Thursday, April 07, 2011

Tales from a battlefield



I was a History major so almost almost 30 years after graduating, I am still drawn to history books. But history books written by scholars and people sitting in university don't appeal to me. I'd rather read something like "Brothers in Arms, Best of Friends" in which two ordinary WW II soldiers tell their story in their own words. Here we don't get a wide view of battles and strategies, but of how it felt to be in the middle of a confusing, scary situation. How to deal with the day by day. How to face life after a friend has been blown to bits or has simply vanished into thin air after being hit by a bomb.

It is also interesting that each soldier has an entirely different personality and style from the other. "Wild Bill" is more explicit in his tales of violence and his womanizing. He tells a rough, no-nonsense tale. "Babe" emphasizes the small moments and has a more sentimental approach to life.

This is a wonderful read. It may not win any awards, but it is a truly absorbing book.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Cable TV of Greater San Juan: el comienzo de todo


Vi esto hoy me trajo muchos recuerdos. El logo de Cable TV of Greater San Juan. Antes de Adelphia, cuando habían canales sólo del 2 al 13. Los dos canales de Islas Vírgenes (CBS y ABC), TBS, WGN, WOR y un canal que se llamaba Movie Greats que ponía clásicos del cine.
En esa época eran la manera de escapar del ghetto de la tv local. Ahí comenzó la era de decir, "Yo no veo tv local. Yo veo cable." Algo que ha seguido siendo cierto 30 años después.

Esa fue la época en la cual la tv local se dió cuenta que la gente con algo de gusto y educación no iban a ver sus programas. Esto causó que la tv local comenzara a dirigir su programación a un público menos educado. También la tv local dejó de robar conceptos de la TV americana, haciéndolos pasar como algo original. Ya no éramos tan tontos.

Esos pocos canales de cable tv lo cambiaron todo. Dejamos de ser prisioneros de la información y del entretenimiento que nos daba WAPA o Telemundo. El mundo se hizo más amplio.

crushes del cine: Ornella Muti en Flash Gordon


¿Puede haber habido una mujer más sexy en el cine que Ornella Muti en "Flash Gordon"? Miren el video y me dicen. "Flash Gordon" fue un film que los críticos odiaron en 1978 y que con el paso del tiempo luce mejor y mejor. Con todos estas películas basadas en comics que se toman tan en serio, es refrescante ver un film que hace lo contrario. Entretiene. Divierte. Y que tiene un toque de erotismo. Y por supuesto, a la increíble Ornella Muti.

"Flash Gordon" se exhibe en Cinemax en estos días.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Tweet de Roger Ebert

A religion that doesn't teach tolerance might as well not bother teaching anything else.

Bill Maher


I seldom watch tv shows regularly. I never was able to become a fan of "The Sopranos" or "Six Feet Under" or any other HBO shows. I get tired of characters and situations and, quite frankly' I rather watch a movie in which things wrap up in a couple of hours. But I do watch a show every week. Real Time with Bill Maher. I always end up laughing at a moment or two, and there's always an interesting comment here and there.

But I admit I'm getting a bit tired of the show. The pounding on the Republicans on the show, for instance. I don't agree with 95% of their positions, but they are never given a chance to truly express themselves. Maher many times crosses the line into meanness, which is not such a bad thing, but he does it so frequently it stops being funny.

I will keep watching it though. For "New Rules" and for a couple of regular guests that make the show worthwhile. But I find myself wishing they would come up with something new. A right wing co-host. Anything. Just something that will keep it from slowly turning into a comedy version of the Rachel Maddow show.Which is where it is going. A place that one day will be too predictable and boring to visit.

El caos en Ocean Park


A veces para entender los grandes problemas hay que mirar a los pequeños problemas. Si queremos hablar de la racha de asesinatos, miremos a algo tan pequeño como el desorden que sucedió el doming pasado en la playa de Ocean Park. Ahi vemos como la apatía del gobierno, la influencia de las cerveceras sobre los políticos de la Isla y el carácter anárquico del boricua se juntaron para crear caos.

Primero, el gobierno. Se supone que en esa playa no ocurran promociones cerveceras. Pero las hay. Se supone que no se venda cerveza en la playa. Pero todas las semanas hay una guagua enorme de donde se distribuye alcohol. Se supone que hayan leyes que multen a los que tiran basura. Pero no conozco a nadie que haya sido multado por ésto. Somos un pueblo que respeta las leyes, sólo si vemos que alguien ha sido multado.

Esto se une al hecho de que como vimos en el caso del Senador De Castro Font, cerveceras como Medalla, compran a los políticos y al gobierno de maneras legales e ilegales. Son intocables. La ley no aplica a ellos. De pronto hoy, segun un artículo en El Nuevo Día, nadie en las agencias del gobierno sabe nada sobre quien organizó el evento. Nadie. Y claro, ni un político ha tenido la valentia de decir qué tenemos que hacer algo sobre este asunto.

Finalmente, el caos sicológico y social de los boricuas donde toda actividad tiene que ser acompañada de alcohol. Vamos a la playa a beber, al campo a beber, a galerías a beber, a ver cualquier deporte a beber. Y no a beber un poquito. No, a beber mucho. Y donde hay alcohol, reina el machismo barato y las peleas.

Ademas, en términos sociales, la playa de Ocean Park es un lugar donde la gente adinerada y la gente del residencial están cerca. Y aquí siempre ha habido un roce de clases tremendo. Nada le da más placer a la gente del residencial que causar caos en áreas que ellos perciben como de "riquitos". Lo vemos en Ocean Park, lo vemos en Condado los domingos con las gangas en bicicleta molestando a los turistas.Es una manera, me imagino, de tomar venganza y de sentirse poderosos.

