Che: Part One and Part Two

Movie Poster uploaded on Flickr by Cine Fanatico

If you are hoping to learn everything about Che Guevara from these two films, you will be disappointed. If you read about Che on Wikipedia or the most excellent book by Jon Lee Anderson, Che Guevara, A Revolutionary Life
before coming to watch these two films, you will love what you see.

Che Guevara, uploaded on Flickr by Ray Cunningham

I was hoping for more history other than how they took Cuba and what happened when Che went to Bolivia. However, if director Steven Soderbergh and producers Benico Del Toro and Laura Bickman, who produced Traffic, would have taken us on a journey beyond Cuba and Bolivia, I believe they would need to make a 10 part series.




Che Guevara, photo uploaded on Flickr



To see Che in Africa, his relationship with the existentialists Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, also his relationship with his second wife, Aleida, who he met on the revolutionary trail in Cuba, and a more developed view of Che's complex relationship with Fidel would have been intriguing as well.



Che Guevara in Africa with President Nasser of Egypt, Pan-African News Wire


Instead, the films takes place primarily in the mountains of Cuba and the jungles of Bolivia.

There is some footage of Che's trip to the United Nations in New York, the interview with a journalist played by Julia Ormand, and the party he attended at her apartment full of New York intellectuals later that evening.

Che Guevara on Meet the Press, 1964, Pan-African News Wire



I did stay long enough through the credits to see that they did indeed use Jon Lee Anderson as their chief consultant. Excellent choice. I wonder if Soderbergh read the 754 page book and then decided to make this film.

The Anderson book is a thoroughly researched biography that reads like great fiction. I knew what happened to Che in the end, but cried all the same. The book gives such great little insights I never knew. Like how Che was banging the maid in the kitchen when he was very young in his upper class home.



Che's motorcyle

How the motorcycle trip he took through South America is what turned him away from his bourgeois existence and into a revolutionary. He could have easily finished his studies and lived a comfortable life as a doctor, married with children, and mistresses.

A side note, if you have not seen the film, Motorcyle Diaries, I highly recommend you rent it. The film is a perfect depiction of this defining time in Che's young life.

After his trip through South America, Che returned to Buenos Aires to finish his medical studies in record breaking time of three years. He took another trip up through South America into Central America and ended up in Mexico City. This is where he met Fidel. They spent many a late night discussing poetry, philosophy, and the revolution.

Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in Cuba after the revolution

As a matter of fact, they start the film in Mexico City at a dinner party.

And near the end of the film there is a flashback of the boat ride to Cuba. Fidel and Che managed to buy an old fishing boat and convince 80-100 recruits to join them on this revolutionary journey. Che looks at Fidel standing at the other end of the boat. A look to me that said he wasn't sure he trusted Fidel.

Fidel and Che in heated discussion

Many think Che was betrayed by Fidel and abandoned in Bolivia. We get some indication of this in Part Two when Che is in need of funding and asks a journalist to get a letter to Jean-Paul Sartre and Betrand Russell telling them he needs more financing for his revolution.
Benicio Del Toro, photo uploaded on Flickr

Benicio Del Toro does a great job in his film. Fidel is played by the actor who plays the mayor of Tijuana in the Showtime Series Weeds. It is shot in a docudrama style by Soderbergh. He often shoots his own films under the name Peter Andrews.

I am glad this film was made. I hope it sparks an interest in Che Guevara's life other than his image on t-shirts and posters that adorn many a college dorm room. It is an important part of history that sadly did not make my high school history books.
Movie Poster uploaded by Cine Fanatico on Flickr

Movie Review: The Wrestler

Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, photo by Niko Tavernese

Mickey Rourke's performance in this film absolutely deserved the Golden Globe he was awarded Sunday night. He was this broken down wrestler. His character is so touching and sad, you just want to take him home and tell him everything is going to be okay.

From the opening scene until the end, you heart is breaking for this man who obviously has seen better days. I have heard Rourke say in interviews that he could relate to the character he was playing.

