles.

Further exacerbating the situation is Olive's innate kindness and graciousness - which inconveniently rears its head when gay student Brandon (Dan Byrd) begs her to help him trick the student body into thinking he's straight so they'll stop picking on him. Which translates to Olive pretending she and Brandon have a fuck-a-thon behind closed doors at a huge party. Wait a minute... is this movie set in 2010... or 1910? Brandon, dude, seriously... I went to high school in the late 80's and had a blast. Take it from me: you need to own your Fairy Dust and make magic with it. Not con your peers into thinking you fucked some chick and therefore you're straight.

But whatever. Long story short: Olive does the "good friend" thang and helps Brandon out. The good news (well, not really) is that the whole school now thinks Brandon is straight. The bad news (really) is the whole school now thinks Olive is an even bigger slut than before, which is saying a whole lot since they were already acting like her vagina was the anatomical version of McDonald's - as in: "Millions Served Worldwide!" Sure enough, once the other guys at the school get wind of Olive's racket of fake-fucking anything with a penis, Olive's finds herself, um, rather popular. Which means they are soon paying her with all sort of currency like movie passes, gift cards, and - GASP! - discount coupons to the local "Bed, Bath, and Beyond". Not exactly a week in Maui, but Olive doesn't seem to care.

As you can imagine, Olive's notoriety is met with a vehement response from the God Squad. As in: Marianne and boy-toy Micah (Cam Gigandet) basically launch a tactical smear campaign against our heroine, complete with protests featuring signs blaring "HARLOT!", "JEZEBEL!", "TRASH!", and "QUEEN OF THE TRAMPY WHORE-BEASTS!" Okay, I made up that last one - but you know they only didn't use it because they couldn't find a sign big enough to fit the fucking thing. Fortunately, Olive has at least one supporter/admirer in goofy dork Woodchuck Todd (Penn Badgley), so named because he wears the school mascot uniform at basketball games - and looks hella hot doing it. What is it about a hot guy in a dorky full animal costume that just brings out the horny tiger in me?

Anyway, Todd is the only one who sees Olive for the sweet and gracious person that she is, and stands up for her against Marianne and the rest of the God Squad. But is he enough to turn the tide back in her favor? Of course, Olive doesn't help matters but deciding to fuck with her haters even more by sewing a bright red "A" on her wardrobe like Hester Prynne in THE SCARLET LETTER, and proudly walking around school looking like, in the words of her own parents (Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson), a "high-end stripper".

Me?  A Whore?

Me?  A Whore?

Me?  A Whore?

Me?  A Whore?

Me?  A Whore?

Me?  A Whore?

Will Olive be forever classified as "Class Hussy?" Or will she correct this "Comedy of Whorrors" and set the record straight before the God Squad exorcises her permanently? Will Olive's parents be able to provide her with some guidance? What about Olive's favorite teacher, Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church)? Will he be able to help? Or will it be up to Woodchuck Todd to be Olive's savior? Or is Olive doomed to wear that Scarlet "A" until the end of time? Should we change the title of this movie to EASY LAY?

Who cares? Along as Todd doesn't mind the whole "Accidental Whore" thang, who gives a flaming jalapeno fart what everyone else thinks? Ride off into the sunset and have fun with that Woodchuck costume, kids...


BUT, SERIOUSLY: For a period between 1984 and 1987, American teen cinema was ruled by John Hughes. The creator of such young adult hits as SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE, THE BREAKFAST CLUB, PRETTY IN PINK, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, and SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL, Hughes wowed an entire generation of teenagers with his singular combo of goofy humor, surprising smarts, and sweet sensitivity. Very few teen films since then have been able to capture this potent combination. A few that have managed to do so are I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER, THE PERFECT SCORE, JUNO, and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU. To this hallowed list, we add one of the strongest throwbacks to the John Hughes movies of the mid-80's: the terrific EASY A.

With its sharp script, snappy dialogue, and well-drawn characters, EASY A is something of a modern classic. Regarding the characters, they are all fairly atypical and don't fit too snugly in to any one niche. The result is a fresh rather than stale feel. Too many teen comedies peddle caricatures instead of characters: The Sweet Heroine, The Studly Jock, The Geeky Nerd, The Mean Bitch, and The Bland Best Friend, just to name a few. In EASY A, the players are all given quirks and offbeat traits that keep them from becoming stereotypes - and make them feel like unique characters.

Emma Stone delivers a star-making performance here as Olive Pendergast, a girl who is smart enough to march to her own drummer and buck the popular opinion, but also vulnerable enough to second-guess her actions occasionally. Her droll wit combines nicely with her self-deprecating and approachable demeanor to make her instantly likable. A lot of Olive's appeal comes from Stone's own unique appeal. She's beautiful, but in a very down-to-earth way that is disarming. She's smart and sarcastic, but in a winningly funny way. Put simply, Stone is a delight - and her work here coupled with her subsequent work in THE HELP pretty much signifies that a star is born.

Penn Badgley leads the supporting cast as Olive's equally quirky love interest., Todd. Badgley proved what a magnetic actor he is in THE STEPFATHER and the TV show GOSSIP GIRL, and he goes a lighter, goofier route in this film. Whether he's clowning around in the Woodchuck costume as the school mascot, or singing a goofy Happy Birthday song to a patron at the restaurant he works at, or just chatting amiably with Olive between classes, Todd proves to be a refreshing hero: laid-back but tough, cocky but sweet, innocent but smart. Badgley matches Stone's energy and charisma, scene for scene, and they make a highly compatible couple.