Todo eso crea una especia de tormenta perfecta donde me parece que la única solución es ponernos fuertes con las leyes. Las leyes están ahí. Es cuestión de enforzarlas. De dejar de tener miedo. De dejar de temer a las empresas que son, en gran parte responsables de este caos. La parte social es más compleja y requiere mucho pensamiento. Pero hay cosas muy sencillas que podemos lograr hoy mismo.

Monday, April 04, 2011

pedacitos de películas perdidas


¿Te puedes imaginar que el 90% del cine de hoy se perdiera para siempre? ¿Que tus hijos y nietos jamás pudieran ver el trabajo de Robert De Niro, Merryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr.? Pues eso ha sucedido con 90% de los films que se hicieron durante la época del cine silente. Carreras como la de Colleen Moore olvidadas, la de sex symbols como Clara Bow, reducidas a dos películas sobrevivientes. Todo ésto debido a que el cine era guardado en nitrato y éste se quemaba o se convertía en polvo con el tiempo.

Lo que hace la serie, Fragments, de TCM algo realmente maravilloso. Este documental recoge pedacitos de películas de apenas minutos, que sobrevivieron, aún cuando el resto del film se destruyó. Esta serie nos permite ver un poquito de lo que hacía especial a actores como Douglas Fairbank, Theda Bara, Clara Bow. Y nos permite ver unos minutitos especiales de Colleen Moore, la actriz símbolo de las Flapper Girls de los 1920's.

Lo interesante es que al acabar cada fragmento, nos quedamos con los deseos de haber visto la película completa. Podemos entender a través de ellos, porque estas figuras eran tan populares en su época. También nos permite ver la inventiva del cine silente y lo que mucho que habían progresado las técnicas visuales del medio en tan poco tiempo.

"Fragments" es un documental único, especial. Es un viaje maravilloso, un tanto meláncolico, a un mundo desaparecido y que no podremos disfrutar plenamente. Un mundo perdido, de gente perdida para la historia. Pero, por suerte, siempre están esos fragmentos, esos mágicos fragmentos.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Planificando el robo perfecto


Aunque en la vida real jamás cometeríamos un robo a mano armada, disfrutamos verlo en la pantalla grande. Sobre todo cuando la víctima del robo es una corporación o en el caso de la magniífica película "Any Number Can Win", un casino del sur de Francia.

Hecha en 1963 y protagonizada por dos íconos del cine francés, Jean Gabin y Alain Delon, este thriller es una combinación del cine americano film noir con una buena dosis de existencialismo gálico. El film trata de un ladrón (Gabin) que quiere hacer un robo espectacular para poder retirarse. Para lograrlo contrata a un joven (Alain Delon) para ayudarlo. Lo sé, suena como un cliché, pero probablemente no lo era en 1963.

El robo es complicado, pero sencillo a la misma vez. En esa época no existían los sistemas de seguridad tan complejos de hoy en día, así que cometer un robo a un casino, era algo dentro del mundo de la posibilidad. Describir el robo sería un spoiler. Lo que puedo decir es que está muy bien logrado, todo en silencio al estilo del clásico de este género, Rififi. Y el final, es uno que es difícil de olvidar. Muy irónico, muy francés.

Jean Gabin es todo seriedad como el gangster a punto de retirarse. Alain Delon está perfecto como el joven ladrón, persiguiendo mujeres y actuando como el hombre más cool del mundo.

Esta película no hay recibido un release oficial en DVD. El DVD que tengo es uno gray market de Venezuela. Se puede conseguir en Amazon.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

¿qué tú harías?


¿Quá harías si te dicen que apretando un botón matas a 100,000 personas , pero que al hacerlo salvas a 500,000? Suena como algo escrito para Twilight Zone, pero fue una decision que se tuvo que tomar en 1945 y que es el eje central de la película "Above and Beyond" de la MGM.

Es la historia del Coronel Paul Tibbets, la persona a quien le fue asignada la misión de apretar el botón que soltaba la bomba atómica sobre Hiroshima. Y siendo una película de 1952, apenas 7 años luego del final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, uno esperaría que la respuesta sería sencilla, que se iría de una manera obvia del lado del "si, lo haría". Sin embargo esta pelicula hecha por el estudio mas conservador de Hollywood, decide dejar la pregunta sin contestar. Nos deja a cada uno de nosotros decidir. ¿Matar civiles o salvar 500,000 vidas que hubiera costado una invasión de Japón?

La película es protagonizada por Robert Taylor, un galán emblemático de la MGM de los años 1950, aquí en una actuación realmente interesante y sorprendente. Y Eleonor Parker como su esposa, también se destaca aquí. Pero es James Whitmore, como la mano derecha de Taylor quien realmente tiene la mejor actuación ya que le toca el papel de alguien cuyo trabajo no le permite expresar emociones, pero que suelta lo suficiente para darnos cuenta que es una buena persona.

El film no es perfecto. A veces las batallas matrimoniales cansan. Y el rol de Parker como la mujer sacrificada, puede lucir demasiado sumiso para alguien hoy en día, aunque me imagino que en 1945, el rol de la mujer era, tristemente, algo así.