Rourke was the bad boy of Hollywood who gave killer performances in Barfly and 9 and 1/2 Weeks. Then poof... he was gone. I don't read the tabloids, but always wondered what happened to him. And now I wonder if he ended up living in a trailer or some rat trap off Hollywood Blvd.

Rourke thanked his dogs in his acceptance speech. He said they were the only friends he had for a long time. Must have been horrible to live on the fringe of Hollywood when you were once in the spotlight.

Mickey Rourke, photo by Niko Tavernese




Marisa Tomei plays an old stripper with a heart of gold. Tomei's character seems to mirror Rourke's in terms of the stage they seemingly love to be on and the cold reality staring them both in the face; their days on stage are numbered.

Rourke tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter played by Evan Rachel Wood. She plays her part perfectly. The scenes with the two of them are exactly what it might be like for the abandoned daughter and the guilt-ridden absent father trying to make amends.

Evan Rachel Wood and Mickey Rourke, photo by Niko Tavernese


Darren Aronofsky directs this film. While trying to get financing, Aronofsky was turned down left and right with Rourke in the lead. Aronofsky made the film on a very low budget. Seven million is what I heard. I am glad he kept Rourke in the lead. A very good call.

Robert D. Siegel wrote this screenplay. I do not know anything about this writer, but wonder if he is an old wrestler. Or maybe he lived next door to an old wrestler in some trailer park in Anytown, USA. If not, he did one hell of a job with his research.

Without giving the film away, I just want to say that I love when we are shown Rourke's character, Randy the Ram, fiddling with his hearing aid, playing video games with neighbor kids in his trailer, and when he is working at the deli. His interaction with the customers are priceless.

Mickey Rourke, photo uploaded on Flickr by robiffic

Also love when he is at a convention of sorts where wrestler's are signing autographs. Rourke is in a room with other old wrestlers. At one point he looks down the leg of one guy and sees his urine bag sticking out of his pant leg. Made me weep.

I am torn between three stellar performances this year for the upcoming award season; Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn, and Frank Langella. Although all performances are great, I think I want Rourke to win. Rourke's career desperately needs a win for the SAG and Academy Awards.

Sean Penn and Frank Langella will continue to work until the day they die if they want. However, Rourke may end up on the fringe again when he deserves the spotlight. This man is a truly talented artist and deserves our forgiveness for whatever he did. Everybody deserves a second chance.



Mickey Rourke at the Golden Globe Awards, photo uploaded by mashnet on Flickr


One last thing, Bruce Springsteen said in his acceptance speech at the Golden Globe Awards for best song that Rourke called asking if he might do the song for the film. Rourke briefly described the character to Springsteen. Springsteen said, "I know guys like that."

I have always loved Bruce Springsteen. And love him even more for doing the song for this film. Bet he did it for peanuts too. Guess Springsteen also believes everybody deserves a second chance.
Bruce Springsteen, photo uploaded on Flickr by nachocorreanet

Kate Wins Two and Mickey Gets a Second Chance

A happy Kate Winslet with her two Golden Globe Awards, photo uploaded on Flickr by beastandbean

Kate Winslet absolutely deserved both Golden Globe Awards. Her performances in Revolutionary Road and The Reader were screen perfection. She won best actress for Revolutionary Road and best supporting actress for The Reader. Winslet was the embodiment of these two very different women.

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, photo uploaded on Flickr by robiffic

Loved seeing Mickey Rourke win best actor for The Wrestler. He was that character. There were countless scenes in that film that ripped my heart apart. One that stands out in my mind was when he was working in the deli. His interactions with the customers were priceless.

Others include when he was playing video games with the kids in his trailer, the autograph signing convention, every time he adjusted his hearing aid, and the opening scene in the trailer park where Rourke's character lived.

I loved Rourke's acceptance speech. Rourke thanked his dogs because they were the only friends he had while he was living a life of loneliness on the fringe of Hollywood.

I have heard interviews with Rourke where he says that so many things about the character resonated with him.

