The Five-Year Engagement

Well I haven't written in a while. So much for keeping promises. I guess most people don't keep their promises why should I keep one I make for myself? Well... one reason is because I'm not like everyone else.  Going back to not writing, I guess I've been busy with a lot of stuff, specially a premiere of a feature I was in charge of which kept me up at night worried that I would mess it up because it was all my responsibility. Apparently, when I don't sleep well and when I'm too stressed it's hard for me to write.

Anyhow, going back to writing on my blog and starting back up with a so-so movie, The Five Year Engagement. (IMDB) First of all, before I go into technical specs about production, cast and crew etc, I must say that it is appropriately titled because it felt like The Five Hour Movie. Then I found out that it actually lasts 124 minutes!!! (124 minutes?!?! yikes!!!) That is quite long for a romantic comedy. Specially a rom-com that isn't edgy or new in its perspective nor is it independent. It really did feel like it lasted 5 hours, I guess because that's how the characters felt after been engaged for five years? Movie fatigue, anyone? Engagement fatigue? If that was the Director's (Nicholas Stoller) purpose, then he achieved it. I'm surprised this movie was so slow and predictable, specially after seeing Nicholas Stoller's resume. (And also because it was produced by Judd Apatow. I guess he can't make a hit out of everything!!) Stoller directed and wrote a movie I really liked - Get Him to the Greek- which I found marvelously funny. He also directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall which I love because of its principal character's quirkiness and its great realism about relationships. Stoller co-wrote FYE with Jason Segel who also plays one of the principal characters. I guess Jason Segel can't make a hit of everything he writes. I do like Segel though and I find him seriously funny. Emily Blunt who plays the fiancee is quite forgettable. On the other hand, Alison Brie who I love in Community makes a funny appearance as Blunt's sister. Segel and Brie carry this movie (slowly) to the end. I did like the ending, but I guess I can't tell you about it because then I would spoil it. I will say this, it's not called The Five Year Engagement for nothing!!!


Until the next time I write!!!

Woody Allen: A Documentary

Two new friends in my life suggested I watch "Woody Allen: A Documentary," after I commented to them how much I love the work of the writer/director and how little of his work I have seen. After watching the 3-hour documentary (It hast two parts, both of which you can watch on Netflix.), I am fascinated with Woody Allen. To the point where I have decided that I want to watch all of his 40 movies in chronological order (or as close to chronological order as possible). This is something I have done with writers, but have never done with film. It started in high school with Gabriel García Marquez. What I do is a look up a list of all their works and start reading them one by one, in chronological order if possible. I say, if possible, because sometimes I wouldn't be able to find certain works. After "El Gabo,"I went on to do it with such writers as Ernest Hemingway, Enrique Laguerre (local puertorican writer), René Marquez (also puertorican), Jorge Luis Borges, Unamuno, Gabriel García Lorca(this last one was the toughest as he had a lot of minor works that you can't find almost anywhere), and many more... but you catch the drift.  The decision to watch all of Woody's movies comes after the realization that most of his common themes are ones that I constantly think and obsess about: he doesn't care what people think of him (perception), he constantly thinks about death and immortality(death), he can compartmentalize his life (the human condition), he has an opinion on everything, and has a lot to say (somebody told me this about myself recently and I didn't want to believe it, but I guess it's true I do have a lot to say), among many more. I thought of course this task of watching all of Woody's movies would be easy because I have Netflix, but somehow life manages to throw me a curveball and lo' and behold Netflix only has five of his movies!!! Five!!! Out of forty!!!! Of course I find this ridiculous and will complaint to Netflix stat. They don't even have the most recent ones, not the very very recent, but ones like "Match Point" or "Aphrodite" or "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger." So, I think I will start with the five (five!!!) on Netflix and then go to Blockbuster or something. Expect a lot of Woody Allen coming your way for the next few months. Nothing excites me more than a cool short-term goal, and this will be a lot of fun! I'm very excited!!! 

