Movies 8-11

TODAY'S FEATURE

8. El Cantante- Ya'll I'm mad at the media on this one. I thought the movie was fantastic. So many critics dismissed this movie because J.Lo starred in it with her husband. So what! She delivered an awesome performance. Marc Anthony? Holy poo, his acting was good but his singing…his voice was just nothing short of amazing. I got the soundtrack afterward and I also got my good girlfriend to burn me some of the original Hector Lavoe's music. This is would have been my pick of the week had I not been so inspired by the documentary. I just thought the movie was very compelling and let me tell you J.Lo looks awesome in this movie too- great wardrobe. It definitely irritates me that this movie didn't get picked up more here. Aside from the media's love/hate with J.Lo I also feel like the lack of coverage is a social issue too but whatev, don't even get me started.

9. In the time of Butterflies- I thought the cast of this movie was really good. It's another Latino culture/history must see. There were a couple points in the Father's portrayal that I thought hmmm, this seems a little generic but nevertheless the acting as a whole was good. A very young Marc Anthony makes a cameo. You could tell that this piece really mattered to everyone playing a part on screen- they really wanted the story to be told and heard. The Latin culture is so rich and when I think about the music, the dancing, and just the history to overcome in places like Cuba, Columbia, Dominican Republic etc I feel it close in my spirit with the struggle my own people have endured. I just want to study and learn more. I think it is amazing. I watched three very life enriching movies this time and I feel rewarded. Just to change the tone a little I will mention how sickeningly beautiful Salma is even when she is not all done up and has her nappy/ratty prison wig on. Actually all the sisters are lovely

10. Born into Brothels- Such a striking documentary about kids living in the Red Light District in Calcutta. Though I could see the obvious social issues addressed in this movie, what struck me the most is that thing. That thing that seems like I've talked about before. The burning question in my own mind; those children made me wonder and also helped answer, albeit only a small bit, what is it that makes a person? How is it that all those kids come from the same life and some of them understand this doesn't have to be their destiny and others are consumed by the cycle of what they see? I felt like I could see it in the children; the ones who would take advantage of their opportunity and run with it. I could see the ones who could clearly see this documentary, those trips, boarding school; as an opportunity and would seize the day. In the end I found myself heartbroken that some of "my" kid's opportunities were snatched from them by their own parents who could not be selfless enough to give their own kids a chance at something different than what they have. Though sad, this too spoke directly to my heart and drove home some of those things we learn about ourselves and others when the going gets tough. This was such a human story that needed to be told. There is something powerful about the natural hope of a child and it's even more powerful what the stealing of that hope from children can motivate people to do in order to make change. I found the website with some extra info on children born into brothels and the vision of the charity here. You can buy their photographs and other merchandise here. Or just make a donation here. Of course there is some controversy that you can read about here with additional links

11. Jumper- Geez, what can I say? I would not recommend anyone spending their money to go see this in the theater and I'll tell you why: while the concept of teleportation is awesome, the acting and script fall severely short. Have you ever watched a movie and wondered what's the point? Have you ever watched a movie and wanted to yell at the screen so say what you mean already! I can definitely only take vague talk in good movies—you know the ones where you want your mind to be bended…not so with this film. The film is really lacking a certain cohesiveness that would make it good. There were several points in the movie where I just wanted it to be over or the dialog would literally make me cringe. I think this sucks because I was looking forward to being entertained and all the teleportation scenes (which there were many) where just way cool….which considering should have been able to save the movie but it didn't. I don't know I hope this is making sense.