vilj-1 Reviews

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

The Lowest Possible Rating

[10/10 · 21 February 2022]

This is not a review, since my rating of "10" tells you what i thought of the documentary, which is nominated for an OSCAR . This is just an observation, that as of now, 1:33 p.m. On Monday February 21, 2022, there are 126 persons that have given this documentary the lowest possible rating available. That of "1" which means that they didn't find anything at all interesting, no musical acts, no commentary no period footage, nothing at all. It happens all the time on IMDb. Look at the Top 5 rated films of all time and you'll see "1" ratings.

The Lady and the Dale (2021)

Maybe he is just like his father or worse.

[8/10 · 14 March 2021]

Across four episodes, viewers learn about Carmichael, a convicted fraudster whose biggest scheme saw her peddle a three-wheel, fuel-efficient vehicle known as the Dale in the 1970s. Consumers threw money at Carmichael as a deposit for a vehicle that was never produced. While fleeing justice, she and her family (including her five kids and their mother) moved all over the country. We also learn about Richard Warner Carlson, a former "Gonzo Reporter" who is the father of the equally poisonous elder son Tucker Carlson (Fox News). Liz was found living in Florida under an alias and was arrested and extradited to Los Angeles, where she was convicted on 31 counts of grand theft, fraud, and corporate security violations. It was through her arrest and incarceration that the world discovered Carmichael's dead name and her long-running criminal history. She died in 2004 from various health issues, mainly cancer. While The Lady and the Dale provides definitive answers to many questions, one major one remains: Did Carmichael plan for the Dale to be a money-grabbing scheme all along, or did she seriously want to challenge the automotive industry?

I think Liz bit off more than she could chew and that was her shot to be a successful entrepreneur. She had been aiming for that for so long but her past as a criminal was always going to catch up to her."

"I think she was being genuine about the Dale, and there's no telling how much unconscious behavior was happening." (Zackary Drucker)

The Reagans (2020)

An "icon" of the Republican Party

[10/10 · 2 January 2021]

An excellent documentary that shows that Republican icon Ronald Reagan was, for the most part, a terrible president. I learned that he was worse than I thought he was. There are also many parallels with Donald Trump, who seemed to have followed the Reagan's playbook. Of course, as bad as Reagan was, Trump was much, much worse. The worst in the history of the United States.

537 Votes (2020)

"537 Votes" tells it like it was

[10/10 · 25 October 2020]

This was one of Fidel's biggest worldwide victories. The War for Elian Gonzalez was heard throughout the world. La Familia Cubana de Miami and Cubans in general came out looking like "dirt". Many Cuban Democrats didn't vote for Gore as payback for the Democrats having "taken" Elian back to Cuba with his father (voto de castigo). That of course, contributed to Bush winning, with consequences like the war in Iraq and you know the rest. Excellent documentary.

Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again (2014 TV Movie)

Surprisingly Very Good

[10/10 · 1 January 2015]

I watched this documentary on HBO and I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. One does not have to be a fan of J.Lo or her music to appreciate this documentary. It is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish. It was very funny at times and a little sad at others, but most of all, it was realistic. I am not a big fan of her music, but I found this documentary to be excellent. We get a brief history of her start in the business, and we get to see her interact with her fans, and the members of her tour group. We also get to know about her mother and what it is like to be on a world tour. There was a surprise at the end of her tour when she finished it in Puerto Rico.

How to Survive a Plague (2012)

PBS Telecast: The Good and the Bad

[9/10 · 31 December 2013]

This documentary was shown by PBS, in my area, on Monday 12/30/2013. That was GOOD, since otherwise, I would not have watched it, because I didn't even know this 2012 documentary even existed. The BAD part of it, is that PBS showed it from 11pm to 12:30pm, therefore they showed a close to a 1:30 hours documentary and the running time of it is 1:50 hours. That's 20 minutes of footage missing from the original documentary, which was filmed with a running time of 110 minutes. Documentaries are usually well edited, that's why there is always a lot of "extras," deleted scenes and so on. GOOD for PBS for showing it, but BAD (very bad) for cutting 20 minutes from it.

Off the Rez (2011)

2013 and 2022 Updates

[11 April 2013]

As of April 2013, 5'10" Shoni Schimmel along with her sister 5'5" Jude Schimmel are playing basketball for the University of Louisville. Shoni is a Junior and Jude a sophomore. They, along with their teammates, led Louisville into the Championship Game of the 2013 Women's NCAA Tournament where they lost to UCONN, but they upset defending champion and the number one ranked team in the nation at that time Baylor which had a record of 34-1 when they played Louisville. They also upset #2 seed TENN and #2 seed California. Louisville ended the season at 29-9. Both Schimmel's sister will return to play again next season for Louisville university. 2022 UPDATE: Two-time WNBA All-Star Shoni Schimmel has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations of assault against her former partner, the U. S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

The 29-year-old Schimmel faces charges of assault by strangulation of an intimate dating partner and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury. She faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, three years' supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.

