luis guzman Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Review: The Taking of Pelham 123
Filed under: Action », Thrillers », Mystery & Suspense », Sony », Theatrical Reviews », Remakes and Sequels », Summer Movies »
"How the hell can you run a goddamn railroad without swearing?"
-The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
"I got 99 problems, and a bitch ain't one."
-The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)
About as loud as Joseph Sargent's original was lean, Tony Scott's take on The Taking of Pelham 123 is more indebted to his name than its own, all restless shots and relentless cuts, ticking clocks and roving maps, a stream of shouting and shooting and speed-ramping and slow-motion and all that jazz. The conversations are cranked up, and the confrontations are amped up, but to what end? Scott whips out the familiar frame-blurring techniques that have ostensibly served him well in the past, but his flair tends to instead rob a crackerjack crime thriller of an inherent momentum that has served it quite well over the span of almost four decades.
Review: Fighting
Filed under: Drama », New Releases », Universal », Theatrical Reviews »
"I believe in fate," murmurs the soft-spoken Shawn MacArthur, by way of explaining how he was positive that he'd run into beautiful single mother / cocktail waitress Zulay so soon after a fleeting encounter in the most populated city in the United States. But he might as well have said, "I believe in movies in which every step of the narrative is telegraphed well in advance, every character is numbingly familiar, every choreographed brawl is edited into unwatchable confusion, and a feisty, tiny, Spanish-speaking mother steals the show."
As played by Channing Tatum in Fighting, a low-key potboiler directed by Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints), Shawn is a mysterious, brooding loner with downcast eyes that only light up when he's flailing away at an opponent with his hands, feet, or head. Shawn has somehow landed in New York City, evidently by fate, since we never learn why he headed to the Big Apple instead of, say, Cincinnati or Atlanta or Albuquerque.
Eventually, pieces of his back story emerge, but long before that happens, the two defining aspects of his personality are writ large: he's a nice guy with a wicked temper. One moment, he's politely holding an emergency gate open for an elderly lady in the subway and bemusedly indulging a long stream of cheats who quickly follow behind her. The next, he's flailing away at a gang of thieves intent on disrupting his fledgling street merchant "business" of selling scavenged items on a sidewalk.
The latter scene is where he catches the eye of two other characters who will, inevitably, become the most important people in his life: Terrence Howard as street hustler Harvey and Zulay Henao as Zulay, a woman trying to buy a children's book.
Review: Yes Man
Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Warner Brothers », Theatrical Reviews »
Yes, I consider myself a Jim Carrey fan. No, I do not consider myself an apologist for anything he's done. Yes, his latest -- Yes Man -- is amusing. No, it's not his big comeback to live-action fodder since 2005's Fun with Dick and Jane (apparently, last year's The Number 23 wasn't supposed to be funny...), but rather a minor lark in the Canadian comedian's career that attempts to wedge together the wisest cracks and broadest mugging of his Tom Shadyac comic fantasies, Bruce Almighty and Liar Liar, with the exceedingly conventional rom-com efforts of director Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Down with Love). Yes, the combination (substitution?) leaves something to be desired, although no, it's not exactly a painful sit because of it...
Oh, and yes, the rest of the review will read just like this.
Alfred Molina Takes a Walk Over to 'Humboldt Park'
Filed under: Comedy », Casting »
Back in December, I told you about a new holiday movie in the works called Humboldt Park. Starring John Leguizamo and Freddy Rodriguez, the film was so specifically described as a movie about a family reunion in Chicago's Humboldt Park over the holidays. Hooked yet? Now The Hollywood Reporter has shared more of the cast, and a bit more about the mysterious plot. First up -- the project's cast list now spots the likes of Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Melonie Diaz (Be Kind Rewind), Jay Hernandez (Crazy/Beautiful), Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King), Luis Guzman (Fast Food Nation), and Vanessa Ferlito (Death Proof).As for the plot, it's not much, but Freddy and John are brothers in this familial, reuniting clan, Ruehl is the matriarch, Molina is the bodega-owning dad, Hernandez is a friend of the family who works there, Diaz is Freddy's former lover, and Ferlito is the sister, who is friends with Diaz. That's one heck of a family with Latin talent, and who wouldn't want Molina as their dad?! Production begins right before Valentines Day in Chicago, and I imagine it will be out for the holiday season. With the bodega inclusion, maybe we'll get some foodie flavor and Latin wine as well.
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
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Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
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