The rest of the supporting cast is perfect right down the line. Amanda Bynes manages to avoid making Marianne into a bible-thumping stereotype by showing some unexpected softness late in the film. Similarly, Ally Michalka as Olive's best friend Rhiannon sidesteps turning her into your basic raunchy best friend by giving her some surprisingly conservative traits and reactions. Meanwhile, Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci portray Olive's parents as just as unconventional as their daughter. They never once turn into stereotypical "crazy" parents, but instead come across as fun, open, pragmatic, and understanding. Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow are similarly atypical as teachers at the school who are ensnared in the rumor mill that Olive accidentally kickstarts. Cam Gigandet, Malcolm McDowell, and Dan Byrd are fine in their smaller roles.

In the end, EASY A doesn't pretend to be an in-depth examination of gossip and how easy it can spread and mutate. Instead, it takes an innocent incident, blows it up in the sharpest and funniest of ways, then lets its smart and appealing heroine find her way out of it. With the help of a smart and appealing hero. Sometimes, that's all you need to create a very good film. Along with a strong cast led by Emma Stone and Penn Badgley.

In closing, some tunes related to EASY A: Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Natasha Bedingfield "Pocketful of Sunshine"... Go, Olive and Todd!



Wednesday, March 14, 2012

RANDOM HILARIOUS YOUTUBE VIDEOS - Bad Ass Catz and Bad Ass Ratz

Okay, folks. I know the below vids are not movie-related. But you know how Superman's only weakness is Kryptonite? Well, I've got seven weaknesses - and two of them are: (1) adorable cats, and (2) lovable dorks. And the first video below is of an adorable cat standing his ground against a big mean doggie - and a really lovable dork alerted me to its presence on You Tube. More than once.

So, even though said lovable dork doesn't know about this blog, I feel compelled to showcase this video that I learned about through him. So, please forgive me for diverging from our film/music format. My Kryptonite did me in again...

The second video is one I discovered myself, and is also fucking amazing: a bad-ass Russian rat putting the beat-down on a bunch of Russian cats. I don't know what is more hilariously disturbing: that black cat getting bitch-slapped in front of his buddies by the rat, or his buddies going from watching in amusement to getting their asses also beat by that rat who, let's face it, is the rodent version of The Terminator. Remind me to never visit the slums when I visit Russia. Thanks...



# 442 - THE STATION AGENT (2003)

THE STATION AGENT (2003 - COMEDY / DRAMA) ***** out of *****

(You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll never look at a midget without going “Hmmmmmmmmmmmm” ever again…)

I gotz mah buds to keep me warm.

CAST: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams, Raven Goodwin, Paul Benjamin, John Slattery, Jayce Bartok.

DIRECTOR: Tom McCarthy

WARNING: Some SPOILERS and unexpected social networking - straight ahead…



Remember the exquisite piece of “French Travel Porn” called A GOOD YEAR (review # 70) starring my soulmate Russell Crowe? Where he played Max Skinner, a British asshole whose uncle passed away and left him a sprawling French Chateau and several acres of vineyard in the South of France? Where he eventually melted into a nice guy who was willing to forego the daily grind of urban London for the slower pace of rural Provence? Well, let’s just say Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage), the hero of our next review, is in a similar position but, at the same time, not really.

Our next review is THE STATION AGENT, and just like A GOOD YEAR, it revolves around a protagonist who unexpectedly gets left behind some real estate as part of someone‘s will. There are two key differences, however: (1) whereas Max Skinner was a six-foot tall iceberg who thaws and turned nicer, Finbar is a four-foot tall midget who starts out sweet and just gets sweeter and sweeter; and (2) whereas Max inherited that awesome chateau and vineyard, Finbar inherits… a dilapidated train depot the size of a one-car garage. Important distinctions, yes? Oh, and Finbar is fleeing from a place even more glamorous than London, England: Hoboken, New Jersey.

Anyhow, Fin inherits the train depot (AKA Station - get it?) from a former employer (Paul Benjamin) who was also his only friend in the world. With him gone, Fin decides to start over in the small town where his palatial inheritance is located. Once again: irony alert. Anyhow, he’s barely had a chance to park his minus-size ass in his, shall we say, new shabby chic abode before he makes a rather terrifying discovery: his next door neighbor is someone who makes an eager, slobbering puppy dog look as aloof, distant, and frosty as your average cat.

He is Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), a Puerto Rican-American dude who has set up one of those “Meals-On-Wheels” operations right next to the station. Normally, this would be a perfect set-up. Seriously: who wouldn’t want a fucking mobile restaurant right outside their front door? My wet dream is “Mr. Gyros’ Arabic and Mediterranean Food” on Greenwood and N. 85th moving to the spot right outside my front door - which will basically ensure I won’t have to go further than ten feet to gorge on endless beef gyros and feta fries, which will basically ensure I will turn into an even fatter bastard than I am right now.

