Crazy Stupid Love

A middle-aged husband's life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a newfound friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.

I love, love, love this movie. I think I have watched it like 50 times in the last month. It's funny and insightful. It is definitely not your typical boring predictable Hollywood rom-com which I despise so much. (Hottie Ryan Gosling helps a lot too, specially when he re-enacts a Dirty Dancing scene WITH HIS SHIRT OFF!!!).  This movie is very well cast (and not because of Gosling!!): all the actors have great chemistry!!! Aside from the  fact that it is very well shot and that it is very funny, I like this movie because it is about staying young at heart and believing in soul mates: that very deep connection with someone else that one rarely finds in this superficial world.  It is about a teenager teaching his Dad a lesson on love. It is about finding love with the most unexpected people and it is also about keeping love alive when we find it. There are many types of love and this movie definitely touches on all of them: family love, young love, puppy love, mature love, friendship love. 

But, what is love anyways? I love (no pun intended) to look up such important words in the dictionary. According to my iMac's dictionary, love is a noun and a verb. As a noun it has 3 meanings: (1) an intense feeling of deep affection (a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone); (2) a person or thing that one loves (no shit Sherlock) as in "he was the love of her life"; (3) in tennis, squash and some other sports a score of zero. As a verb it means "to feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone, like very much, find pleasure in." Yep, the meaning throws no light on what love really is nor how to attain it and/or maintain it. I do find it interesting that love is a "deep sexual attachment" because we are usually taught by social convention something else: that love is not just about sex even though sex (intimacy) is sort of a big important part of a couple's relationship. Without it what's the point of having a relationship anyways? Anyhow, since it is so hard to define, I do believe it is just crazy stupid. It is crazy because only a fool would love knowing that somehow or some way you will get hurt (be it on purpose or by accident or just by nature (as in natural death) and stupid because when their is love involved all logic and reason goes out the window. 

Yep, this movie is all about all types of love and you know they are all a little bit crazy and a little bit stupid. 

This is crazy. This is stupid. This is love. 

CRAZY STUPID LOVE IMDB

What's your number?

"What's your number?" (2011) is another romantic comedy about a girl re-visiting her old relationships and/or sexual encounters. The movie stars Anna Faris ("Ally Darling" yes in typical Hollywood rom-com style even her name is cute) and Chris Evans (starving hotness musician "Colin"). Ally decides to re-visit her past sexual encounters after reading an article about the famous "number" of men a woman has been with. According to the article that is supposedly based on research by a Harvard professor, a woman's number, on average, is 10 point something. Also, the research found that the closer a woman's number gets to 20 the less likely she will be able to get married. Of course Ally immediately counts and finds out that her number is 19. She decides that she has only one more chance to get married and that she is not going to waste on not just anybody. However, she gets drunk and wastes her number 20 by having sex with her icky former boss. Because she wasted her last chance, she then decides to re-visit all of her past sexual encounters and/or relationships. That way her number won't go up to 21. That's when her front-door neighbor, Colin, begins to help her because he is good about "digging up people's dirt." Colin helps Ally find all of her past flames and in the process they both learn (which turns out to be the whole point of the movie anyway) why her past relationships haven't worked: Ally failed to remain true to herself in all of them, to the point where she dated an English man and faked an English accent with him the whole time. In every relationship she would leave her own true self aside and would become what she thought they wanted her to be. At the same time, this provides some great humor to the plot. The lesson of the whole movie (which thankfully isn't just about her finding her true love like a lot of Hollywood's rom-coms) is that in order to find true love or for someone to really love you, one must remain true to oneself. In other words, "being in love means being yourself." The person who truly loves you must love you for exactly what you are no more and no less. Which is also a lesson in self-esteem. In the end, Ally finds love with the person who has gotten to know her and loves her for exactly her authentic self. No I won't tell you who it is you have to watch it for yourself, but it is definitely very predictable. Why is it there are so many authentic and beautiful love stories, but a lot of the Hollywood rom-coms getting made are so predictable??? The only thing that differentiates this movie from any of the other rom-coms is the fact that there is a very valuable lesson: be authentic.

