Ladron que roba a ladron

Ladron que roba a ladron is pretty much Ocean’s Eleven for the Hispanic population in this country. Two honorable thieves recruit a group of immigrants to rob a well established Latino businessman who has accumulated a fortune by selling fake products on TV aimed at desperate immigrants.

Just because it is a Spanish language movie and features a largely Latino cast, one should not confuse it with any of those high art films made the famous Three Amigos of Mexican film (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro). In fact, this movie is directed by an American director and most of the stars in the film also reside in Miami area. Director Joe Menedez was born in New York City to Cuban exile parents and his production company produced this film, so Ladron que roba a ladron is actually a bona fide American movie.

Menedez is a competent director, but neither ambitious nor daring. The film closely follows the mold of Hollywood caper movies, but it manages to make the plot feel fresh by adding the Latin flavor and cleverly using American stereotypes about Hispanic immigrants. The fact that a Spanish language movie is not only made in America, but also released into theaters which cater largely to the non-Hispanic population demonstrates the increasing clout of Hispanic immigrants on this country. The most memorable line in the movie is actually spoken in English. One of the robbery gang shouts to a security guard, “Hey, you are in America! Learn Spanish.” Dialogue like that will sure give Lou Dobbs a heart attack.

The movie may not have much artistic creativity or cinematic ingenuity, but all the characters are likable, the cast is solid and it is definitely entertaining to see how the gang pulls out their robbery in a bright daylight. Aside from the entertainment factor, it may be an important milestone in US film history and starts a wave of Spanish language movies. Indeed, one of the previews shown before this movie was even done completely in Spanish. Lou Dobbs may really need to start honing his Spanish.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

In current documentary world of big issues such as Iraq War, environment and American healthcare system, one movie about an ordinary person trying to prove himself at something that he excels stands out. That movie is The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Maybe ordinary is not the word to describe those diehard video game fans, but besides that one addiction, the central character in this film, Steve Wiebe, represents all the goodness and decency always touted in everyday folks. After Wiebe was laid off, he bought an 80s popular arcade game Donkey Kong and put it in his garage. He soon started practicing on it and became driven to break Billy Mitchell’s Donkey Kong record that hadn’t been broken for 25 years.

The movie revolves around Wiebe’s quest of setting a new world record for Donkey Kong and pits two very different yet similar characters against each other. For the majority of us not familiar with the whole arcade game subculture, it is a very entertaining introduction into the dedicated gamers’ world. Apparently Billy Mitchell has been a legend in the arcade world since his teenage years and held several records in some classic 80s games such as Pac-Man, Burgertime and Donkey Kong. In recent years, his records had been gradually broken by newcomers and Donkey Kong is really his last claim to that golden age of arcade games. Enters Steve Wiebe, a 35-year old family man who perfects his Donkey Kong skill in his drab garage after the kids all go to bed. He taped his record-breaking performance and sent it to Twin Galaxies to get validation as the new world record. Yes, there is such an organization that tracks video game world records. Founder Walter Day even wears a referee uniform in most of the movies. Day and some other video game fanatics are supposed to be keeping the scores purely for the love of the games, which is likely true for the most part, but their close association with Mitchell seriously taints their neutrality.

This is a film about David fighting Goliath. Both Mitchell and Wiebe are determined and highly skillful individuals, but the similarity ends there. Mitchell struck gold at a young age and has been riding on his video game success for all his business endeavors. He is ambitious and ruthless and clearly willing to beat his competitors by whichever way possible. When he came in with his either well-endowed or surgically enhanced wife, he is a portrait of American dream gone vulgar. Power and what it may bring him seems to be the motivation for him to excel in video game. Wiebe, on the other hand, has failed in pretty much everything he tried. He is good at anything he sets his eyes on, but was perpetually unable to achieve any kind of glory in a crucial stage until he found Donkey Kong. All he really wants is to be recognized for what he has achieved. Unexpectedly for him, that proves to be the most difficult task in his life.

With names like Twin Galaxies, one can’t help but think about the Star Wars series. At one point, Day even mentioned that Mitchell considered himself as Obi-Wan Kenobi, although his black outfits and conniving ways put him more on par with Darth Vader. A kind-hearted, decent man like Wiebe is no match to him. This is a movie that makes you really root for the little guy. Many times I wanted to shout out in the theater to cheer Wiebe on. In the end, his integrity has touched many gamers, even some deep into Billy’s circle.

Director Seth Gordon doesn’t use fancy camera work or melodramatic music to overplay the movie. A few scenes of Wiebe working on his Donkey Kong game are beautifully juxtaposed with the game itself. Gordon chooses just the right songs for his key moments. There is no voiceover narrative and Gordon lets his two main characters speak for themselves. One can feel he purposely tries to avoid being a Michael Moore in his own movies. He wants to stay as objective as possible. When Wiebe tears up after one of his defeats, it looks surreal since a real character crying is so different from what we see actors do on the big screen. As Wiebe is talking, tears slowly roll down his cheeks. He still manages to keep calmness in his voice and two thin lines are the only proof of his disappointment.

Mitchell and Wiebe’s rivalry is far from over. While writing this review, I checked onto the Twin Galaxies website. Mitchell has once again claimed a new world record in Donkey Kong without playing in the wide public. There is also an item about Steve Wiebe’s attempt to break Mitchell’s new record and the item is pretty obviously written by one of those Mitchell’s cronies. How pathetic! I don’t think I have ever gotten so involved in a movie before. I think it is pretty clear whose side I am on. With this movie, Gordon proves the key to a superb movie is to have some heart and soul.

The Simpsons Movie

Since its debut in late 1989, The Simpsons, an animated TV sitcom, has become an integral part of contemporary American culture. Now the Simpsons have also finally landed in local theaters around you.

For people who have been faithfully watching the show for years, the movie is simply a longer, most satisfying, commercial-free (sort of) version of the TV show. For someone, like me, who has only caught glimpses of the notorious Simpson family while channel surfing, the movie is a relaxing and enjoyable introduction to this most famous American family.

The writers have the Simpsons mired in current hot button issues: environmental preservation, government eavesdropping program and etc. Homer unintentionally pollutes Springfield’s water supply by dumping his pet pig’s wastes into the river. The federal government under President Arnold Schwarzenegger and a manipulative EPA head decides to put the entire Springfield under a dome to quarantine it from the outside world. Homer and his family start their lives on the run to escape the angry town people. When the town faces ultimate elimination, can Homer save the day?

I think anyone can guess the answer. Watching The Simpsons Movie does not require much heavy thinking. It is the humor we go for, so expect many raunchy and irreverent jokes. What I didn’t expect is the many tender, loving moments between Homer and Marge. To me, a new Simpsons-initiate, that is quite a pleasant surprise.

I laughed a lot more during the first half of the movie. As it passes the midpoint, some of the jokes become repetitive and the storyline also bogs down a bit. The Simpsons may really works the best as a one hour show on TV instead of a half-hour one or a feature length movie.