But I digress. Anyhow, whatever merits this “food-stop-right-next-to-Fin’s-place” scenario may have are quickly obliterated by the fact that: (1) it seems like Joe sells nothing but cafĂ© con leche; and (2) it seems like Joe is needier than a crack addict on the first day away from the crack house. In other words, there isn’t a cattle-prod in the Universe powerful enough to keep this guy at bay. Basically, Joe is one of those guys who would literally convulse, foam at the mouth, and promptly drop dead if even five minutes went by without anyone to talk to. Which is bad news for Fin, because he’s the closest living thing to Joe’s Food Wagon - probably because all the stray cats and dogs saw Joe coming and threw themselves in front of the first oncoming car to avoid a fate worse than death, and all the neighbors barricaded themselves in their houses to sidestep the same.

All that by way of saying that Fin very unsurprisingly fights Joe’s constant attempts to befriend him. But, like a goddamn adorable puppy dog that just won’t quit, Joe eventually wears Fin down and, before you know it, the two are joined at the hip, traipsing all over the town like a New Jersey version of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito from TWINS. Just when you thought that the Bromance in KISS ME GUIDO was as goofy as you could possibly get, the Fin-Joe union comes along to prove you wrong. Big time. Then the Bromance turns into a Threesome when Fin and Joe meet Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), a local babe who’s still grieving over the death of her young son two years ago. Soon, Fin, Joe, and Olivia are tighter than a merino wool cardigan accidentally washed in hot water (instant Bolero jacket - fuck!). Ah, friendship…

Friendhood

Friendhood

Friendhood

Will these Three Musketeers endure? Or will one (or more) of them pull away from the others? Does Fin love Olivia? Does Olivia love Joe? Does Joe love Fin? What happens when Olivia’s ex-husband (John Slattery) enters the picture again? How will Olivia deal with her past? And what happens when Fin finds himself drawn to Emily (Michelle Williams), the pretty librarian who thinks Fin has a “nice chin“? Does someone as, um, small as him stand a chance with a, um, well, normal-sized gal like her? Will the Three Musketeers ride again? And the most important question of all: will Joe ever serve anything besides cafe con fucking leche in that food mobile of his?

We’ll see. Personally, I kept thinking about Mr. Gyros and those frickin’ beef gyros throughout this whole flick. What does that say about me? Besides that I’m a glutton, that is…


BUT, SERIOUSLY: In past reviews, we’ve talked about what I like to call “Warm Blanket Movies.” These films are devoid of such extravagant elements as explosions, car chases, gore, special effects, gratuitous sex, and everything else you would expect to find in an “event” movie. “Warm Blanket Movies” focus instead on relationships, as well as their sometimes awkward rhythms, and are much more intimate on a fundamentally human level. Movies like MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, BULL DURHAM, THE DESCENDANTS, SIDEWAYS, THE TRIP, THE KING’S SPEECH, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, A GOOD YEAR, and WE BOUGHT A ZOO are just some our reviews that explore the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful dynamic between friends, lovers, and family.

THE STATION AGENT is an especially refreshing film . It’s largely due to the multi-dimensional characters who form its emotional center, and who bring the story to life with understated grace and eloquence - both in word and gesture. The film’s themes are of isolation and unexpected connections. Finbar McBride is seeking sanctuary following the death of his only friend, who’s left him the humble train depot that eventually becomes Fin’s home. There’s a sense of dignified retreat to his actions. You can’t help but get the impression of someone who has traversed the world, trying to find his niche, and finally deciding he will make one for himself.

Peter Dinklage is a talented actor. If there was ever proof of the adage that great things sometimes come in small packages, it is Dinklage. He imbues Fin with multiple levels of stoicism, wistfulness, and serenity bordering on resignation. Fin is someone who clearly recognizes he is an outsider, and meets the taunts and disrespect he often receives with an admirable graciousness. Kids sneering at him on the streets, passers-by blatantly gaping, store owners rudely snapping pictures of him when he enters their establishment - these are just some of the things that Fin tolerates on a daily basis.

But all these insults, both intentional and inadvertent, only somehow serve to emphasize and amplify the kindnesses when they do arrive unexpectedly. Olivia and Joe, like Fin, are both isolated in their own ways. Olivia is in an emotional limbo in the wake of her son’s death. She’s still trying to find the middle ground between remembering the past - and letting go of it to move on with her life. She recognizes a kindred spirit in Fin, one who has distanced himself from the world around him for his own reasons. Consequently, she’s able to relate to him in a way she couldn’t with anyone else. Patricia Clarkson, whom I’ve always deeply admired, is stellar in the way she portrays this woman’s many different sides. She doesn’t shy away from playing some of Olivia’s less flattering shades - and in doing so presents a vivid portrait of a woman who only begins to truly escape her past when she allows it to catch up to her. Clarkson deservedly won the Best Actress award at Sundance the year THE STATION AGENT was featured. Whether she’s doing dramatic roles like this one and the one in CAIRO TIME (review # 107), or playing quirky and light characters in NO RESERVATIONS (review # 100)or EASY A (our next review), Clarkson proves her Meryl Streep-like ability to be an emotional chameleon. The woman is breathtaking in more ways than one.

Bobby Cannavale is stellar in a different way as the irrepressible (and irresistible) Joe. It was important to have an actor who could combines swagger, boyishness, sincerity, and a a sort of innocent intelligence in one seamless package. You have to understand why the supremely standoffish Fin would ultimately drop his defenses and let this sweet-natured and puppy-like man finally get close to him. If you have an actor without the right kind of potent charm and naivete, Fin’s eventual thawing just wouldn’t be believable. With Cannavale in the role, we completely get it. He’s simply adorable - and vividly details Joe's slow but sure dismantling of Fin's barriers in a touchingly hilarious way.

