Movie Review - Intimate Stories / Historias Minimas

Intimate Stories (2002)originally named Historias Minimas / Minimal Stories (Spanish with English subtitles)
This movie is very uneventful but I considerer it to be one of the better movies I have seen. It brings 3 people (and a baby) together who have nothing in common other than they are traveling to the same area, San Julián in the deserted and desolate southern Argentinean region of Patagonia. Each traveling on their own, their paths cross, as do their stories and dreams, throughout their separate journeys along these lonely roads.

The 80 year old man was tired of his life running a grocery store. He snuck away to search for his dog that ran away, he thinks because of something he did. Someone told him they saw the dog so off he goes hitchhiking, he can't drive because he is almost blind, his way into the lives of the other travelers.

The traveling salesman who seems to have a crush on a widow lady overheard it was her child's birthday so he goes out of his way to get a cake. He wants to impress her with this cake and tell her of his love for her. Not knowing if the child is a boy or girl, the cake is changed a few times throughout the movie from a boys cake to one a bit more generic.

Then there is the single mother and her baby. She won a ticket to participate in a game show and could win a food processor. She was so obsessed with the TV and the chance of winning something, even though she has no money, she took off to seek her fortune and her dream.

The director, Carlos Sorin, used mostly non-professional actors in this wonderful film. The peoples lives blend so perfectly with the scenery in this movie. It is filmed on many lonely, desolate roads in the Patagonia region. I was mezmorized by the beauty of the area and the colors of the sky were enthralling.

This road movie shows the spirit of people trying to make a dream, no matter how small, come true. Through humor, generosity, determination and a good spirit these people are very likable and honest. This movie is simple and enchanting with no special effects or action scenes. Watching it made me smile and feel good remembering it does not take that much to be truly happy.


The film won the Special Prize of the Jury in the 2002 San Sebastián Film Festival.
The winner of the 2003 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival.

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Movie Review - The Secret of Roan Inish

"The Secret of Roan Inish"
This movie is one of my all time favorites. After I discovered it I bought it. When I moved to Dominican Republic out of all my movies I had collected (about 300 or so) I only took about 15 of my favorites with me (sold the rest) and this movie was one I saved.
It was made in1993 but it is a timeless movie. It is a fairy tale of sorts. About this young girl Fiona, who had to leave the city after the death of her mother and go live with her grandparents. They lived within view of their ancestral island called Roan Inish. It is called the island of the seals.
Fiona learns about the families history and why they left the desolate island. She learned about the old stories of the selkies and how they effected her family.
Since it is an Irish tale the music is wonderful. Celtic, happy music. I love the entire sound of this movie. The crispness of it. Like the time when Fiona was helping her grandfather stirring the tar pot for mending the boats to the sound of the water lapping against a little row boat when a seal was taking Fiona to the island of Roan Inish.
I give this movie 5 stars all around. From the soundtrack to the tale itself. It makes one fell happy and stirs the imagination.

Views From My Balcony – Doggy Love

Can dogs fall in love? I never really saw doggy devotion until I observed these 2 semi-street dogs from my balcony. Semi-street dogs meaning that they belonged to someone but they were not considered to be a real part of the family.

They slept in the front of their owner’s door and were fed but not really an integral part of the family. They had the typical street dog look. Skinny and lanky, short haired non-breed dogs.

The main boss dog was the lady. I thought for the longest time that her name was Latrina and could not understand why someone would call his dog the name of an outhouse. Thank goodness that her name turned out to be Ladrina. I never knew the name of the man in Ladrinas life.

They were always together. She was much more presentable than he. She would go into the Colmado for a treat and he would wait outside. She would walk the street and he would follow close behind her. Anywhere you saw Ladrina her man was close behind.

Once the man-dog was hit in the street. My guess is he was sleeping under someone’s car and his leg got damaged. Someone put a few sticks on his leg and tied them with cloth. That was his splint. He hobbled around as best he could. But mostly he just lay around in the park. Ladrina was never far from his side. His leg healed up and his walking returned to almost normal. He had a little limp-drag-swagger to his gait but he did just fine.

At night when Cezar, the burger man, was cooking the doggie lovers were near by but never interfered with the cooking. They were even very discriminating on what they ate. My dog, Sniffy, ate anything. She loved pan de auga (the bread) and she would even eat rice. But these thin dogs of the street were never caught eating these things. (only once did Ladrina eat some bread and that is because she saw my dog eating some and she had to give it a try). One would think that they would scarf up anything they came across but this was not the case.

One day Ladrina was alone. Lying in front of her feeder-humans door. Alone. She looked sad, sort of lost. Very rarely was she ever alone without her man-dog. She walked the park alone. She went to the Colmado alone. She lost the spring in her walk.

Other dogs in the area started coming around her but she would chase them away, which she never did to her man. She looked so lost and sad. Where did her love go?

Finally after about a month Ladrina disappeared. No one saw her. She, along with her man, had just stopped existing.

Did she die from a broken heart? Did they join each other in Doggie Heaven? Did she wander off in search of a new love?

After seeing Ladrina and her man I do believe in doggie love and true doggy devotion.

Movie Review - Pan's Labyrinth

I have seen some great movies that I must share so I'm going to make a little movie review section. for me a good mivie is one that holds my attention. It makes me feel like I am right there and gives me some emotional feelings.

"Pan's Labyrinth" also known by the Spanish title "El Laberinto del Fauno"
This is a Spanish language movie with subtitles. It is a bit graffic with a little more blood and gore than I usually like but the story was just too good for the gore to matter much. It is concidered to be a fairy tale for adults. It is about a 10 year old girl that has a not too happy life but she loves to read fairy tales. She finds a decaying labyrinth guarded by Pan, an ancient satyr who claims to know her past as a princess and also her destiny. Her mom is a sad lady and her step father is a nasty sadistic, fascist officer in the pro-Franco army. There is lots of death and towards the end of the movie I was starting to wonder how it could have any type of a near happy ending. It was a suprise for sure.
This multiple Oscar-winning tale set in 1944 Spain from director Guillermo del Toro is for sure a must watch in my opinion (which is the only opinion that counts...LOL).
It is available for rent from
Netflix.com