El Norte on DVD

Did you know that Gregory Nava's 1983 masterpiece of a film, "El Norte", is finally out on DVD!? It actually came out two weeks ago, part of the Criterion Collection, on January 20th, but forgot to bring it up here. If you, like me, were a Latino student growing up in Southern California schools in the 80's or 90's, chances are you probably saw this film at some point in one of your classes. I actually saw it several times in school. I'm not sure how widespread it was in terms of teachers showing it in other areas. Nonetheless, I think it's a very good film.

"El Norte" is the story of two Guatemalan siblings, Enrique and Rosa, who flee persecution at home in Guatemala and take the long, hard journey to the United States. This is the type of story that even now happens on a daily basis. But I think this film was one of the first to tell it well, with so much power, love and emotion. It's a funny film at times, has it's tender moments as well, but it's also quite sad, realistic and tragic.

I don't like to give too much away, I feel that if you haven't seen it yet it'd have a greater impact if you just sit down and watch it. And if you already saw it, now is the perfect time to try to add it to your collection, as it's finally on DVD after years of not being available in that format here. I actually did have a DVD of it, but it's not a great copy. The Criterion Collection, which released this DVD, is known for trying to give the best treatment to film releases. As they say on their site, "the Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made our library of Director Approved DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and laserdiscs the most significant archive of contemporary filmmaking available to the home viewer."

This film is up there with one of my favorites of all time. Not only because it reflects my family's histories, as well as that of many people I grew up with, it's also a really great film in general.

Close Your Eyes

Over the weekend Juan & I went to see "My Bloody Valentine 3D". It's a bloody, gory, slasher film so it should come as no surprise that there's nudity of the young hot female variety, albeit in glorious 3D! lol

Sitting behind us was a mom and her son, who sounded like he was in his early teens at least. As soon as the naked girl comes out, she tells him "Cover your eyes!" Then a minute or so later, she tells him again, claiming that she saw him looking, to which he replied "I'm looking down at the ground!" Then when it's all over, poor kid has to ask someone "What happened to her!?" lol

What I don't get though, if you're gonna take your kid to a rated R movie, why not just let him watch the whole damn thing? If only you knew the things he's looking up online when nobody is watching. lol Mainstream movie nudity would pale in comparison!

Oh and this kid wasn't even the youngest. There are at least two babies that I noticed! Why? Why would you bring a baby to a loud, dark, gory-as-hell horror flick? But hey, at least she was courteous enough to say "I'll sit by the edge in case he cries so I can walk out with him." Imagine the poor kid waking up and seeing some gigantic boobs bouncing around on the big screen with scary music and a creepy killer right behind her! Momma's gonna wonder why the little one won't take her milk anymore. lol

The movie itself, by the way, was a fun film. Nothing award worthy, but if you can catch it in 3D it's definitely a fun time. Just don't take it too seriously and you'll be fine!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Trailer)

Seen the new X-Men Origins: WOLVERINE trailer yet? If not, check it out!

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


I'm also really excited to see another X-Men character I've always enjoyed, Gambit, coming to live action! :) Check him out...

MILK

"My name is Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruite you!" Those are the words oten spoken by Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician & activist in San Francisco, as he spoke to people back in the 1970's. The new film by Gus Van Sant, "Milk", is his story. Sean Penn stars as Milk, along with a great supporting cast (Emile Hirsh, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Victor Garber and others). I'm not revealing much by saying that this biopic, unfortunately, has a tragic ending. Milk was assassinated on November 27, 2008. This was 30 years ago to the date that this movie was released. The movie explores the life, the courage, the determination, the faith, the love...the man that was and forever will live on...Harvey Milk.

I must admit, despite being a gay man myself, I wasn't actually aware of who Milk really was. So this film really opened my eyes to the life of a person that I never really knew about. I've never been a big activist, never studied up too much on the gay movements and our histories. Which yeah, I know it's kinda bad of me. But I guess a movie like this means even more to someone like me that otherwise probably wouldn't have known more about this extraordinary person. Someone whose actions would affect my life, even if I didnt realize it. Seeing this movie reminded me so much of all the protests and community actions that have taken place in the recent weeks after prop 8 passed (the ban on gay marriages). It reminded me of how fortunate we are now, compared to the past, in that so many things have changed. We've gotten more equality...but not yet completely. We still have a ways to go, for us to finally be able to open up the eyes of those that refuse to accept us.

I'm not good at really doing a movie justice in my reviews. Especially when it's one that has such a historical and important topic as this film did. All I can say is that it really moved me. Seeing the scenes of all the people coming together to fight back, it gave me chills...a rush of pride, excitement and other feelings came over me. If that's what it felt like sitting in a theater watching recreations, I can only imagine what it must've felt like for people that were actually there. People that knew Milk personally or even just through his public appearances.