Also loved that Bruce Springsteen won best song for The Wrestler. Springsteen said that Rourke called him, described the character he was playing, and asked if he would write a song for the film. Springsteen said, "I told Mickey that I knew guys like that." Love Bruce Sprinsteen. Always have.

Rourke also thanked the director for taking a chance on him. Rourke said that Darren Aronofsky had a hard time getting financing because he was playing the lead. But Aronofsky stuck with his choice forcing him to make the film on a very low budget. Good call Mr. Aronofsky.

Slumdog Millionaire, photo uploaded by beast and bean on Flickr


Best picture and director went to Slumdog Millionaire. The director, Danny Boyle got all choked up while giving his speech. They won two other awards as well. This is a great film that takes you right into the slums of Mumbai and the undying love of a man for a woman.

Waltz With Bashir won for best foreign film. The director, Ari Folman, gave a perfect speech in light of the recent incursion by Israel into Gaza. He said,"Four children from members of my crew were born during the making of this film. I only hope that when they are old enough to see my film, it will all seem unreal and foreign to them because they have never seen anything like it in their life time."
Waltz With Bashir, photo uploaded by guido castillo on Flickr

Surprisingly, Vicky Christina Barcelona won for best comedy. I am happy, but was not expecting it. This is a great film with the sexy Javier Bardem. This film takes you to the heart of Barcelona, passion, lust, and adventures in travel. The film made me think of a spontaneous affair I had with a sexy lawyer in Mexico one summer while I was in college. Even if you never had an affair while traveling, go see this film. It will make you want to hop on a plane for Spain.


Vicky Christina Barcelona, photo uploaded on Flickr



Sally Hawkins won for best actress in a comedy for Happy Go Lucky. Just loved this film. Mike Leigh usually makes such dark and creepy films. Granted, there are a couple of creepy moments, but nothing like you normally see in one of Mr. Leigh's films. I especially like the flamenco dance instructor. God, I thought I would never stop laughing.




Sally Hawkins in Happy Go Lucky, photo uploaded on Flickr




Lastly, Madmen won. I was hoping it would win. If you haven't seen this series on AMC, I highly recommend it. Madmen takes place in the 1960s at an advertising firm. This, my friends, was the beginning of the massive influence advertisers have had on the world. We live in a society of the spectacle.

I have written reviews for the movies above, except Happy Go Lucky. Check December 2008 archives if interested. A review of Vicky Christina Barcelona can be found in August 2008 and an addendum to the post in September 2008. But I must warn you, the review is more about my affair with a sexy lawyer in Mexico while traveling for the summer.

I have absolutely no complaints about the choices the Hollywood foreign press made last night. They were all perfect in my humble opinion.

Che Guevara Movie

Poster for new Che movie, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Benicio Del Toro as Che, photo uploaded on Flickr


I heard five years ago Steven Soderbergh was making this film. Been waiting patiently ever since. My boyfriend, Benicio Del Toro, plays Che. The very sexy mayor of Tijuana on the show Weeds plays Fidel. I think I can sit through four hours of this important time in our history quite easily with those two in the leading roles.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, photo uploaded on Flickr by notinet

The movie has been playing in limited release, but opens across the nation this weekend. For folks in my area, it is playing at the theater near South Coast Plaza starting next weekend.



Benicio Del Toro, photo uploaded on Flickr by bbsammlung

Soderbergh directs this two part film. Can't think of a better director for this film. Many who only know of Che as the guy on the poster adorning many dorm room walls on university campuses. Or as the guy on the t-shirts hipsters, revolutionaries, and students wear will get the full story.

Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro, photo
uploaded by cineando on Flickr

Motorcycle Diaries shows the experiences that laid the ground work for Che's revolutionary ideas. After his trip through South America on a motorcycle, Che returned to Buenos Aires, finished his medical studies, in record time by the way, and then took off again on another tour through South America, up into Central America, and ended up in Mexico City. I do not know if this film shows how Che and Fidel met in Mexico City, but they spent many a night talking poetry, philosophy and the revolution.