The Watch

Last night, I went to see "The Watch" with Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill. The Watch is a comedy about a group of neighbors that, under the leadership of Evan (Ben Stiller), begin a neighborhood watch. Evan, a Costco store manager and over achiever, is deeply disturbed when his store's nighttime security guard is brutally murdered (who sadly had just gained his American citizenship only to be killed inside one of the staples of American culture, a Costco). As a result, he decides to start year another club in his neighborhood (among other clubs he has a running club and a reading club etc.), but with a much bigger purpose, to solve his friend's murder. It is no secret that in their quest to solve the murder mystery they discover aliens (it's on the trailer, so spoiler alert). I have never been a fan of any of the three headliners in this movie, but I must say that lately Ben Stiller has grown on me, as well as Jonah Hill. Vince Vaughn won me over with The Break-Up which I think is a fantastically brilliant comedy. (although sometimes I think he talks too much). Anyways, the movie made me laugh which is very hard to do lately (make me laugh) so props on that. I must warn you that my expectations for American comedies are usually very low. My standard is as follows: if ti makes me laugh it's ok or good. It made me laugh and hence, it's ok. Hopefully someday Ben, Vince and Jonah will make a comedy that really knocks my socks off.

Moonrise Kingdom

So this post isn't really about Moonrise Kingdom . However, this movie did make me think about connections between human beings because the two kids that fall in love seem to both be a bit weird and sort of connect through their weirdness. This made me think about soul mates. About whether they exist or not, or if it's just that we connect through our commonality. So... It's a little bit about soul mates. Yesterday, all of a sudden, I got sick. Out of the blue I felt like shit. My mom checked and I had no fever. I just couldn't move because everything hurt. (I went to see Moonrise Kingdom because I took some Panadol that made it better, but while I was watching the movie all of a sudden I had chills and it was NOT because of the movie, because it is GREAT!!! A must watch) I didn't know what it was until late last night (I couldn't sleep either) I got some bad news from someone very close to me. Is that possible? Is it possible to have such a deep connection with someone that when something that affects that connection is going to happen you get sick? The most interesting part is that I sort of knew that that would happen. I was expecting it. I was expecting something bad to happen with that particular person, but for no particular reason. Is it possible that two human beings can be miles apart and feel each other? Or is it that I can be miles apart from someone and still feel them? I don't like to feel someone and not see them. I don't know if it's because of a special connection I have with that person or because I have always been a deeply spiritual person. I wonder if it is one-sided. I guess, now, I will never know. I guess with time the connection will fade away and hopefully, die. The sad part is not missing that person, the sad part is that I can't stop thinking about how I don't want days, weeks, years, to go by without seeing or knowing about that person. At the same time, I can feel them and it makes it a lot harder to let go... Are only deep connections, commonalities possible or... do you think soul mates exist?

Love and Other Disasters

An American intern at U.K. Vogue helps her friends find love.

"Love and Other Disasters" (2006) is a romantic comedy written and directed by Alek Keshishian (who also directed one of my favorites from the 90's, "With Honors") and starring Brittany Murphy (1977-2009, may she rest in peace). Yes, I watched yet another unknown Brittany Murphy movie. (this one is way better than "The Ramen Girl". HBO must have gone on a Brittany Murphy films shopping spree) I must admit that I always really liked her, ever since she was the "chubby" (compared to very skinny Alicia Silverstone) in "Clueless." I always thought she was cute and charismatic, definitely the perfect actress for lead roles in cute romantic comedies. "LOD" is set in London, where Emily Jackson, nicknamed "Jacks" (played by Murphy) is a very stylish, educated, and wordy intern at UK Vogue.  (you can imagine the fashion is amazing in this movie, all the wardrobe changes for Murphy are uber-stylish) The plot of this movie is forgettable, but what I did find memorable were the conversations on love. (although I would be happy to not hear Murphy's at times forced british accent) The movie is really one big conversation on love between Jacks and her gay roommate, Peter Simon (played by the adorable Mathew Rhys). Peter is a screenwriter who lives his love life like if it were a movie and keeps trying to get Jacks to do the same, while Jacks keeps trying to ground Peter. To make him live his life outside his screenwriting and with a more realistic point of view. 