Michelle Williams and Raven Goodwin are equally terrific as, respectively: (1) Emily, the winsome librarian who finds herself drawn to Fin; and (2) Cleo (Raven Goodwin), the elementary school student who is similarly fascinated by Fin. Along with Olivia and Joe, Emily and Cleo round out Joe’s “family” - and are further reminders of the generosity people can demonstrate towards one another when it’s least expected.

THE STATION AGENT is a film that may not appeal to folks who believe that “the louder the bangs, the more enjoyable the movie”. In its own way, this film has compelling fireworks of its own - it’s just that they are more of an emotional and human kind. If you believe that the best movies are the ones that sneak up on you and steal your heart, then this one is for you.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

HAPPY SATURDAY NIGHT!!!!!

Hello, folks...

Sorry for the delay in getting the March reviews posted. Been in a busy, busy, busy week - but in a good way. With St. Patrick's Day next week, please expect additional delays with what will surely be exciting encounters with Jameson's Whiskey as we go into St. Paddy's Day weekend (and other fun stuff).

However, I will make every effort to get at least four or five March reviews posted before I pass out face down on someone's pool table. Familiar territory.

Anyhow, please find below our schedule of reviews for March. And if I get too shit-faced, April. Ha ha. Life - suck the marrow out of it. Shut the fuck up, Peanut Gallery...

# 442 - THE STATION AGENT (AKA: Midgets Are Sexy, Too)

# 443 - EASY A (AKA: My Life As A Chick - Except, Well, I Really Am A Whore So Never Mind)

# 444 - FRENCH KISS (AKA: What's This? A Meg Ryan Rom Com I Actually Like? WTF?)

# 445 - THE ROAD (AKA: Please God, Do Not Let This Crap Happen For Real)

# 446 - THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (AKA: Oooooooooh, Now You Mo-Fos Are Gonna Get It)

# 447 - 21 JUMP STREET (AKA: Baby-Faced Cops Invade High School - Watch Out)

# 448 - THE HUNGER GAMES (AKA: Best Big Sistah Evah)

# 449 - THE HELP (AKA: Emma Stone, I Love You)

# 450 - WEEKEND (AKA: Did They Ask For My Permission To Write This Story? Should I Be Getting Royalties For This? Ahem?)

# 451 - CLASH OF THE TITANS (AKA: Sam Worthington With A Buzz Cut Equals Boner)

# 452 - WRATH OF THE TITANS (AKA: Sam Worthington With Longer Curly Hair Equals Bigger Boner)

# 453 - PARIS (AKA: Love Actually - In French)
























Please expect the first of the reviews to post tomorrow (after I emerge from an alcohol-induced coma and this damn cold the Sounders gave me) and by mid-week. Then expect "radio silence" starting Happy Hour Thursday until Sunday Morning, when I will make an attempt to get back on track. As long as I have aspirin, I can handle anything...

And to commemorate last night - and next Friday Night, our party anthems:



And from EASY A:



Sunday, March 4, 2012

THE MARCH SCHEDULE....

Hello, folks...

Hope everyone had a great February, and an even better V-Day (and Mardi Gras/Carnevale celebration). February is rapidly shaping up to be my favorite month. But, as great as it was, it's time to move on to March...

Given how busy I knew February would be with the World Cup soccer blog, and with our travel, and other social engagements, my goal was always to try to get at least ten movies reviewed for the Valentine's Celebration. I'd hoped to do 16 but, sure enough, I got busy. That's fine, though, because the films we didn't get to for Valentine's will be incorporated into the next few months' schedule.

Please find below a sneak peek at some of March's films. It's going to be a great month. Lots of things happening, on the movie front and elsewhere...























And a few more...

Have a great first week of March, folks... Keep smiling. Life is beautiful... :)

# 441 - NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)

NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984 - COMEDY / HORROR / SCI-FI) **** out of *****

(It‘s the end of the world as we know it, and these chicks feel fine. Look damn fine, too…)

Hope you remembered to wear sunblock, assholes.

CAST: Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Robert Beltran, Mary Woronov, Geoffrey Lewis, Michael Bowen, Sharon Farrell.

DIRECTOR: Thom Eberhardt

WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one really awesome End-Of-The-World scenario - straight ahead….




Ah, the End Of The World. It’s been portrayed so many times in so many movies that I feel practically trained on how to survive the apocalypse. Whether it’s by a zombie epidemic (DAWN OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIE), pandemic plague (28 DAYS LATER, CONTAGION, I AM LEGEND), sudden ice age (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW), asteroid impact (DEEP IMPACT, ARMAGEDDON), or nuclear annihilation (THE DAY AFTER, THREADS, TESTAMENT), I think me and my homies have got the “survivalist” thang covered.