No conocía de esta película hasta que un amigo que hice a través de Cinema Treasures, y que resultó que fue gerente de varios cines en Puerto Rico y que es un gran film buff me la recomendó. Y yo se la recomiendo a ustedes. Está disponible como parte del Warner Archive, películas en DVD-R, que se pueden ordenar a través de Amazon, Movies Unlimited o CD Universe.

Friday, April 01, 2011

El mundo de los despidos


Siempre comienza de la misma manera. Alguien con una reputación de tener "inside information" dice que se acerca una serie de despidos en el trabajo. Alguien lo cuenta en el trabajo. Y una semana común y corriente se convierte en una llena de ansiedad. De pronto, uno comienza a ver las cosas de otra manera. Una tontería que hace o dice alguien comienza a tener significados ocultos. Viste aquellos dos reunidos? Hmmm..seguro que están planificando algo. Viste con quien salió a almorzar fulanito? Y viste cómo no está con ellos menganito? Claro. Eso es que planifica su despido. Todo es una conspiración. Y al final, no pasa nada. Y todo es una estupidez.
Hasta que otra persona con reputación de tener "inside information" dice....

Gente texteando en el cine


Ya es oficial. No puedo ir al cine. Por años, aguanté a la gente hablando. Los niños corriendo por el pasillo. Llegue hasta aguantar la gente hablando por el celular. Pero todas esas malas situciones ocurrían sólo de vez en cuando. No es así con el texting en el cine.

Estamos hablando de decenas de personas al mismo tiempo, con sus pantallas de celulares prendidas, enviando y recibiendo mensajes. Es un proceso silencioso, pero hasta más molestoso que los otros ya que el ojo se desvía de la pantalla del cine hacia todas esas lucecitas prendidas en la oscuridad. Y si lo hacen cerca de uno, la luz te da en la cara.

Así que me da pena pensar que después de tanto años disfrutando del cine, tenga que ver peliculas en mi casa. Aunque tengo que admitir que más y más disfruto de la experiencia de sentarme en mi sofá frente a mi LCD, tranquilo, sin preocuparme de gente alrededor mío, de si van a hablar, si van a sacar su celular. A veces hasta me preparo un popcorn, un refresco y hago ver que estoy en un cine de antes, donde la gente estaba callada, y donde podía escaparme por horas sin ningún estrés.

Lo siento, cines. Yo me quedo en casa.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Towering Inferno y la era del desastre


El canal Retroplex se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos debido a su gran cantidad de películas de los 70 y 80 que pone en su cartelera. Esas películas me transportan a la época de mi niñez y adolescencia cuando visitaba los cines de Santurce.

"Towering Inferno" es el magnus opus de la era de las "películas de desastre" que comenzaron con "Airport" y que continuó con "Poseidon Adventure" y "Earthquake" y que terminó con el desastre taquillero de "When Time Ran Out"(o "When Ideas Ran Out" como se le conoció en la industria).

La fórmula era la misma. Unir un elenco de estrellas, incluyendo actores populares del momento, añadir actores muy mayores para el factor nostalgia y rellenar todo lo demás con actores de televisión.

"Towering Inferno" tiene a Paul Newman, Steve McQueen y Faye Dunaway como las estrellas, Fred Astaire, Jennifer Jones y William Holden como los veteranos y Robert Wagner y Bobby de "The Brady Bunch" como los actores de tv.

La película es entretenida. Una de esas en las que podemos jugar el juego de "quién morirá?". Y al ser un film de los 70 en plena era de Watergate en la cual nadie creía mucho en la autoridad, los malvados son los arquitectos e ingenieros que construyeron la torre, cortando esquinas, sabiendo que el edificio no era seguro. En ese tiempo, todo era una conspiración, el "establishment" era corrupto. Algo que cambiaría al final de la década con los films inocentones de "Star Wars".

"Towering Inferno" es una película "popcorn", no hay que pensar mucho, sólo ver a los actores correr y decir líneas terribles de diálogo. Lo único que empaña algo todo ésto es que ver un edificio en llamas, le hace a uno recordar 9/11. Pero, al final, uno puede volver a olvidarse y entretenerse con ver a todos esos actores, muchos de ellos que ya han fallecido, ganarse el dinero de una manera fácil. Y eso es, para mi, es suficiente.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

my day at a nude beach

A couple of Sundays back I met with a friend from NYC at Haulover Beach, a nude beach in North Miami. I have not visited a nude beach in maybe 20 years, so I figured it would be a cool experience.

So Sunday at 1pm, I arrived at Haulover. First thing I noticed was this was not the secluded nude beaches I had visited in St.Martin. There were thousands of people there. Wall to wall nudity. Mostly male, unfortunately. Although there were some women. I guess it was 70-30 men-women ratio.

I said hello to my friend and met her friend who was there with her beautiful baby. They were being slightly annoyed by a tanned, nude middle aged guy talking to her. Luckily, he realized he was not welcome and went away.

I must say, it felt really cool being there. Like they say, it is the least sexual experience you can have. All these people nude. young,old, good looking, bad looking, make it a wonderfully normal experience. Nobody seems to be checking other people. It is so wonderfully civilized.

Yes, I did take everything off and went skinny dipping with my friend. And again, it was such a non-sexual experience The setting and the feeling at the beach make it such an innocent, cool thing. So we're nude! And it is great! I felt like a little kid who is allowed to run naked everywhere.