"I think too much sun makes people stupid" - Ally Darling

What's your number? IMDB

Lucía, Lucía o La Hija del Caníbal

"Lucía, Lucía" es una comedia mejicana protagonizada por Cecilia Roth (muy conocida por su participación en "Todo Sobre mi Madre" y una de las musas del genial director español, Pedro Almodóvar). Fue dirigida y escrita por Antonio Serrano quien también dirigió "Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas" una de mis comedias mejicanas favoritas (tiene tantas lecciones sobre el amor y las relaciones que perdí la cuenta). No me sorprendió aprender que esas dos películas fueron dirigidas por la misma persona ya que tienen, para mí, el mismo encanto. La película es basada en una novela de Rosa Montero titulada "La Hija del Caníbal." (en el largo, aprendemos que el titulo "La Hija del Caníbal"se debe a que al papá de Lucía, un actor famoso, le decían "El Canibal" no sé si ese es el título del libro por la misma razón) A Lucía (Cecilia Roth) le secuestran al esposo y a consecuencia de ello, ella aprende varias lecciones sobre su propia realidad, con la ayuda de dos vecinos, un jóven idealista, Adrián, y un viejito ex-comunista veterano cubano exiliado, Félix. Lo más que me encanta del cine latino (en su mayoría) son los diálogos filosóficos y algo poéticos que siempre incluyen. Aquí unos ejemplos de Lucía:

"El silencio es un amigo que jamás traiciona" (Confucio)

"El verdadero viaje del descubrimiento, no consiste en cambiar el paisaje, sino en mirar con nuevos ojos"

"El cielo, si es que existe, debe ser un pedazo de sexo detenido"

"Los amores se los termina comiendo la rutina"

"Tal parece que me he reconciliado con la vida, incluso con la oscuridad de la vida"

Estas pequeñas lecciones que son algo abundantes en mucho del cine latinoamericano y europeo no se ven tan comúnmente en las películas americanas o de "Hollywood." Esas pequeñas expresiones filosóficas aquí y allá hacen para mi de ese tipo de cine uno más interesante y más profundo, asemejándose más a un arte que a un negocio. En "LL" también hay muchas lecciones filosóficas sobre la vida, empezando porque Lucía se siente ahogada por su realidad (quien no se ha sentido así alguna vez no ha vivido, porque la vida tiende a ahogarnos a todos de vez en cuando) y no se había dado cuenta porque estaba viviendo su vida en un piloto automático hasta que le secuestran al marido. Lo secuestran y claro está perjudicada por el incidente, pero en verdad, muy en el fondo de sí, está agradecida de que haya pasado. Porque estaba viviendo su vida sin vivirla y eso tiene que ser una de las cosas más tristes que le puede pasar a un ser humano. Le tomó un incidente tan drástico para darse cuenta que en realidad no conocía a su marido y que en verdad ya no se sentía viva a su lado. Y es que a veces, o muchas veces, nosotros los humanos continuamos en situaciones que no nos hacen felices por conformidad.  En el caso de Lucía aprendemos que lo hacía por ignorancia y por miedo. Sin embargo, a pesar de no quererlo de vuelta, ella hace todo en su poder para tratar de salvarlo.

"Lucía, Lucía" IMDB

Primos

"Primos" es una comedia española sobre un hombre, Diego, que lo dejan en el altar y vuelve al pueblo costero donde pasaba sus veranos, en búsqueda de su romance veraniego, Martina. En realidad, aunque la sinopsis dice que lo dejan en el altar, no lo dejan en el altar, lo dejan 5 días antes. Su novia, Yolanda, lo deja porque se fue para la India y le gustó otro hombre allá y comienza a dudar sobre su relación con Diego. Porque pues si le gustó otra persona es por algo, ¿no? Aunque ella lo deja la noche antes él de todas maneras decide aparecerse a la boda y explicarle a todos sus invitados en persona en la Iglesia lo que pasó. Obvio, que Diego es algo masoquista e inmaduro. Y también romántico porque en cierta manera tenía la esperanza de que Yolanda apareciera para casarse. Justo después decide irse con sus primos, José Miguel y Julián, a buscar a Martina. Julián es lo que a mi me gusta denominar como un loco-cuerdo. Es un hombre que disfruta la vida, bebe mucho pero que sabe muy bien cuales son los valores que hay que priorizar en la vida. Durante su tiempo en Cuevillas se esmera en re-unir a un padre alcohólico (el Buchi, dueño de un video club que conoce todas las películas con sus directores y sus años de estreno. Su vida se fue con el viento, "Gone With the Wind") con su hija. El otro primo, José Miguel (un veterano de guerra que le falta un ojo y que sufre de shock post-traumatico por lo que se pasa tomando pastillas y bebiendo) provee muchas situaciones jocosas en la trama a través de su amistad con el hijo de Martina, Dani. Se llevan bien porque José Miguel le tiene miedo a la vida y Dani le tiene miedo a la muerte. Hacen un perfecto yin y yang que te hacen reír durante toda la película. Al final, la historia es más sobre la superación de los tres primos sobre sus diferentes obstáculos y problemas mentales que sobre la decisión que Diego tiene que tomar.