Fidel, Che and about 80 to100 men boarded a run down old fishing boat off the coast of Mexico and headed for Cuba. In a few short years they, achieved their dreams.
Ernesto "Che" Guevara, photo uploaded on Flickr by broocey

Movie Review: Revolutionary Road

April and Frank, poster uploaded on Flickr by clemato

This film will resonate on many different levels with everyone who sees it. And I hope those who see it, who maybe loathe their husbands , like Kate Winslet's character does, have the courage and strength to run away as fast as they can. Do not settle for 2 or 3 martinis every night, or a trip to the jewelry store for another piece of bling, or a trip to a psychiatrist for happy pills, or empty meaningless affairs. Hit the road and run run run far far away.

Cocktail hour in suburbia, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

The scene that is in all the trailers for the film showing April (Kate Winslet) taking out the trash reminded me of a story a friend of mine told me. I once asked this friend why she left her marriage.

Trash day in suburbia, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

She said, "one morning I woke up and took the trash can out to the street. I looked down the street at all the other trash cans and homes with well-manicured lawns and realized at that moment this was not the life I wanted."

She left her husband and their mid-western life behind and moved to Laguna Beach, California. She never looked back.
April staring vacantly out the window Emma Bovary-like, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

Anyway, this movie had many Madame Bovary moments for me. The only difference is that April really loved Frank (Leonardo Di Caprio) in the beginning. Another difference would be Emma Bovary's desire for a show house and show things to prove her worth in society. April does not seem to care about material things or the status quo, in fact she rebels against it.


A defiant April, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

Kathy Bates plays the real estate agent who sells the lovely home on Revolutionary Road to April and Frank. Her crazy son, with a PhD in mathematics, is the wisest man in the film. He sees right through the frustration in April's life.

Sam Mendes directs this film. He also directed American Beauty. An excellent choice since both show nightmare suburban lives. Different decades, but nightmares all the same.
April and Frank, photo posted by cine fanatico on Flickr

Adapted for the screen by Justin Haythe from the book by Richard Yates. Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio give award winning performances. Kathy Bates is great as the real estate agent. Her crazy son John (Michael Shannon) is only on the screen for a short time,, but an award winning appearance in my humble opinion. This is the first time Kate Winslet has worked with her husband, Sam Mendes.

April looking lovingly at Frank when they first meet, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

On a personal note, I came very close to a life like April's while I was living in New Zealand. My ex-fiance is a wealthy real estate developer who owns half of downtown Wellington. I am so glad I had the strength to board that plane that flew me far far away and on to new beginnings.

If interested in my narrow escape, please feel free to read my post on October 11, 2007, An Open Letter to Doris Lessing.
April Wheeler, photo posted by clemato on Flickr

Movie Review: The Reader

Photo of poster uploaded on Flickr by Clemato

Kate Winslet's performance as Hanna makes this film a memorable experience. Her vacant stares are anything but vacant and will haunt you long after you have left the theater. The subject matter is much more than just an affair with an older woman, albeit this love affair impacts the young man throughout his life. It is more a morality play and a philosophical question of German guilt.
Hanna and Michael (David Kross), photo posted by Clemato on Flickr

Bruno Ganz, who plays the professor, actually includes Karl Jaspers' The Question of German Guilt as required reading for his young law students, including Michael Berg, Hanna's lover. The professor also requires his young law students to attend a trial for low level guards from the concentration camps.

While watching the trial scenes, I tried to make a decision as to what I would have done if I were in Berg's position. It is not an easy question. I guarantee you will be torn apart by this film.

Kate Winslet as Hanna, photo posted by Clemato on Flickr


The young Michael Berg, David Kross, gives a stunning performance. And Ralph Fiennes, as usual, gives the performance he should, reserved, yet multi-layered if you look deep into the philosophical questions this film poses.

