DVD select
Published Thursday June 19th, 2008
'Under the Same Moon' celebrates human spirit, power of love.
It would be easy to pick nits from the gentle and charming Mexican indie film Under the Same Moon (Fox, 3 stars). And because it's a sensitive tale, told from the perspective of illegal immigrants, it's a big-time target for a savage breed of nitpickers.
You know the type. No border fence can be too big or too long or too deep. They wail about jobs, economy, law and order, but their real subtext is racial purity.
Truth is, while Under the Same Moon isn't a great movie, it is far better than their nitty little comments describe it.
The film's two main characters are Rosario (Kate del Castillo), who has lived illegally in Los Angeles for four years, and Carlitos (Adrian Alonso), her 8-year-old son who lives in a small Mexican village.
Carlitos lives with his ailing grandmother in relative comfort, thanks to the steady check sent home by Rosario, yet he longs to see his mother. Rosario calls Carlitos from the same payphone every Sunday at 10 a.m. but dares not return home for fear she'll never be able to cross again.
Besides having become a very dangerous and dubious adventure, crossing the border has become a very expensive proposition, as more elaborate ways are needed to circumvent the Border Patrol and border barriers.
When the grandmother dies, Carlitos takes off on his own for the border. It becomes a trip filled with terror, danger and the kindness of strangers as a penniless Carlitos dodges authorities while trying to survive long enough to make it to L.A.
Carlitos enlists the aid of another illegal, the cynical and bitter migrant worker Enrique (Eugenio Derbez).
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Rosario is unaware of Carlitos' journey as she struggles to make a life on small housecleaning jobs and freelance seamstress work. As an undocumented worker she is vulnerable to the whims of employers and at the mercy of a transit system that stretches already long days with longer meandering bus commutes.
Under the Same Moon is a celebration of the human spirit and the triumph of love over adverse conditions - a universal message that's recognizable to all and can be embraced by anyone.
First-time screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos is a U.S. citizen and resident of Los Angeles who wanted to write about life as she sees it around her. Director Patricia Riggen, a Mexican citizen, shares that perspective. Together they have created a powerful story that lends voice to people too often dismissed in stereotypes by the border-agenda crowd.
Politics aside, Under the Same Moon is a solid piece of entertainment with memorable performances from Castillo, Derbez and Alonso, among others. Speaking of others, watch for the red-hot America Ferrera as an El Paso woman offering to smuggle babies into the U.S.
ALSO THIS WEEK
Chaos Theory (Warner, 3 stars) Order and predictability are what efficiency expert Frank Allen (an engaging Ryan Reynolds) is all about in this sweet comedy/drama. His timetable life is upended when wife Susan (Emily Mortimer of Lars and the Real Girl) messes with his watch - the compass of his life. But as Frank's life begins spinning out of his control he develops a taste for the unpredictable. That newly acquired taste leads to major consequences for Allen. Suffice to say that Chaos Theory is all over the map, but there's plenty there that's provocative enough for the movie fan looking for more than cheap laughs. Cast also includes Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) and Stuart Townsend (Night Stalker).
Jack & Jill vs. The World (First Look Studios, unreviewed) Freddie Prinze Jr. plays Jack, a totally together big-city ad executive who falls for the free-spirited and enigmatic Jill (Taryn Manning). The story sounds remarkably similar to the Keanu Reeves-Charlize Theron weeper Sweet November.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (Universal, unreviewed) Big-time L.A. talk-show host Roscoe Jenkins (Martin Lawrence) returns to his Deep South roots for a hometown family reunion and discovers he's still small-time Roscoe to family and friends in this comedy. Cast includes James Earl Jones, Margaret Avery, Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Clarke Duncan, Mike Epps, Mo'Nique and Joy Bryant.
Coming to a DVD queue near you:
Action comedy "Fool's Gold" starring Matthew McConaughey as a Florida treasure-hunting beach bum and Kate Hudson as the sexy ex-wife who thought she no longer loved him. Nothing like the prospect of tons of buried treasure to rekindle love. Also stars Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena and Ray Winstone.