Summing up. Beaches with people in swimsuits are sexual. They are a tease and completely completely based on voyeurism. Nude beaches are not. They are simply fun.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

National Velvet




Hace par de meses TCM exhibió un festival de películas de Mickey Rooney. Y no sé por qué razon las grabé y he estado disfrutando mucho de ellas. Comencé con la serie de Andy Hardy, unos films en los cuales el presidente de MGM quería presentar un cuadro idílico de un típico pueblo pequeño norteamerican. Son películas B, son sentimentales y cursis, sin embargo, y aquí esta el genio de MGM, son sumamente entretenidas.

En este weekend vi "National Velvet", una película de Rooney con una Elizabeth Taylor de 12 años de edad. Está basada en un libro de clásico sobre el amor de una niña por un caballo, al que decide llevar a la comptencia más importante en Inglaterra. Esta no es una producción B, sino una película donde MGM puso todos sus recursos. Es en Technicolor, y en 1944 eso no era tan común. La película es realmente maravillosa. Una de esas en las que MGM demuestra la magia del sistema de estudio de la época de oro de Hollywood.Todas las actuaciones están excelentes, incluyendo a un Mickey Rooney controlado, algo no muy común. Es una de esas pocas películas que realmente son para toda la familia.

TCM la vuelve a poner el día 10 de abril como parte de un festival de 24 horas dedicado al cine de Elizabeth Taylor. Vale la pena dejarla grabando.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Five: primera pelicula post-nuclear


En el 1950 Columbia Pictures distribuyó la primera pelicula que trataba sobre un mundo luego de una guerra nuclear. Su título "Five". Su presupuesto, extramadamente bajo. Sin embargo, con ese poco dinero se hizo un film relativamente interesante, aunque lleno de huecos en su trama.

La película comienza escenas de ciudades importantes siendo afectadas por bombas atómicas. Y luego vemos escenas algo clichosas de periódicos dejándonos saber de una inevitable guerra nuclear. Luego vemos una mujer caminando por una carretera rural.
¿Será la última persona en la tierra? Bueno, resulta que no lo es. Y a través de la película nos damos cuenta que hay 4 personas más vivas. Cuatro hombres.

De ahi, el fim pasa a ser un estudio de estas cinco personas aún vivas. Uno de los hombres es una persona mayor que muere. Otro es un personaje de la raza negra que sirve para presenatr el problema racial y los otros dos compiten por la mujer. Es interesante que el personaje negro, aunque presentado de una manera favorable, nunca se ve como alguien que pudiera competir por la mujer blanca.

La pelicula no es una maravilla. Nunca se cuestiona la idea de que si en esas pocas millas habian 5 personas, las probabilidades serían buenas de mas sobrevivientes. Y el hecho de que todos eventualemente morirían de envenenamiento por radiación tampoco se explora. Pero, claro, estamos en 1950. A penas 5 años después de Hiroshima.

"Five" anticipa mucho a films como "Night of the Living Dead" y "Omega Man" y aún con sus fallas grandes, sigue siendo una película interesante. Está en DVD como parte de una serie de películas llamadas "Martini Movies" por Sony.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Elizabeth Taylor movies


Up to yesterday I had seen two Elizabeth Taylor movies in my whole life. I really can't explain why, maybe because I didn't find her an exciting actress. Maybe because there was something old fashioned about her look and her movies. When I was a kid I saw one of her minor 1970's movies called "Night Watch", a pretty nifty thriller with a twist that seemed surprising at the time.

A year ago, I saw "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on DVD, from a Taylor DVD set I had given my mother a while back. It was a really good movie. And I can imagine how scandalous it must have been for its time, in spite the fact the homosexual aspect of it was truly low key. Still, it was plain it was there. She was excellent in it and she was obviously at her most alluring and beautiful.

Last night, I got another movie from that set called "Butterfield 8, in which she plays a call girl who falls for one of her clients. It is truly over the top movie, every character was completely unbelievable. It seemed like one of those telenovelas one sees on Hispanic TV. But one can enjoy it simply because of Taylor's presence. I saw the movie on a 42" set, but I can imagine how hypnotizing she must have been on a giant movie theater screen. Maybe that was her the reason for her success. Those eyes on Cinemascope on dark movie theater.It must have been something.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Miami thoughts



This weekend I am making my annual Miami weekend getaway. I used to go more often a few years back. I guess, being younger, I found the whole Miami sexy scene really attractive. Now I tend to visit cities that offer a wider array of things to do. But I still love Miami. I love sitting at a cafe in Ocean Drive and watch the women go by. I love the fact that I can enjoy the Latin culture while still enjoying the relative discipline of a US city. I enjoy the fact that you get to meet people from all over the world there.

I do not agree with people who say Miami lacks culture. Go to the Miami Herald and you get more classical concerts, pop concerts than you get here in San Juan. Miami just opened an 600 million dollar Opera House and is the home of the New World Orchestra. You get Broadway plays, Art Basil and so many art happenings.

I think Puerto Ricans who say bad things about Miami may be expressing a slight envy of how things work there. They don't like the fact that "Lo Mejor de Dos Mundos"is not Puerto Rico. It is actually a city in a US state. Sorry to spoil the party.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Michael Gough RIP



It's interesting seeing today's obituaries for actor Michael Gough. They all emphasize he was Alfred the Butler in Batman movies. In a way, those will probably be the movies he'll be remembered for. But to my generation, he was a great villain in some outlandish horror movies. I remember him in many movies I saw as a child on tv, "Berserk!"and "Horrors of the Black Museum". And I'll never forget the night I went to see "Horror Hospital"with my parents at the Cinerama in Santurce. It was a truly over the top movie, full of violence, nudity. But it was Gough who stole the show as the most insane of mad villains. A couple of years ago, it finally came out on DVD and I was able to appreciate the sheer insanity of his portrayal. So, let younger audiences remember him as Alfred, to me, he'll always be the loony guy from "Horror Hospital".