It is based on a book by Bernhard Schlick, adapted for the screen by David Hare, and directed by Stephen Daltry. I highly recommend this film.

One last thing, on a personal note, I fell in love with Bruno Ganz in the Wim Wenders film Wings of Desire and I am still in love with that man. So sexy.
Bruno Ganz, photo posted by blue elephant on Flickr

Movie Review: Waltz With Bashir

Poster posted on Flickr by marzipanrat

Israeli filmmaker,Ari Folman, takes a trip down repressed memory lane with his animated film about the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and his unit's role in the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila camps outside Beirut.

In short, nine days before President-elect, Bashir Gemayel was to take office, he was assassinated. In retaliation, the Christian Phalangists (with no objections from the Israeli Defense Forces) entered the Sabra and Shatila camps. Ari Folman's unit fired flares into the night skies to help the Phalagists see their way into the camps. In this attack, the IDF killed 700 to 3,500 Palestinians, many were women and children.

Ari Folman at the New York Film Festival,photo posted by Brooklyn dude on Flickr

This is an excellent film and worthy of seeing on the big screen. Folman shows how the war has impacted his life. Nightmares that haunt him are animated perfectly. I heard Folman interviewed on NPR yesterday. He said the only way to make this film was through animation since it goes back in forth in time and dream sequences. Moreover, he wanted to attract a young as well as older audience. Here is a what he said on NPR:

"For me, it was very essential to bring young audiences to the theaters to watch the film because I thought that if this film could influence even one teenager making the decision not to go the war, it doesn't matter where I did my job, I earned it," Folman says. "All wars are useless … and sometimes in films we tend to glorify them by making all of those great characters and they show you it's all about bravery and brotherhood of man. And I don't believe in that."

Israeli soldiers, posted by Pegg on Flickr

And I do hope that high school kids thinking about joining our military see this film. War is not glorious. Ask anyone who has been in one.

Folman mentions in the interview that his father did not want him to make the film out of fear Israel would never forgive him and he would be ostracized. Surprisingly, Folman said the exact opposite has happened. The politicians and government have welcomed him with open arms.

An animated Ari Folman, posted on Flickr by Pegg



After viewing the film, I thought for sure it must have been met with opposition by the Israeli government. It surely does not paint the Israeli Defense Forces in a sympathetic light. Anyway, go check out this film. And if you want more information on the invasion of Lebanon or assassination of Gemayel, check out Wikipedia. It is a fascinating read. Furthermore, it helps explain what is happening now in the region.
Waltz With Bashir Poster posted by dosXuno on Flickr

Movie Review: Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont

Rupert Friend and Keira Knighley, photo posted by becksi88 on Flickr

I rented a film on DVD called Mrs. Palfry at the Claremont. Dan Ireland directs, Ruth Sacks adapted it for the screen from a novel by Elizabeth Taylor (the novelist, not the actress). Dame Joan Plowright and Rupert Friend play the two main characters. Both deliver stunning performances.

Mrs. Palfry (Joan Plowright) moves into a hotel that doubles as a retirement home and is essentially abandoned by her family. To save face she tells the other lonely residents that she has a grandson who will be visiting her soon.

Joan Plowright in Enchanted April photo posted on Flickr

Anyway, one day while Mrs. Palfry is out she trips and falls. The very handsome Ludovic Meyer (Rupert Friend) helps her up. He takes her back to his place and nurses her wound. Ludo is a struggling writer. When Ludo walks her back to the hotel, Mrs. Palfry invites him to dinner as a way to thank him. Inadvertently at dinner, the other residents mistake Ludo as the long lost grandson who had yet to make an appearance. A mistake Mrs. Palfry does not correct.

Rupert Friend and Kiera Knightley, photo posted by missjessdoll on Flickr

Ludo and Mrs. Palfry become fast friends filling the void of lonliness they felt in London. Here is one of many of my favorite scenes to the best of my recollection:


Mrs. Palfry: Why isn't a young person like yourself out on a Saturday night with your friends?

