Aged people, do they really become useless?

 By Carmen Calderon

As years go by we become more aware of the deterioration of our bodies and "minds". It should be considered that ageing (could be) is “normal” (without chronic diseases or pathological mental states) 

Among the causes we can mention is the increasing mental inertia of routinary lives, without stopping and asking ourselves “Is there anything else I would like to achieve?”, which triggers the little or no contribution to society by our generations and the resulting feeling of despair in a stage in which learning to be "with oneself" becomes vital.

Research carried out on the social image of the elderly has concluded that the social perception of older people is basically negative.

Therefore, in this sense we have the responsibility to inform ourselves in order to treat older adults in a dignified, comprehensive, and non-discriminatory manner, considering them to be the socially active subjects they really should be.

Furthermore, speaking integrally, we quote Peck (1959, 1968)1, who establishes four stages:2

- Appreciation of wisdom versus physical strength.

- Socialisation versus sexualization in human relation.

- Emotional flexibility versus emotional impoverishment.

- Flexibility versus mental rigidity.

Science is currently demonstrating through its research how a good quality of life in the Third Age is a necessary and achievable aspect by making use of the resources and potentialities inherent to the Human Being, and which far from being limitations at this stage of life, are capacities that keep on developing.

One possible solution is the creation of spaces where the elderly can socialise and use their talents, in the activity they enjoy the most. It would be a place for entertainment, a place of respectful coexistence between people of similar ages and/or interests. The activities to be developed there could be a reading club, dancing lessons, or putting into practice talents to express themselves in a creative way, such as painting, singing, public speaking, and many others.

To conclude, older people would take advantage of their experience and talents to learn how life can be enjoyable regardless of how old they are. Being aware of this, we can enjoy life much more than our predecessors did as we age and the incidence of mental and emotional disorders could be reduced to its minimum level ever!

1 https://www.gob.mx/inapam/articulos/envejecimiento-y-vejez?idiom=es

2  https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/3498/349832315005.pdf

 Pride & Prejudice 

The film has setting in England, and represents the life stile of late 18th century and is about a young couple who will have to overcome their prejudices of the time to engagement and finally get married. The main roles in this film are played by Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen.  

The story opens with the five daughters of Bennet family, Jane, Lizzy, Lydia, Mary and Kitty,  who live in a rural property called Loungbourn. That property coul be loosed when their father, Mr. Bennet, has died, so, their mother is desperately finding gentlemen to marry off their daughters to protect their future, economy and surname. Some of them, wish to be married and accept their destiny without rejects, but the second daughter, Lizzy, met to Mr. Darcy, a rich, apparently arrogant and proud gentleman with who will have a kind of struggle of personality, influnced by the customes and beliefs of the period of time. 

This film is based on Jane Austen's novel (1813) with the same title, which was launched in 2005,  skilfully directed by Joe Wright, with an incredible and well selected cast, it's romantic, gripping and moving, because, shows the old English customes and how the brave people manage their feelings, personalities, how they deal with own beliefs, morality and challenges of time, to find love. 

Lizzy, interpreted by Keira Knightly show us a smart, laughinh and single woman whose behaviour is always finding the true love. Her role in this movie invite and encourage us to reject things that don't make us happy and to be brave to defend our essence as a person. I would highly and thoroughly recommend this movie and I am sure that you can enjoy it. 

By Lucia Moo. 

Arrival (2016) 👽

Arrival is set somewhere in the US, in the present and in different periods of the near future. The movie is based on a book "Story of your life" by Ted Chiang, which is absolutely amazing. It stars Amy Adams as Louise Banks, a professional linguist, and Jeremy Renner as Ian Donelly, his academic colleague.

Imagine one day 12 alien ships landed on earth in different countries and there’s no way to know what these creatures want. That’s the challenge that Louise Banks has to face, who is taken to a military base where there’s one of the alien ships. Her task is to communicate with the visitors and figure out their intentions. Surprisingly, these creatures have a message to humanity, what is this message about?

Poignantly directed by Denis Villeneuve, the film assesses language, memory and life in a singular and brilliant way. The scenes are fast-paced, so you need to pay attention to every detail. However the soundtrack is beautifully composed by Jóhann Jóhannsson. The best part? There's a track written by Max Ritcher that is the theme song of the movie.

