Righteous Kill

Robert DeNiro and AL Pacion are New York cops in Righteous Kill (Overture Films)

Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro are two of my favorite actors. They both appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II (1974) and it was tantalizing  because each one's scenes brushed up against the other although the two actors never shared screen time. (DeNiro played the young Vito Corleone in flashbacks and Pacino his adult son Michael.) So close and yet so far! Then came Michael Mann's crime thriller Heat (1995) in which Pacino and DeNiro played cop and thief. But again it was mostly a tease because the two only acted together in one scene. So the potential fireworks from having these two acting dynamos perform together still felt untapped. Now Righteous Kill (opening September 12 throughout San Diego) comes along and promises to have them onscreen together for most of the film. Could this finally be the movie I've been waiting for? Building my hopes is that writer Russell Gewirtz penned the twisty Inside Man, but raising a red flag is director Jon Avnet, the man behind the disastrous 88 Minutes.

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

The new documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired opens August 15 at the Reading Gaslamp Theaters. I just want to take a brief moment to say something about the change of ownership down at Gaslamp, which had been a Pacific Theater. When I asked publicist Jo Ellen Brantferger about the new owners and their seeming commitment to showing indie, foreign or art house films on at least one screen, here's the statement I got back: "Since Reading operates the Angelika Film Center in New York City, our film programmers are very familiar with the variety of art, independent, and foreign films that are available theatrically to U.S. audiences. Reading intends to continue showing first run commercial films at the Gaslamp 15, but hopes to enhance its programming with some art, independent or foreign films that otherwise might not have come to San Diego. In fact, in the next few weeks, Reading is opening both Man from Pearl and Sixty Six." That sounds like good news and the fact that they are finally bringing the Polanski documentary (which aired on HBO) to the big screen in San Diego is definitely a plus.

Directed by Marina Zenovich, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired recounts the scandalous events of 1977 involving Roman Polanski and a 13-year-old girl who accused the famous director of giving her alcohol and Quaaludes and then raping her. All that most Americans remember about the case is that Polanski fled the U.S. to avoid punishment but the film reminds us that the circumstances of his flight were a little more complicated than that -- he actually did serve prison time and had entered into a plea bargain but fled when the judge became more interested in publicity than justice.

SDLFF Highlight: La Zona

La Zona screens Sunday March 9 at the San Diego Latino Film Festival. (Wild Bunch)

By Carlos Sepulveda

La Zona (screening March 9 at 10:00 as part of the San Diego Latino Film Festival) opens with a mysterious outlook that we later understand and grieve. The movie takes place in Mexico City, in a community inside the city that is purposely isolated from the poor slums by its rich inhabitants. The community is called La Zona, a place where the rich and the high middle class live. La Zona is separated by towering walls and protected by cameras intended to keep the petty out.

During a storm three young thieves manage to break into La Zona. Things become complicated once they are on the other side of the wall. In their attempt to steal, they murder a woman and are later caught by her neighbors. Two of the burglars are shot and killed. The third one manages to escape but is still trapped inside La Zona. So the manhunt begins for this burglar whom we later learn more about. This film's message, ideas and originality make it worth watching.

The director, Rodrigo Pla, does a great job as he shows how people change and act in times of fear and terror. The members of the community become very scared and alarmed when they realize that one of the burglars is still inside the premises. In times of fear and confusion people lose trust and turn against each other.

The film succeeds in portraying a real and present time Mexico -- a Mexico that is inundated with corruption and crime. In this film you can see what the country is really like and how business is handled. When thinking critically of the film, I realized that La Zona is very similar to the United States in the present time of war and terror. Fear and confusion have also grown in the U.S. after 9/11. People have become scared and alarmed. Some have lost trust in the Government and also turned against each other as they believe that the "enemy" is within us, just like in the movie. I feel that the U.S., like La Zona, is slowly isolating itself from the outside world. The fear pressed on its citizens by the government have made it a country that doesn't welcome people anymore as it used to before 9/11 -- a country that is gradually becoming more hostile and violent. La Zona is a great movie to go see. It is very real and relevant.

The San Diego Latino Film Festival was a great experience. It was my first time attending and I had the honor to meet, Julio Bracho, a well known Mexican actor. I had the opportunity to speak to him about the festival and his thoughts about the Latino Community.

"The Latino Film Festival permeates the Latino Community with its ideas as well as those who want to learn more about the culture," Julio Bracho said as he signed many autographs. The festival had many works of art displayed that were created by Latino artists. At the festival you have the chance to meet with some of the actors and directors in the movies showcased. It was a great opportunity to learn about movies being made outside the U.S. Instead of going to your regular movie theatre, consider going to the Latino Film Festival and experience a film from a different point of view. 

  -- Carlos Sepulveda is a senior currently attending Mount Miguel High. Carlos enjoys reading in his spare time and running. He is most interested in history, politics and world issues. Carlos likes to watch foreign films, comedies and dramas.

