Movies #17-21
Low-Budget Fun
I wanted to see a movie today, and seriously could not find a single film I wanted to see – goddamn this is a dry time for film buffs! Anyway, I happened to notice the Chicago Latino Film Festival had just started, and my interest was piqued by a film called Welcome To the Barrio – filmed entirely in Chicago on a low budget. I usually have a problem with low budget films – not to generalize, but I hate it when films are sloppy, and you can tell the actors are amateurs, and it’s painful and juvenile… This film was about a Hispanic guy coming home to the South side of Chicago (Little Village) and getting in trouble with his old friend who’s now a gangbanger – yeah, nothing new there… But I have to say I was extremely surprised by the high quality of the script, editing, and acting overall. The story was completely clichéd, sure, but the filmmaker really captured how it feels to drive through grungy Chicago streets and alleys to get to ghetto Latino nightclubs, and how it feels to chug beer by the lake or on rooftops while overlooking the city…
The actors all showed up for the Q&A, which was a nice surprise, too. So – here’s a conundrum – will I be more open-minded in the future, and see more low-budget films? Or will I only be open-minded if the film holds the promise of cute Mexican and Puerto Rican actors?

The Valet
This movie was a French trifle, a comedy about infidelity and relationships in general. It was actually quite amusing, even though I found one of the main characters a bit unbelievable - a supermodel who was sweet, open, and not the slightest bit high-maintenance. The film did make me jealous of Parisians and their constant lunching in outdoors cafes.

Spiderman III
OK, whose idea was it to give Sam Raimi eleventy billion dollars to make a movie? Did they not see Army of Darkness? A lot of the jokey moments in this movie reminded me of that one through and through. Some of the comedy bits worked, like Bruce Campbell as the French waiter – but even that is a wink-wink moment for his old fans. There are so many parts of this movie that don’t work, such as:
Diaper-Face, aka Snaggletooth Dunst, whose ability to suck at acting and look hideously ugly at the same time is nearly transcendent.
Tobey Maguire’s transformation into “Bad” Spiderman, where he just wears eyeliner and has a slightly gayer haircut.
When “Bad” Spiderman walks down the sidewalk giving ladies the finger-guns, either attracting or repulsing them.
Every scene where his grandma gives him relationship advice. Who the hell cares what that old lady has to say? This is supposed to be an action movie!
The pinnacle of stupidity in the movie, where Tobey upstages Snaggletooth in a jazz club. This is the point of the movie where I thought, wow, $350 million can probably restructure a third-world nation. But instead, we have Spiderman 3.
Oh, but James Franco is cute.

Double Feature Day: Fracture and Hot Fuzz
Yay, I saw two good films in one day! Almost washes out the bitter taste of Spiderman 3.

Fracture
This movie was truly excellent. The clash between two clichés (cold-hearted criminal and cold-hearted lawyer) is nothing new, but there are plenty of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. The acting was remarkable, of course, and the cinematography was stunning – every shot was set up absolutely beautifully. This is a must-see for anyone who hasn’t see it, especially Ryan Gosling fans (you know who you are).

Hot Fuzz
This movie was long, but truly funny. I don’t think you have to be a Brit comedy fan to enjoy this. It’s ridiculous and over-the-top, and really enjoyable from start to finish.