Latino movie reviews

Premium Rush (Movie Review)

A bicycle action film? Really? That was the same thing I said when I saw the initial trailer from “Premium Rush“. Whoever made the pitch to the studios must have some amazing verbiage skills because the film, even though it offers plenty of action, it is not persuasive enough to be credible or enthralling.

The absurd premise has New York as background, where a messenger named Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is chased throughout the city by a dirty cop (Michael Shannon) before Wilee delivers a mysterious envelope to Chinatown by 7pm.

The film has some problematic tangents. The first is the concept of bicycle messengers. There are few cities that can offer such a business, such as New York, but Los Angeles nor London can. The infrastructure of their streets does not allow it. Will residents of provinces or suburbs be interested or connect with the storyline? If we who live in the Big Apple don’t care at all, I can’t see middle America doing so either.

Secondly, it seems silly to think that a film about bicycles can develop suspense, tension and excitement. If you think about it, the worst that can happen if a bike hits me at full speed is a break a bone. I’ll survive. It’s very similar to what happened to filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan in “The Happening“. Was I supposed to have nightmares about a few trees?! The gaul.

If I have to compliment something from “Rush†is the action. It is relentless. The escape sequences are very swift and can even entertain to a degree, but after the first hour it becomes monotonous because there is only so much juice one can squeeze from cycling? Director David Koepp, who is a very technical director, has yet to learn how to inject emotion into these scenes. The chase sequences are visually appealing, but they fail to make us give a hoot. You want to know what great chase scenes are? Watch “The French Connection” or even “We Own the Night“. Those two really are memorable.

In terms of performances, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, star of the film and an actor who has had an excellent streak of wonderful and memorable movies with the likes of “Inception”, “The Dark Knight Rises”, “(500) Days of Summer”, “50/50” and the future releases of “Looper” and “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg, does not connect here. It isn’t because he is a bad actor, it is that director Koepp’s script does not allow him nor the rest of the cast to showcase their skills. The star in truth is the action.

Michael Shannon, the antagonist to Gordon-Levitt, is a very peculiar actor. The man seems crazy, but you can always count on him to delivers memorable performances. Just watch his scenes in “Revolutionary Road†with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Dominican actress Dania Ramirez, who is always compared with Zoe Saldana, has plenty of screen time, but does little for one to remember her performance, then again what do you expect from a “cycling action movie� I am sure that her persistence will lead to a role where she can shine.

In short, I give “Premium Rush” an A for effort and creativity, but perhaps Koepp was the wrong guy to direct. The film felt forced and manufactured. Does it deserve to be seen you might ask? Perhaps out of curiosity, but not for its entertainment value.

Cosmopolis (Movie Review)

*Updated 2026

In 2026, when wealth, screens and isolation define so much of modern power, Cosmopolis feels timely in subject even when Jack’s problem with its cold abstraction still stands.

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The Watch (Movie Review)

Los mejores momentos de la comedia de ciencia ficción, The Watch, se encuentra en los avances. El resto del filme es un refrito de varias películas como Men In Black, que conduce solo al aburrimiento. Cuando una película une a Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill uno espera carcajadas a la libra, pero ellos son víctimas de un guión flojo y sin inspiración por parte de Seth Rogen y compañía. Nuestros protagonistas no tienen que comprobarse ya que su trayectoria de grandes logros hablan por si mismos (excepto por Richard Ayoade). Por lo que vi, se nota que los actores querían hacer más, pero no hay donde ir con esta ordinaria trama.

La premisa se desarrolla en un barrio en el que se crea una patrulla de vigilancia tras aparecer asesinado uno de sus habitantes. Al final, sus integrantes terminarán descubriendo una trama alienígena para destruir el mundo.

El gran problema con esta cinta son los chistes y su desordenada confabulación. El director Akiva Schaffer no es un maestro del arte de reír y fracasa penosamente aquí. En lugar de entregarnos una película fresca al estilo “Ghostbusters”, experimentamos una historia sin rumbo, alejandose de la historia principal en momentos, por ejemplo, cuando los muchachos repentinamente se encuentran en una orgía y otro sobre Stiller incapaz de preñar a su mujer. ¿Que tiene que ver esto con alienígenas? Sólo Hill y sus improvisaciones le traen un poco de vida a este problema cómico.