The movie was a mix of news footage (some seemed genuinely real, others probably slight recreations) along with regular movie footage. So I enjoyed the way it was put together, and I thought all the cast was great. I admit, it did take a bit of getting used to the crazy hairstyles and whatnot. hehe But that's the 70's for you!

The film, from what I read online, was only playing in 36 theaters here in the U.S., yet it managed to make the top 10 films of the weekend, at #10! It grossed over $1.9 million since it came out last Wednesday. Pretty damn impressive for a limited engagment film!

I loved how our theater was pretty much full of gay people. hehe I felt so at home. lol But of course this isn't just a movie for gay people...it's something that I feel everyone should see. Especially with all that's been going on lately.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

It's a sensational opening," Focus distribution topper Jack Foley said. "It's a record opening for a film opening in this many theaters, and there were lots of sellouts wherever it was playing."

The "Milk" debut represented the best per-venue average of any film opened with 30-40 engagements, Foley said. Its bow outpaced the December 2007 opening for "Atonement," which Focus unspooled with $784,145 from 32 playdates or a then-record $24,505 per engagement.

"Milk" pours into 60 theaters in 32 markets on Friday. Foley said he believes Focus' marketing campaign has dovetailed well with nationwide publicity over California's Proposition 8, the recently passed anti-gay marriage ballot initiative.

"Milk" will likely remain one of the awards season's most closely watched releases, with Sean Penn's performance in the title role generating early plaudits. James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna are also featured in supporting roles.

For more information on the film, check out the official site at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/

Also, be sure to show your support for the film. Leave your name, age and state over at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/mosaic/supportMilk.php. I already did.

BOLT

If you know me pretty well, you'll know that I've always been a kid at heart. I still enjoy some milk with Quik, I still like to catch some Saturday morning cartoons (though they just aren't as good as they used to be, in my opinion), and I even still get excited over little free random toys in the cereals. LOL So it's no surprise that I still get excited to go see the newest Disney animated movies, such as this past weekend's "Bolt". I grew up watching them, over and over, as well as the animated tv shows (loved the "Disney Afternoon"!) and the classic Disney shorts featuring Mickey & the gang.

"Bolt", in a nutshell, is the story about a dog that stars in his own tv show as a super powered canine, but he doesn't realize it's all just a show. He thinks it's real and that he really does have superdog powers. So when his "human"...his owner, Penny...gets kidnapped on the show, he breaks out of his trailer and sets out to find her.

I'm not gonna say that the story was something amazing, moving or award worthy. It didn't make me "feel" too much like I did watching Wall-E. Damn lil robot nearly made me cry at some points. lol If I have to be honest, I thought Bolt was just a good story. Something nice that the kids and grown ups will enjoy. It was fun, often fast paced (especially the cool opening sequence), had some cute and funny characters and moments (my favorite was the trailer begging park scene). It probably won't get as much attention as I think it deserves due to the whole "Twilight" craziness going on....but if you get a chance, and you like good, fun animated movies, go check this one out. If you have a theater near you playing the 3D version, definitely see it there! They may charge an extra couple of bucks, but I really think it's worth it. The picture, with the 3D glasses on, is pretty crystal clear and looks amazing! And they don't overdo it with the "wow look at this hand popping out of the screen about to grab you" type of scenes. lol

If you see it, or saw it already, feel free to share your thoughts. :) There was a trailer for the new Ice Age movie (also in 3D) that was funny too, staring the little creature Scrat that's always in the teaser trailers. The other 3D trailers I saw were for Pixar's new flick, "Up" and for the movie "Coraline". They all looked great in 3D and I can't wait to check them out.

Jay Watch: Quarantine

I saw the new horror movie, Quarantine, last night. Aside from the trailers, I hadn't really read much on it. I knew it was about some scary shit going on inside some apartment building in L.A., and people are apparently trapped inside it, not being let out. Overall it was a pretty cool movie, definitely something fun to go see during the scariest month of the year. It's all shot through the lens of a TV reporter's camera though...so if you're not into the whole shakey-cam look and feel of movies such as Blair With and Cloverfield, then this one might not be for you. My biggest surprise in the movie was the presence of one of my celeb-crushes...Mr. Jay Hernandez! He played Jake, a fireman who is called to the scene. Gotta love a man in uniform! :)

