Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Nothing Like the Holidays (2008)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Alfredo de Villa
Starring: John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Alfred Molina
Running time: 103 minutes

 

The Rodriguez clan, a family of Puerto Rican descent from Chicago, are getting back together for the holidays. Mauricio, who is making his way in the business world, arrives with his wife. Jesse, a US soldier returning injured from Iraq, arrives with quite a bit of baggage. Roxanna is also back, with a highly exaggerated story about her career in Hollywood. What they all find at home is not what they expected.

This was actually a pretty good film. I expected a run-of-the-mill cheesy Christmas movie, but what could have been a silly, pointless ordeal was made so much better by the acting performances and a compelling story. There was still a good dose of clichés and silliness but, overall, I actually liked this one.


Rating:
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