This movie is widely praised by academics and other directors who saw how outstanding the plot is. With its mystery and gripping story Arrival is a film that I highly recommend. ✅

Andrea López.

 Forrest Gump

This great movie is set in Greenbow, Alabama in the 60s and 70s. It is based on the novel Winston Groom. It stars Tom Hanks as the main character, Forrest Gump, Robin Wright as Jenny Curran, Gary Sinise as lieutenant Dan, Sally Field as Mom´s Forrest and Mykelti Williamson as Bubba.

Everything starts with Forrest sitting on a bench waiting for the bus.  While his transport arrives, he tells about his life, how his Mom wanted that he went to the school as any child, where the school principal said that Forrest doesn't have the same abilities as other children, and how he met toJenny on the school bus and they became best friends.

Although at first Forrest couldn´t  walk very well because he had to use special appliances, he became a good runner, with this skill Forrest could go to the University playing American football in its team. After winning an important game of American football, he met the USA´s president  and later he went to the Vietnam War, where Forrest met Bubba, his best friend, and the lieutenant Dan. When the war finished, Forrest received a medal for saved his companions and he mets USA´s president again. In that time Forrest discover a new skill, playing tennis, with it he became famous and a rich player so he bought boat and with lieutenant Dan they fished and sold shrimp, their business named “Bubba Gump”  but Forrest comeback to home because his mom was sick and  after some days she died.

At the end, Forrest discovers that gets a son with Jenny so he married with she and takes care of them.

Skillfully directed by Robert Zemeckis, who is an American director, producer, and screenwriter. Convincingly and poingantly acted by tom Hanks, also known for the movies “Naufrago, Milagros inesperados, Salvando al soldado Ryan”, among others.  The movie Forrest Gump was widely praised by the public.

It's a moving, hilarious and dramatic movie where Forrest has several historical events like teaching Elvis Presley how to dance and meeting John Lennon. I am sure that you are going to love the plot, I would thoroughly recommend it.

Social media use and depression during the pandemic confinement (Problem-Solution Essay)

Can you guess how many people who you spend time every day are depressed? Let me give you a word: - many – yes more than you’d ever imagine. Depression is a state of mental illness. It is characterized by deep, long-lasting feelings of sadness or despair. It can affect people of any group, including young children and teens. 

Some of the common factors that may cause depression are genetics, high levels of stress, schizophrenia, drug abuse, bad medical conditions, alcohol, and trauma. The worst fact about depression is that nowadays there are thousands of people suffering in silence.

It has been published a large number of studies that reveal that one of the causes for depression is social media, more than 90% of social media users are pretending to look happy, which has as a consequence, superficial relationships between people, so, there is no place for sad people. Currently, another cause of depression is the confinement during COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of personal coexistence with family, friends, co-workers, etc. has affected the mental state of many people.

There are several medical treatments to deal with depression, for instance, psychotherapy and pills, but actually, prevention is the best option, to practice regular exercise, a healthy diet, and stable relationships can be helpful in keeping stress low and thereby reduce the chances of feeling depressed. Veronica, who was depressed for more than one year during the pandemic because her father died and she could not visit him, and she decided to start practicing gym and yoga, activities that she did not do before, after that she made many friends and now she is calm and accepting that she mustn’t blame herself for not being able to visit his father during the quarantine.   

In conclusion, we should change the way we currently socialize, avoid the excessive use of social networks, find opportunities for real interactions with people to restore social connections lost during confinement, and, of course, reinstall activities that improve life quality and mental health to improve moods, clearing thinking, have a greater sense of calm or inner peace, and increased self-esteem, etc.

HANAL PIXAN

 

HANAL PIXAN.

This documentary would try to spread the importance of a traditional festival: Hanal Pixan…Food of the Souls, which takes place in Yucatan and reflects the history and culture of the Mayan people. It is an important original Mayan celebration of 3 days of festivities (from October 31^st to November 2^nd ).

Before these three days, the Walk of the Souls takes place where people paint their faces and dress up as a catrina, the traditional skeleton woman. The first day is dedicated to deceased children, so toys and sweets are included on the altar. The second day is dedicated to dead adults. On the third day, a mass dedicated to all the dead is generally held in the local cemetery.

Other different events are included throughout the week such as decorated streets and parks, music and night shows in the Central Plaza, and other parks in the center of Mérida.

