Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

gavin6942 After the birth of his first child, Roberto, a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is not enough.I wish I could recall the name of another film I watched not too long ago about the immigrant experience of crossing the border and trying to find work in America. While different, the two make a good pair and a thorough analysis comparing and contrasting them would make for a great essay.One of the more interesting things about this is how smoothly things go, for the most part. Yes, there is an incident in the junkyard concerning bad food, but one of the first Americans encountered goes out of her way to help the man despite knowing almost no Spanish at all.

zetes Excellent film about the experiences of a Mexican migrant worker (Domingo Ambriz). Shot in a very authentic documentary style, it follows Ambriz's fleeting experiences. In the blink of an eye, the man's life changes, and he has no choice but just to go along with wherever the wind takes him. One moment he's traveling across the country with his buddy (Trinidad Salva), the next moment his friend's gone forever. One moment he's involved with a single mother (Linda Gillen), the next moment he's being transported back to Mexico by Immigration officers. This was director Young's first film, made for PBS. IMDb actually lists his Short Eyes, which is an even better film (a masterpiece, in my opinion), as having come out first. Young re-edited the film into a director's cut in 2001, actually shortening it by about 15 minutes. That's the version presented by Criterion on their new edition. It's an unearthed gem.

John Seal Also released as The Illegal, Alambrista! (which actually translates as tightrope walker) relates the story of a Mexican man who emigrates to the U.S. in order to make a better life for his family south of the border. Domingo Ambriz delivers a flawless performance as Roberto, who hopes that Yankee dollars will enable him to provide for his wife and new child but quickly learns that he's just a tool in the hands of coyotes (one of whom is played by Ned Beatty) and employers alike. He meets a friendly American waitress (winsome Linda Gillen), gets taken to an evangelical church service, and eats LOTS of ham and eggs before he decides life was better back home. Directed by Robert M. Young (not the actor, but the helmer of the equally excellent Short Eyes), Alambrista! won the Golden Camera at Cannes in 1977, but quickly sank into oblivion thereafter. That's understandable considering it's a sympathetic take on one of America's favorite whipping boys, but the film comes highly recommended for those willing to overlook the protagonist's disdain for federal immigration laws. One to avoid for the Tom Tancredo crowd.

Ocelotl "Alambrista" is a groundbreaking film about a man's decision to move to United States and leave everything that he has behind to start a new life in the pursuit of the American Dream. In this new land, he learns that the American Dream is not easily acquired and maybe and impossibility to attain for some, and he is forced to make some tough choices. I liked this film because the directing is great and the mis-en-scene and the characters are strikingly realistic. The message at the end of the film is one of hope that there is a brighter future, in due time, for new immigrants,