Schimmel was arrested, arraigned and released on Friday, with a two-day jury trial scheduled for June 14, 2022, in Oregon.

El premio (2009)

Good Film. Not many viewers.

[8/10 · 29 June 2011]

I like to watch foreign films. Most of the time, I select those that are widely acclaimed, but I picked this one up even though I had checked IMDb prior to renting it and saw that, at the time, only 13 people had rated it, there was no professional nor viewers reviews, and it had close to a 6 rating. I really liked the film. It had a good story arc, good photography and acting, interesting characters and a good ending. I think this was the first Peruvian film I have watched (maybe the second). It gave me an insight on the daily living of a segment of the Peruvian people, those in the city and the ones from the country side and the film showed, to me, that people are about the same everywhere. There are good, honest people and there are those that are not so good people. The country doesn't matter. Human condition and values does.

P.O.V.: My Country, My Country (2006) Season 19, Episode 12

Excellent Documentary

[10/10 · 25 September 2010]

This film is a look at what a mess the Iraq situation is under American occupation. It was filmed from June 2004 thru February 2005. Among other things, it shows the emotional toll the occupation has caused on Iraqis and also on the American soldiers and one wonders what became of the people that appeared in the documentary and if the occupation was worth it. This film was one of the five nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Feature category during the 79th Annual Academy Awards. Another film nominated and dealing with this subject was "Iraq In Fragments" which I recommend, although I liked "My Country, My Country" better. The winner of the Oscar was "An Inconvenient Truth" --- The other two films nominated were "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Jesus Camp," both were excellent. All five of these documentaries deserve to be seen and they are worth your time. ADDITION (10/7/10): Another excellent documentary dealing with the subject of the Iraq war, is "Gunner Palace" (2004) which I also recommend.

The Memory Thief (2007)

Not that good but not that bad either.

[6/10 · 28 August 2010]

A young man, who doesn't appear to have much of a life, whose mother is seriously ill, works as a toll-booth collector but is not that great at it, by some circumstances, become obsessed with the Jewish faith and the Holocaust and gets deeply involved in documenting testimony from Jews concentration camps survivors, with mixed results. His involvement with the daughter of one of the survivors is interesting and brought life to the script, and the revelations of the survivors, many of them actual (real) survivors, was very effective. Some have called this film a "psychological thriller," but I would not go that far. I found the film interesting. Not that good, but not that bad either. Just satisfactory. I am glad I saw it, but I would not recommend it to anyone, saying, "Hey, you have to watch this movie (The Memory Thief) it is really good." because, to me, it wasn't.

No Greater Love (2010)

A Pleasant Surprise

[7/10 · 7 May 2010]

I ordered this film online from my public library, without knowing too much about it. Once I got it and I read the DVD jacket, and saw that it was a Christian film, I was hesitant about watching it. I decided to do so and I was pleasantly surprised. The film was very entertaining with a good plot line and good acting all-around. It has a wholesome message about faith, marriage, friendship, forgiveness and life in general. To me, the film was a little "preachy" but I learned something from it and I enjoyed watching it. To tell you the truth, I have no idea why I ordered this film, since I had not heard anything about it and it was not reviewed in my hometown newspapers. Maybe it was meant to be.

The Ministers (2009)

A Frank Reyes Film!

[8/10 · 25 January 2010]

When one watches a Frank Reyes film, one knows the movie will be entertaining and there will be plenty of action. Reyes is a disciple of John Singleton. One watches his films for entertainment and for escapism, nothing more. Thirteen years after her father was slain, and now a New York City homicide detective, she (the lead actress) sets out to discover the truth behind the gruesome murder. The movie has a kind of religious theme and is a psychological thriller with a nice arc from start to finish. Great acting from John Leguizamo, Harvey Keitel and Wanda De Jesus, who is a "regular" from Reyes films. Don't analyze every frame, just take it for what it is and sit back and enjoy the film.

The Take (2007)

A Film Worth Seeing!

[8/10 · 30 August 2009]

I was surprised by the low ratings this movie has received in this forum. "The Take" is an independent film made with practically no money and filmed in a short period of time, but it is a very good film nonetheless. John Leguizamo was very good as an armored-car driver who survives being shot in the head. Rosie Perez was nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" in the 2009 Independent Film Spirit Awards. Bobby Cannavale, Tyrese Gibson and the rest of the cast are also very good. The film has great locations from East Los Angeles, depicting the daily life of a working-class family. It has action, humor, it is very entertaining and holds your interest to the very end. What else do you want in a movie?

Noche de reyes (2001)

Surprised by the low ratings.

