Review of film: "A BETTER LIFE" ( about IMMIGRATION problems in the U.S. )

2011, 07-06:

Review of film:  “A BETTER LIFE”

A website called LatinoScoop.com helped support the launching of a campaign to market a film called “A BETTER LIFE” about some of the difficulties faced by people involved in IMMIGRATION problems...

...  The advance screening drew an overflow crowd to Chicago’s REGAL CITY NORTH 14 theater.  Before the film, JOSE JARA (the founder of LatinoScoop;  as seen in the photo below) thanked the crowd for coming...

...  Jose introduced the man who’ll be running their new operation in the LOS ANGELES area (+, they have plans to open in New York City & Washington DC to serve markets there)...

...  As the L.A. rep commented, this is the first film by a major studio (SUMMIT Entertainment) to release a film by a “known” director (Chris Weitz, who did “ABOUT A BOY”) on the subject of current IMMIGRATION problems people face in the U.S....

...  He hoped people in the audience would use word-of-mouth to tell OTHERS about the film, with the wish that people seeing it would help foster more justice for people having such immigration troubles...

...  Soon after the film begins, we’re introduced to a hard-working immigrant named Carlos Galindo (DEMIÁN BISHIR).  He’s working as a gardener / landscaper for another Mexican guy named Blasco Martinez (Joaquín COSIO)...

...  Joaquín is soon going to retire back to Mexico, & keeps urging Demián to BUY his TRUCK & landscaping tools, so he could run his OWN business...

...  But, Demián points out to him, he personally can’t AFFORD such an expense--  &, more importantly, he couldn’t officially OPERATE such a business:  although he’d been in the U.S. for 14 years, he’d entered the country ILLEGALLY & couldn’t even get a LICENSE to drive, much less own & operate any company...

...  In time, we see Demián doing various dangerous work, such as using a TREE-CLIMBING harness (around his waist) with spikes on his shoes to climb up to the top of palm trees to cut some branches there...

...  The lady who owns the tree worries about how that’s a potentially HAZARDOUS job.  But, although Joaquín assures the lady that Demián likes such work & he’s “INSURED”, the translation of Demián’s Spanish comments makes clear that’s all quite UNTRUE...

...  As if having to worry about his future income (when Joaquín leaves) isn’t bad enough, Demián also has fears about how his SON is growing up:

...  The son is named Luis (JOSÉ JULIÁN).  He’s 14 years old, & he’s MAD at the world & himself, partly because his mother abandoned him & his dad long ago.  There’s nothing much he cares about in life outside of SOCCER and a tough girlfriend he has...

...  José tends to see himself as being “all that”--  but he’s actually pretty LAZY, & (partly because he doesn’t really “CARE” in life) makes no real “efforts” in SCHOOL, the result of which is he keeps being SUSPENDED for ditching classes & the like....

...  His dad is quite WORRIED about him & his attitudes, + about the way so many kids keep being encouraged to join GANGS in the area where they live.  In fact, José’s best friend, Facundo (BOBBY SOTO), keeps encouraging him to JOIN a gang, since that’s what Bobby wants to do...

...  Demián keeps trying to get “thru” to Bobby about what things are IMPORTANT in life, but he keeps resisting his dad’s entreaties to get up & go to school & to HELP him with gardening or some other work...        

...  Altho he’s hesitant to do it, Demián eventually visits his SISTER in the area, & wonders if she could ask her husband to LOAN him some money to buy the truck he needs to continue getting regular work...

...  He honestly cautions her that he wouldn’t be able to REPAY the money if he gets in any TROUBLE, even for anything as minor as a TRAFFIC stop:

...  That’s because, they could find out he has no license to drive (or work), & could make efforts to DEPORT him back to Mexico (since he’d never been able to get citizenship due to all the tough regulations since he’d arrived)...

...  Eventually, to Demián’s surprise, his sister comes UP with the money, & he BUYS the truck of his old boss... 

...  It’s a chance to try to give a BETTER LIFE to his son (which he desperately wants to do for him)...  But, when he drives up to the school to tell José the news & give him a gift, José ISN’T really very pleased & doesn’t seem to “CARE” much...

...  At one point, Demián tries to spend more TIME with José, taking him to see a little Mexican-style RODEO being held in the area...