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Seven Percent Solution- a 1970's Sherlock Holmes


Last week I saw once again one of the most interesting Sherlock Holmes movies ever. It's "The Seven Percent Solution" from 1976, written by Nicholas Meyer (based on his best-selling novel) and directed by Herbert Ross. It's an incredibly fun movie about Watson (Robert Duvall) devising a plan to have Holmes (Nicol Williamson) kick his cocaine habit by receiving treatment from Freud (Alan Arkin). Throw in Prof. Moriarty (played by Sir Lawrence Olivier!) and Vanessa Redgrave and you have a terrifically acted gem.

The movie has all the traditional touches of classic Holmes movies, but it adds the interesting element of Holmes addiction to cocaine (93% water, 7% cocaine, hence the title of the movie). In this movie Holmes is brilliant, but flawed and Watson is not the bumbling sidekick of previous movies. It all adds up to a truly original movie that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would have probably loved.

The movie adds the element of action towards the end of the film. But it does so in a charming way, without turning Holmes into an full action figure like the recent movie did. This movie realizes we are not in Victorian England and that modern audiences demand thrills, but it does so in an adult, thoughtful way.

This is a movie really worth seeing. A forgotten gem. See it if you get the chance.

Monday, December 13, 2010

All Quiet in the Western Front


La novela "All Quiet in the Western Front" es posiblemente la mejor novela anti-guerra de todos los tiempos. Un libro que al leerlo hoy es tan relevante como hace 80 años cuando se publicó.

Hacer una buena película de la novela no es fácil. Los pasajes más conmovedores del libro son los pensamientos del protagonista sobre la estupidez y la futilidad de la guerra. Al hacer una película, estos pensamientos tienen que ser traducidos a acción.

En 1930 se hizo una primera versión cinematográfica de la novela. Es interesante, pero sufre de cierto "clumsiness" típico de esas primeras películas que se hacían con sonido.

En 1979 se hizo una segunda versión para cine. Desafortunadamente, después del fracaso taquillero del film "A Bridge Too Far", ninugún estudio quiso distribuirla. Así que pasó a ser una película hecha para la tv.

Esta versión está muy bien hecha. Richard Thomas, protagonista de "The Waltons" en esa época, es excelente como el muchacho que, como muchos, se creyó la vieja historia de defender la patria, sólo para darse cuenta de la mentira detrás de todo. La Primera Guerra Mundial fue un evento de crueldad extrema, donde paises se fueron a la guerra sin ninguna razón particular. Millones murieron en batallas donde apenas se ganaban varias yardas de terreno.

Este film logra su propósito de llevar de una manera inteligente el libro a la pantalla. La experiencia no es tan devastadora como lo es en libro, pero en cierta manera sigue siendo fuerte en su mensaje de las consecuencias de la guerra.

No te la pierdas en Showtime este mes.

Friday, December 03, 2010

Let Me in


I wish I would go to movies regularly. I don't anymore basically for two reasons. First because of the Caribbean Cinemas policy of showing 40 minutes of commercials before the movie. And second because there are very few movies that inspire me to go to a movie theater and subject myself to teenagers with cellphones.

"Let Me In" was a movie I had to see at a theater. I loved the original Swedish version and was looking forward to seeing this remake. Of course, the fact that the movie marked the return of legendary Hammer Films studios to movies made it a must see. I got goose bumps when, at the start of the film, the "Hammer Films Presents" title appeared. We haven't seen that since 1978.

The movie itself is excellent. The performances by the children are truly outstanding. They may even top those of the original movie. The mood is chilling, desolate and sad just like in the Swedish version. It is interesting that the best horror movie of the past few years is a remake. But it is. "Let Me In" is a movie that shows that when it comes to horror, less is more. It's a movie someone like Val Lewton would have loved.
Check it out when it appears on DVD in January. Better yet, get the Blu-Ray and experience a really special movie.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

My Brett Favre syndrome


The other night I was thinking about work and I realized my heart is not in it anymore. I still do my work and occasionally I feel proud of something I've done. But there is a sense of to quote the Eagle's song "singing for the sake of the song."

I feel like an athlete on his last seasons. In this new job I feel like a sort of Brett Favre, playing well but realizing that this may be the last season. This place where I work is my Vikings team, a chance to do something, to play, to feel the team spirit. But in the back of my mind, realizing that maybe I won't want to do this next season.
The other day I decided to look back at what I had written here a few years ago. And I am pretty happy with the blog. And a bit sad I don't write that often.I have been concentrating in other things such as photography and reading.But I want to make the effort to write here more often.Even if it's just to put a quote or a photo. I don;t have to get that deep. Just write a bit.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Gloria Stuart


These days I have been watching movies from the 1930's. Especially Mr. Moto movies and Astaire-Rogers musicals. While I enjoying them, A thought sometimes crosses my mind. Everyone in this movie is dead. Nobody I'm seeing onscreen could possibly be alive. Well, maybe the small kid here and there may be alive. All except Gloria Stuart. Here is a starlet from 1930's movies that was still alive in the 2000's. She, of course, became even more famous because of her role in the mega-hit 'Titanic".

