The lost city, starring Enrique Murciano
So I watched The Lost City. On a theater. Yesterday.
It wasn’t promoted at all and if it wasn’t for Enrique being in it, so that I and my web-friends took info about the coming out of the movie in Italy, I would never know it was out. It is displayed in just a few theatres and I had to plan when and how to go watching it.
That being said, the movie is not the bad that's been said. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s easy to watch and not boring at all. The people at the theater, yesterday, seemed quite satisfied. They laughed during Bill Murray’s jokes and stayed silent during all the drama that was in the movie. The music and the dances all through the movie never bothered any of us.
The flaw is that Andy Garcia wanted to do everything on his own. I had the feeling I’d have from a long, not betaed fic written by a newbie. The fic may be grammatically correct and have some very good scenes, but it lacks a second eye to it, that may make the writer notice of a few exaggerations.
He wanted to show us everything, but I lacked of a good insight in the various characters. There are some sort of jumps from a moment a character is behaving in a certain way to the next moment he/she reveals to think in just the opposite way. I have this feeling when I watch WaT or other TV shows. But this is a movie, and I expected some more continuity.
I'm especially talking about Inés' role, from being Luis' wife, to his widow to Fico's lover to chose the Revolution in a representative role. I can't see the changes.
Tomas Milian wins for best actor (he plays the father).
Bill Murray has an amazing role and plays it off wonderfully. Another award for him.
Andy Garcia can act.
Inés Sastre is more beautiful than a good actress. She was so beautiful that it was distracting and I didn’t see her doubts and inner fights or decisions made.
Enrique’s role was the most complicated and hard to play. I didn’t envy him. He is supposed to go from the young and enthusiastic guy who believes in the revolution to the guy who witnesses to the cruelty of Batista’s police, to the young man who joins el Che, but soon is caught in a fight that is bigger and more violent than he could ever imagine, to the man who is tempted to go back to his family and loves them, but being a soldier he just can’t retreat. He causes his uncle to have a stroke when he confiscates his tobacco fields. He shows remorse, but it’s too late for his family: he lost everything. He kills himself.
Enrique alternates moments where he can express what’s required in the scene to other moments where he lacks of shadows and lights. I mean, he can play downright enthusiasm or angst or fear or pain, but not feelings of doubt. I don’t know, I have the feeling that it’s a bit to put the blame on the uneven scenes that he’s forced to film. I’m also quite sure that, being this movie two years old, Enrique has a lot more experience now and could play it better. The beard and the uniform he had to wear didn’t help him.
AND I’M NOT SAYING HE WAS BAD!!!! Just that he was a bit uneven.
When he sees the police torturing and killing a revolutionary and when he kills himself. Those are my favourite Enrique’s scenes. But there are others where I really appreciated him. Now, if you excuse me, I definitely think there will be screencaps (yes, because I incidentally got the movie in English and in French on my computer, but I didn’t watch it because the first time had to be on a theater and on Italian so that I could understand everything, though now I rewatched something in English and everybody has a strong Hispanic accent that means I get everything they say!
Enrique is sweet on a few scenes and tough in others. He has two fights in the beginning of the movie and... what can I say? Hot!!!!!
Last, but not least.
Danny Pino, Scotty Valens in Cold Case, has a small role in the movie. He is into the very first scene, so he was the first known person I saw. I always stated that he’s quite goodlooking, but not so expressive and that they give him stupid storylines into CC. Well, I sort of fell in love with him in Lost City. The man can do masculine action and is very hot. I loved him.