joshua-m-meryman Reviews

Salsa (1976)

good look at what led up to concert from Rumble in the Jungle seen in "When We Were Kings"

[8/10 · 22 April 2005]

This film contains some of the most electric Salsa performances (Celia Cruz in all her mid 70's glory!)ever captured on celluloid. Due to lost masters, the DVD makers labored to even get what is shown in the course of 83 mins (50 or so devoted to concert footage from a Yankee Stadium show). Quality is not great but the music makes it worth your while. Besides Fania w/ Celia (in her first live collaboration with the group) and other guests including Jorge Santana (Carlos' bro), see El Gran Combo - the great Puerto Rican Salsa band. For your own copy try lightintheattic.net. Also "Fania All Stars in Africa" and "Our Latin Thing" all directed by Leon Gast, director of WWWK.

Swimming Pool (2003)

don't read too much into this flick (pun intended)

[8/10 · 9 February 2004]

Most viewers, it seems, need everything s-p-e-l-l-e-d out for them. What is so disconcerting about having to figure things out for yourself? So what if there is no right or wrong way of interpreting a story (nobody ever saw "Mulholland Drive"?). The clues here are in the "book". Either she is living the book or she is writing about what actually happened. Either Julie was real or she wasn't (at least the way the author describes her or even the real Julie at all). Either everything happened the way we see it or not! Watching movies is supposed to be fun! I personally liked the fact that the story twisted my mind up and then left me hanging at the end to figure it out (the way I could understand it whether it be right or wrong). Good, fun flick!!!

Search for Paradise (1957)

What if they still made movies like this?!

[8/10 · 11 March 2003]

This was actually the first Cinerama film at the Cinerama Festival that I saw. Being an original print, in fact the very last known of its kind, the color was somewhat pink throughout most of this picture. Despite the discoloration, I actually enjoyed this most of all the films I saw during the week (SFP, Windjammer & This is Cinerama). I even caught a glimpse of some reds, greens and yellows in the Royal Parade in Katmandu. To me, this represented the closest vision of the true goal of a Cinerama film - to thrill, educate and captivate. I had such fun I left the theater feeling like I had actually visited the places we went in the film. This film had it all - had it been released in summer of '57 it could have been a blockbuster!

This Is Cinerama (1952)

They way all movies should be shown!

[7/10 · 10 March 2003]

I am one of the lucky ones and certainly one of the very few of my generation to actually experience Cinerama in it's truest form. Here in Seattle there is a terrific philanthropist by the name of Paul Allen (maybe you've heard of him?). Lucky for us, he purchased the dilapidated old Cinerama theater downtown. Lucky for us he restored the old Cinerama projection system and screen as well as wiring for digital presentation (besides adding a sound system with no equal among public movie houses). Lucky for me they decided to show a Cinerama film festival with four of the original seven Cinerama movies. Although this was not the first to be shown it was the first restored print I saw after two originals. What a spectacle this must have been back in 1952. No wonder it was the box office king that year. I would certainly have sent all my neighbors and coworkers to see it if I could. First half was a little slow and meandering but it would have kept a '52 audience' attention. What was really special were the aerial views of our beautiful country to "America the Beautiful", et al. How patriotic! Way to go to all involved with the festival, the theater and Vulcan Enterprises (Allen's Co). Now I know why I would like to make movies. If only I could get Paul to bankroll a Cinerama feature for the 21st Century!

And Your Mother Too (2001)

Not a Mexican rehash of Losin' It!!!

[28 February 2003]

Any Mexicanos out there? I'm reading the posts for this flick and wonder how many viewers are actually Mexicanos and how many just rented it because they heard rumors about its sensuality and couldn't see it in the theatre because middle America doesn't show art films as much as other cultured parts of the States? This was perhaps the most realistic portrayal of adolescence in the life of a latino. Sure sex was a large part of the story but what teenage guy (much less a latino) could argue it isn't as large or larger part of their own life. If you haven't even been to Mexico, the rural parts not yet Americanized, I don't see how you could even really relate to this story other than male fantasy fare - unless you've toured your own country living out of a VW. For those who don't understand Espanol, you'll want to watch the movie at least once more just to pay closer attention to the dialogue and even then it doesn't come close to exactly what is being said in Espanol. Great script! Great pacing! Great film! Whoever said it was a step back for Cinema Mexicana (who's only other reference seems to be Amorres Perros!) needs to actually search out some other sources instead of just what hits the American screen. Try going to Mexico!

Wild Thing (1987)

Could have been a comic!

[24 January 2003]

Not a bad saturday afternoon cable flick. Probably based on the Tarzan mystique and infused with a little Batman - I got a kick out of seeing how a kid growing up in the streets builds his own weapons from junk he finds to overcome the bad guys and set the woman of his dreams free! Kathleen Quinlan pulls a Diane Fossey/Lois Lane and actually makes you want to save her too. Good music from the always interesting George S. Clinton who went on to do "Wild Things"!