Here we go…Instead of just going one by one and posting each individual review, I’m going to unload it here….here is what I had on tap…no style, no formatting, just tons of text.

I’ll return with new reviews next week, and will be reviewing things a little differently in the days to come.

The Namesake
The Namesake is an independent film that juxtaposes Indian culture through many years, many examples and through on main family.
This is a slow moving film, with great heart. It showcases the immigrant struggle from an Indian perspective. Transitioning from the Indian culture and trying to fit into the American way of life is exposed through a series of events, and understandings that involve traditional paradoxes of culture.

I like this film mainly for its presentation of immigrant life.
I myself, an immigrant, have struggled with the adaptation of culture, and when the chips are down it seems like I hang onto my Mexican heritage before I accept my role as an American citizen. This film shows how hard it is to adapt to the U.S culture, when a loved one dies, or when reflection is needed.
Specifically, the situational study of relationships of inter-racial qualities. The main character has an American girlfriend, and when his father dies, she doesn’t understand why he is grasping towards his Indian culture, where as before he was quick to adopt the American ways.
A great film in many ways, this movie has a lot of emotional ties with me personally, and I recommend this for anyone that is interested in Social Studies of any kind. If you’re turned off by immigration stories, then at least check this film out for the fine visuals of India, as the film has some amazing, high quality film footage of the Taj Mahal, as well as Indian culture.
This is a well crafted immigrant story, with a lot of heart, great visuals and landscapes, a worthy addition to your film library, or at very least a feast for your senses; a worthy watch.
Real Women Have Curves Dvd
This is a really good social study about children of immigrants. This is a coming of age story about a young woman, who is graduating high school and aspires to go to college, however, her parents are reluctant to let her go.
This movie had a lot of dialogue in Spanish, and a lot of the situations and conversations that are had by the family are directly related with how I grew up. I grew up, the oldest son in a family that came here from Mexico. I too was an immigrant for a long time, and the conversations that I had with my mom towards the end of my high school days mirror the ones found in this film.
So in regards to that, this film was great. It was fantastic for me to see my culture positioned in a film, that directly relates to my teenage years.
Overall, this film doesn’t have the most exciting visuals, as it is somewhat of a biopic (although not based on a true story), and features a lot of subtle camera movements. The dialogue also shifts between English and Spanish, and some people might find that a little hard to follow, but overall this film is a classic coming of age tale, with a tinge of Mexican culture thrown in for good measure.
I recommend it to all Latin-American’s, and for anyone that is interested in Mexican Culture, it’ll find its home well with your soul.
This probably isn’t going to sit well with all audiences, as it does deal with very specific cultural ideals that might not come across the same way, without the understanding and background of Los Angeles. Not to say that audiences are going to shun this film, but some might not really enjoy this one as much.
Oh and “Macho” males, will be disappointed in the fact that this film is somewhat of a “chick flick”. It’s not too long, gets right to the point, and paints a picture of society and culture that many don’t seem to find all the time in traditional films.
This is a good one.
Mysterious Skin Dvd

I’m not sure how I got this film into my que in netflix, but it came in and I finally got around to watch it, and it’s probably one of the best independent films I”ve seen.
The film revolves around two boys that get molested at a young age by their little league coach. The two, after several years take two separate roads in life. One becomes a male prostitute in his home town, the other blocks out the memory completely and thinks it was all about alien abduction.
After several years pass by, the two meet, and things begin to heal. But before then, things get hectic, violent sexual trauma happens to one, the other continues to try and figure out what has happened, and the story unfolds in a series of events, blossoming into a portrait of society that we rarely see in film.
This film is insane at times. It has one of the most graphic sexual assaults I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s more shocking that it involves two men, rather than a male and female, but the film maker doesn’t flinch, he allows you to see the brutality, of course, never showing anything beyond an R rating, but it sure is extreme in nature to watch.
The movie is a slow moving crawl through time and space with the back drop of sexuality, violence, and growing up. It’s a real mine field of exploration, and is not going to be welcome in many viewers homes. It’s a harsh reality of what can happen, and what may have happened to many people in their life times. This movie is sad at times, focusing on the pain and torment that the coach has caused the two boys in their adult years.