Families prepare the traditional Mayan dish called Pib, a chicken tamale (wrapped in banana leaves) that is cooked underground in a hole for several hours before being placed on the altar.

This documentary would highlight the atmosphere of this festivity, filming "The Walk of the Souls", the altars, and interviewing young, elderly, and locals to gather opinions on the value of protecting our traditional customs.

Carmen A. Calderón R.

Festival de las ánimas

 This documentary would examine the importance of festival de las ánimas in Mérida, Yucatán. This festival also is called Hanal Pixán and is so important because the people remember their ancestors. During October thirty-one until November second this festival celebrates. The state council organize the “festival de las ánimas” in which the main objective is to take a tour in the streets downtown in which you can see all the altars of the ancestors of the different families. The tour realizes between the Church of the Hermitage and the General Cemetery. 

The aim of the documentary would be to film the festival in order to show the culture of Mérida, Yucatán and all the activities which involve this celebration. 

During the festival, you can see altars exposition, a sample of Mayan ceremonies, regional gastronomical sample, reading of stories and legends of the region, typical dance and guided tours in the general cemetery. These dates are important here so in that way the documentary is going to talk about it and show all the activities which concerned. 

The documentary would highlight all the history of this celebration. First, we are going to talk about why this celebration is realised then we are going to film Merida’s downtown and the streets in which the tour realizes. In the same way, the typical dance will be shown all this documentary is going to have typical music. 

Veracruz Carnival (PROPOSAL)

Veracruz Carnival is said to be Mexico's best carnival! This documentary would examine the importance of the Veracruz Carnival in our country. Carnival is some of the most exuberant celebrations that you will find in Mexico. It is a celebration that unites everyone regardless of class or ethnic background and gives them an opportunity to enjoy life, have fun, eat and drink in excess, and party until the break of dawn! 

The city of Veracruz practically shuts down during carnival. The aim of the documentary would be to film the Veracruz Carnival in order to encourage hundreds of thousands of visitors from all throughout Mexico descend on it to join in the carnival celebrations.

The Zocalo is where many carnival activities take place, this place is filled with amazing parties, parades, live music, and events. The documentary would highlight the main events of Veracruz Carnival which are the 'Preludio de carnaval', 'The burning of the Bad Mood', 'Coronation of the Children', 'Coronation of Reyes de la Alegria', 'The Carnival Parades' and 'The Burial of Juan Carnival'.

The dates of the carnival are not always the same because it depends on the dates of Easter, which is based on the lunar calendar. With this documentary we hoped Carnival would provide Veracruz with an opportunity to celebrate after years of social strife and unite people of different classes and ethnic backgrounds!.

 NASA scientist arrested at climate change protest

After a startling new climate report released by the U.N. more than a thousand scientists protested around the world. The latest U.N. report states that emissions reductions are urgently needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the century’s end.The effects include dramatic natural disasters, between them rising sea levels between 1-and-8 feet before the end of the century.

https://www.12news.com/article/weather/nasa-scientist-arrested-climate-change-protest/75-0ed2eacb-322c-4d38-a676-475f10a2ebba

Climate Change: A part of the impact about Global Warming is Irreversible.

Two weeks ago, when I was taking a break on TikTok, I found a video about a scientist who is announcing to all of us to be aware of global warming that is affecting the world, but as you can imagine there were two types of people in the comments about of the video, those who thought it was a fake news and others who supported the desire to want to take care of the planet but who were aware that it is irreversible damage, well, I was somewhere in between, on the one hand I know that sometimes they create false rumors of things with great impact, and this is one of them; but at the same time as a person who wishes to protect this planet even with my grain of sand, I know that it is true that as much as we try to try to fix the events that we have gone through in the history of humanity we will not achieve it in 3 or 10 years, and even less so if there are many people with little reason and maturity

If I honest, climate change is real. There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring. The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems. It is likely that most of the warming in recent decades can be attributed to human activities.

To sum up Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen." 

“Human influence on the climate system is clear, and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history. Recent climate changes have had widespread impacts on human and natural systems." 

So.... Are you ready to put your grain of sand?

NYC subway shooting

 After some people were injured in a NYC subway shooting last Tuesday, police has arrested the suspect. At the beginning, NYC police didn't have any clue about the guy who had opened fire randomly on passengers in a wagon subway, but then they tracked several youtube videos in which Frank R. James, a mentally ill man, had threatened to make violent acts in the NYC subway, so he did. 