Then there’s NIGHT OF THE COMET, our latest Valentine’s 2012 review. It’s got to be the coolest fucking End Of The World flick ever. You’re probably also wondering how a movie about the End Of The World And Life As We Know It could possibly also be a Valentine Flick? I mean what kind of kinky, perverted, demented, bizarro fuckhead would do that? Ahem? Well, patience, my dear bitches and I shall explain. You see, this flick has two of the coolest heroines ever to grace any movie, let alone an End Of The World one. Hence the “Coolest Effing E of W Movie” honor I bestowed. Oh, and these chicks are also sisters who would kill for one another - and do! Hence the inclusion into our Valentine’s 2012 line-up. This is a Valentine to all tight sisters everywhere. Bust that! Oh, and when I write “tight”, I mean relationship-wise, not bod-wise. Although that is applicable, too. Since these two are fairly delectable. Check ‘em out:

Sistahood

Sistahood

Sistahood

Our hot sistahs are Los Angeles babes Regina (Catherine Mary Stewart) and Samantha (Kelli Maroney). Reg is your basic hot tomboy who loves video games and movies (she works in a movie theater), while Sam is your basic perky cheerleader who loves, well, jock cock from the looks of it (you can just see it in her eyes - or have I been staring at my reflection again - whatever). Anyhow, our lovely lasses’ existence gets turned upside down with the news of the arrival of Halley’s Comet. Yes, folks, that Halley’s Comet. Now, from what I can gather, Halley’s Comet passes every 76 years or some shit like that. However, this current pass will take it the closest it’s ever been to Earth. In fact, the last time it passed this close was when… the dinosaurs disappeared. Uh-fucking-oh, people…

Big Hair Alert…

Big Hair Alert…

Now, folks, I don’t claim to be anything approaching an intellectual, but if I heard that a large celestial body capable of vaporizing entire planetoids was about to pass very close to Earth, and the last time it passed this close was around the time a whole fucking species of ancient creatures vanished, I think it would be safe to say my ass would in the first elevator heading down into the deepest bunker on Earth. You would think that an entire world full of people smarter than me would do the same. You would think that - but you’d be fucking disappointed. Because compared to the rest of the folks in this movie, I am apparently Albert Goddamned Einstein when it comes to survival. Everyone’s reaction to the news of Halley’s arrival is met with: partying and celebrating in the streets like it was Mardi Gras/Carnevale all over again (which I barely survived this year - three bottles of vodka over three hours will do that to you - but I digress).

Sure enough, when the Comet swoops by, all the dipshits conga-ing and macarena-ing in the streets below get vaporized into a fine, red dust. And just like that, the population of the Earth drops from about 12,000,0000,0000 to, oh, around 232. And about 80% of that surviving 232 are marauding, blood-thirsty zombies who were only partially-exposed because they were indoors at the time of the comet’s passing - and are now slowly disintegrating. And the other 20% are true survivors who managed to be inside steel-encased rooms at the crucial moment - and were completely protected from the radiation. Look, I didn’t write the fucking script, okay?

Reggie and Sammie are two of the lucky ones. Reggie just happened to be fucking her boyfriend Larry (Michael Bowen) in the steel-walled projection booth when the comet passed, while Sammie got into a fight with their bitchy step mom Doris (Sharon Farrell) and spent the night in the steel-walled lawn storage shed as a result (don’t ask). Suffice it to say, our two hot sistahs were very lucky indeed. Larry ain’t as lucky, though, because he no sooner steps out of that projection booth the next morning before a slobbering Comet Zombie clobbers him over the head and eats him (and not in that good way - ahem). Looks like the gals are going to have to save themselves now.

Uh-oh…

Uh-oh…

What happens now? How will Reggie and Sammie escape the ravenous Comet Zombies? Are they the only survivors left in the World? Or even just the Greater Los Angeles Area? Will they take advantage of all those empty shopping malls and go buck-wild? And what happens when they find themselves being “rescued” by a bunch of scientists from the desert? Are the scientists survivors, too? Or are they hiding a deadly secret from Reggie and Sam? Then there’s the hot truck driver named Hector (Robert Beltran) who spent the night in the back of his truck (steel alert), which makes him another survivor? Will he save the day? Or will he forsake Reggie and Sam to check on his family down in San Diego? How will the End Of The World, um, end?

I know where my ass would be - ransacking the local REI and Scuba Pro shop. With everyone else gone, we’d have all the trails and dive sites to ourselves. YEAH!!!


BUT, SERIOUSLY: Sometimes, a movie can have such a ludicrous premise, but such a cheeky, charming, and confident execution that it instantly wins you over. NIGHT OF THE COMET is one such film. The concept of Halley’s Comet vaporizing 99.9% of the Earth’s population, leaving only two Valley Girls as the sole survivors in L.A., pursued by both the “Comet Zombies” and infected scientists who need their blood for a serum, is a decidedly B-movie concept. But director Thom Eberhardt and his talented cast led by terrific Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney seriously elevate the material with their skill. In fact, the only reason NIGHT OF THE COMET doesn’t rate higher than a **** rating (very good) is because you end up enjoying the movie so much that you wish they would’ve done more with that premise. However, given NIGHT OF THE COMET’s low budget, we should be grateful we get such a smart, sardonic, and suspenseful movie.

This movie is remembered by many film buffs who grew up in the 80s as something of a semi-classic. I vividly remember going to the local theater to watch this with some friends - and how thrilled we were throughout the whole experience. We turned right around and watched it again the next night. Suffice it to say, we were won over - big time. To this day, NIGHT OF THE COMET has a special place in my heart.

Speaking of hearts, we talked about how NIGHT OF THE COMET is a Valentine to sisterly relationships everywhere. It’s an unexpected but still very apt description. NIGHT OF THE COMET is as enjoyable as it is because we are so hooked into the plight of its leading ladies. Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney are very believable as sisters, and they make Reggie and Sam distinct, vivid, and unique individuals instead of the caricatured Valley Girl stereotypes they could’ve been. The actresses do this by nice little human touches and expressions. A good example involves Reggie’s apprehensive conversation with Hector, where she begs him to come back alive from San Diego. Stewart shows the frightened little girl under Reggie’s tough, forceful exterior with tiny vocal inflections and eloquent expressions.