Drinks and Robots

Oh what a weekend! It just seemed to come and go so damn fast. I got off work around 5 last Friday, went home, ate, showered, changed and then waited for Juan to arrive. Once he did, I drove us out to the hotel where Felipe & Co. were at. Luckily, I found a good parking spot right in front. So I grabbed my iron from the trunk (he'd asked me if I could bring one) and we headed in search of the room. Then I find out he'd also told a couple other people to bring one, just to be sure. So there were three irons there. lol And here I had this whole little dumb joke planned out about how they could call me "Iron Man" lol j/k So anyway, we hung out there for a while, having a couple drinks, taking pictures and listening to music. We then got into a taxi-van, six of us in total, and took the short ride to the club. At that point I was already feeling a bit tipsy. It was the first drink that did it for me. I never mix drinks and don't know what's strong and what isn't, so when Juan was making mine I told him to pour more vodka in it. lol So it ended up giving me a big buzz right off the bat. Needless to say, I was pretty buzzed all night. But I had a great time! I usually drive so have to limit myself and can't really "let loose". lol So it was nice to just enjoy myself after the long slow work week. Plus it was fun celebrating Felipe's bday with some of our friends and meeting a few new people (his friends). Everybody was cool. There are still bits and pieces that kinda seem fuzzy from the night. lol But I remember most of it at least, which is good. When we ended up going back to the hotel, I started getting sleepy. I didn't fall fully asleep though until everyone was all tucked into the beds.

Come morning, I got up around 7:50 because I had to move my car from my parking spot. After 8 am the parking was no longer free. I was still feeling slightly out of it, but I knew I could handle moving the car around the block. What I didn't know was how much trouble I was going to have parallel parking. lol Even when I'm 100% myself I struggle, so add to it a slight morning hangover buzz....took me a few good back and forth motions to get into that spot. lol At least nobody was around to make fun of me. And I was able to find a spot literally around the corner, on the other side of the hotel. So it was perfect. Later that morning, around 11, after we all spent some time reminiscing about our favorite childhood TV shows, it was then time for us all to leave the hotel, so we headed out to breakfast at a restaurant in West Hollywood. I had an omellette, which I never get but it just seemed tempting this time around. Juan got a salad...but barely even touched it. lol It was nice having breakfast with the group after a fun night.

The rest of that day, after Juan and I came back to my place, we mostly just chilled and regained our energy. Come nighttime, we were ready to head out. But no drinks though. lol Instead we went to see Wall*E. That was such a great movie! So sweet, so heartwarming, so cute, so funny....just well-done all around! I mentioned elsewhere that if I had to use one word to describe it, I'd say "emotional". It was very touching, and that's even with the lead characters being robots! Who knew that animated robots can bring more emotion to a film than some human actors can? lol I loved the movie a lot. It made me wish Wall*E was real so I could have one of my own, kind of like what I felt when I saw Gremlins for the first time and wanted my very own real Gizmo.

Sunday was my usual day of running errands. But we also hit the gym for a bit. I'm really loving going to the gym now. I've managed to work it into my routine so that it's just become part of my daily things to do. I don't get grumpy when it's time to go, I look forward to it. I just hope that this feeling is permanent! I want to keep going for as long as my body can take it! lol I've only been going about a week now, I started on the first day of Summer, June 21. But already I'm feeling a lot better. I'm not worried too much yet about whehther I physically see results, 'cause I know that takes time to develop. But when they do start to appear (hopefully)...I'm sure it'll be even more motivation for me to keep on going. :)

So yeah, that was my weekend in a nutshell, surrounded by people I love. That's what makes life worth living after all, right? The people in your life that mean a lot to you. Those are the moments I always look forward to the most.

The Totally Rad Show

Love movies, comics, video games, television and other entertainment-technology-pop culture related goodies!?!? Looking for a fun podcast that'll cater to the geek in you? Well, if you haven't already, head on over to www.totallyradshow.com!

I listen to several random podcasts, all related to music, movies or some of my favorite TV shows. But if I had to pick one that I'd say is my favorite, The Totally Rad Show (TRS for short) would definitely be it! It's hosted by three guys, Alex, Dan and Jeff, who each week release a new episode where they cover new comics, films, TV shows, dvds, etc. They open each episode with a parody of certain movies, and then cover each of the topics in segments. They usually close with a fan letter that has them answering a question/topic...which at times is one of my favorite segments, because I love hearing them talk about things they grew up with. A lot of the stuff they talk about, both from the present and the past (such as old TV theme songs, commercials, toys, etc), are things I know about and usually love. So I get a kick out of hearing them talk about them with as much excitement as I would. lol

It's a fun podcast, and best of all it's in video format! So they stand in front of a green screen while images related to what they are talking about appear behind them. Unfortunately I don't always have time to watch the video version so usually end up just listening to the audio version at work. Kinda kills half the fun of seeing the visual. lol

Anyhow, just thought I'd mention them as my podcast recommendation. :) If you're into the same kind of things I am, I know you'll enjoy it!