 Will Smith who won an Oscar, has been admitted to a clinic to manage his stress due to embarrasing situation during Oscar ceremony. A comedian mocked about health problem of hair of Smith Wife's. Due to negative impact of that, the popularity of Smith is continuos falling down. Smith apologized for that, but his collegues are concerned about his behaviour. 

Author: 

Lucy Moo 

A borrowed book with no return date

 I own an antique book that has an interesting history about how it was finished in my hands. So one day on my history class we were talking about second world war and my teacher told a story about a doctor whom lived in a Nazi concentration camp. 

For those who know me, the second world war is one of my passions,  and I was really interested in the story. For some reason, I had to leave the class, so I couldn't hear all the story. The years passed and my brothers were on the same class with the same teacher so they heard the same story, as me they loved the story ,but one of they classmates said that he had the book, my brothers  told me about their mate, and in a couple of minutes we create a plan to stole the book.

We stole the book, well, stole sounds bad, we borrowed the book without a return date. And that is why it is one of my treasures for the topic and for the complicity of brothers behind the story.

Summer 2019

When I was a little girl I used to see many romantic movies. I remember seeing a movie where a girl falls in love with a boy but it all ends along with the end of summer. I used to think: “what it’s like to have a summer love?”. I thought that it will be amazing to fall in love with someone and have a summer love. Because in the movies it seemed that having a summer love was one of the best loves, that crazy, fun and spontaneous love. Actually, for a moment you can think that it’s perfect love. 

But one thing that the movies never told is that when the summer ends that crazy, funny and spontaneous love disappears in the same way that appear two months ago.

Well, I guess that you already know a little part of this history that happened in my life almost three years ago. This history happened when I was in my second university year. I meet someone who was two years and a half older than me. We almost meet each other because sometimes we were studying in the library. So one day I decided to talk with him and I remember that talk because he told me: “I’m going to study at Wyoming University when the summer ends”. At that moment I felt something inside of me as if someone had just pushed something into my heart. I know it could sound weird but it was a strange feeling. But when he told me that we both knew that if we decided to hang out just for two months, it would be tough at the end of the summer. Even when we knew it would be painful we decided to live the moment. That summer was one of the greatest summers of my life until now. When the date arrived and he had to leave Mérida and go to the USA. I was very sad when that happened but I learned and I understood that is better to wish the best to that person who was important in your life at that point. That happened almost three years ago and even that was the hardest love I had, sometimes when I think of him I just smile and I don’t get sad anymore, I just wish him the best. Since the last date that we had I didn’t see him again well just one time but he didn’t see me because I was driving in the lane that was only going towards Progreso and he was driving in the opposite lane to be precise the lane that goes towards the downtown. But two days later he came back to USA. 

I know that sound like a dramatic movie but since that time we never saw each other again. He always gonna be the best crazy and spontaneous love that kind of love that you thought that it will be forever.

EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A LIBRARY.

 

Libraries are essential, now more than ever. Despite what you may hear about the death of print books and the lack of interest in libraries, there are actually more public libraries in the U.S. than there are Starbucks.

 

On the one hand, libraries are an oasis for avid readers, whether for pleasure or for need. More than just storage spaces for books, libraries are important community hubs that serve as centers of learning and professional development, including books, internet access and educational and professional training programs. By providing free access to news, historical, and educational resources, libraries help keep the public informed with facts, rather than confuse them with fiction. Generally, some texts and other resources are simply not available in an electronic format. This is often the case with limited-edition print journals or texts from centuries ago. An individual wishing to look at these resources must visit a traditional library to do so. Books preserve the story and, more importantly, the truth.

On the other hand, they only provide as many books as they can store within the physical space available to them. Likewise, Brick and Mortar stores are not always easy to access. If you cannot travel to the physical location of your favourite bookshop, there are no options to acquire the books you desire. In addition, offline stores are restricted by time.

 

If you want my honest opinion, I reckon there are many people who love to read a physical book and would never change it for anything.

Well-informed people have an opinion. Consequently, it is much less easy to manipulate them because they are thoughtful and inquisitive people.

CARMEN CALDERÓN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SPECIAL MOUSE

What do we call a treasure? Well, I've asked this question many times throughout my life and to this day I can really assure you that it's something that gives you great enthusiasm just by seeing it that you don't need to have it around to know what is something special for you.

