rroberto18

One of the best and most successfully diverse indie films in years. You needn't be gay nor Chinese to be captivated by it. One of the surprising issues explored here is independent of sexual orientation: the rarely-dealt-with comparison between American-born Chinese (ABC) and native-born Chinese (NBC) mindsets and lifestyles. And so it's the initially homophobic Beijing actor on the rise and the U.S. immigrant parents of his second-generation out stylist that resonate with each other in surprising ways.

As in too many films dealing with an American gay protagonist, "Front Cover" includes initially clichéd scenes (here, computer sex and dance-bar clubs). But ultimately, each include twists that advance character development and story-line.

The script also subtly wades into aspects of China-U.S. political relations through both comic and dramatic conversations that explore global economic and human rights issues in personal rather than polemic fashion. The lack of a score adds to the realism; but a poorly-chosen handful of scene-transitional songs seem even more out of place as a result.

Thanks to inspired cinematography, NYC's Chinatown has rarely looked both welcoming yet set-apart. Thanks to careful casting, directorial and editing choices, the performances reveal characters both leading and supporting that are all well-delineated and worth caring about.

I didn't see the film on any festival screen. I bought a ticket at a Los Angeles multiplex where paying customers, on exit, discussed how far off-base its critics have been, and how they intend to challenge that with must-see word-of-mouth. Any film that creates a community out of its audience of strangers as this does is a rare gem.

"42" is more than this year's "The Help." It deftly combines the biopic and baseball film with feel-good/manipulative and "message" movie genres into a beautifully acted and directed crowd-pleaser on its own terms. The cast is replete with familiar TV faces in supporting roles, whose names may not click with you until the end credits: yet each performance is as indelible as those of its 3 leads. You don't have to be a fan of baseball, Brooklyn or "based on a true story" films to find yourself in its cheering section. Must viewing whether you lived through the civil rights movement or are too young to remember it. As for the critics who didn't get behind this one, I think they owe "42" a second viewing -- this time in a real theater with the rest of us, rather than in a plush screening room whose seat-mates' reactions rarely reflect the emotional impact of the ticket-buying public.

This "crime-ody" proves you can mix international police drama with place-specific humor and produce an emerald of a film. Too bad this solid production saw such a short stay in and received such limited word of mouth from Hollywood. Comparisons to an Irish "Fargo" are not misplaced -- this could become a cult classic once it hits DVD and cable. All three of the bad guys have individually quirky personalities that make the trio both threatening and hilarious. Their pursuit by a worldly black FBI agent and small-town bachelor cop ("guard" in Gaelic) provide perfect foils with on-target foibles of their own. Some audiences may find the location's dialect hard to get at times, but the low-keyed levity and big laughs are worth the effort. At first, the best-known songs on the soundtrack seem randomly selected, but like most other choices this film makes, they add much to the story and character development. From starring to supporting roles, these are indeed characters only great direction and understated acting can pull off. Both are ever-present, with the occasional apparent misstep always a clue worth investigating. You never quite know where this plot is going, but it takes the viewer on a ride once known as an "E-ticket." This film will not turn the Irish economy around by itself, but it's worth several times the price of a trans-Atlantic flight. First class dark comedy all the way.