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Reviews
Bella (2006)
One of the finest mediocre films
There's nothing really outstanding from this film. Nothing at all. Hell, had it been screened at the Hallmark Channel it would've been one of its better efforts.
"Bella"'s true power lies on Eduardo Verastegui's faith on the film which has been shown on how he promotes it, mainly by telling his own life affirming story as he starved searching for more 'moral' roles in films.
Other than that, there's not much about the film. Nina gets pregnant and loyal Jose comes to her rescue as he goes through the motion with her as well as fighting his own inner demons.
It's basic storytelling with no flair and many flaws. Verastegui's sole reason for the film is to express puppy eyes and muted expressions. The main attractors are Tammy Blanchard and Angelica Aragon. These two bring spice into a stale picture.
Aesthetically, it has that look which recent 'mexican' films have sported. Cold, desaturated colors. I don't know what the hell they're trying to convey with those. Slickness? It's ugly and makes the film less appealing, if only reflecting the murky structure of the entire thing.
The film often relies on tugging at the heart strings in cheap ways, especially during a revelation from Jose. I won't say much except "Crash" pulled it off much better.
There's at least one moment when the film shines and that's when Aragon and Verastegui share screen time. The emotion they evoke is pitch-perfect and it's no wonder since the scene plays out in their native language. The actors seem constrained due to their language barrier.
It's a conservative film that tries to affirm basic ideas (All you need is love, family is everything, we can live happily ever after if we try to make the best out of our mistakes, etc.) with no true resonance.
Should work great for the ages of 12 to 18 year-old or people who love their films as good as plain white bread.
Rent it, if you must. Meh, better wait for it to screen at some cable channel.
Sunshine (2007)
Truly a Mixed bag
Sunshine by Danny Boyle is a film that starts out strong but ultimately falls apart.
The film's cast are consistently solid and even Chris Evans gives a good performance. Cillian Murphy was, surprisingly, the weak performance of the film and even if he is playing a physician, it seemed like a padded character who gave exposition and when tried to give some depth, ended up making it just a tiny bit more dimensional.
The visuals are remarkably impressive and the FX themselves do give a run to some of Hollywood's finest FX films. The use of golden glows and warm oranges effectively evoke a sense of peace and hope as the film aspires.
Now, the film's true problem is the third act. First and second act are solid all the way, raising questions and doubts as well as tension. We get a sense that the film is building on its characters and that the theme itself is represented by them, but then an unprecedented turning point pulls the strings and makes this film go spiraling out of control.
Disappointing, especially considering that it came from Danny Boyle. He could've used more time and considerably so since, for a sci-fi film, it runs short with just an hour and 40 minutes. It also renders a lot of scenes without complete resolution and raising far too many questions.
The third act pretty much loses point on any kind of theme or other secondary plots and seems to just want to rush towards the ending and get it all over with and in the end, we're left with a film that leaves itself to float in space.
In the end, we're left with unfinished themes and a finale that strives for a triumphant uplifting while we simply roll our eyes at the screen.