Martes 13

I haven't written much in the past couple days. Not much out of the ordinary and worth writing down has really happened. lol Hmmm....let's see....what have I done recently. Work, Eat, Sleep. Repeat and rinse 5X a week. lol Weekends mostly just been chilling, a couple bday parties and club nights, and watching movies. I saw Iron Man and Speed Racer so far, two of the big Summer season movies. Iron Man was great. I loved it! I like that they didn't focus too much on just the special effects, they took some time to build the story, and it came out nicely! Speed Racer, I must say I also liked it. Yes, it got pretty bad reviews and didn't even make #1 on opening weekend, falling way short of what was expected. But I don't care! I had fun with that movie. Yes, there were a few parts that did feel a bit childish, but then there were other parts that were just crazy-fun to watch! It's based on an anime cartoon from back in the day, so it borrows a lot of those cartoony elements. Was it a GREAT movie that I say you MUST see? Nope. But I still liked it, and that's what matters! LOL

So yeah, things are going cool. Calm and normal, nothing crazy. This coming weekend is Long Beach Pride. Not sure yet if I'll get to go this year. Also, the new Narnia opens this weekend, so I definitely want to check that out! I love the Summer movie season! :)

Kid At Heart

There are times when even I scare myself...just a bit...at how excited I can get over things that only a 5 year old should. lol Over at Juan's house, he had some cereal, Lucky Charms, in which they had some little cheap plastic toy cars inside the box, to promote the new Speed Racer movie. I was never a fan a Speed Racer and didn't watch the cartoons, but I knew who he was and I'll probably go check out the movie, too. But still, for whatever reason, I was like a little kid when he gave me one of the cars, the red one, the #33 "3 Roses" one...whatever that means. I was entertained for a few minutes putting the little stickers on the car. lol Most guys would probably be embarrassed to admit this, but I don't care! I even kept asking for the other car that I knew was in the second box. lol That one ended up being #12 "Hydra Cell". Again, no idea who or what that means, but I had fun decorating it with the stickers. lol I won't actually end up playing with them though. I just like to have them as little decorations. I lost that bit of imagination that kids possess long ago...the one that allows them to have endless hours of fun with random little objects or toys. Still, I've always felt I'm a kid at heart to some degree. I love cartoons, love amusement parks, stuff like that...just like to have a good time. I know if I ever do manage to have a kid, I'll try to be a fun dad. hehe Strict, yet fun! Can't let them always have their way after all, right?

What's the last thing you've done that made you feel like a kid at heart?

Dominic Monaghan is Beak

I love it when two things I enjoy come together in a new way! Not long ago it was announced that ex-LOST star, Dominic Monaghan, my favorite flight 815 survivor, is going to be in the new Wolverine movie! He plays Barnell Bohusk, aka Beak. Truth is, I don't know really know much about this character...but I don't care! Just knowing that a movie I'm looking forward to is going to have someone I enjoy in it, makes it even better! And Gambit is also in this one! I can't wait!

I checked out the Marvel site for a little more info on Beak:

Barnell Bohusk has lived a difficult life since his mutation first manifested. Always wanting to find a better life, Barnell threw himself into his studies at Xavier's. He also befriended the Beast, finding a common bond with the X-Man with the most severe physical mutation. It was this bond that led him to visit the Beast with a gift, a baseball bat. Horribly, Beak was mentally possessed by a Cassandra Nova-controlled Charles Xavier and forced to beat his mentor brutally. The Beast would eventually recover, but Beak's guilt never went away.

Mocked by his peers at the Xavier Institute for his seemingly useless mutation, Beak gravitated towards a group of young mutants known as the special class - mutants with little drive and less ability. Ironically, in this class Beak truly began to realize his worth as a hero. The other special class students began to look up to him as a leader and he filled that role as best he could. This group also included his girlfriend and the mother of his children, Angel. Angel does care for Beak, but their relationship began when other students bet her to kiss him.

This group was mentored by Xorn who secretly believed he was truly Magneto. Beak and the rest of his special class followed Xorn, becoming the new Brotherhood in his bid to take over of the world. Beak stood up to Xorn and was cast out of the Brotherhood. He and a small group of X-Men were able to overtake Xorn and free New York City from his grip. Beak returned to the Xavier Institute and moved into a small home on campus with Angel and their children.

Soon after, the Exiles arrived at the Xavier Institute and Beak was forced to join their reality-fixing group. He left Angel and his children behind, unable to say goodbye to them. Angel assumed he deserted her.

After a number of adventures with the Exiles, Beak was reunited with Angel when they visited the Earth while it was under the sway of the Scarlet Witch's reality warp. Upon the reversal of this warp Beak lost his mutant powers and is currently living the life of a normal human.