Quinceanera (2006)

When it's over, don't let the title fool you into thinking this film is a lighthearted romantic comedy, because this Quinceanera was anything but.  By definition, a quinceañera is a Latin American celebration to honor the passage from childhood into adolescence of a girl on her fifteenth birthday and usually follows with a formal dinner and dance.  In this film, Magdalena's (Emily Rios) simple life and upcoming quinceanera becomes complicated when she discovers that she is pregnant.  Shunned by her parents and friends and abandoned by the baby's father, Magdalena finds a new family and life with her great-granduncle, Tio (Chalo Gonzalez), and gay cousin, Carlos (Jesse Garcia).  Using Echo Park, Los Angeles as the location backdrop, this small independent film captured a fresh perspective of Latino/American culture by offering close-ups into the lives of several families.  At times, the film felt very much like a documentary by the way the dialogue was delivered and the way the scenes were filmed, but the themes of betrayal, religious expectations, and racial stereotypes still came through with honesty and at times, with bitterness.  One thing I would change in the plot would be the "immaculate conception" storyline, which I wasn't sold on as a viewer and would have preferred that Magdalena lose her virginity making her character more real to audiences thereby intensifying the story as a whole.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Deep Blue Sea (United Kingdom - 2011)

When it's over, what I'll remember most  was the haunting violin music, which described the inner tragedy and pain felt by the main character, Hester Collyer (Rachel Weisz). Set in post-war England, Hester is a passionate woman who wants to follow her heart rather than conventional norm, and in doing so, she has an affair with an air force pilot, Freddie Page (Tom Hiddleston), while destroying her marriage to a high ranking judge, Sir William Collyer (Simon Russell Beale).  Weisz and Hiddleston looked great together, in a non-matching sort of way. Their contrasting physical traits mirrored their differing emotional needs, making the pull between desire and complacency an ongoing internal tug-of-war between the two characters.  Weisz and Beale also shared differences in mind and body, which set off warning signs that the couple was doomed as husband and wife.  It was a look, a pause, a non-verbal movement, which informed the viewer that something was off with their relationship. Subtlety worked in this film's favour, but the film was anything but subtle. Many scenes were played out in gestures, such as a move of a hand, the tilt of the head, or a stolen glance. It was poetry in motion, and these scenes accompanied by violin strings said more in its slow urgency than words could describe. I have no complaints about the performances, as all three were wonderful and meaningful. However, great performances cannot elicit a mood, and that was where the careful choice in production design became a crucial element in completing the story. There were no rich colours to be found in this film, except for Hester's red coat, which conveyed the emotions of passion, ripeness, even shame. The use of browns, grays, and dark blues helped to evoke a feeling of gloominess and torment, while wet alleyways and rain suggested sadness and despair. The use of these elements created a sombre tapestry of fragility and vulnerability, and the red reminded me of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter, where shame was felt, but without regret, and as the characters share the same name, they also share in the tragedy and the hope their sins bring forth.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012)

When it's over, what a disappointment. This was one film I was looking forward to seeing. Having Honest Abe and vampires together seemed like a good combination in book form (written by Seth Grahame-Smith), but on screen, it was a mess. The scenes felt abrupt, like it was unfolding too fast.  I felt like I was being pulled through the story rather than be led through the story. When Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) discovers that there are vampires threatening to take over the country, he is determined to find and destroy their leader (Rufus Sewell).  The story chronicles Lincoln's life from the age of nine onwards, through his training with Henry (Dominic Cooper) and into his presidency.  It's the younger years in Lincoln's life which I found most entertaining, the years in which he dedicated his time to hunting vampires.  The climatic scene has Lincoln fighting vampires at the ripe age of 50, which I found unrealistic, since the vampires have greater strength, agility, and can even render themselves invisible.  Mortal humans don't have a fighting chance, but alas, it's fiction, and to maintain historical accuracy, Lincoln lived to save the day and to see the end of slavery.  The unrealistic aspect of this film was forgiveable and I could see past that, but what I couldn't get past was the look of the vampires.  They were rather pathetic, lacking in charm or lethal-ness.  Like some old horror film, the vampires did nothing more than spring out their fangs into the camera and disappeared on occasion like old-fashioned magic tricks.  Poor design and poor execution made this film a perfect example of an entertaining book adapted gone south.

My rating: 2 out of 5

Prometheus (2012)

When it's over, Ridley Scott's prequel to Alien (1979) didn't feel like a prequel at all.  After a group of researchers discover a clue to the origins of man, an exploration team is assembled by the Weyland Corporation to travel to a distant planet, where the origins of man may actually be the death of mankind. The final scene had some elements of Alien, but a few seconds doesn't justify the term prequel.  I wanted to embrace this film, because I am such a huge fan of the Alien franchise, but after seeing it twice, I still can't be persuaded to like it. Devoid of suspense and build up, this film just wasn't memorable, and it didn't make a lasting impression. I think the look of the film was fantastic, and I especially thought the technological props used within the film was impressive.  In particular, the 3D mapping balls and the full body surgical bed.  I remember these two elements the most, which says a lot for the look of the film, but not much for the story or characters.  I thought Noomi Rapace was great in the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009), but in Prometheus, she seemed out of place as Elizabeth Shaw, the head researcher.  Charlize Theron's portrayal of Captain Meredith Vickers was so rigid, it was hard to like the woman and impossible to care about what happens to her. Michael Fassbender made a decent android, but can't compete with Bishop's likability. Guy Pierce as Peter Weylan was old and downright boring.  These are all wonderful actors, and I don't think it was a lack of talent that made their characters less than engaging, but a lack of a good script.  I kept looking for clues to the origins of Alien, some tidbits of info that would connect the dots from what I already knew about the Alien universe.  To my dismay and disappointment, I got four hours and eight minutes (I've seen it twice) of wonderful cinematography, introductions to some cool devices, and a lot of unanswered questions, such as, how does a squid like creature become and create the iconic alien we know so well?

My rating: 2.5 out of 5

Expendables 2 (2012)

When it's over, don't expect much.  My advice would be to go into this film with low expectations. The marketing behind this film are the actors and nothing else.  Go see this film for the opportunity to see all the notable action stars of the 80's come together in one film. The old school action dudes may have inherited some wrinkles, but they're still in amazing shape, and they still know how to rock and roll with bigger guns, bigger knives, and bigger egos.  Too bad the storyline is small in comparison.  There are plenty of famous quips from the films that made the actors famous, particularly quotes from Arnold Schwarzenegger and even a couple from Die Hard (1988) exchanged between Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.  Chuck Norris was a surprise, and the inclusion of Jean Claude Van Damme was a fitting villain up against Sylvester Stallone.  Liam Hemsworth was a pleasing new face, and even though Jason Statham wasn't an action hero in the 80's, he bonded perfectly with the boys.  Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, and Terry Crews all return for another round of badass destruction.

My rating: 2.5 out of 5