Nacho Libre, RV and World Trade Center

We went on a movie binge this week-end and it was a riot! Saturday, H had to judge a contest of musical bands from the medical field (singing doctors and the like...) so the kids and I hied off to our local cinema to catch "Nacho Libre". Prior to this film, I didn't even know who Jack Black was! After this film, I've become a fan :) I normally don't like slapstick but I must admit that I was really amused with his antics (and accent!) as a monk cum luchador aka wrestler. The story in itself is sweet and that's what drew our family to the film. Black plays Ignacio, a cook at an orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico who has long dreamt of becoming a luchador. To finance better meals and the occasional salad for the orphans while pursuing his dream of becoming a luchador -- his signature wrestling move is called "the Anaconda squeeze" -- Ignacio, also known as Nacho, joins up with a toothy street man-urchin called Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez) and enters the ring. How he overcomes his limitations, pursues his dream and succeeds is the gist of the whole film. "If you fight for something noble, the Lord will give it to you," his inspiration, the nun, Sister Encarnacion tells him when he seems to lose hope. There are some crude language in the dialogue and rough wrestling scenes but over-all the kids and I were in stitches for the greater part of the movie. It was also a good opportunity to discuss the value of hard work and of pursuing dreams and sharing blessings with the children over dinner after the movie.

Today, the whole brood caught Robin Williams' "RV". Now, I'm a big Williams fan but I must say that he has done better films in the past (think "Good Morning Vietnam" and "Jack") but "RV" still has a charm of its own and quite a few moments that had the audience laughing out loud. At first you get appalled by the way Williams' (the Munro's) family members treat each other as opposed to the good old family values presented by the Gornicke's (though initially they are presented as the "dysfunctional" family) -- but that is the whole point of the movie. Thank God that redemption comes somewhere half-way through the film when Williams and family FINALLY realize what is truly important in life.

Obviously, we did not pick these two films for their critical or box-office acclaim. The whole point of watching films with your kids is to be able to discuss values with them afterwards. I haven't done a movie marathon like this in a long while for the simple reason that there wasn't really anything worth spending two hours in a cinema for. Even "Superman" for me, was personally, a let-down. The only saving grace there was Brandon Routh's distracting but drop-dead good looks.

One film I really look forward to seeing is "World Trade Center" directed by Academy Award winner Oliver Stone starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena ("Sueno"),Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello ("A History of Violence") which opens in U.S. theaters on August 19. This is the true story of John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, two of the last survivors extracted from Ground Zero and the rescuers who never gave up. Just this morning I was reading an interview of McLoughlin and Jimeno by Ruben Nepales of the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled
"I actually saw Jesus coming toward me - 9/11 survivor" and was very touched by the stories recounted by these two courageous men. Both Jimeno and McLoughlin were very happy with Stone's masterpiece and say that "The film was very well done and stayed true to the story." I saw the trailer this evening and already I had tears in my eyes. And that's me. I'm not even American. I am sure that this film will strike a chord on America in a very deep and emotional way.

A good film for me is one that either entertains and leaves me stitches, makes me think, warms my heart, inspires me and ocassionally, leaves me with a fuzzy feeling long after I have left the cinema. My view of a good movie is simple - it must entertain, move you and make you think about your own life. Of course every now and then you indulge in the mindless ones as well but perhaps only on DVD. After this weekend's film marathon I think movies will again be a part of my week-end staple of activities. Like books, film was a huge and fun part of my childhood memories and it's a legacy that I want to pass on to my children. Also, it only further concretizes what I once read in a book about midlife - that at this stage in the game , part of keeping the joy in life is not only pursuing new passions but more importantly, returning to what it is we loved most when we were young.

What is it that gave you joy as a child? I hope you re-discover it and bring it back into your life.
See you at the movies :)