Ludo Meyer: It takes money to have friends. I can't afford to go to dinners or out for drinks. So friends have quit calling.
Maciera Restaurant, photo posted by tapas talk on Flickr

Man that line just killed me. Because when I was working on the doc film, I had to down size in many ways while struggling to find financing. My recreation money was non-existent. So I had to turn down dinner invites and drinks with friends. Eventually friends quit calling me as well.

Rupert Friend and Kiera Knightley, photo posted on Flickr

Anyway, I highly recommend this film, and not just because I am completely in love with Rupert Friend. This is a great little story about getting old and being abandoned. By the way, while digging up photos of this film to no avail, I discovered that Rupert Friend is the boyfriend of Kiera Knightley. Looks like they have been together for some time. They look great together. And if he is anywhere near as nice as his character Ludo, Kiera is one lucky girl.

Milk, The Movie and Prop 8

The Castro Theater with a poster for the film Milk, photo posted on Flickr by magerleagues

I wish this movie was released in October, before our elections. Maybe, just maybe, it would have impacted the outcome of Prop 8. Harvey Milk fought against a similar proposition. It wasn't about marriage, but a prop to keep homosexuals from teaching.

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk

Anyway, Sean Penn delivers one of the best lines of the film when arguing against keeping homosexuals from teaching. He says, "I went to school for 12 years and was taught by heterosexuals. It didn't make me a heterosexual." Touche.

Sean Penn and James Franco are great in their roles as lovers. Just perfect. I think Penn deserves an award for his performance. Emile Hirsh and Diego Luna are fantastic. Luna's vulnerability and fragility shine through in his role. Wow. And Josh Brolin proves once again his range and ability to become the person he is portraying.

Milk (Sean Penn) with his lover Scott Smith (James Franco), photo posted by Derek Bai Xiang Chen on Flickr

Gus Van Sant is the director. A great job he did with this subject matter. San Francisco's Castro Street really looked like that in the late 70s. Good set design.

I remember when all this happened. I was convinced that Dan White was homophobic and this is why he went after the mayor and Milk, who had recently been elected city supervisor. However, the film tells a different story. I did not know Dan White was disgruntled. Now I am convinced it had nothing to do with Milk being gay.


Harvey Milk, photo posted by bobster1985 on Flickr

The "twinkie" defense is when I began to believe all lawyers to be liars. The "twinkie" defense? Are you serious? I would have bought temporary insanity. In case you weren't born or don't remember, White's attorney argued that White was eating too many twinkies and the sugar made him crazy.

Remember the gay basher, Anita Bryant? Remember her orange juice ads? I think we all boycotted orange juice in support of the gay community. She's in the film. Silly woman.

I do not know why people fear homosexuality. Why do they care? I only know that I have worked with gay teens. They are at the highest risk among teenagers to commit suicide.

My first year teaching I had a student from Micronesia (The Marshall Islands). He was androgynous looking with long flowing hair.

When I first met him, he was not sure about his sexuality. However, through the course of the year he came out to me. I saw this boy tormented by other students to the point he did not want to leave my classroom to go to lunch.

So he started hanging out in my classroom at lunch with a few other students who were misfits. We'd listen to music and shoot the breeze.

I brought in some old David Bowie music. He loved David Bowie. I told the kid that Bowie was bold for his time. We both loved the song, Rebel, Rebel and put it on repeat mode. You know... the song with the line, "you're not sure if you're a boy or a girl."
This crowd scene from Milk could be from our recent protests after Prop 8 was passed banning gay marriage

This student eventually dropped out of school. He could not take the ridicule. The film Boys Don't Cry comes to mind. Except he was a boy who wanted to be a girl.

I have kept in touch with this boy and his father. He is a she now and changed her name to Lelani. She lives and works in another state. No one knows she was a he. She had a boob job and is on hormones. Lelani looks just like Cindy Crawford.

I think Keith Olbermann from MSNBC said it best when he made a commentary on Prop 8. I agree with everything he says. If interested, I am posting it below.