This movie is hard to watch at times. The assault scene I mentioned above is the turning point in this film. It’s insane, and if you don’t like harsh reality, you’re going to hate the graphic nature of this story. Though the two heal towards the end of the film, the journey they take to get there is filled with such pain to the psyche, that you will not soon forget.
For me, the greater purpose of this film, although sad to realize is not so much the art or storytelling. It is the compassion that strikes in light of similar stories of real people that we never hear. I know in my life time, I knew such a tale, and looking back I’m filled with such compassion…although my compassion is for not, for it helps no one to heal..it just ruins my memories.
This film is amazing on many levels, but it is not for general audiences at all. The story deals with sexuality, abuse, pedophilia, and such graphic realizations that most people will be upset with this film. You have to be willing to see above the initial sexual abuses and see a clear picture of a story, a story of stolen adolescence.
This story might be fiction, but there are people out there that share in this tale on a personal level. I may not have experienced it first hand, but I knew someone that did, and seeing this film, helps me realize how human I really am, and how fragile our lives are.
I recommend this to open minded folks, but not everyone. Use your discretion, it’s a good movie, just not for everyone.
Brown is the New Green Dvd
Growing up for me was a little weird. The first ten years of my life I was immersed in Mexican culture. My parents and I were fresh from Mexico and we didn’t assimilate at all, we just kept to the Mexican traditions that they grew up with. It was hard to venture into the world of American culture with such strict parents.
Then something happened that would change my life forever; my parents got a divorce.
My dad stayed with the Mexican culture and never learned English, meanwhile my mom tried her best to learn English and eventually completely assimilated into the American culture, even marrying an American. Meanwhile, I was stuck between cultures, and although the English side dominated, I managed to hold onto my culture.
However, I was a geek. Outside of my faith, I always tried to get a connection with media. I watched a lot of television, and listened to a lot of music, trying to somehow get into the situations that they sang about, dreaming of what they did as something that potentially would make me connect with the American dream.
This movie is about the American dream and how media has lumped Mexicans in with all other Spanish speaking nationalities into a title, an identity called “Latinos”.
At first I was upset, especially when the film showed the exact documents that the Government put out, to identify all Spanish speakers as “Latino’s” and the media has only perpetrated that stereotype, killing the identity of millions upon millions of people.
In the forefront of the film is also George Lopez. This film juxtaposes George Lopez’s career with the social climate of today.
More of a lesson in how the media tries to make all Latin Americans into consumers than a documentary on George Lopez himself, this movie shows a section of the population that by 2011 will make up over a trillion dollars in spending.
This movie was cool for me, but it won’t reach many other people. If you’re not interested in sociology or foreign relations, you’ll be bored with the display.
George Lopez is a good starting point, but this brief look into marketing to “Latino” culture is interesting on only a small level. It could be better, longer, and showcase more understanding, but hey…it’s produced by PBS so it lacks the bells and whistles that more well funded projects have.
It’s cool. If you’re Mexican, or an immigrant, or the child of an immigrant, you’ll appreciate this one greatly.
Kurt Cobain: About A Son Dvd
Kurt Cobain narrates this documentary about his life. The movie goes through visuals that directly relate to what he is saying.
Kurt basically gives an inside look into his life, before his untimely death.
The whole movie is like a slideshow of different things, from city views, to photos, a slideshow of ideology, and nothing really “movie” like. It’s like a documentary without the traditional uses of documentary tools.
The musician is painted candidly with his own words, without looking at him talking.
Nirvana is obviously a huge band, with tons of fans. In these latter years, it seems like the Nirvana name and franchise has grown into one of those music artists that make their loved ones money after death. (ie: Johnny Cash, Elvis, etc)
I was impacted in a certain way by the band. I was 11 years old when Kurt died. I didn’t have this surreal connection with his music. I didn’t really care about Nirvana at age 11. The music didn’t even become a part of my collection until I was the owner of my own record label. A friend of mine growing up always noted Nirvana as a great band, I guess in some sense, I owe him a lot for that interest in Nirvana.
This film is surreal in so many ways, but it’s not really the traditional documentary, and I don’t know if can be viewed more than a few times. It does paint an interesting portrait of the Northwest through the words of one of most famous anti-hero’s of all time.
When watching this film, I saw my own life in many ways.
I could see my own personal life flashing through this film at many points.