Then there’s the best scene in the whole movie (You Tube vid below) where the sisters have a nice heart-to-heart on the hood of a police car. Sam talks about a guy she had a crush on whom she was sure was about to ask her out, and also about her best friend Cathy who was flunking Algebra and was worried about her parents finding out. Sam jokes about how fortuitous the passing of the comet was for Cathy - but does so in tearfully ironic way. The way Maroney plays this scene is a Master Class in showing layers of emotion through subtext and expressions, in a very short amount of time. Touches me every single time. Maroney should’ve gone on to bigger things the way Stewart did.

This poignant scene then segues into a cheerful shopping montage sequence set to the classic song “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” - and is an energetic passage that is one of the film’s highlights. This whole set of scenes perfectly embodies NIGHT OF THE COMET’s fluid and entertaining ability to be sensitive, sexy, scary, and hilarious - all at the same time. It truly is an underrated gem that should’ve done better when it first came out in 1984. There have been talks of a remake, and while part of me would like to see the central concept expanded with a bigger budget, another part of me realizes that what makes this movie so special is its intimacy - which is largely due to the low budget that forced Eberhardt and his cast to keep things on a human scale. The result is a comedy/sci-fi/horror that is not only a perfect balance of those genres, but also of character, plot, and spectacle. Actually, scratch that: the script actually makes the characters more important than the plot, and that’s why the movie has such an impact on us.

Robert Beltran, Mary Woronov, Geoffrey Lewis, Michael Bowen, and Sharon Farrell are equally fine as either victims, survivalists, and survivors of the comet. Make no mistake, though: this movie belongs to Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney as the two Valley Girl sisters who have each other’s backs - and kick some serious Comet Zombie Ass. Consider this a Valentine to sisters and their bond with each other. Go, girls.

I dedicate this review to my own sister. I’d throw myself onto a million Comet Zombies for her. Love ya, sis.

In closing, please revel in some tunes from NIGHT OF THE COMET’s soundtrack: Revolver’s zippy “Unbelievable” and sweet “Lady In Love“. Then there’s the best scene in the whole movie: Sam and Reggie’s heart-to-heart scene on the police car, and then their subsequent “Shopping Adventure” in the deserted store. Go, sisters…








Oh, and just because you know you can't get enough of Reggie and Sam's song:

# 440 - THE TRIP (2010)

THE TRIP (2011 - COMEDY) **** out of *****

(Bickering buds with killer wits hit the road to sample food? Sign me up…)

I love you - I hate you - I love you - are we there yet?

CAST: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Margo Stilly, Claire Keelan.

DIRECTOR: Michael Winterbottom

WARNING: Some SPOILERS and two rather combative, mobile restaurant critics straight ahead.




Ah, the road trip. Is there a more fun experience out there? Besides scuba diving and backpacking, that is (both of which we managed to do yesterday - talk about a productive day). There’s just something about piling into a car (with someone else driving, of course) and heading for distant destinations that are sometimes unknown. It helps immensely if you have companions that are witty, funny, gracious, and intelligent. Then the trip goes from being awesome to sublime, because there’s sure to be some stellar hilarity in addition to the great scenery.

The heroes of of our next review are real-life good pals: hard-partying Steve Coogan (Steve Coogan) and centered family man Rob Brydon (Rob Brydon). In a thoroughly “WTF?” move, these two actors are essentially playing themselves in this largely fictitious story wherein Steve is asked by the London paper The Observer to take a tour of Northern England’s restaurants and write a review of the food and his trip in general. Hence, that title. Anyhow, Steve calls Rob at the last minute to accompany him, because his half-his-age American gal pal Mischa (Margo Stilley) has broken up with him - and he doesn’t exactly relish the idea of touring the North on his own.

Food and Friends

Food and Friends

The rest of the movie pretty much consists of Steve and Rob winding their way up north, and engaging the following: (1) gorgeous British country scenery; (2) delicious food; (3) endless bickering in the car; and (4) impersonations of the following actors: Michael Caine, Hugh Grant, Sean Connery, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Woody Allen, Dustin Hoffman, and Ron Jeremy. Okay, I was kidding about that last one. Or am I? Through it all, these two manage to alternately get on each other’s nerves - and touch each other’s hearts. Awwwwwwwwww…

Food and Friends…

Food and Friends…

How will this culinary road trip end? Will Steve end up killing Rob? Or vice versa? What happens when Steve and Rob open up to each other? Will Rob convince Steve to stop living a shallow life of partying and dancing and drinking with people half his age and aim for something more meaningful? Will this trip bring them together as friends? Or will they both move on? And how will all that food change them? Will the newspaper foot the bill when they find out how much they ate?

We’ll see. All I can say is this: the only thing better than wine-tasting road trip (so been there, so done that) is a restaurant road trip (our next road trip - YEAH!).


BUT, SERIOUSLY: When it became clear the I would have to change our Valentine’s line-up due to time reasons, I turned to my endless file of suggestions. I chose one of the most intriguing ones, the 2010 British import THE TRIP - which is a Valentine to tempestuous friendships everywhere. I’ve always thought that friendships are like marriages - they have ups and downs and are like the seasons, going through cycles and often renewing themselves again. This movie echoes that sentiment with a nicely tart combo of acid humor and understated melancholy.

