kal-17 Reviews

Undisputed (2002)

Interesting premise, good execution

[12 December 2004]

This film asks the question "What if, when Mike Tyson was in prison, he fought the prison's boxing champ..."

The result is a delightful movie, with lots of my favorite actors: Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Wes Studi, etc. Plus the extra-cute Jon Seda.

Some have said that this movie is too slow, but I enjoyed the build-up. This movie tells the story very carefully, with plenty of detail. The pace just made the ending that much more fun.

And believe it or not, it has a happy ending. Yes, it's a rough and tough prison boxing movie. Yes, it has violence and cussing in it. But the ending is feel-good. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Casa de los babys (2003)

Sad but compelling story

[4 August 2004]

Desperate American women, unable to bear children, wait for months at a hotel in Mexico, in order to adopt babies.

Meanwhile, homeless and apparently parent less or unwanted children sleep in cardboard shelters and roam the streets, stealing and washing windows for survival, while one young woman reminisces about the baby she gave up, and another, pregnant and 15 years old, is on the path to giving up her baby.

This is a very affecting movie. It presents the situation, prompts us to ask the questions, but there are no answers.

The characters were interesting, and the performances are compelling. Rita Moreno, especially, was wonderful as the hotel owner.