Filly Brown -- Film Review #1

Filly Brown – Film Review #1

One thing about music is that when it hits you feel no pain. Youssef Delara and Michael Olmos’ Filly Brown echoes that theme. Majo (Gina Rodriguez) is an aspiring Latino rapper who struggles between staying true to herself and conforming to the “sexed up” music industry in order to sign a record deal. The film carries a double plot in that her father Jose (Lou Diamond Phillips) faces a similar decision of adhering to an “upper class world” in order to keep his construction job.

The movie begins with some verses from Majo’s first song to debut on the radio. From the beginning, you can tell that this girl raps from the heart because her lyrics are real and meaningful. The camera moves around the various neighborhoods of Los Angeles, especially the lower class areas where Majo lives. The cinematography of these neighborhoods infers that times in this area are tough and people will do anything to get by and help their family.

Staying true to family is a common theme throughout the film as Majo desperately tries to help her drug-addicted mother, Maria (Jenni Rivera), when she finds out there might be a break in her drug conviction charge. Majo visits her mother in the Chino Women’s Penitentiary even though her father warns her not to. However, Majo has a good heart and is naïve despite her verses that portray her as wise.

The film is the classic rise and fall of the protagonist due to fame and success. Majo begins her journey to stardom through verses that her mom “writes” to her from prison, begging Majo to perform the songs on the radio and at shows. Most of Majo’s verses originate from her mother’s copyright infringements and later during Majo’s “fall” from stardom she is almost sued by her record label for the infringement unbeknownst to her.

In the meantime, Delara and Olmos craft an unoriginal story about following one’s dreams and trying to remain afloat in the industry. The multiple characters are colorful and vivid – the characters are not merely accidental, rather the characters all have some reason as to why they appear in the film. Perhaps, one of the most colorful, yet sleazy characters in the film is Rayborn Ortiz (Chingo Bling), a Latino music promoter who is a cross between a wannabe “Valley Kid” and Mexican cowboy. He plays a vital role in the movie as he attempts to change Majo’s look from tomboy to sex kitten. He succeeds for a while, until Majo falls from her stardom.

Majo’s fall from stardom is similar to many movies in which the protagonist lets fame take hold of him or her. It seems that everyone knows Majo will hit bottom – all except Majo herself. She succumbs to the industry’s wants, even if it means sacrificing parts of who she is. This is all for good reason, though. Majo is under the false impression that her mother’s drug charge may be dropped if Majo raises $3,000 to give to the lawyer. No surprise, Maria uses the $3,000 to pay back her debts and obtain drugs. Like a loving daughter, Majo still tries to support her mother.

Not only is Majo’s selfless love one of the most important aspects of the movie, but also the fact that Majo’s verses are poetic and real. Not to mention, Majo is tough and I have respect for any girl that can kick a guy’s ass while still looking her best.

The viewer knows what to expect while watching this film. They know that Majo will lose her closest friends but then regain them through some large event that brings them all back together. The scene that brings the cast full circle comes when Majo’s rival, MC Wyatt (Joseph Julian Sora), almost puts Majo’s love interest, DJ Santa (Braxton Millz), into a coma. MC and his crew vandalize Majo’s house and take her hostage, forcing her dad to reconnect with his friends from construction that he was forced to fire in order to save her life. Shocker, they save her – the viewer knows that inevitable fact.

The movie wraps up with DJ Santa recovering from his beating and Majo, Jose, and her sister Lupe (Chrissie Fit) visiting her mom in prison. This is the moment where Majo has an epiphany and accepts who she is and who she will become. She no longer needs to hide behind another person’s lyrics; rather she can finally be herself. Her dad finally accepts his ex-wife as he and Maria attempt to touch each other’s hands through the prison glass. This is one of the most touching scenes in the movie.

Filly Brown delivers through its electric characters rather than the tired out plot. The movie reminds everyone that dreams are meant to be followed but not losing yourself in the fame is the greatest reward.

Credit Block:

Venue: Sundance Film Festival (U.S. Dramatic Competition)

Production companies: Cima Productions, Olmos Productions, Silent Giant Entertainment

Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Jenni Rivera, Lou Diamond Phillips, Edward James Olmos, Emilio Rivera, Joseph Julian Sora, Braxton Millz, Chingo Bling, Jorge Diaz, Chrissie Fit, Noel Gugliemi

Directors: Youssef Delara, Michael D. Olmos

Screenwriter: Youssef Delara

Producers: Victor Teran, Amir Delara, Mico Olmos, Edward “E-dub” Rios, Khool-Aid Rios

Executive producers: Edward James Olmos, Kevin Smith, Homa Sorror

Director of photography: Ben Kufrin

Production designer: Krystyna Loboda

Music: Reza Safinia

Costume designer: Jill Machlis

Editors: Youseff Delara, Eric R. Brodeur

No rating, 100 minutes.