...  In his landscaping work, Demián tries to give a helping hand to a man named Santiago (CARLOS LINARES) who’d been comparatively kind to him in the past...  But, Carlos proves a very BAD CHOICE of who to trust, & that endangers Demián’s whole LIFE in the U.S....

...  Will Demián be able to “FIX” the problems that Carlos causes him (including re his IMMIGRATION situation)?... 

...  Will he ever be able to get “thru” to JOSÉ about what he “means” to him & what’s IMPORTANT in life?...  Will José be able to AVOID involvement with the gangs & act properly towards his aunt?...

...  As the LatinoScoop reps commented after the film (which got hearty applause from a number of people in the audience), it’s very hard to “sell” an independent movie like this, & they hopes people would SHARE their thoughts about it with friends & families...       

(...  It’s scheduled to open in various places as of Friday, July 8^th...  In the CHICAGO area, it’s tentatively planned for screenings at the AMC River East 21, the AMC Showplace Cicero 14, the Kerasotes Showplace ICON, & the Landmark Century Centre...

(...  In the LOS ANGELES area, it’s tentatively listed for screenings at:  the AMC Montebello 10;  ArcLight Beach Cities;  ArcLight Cinerama Dome;  ArcLight Hollywood; & the Bianchi Theatre...

(...  Also, at:  Edwards Southgate Stadium 20;  Krikorian Pico Rivera Village Walk 15;  Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15;  Rave Motion Pictures 18 + IMAX;  Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14;  & the Regency Commerce 14... )

...  As to the movie itself, I was quite IMPRESSED with it:  The film is done in an effective “low-key” manner, rather than trying to be”flashy” or overly “dramatic” in a “potboiler” way... 

...  The main actors (especially Demián & José) are especially good, being “REAL” & BELIEVABLE on many levels (while not being “extreme”).  The story makes its important thought-provoking “points” in a “MODERATE” way, rather than hitting you over the “head” with things...

...  And thus, I’m rating this at 8.0 out of 10 stars, for covering a seldom-seen subject with valuable SENSITIVITY...           

[  NOTE:  You can easily  SHARE  this Posting with your friends or family by sending them an e-mail LINK via clicking on the “M” button in the lower left-hand corner...  ]

 

  (o_
   /\ 

= = =    [ 4 B&W  I&D ]   …  ( <>  ^  <> )  ...

Review of TV series film: "TORCHWOOD = MIRACLE DAY: THE NEW WORLD”

2011, 07-05:

Review of TV series film:  "TORCHWOOD =  MIRACLE DAY:  THE NEW WORLD”   

In 2006, a TV series started in the U.K. (United Kingdom) called “TORCHWOOD”, which was later shown on U.S. television...

...  The basic “idea” of the series is, in 1879, Queen Victoria’s government founded a “renegade” group called the “TORCHWOOD Institute”, whose job was to investigate CRIMES & to battle against threats of unfriendly SUPERNATURAL & EXTRATERRESTRIAL types...

...  In the show, people saw life in the 51^st Century & met a “Time Agent” named Captain Jack Harkness (played by JOHN BARROWMAN, who was born in Scotland but grew up in Joliet, IL).  He’s also a swindler, who travels with a “Doctor” to go back to the 21^st Century & JOIN as members of the Institute...

...  In the previous seasons, the people who’d once been involved with the Institute went into HIDING.  One of them was Gwen Cooper (EVE MYLES, who’s been in all 41 episodes)...

...  In this newest episode (starting off their upcoming season on the STARZ cable network), we see Eve nearly “paranoid” anytime anyone comes near the seaside home where she’s living with her husband & baby daughter...  She’s fearful of being “caught” by one of the people who’d been “after” her & the others...

...  We’re introduced to an evil convicted killer named Oswald Danes (BILL PULLMAN), who’s supposed to die in the U.S. via lethal injection... 

...  But, to the shock of all the onlookers, he DOESN’T die, seemed to “EXPECT” that situation to happen, & tries to use the failure of the execution as an “excuse” for being RELEASED from prison...

...  We soon see ANOTHER person who normally would die--  a C.I.A. agent named Rex Matheson (MEKHI PHIFER).  As he’s working to investigate the latest global conspiracy, he gets impaled by a metal tube in a vehicle accident, which would normally have killed him...