But today, she too is gone. The last of the 1930's stars is has passed away.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


I saw the movie based on the first book of the Stieg Larsson trilogy. Here's what I think. It's ok. Just like the books are ok. A slick piece of pop culture that sets out to entertain and not much else. The movie is pretty cool and the performance by Noomi Rapace as Lisbth Salander is outstanding. But this is the kind of movie that I imagine will not stand the test of time. A 2010 version of John Grisham's bestsellers. Books that nobody reads anymore. A product of marketing and a moment in time.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

routines


I guess when one reaches a certain age, routines become important. I guess because life becomes more uncertain, mortality seems more real. So to make up for these facts, one creates little routines that make life look normal.

My routines tend to center around Saturdays. I wake up around 8am, I prepare myself some coffee and some oatmeal. This is the day in which I don't have to hurry. So I go to the balcony, watch the ocean. I love how I can, in a way, make the morning go slow.

Then, I take a leisurely walk and take photos. Mostly of the ocean. Then I go into Starbucks and have a second coffee. I read the news on my Iphone, sometimes I call my friend Erika. We usually talk Saturday mornings because we used to meet at Starbucks every other Saturday to talk about life. She no longer lives here. But I love to still have these long distance talks.

Then in the afternoon I love to watch movies in bed. I tend to go for old movies. Sometimes movies that take me back to my childhood or my teenage years. To the era when things were less complicated, mortality millions of years away.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Hannie Caulder starring Raquel Welch & Stephen Boyd - Trailer

Raquel Welch in Hannie Caulder



One of the frustrating things about being a movie fan at a young age was that there were certain movies one wanted to see but couldn't because of an R rating. And I remember seeing the ads and photos of the movie "Hannie Caulder" and wanting to see it. And well, I can see why. It's very simple, the photos Raquel Welch wearing a poncho and with presumably nothing underneath. For a horny eleven year old, that was heaven.

Well, I finally got to see this movie. And yes, Raquel Welch is sexy. Incredibly sexy. So very sexy. As for the movie, it's a pretty good revenge film with good acting all around. Robert Culp is excellent and so is Christopher Lee in one of his few non-horror roles. The idea of Welch being a sexy gunslinger is pretty weird. This couldn't possibly
have occurred in the Old West. But then again, 99% of Westerns are pure fiction, pure fantasy and have nothing to do with the real West.

So I enjoyed this movie. It ran only 85 minutes, which to me is the perfect running time for a movie. And well, there's Raquel Welch at her most alluring. Can't ask for much more.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Inception letdown


I went into the movie theater expecting a Twilight Zone-Memento like experience and I ended up watching an action movie for the ADD set. This movie was not all What I expected. The first hour was fine with its mind blowing visuals and mind fuck ideas. This had the makings of a truly cool movie. But suddenly this movie shifts gears and becomes the worst kind of CGI action movie. And it goes on and on until you want to scream at the screen.

Before watching the movie I was happy that Inception had made so much money. An intelligent, weird movie making all that cash? But I was wrong. The movie made money because in the end, it was just an action movie. A typical dumb summer movie. It was Angelina Jolie's "Salt" with metaphysical pretentions.

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Goodbye to The Mandarin



Last week a friend of mine told me he was going to San Francisco with his wife. He asked me about restaurants and I was about to tell him that he had to go to the famous The Mandarin on Ghirardelli Square. It was a place I had gone to many times with my father back in the 1970's and 1980's. And a place I visited three years ago when I went back after so many years. But I decided to look for it in the Internet and learned that it had closed down in November.

The Mandarin was founded in 1968. It was the first restaurant to introduce real Mandarin cooking in the United States. Before that, Chinese places tended to cater to an Americanized version of Chinese cuisine. The Mandarin changed all that. The place was beautiful too with a truly breathtaking view of San Francisco bay.

When I used to go with my parents, we were lucky to get a table. The last time I was there, it was nearly empty. I talked to one of the waiters and told him about the many times that I had gone there with my parents and asked him if he could take a photo of me at the restaurant. He smiled and took the photo. It remains a fond memory of my trip.

If I ever go back to San Francisco, it will be strange not to visit The Mandarin. It was such a part of visiting the city. It was a part of my happiest memories of traveling with my mother and father. And like so many things when one reaches a certain age, it is gone.

Friday, August 06, 2010

Julie Christie Interview (1967)

Julie Christie and the 1960's



Movies are not surprising anymore. In the first few minutes, one more or less can predict everything that will happen. But there was a time in the late 1960's, perhaps due to the success of "Blow Up" that movies would deliberately set out to surprise and/or baffle us. TCM recently showed one of these films. It is called "In Search of Gregory", a forgotten, obscure movie that was shown as part of the Julie Christie film festival.

I recorded most movies from that festival simply because I love Julie Christie. I love her beauty, the intelligence she projects, her legs, he lips, her eyes, her accent, her smile. So I jumped at the chance to see one of her few forgotten movies.

And the premise of this movie is interesting. Two people who have only heard about each other through third persons fantasize about each other throughout the movie but never actually meet. I don't think I've seen a movie quite like this one. It doesn't mean that it is great, it isn't. But one must give its makers credit for having the guts to create something so offbeat. One of the most amazing things about this movie though is its opening. It opens with the Universal Pictures logo. A major studio distributing a movie like this. Seven years later, Universal would become the studio of "Airport 1975" and "Earthquake" in Sensurround. Interesting the way Hollywood changed in such a short time.

Thursday, August 05, 2010

My music when I want it


I wonder who listens to traditional radio anymore. There are so many alternatives now. Satellite radio (not available in Puerto Rico), the music channels on cable tv, the Internet radio stations. And now there are things like Slacker and Pandora that basically transmit music tailored to your particular tastes.