Julián: Hay dos tipos de personas en la vida, las que ponen la cara y las que ponen el culo, ¿cuál eres tú?

Diego: Yo pongo el corazón. 

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Diego: Soy un desastre

Martina: Es parte de tu encanto

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"No has tomado decisiones, ya las decisiones estaban tomadas"

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"Te pre-quiero" 

Primos IMDB

Primos Página Web Oficial

The Ramen Girl

"The Ramen Girl" caught my attention because it has the late Brittany Murphy in it, may she rest in peace. Poor girl really had a lot of talent but got lost in getting thin and pills. "The Ramen Girl" was released in 2008, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman (who had pretty much only done tv movies and it shows in this film) and written by Becca Topol (God knows what she has done she certainly has no other credits according to IMDB). It's about a girl who  gets dumped and while she waits for her boyfriend to come back to her (spoiler alert: he never comes back) she decides she wants to find some sense to her life and learn how to cook ramen. This Ramen has nothing to do with the ninety nine cents ramen you and I had in college. According to this movie, to learn Ramen is special in Japanese culture and the knowledge and tradition are passed down from one generation to the next. In order to become a Ramen chef, "Abbie" (Brittany Murphy) must clean and scrub the Ramen restaurant for months on end until she gets her spirit(learns to love herself?) and is able to cook the Ramen. (The idea behind the Ramen in the movie resembles quite strikingly that in "Chocolat" and "Like Water for Chocolate" where the cook transmits his/her feelings to the food and then those who eat it feel the same way) Even though the whole idea seems pulled by the hairs, the movie does provide a valuable lesson to all women dumped in the world: find something to bring some meaning to your life and you will find love and happiness. Although it seems pretty altruistic, it is that simple lesson that makes this movie somewhat consequential. It's an ok movie and it helped pass the time. Too bad it should have been on Lifetime and not on HBO. Yes, it's that type of movie.

 "In food as in life, sometimes the missing ingredient is love."

The Ramen Girl IMDB

To Rome with Love

Today I went to see "To Rome With Love" for the second time. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was to watch it the first time, and how I loved it the second time. It is definitely not "Midnight in Paris" which is my favorite of the latest, but it is good, funny, entertaining and beautiful. I know it is not the best of Woody Allen's European tour (which began with "Match Point" I think, continued with "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and next to last with "Midnight in Paris"), but I still love it. I do think it is the funniest of all. One of the things I love about Woody Allen is that a few years back he just decided he wanted to film in Europe, in various cities, and started in London. Supposedly, he got bored with filming in New York City. That is one of the advantages of being a well-known, proliferous and respected Director. That he can just one day decide to go film somewhere because he is bored of filming in his hometown.

TRWL is definitely very quirky funny. (Starting with an opera singer who sings from a shower in the middle of a stage to an omnipresent traffic policeman who narrates) Another Woody Allen quirk the term "Ozymandias melancholia." I won't tell you what it means, you have to watch the movie to find out, but don't you think it sound quirky? Woody Allen is also very funny. The audience laughed as soon as he was present on screen even without opening his mouth. And his lines are funny, and quirky. Probably because he writes his lines for himself. Quite another perk of being an actor/director/writer. When responding to another character saying "he sings for pleasure, not for money," he says "there's a great deal of pleasure in money. It's green and crispy and you can fondle it."

TRWL is also a love letter to Rome. It is a beautiful portrayal of the city. From a beautiful vista from Woody Allen's character's hotel room, to the Fontana di Trevi, the Spanish steps, a 360 degree shot of a piazza, the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. The views are breathtaking and make you want to go to Rome, now, immediately, get on a plane and don't think about it twice. (Thank you Woody for leaving out the strong smell of urine in certain public places and public transportation and the ugly graffiti and dilapidated buildings that can be found throughout all of Rome) Even though it is a beautiful portrayal of Rome it is also quite a sharp criticism of some aspects of Roman culture. It criticizes what the Europeans invented and Paris Hilton crossed over to the American soil the art of being famous for being famous. Everyone thinks this was created by Paris Hilton or the most recent Kardashians, but what no one knows is that the Italians had mastered that art way before the Americans. However, even though it criticizes these celeb-realities or reality celebrities in the Italian pop culture, it is a criticism that carries over to this side of the ocean. There is also some portrayal of Roman idiosyncrasies such as their inability to give accurate directions, just like puertoricans. A typical Roman (and puertorican) direction goes like this: "follow the road, take a left at the pharmacy, then a right, then a u-turn left, then over the bridge and next to the Church."