When Jacks is asked by Peter about why she keeps having sex with her ex, she responds: "I happen to care about James. A lot. And I hate the fact that he feels more than me, and I hate the fact that I'm not IN love with him because I know I should be, because he's smart and sweet and decent and I don't wanna hurt him. So I keep hoping that I'll grow into it. That maybe one day I'll wake up and I'll feel..." And that is one of the eternal truths on love, that the ideal person isn't necessarily the person you actually fall in love with. 

The one big conversation on love is quite charming. The dialogue in this movie is key and I really did enjoy it. It is a very wordy movie. You feel that you are hearing Murphy the whole entire movie, even when they aren't speaking. Some of the dialogue I loved:

Jacks: If this was a movie, you'd be famous.
Peter: That's the problem with life. It's nothing like movies.

Jacks: "Love isn't always a lightning bolt, you know? Maybe sometimes it's just a choice. Maybe true love is a decision"

I think I agree that love is a choice, but at the same time, you can't force love. You have to be ready for it but  one cannot love someone just because you want to, just because that person is the ideal person, one must feel it. Love isn't something you can force on yourself, but something that must grow from within. However, to fall in love you must allow it, and hence it is a decision.

Like I mentioned, this movie isn't groundbreaking or anything like that, but the conversations between the characters provide great food for though on love.

Love and Other Disasters IMDB

Savages

Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

I went to see Savages for 3 reasons that made me curious about it: (1) directed by Oliver Stone, (2) Salma Hayek, and (3) Benicio del Toro.  (also maybe a little bit for John Travolta and Demián Bichir) The cast was definitely well chosen to attract many different types of fans. There were, however, 2 reasons why I didn't want to see it: (1) Blake Lively has never convince me as an actress and (2) the whole polyamorous relationship thing I just don't buy. What I didn't expect was that this movie was going to start off so sexy, sexy, sexy! We watch O have sex with Ben and Chon in the first 20 minutes of the movie. (I found it interesting that as she narrates she mentioned that between the two of them, they made one man. A statement that can be quite demeaning to men)Anyways, one thinks that what will be interesting about this movie is the relationship between Chon and Ben and their girlfriend, O (for Ophelia like the bipolar woman in Shakespeare's Hamlet says "O" herself). I haven't read Shakespeare in a while, but from what I remember Savages has nothing to do with Hamlet. Just a cute fact included in the movie that adds nothing to the plot line. Anyways, the movie is titled Savages because the Americans think the Mexican cartel are savages and the Mexicans think "Ben and Chon" are savages. In the end, we learn that they are all savages... The battle is over the greatest strain of weed of all time, with the highest content of THC. In other words the mother of all weeds. (no pun intended) And O is caught in the middle. What is really interesting about the story is how the characters are presented and how Mr. Stone constructs it. O is actually quite the pothead and quite the character, a little rich kid who is used to getting what she wants and at the end has to get down and dirty to save herself. Also, Benicio del Toro as the two-timing blood-thirsty "Lado" is brilliant! He portrays his character so well that you are disgusted and horrified by him. (and must I point out that Ben and Chon are not too hard on the eyes either and deliver a respectable performance) I won't tell you how it ends, I would never spoil that. I just have to tell you that there is a twist and even though I'm not really a fan of Blake Lively and this movie is generally forgettable, Mr. Stone has delivered yet another dysfunctional stoner movie to mankind.  

Savages IMDB

Savages Official Webpage

Puerto Rico Production Capital opens up in PR to finance tax credits

In light of the very competitive Film Incentives Act (Act 27 of March 2011) adopted by the Puerto Rico Legislature last year, Production Advisory Services has partnered up with Film Production Capital LLC from Louisiana to offer film tax credit financing in the island. This means that by financing in Puerto Rico, producers can count the financing costs and interest towards the 40% tax credit (the tax credit financing expenses and interests count as expenses paid to Puerto Rico residents).

Nueva Oficina en la Isla para financiamiento de producciones filmicas