I still remember back in the 1970's when there were no rock stations in the island. There was only one far away FM signal that had a couple of hours of rock every night. I would try to catch that weak signal and enjoy a little bit of what was new in that genre.

Today I have so many options. I can listen to stations that feature classic rock, classical, jazz, Standards. Because of these stations my musical tastes have broadened in a truly remarkable way.

So today at work, I listened to Slacker. In the car on my way home I may hear Minnesota Public Radio through the IPhone and maybe tonight when I read before going to bed I may listen to the Standards station on cable.

I guess that to kids today, what I describe in the paragraph above won't mean anything special. But to me, a teenager of the late 1970's, it is almost a magical experience.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

mon ami Hercule Poirot


Last night I sought refuge in an old friend, Hercule Poirot. I needed to read something light and enjoyable and it seems to me that his stories are always a welcome read. There are times when I feel like reading mysteries that lack depth, that are easy to read and yet keep you guessing. I used to read George Simenon's Maigret stories to achieve that feeling of relaxation, but it seems to be Agatha Christie's stories are better at making one forget life's troubles. So here's to my old friend Hercule Poirot!

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Hurricane season thoughts


Here we are again in hurricane season. Looks like this year won't be as quiet as 2009. Already the tv news are warning us about clouds leaving the coast of Africa. And telling us that we have to tune in the news just in case a storm changes course. I long for the days when I was a kid when a rainy day would just be a rainy day and not " a day in which a strong tropical wave covers the island." Or the time when we would be warned about a hurricane when it it was sure to pass over the island and not 10 days before. Everyone was happier. Nobody was storming the supermarkets because of a storm that may or not be happen.

Interesting how technology can simply add stress instead of easing it.

Monday, August 02, 2010

Chloe



I recently saw (imagine this!) an American movie that deals with sex in an intelligent way and not as the subject of adolescent humor. The movie is "Chloe" a suspense thriller about a middle age woman (Julianne Moore) who hires a high class prostitute (Amanda Seyfried) to flirt with her husband (Liam Neesam) in order to see whether he is cheating on her with young women. A plan that,of course, goes all wrong. "Chloe" has couple of good surprises, some excellent acting, interesting sex scenes. It's not a great movie, but it is remarkable in the way it treats sexuality in an adult way. Sadly, the movie was a flop in theaters since Americans are unwilling to see sex scenes in movie theaters. Hopefully it will be successful in DVD and pay-cable.

In the meantime, the multplex is showing "Cats and Dogs 2" in 3-D to full auditoriums.

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Houdini: The Hollywood version


I just watched "Houdini" a movie from 153 starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. One of those movie biographies that from the first minutes tells you it can't possibly be based on reality. Every event in Houdini's life is presented in the corniest sense possible. He falls in love cute, he gets his chance at stardom in a way that only people in movies do. And even his death is not portrayed as it happened in real life. The fictional part of all this is confirmed in a wonderful book called "Past Imperfect": History According to the Movies".

But the strange thing is that the movie is truly entertaining. It makes for a wonderful, relaxed time. One senses the fiction but doesn't mind. So I must admit I can recommend this movie, but go to Wikipedia and learn about Houdini's real life.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Hooked on Hisptamatic


I am hooked on Hipstamatic shots. This is one amazing IPhone apps that turns your phone into the coolest camera in the world. You buy some "lenses" "films" and flash for less than $6.00 and you can turn ordinary shots into something special. You can choose lenses that imitate Holga cameras, that play with light, colors, textures. There is one film that imitates a Polaroid look, other that give photos a black and white grainy feeling. You shoot the simplest thing and it looks amazing. Anyone can be a cool photographer!

Soft core with breakfast


One of the most interesting things about our cable system is that it shows West Coast feeds of US premium channels which makes for an interesting thing: we get to see sof core porn movies while having breakfast. And truth be told, there are morning when I don't feel like watching the news, so I tune to these odd movies. And the oddest of these are the Busty Cops movies featuring Nikki Nova, a pastiche of silicone enhanced females having mostly lesbian sex. The plots are non-existent. I read online that many of them are edits of many movies and videos that through the use of a narrator are clumsily put together into a semblance of a movie. These movies are incredibly stupid, sometimes they are sexy, but they are always interesting in a " I can't believe Showtime is showing this" kind of way.

Corruption on TCM


Tonight I will record a movie I've wanted to see for a long time. In fact, I wanted to see it when I was 8 years old. At that time I was a fan of Peter Cushing Hammer movies. The old ones being shown on tv and the new ones at movie theaters. But there was this one that I was too young to see. It was rated R so it was off limits. I remember seeing the ads in the newspapers and wondering what the movie was like.

Well, tonight TCM will show it really late at night. And hopefully I'll see it tomorrow. I realize it's probably a terrible movie. The fact that it has never received a DVD release should tell you something. But still here it is. A "new" Peter Cushing movie in a way.