It's funny, quirky, beautiful and fun. Just like movies should be.


"La vida es corta y hay momentos escritos en las estrellas." -"Luca Salta" played by Antonio Albanese.

IMDB
Official Website

Runner, Runner

Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck are in Puerto Rico filming "Runner, Runner." Whoop de do! I am not working on the production of this movie as unfortunately the original PM they hired here was fired along with a few other people (I'm not sure but the rumors are that quite a few art department people and casting director, among others, were fired). I am not going to complaint about that, although I think it is a very sucky situation. What I do want to complain about is the absurd media coverage the production has been receiving everyday from the Puerto Rico press. These are a few of the headlines: "Ben Affleck farts in La Concha," "Justin Timberlake pooped in La Perla." Well, those aren't really the headlines, but they might as well be, as they are all just as insipid. It's like El Nuevo Dia and Primera Hora think they are the official Facebook status of the production of "Runner, Runner." Do these people know how annoying it is to work in a production, or to just work in general, and be followed by the press? Or more like stalked? No wonder JT has to have his bodyguards with him at all times. I think  the media coverage is ridiculous!!!! Leave these people alone!!! Let the production of "Runner, Runner" work!!!! Let them film in peace so that these actors, these producers and crew want to come back and film in Puerto Rico!!! I don't care what goes down anywhere in the world when foreign productions go to film, I care that when those productions come to Puerto Rico everything goes smoothly and that they can feel they can work peacefully and without being stalked by the local press. To the Puerto Rico press: LEAVE RUNNER RUNNER ALONE YOU ARE HARMING OUR FILM INDUSTRY for a few extra sales. Your articles on it aren't interesting, they are annoying! Who cares if Uma Blasini is in it, who cares if Bodine Kohler is filming today, who cares if Zuleyka Rivera is filming tomorrow??? Pretty please and thank you!!!

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

I cannot help but identify myself with the protagonist of this story. He is the anti-hero. He is not your typical protagonist, he is not dashing, nor handsome, nor brave, nor smooth. He is actually exactly the opposite. He is awkward, inappropriate, and accident-prone. Exactly how I have felt my entire life.

Ruthless People

This morning I watched "Ruthless People" with Bette Middler and Danny De Vito (also Bill Pullman and Judge Reinhold). Remember Judge Reinhold? Who doesn't like Judge Reinhold? (Beverly Hills Cop etc.) To me, he was one of the cutest 80's actor ever. Anyways, "Ruthless People" was released in 1986 produced by Michael Peyser (who also produced another one of my favorite movies of all times "Hackers"; who can forget Angelina Jolie with her short hair and cool style?) and directed by 3 people who I won't discuss here because it's too many people to direct a movie!!! I guess maybe something happened there or did they really co-direct? Anyways, all three have gone on to either write or produce very funny movies. "Ruthless People" is a comedy (if you didn't know that already by the cast...) about a dude who wants to kill his wife but two very bad kidnappers beat him to it. They kidnap her before he gets to kill her and so the "dude" who is played by Danny De Vito decides to kill her by omission. He won't pay the ransom, so they will kill her. Bill Pullman plays a minor role as a dimwit and he is actually quite funny as the dumbest guy in LA. Bette Middler is awesome as usual. She's  fat when she is kidnapped and then she spends her time working out, so when she is "rescued" ( I won't tell you a lot about the story just in case you want to see it so I won't spoil it) she is a beautiful thin woman. Not that she wasn't beautiful before, but you know what I mean. The two popcorns I give this movie are for: 1. it made me laugh with some of its silly situations. It is such an 80's comedy and I do love those, because they used to be wacky instead of tacky (as a lot of them are nowadays.) and 2. I liked how the character Ms. Midler portrays a woman who is quite ignorant and oblivious not only of herself but of her douchebag husband and how she takes advantage of her crummy situation, she learns from it and grows from it and hence, in the end, transforms herself into a much better person.