...  It seems that NO ONE on Earth is DYING anymore.  Mekhi & others who would normally expire do NOT have any “clue” that they were going to live on, much less WHY it’s happened...

...  While some people (like convict Bill & agent Mekhi) are HAPPY they’re still alive, other people start becoming very WORRIED about the unexplained phenomenon, since no one dying will lead to a massive immediate POPULATION boom, which the planet cannot “handle” (economically & otherwise)...

...  Thus people like Mekhi & others involved with the C.I.A. (such as Jilly Kitzinger {played by LAUREN AMBROSE}, plus Esther Drummond {ALEXA HAVINS}, & Dr. Vera Juarez {ARLENE TUR}) start to INVESTIGATE what’s going on...

...  Mekhi himself gets involved in trying to track down facts, & that in short order leads him to learn of the existence of the TORCHWOOD INSTITUTE --  information about which has suddenly “DISAPPEARED” from computer databases & the like...

...  Various events lead to the reappearance of Captain Jack (JOHN), which brought hearty applause from the cognoscenti in the audience...  He helps FIGHT a mysterious group which is trying to STOP Mekhi’s investigation & to also attack EVE...

...  Why does convict Bill seem so “KNOWING” about the sudden appearance of his INABILITY to be killed?...  Will Mekhi be able to discover what’s “GOING-ON” re the occurrence & the still-mysterious Torchwood?... 

...  Will John & others be able to keep EVE alive & in “operation”?...  What’s going to HAPPEN in UPCOMING episodes?!...

...  Before the special advance screening, we were greeted by JACYN MEYER, who’s Director of Affiliate Sales for STARZ Entertainment.  She said, she was very pleased that her network had become involved in helping produce this new 4^th Season of episodes of the show, which originated in the UNITED KINGDOM...

...  When she asked, the majority of people in the audience raised their hands to indicate they’d seen PREVIOUS episodes of the sci-fi series...  She said, she’d been unfamiliar with it initially.  But, now that she’d sat down & spent a weekend WATCHING the preceding episodes, she’s become an “UBER-fan” of the show!...

...  Jacyn said, the new 10-episode Season will start on Friday, July 8^th on STARZ.  It’ll then play every Friday at 9 PM Chicago time (10 PM Eastern & Pacific time)...

...  After the new episode ended (to considerable applause), Jacyn commented to some people that, when she’d screened the previous seasons, a son came by & commented, uh, oh, there’d likely have to be a “‘Torchwood’ INTERVENTION!” for her in the near future...

...  The guys she was talking with were already fans of the show, & said, they could well understand that, & commented on how UPSET some friends are in the United Kingdom because we here in the U.S. were seeing the new season around a week BEFORE THEY’D be seeing it (in the country where it first originated)!...

...  I asked Jacyn, why is it that this is called the “4^th” season, when it first started on TV in 2006?...  She said, after like the 1^st season, there were DELAYS (seemingly due to funding & the like) in getting the NEXT season made.  Thus, there was a GAP of like 1 year, which is what makes this the 4^th (rather than a 5^th) season...

...  The show is unusually WELL-DONE for a TV series:  it’s clever in its scripting (such as the “tongue-in-cheek” way it has JOHN act as the Captain), tense in its ACTION scenes, & easily holds your INTEREST... 

...  I kept wanting the 50-minute episode show to go ON right then for another 2 hours or so!...  Thus, since it SUCCEEDED on so many levels, I’m rating this at 8.25 out of 10 stars...

[  NOTE:  You can easily  SHARE  this Posting with your friends or family by sending them an e-mail LINK via clicking on the “M” button in the lower left-hand corner...  ]

 

  (o_
   /\ 

= = =    [ 4 B&W  I&D ]   …  ( <>  ^  <> )  ...

                                        * - - - - - - - - - *

Review of film: “MONTE CARLO”

  

2011, 07-05:

Review of film:  “MONTE CARLO”

Grace (SELENA GOMEZ) is a teenager living in Texas.  She’s a generous person, & has a comparatively tense stepsister named Meg (LEIGHTON MEESTER) whose real mother recently died (which has left her in a sad mood)...