Lost In Translation: Film Review

Sofia Coppola knows what she's doing. After an array of success in movies such as The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Somewhere, Lost In Translation mimics her quiet themes of ennui and existentialism, while delivering a simple and sweet plot.
Lost In Translation follows the paths of Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) as they unexpectedly meet one night in their Tokyo hotel. Bob is a washed up actor undergoing a mid-life crisis who comes to Tokyo to film a Suntory Whiskey commercial. Charlotte, a recent Yale graduate, ventures to Tokyo with her husband John (Giovanni Ribisi), a celebrity photgrapher. Despite Bob and Charlotte's age difference, the two find common ground in their lives because they both are struggling with unhappiness and ennui.
Coppola touches quietly on these two emotions. These emotions are not only felt by the characters, but the viewers themselves through Coppola's cinematography. Coppola uses many still shots of the actors as a way of expressing their boredom and loneliness. In contrast, Coppola combines the busy, yet colorful city of Tokyo in various ways to point out that life is moving around the two characters, but the characters both feel still and empty.
The film's soundtrack adds to the quiet and still feeling brought on by the movie. Many of the songs are wordless, just melodies. This makes sense as Coppola wants the viewer to note that the feelings of emptiness and loneliness occur in all aspects of the movie. The music is soothing and poetic in its own way as the melodies seem to echo the internal feelings of the characters. Coppola uses more upbeat songs such as "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders and "Too Young" by Phoenix when Bob and Charlotte begin to shed their exteriors and start to internally feel alive. The songs only occur in one scene, but the scene is perhaps one of the most important to the film because it is in this scene that the undertones of a love story begin.
Bill Murray is perhaps at his best in the film. He is able to remain comedic like he is renowned for, but Murray tones down his sarcasm and encorporates a feeling of restlessness and solitude in his character. Johansson, only 18 when the movie was filmed, surpasses her age and is a strong enough actress to take on the role of playing a recent college grad. Her deep, husky voice allows her to add years on to her character, while her natural beauty and sex appeal make the romance between her and Murray possible.
Lost In Translation is a love story between two people from different backgrounds and walks of life. The romance is not apparent on the surface, but Coppola combines scenes that show the romance blossoming, even though both characters know the romance will not continue once they get back to the states. However, despite their inevitable departure, both characters are able to learn something from one another -- this is perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the movie as the characters' ages mean nothing compared to their experiences.

Take Shelter and Tomboy by Roger Ebert

Take Shelter: Ebert's review of "Take Shelter" was a helpful compilation of both plot and emotion. Immediately after reading his film review, I am curious to see the film. His review is great in that he digs at raw human emotions such as fear and paranoia. Ebert guides the reader through the film's plot line which is quite simple: a man who has everything begins to fear that he will lose everything. This, no doubt, is one of our greatest fears. Ebert hits at the high points of the flim and the causes of Curtis' loosened grip on reality. Moreover, Ebert carefully evaluates the characters, adding additional emphasis to Shea Whigham's role as Dewart, Curtis' best friend. Through his review, Ebert also notes the scenery and the landscape of the rural Ohio countryside. He is careful to not give too much plot away, especially at the end of his review -- but based on his review and the plot of the movie, the reader already has a sense of the outcome. Ebert has a knack for combining the raw emotion of the film with his own personal critique of the movie. He characterizes Curtis as an average, hardworking father and husband who becomes engulfed in his fear and paranoia, essentially losing his sanity in return for a hellish nightmare. Overall, Ebert's critique of the film hooks the reader and applauds Michael Shannon's versatility. Ebert furthers his opinions of Shannon's work by lastly stating that Shannon deserves an Oscar nomination for his role in the film. Ebert's opinion of Shannon's work is not biased either, as Ebert includes other rich films Shannon appeared in and the reader must take into account the difficult role that Shannon had to play. Also, through Ebert's characterization and depiction of Curtis, the reader understands that only a versatile actor could portray a man slipping away from reality and his family into an underworld of unknowns.

Tomboy: A slightly different film in that it deals with gender identity and not paranoia or a mid-life crisis as expressed in "Take Shelter". Ultimately, by reading the review, the movie demonstrates how children experiment with both genders during an early age. Kids will be kids regardless of the restrictions a parent tries to enact. At a younger age, some children identify better with one gender than the other gender. Ebert never really expresses this fact in his review. His closing sentence stresses it slightly, but throughout the review he states no universal meaning that he found within the movie. His characterization of Laure is magnificent. His review goes in to detail about her background and her family, which is important when understanding the context of the movie. Furthermore, the beginning of his review signifies that there is no "agenda" with the production of the movie. Ebert highlights that the viewer cannot tell at the beginning of the movie if the protagonist is a boy or a girl, which is important that he states this through his description of the camera angle. His review and mention of certain plot elements indicate that the movie does not center around any conflict in Laure's life -- she plays in the woods with her friends and none of the kids tease her about being a tomboy. Overall, Ebert's review is simple and heartfelt.