bmxceze111 Reviews

The Soloist (2009)

The B is for Beethoven.

[10/10 · 4 May 2009]

In an age where film has hardly captivated the mind and emotions, "The Soloist" surpasses the gold standard in modern cinema. Here's a true story that was unbeknownst to the populace and transformed into a fantastic masterpiece that could well be gauged amongst the best Oscar worthy films (A Beautiful Mind) in terms of undeniable overtures of grandeur. We examine character flaws in both human and mental statures. In a world subdued into atrophy and materialistic solitude, we find ourselves ignoring the lower class society when in turn a higher power has granted many of them a talent or gift to bestow upon the masses. Here's a story of a hapless reporter that has seen the pitfalls of everyday detachment and descriptively displayed them in his LA Times columns. Even in the past the rigors of unemployment were evident and unfortunately public media was no different. We see this disgruntled reporter juggle with the success of a great story and the impact upon viewers. He in turn sees the true meaning of friendship through the ears and visionary thought of a schizophrenic violin player named Nathaniel. The sheer enchantment of the story is enough to bring tears to your eyes. We felt the emotional convolutions throughout the entire film and how the public can take themselves entirely too serious. There are so many moments where you find yourself captivated by Nathaniel's story and how the troubles of a broken mind can engulf your entire world. This film deserves high accolades and will undoubtedly be a nod when the Academy awards come along. I highly recommend this film and hope it takes to you, uplifts you to a new reasoning

Lovesickness (2007)

Any Love is better than No love.

[8/10 · 30 April 2009]

To go and say that this movie was a love story is being ethereal to the most delicate degree. This movie was many things as it unfolds with a rich sense of captivity. Taking the viewer on a ride that only a Puerto Rican can plot out (The cast is enriched with Puerto Ricans). It took a few deep breaths to fully digest the amount of dissonant dialogue, by all means it was bearable but at times it was shocking. No one can write this type of storytelling. Obviously Carlito Ruiz Ruiz got it right with precision. The film explores love on it's most obverse levels, by exploring love throughout age, rage, immense tragedy, psychosis, and of course humor. These different palettes create an exuberant amount of depth, body, and twisted sense of the word. It is definitely a family oriented film with so many references to Puerto Rican culture that you just want to throw some 'chanclas' on and hit the 'playa'. The themes of ancestry are doused with gasoline and set ablaze with trepidation. You feel what it's like to a part of the inner circle. The problematic circle is not that love is reciprocal but that the action exists and we cannot coexist if that understanding is discernible. A true gem amongst Latin gems. I hold this film in high accord with Innaritu's masterpieces.

El Evangelista (2006)

Great Latin Film.

[7/10 · 28 April 2009]

El Evangelista was an entirely independent movie with Latin accents. It unveils a vivid and divided world of brutal crimes and religious apathy. The cinematography is a bit tonal by sequencing urban landscapes and few countrysides. It almost moves like a sitcom instead of a movie. The leading cast capture dialogue reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction" with equal subject matter and flying pundits. The comedic hijinks range from the classic down to the outright childish (fart jokes). Some of the other supporting cast lack passion in their roles. The film in general provides dramatic overtones in the style of Latin soap operas with a score from similar scenes in "Scarface " (Remember when Tony shot Manolo?) not to be comparatively vague but just to state the obvious. The main characters are faced with harsh dilemmas and no where to turn to. The movie heats up in brutal action and acts as social clauses for us to embody in everyday reasoning. I highly recommend this Latin film, because of the accolades it won (Winner"Audience Choice Award"2006 Chicago Latino Film Festival Winner"Best Foreign Feature"2006 WYSIWYG Film Festival Official Selection 2007 New York International Latino Film Festival) and because it was a memorable tale of the two sides of crime and the how the loyalty one possesses, battles the conscience.

The Wrestler (2008)

Apart from the Rest.

[7/10 · 22 April 2009]

In a world of glitz and glamor, we finally have a tour De force so real it's almost disturbing. Some of the fights were brutally honest and I think we needed that type of insane violence to truly depict the massive amounts of abuse these athletes go through. I have a deeper respect for Mickey Rourke as an actor. He truly touched my views on professional wrestling. I am from Jersey and I remember my youth was filled with going to the types of events. As I grew older and somewhat wiser I never knew that these so called has beens had it so bad. I respect Mickey for the role and role he depicts. That Acme store clerk that has the face of a champ but still gets p*ssed on by the store manager. That beat up tramp of a stripper that has the worst smoker's cough but still uses her last $10 to feed her son dinner every night. The estranged child that hasn't seen her dad in 13 years and doesn't give a damn if he had a heart attack or is dead, now coping with the sad reality that love ,just might be enough. Thank you ,"The Wrestler". It was a dose of reality in such an epic manner that I can only give thanks for such majestic pieces of film nowadays.

Saints and Soldiers (2003)

Among a dying breed.

[7/10 · 12 April 2009]

Without too much glitz and glamor, "Saints" puts a new dramatic feel to the WorldWar2 epics that we have all come to enjoy and some unfortunately hate. The beginning starts fast and action packed then turns to the character's personalities. I felt indifferent to the subtleties involved in character development. I saw this on hulu so there were some commercial interruptions but I was steadily tuned in to the dialogue and dramatic moments of religious overtones.Some WorldWar2 epics take the acting out of major event that changed lives forever. I am happy to this approach wasn't followed in "Saints".The fear, bigotry, camaraderie, and pure honor for one another came together in a great story. I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it as a WorldWar 2 story add.

Brooklyn Rules (2007)

Another Great Mobster Film

[7/10 · 12 April 2009]

So here we have another mobster movie with a great list of great actors. Set in the 80s the costumes have a bit of tasteless gestures and some actually hit the mark with authenticity. The background music works well and so do the neighborhoods throughout the films.

I was surprised to see pretty boy Freddie Prinze Jr. in this mobster film. I was so used to the childish films he had paraded around for such a long time to forget he has a narrative tone of acting. He played an honest student trying to do his best to escape the tortures of a rough and tumble Brooklyn neighborhood.Alec Baldwin gives a steadfast approach to the head mobster lifestyle by smacking a few locals around in the beginning. We see what the character assembly is going to produce throughout the film just from the short descriptive narratives.Jerry Ferrera plays the lovable sidekick friend that is conceptually frugal and down on his luck in unemployment. Scott Caan plays the most realistic character because in my most humble opinion, he has played this stereotypical role in every film I have seen him in. It's the Napoleon Bonaparte complex character that gets all the wheeling and dealing early on and gets his kicks from well, kicking people to the ground. It's characters like him in this film that really take it to another level. His acting is superb ,the love is genuine ,and sometimes you feel the scenes were ad libbed. Mena Suvari was an unconvincing student femme. She lofts around throughout the film carefree until the s*** hits the fans and then she turns against Freddy's character. She could have easily been knocked off in the script and nobody would've missed her. While she was entirely necessary to the script and in proving a friendship motif, I didn't enjoy her performance.

Overall this movie hits the target. It's not another classic mobster makeover but in it's own way reinvents the story and leaves room for a few other younger actors looking to get their beaks wet in this genre.