Random Movie Review: The Orphanage

The Orphanage (2007 Spanish w/ English Subtitles)
Starring: Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo

















The opening scene shows Laura, an orphan at an orphanage, being adopted. Years later, she returns to the orphanage with her husband and son Simon. Before long, Simon develops invisible friends and spends much of his time playing with them. A worker named Benigna visits them and reports that Simon is HIV-positive. After a fight, Simon disappears and Laura unearths the truth about what happened at the orphanage after she left so many years ago and how Benigna and Simon's 'invisible' friends are involved. Laura can only connect with the past when she acts out thigns from her time at the orphanage.
This movie was directed by critically-acclaimed Guillermo del Toro. I personally prefer Pan's Labyrinth, but I guess he didn't write this one and thus only his style was infused. I found the story a bit disjointed and it didn't have the creeping effect that I had hoped it would. It was a well-shot movie and the acting was decent, I suppose, though I did lose a little in translation, perhaps. I should say, I think some of the suspense may not have carried over as much. I did enjoy the storyline of the boy who was nearing death being able to see the dead and his parents thinking they were just invisible. It is a twist on the traditional 'only kids can see the evil/dead/monster' theme.

It was certainly not without enjoyment or suspense, but it didn't quite live up to what I thought it could be (not that I could put my finger on exactly what was missing). I will give it a 7/10.

Random Movie Review: Like Water for Chocolate

Like Water For Chocolate (1992 Spanish w/ English Subtitles)
Starring: Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torne
















Set in Mexico in the early 20th century, Like Water for Chocolate is an erotic tale about a boy who falls in love with a girl whose mother will not allow her to marry. The mother has it set out that it is her duty as the youngest to care for her mother until her death.

In what feels like a Shakespearean move, the boy marries the girls older sister just to be close to her. In what also feels very much like Shakespeare, many mishaps happen leading to a tragedy soon after the inevitable culmination of their love. Tita wins the heart of the boy through the seduction of cooking and he never lets go of his desire. The sexual tension is the forefront of the movie, but there is an underlayer of guilt that is explored as well. The guilt of the child that wants to break loose from their parents' rules, but simultaneously feels guilty doing so. In this case it's the daughter being tethered to her mother's care, but has been explored many different ways over time.

Sometimes it is hard to get a sense of the acting when you watch a movie in subtitles, but I feel like the actors did a wonderful job of creating that sexual tension and it at least didn't translate as stale or badly acted in any way. This movie holds up well and would be heaven for any teenage boy (which I would have been around its release). I'll give it a 7/10.

A Record a Week: Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain

SIDE 1.
CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ
WILL O THE WISP

SIDE 2.
THE PAN PIPER
SAETA
SOLEA

This album is the first one I've heard by Miles Davis that has a real vibrant energy. Don't get me wrong, his immense talent always shows through, it's just that the more upbeat tempos aren't usually his style. There is also plenty of his type of jazz on this record. Infused with Spanish melodies, this album contains a larger selection of horns than a normal Davis record.

To me, the first few songs sound like backing music for a movie from the 40's or 50'swhere the dialogue might go something like 'We gotta go, see. Time is running short, see'. But then the second side sounds more like the score to a film detailing a victory by Alexander the great or some other ancient conqueror, with its horn-tooting melodies in major keys.

As someone who only has limited exposure to Miles Davis, this was a great record to experience the range of this vastly talented man.