In past reviews, we’ve talked about the art of improv, and how it can be both glorious and tedious at the same time. When done well, it can seem natural and organic to the characters and their interactions - and if done well in comedy, it can result in some truly inspired comic gold. A good example is most of Vince Vaughn’s oeuvre, especially WEDDING CRASHERS (review # 436), where his spontaneous riffs and zingers are hilariously electric and are one of that movie‘s highlights. However, when done incorrectly or sloppily, the results can be meandering and artificial, and can weaken a film, as we discovered in HUMPDAY (review # 424) and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (review coming).

In THE TRIP, we fortunately have an example of improv done very right. Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are gifted comedians, and their banter is both sharply witty and warmly endearing at the same time. Their impressions are priceless, with the one of Michael Caine being so dead-on, it’s almost frightening. They are essentially playing themselves here, but also slightly-altered version of themselves. I don’t know if Steve is truly a party animal in real life, or if Rob is a dedicated family man, but these “personalities” come across vividly onscreen. As a result, we end up getting something of an “arc” for each of them. Their trip wouldn’t be as funny and satisfying as it is if we didn’t buy into their “characters” and their friendship.

Then there’s all that gorgeous Northern British countryside. I’ve taken a train across Britain and one road trip, and the images here bring all those memories back. Windswept moors, rain-streaked roads, sleepy inns, gunmetal skies that seem to make all that green pop like something out of Vermeer painting. Or, as Steve himself says in one scene, “out of a Turner painting”. While THE TRIP is an intensely verbal film, it is also a very visual one. Just as all of Steve and Rob’s seemingly meandering conversations eventually lead to an emotional climax, so too do all those gorgeous images lead to a revelation of their own at the end. In short, this story is told through words and pictures - and it does so vividly.

In the end, THE TRIP is a welcome addition to our Valentine’s 2012 Celebration. It’s a Valentine to the road trips we go on with our friends, and to the friendships themselves which are as exciting and thrilling as a rollercoaster ride.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

# 439 - A BETTER LIFE (2011)

A BETTER LIFE (2011 - DRAMA) **** out of *****

(Best. Dad. Ever.)

I love you, Pops!

CAST: Demian Bichir, Jose Julian, Joaquin Cosio, Gabriel Chavarria, Dolores Heredia, Carlos Linares,

DIRECTOR: Chris Weitz

WARNING: Some SPOILERS and one truly awesome Papa - straight ahead…




Remember Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker), the hero of the modern soccer classics GOAL and GOAL 2 (reviews # 185 & 291)? Remember how he wound up becoming a star player for Newcastle and Real Madrid? Remember his humble beginnings as an illegal immigrant in East L.A. with a cranky gardener (and fellow illegal alien) for a father? Well, Santiago seems like the future version of the one of the characters in our latest review, the father/son love story A BETTER LIFE.

He is Luis Galindo (Jose Julian) and, like Santiago, he loves soccer (Chivas Deportivo, to be exact) and has an illegal immigrant gardener for a father, Carlos (Demian Bichir). The only difference is that, while Santiago was born in Mexico before crossing the border into the U.S., Luis is actually an American citizen because he was born after Carlos and his wife, um, “relocated” to Los Angeles. Meaning that the immigration authorities are not interested in Luis. Carlos, however, is another story. Oh, and another difference is that Santiago’s dad in the GOAL flicks was kind of an asshole. In A BETTER LIFE, Carlos is a waaaaaaaaaaaay cooler Pops.

It ain’t hard to imagine Luis eventually growing up to find soccer success like Santiago did in the GOAL movies. Unfortunately, that’s going to be hard to do if Pops gets deported back south of the border. For his part, Carlos does a good job of keeping his head down and trying to be invisible. He does this by: (1) working as an assistant gardener to the kindly Belasco (Joaquin Cosio); (2) trying to be a good role model for Luis; and (3) well, I guess that’s pretty much it. You see, Carlos works long hours - and when he’s not pruning the shrubs and mowing the lawns of rich Los Angelenos or trying to instill some decency in Luis, he’s passed out on the couch from exhaustion.

Illegal Alien Blues

Illegal Alien Blues

Things take a turn for the promising when Belasco decides to “retire” and return to Mexico to raise crops and sell electronics out of a truck (don’t ask) - and he offers to sell his gardening truck (essentially, the entire business) to Carlos. Belasco says Carlos will benefit from taking over the business because: (1) he will make more money, which means (2) he will be able to hire a better attorney to help make him legal, and (3) he will be able to move to a better neighborhood, which means (4) he will be able to put Luis in a better school where doesn’t have to play roshambo with gang members everyday at lunch.

With the help of a generous loan from his sister Anita (Dolores Heredia), who already has her “papers”, Carlos is able to buy Belasco’s truck. Soon, Carlos is heading up the gardening operation instead of just assisting. He’s able to buy Luis some Chivas gear, and - most importantly - is now able to put money away for a rainy day (good man!). Yes, sir. Things are looking up for our boys Carlos and Luis. At this rate, it won’t be long before the Galindos can do the following: (1) move to West L.A., (2) transfer Luis to a school where the number of tattoos doesn’t exceed the number of books, and (3) well, that’s pretty much what counts.

