Nothing Like The Holidays

Starring: John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez, Debra Messing
Drama, PG 13 (2008)

This is a movie about adults coming home for the holiday's and how often they bring all of their excess baggage with them along with presents. There is the Iraq war hero, the Hollywood starlet, and the successful lawyer with his equally if not more successful stock broker Caucasian wife. This is a Mexican family that loves each other and when they find out that their parents who have been married for three decades are on the brink of divorce it causes quite an uproar.

• We do find out the parents are on the brink of divorce but the reason why turns out not to be what you expect.
• I enjoyed watching a movie about a regular Mexican family that was really about family and not boxed into some of the typical stereotypical themes that often arise in movies about Latinos.

3 Stars

Paraiso Travel

Starring: Aldemar Correa, Ana De La Reguera, John Leguizamo
Drama, 2008 (Rated R)

A girl who will do whatever it takes to get out of Columbia and into New York City entices and pushes her reluctant boyfriend into going along with her. They are both from middle class families and actually have decent lives where they are. The journey is long and dangerous. Once they finally cross over they become separated and as the boy struggles to make it in the Big Apple and begins to adjust to his new surroundings he still finds that he cannot forget her.

• This movie is absolutely amazing. The acting is great all around. Seeing John Leguizamo in this was a nice surprise. He is amazing.
• Unlike most movies that show people crossing over into America these two did not come from extreme poverty and that added a slightly different and interesting spin on the story.
• Correa's portrayal of Marlon is nothing short of perfect. He is strikingly handsome and really captures Marlon's innocence, loyalty and goodness.
• Reina is quite the evil loud mouth girlfriend and if you asked me she never deserved someone as good as Marlon in the first place. A classic example of not realizing what you have until it's lost.
• This film can be watched in Spanish with English subtitles or with dubbed in English. I started out watching it in English but didn't like it so I switched.
• When searching for great little known/and or foreign films sometimes I strike out but this one was a home run.

5 Stars

Where God Left His Shoes

Drama, 2008 (NR)

Starring: John Leguizamo, Leonor Varela

A man tries to find a job in order to qualify for an apartment on Christmas Eve so he can get his family out of a homeless shelter for the holidays.

• My heart really went out to this family.
• The situation for the family literally just goes from bad to worse as they are evicted from their apartment and find themselves in a homeless shelter.
• Frank feels so terrible that no matter how hard he tries he can't do anything to help his family. The odds are totally against him.
• What moved me to tears is seeing that no matter how little they had there was still so much love between Frank and his wife. He had nothing to offer her but his love and no matter how bad things got she always loved him back.
• Wonderful movie.

5 STARS

Watch Trailer Here