John Leguizamo: Indie Rocker?

Just watched an interesting low-budget film called "Sueno," a 2005 movie starring John Leguizamo. He plays a budding musician struggling to make it on L.A.'s Latin rock scene. With a hipster haircut that doesn't entirely suit him, Leguizamo sort of resembles a Latin version of John Rzeznik, the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls. Elizabeth Pena plays Leguizamo's neighbor, a divorced mom he convinces to join his band as a singer. (She later played his mother in 2008's "Nothing Like the Holidays.")

It's refreshing that this movie shows a side of the Latin community that doesn't involve the usual stereotypes -- drugs, gangs, illegal immigration, etc. As much as I like this movie, it's a bit overly earnest. Some of the dialogue is a bit corny, such as when a beautiful girl Leguizamo's character is pursuing rejects him and he says, "I'm here for you. X marks the spot," which he punctuates by drawing an invisible X over his heart. Also, the plot never really explain why this girl is so resistant to dating him. Whether they end up together in the end, you'll have to see for yourself.

Overall, I'd recommend "Sueno," if for no other reason than for showing minorities in a positive light.
Overal

'Outsiders' Still Golden

Enjoyed re-watching “The Outsiders,” one of my favorite movies from childhood. Came across the DVD in Wal-Mart for 5 bucks. Stevie Wonder’s “Stay Gold” is one of the best movie themes of all time, really captures the bittersweet tone of the movie.

'Colombiana': Entertaining Action Flick

Enjoyed seeing "Colombiana" recently. The role seems tailor-made for Zoe Saldana, who gets to explore her Latina roots in this role as a bad-ass gun-slinger.

I appreciate what producer Luc Besson and the other filmmakers were trying to do - an update of "The Professional" with a woman of color in the lead role  (i.e., a young girl witnesses her parents' murder and sets her sights on revenge). On a side note, I was a bit taken aback seeing Jesse Borrego, from the TV show "Fame," playing Zoe's father in a flashback. What a departure, from a dancing high school kid to a professional killer!

"Colombiana" has done a'ight at the box office, so it probably will neither help nor hurt Zoe Saldana's career. It's certainly a great showcase for her as an action star. There's a really cool, stylized fight scene in the bathroom at the end in which the lead character uses a towel and toothbrushes to defend herself.

As much as I like the concept of "Colombina," I'm not sure about the latest round of female action flicks - "Salt" with Angelina Jolie, etc. Is this a step forward or backward for women, being just as cold and emotionless as their male counterparts as they pile up the body count? Maybe Zoe Saldana is simply picking up where Pam Grier left off in the '70s.