Gardening Blues…

90210…

Unfortunately, Carlos and Luis’ buzz is seriously pissed on when Carlos’ new assistant Santiago (Carlos Linares, not Kuno Becker) steals the truck one day - leaving Carlos literally hanging in the wind (see the movie to see what I mean). Anyone else would’ve hired The Terminator to track down the fucker, kill him, chop him up into mulch, then retrieve the truck. Not our Carlos, who appears to be just a few gracious smiles from sainthood even after being fucked over royally. Nope, he basically rounds up Luis - and together they embark on a laconic bonding journey to retrieve the truck in the nicest way possible. Santiago doesn’t know how lucky he is. Most people would’ve shot him.

Northward Ho…

I love you, Dad…

Will Carlos and Luis track that asshole Santiago down and take back what is rightfully theirs? Will they salvage their dreams of moving to a new neighborhood - and a new life? Will Carlos ever be able to become an American citizen like his son? And even if they manage to get the truck back, does that automatically mean smooth sailing for them? Or are the authorities closer than they realize? Will father and son manage to stay together? Will they ever get to live the “American Dream”? Or is it “Hello, Tijuana” for our Uber Padre? Will he be separated from his son? Will Luis ever be able to realize his soccer dreams? Will Carlos be able to cheer him on at a game? Or will he have to settle for watching it on TV from Mexico?

Hard to say. One thing for certain, though: if Carlos gets to stay in the States and attend Luis’ games, we’ll probably get to see his crazy side come out on the sidelines. And that’s a good thing.


BUT, SERIOUSLY: After directing the quirkily delightful and decidedly British ABOUT A BOY, and the predictably zippy and decidedly American TWILIGHT: NEW MOON, director Chris Weitz tackled A BETTER LIFE, a project as different from those two earlier films as they are from each other. One thing you can’t accuse Weitz of is dabbling too much in the same genre. It also turns out that Weitz is of part-Latino descent, so helming this film also has a touch of the personal.

A BETTER OF LIFE is a film you have to pay attention to. Its strength is in the small details, most of them non-verbals from the characters and visuals of the setting. If you breeze through this movie without giving it your full 90 (as we Sounders Fans like to say), then you may write it off as an average cinematic experience. This is because director Weitz avoids any melodrama in telling this story and keeps thing remarkably understated. Add to this the fact that its lead character keeps his feelings buried under a stoic and placid exterior, and you have a story that keeps its emotional cards very close to its chest - and only allows you very fleeting glimpses here and there, before finally tipping its hand late in the film.

Mexican actor Demian Bichir plays Carlos Galindo with a mix of resigned weariness, quiet humility, and subtle determination. While this may sound like Carlos is something of a saint, and I joked about it earlier, I assure you he is not. I look at Carlos and I don’t see a saint - I see someone who has hard-earned, hard-won maturity and wisdom, and knows that bitterness and cynicism is poison, and turns his back on it. Carlos has had a hard life that is a never-ending struggle to make a life for his son - but he never let’s these “hard knocks” turn him into an ugly cynic. Many people mistakenly think being a cynic is the same as being a realist. This is a sad, lazy misconception that speaks more of immaturity than actual wisdom. As we grow older, we should become wiser and more mature - but true wisdom and maturity means being more expansive and forgiving, not cynical and suspicious. It also means letting go of the things of youth and acting your age. A BETTER LIFE beautifully captures this.

This is never more apparent than in the scene where Luis and Carlos find the thief Santiago working in a restaurant kitchen as a dishwasher after the theft of the truck. Luis viciously beats Santiago, but Carlos fiercely defends Santiago - going so far as to threaten his son. Luis chastises his father for protecting the man who wronged them. But Carlos doesn’t back down, realizing that Santiago wasn’t motivated by malice - but desperation to send money back to his ailing family in Mexico. This is the best scene in the film, and vividly captures the essence of Carlos - and the moral of the film, which is that no matter what happens to us, and no matter who unfairly wrongs us, no matter how hard life is, we must never lose our humanity and grace.

Bichir rightfully deserved his recent Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for this role. Carlos’ love for Luis is blind and unconditional, which Luis sometimes takes for granted. There are scenes where Luis take jabs at Carlos just to get a reaction out of him, but the older Galindo just silently and graciously takes it. You can’t help but get the sense that Carlos probably wasn’t too different from Luis at that age, and is now just indulging the younger Galindo. Bichir and Jose Julian as Luis have a very believable father/son dynamic that is marked by the right mix of conflict, humor, and bashful love. Their connection is strong, which makes the final scenes all the more wrenching and hopeful. Julian is a promising actor who has the screen presence and talent to follow in the footsteps of Bichir.

Having lived in Los Angeles for several years when I was younger, I had many friends in the Mexican-American community. Being of mixed ethnicity myself, I’ve always felt a kinship with immigrants, especially the ones from south of the border, and it is refreshing to see different stories about their experiences reach the big screen. Is it right that some of them are here illegally? Of course not. But, at the same time, is it wrong for them to want a better life? Between the laws of immigration and the principles of humanity lies the answer to that question.

In the end, A BETTER LIFE is remarkably understated and ultimately powerful Valentine to the blind, unconditional love that many fathers feel for their sons, despite their occasional differences. I feel lucky to have one such father, and I dedicate this review to him - and to great fathers everywhere, of all nationalities…

I love you, Dad. Thanks for everything...