“The Watch”, igual que otro film de Stiller, “The Heartbreak Kid”, contiene momentos latinos. En esta ocasión un guardia de seguridad (Joe Nuñez) de la tienda de Stiller acabó de recibir sus papeles de ciudadanía, pero lo que no se espera es que sea devorado y destrozado por un extraterrestre. Luego de la muerte del hombre, Stiller se le ve deprimido escuchando a una canción mexicana en su carro a solas. Muy gracioso. Pero hay que notar que Stiller ve al cultura latina como graciosa y siempre merecedor de chistes, estereotipos. ¿No hay algo errado con eso?

No todo es terrible, pero los momentos jocosos son tan ocasionales que ¿en verdad vale pagar dinero para ver un producto así? Claro que no, especialmente cuando uno aun puede ver en cartelera y bluray las dos mejores comedias del año – “Ted” y “21 Jump Street” respectivamente. Mejor vean esos, y no se deje engañar por el trailer de ésta que debería de ser esperada en DVD.

Ruby Sparks (Movie Review)

One of the best movies you will see this year is called Ruby Sparks. It is in my top 10 films of 2012 so far, but the Academy might debate me on that. This is an engrossing romantic dramedy, full of originality, humor, metaphysical layers and packed with an emotional punch-to-the-gut at times. The performances are wonderful, the script is ingenious – reminiscent of Woody Allen – and even though it might drag a bit in the middle, it’s hard not to acknowledge that this movie is a refreshing take on a love story.

Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby (Zoe Kazan), in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.

For whomever has watched Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and the Marshall McLuhan scene, along with Marc Webb‘s (500) Days of Summer or Marc Foster‘s Stranger Than Fiction, you can appreciate Ruby Sparks vivid and colorful imagination. Zoe Kazan (It’s Complicated, Meek’s Cutoff), the screenwriter and lead actress in this movie has made a writer’s film and the deep and connected relationship that an author has with his character. With influences of the Pygmalion Greek myth and magical realism, Kazan uses it to prove a point, express an idea and convey a message. This is also a style perfected by Colombian Nobel prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez in his many works. Spark’s essence is based on this literary and cinematic aesthetic style that engages the interest and provokes a desire to see more of it. We, unfortunately, aren’t exposed to much from our American writers but Webb and now Kazan seem to be indulging us with it in the last few years. 

Paul Dano, a mostly indie actor, has impressed me with two particular films as of late: Being Flynn, and the subject at hand, Ruby Sparks. In both, Dano taps into a gritty, real man’s persona as if he was one – not an actor – but an everyday man plucked from the streets of New York to play a part. He’s pretty authentic, depressing, fragile and vulnerable mostly, but authentic. Here he drowns in anguish as Calvin Weir-Fields, an author so fixated on the complexities in life, that he develops writer’s block. He nails the plight of someone consternated by too many questions and thoughts. Then, we see his delight of being in love to only see the gloom of loss. He pulled it off and it was a pleasure to see. 

Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan, one of the most influential directors in Broadway and film, wrote the script which she stars in with her real life boyfriend – Paul Dano. Surprise! The chemistry between both are evident (it’s not always true of couples on screen), but it’s her narrative that shines. Kazan and Dano had met while doing a play together and previously acted together in Kelly Reichardt’s western Meek’s Cutoff. Recognizing their real life chemistry as a vital resource, directors Dayton & Faris (Little Miss Sunshine) tapped into Dano and Kazan’s romance to present real emotion and it worked. On the acting side, Kazan is the  heart  of  the movie. She’s free spirited, sexy, brave and imperfect – all from a fictional person come to life.

Antonio Banderas plays a small role as Mort, Dano’s mother’s boyfriend. He’s a man who embodies  this  kind of overt sexuality and free form, anti-establishment playfulness. He’s effusive and loving, but it is what  makes Calvin, who is wound pretty tight, resist him. It is the first time Banderas works with dual directors, but it didn’t seem like he had any problems with it.

The pacing of the movie begins with an upbeat tempo, but 45 minutes or so into it, it begins to drag a bit, hanging on to emotional intricacies that can fatigue the mind. It picks up again to the eventual and heartbreaking denouement.

Overall, Ruby Sparks is for moviegoers who enjoy high concept indie stories, romantic films and Woody Allenism’s. Durign or after the movie, you’ll be asking yourself whether Ruby Sparks was for real or not. That just adds to the charm of this small gem of a film.