The story of this Little Mouse is something very curious since I have had it for 18 years ago. My parents gave me this gift when I was a child, so I don't have many memories of the mouse, but when I see this little mouse with the cheese, it brings me many feelings of peace and tranquility and above all love, and this is because my parents gave it to me however it makes this simple children's toy a treasure worth millions to me.

Originally the toy came in a cradle but I no longer remember where the rest went But what I do still have these days and that I will never stop visiting is my little mouse and the cheese When I see it I feel many things that I already talked about and that as much as the years go by and I continue to grow, I will never stop feeling the same

"it's a little mouse with a piece of cheese but it's something great"

The rise in fertilizer prices

Comparing the cost of fertilizer in the past year with the current year, this price increased by 150% per ton of fertilizer, which is extremely harmful to the economy not only to producers but to all people involved in agriculture activities and thus also in the consumer. The producers are very concerned about the rise in the price of chemical fertilizers, these, have the main function of increasing their production, this increase in prices is a problem due to this is the only way for living and support their family for these people.

One explanation for the increase in prices may be because the largest producer country of the raw materials with which fertilizers are prepared, which is China, has refused to export the raw materials it produces, due to this reason,  fertilizer has become scarce worldwide.

However, there is another way to produce basic grains such as corn through agriculture in many crops, it is called green agriculture or organic agriculture. This way of producing is based on the elimination of the use of chemicals for food production, which directly helps the health of consumers, however a disadvantage of this type of agriculture is the costs of making it works, consequently, the highest price of the products from it, these products called organic products have a high cost and do not have a high demand in the market.

In conclusion, the pandemic and war conflicts are getting bigger, therefore we are very likely to run out of inputs to fertilize chemically, so the current shortage should be seen as a great opportunity to start from scratch and fix the damage we have caused to our environment and much more importantly the damage to our health.

Carmen Silverio

Keep some things from your past

 Instead of having a unique treasure, I have a box it has a sentimental value because inside of it you can find many things that I consider treasure from many people who are no longer in my life and of people who are still in it. The box is made of pinewood and with different white decorations around it. Since I was in high school I started to collect letters, necklaces and drawings. Which were a gift from friends at that time. 

I don’t know why I started to collect these little and important things I guess that I can’t trash something which was a gift from a person who was and still is important in my life. When I get old the box be handed down to my children and they can collect all the important things for them. In my opinion, I really think is important to keep some things from your past. Because it brings you back thoughts about the person you used to be and how you still growing and learning about life. And that is the most important treasure for me: see how you change with the pass of time and how you get mature as a person. 

MY TREASURE

 When my children were growing up, I used to read Chopra's books. They always relaxed me and I found time to read them for at least 20 or 30 minutes a day. I felt like I was given a lot of existential answers that I was wondering about. I always told my children; “my books are sacred, no one breaks them, no one scratches them.”At the moment, my son and daughters play with me saying the phrases that I repeated about those books. My father loved to read magazines, books… and my brothers, sisters and I learned the habit of reading from him. When I am reading, I feel like I´m emulating my father. Chopra´s books have been with me for nearly 30 years, they are part of my life. For me, Chopra's books will never "go out of style".

Carmen Calderón.

Unicorns painting

There is a painting at my mom's house which I consider a treasured family possession, this is because it has been with us for many years, is not like over antique but, my mom told that she bought it when my old sister Sandra was a child and nowadays my sister is forty-seven years old.

We have been living in Veracruz, where the painted was acquired, and when we moved to Yucatan, we bring it with us as a valuable painting, the real thing is that it is no expensive object but it has a sentimental value for me. The painting is about an attractive woman sitting by a lake and behind her, there are three stunning gray unicorns in three different stages of growing up. It is a relaxing experience for me to see that paint.

I remember my mom saying that the girl was my old sister Sandra, and the last three unicorns were my brother Angel, mi middle sister Victoria and the last one, I mean me. I consider an incredible idea to be a unicorn, which is a magical creature. Currently, the colors of the painting are disappearing, I should make it repaired because I will always treasure it and I hope to inherit it to the next generations of my family.