...  Selena’s best friend is a waitress named Emma (KATIE CASSIDY), & she’s agreed to go with Selena on an eagerly-awaited vacation trip to PARIS (especially since Katie’s boyfriend Owen {CORY MONTEITH} seemed insincere about asking her to marry him)...  

...  Selena is quite upset when her dad Robert (BRETT CULLEN) & especially her mom Pam (ANDIE MacDOWELL) want her to also have Leighton go on the trip to Paris (in effect as a kind of “chaperone”) since she’s OLDER...

...  Reluctantly (because Leighton is a “complainer”), Selena & Katie agree to have her along (rather than having to cancel their trip)...

...  Selena has planned a bus tour of Paris, & Leighton is correct that it was a MISTAKE to commit to that sightseeing, as they have a HORRIBLE time overall:  the room they’re put up in is too small & with bad electricity, the tour doesn’t allow them to see things PROPERLY as they’re always very RUSHED at the Louvre, etc...

...  At the Sacre de Coeur church & the Eiffel Tower (shown below), Leighton chances to me a friendly AUSTRALIAN guy named Riley (LUKE BRACEY), who’s clearly attracted to her...  But, she has little time to really talk to him, since they have to keep rushing away for the sightseeing... 

...  After missing their tour bus, the girls get caught in a bad downpour of rain.  To get out of it, they slip into the closest shelter nearby, which happens to be a very fancy upscale luxury hotel...

...  As she’s about to enter the hotel, Serena is mistaken by some paparazzi for being an uppity British heiress named Cordelia (ALSO played by SERENA)...  And, because she facially looks just LIKE Cordelia, the HOTEL people also insist she go up to CORDELIA’S room there...

...  The girls overhear the “real” Cordelia in a phone conversation where she tells a friend she’s slipping AWAY from the Hotel & plans to go elsewhere...  So, per Katie’s idea, they take ADVANTAGE of her absence to USE Cordelia’s room & clothes & the like...

..  As part of their having a good time, they agree to get in a car sent for Cordelia, & are whisked off to fly on a private plane to MONTE CARLO in the tiny Principality of Monaco (shown below) in the far southeast area of France on the Mediterranean Sea... 

...  There, the girls find out Serena (as Cordelia) is there to donate a fancy NECKLACE to a charity auction held by Bernard Marchand (CHRISTOPHE MALAVOY) to build schools for underprivileged kids in ROMANIA...   

...  Christophe’s handsome son Theo (PIERRE BOULANGER) is set to guide the girls around the area & see to it that Serena (as Cordelia) does what she’s “supposed” to do...

...  Since Cordelia’s had a bad reputation known for being “uppity” & the like, Pierre initially is not fond of Serena.  But, bit-by-bit, as they spend TIME together, he starts to LIKE her, since she doesn’t seem to really be “pompous” as tabloids have claimed...

...  Lo and behold, who shows up in Monte Carlo but “Australian” LUKE, & spending time with Leighton (who he promptly “runs into”) puts her in a much “BETTER” mood (which makes the other 2 girls “freer” to have a GOOD time)...

...  Missing Katie, CORY flies to Paris to SEARCH for her, & eventually also goes to MONTE CARLO to seek her out & convince her of his love...

...  What will happen when CORY shows up & talks to Katie?...  

...  What will occur when the “REAL” Cordelia suddenly shows up unexpectedly in Monte Carlo?...

...  What will happen concerning the AUCTION, & what will transpire between the GIRLS & their latest “amours”?...

...  Yes, the story is “FLUFFY” in many ways, & the “coincidences” (of thinking Serena is rich Cordelia, & the way Cory & Luke keep “SHOWING-UP” & easily finding the girls they like) is pretty HARD-TO-BELIEVE...

...  But, it’s designed as a teen “ROMANCE” story, the acting is actually quite EFFECTIVE (especially considering the inherent “limitations” of the script plots), & thus I’m rating this at 7.0 out of 10 stars (which will likely be especially enjoyed by young women)...

[  NOTE:  You can easily SHARE this Posting with your friends or family by sending them an e-mail LINK via clicking on the “M” button in the lower left-hand corner...  ]

  (o_
   /\ 

= = =    [ 4 B&W  I&D ]   …  ( <>  ^  <> )  ...