It truly is just Kurt Cobain talking, with everyday life as the moving images. It’s a great piece of art, and interesting in many ways, but it’s not for everyone and doesn’t answer a lot of questions you might have about Cobain’s life and death.
It’s interesting.
He says the best line ever though, Kurt says:
“My story is exactly the same as 90% of people out there…”
It’s so true.
Take away the fame and fortune, and this story is just us, our identities, our lives, our convictions, our fears….take away the notoriety and you don’t see an intangible, you see yourself.
How sad, a portrait, of us…without the money.
The Last King of Scotland Dvd Review
One of the finer films that has come out in recent years, is this one about a Ugandan president/dictator and his Scottish doctor friend, shedding light on a little history for all us westerners.
I thought this film’s narrative was amazing, and the symbolism used to showcase the western civilizations historical times was well done, and well presented. I was definitely suspended in reality as the story unfolded.
Growing up I loved History, and wished they would have taught more stuff that was directed in this manner. No not movies with creative license and freedom to twist things they know nothing about, but rather shed some light on smaller developing nations, rather than showing the obvious American tinged history.
I can’t blame the system, I blame myself for not being motivated enough to read about these things. Instead, I’ve turned into a lazy historian, trying to dissect fact from fiction in films like The Last King of Scotland.
I highly recommend the film on many levels, as it showcases how great story telling is, especially when it is set to a historical backdrop.
Forrest Whitaker does an incredible job, and the film never feels boring, or slow. It really keeps up pace, even though it’s a 2 hour investment.
I watched this movie on the floor of my living room, and my neck started hurting. So when some of the more painful sequences of the scene happened, I felt their pain…
Well, maybe not, but I definitely regretted not seeing this film a lot sooner, as I was indeed a little worried about the pacing. I’ve seen a lot of historically based films run through 2 and a half hours of nonsense before anything remotely good happens, and even then, the payoff isn’t truly there.
I’m a sucker for something based on true events, and like a good historian, I checked into the back story on this film to see what truly happened. A great film to enjoy.
I now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry dvd
I have an odd sense of humor. I laugh when things aren’t suppose to be funny. I laughed when a guy got hit by a bus, and I laughed when some lady fell while walking downhill.
This movie was suppose to be funny, but instead, it was moronic at best.
I can’t believe Adam Sandler is still trying to be funny. I don’t mind the other guy, he’s from The King of Queens, and that’s still a new show to me. This movie however doesn’t really do a lot for me as a whole.
I know Adam Sandler can act serious. I enjoyed Reign Over Me, Punch Drunk Love, and his appearance in the short lived television series Undeclared. Point is, Adam Sandler can play a really good dramatic role, but when he’s trying to be funny. He’s too old to be the same guy that was in Happy Gilmore, and his range has been proven to be more than just situational comedies, such as this waste of money for the studios.
One thing that this movie does do a good job in, is depicting a male role that loves his kids, and happens to be a single parent. I grew up with a single parent mom, and know what it’s like to see that role in real life and more often then not, by a woman. However, a guy? That’s an oddity to me, but it’s interesting to me to see.
Too bad, the role is more comical, than anything else. So there goes my theory, right out the window.

Overall, this movie was a good effort, but overall not as funny to me at this age. Had I been a teenager again, this movie might be hilarious, but it’s not funny to me.
Maybe it’s just that lately I’ve been feeling like crap, and even the greatest of clowns (Adam Sandler) can’t make me laugh.
Am I depressed?
No.
But considering that I’m out of college for a year, I feel more like an Adult than ever before. It’s really weird to me, this adulthood, no one warned me of this, and now I’m getting a crash course in responsibility.
In the words of Mike Herrera, “Responsibility, what’s that? Responsibility, not quite yet.”
But back to the film, it’s the first movie that I’ve seen that subversively draws audiences in for the comedic value, then pulls the rug from under them to promote a pro-gay stance.
That part of things reminds me directly of the time Billy & Chuck were set to get married in WWE and the media jumped at the chance to highlight that as a major move for the gay community. What happened to them?
The marriage didn’t happen, as both wrestlers came out as not being gay at all, then getting beat up by a new tag-team called 3 Minute Warning, it was awesome.
I’m not against the movie for its gay stance, or it’s portrayal of social issues. I am against bad comedic timing, and this film is riddled with it.
I’ll pass, but you don’t necessarily have to; if you want to, pick it up on amazon.com by clicking here.
