"Bread and Roses"

United Kingdom, 2000
U.S. Release Date: 5/11/01 (LA), 5/18/01 (limited)
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: R

Cast: Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo, Jack McGee, George Lopez, Alonso Chavez, Monica Rivas, Frankie Davila
Director: Ken Loach
Producer: Rebecca O'Brien
Screenplay: Paul Laverty
Cinematography: Barry Ackroyd
Music: George Fenton
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Films
In English and Spanish with subtitles

Bread and Roses is not a film you come across on a regular basis, and I’m pleased I happened to stubble upon it this past week.

The film is based on two sisters who have come across the border from Mexico to create a new life in Los Angeles, in an immigrant community. The first sister, Rosa has been living in Los Angeles with her ill husband, working excessive hours as a janitor to pay rising medical bills. Eventually Rosa is able to save some money to pay someone to bring her sister Maya from Mexico to LA. However, as Maya is brought across the border, Rosa is unable to provide the full amount of money that was agreed upon. To compensate Rosa’s short-comings, Maya uses her body.

Soon after, Maya escapes. She and her sister are reunited and they proceed to make a living for themselves as janitors in the same building. Rosa continues to have financial problems and when there is talk of creating a union for the workers in the building she is against it – for fear she will lose her job. Maya sees things differently, believing that a union will only be beneficial. This creates major conflict between the two sisters that plays out with emotions running high.

What I really appreciated about this film was the way the characters were able to practically reach out of the screen and demand emotion from its audience. I think that films are much more successful when the audience is able to make a connection with the characters of the story – Bread and Roses exemplifies this. As an added bonus, the cinematography also made the film very realistic and interesting to watch through the use of simple angles, shots and handheld cameras.

I enjoyed this film for the human emotion and the elements of this film were well put together. It may not be an “in your face” Blockbuster, but Bread and Roses is a drama that will evoke emotion and (in my opinion) stand as a success.

Personal Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Further information can be found at IMDb.com

"The Day After Tomorrow"

United States, 2004
U.S. Release Date: 5/28/04
Running Length: 2:04
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Cast: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sela Ward, Ian Holm, Emmy Rossum, Dash Mihok, Jay O. Sanders, Austin Nichols, Tamlyn Tomita, Kenneth Welsh
Director: Roland Emmerich
Producers: Roland Emmerich, Mark Gordon
Screenplay: Roland Emmerich & Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Cinematography: Ueli Steiger

So, this movie may be based in the U.S. for the majority of it’s plot, however, there was one interesting factor that made me re-visit the destructive The Day After Tomorrow flick for this blog.

Not going to lie, the last time I watched this film I fell asleep near the beginning, but the second time around I was much more attentive – and make a note that I used to fall asleep in practically every movie I watched, so, that said, this is not a terrible film by any means.

The Day After Tomorrow is definitely a spectacle to be reckoned with. Watching the world being ripped apart by natural forces – that aren’t even natural for where the tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards are taking place.

Climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) has stumbled upon evidence that the world will have its next ice age much sooner than originally predicted. Jack believes that the next ice age will occur in the next 50-100 years, until he meets with Terry Rapson (Ian Holm) a British scientist who has been tracking the dropping temperatures of the Northern Atlantic. As the ocean temperatures drop, both scientists realize that the global freeze-over is going to be much sooner than originally anticipated. Jack approaches the President about this devastating manner and (of course) the White House brushes it off – similar to President Bush’s action plan (or lack there of) for Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. (focusing on the major cities as many films tend to do) is then bombarded by extensive weather phenomenon’s – New York City floods, Los Angeles is ripped apart by tornadoes (multiple tornadoes that even the team from Twister would be completely helpless to) and the Northern hemisphere is hit by hurricanes. Without any plan of defense from the government, the U.S. public is screwed. So! For once, we see a bunch of Americans fleeing for the Mexico border…

And, this is why I put this film in this blog: I found the situation pretty damn ironic when Americans flee for the border - and the Mexican government has taken over the border and basically say, “Nope, no way” - keeping the people from engrossing their country. Strange.

The movie did have its downfalls. The acting, well it was OK. The overall plot, OK – not to mention that some of the circumstances seemed a bit farfetched, and I’m not talking about the weather. It didn’t have a whole lot of human heart like that of Deep Impact, but it definitely captured the action.

Ultimately, The Day After Tomorrow was far more entertaining from the first time I attempted (poor attempt, but still) to watch it. The special effects were pretty cool to watch and some of the events – like the flooding of Manhattan – seemed pretty realistic. The other thing I though was pretty attention-grabbing was seeing what it would be like if these natural forces took over another region, rather than their usual territory. It was quite odd.

Personal Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Further information can be found at IMDb.com

"A Man Apart"

United States, 2003
U.S. Release Date: 4/4/03
Running Length: 1:47
MPAA Classification: R

Cast: Vin Diesel, Larenz Tate, Steve Eastin, Timothy Olyphant, Jacqueline Obradors, Geno Silva, Juan Fernadez
Director: F. Gary Gray
Producers: Robert John Degus, Vincent Newman, Joey Nittolo, Tucker Tooley
Screenplay: Christian Gudegast & Paul Scheuring
Cinematography: Jack N. Green

Ok, so maybe I’m biased – I’m not a big fan of Vin Diesel... And, I am female. So these are two very possible reasons why I wasn’t a big fan of the film A Man Apart.

Since I haven’t watched enough films with violence lately (a bit of sarcasm thrown in there) I have realized that it isn’t the violence I mind. As long as the film has something going for it other than it’s one-liners, massive explosions and action sequences, it’s an O.K. film with me.

Now, I may be giving away the ending here, so if you really don’t want to know I would recommend stopping here…

A Man Apart is your standard “good guy” out to get the “bad guy” movie – and not to be sassy, but why would be expect anything else from Vin Diesel? The film is about Sean Vetter (Diesel) who is a DEA agent south of the border. Sean has been chasing the same man for seven year – “Memo” Lucero (Geno Silva) who happens to be one of the largest drug lords, period. When Sean is put in control of a raid in Tijuana and pulls it off successfully, sending Memo to prison in California for life.

Memo is sure to make Sean pay and soon after, Sean’s wife Stacy (Jacqueline Obradors) is killed. The film continues as Memo attempts to keep his drug empire from total devastation. In comes Diablo – who is yet another powerful force in the drug world and is hard to identify because he could be either Hollywood Jack Slayton (Timothy Olyphant) or Mateo (Juan Fernández). Memo finds out that Diablo is out to kill his wife and children and tells Sean that Diablo was also the one who murdered his wife. Sean and his partner Demetrius (Larenz Tate) are out to find Diablo and will fight until justice is served.

I know that Vin Diesel is the new “action hero” and this movie does show that typical side we are used to seeing him deliver. The reason I wasn’t very impressed with this film is because it is the typical we are used to seeing. I think that Vin Diesel needs to be able to attain the different skills of acting – for example, emotion. When his wife is murdered, there is really no emotion of sadness. I mean he can do anger pretty well, but I would personally like to see him try to reach deeper into his character.

It wasn’t a terrible movie by any means, just typical. I think that it really is a film that would appeal much more to men than women for the action and testosterone that this movie exudes. Entertaining, sure; however, A Man Apart isn’t a film I would take a second look at.

Personal Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Further information can be found at IMDb.com