Blaze You Out (2013)

Symbol of Contrition? Veronica Diaz-Carranza gets inked.

Mark Adair-Rios is one charged cabron.

At a glance:

The labour of Latino love entitled Blaze You Out (2013) is a gangland drama written and directed by feature film first timers Diego Joaquin Lopez and Mateo Frazier, set in Esperanza Valley, New Mexico. It's about an aspirin DJ named Lupe (Veronica Diaz-Carranza) who's sucked into her sick town’s heroin underworld to save her younger sister Alicia (Melissa Cordero). Mark Adair-Rios has strong presence, playin a wordsmith of a thug named Whitey. Title refers to the villain's refrain as to why he's makin rounds.

Veronica Diaz-Carranza

Bad news on the doorstep:

Lookin to transcend demographics is surely the plan here. However, a lot of story flow are lost to its somewhat self-important characters. There's plenty of dramatic weight and style. Great music, even. Sometimes the lines are strong and feel like they come from a very real place. At other times, they feel as if we're bein treated like a two-bit chavalo to have to take it all in. Puñeta!

Perennial wonderment:

Elizabeth Peña

Elizabeth Peña is no longer the crisp article we saw in La Bamba (1987) and Jacob's Ladder (1990), eh? She gets a runout here, playin a gang matriarch.

Reminds me of:

Playin GTA on the XBOX many, many years ago.

Watch out for:

Openin credits, to the tune of Devil's Playground by Gram Rabbit. Definitely looks like it belongs in a superior product.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi? 

You could worse and you could do better, I guess. Sounds like a community project that really took off and despite its shortcomings, you can tell the story has a heart that's in the right place. Go check out the official Facebook fan page and also the official website for more info.★★1/2


Bonus material:

Hispanicize 2013
Regal Cinemas South Beach, Miami Beach, FL - 10 AprBlaze You Out crew & cast 
(Photo: Jesus Aranguren)

Charlie Zone (2013)

Amanda Crew stars as crackhouse beauty Jan in Charlie Zone (2013).

At a glance:

I've read many glowin reviews about this little Canadian crime caper that managed a very limited theatrical release a while back. Michael Melski's under-supported Charlie Zone (2013) is about a disgraced First Nations boxer and ex-con (native actor Glen Gould) who resorts to streetfightin for YouTube videos to make ends meet, before fatefully takin up a job to retrieve a young heroin addict (Amanda Crew) from a crackhouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Title is in reference to a rough part of town, I understand.

Jan (Amanda Crew) gets nicked by Avery (Glen Gould).

Bad news on the doorstep:

It's a little too long and it tends to wanna cover too much. Also it overdoes the unpolished, grainy feel. Is this how the East Coast underworld is really like, I wonder? I've never been. Modest little Canadian crime flick with borin camerawork and lethargic editin but it does feature some decent lead performances, especially the gritty Gould. The movie is most interestin when he's on the move and weakest when people talk too much. Two or three more rewrites would've landed more solid punches.

Perennial wonderment:

How come pushers and junkies are always so unconvincin in under-budgeted movies? I believe that sometimes, all that an actor needs to get so much better for such roles is to spend some time on the streets.

No safety.

Reminds me of:

Always liked Amanda Crew since I watched her in Sex Drive (2008). She reminds me of Kristen Stewart, only with talent. Wished her role could've been sexier here, though it'll probably serve as a distraction from the proceedings. Still, could've gone for a more lascivious edge, in all that doom and gloom.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

I enjoyed all the personal little touches and also the attempt for a certain level of intimacy but I think the heart of the story is underwritten. Norman Milner notes: "It’s cheaply made and a little on the long side, with maybe one speech too many about the rich taking advantage of the poor. But strong performances by Gould and Crew – clearly relishing the opportunity to go beyond the frowny-pretty roles she’s usually given – compensate for the production’s ragged edges, and director Melski, who co-wrote the script with Joseph LeClair, shows promise as a meat-and-potatoes storyteller. Give these guys a little more money and a bit more prep time and the results could be really impressive." Check out the official website and Facebook fan page for more info.★★1/2

The Panic In Needle Park (1971)

"Your love is like bad medicine."

At a glance:
Now this is what I call a movie about drugs. Fuck Trainspotting (1996). That's too stylish. This is downright dirty, hopelessly grim and plain I-don't-wanna-live-no-more-please-poke-this-needle-through-my-eye. It's a slow-burnin drama about a couple's descent into a life of addiction. You start starin down into a big black hole right from the off. You wanna help but you can't. "God help Bobby and Helen - they're in love in Needle Park."
Reminds me of:

Ingmar Bergman's Scenes From A Marriage (1973), another otherworldly movie (removes you to a place so damned distant, detached and depressin). Not even sad sex can save you from the blues after watchin this film.
Watch out for:
Al Pacino. Apparently the studio suits were convinced about him bein right to play Michael Corleone in Godfather only after shown his performance in this movie.
I can't remember if I cried:
When I read about how Kitty Winn, the lead actress who scooped Best Actress at Cannes for this film, walked away from moviemakin and started a family. Her performance in this, how the character arc frustrates the viewer, is so fuckin gorgeous. You could feel like reachin your hand into the TV and wantin to pull her out to save her.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
It's a four star movie just for gettin to see closeups of needles prickin the skin. R-rated, I read.