pjkdog Reviews

Nacho Libre (2006)

Silly Fun

[7/10 · 14 June 2006]

Nacho Libre is good family entertainment. That pretty much wraps up the film in a nutshell. Does this mean it's a kids film? No, not really, I have no kids and enjoyed it, but that doesn't mean that kids that see it won't be cracking up either. The humor in this film is a bit more from the toilet, there are lots of funny accents and there's wrestling. You can't find a better formula for kids.

Jack Black seems to be really enjoying himself in this film, and his portrayal of Nacho is just as fun to watch. This film might be the closest big screen foray into showcasing the comedic strengths that Black has displayed in really funny SNL sketches and his Tenacious D persona, and maybe that's what made it so fun for him.

The best part of the film though is Esqueleto(Héctor Jiménez), a homeless man turned wrestler and only friend of Nacho. Jiménez is total scene stealer and thankfully they give him plenty of screen time. It's as if someone took the best parts of Taylor Negron and Felix Montano and created the ultimate comedic sidekick.

Laurel Canyon (2002)

And Why Do I Care?

[1/10 · 27 January 2006]

This was one of those movies that I think because of the premise, gets great reviews in alternative weekly presses, but strip away the shock value of the story and you get a movie filled with characters that you really don't care about. So many people are lauding Frances McDermott's performance, well just because the dinner is made with good ingredients doesn't mean the meal will be superb. Her character was just "oh so cool" and if she really cared for her son so much I think she might have actually thought about what she was doing, instead she hurts him in so many ways. This and the Beckinsale character's actions would be forgivable if Bale's character was really deserving of all this, but I just felt sorry for him for having to be surrounded by these people. Lastly, can anyone say they actually like the rock star in this movie? With him, Frances and all the rest of the lot living there I was just hoping to see a nice mud slide come and take out that damn house.