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Reviews
Bastards y Diablos (2015)
Beautiful extraordinary film
I attended the premiere of Bastards y Diablos at L.A. Film Festival last night. I wasn't entirely certain what to expect but almost from the first moment the film captured my heart with every aspect, from story to acting to cinematography to score. The last film that did that is a small Scottish film called "Dear Frankie" which I first saw 10 years ago. This film has some similarities to that one - a story line based on the screenwriter's history, a strong emphasis on an absentee father, and direction and cinematography that make the country in which it was filmed (Columbia in this case) like one of the characters of the film. Until last night Columbia to me was primarily known for coffee, cocaine and cartels. But what I saw in this film was an incredibly breathtaking country with amazing, vibrant people. I was extremely touched by the story which took the estranged half-brothers to various significant places in their father's native land as per his last wishes. There is humor, love, anger and realizations of how one's father (good or bad) impacts the choices you make and the person you become. The quality of the film belies the extremely small budget on which it was made. I hope it gets a distributor, I believe it would touch many hearts as it did mine and everyone else I spoke to following the screening.
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
Who's the hero?
I loved the original 300 and hoped this one might come close, but sadly it did not. My biggest issue is that I was left confused about who I was supposed to cheer for. The original built a strong connection between Leonidas and Queen Gorgo and you knew the names of his top soldiers and why they followed him with such admiration and devotion. Not so Themistocles - he is underdeveloped as a character and didn't carry the screen presence required. On the other hand Artemesia is given so much of a valid reason for hating the Greeks that it is hard to fault her for fighting them, and she is a great kick-butt character. So the villain comes across more as the hero. They should have made it a battle between Gorgo and Artemisia and left Themistocles out of it. Best moments of the movie were the ones with the Spartans, but those were too brief.
Shrek (2001)
Great fun for adults as well as one to take the kids to.
The movie is fun with some jokes that adults will catch but the kids might not, yet the youngsters will still laugh and enjoy it. The story is well done, the voice-overs are great, the animation quality is amazing, the music gets you moving and grooving. My husband and I both loved this movie and said it is a "must own" when it comes out on video or DVD. We left the theater feeling we'd been well entertained and that is what we hope for from a movie. This one delivers and then some.