tmcclus

"Living With The Enemy" is a modern Cinderella story gone horribly wrong. When a pretty and decent journalist accompanies her boss to interview a reclusive Bill Gates type, she gets more than she could ever have dreamed out of the initial encounter. But billion dollar fortunes aren't made on hugs, and the more the main character gets involved with this world, the more confusing things become for her until she doesn't know who to trust. I'm a big fan of thrillers and the evocative and balanced storytelling by writer Alexandra Komisaruk and Phillipe Gagnon in this film kept me guessing. A nice twist on the theme of, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Sarah Lancaster was a good choice for the lead - more depth than the usual heroine, with girl next door looks in some scenes and more sparkle in others. Overall, a good bet!

"American Me" is arguably the most significant film not discussed in the same breath with crime epics such as "The Godfather." It was clearly made, both consciously and perhaps subconsciously to be the Mexican Godfather film and that is hardly a bad thing. Its honesty regarding the emotional costs of violence and murder are on par with that film. I don't know what to say to anyone who critiques Edward James Olmos. First, this actor's capacity to convey a complicated range of emotions without words is absolutely staggering and has been seen to great effect in many great films including "Blade Runner." Additionally, he is inarguably the premiere Latino / Chicano filmmaker and actor of all time. If you look at the films he has been involved with, think about how they have dominated the way Hispanic people, Mexicans in particular, have been seen by others who would, largely, not even know of the experiences of their neighbors. "American Me" is so unflinching that, after seeing it, I had to see it again to believe it was actually made by or released by a major studio. Once upon a time studio films featured honest portraits of life but rarely any more. "American Me" tho hardly the knee-slapping comedy some reviewer wanted or expected, conveys an honest sense of the life lived by many without the hope of education or prosperity but with the same need for respect and something bigger than themselves to believe in that you or anyone else has and lives their life by. If you want to see a life perhaps very different than yours depicted with uncommon honesty, watch this film.

The storylines as described elsewhere are fairly accurate ... however I myself couldn't believe this awesome train wreck as I was watching it. "Mulholland Dr." had a dream-like structure and was surreal in its conception. This movie was sadly concocted by a man who likes Victoria's Secret catalogs (no problem there, we all do) and wanted to make a movie out of one. Only one problem, the original catalog has a more cohesive structure than this film. I'm curious about some of the lunacies, like ... why junp forward seven years and have everyone look exactly the same, what did they get out of that? Just an inside joke at our expense I guess. There was not one believable moment in this film --- it was like a thing made by children. What has become of the film industry? I despair.