[8/10 · 23 March 2009]

I was surprised by the low ratings this film has received among IMDb voters (4.9 as of today). The film has an excellent cast and its entertaining throughout. Sure, some of the things that occur during the film could never happen in real life, but the exaggeration of the situations makes it funny. It is a zany, madcap comedy of the kind Hollywood used to make. You can't analyze this film to see if it is logical or the situations are real. Just sit back, relax your mind, and enjoy the ride. If you want a light comedy in which you can forget about everything for one hour and forty minutes and watch good acting and funny situations, then the Spanish film "Noche de Reyes" is for you. Watch it, and if you agree with me, lets raise its IMDb rating to at least a 6.

American Visa (2005)

An entertaining film!

[8/10 · 1 March 2009]

I enjoyed watching this film. It is mixture of characters and story-line that, at times, doesn't merge too well. Demian Bichir plays a father that wishes to travel to the USA to see his son, but also to stay there and work. Kate Del Castillo plays the hooker-pole-dancer with the heart of gold who loves her country, Bolivia, in spite of the poverty. One can see on this film, the potential for better roles in the English language for her, like Trade and Under the Same Moon (Bajo la misma Luna). The corruption and the description of the "gringos" in this film is greatly exaggerated, but it will play well with the core audiences. I recommend the film because of its entertainment value. It has good acting, good music and great visuals, to go with a decent story line, if one does not pay too much attention to details.

Frozen River (2008)

The praises for this movie are well deserved

[10/10 · 17 February 2009]

I decided to see this movie, ahead of many others, because it was listed as #10 in Richard Roeper's (Chicago Sun Times) list of the best 25 films of 2008. This is an independent film that lives up to the hype. It is about two single mothers that live in house trailers and are trying to get by and put food on the table for their children and just struggling to survive with the bare essentials. I am glad to see that character actress Melissa Leo was given a chance at a leading role and aced it by earning a nomination for an Oscar for best performance by an actress. Both of the actresses (M. Leo and Misty Upham) are strong woman living in economic emergency that are forced by circumstances to act in ways they would normally would not. The story was good and realistic from beginning to end. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival 2008, has earned 21 wins and 16 nominations, including 2 Oscar nominations for Best Performance for an actress in a leading role and Best writing, screenplay written directly for the screen, and is up for 7 Independent Spirit Awards. Although it is a different type of film, I liked it better than Tropic Thunder and The Dark Knight. I rated it a 10!

Ciudad de ciegos (1991)

It was just an OK movie.

[6/10 · 14 February 2009]

This 1991, low budget film, takes place during the year of 1968, when the Summer Olympic games were played in Mexico City. There were no connections from one scene to the other and the movie goes nowhere. I give it credit for the accuracy of the objects of the time it portrays, like the song "Eight Days a Week" by The Beatles, the use of long-playing albums and cassettes to listen to music, the rotary phones, the clothing, and furniture of the period. All that was accurate and a reminder of the late 1960's, early 70's. I also give the film credit for its realistic sex scenes which included full-frontal nudity, rarely seen, for these type of movies, in the United States. I didn't mind having seen the film, because it was only 1 hour and 26 minutes long, and I don't get to see too many Spanish speaking films in the USA, but I would not recommend it as "great entertainment."

¿De qué se ríen las mujeres? (1997)

A very pleasant romantic comedy.

[9/10 · 1 February 2009]

This will be more of a commentary than a review of the film. Since the movie was released in 1997 and as of today (February 2009) it had only 80 rates on the IMDb ratings, I don't think it will be read by many, therefore, I will be brief. The film, to me, was a very pleasant romantic comedy that kept me entertained for the almost two hours of duration. I liked everyone in the excellent cast, and the female actors were all very attractive. I have seen many, Hollywood-romantic-comedies that couldn't compare with this one, but many give them a higher rating because they are Hollywood-made. I watched this film in its original language (Spanish). Perhaps it loses some of its charms with subtitles. I enjoyed the film tremendously and I guarantee you that if you rent it, you'll enjoy it and have a few laughs. It was funny, great actors and a super soundtrack. I am glad I saw it.

Illegal Tender (2007)

A very entertaining film

[9/10 · 1 January 2008]

What a little jewel of a film, and to think that I almost missed it because of negative comments by some viewers and critics. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. You have to take it for what it is and just enjoy the ride. It is an action-packed thriller, well acted and never boring. Although John Singleton was only a producer of this film (it was directed by Franc Reyes). If you enjoy Mr. Singleton's type of films, you will certainly enjoy this one. I highly recommend it for EVERYONE, but especially for those that understand Spanish. Reggaeton star Tego Calderon, acting on his first film, was fantastic, as well as the performances of Rick Gonzalez, Dania Ramirez and the wonderful Wanda De Jesus. It was a hard-hitting film, with gripping action and suspense, with a great music soundtrack. Do yourself a favor, rent the DVD and see for yourself. You won't regret it.