Calçada da Fama

Odd, brave, if not completely successful drama.

A Mexican father in Los Angeles forces his son, who wants to be an actor, into prostitution.

The story details his misadventures in Hollywood in both the sexual and movie making arenas, as well as the completely dysfunctional family that surrounds him.

Much like Arteta's later films, there's a surreal humor under it all, and a genuine weirdness at how matter of fact its all treated. Good use of music as well.

The acting could have been better, which would have elevated it considerably. But it still is a unique, and strangely entertaining look at a warped and dysfunctional world.

STAR MAPS

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

The dreams of a Mexican-American boy (Douglas Spain) are shattered by his abusive father.

STAR MAPS is a reasonably engaging, though somewhat downbeat, examination of frustrated idealism amid the seedier side of life in Hollywood. The film's cynical narrative mixes dysfunctional families, mental breakdown, suicide, prostitution (male and female), sex and violence into a brew which simmers nicely without ever boiling over into something truly remarkable.

This movie wants to be great. It's got a really fresh, original script. Sometimes the directing is just as fresh and original. But every time you think it's going to immerse you, it turns into a TV movie. The "look" of the movie often (but not always) screams TV and not film. The acting is usually "art house" good. But

then some scene is so poorly acted you have to wonder why the director didn't make another take. The pacing is rushed and then not. It's like two different directors worked on two films from the same script and some inexperienced

editor had to make it into one movie.

The sex scenes are quite hot, but then the pacing is clipped. It plays like a very late-night TV movie where they want to include sex, but they don't want it to be quite soft-porn, so they pan or edit it more tightly.

The movie is worth seeing, if nothing else for the great original story and

"moments" where it achieves filmness. In between you just have to sit through some scenes and wonder if the director or the art director went on break and the rest of the crew started shooting without them.

The music is often excellent, but also inconsistently tossed in without creating any overall synthesis or mood. Sometimes music can bring together a disjointed film. Here it's another missed opportunity.

Annette Murphy is a stand-out as "a whore and your father's girlfriend." Douglas Spain is so beautiful in this that he smolders -- completely convincing as a

young prostitute. Lysa Flores (who was also the musical director) is one of the actors that makes the movie not suck -- terrific! Kandeyce Jorden is distractingly beautiful as a Cindy Crawford look-alike. Unfortunately she's miscast. Her

monotone voice, while alluring, doesn't fit the style of the film. It comes off as bored or disinterested, which doesn't match her character's motivation. Her sex scenes are very nice, however. Kandeyce Jorden has since been writing and

directing short films. You can see Undone and Layover on the web at iFilm.com and Skyy.com.

Director/writer Miguel Arteta has directed and written "The Good Girl" since this. You can see some similarity in style and in flaws. I think Mr. Arteta needs to work with a mentor to achieve his potential. It's obviously there, it's just unrealized.

This is a sexy and interesting film. It's well worth seeing, even for the flaws.

"Star Maps" appears to be a sincere dramatic product which simply spreads itself too thin. The film attempts to focus on the problems, unusual in both quantity and character, which beset a Mexican family in Los Angeles. However, it spreads itself to thin, lacks purpose, plays out uneven, is occasionally hard to swallow, and when it runs out of time it just quits. Overall the film has its moments but they're too few and too far between. A somewhat gritty drama with strong sexual content, "Star Maps" just doesn't measure up. Most likely to be appreciated by indie lovers and Mex-Am audiences. (C-)

I saw this movie and really liked it! The acting was excellent and the characters were very well developed. Even the smaller parts were notable, especially the part of the Bel Aire Man played by Bill Gordon. I recommend this movie to all art movie fans.