Once again, the highly imaginative writer-director Michel Gondry turns the ordinary into the sublime with the fantasy-comedy "Be Kind Rewind." Jack Black accidentally magnetizes his brain and subsequently wipes out the content of all the tapes in his friend's (Mos Def) VHS rental store. In order to satisfy the store's main customer, an elderly lady with mild dementia, the pair and their friends and neighbors re-create some of the most popular films - well, sort of. With a Gondry film ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "The Science of Sleep") you just have to go with Gondry and embrace the magic.
Offbeat indie comedy about getting your life in order "Just Add Water" stars Dylan Walsh, Danny DeVito, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Anika Noni Rose and Tracy Middendorf.
Colin Hanks is an FBI agent who discovers his mom (Meg Ryan) is dating the bureau's No. 1 suspect (Antonio Banderas) in the comedy caper "My Mom's New Boyfriend." Also stars Selma Blair.
Good and evil square off in a utopian fantasy world in the Korean martial arts epic "The Restless."
IT CAME FROM TV
Disney movie-length tweener pic "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Lip Synchin' in the Rain"; Whoopi Goldberg narrates the prequel "Meerkat Manor: The Story Begins" while season three of the popular anthropomorphic Animal Planet soap opera series debuts; season one of sexy spy thriller "Burn Notice" with Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar and Bruce Campbell; season four of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch"; season three, volume one, of "Dynasty"; debut season of the Showtime scorcher "Californication"; and the second and final season of the cult favorite "Jericho," including an alternative ending.
FROM THE VAULTS
Remember the fiery bombshell from Brazil - She sang! She danced! She acted! - with the fruit basket atop her head? Yeah, Carmen Miranda. Well, Fox has given her a tribute box, "The Carmen Miranda Collection," featuring five of the more popular films staring the native of Portugal (immigrant to Brazil). In the set, four films make their DVD debuts: "Doll Face" (1946); "Greenwich Village" (1944); "If I'm Lucky" (1946); and "Something for the Boys" (1944). Also, the newly remastered "The Gang's All Here" (1943). For tutti-frutti fans who can't get enough of Carmen/Chiquita/Dorita/Rosita, Fox is releasing separately three earlier titles in which Miranda has roles as a musical performer: "Down Argentine Way" (1940); "Week-End in Havana" (1941); and "That Night in Rio" (1941).
A 45th anniversary edition of Disney's animated classic "The Sword in the Stone" comes chock full of extras and fond memories for young Warts everywhere who dreamed of growing up to be king. Not among the best animated films in Disney's stable - the 1960s weren't a high mark for the studio - but certainly a well-told take on the King Arthur legend with great music from the Sherman brothers. Trivia bit: This is the first Disney animated feature created under the guidance of a single director, Wolfgang Reitherman. The Shermans are profiled on the disc extras, which include to short 'toons - "Knight for a Day" and "Brave Little Tailor."
Disney re-issues the animated sequel "The Jungle Book 2" (2003) as a special edition, with all the family-friendly extras you'd expect - deleted scenes, songs, music videos, games, backgrounders, mini-documentaries.
Charlie Mackenzie (Mike Myers) is a commitment-phobic poet who falls for Harriet (Nancy Travis), a butcher with a heart of gold and possible homicidal tendencies in the whacked-out comedy "So I Married an Axe Murderer" (1993). For the 15th anniversary Sony has spiffed up the film and included a copy of the '90s soundtrack for downloading. Also stars Amanda Plummer, Brenda Fricker and Anthony LaPaglia as well as bits by Charles Grodin, Steven Wright and the late Phil Hartman.
DVD RATINGS
4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it
3 stars: Worth the risk: rent it
2 stars: On the tipping point: if nothing else is available
1 star: Don't bother: wait until it's in the $1 bin
© Copley News Service
Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com.
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