The Bank Job

Jason Statham in The Bank Job (Lionsgate)

Jason Statham is not an actor of great range but he's good at what he does and he's carved out a profitable and comfortable niche for himself with films such as Snatch, The Transporter and The Mean Machine. He’s a muscular action star who specializes in laconic, tough characters that are just shady enough to be dangerous and sexy but not shady enough to be unlikable. Statham doesn’t push any boundaries with his latest film, The Bank Job (opening March 7 throughout san Diego) in which he plays a not altogether reputable car dealer who gets pulled into a scam that’s way out of his league.

City of Men

Darlan Cunha and Douglas Silva of City of Men (Miramax)

If the title of the new Brazilian film City of Men (opening February 29 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) sounds familiar, it should. It's the spin off of Fernando Meirelles' 2002 film City of God, and the follow up to Meirelles' 2002 Brazilian TV series City of Men. Meirelles also serves as the producer of City of Men, which is directed by his long time collaborator Paulo Morelli. The new film isn't a sequel because there's no continuation of plot or recurring characters from the first film. (Some actors do reappear but playing different roles.) But City of Men does return to the same Rio de Janeiro slums and to similar themes about coming of age amidst violence.

In Bruges

Hitmen on holiday in In Bruges (Focus Features)
 

Irish playwright Martin McDonagh makes his feature film writing and directing debut with In Bruges (opening February 8 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas), a darkly comic tale of two hitmen on holiday in the idyllic European city that calls itself “the Venice of the North.” Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play the Irish killers. McDonagh previously worked with Gleeson on his Oscar-winning short Six-Shooter.

Trailer Park Boys

Julian, Bubbles and Ricky plan the Big Dirty in Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (Screen Media)

I never would have caught Trailer Park Boys (opened February 2 at AMC Palm Promenade Theaters) if it hadn't been for a friend of mine. She's a fan of the Canadian TV series, so she dropped everything and called me as soon as she saw an ad announcing the opening of the film in San Diego. But the film arrived without fanfare and opened at only a single theater location, so if you like the show and want to catch the film you better move fast. I had never seen the TV show but was game to see if the Trailer Park Boys could make me laugh. Past experience has proven that Canadian humor -- from Second City TV to Kids in the Hall to Strange Brew -- can be quite addictive once you've been exposed to it. No prior knowledge of the show is required to enjoy or understand the film, but an ability to divorce yourself from reality and be able to look past the low morals of the main characters helps.

Untraceable

Diane Lane as FBI agent Jennifer Marsh in Untraceable (Screen Gems)

Diane Lane first grabbed attention as a little girl sharing the screen with legendary veteran Laurence Olivier in 1979's A Little Romance. Since then she has matured into a fine actress gaining praise for work in Unfaithful, Under the Tuscan Sun and Hollywoodland. Now she takes on the role of FBI agent Jennifer Marsh in the film Untraceable (opening January 25 throughout San Diego). Imagine Hostel with a CSI twist and done for the Oxygen network crowd, and you'll have an idea of what Untraceable is like.

Cassandra’s Dream

 
Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell play brothers in Cassandra's Dream (The Weinstein Company)

Anyone with knowledge of Greek mythology (and I'm sure Woody Allen's fans would be well versed in that) would know that Cassandra had the gift of foreseeing the future but also bore the curse that no one would ever believe her predictions. So when Woody Allen named his latest film Cassandra's Dream (opening January 18 at the AMC Fashion Valley Theaters), people should sense something ominous implied in the title. And if you miss the sense of foreboding in the title there's always the ad line on the poster that warns: A chilling drama from writer and director Woody Allen. So basically, don't expect Bananas or Annie Hall.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (Image Entertainment) At 83, Sidney Lumet is one of those solid Hollywood craftsmen who came up through the Golden Age of television. He then entered feature films with such serious stage adaptations as 12 Angry Men and Long Day's Journey into Night. Like Stanley Kramer, he frequently dealt with social issues -- focusing on a Holocaust survivor in The Pawnbroker; nuclear annihilation in Fail Safe; police corruption in Serpico and Prince of the City; and the dangers of the media in Network. He's a somber, rooted-in-the-real-world filmmaker who for some strange reason was called upon to bring the musical The Wiz to the screen back in 1978 and sucked any sense of joy out of that Broadway hit. But when he sticks to material that's suited to him, he can deliver the goods, as in such fine work as Dog Day Afternoon. His latest film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (opening Nov. 9 throughout San Diego) eschews social issues, but focuses on a dark tale of one family's catastrophic downward spiral.

There's something about extremes that often prove fascinating and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is extreme in the way it proceeds to its inevitable bleak conclusion. It is in those extremes that the film proves compelling. As in such earlier Lumet films as Dog Day Afternoon, Long Day's Journey Into Night, The Verdict and Running on Empty, his latest outing deals with characters under extreme pressure and desperate for change or a way out. The character most desperate for change in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is Philip Seymour Hoffman's Andy.