rjnilmandir

Straightman is the story of Jack and David and what happens to their friendship once they become roommates.

This is a tough movie to watch. Not because of the subject matter, but because the acting, directing, and the writing are not up to the quality needed for a movie like this. While having some really great moments, it seemed that the director was more interested in keeping the viewer off balance with unsteady camera work.

The script, if there was one, seemed to broad and too focused by strokes. Where things should have been played with a delicate hand, we were smashed over the head with info. Where we should have been given the internal dialog of a character, we are just given the outcome.

The acting seemed both earnest and forced. The moments that shone are the ones where the two main characters weren't talking to each other. When they did, it felt forced and awkward.

This is a movie I would have eagerly watched when it first came out. So starved for representation in movies, I would have been glad for it. Now, it just doesn't hold up to newer movies that seem to have done the same story, but better.

East Side Love Story is about Diego Campos and his quest to get out of East L.A. and become a chef in his own restaurant. Along the way he finds that sometimes to get away from home, you just need to stay where you are.

First off, the good parts. I liked the acting and the set design. The restaurant in particular reminded me of some of the places I grew up eating in. To me, that's a bonus.

The acting, while heavy handed at times, didn't seem devoid of heart. René Alvarado (Diego) seemed to finally find his voice near the end of the movie. The rest of the cast were fun, if stereotypical, parts. Pablo, the closeted boyfriend. Wesley, the new neighbor with a problem. Bianca, the crazy aunt (or sister, depending on the writer). The understanding and wise maternal figure, Sara. All played to the fullest and farthest the actor could go.

The bad parts: The acting, while good, was deeply uneven. Most of the actors tended to "sell to the cheap seats" instead of going for smaller actions.

The writing was manic and led to uneven pacing. The whole back and forth between two characters, while building drama, was kind of tedious.

The cinematography. Again, while not terrible, shots seemed to go for more group shots than anything else. Reactions were off camera. In particular a scene between Diego and Westley left all of Diego's dialog being delivered while the back of his head was to camera.

The worst offence is the lighting. Maybe it was the copy I watched, but I couldn't see what the hell was going on some of the time. It honest to god looked like it was being lit by a flashlight ... with a dying battery.

All in all though, I would watch it again. Though, not without a glass of wine first.