Boricua's Bond

First off, I am an aspiring independent film director myself. When I had talked to consultants about my project, they told me never to write something that I didn't know anything about. Case and point, a Russian named Val Lik has decided to write and direct a film about Puerto Ricans, like myself, and failed miserably, because it's obvious he doesn't know what he's talking about.

This movie had little plot and I couldn't tell who the lead was from time to time. When reading the TV Guide review, it stated that a white kid was trying to survive in a Puerto Rican neighborhood. When I read the online review, it stated that a painter looked to do something better with his life besides crime and drugs and prostitution. So, what character are we supposed to follow? Not even Val Lik, who plays the white kid, knows who we are supposed to follow. It's completely fake.

Not to mention, Axel, an overweight Boricua, taking off his clothes any chance he gets to do so. If I had to see this kid's ass one more time, I was going to shoot myself. His little hijinx distract from the message that Val was attempting to convey. Why add a scene where Axel hitches a ride from the police? What good is that to the overall story?

Considering how weak his story was, he enlisted the help of hip-hoppers Big Pun, DMX, Method Man, Redman, and a few others, to try and earn him some credibility. It doesn't. Not to take anything away from any of these artists, but this outsider's look on Puerto Ricans in the inner city gives him no credibility and no chance of redemption in my eyes, regardless of who he casts in the film.

I absolutely hated this movie. First there were hardly any Boricua's in the film. The story was, wait, what story? It was worst than a student film. I think the director got into some money, got some singers and rappers to be in the film and then shot random scenes, not necessarily caring whether the end result would make sense or not. Don't get fooled by Big Pun appearing on the movie poster. He is in the movie a total of about five minutes and that's only because the brilliant (can you sense my sarcasm) director used the same part of Big Pun in the beginning and then again in the end. Director,(hmmm. does he even deserve that title? uhhh, NO) at any rate, Val Lik went on to create a film where every negative stereotype about latinos were blatantly perpetuated. The movie absolutely disgusts me and it will go down as the worst movie I have seen to date.

Realistic and richly layered, yet somewhat flawed, `Boricua's Bond' is a slice of life drama about street life in the South Bronx. Some great performances by non-pro neighborhood kids (the standout being street thug Axel, the film's roly-poly comic relief, who strips naked whenever the mood strikes), and cool cameos from the likes of rappers Treach, Method Man and Redman. An impressive first feature debut from writer, director, co-producer AND co-star Val Lik, who apparently grew up on these mean streets and decided to make a movie about them instead of becoming another casualty of them.

Yo this movie, from an actors standpoint. I thought it was actually not bad if you look at the camera angles. It is a movie that is real, not fake like all other Hollywood movies. Some may not like it because it is not Hollywood. It is a movie that is too much real life to be appreciated. I read that the fat guy that got naked was disturbing. Come on, how classic was that. Everyone that has grown up in NY has a friend like that. All us NYorkers do. That is what makes us so unique. This movie may have had bad reviews because no one outside of NY really understands what goes on inside the borough's. If you knock this movie, you must be from outside of NY. Anyone who doesn't see the artistic value of this movie is foolish.

I saw this movie one late night, and could only WISH I could get my time back. It's a hispanic version of Boyz n' The Hood, but they took out a few things like good acting, good dialogue, a plot... I understand that the actors (and I use the word loosely) are not pros, but once you see the movie, you'll understand why. Character development is nil, camerawork is atrocious. This film perpetrates everybody in this neighborhood as a thug, a whore or something of the type. Not ONE person in the movie shows any redeeming value, except the white boy, the reason for the 'plot' of this movie. Once you see this movie, and I'm sorry for you if you do, you'll understand my One Line Summary.