I think I’ll get back to reading, or an obscure horror film, I love those.
Shelf Life Dvd
Independent films are hit or miss sometimes. The premise of this film was interesting enough: A woman gets a job at a library, where she meets a cool introverted coworker, an anal retentive librarian, and deals with the social climate that most people don’t ever get to see.
I was completely wrong about this film.
I thought for sure this film was about video store clerks, or at least library clerks that have to deal with customers on a daily basis.
It’s not.
It’s about a woman who is trying to restart her life, looks like a cross between an anarchist punk chick, and an emo/indie rock hipster. She’s just trying to make it through her rehabilitation.
Meanwhile the head librarian is trying to find reasons to get her fired, because she’s judging her based on appearances.
Sadly, the movie is a little boring for most people, including me.
Then again…
Isn’t life sometimes boring?
If movies, sports, and hobbies are metaphors for life, then this film is a metaphor for the life of a tech worker or a video store clerk, like myself.
The movie showcases a lot of moments where the workers make the doldrums of working in a library, seem a little fun. Isn’t that what we do in our jobs sometimes? I know that at work I try to make things a little fun, here and there, within reason. Does that make the world a better place?
I’m not sure if I can paint a broad enough stroke to cover such a blanket statement, but what I can say is that this film displays how fun boring jobs such as a library clerk, can turn into a little cup of joy, with the proper outlook.
However, the film doesn’t seem to aim for that, as the turning point sees the new employee and the head librarian but heads into an overflowing disaster.
While this movie fascinated me at first, it really shows that it’s an independent film with lack of charisma at key points, lack of visualization, and follow through with a plot that seems full of emotional connections one moment, and vapid the very next.
It’s worth a first or second look, but overall, this movie just made me think about how crappy librarians and clerks have it…then again…tech workers aren’t faring any better. We might be the smartest people in the rooms across America, but no one cares about us, until they make movies like this one, which play on personalities and not the jobs that they are in.
The Brave One Dvd
Jodie Foster plays an incredible character in this dramatic piece of film making history.
This film, besides the fact that it has Jodie Foster nude, is a movie full of emotion, full of intense feelings and visually stunning.
The story, although hard to follow if you’re not paying attention is set to the backdrop of two different parallel stories of revenge.
While Foster’s character is trapped in a revenge mindset, after she is brutally beaten nearly to death, while her fiancée is killed, a cop is giving chase to an abusive husband, and the climax leaves the viewer in a state of awe.
This film is interesting on many levels.
It paints a portrait of society that is often times only relegated to books, magazines, and the occasional sociology lecture. I’m not sure if people are ready to dissect the deeper meanings of this film, and for most this movie is just another good entry in the actor’s portfolio.
Sure it’s a revenge film.
Sure it’s an easy plot theme to be a new killer….a confident one…but really it’s a juxtaposition of sorts, one that isn’t often rivaled.
However, when the smoke clears, the credits roll, and silence takes over the living room, one thing is for sure; the humanity put forth on this film is most definitely going to be missed by many.
In fact, life goes by without a trace of humanity…because we are all disposable…in one way or another.
This film is interesting, but only if you set the tone of the film into your brain, rather than enjoying the entertainment for the sake of eliminating boredom.
Futurama: Bender’s Big Score Dvd

I love Futurama. It’s such a cool show, it’s so different than the producer’s other hit cartoon show: The Simpsons, and this dvd is a full length movie that went straight to dvd.
This movie is too long.
I felt bored after the first forty five minutes went down.
I ended up trying to fight my eyes from closing, even though they were red as embers and dry as sawdust.
I began to really enjoy this dvd until it just ran into a love story arc that made no sense to me. Sure I wanted to see Fry get the girl, but man, did they really have to drag me through an hour and twenty minutes of plot development to get there?
I love Futurama, but only in thirty minute intervals, not a full movie length. It’s just over kill and it doesn’t work well, the story line is just too much.
If you’re a diehard fan of Futurama, you’re going to love this one, as Bender is hilarious. However, there is too much going on, and the twists and turns are just not worth it at all.
I liked it, but won’t own it, I’d rather just watch the SLURM episode again, that thing was hilarious.
Oh well…Bender’s Big Score is not a waste of time, but it’s also not going to make the series any greater than it already was…Fox is dumb for canceling the show.