I will write about it tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Miami


I went back to Miami last weekend and had a wonderful relaxing time. I guess for me it works as a perfect weekend getaway. One to do very little except go to a spa, read a bit, take long walks, shoot a few photos here and there. Miami reminds me that a quiet, crime free, cool life is possible within a Caribbean Latino culture. It shows me all that Puerto Rico could have been but never will be. A place of quiet, respect and peace all set to a Latin beat. The best of both worlds. The order and respect of the United States and the fun things of the Latin American culture. Miami makes me happy, but it makes me sad to think of the island in which I live.

toxic things

I guess this is a follow up to my most recent post. I am taking what I did in Facebook and applying it to my life. I am staying away from the negativity and the toxicity of some people. And I seem to be trying to do the same with all things toxic: toxic food, toxic thoughts, toxic actions. Anything that goes against my physical and mental health is set aside.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Hiding Facebook contacts


These days social networks have become an outlet for political diatribes. Every person giving their opinion, most in a particularly aggressive way. And this was making my Facebook experience a real pain. Luckily I discovered a button that "hides" all the comments and updates from annoying people. And I basically 'hid" 90% of my contacts.

When I visit a social network, I want to see what's going on in that person's life. Maybe share a joke or a curious articles. But I don't care about what you think about the government, the governor, the president. I just don't

So now when I go into Facebook, it's a wonderful experience. It's an escape from the world, not a reinforcement of all that is bad in it.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Deadly Affair


One of the great things about TCM is discovering forgotten gems. And I happened to catch one the other night. It is called :The Deadly Affair". It is based on a novel by famous spy thriller writer John Le Carre. It features his famous character George Smiley, but since Paramount owned the rights to that name, his name was changed. James Mason, a truly great actor plays an aging spy, married to a woman who doesn't love him. His job now is to investigate public servants for security concerns. One day he interviews someone who later commits suicide. Mason becomes convinced that it is a case of murder, not suicide.

The movie works very well. It keeps you guessing and it has some wonderful character actors such as Roy Kinnear and many others. It is not available on DVD so if you want to see it you may have to wait for TCM to show it again.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Girly


There's a site called 'Eccentric Cinema" that I visit regularly. Because it keeps me informed of the DVD release of really strange movies. Like this one called "Girly", also known as "Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly" . It was directed by Freddie Francis, the director of photography of classics such as "The Elephant Man". And it is quite a treat. Imagine the Addams Family with homicidal tendencies and you get a sense of this perverse, little movie. It is funny, it keeps you guessing. It is a movie that surprises you with it's weird atmosphere, but it never descends into gore or anything like that. And Vanessa Howard turns in a really amazing performance as the sexy member of the clan. But then again, the movie avoids nudity or anything explicit. Further proof that sometimes less is more.
All in all, a fine way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Color me Kubrick


There are very few movies that intensely hate. And last night I saw one of them. It is called " Color me Kubrick", a movie about a man who fooled many people pretending to be Stanley Kubrick and taking money away from them. The premise is interesting, but the execution is awful. John Malkovich is one of the most insufferable performances ever plays the main character. The movie is constantly winking at you, letting you know that this all a joke. But the problem is that the joke is not funny. I saw 45 minutes of this awful movie and decided to turn it off. 45 minutes that I completely wasted.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Crazy Heart


I'm a sucker for small movies. Perhaps because my formative cinema years were the early 1970's when small, personal films were the norm. So it's wonderful when a new movie reminds me a bit of that era. This movie about an alcoholic country singer who suddenly finds love and realizes that he must change his life is a low key affair centered by a good performance by Jeff Bridges. I must admit it's one of those performances tailored made to win awards. And I'm never too fond of those. but in this case it's fine. Colin Farrell's uncredited performance here is perhaps better.

But the movie is a fine one and has an ending that for once does not seem to be pandering to focus groups. It is real, bitterweet, more on the bitter side. "Crazy Heart" is not a masterpiece. It is not a great movie. But it is a wonderful, unpretentious one. And in these days of 3-D bombast, it's such a damn change of pace.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

wine


One of the pleasures of European travel is the enjoyment of the wine culture. I never drink wine with a meal over here, but over there one almost feels a duty to have two glasses with dinner. And I had forgotten how wonderful that is. One enjoys the meal in another way. I ate it slower since I was pausing to really savor the wine. And maybe I'm exaggerating here, but once I had finished it, I felt so good. And falling asleep a few hours later was no problem. The relaxation after a busy day was complete. Everything was right.

There are no fat people in Paris


Last week while walking the streets of Paris, a friend commented "Have you noticed that there is not a single obese person in this city?". And it was true. There was not a single overweight individual in the damn city. And it was not because of exercise since one had to look hard to find a jogger around in the morning. We started talking about theories and the one that seemed to make the most sense involved the fact that there were few fast food joints in Paris. So maybe that is the secret. Stop eating that stupid junk food. Forget about KFC, Burger King and others and you will become a healthier person. You can eat your croissants and your butter. But forget about the Whoppers.

A theory that made sense when we went to Barcelona, a city brimming with fast food places. And there they were. The obese people. The overweight kids.

Monday, April 26, 2010

The Pacific


I almost never get caught up in television series, but the HBO series "The Pacific" has me completely hooked. It is one the best works of art about the brutality of war ever made. There are scenes that seem not to happen in the Pacific islands, but in some kind of hell. These scenes are also even harder to watch because this series gets you to know these characters and you have seen them travel from the naivete of their upbringing to this place where death, blood and hopelessness is everywhere.
It is specially harrowing because the characters are not fictional, but real.

This amazing series is also about what war does to the mind. How it simply cause so much damage that nobody can return to normality again. Some of them simply break down in the middle of battle.

But is is also about the high cost of war in human terms. And when one sees that the Japanese were unwilling to surrender, it shows why the United States had to resort to the atomic bomb. If taking small islands meant thousands of deaths, takeing Japna would have meant close to 500,000 casualties.

This is a series worth watching.