"Your Name"

(The set-up is relatively simple: Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi) is a high school-age girl who lives in the fictional Itomori, a gorgeous, quaint village in the Hida region of Japan; Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a slightly older boy living in Tokyo. They are both average kids with their own social circles, but they have no actual connection, and lead very different lives, at least partially defined by their equally gorgeous settings of city vs. country.)

Mitsuha is the daughter of the mayor of a small town located in Japan, Kyoto, She is a simple girl who studies high school and has a little sister, lives with her grandmother, in this town a rite is very common which they do every year, but she is not interested in that since she dreams of studying in tokyo and leaving her small town aside. On the other hand, Taki is a high school boy who lives in Tokyo, he works part time at a restaurant where he meets a girl he finds attractive, but he is a bit shy and has no intention of telling her.

One day Mitsuha and Taki have a very strange "dream" in which they become the opposite gender, specifically each other. The interesting thing about this film is that Mitsuha and Taki are strangers living separate lives until one day suddenly they started switching places. Mitsuha wakes up in her Taki's body, and he in hers.  This phenomenon happens randomly, and they must adjust their lives around each other. In some way or another, it works. They build a connection by notes leaving for one another until they wish to finally meet. But something stronger than distance may keep them apart.

This type of film is a Romance/touching and a bit of suspense since it makes you excited and wants a relationship like that, Taki's personality is a bit disinterested at first he really doesn't care much about relationships as he is a bit shy and not open minded but through the movie the character develops he has a good overall development; But honestly, the personality that I liked the most and my favorite character was without hesitation mitsuha since she is a girl who at first thought that living in a town was a bad thing and that she did not like that kind of life very much and that makes her a person who wants to improve who does not want to stay in one place like many people usually do and that is what I liked the most about her, in terms of her development she was a work of art

Skilfully directed by Makoto Shinkai, the film comes with a beautiful masterpiece about time, the thread of fate, and the hearts of two young souls. The script is sensitively gripping, touching, and hilarious and the production is amazingly stunning. as Taki, Ryunosuke Kamiki is appealing in his performance and love of Mitsuha. 

However, for me, it's the character of Mitsuha, convincingly acted by Mone Kamishiraishi, who is the most touching of all. In conclusion, for me, Your name was a very interesting and highly recommended film which I'd thoroughly recommend

THE COLLINI CASE

 

THE COLLINI CASE…

 

The film is set in Berlin in 2001. The stars are Elyas M´Barek (Gaspar Leinen), Alexandra María Lara (Johanna Meyer), Franco Nero (Fabrizio Collini), Heiner Lauterbach (Profr. Richard Mattinger) and Manfred Zapatka (Hanns Meyer). It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Ferdinand Von Schirach and it is directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner.

 

All the evidence points toward Fabrizio Collini as the murderer who presents a literally hermetic attitude that doesn´t allow Gaspar to initiate the process of defense in his favour.

Gaspar is intimidated by the Prosecutor,  Professor Mattinger, who taught Gaspar criminal law and offers him a great successful career during the trial in exchange for his client pleading guilty. Collini's defender feels absolutely lost. However, his ethics and professionalism prevail in him. In an interview with his lawyer, finally, Collini asks him a question and gives his recommendations, which move Gaspar and give him a clue for his investigation, leading him to carry out a thorough investigation that provides him with  material to work in the case. The main character, Gaspar, handles the information skilfully and conveniently. At that moment, the trial takes a totally unexpected turn and the clever lawyer starts to balance the process.

 

The film is directed with sensitivity and acuity by Marco Kreuzpaintner, born in 1977 in West Germany. He is a director and writer, and he started directing short films with which he won some awards. The main character reflects an unusual personality, security and confidence in the conviction to do the right thing, which is worthy of admiration in this case.

 

The Collini Case is a very interesting and exceptional as well as unpredictable  film where one gets caught up in the plot. Likewise, the unexpected and moving ending gives a different touch to the film.  For all the above, I widely recommend it.

 

 

The Perfect Game.

The Perfect Game is set in Monterrey, Mexico in 1957, during the beginning of industrialization. It stars Jake T. Austin as Angel Macias, a young guy who is a baseball player, and Clifton Collins Jr. as Cesar Faza his coach.

As the film opens, Angel is at a funeral, his family had a terrible accident that marks them forever, and the cause is that his father is very strict. One day Angel finds a ball near the church which is connected with an ex professional baseball player, with comings and goings they start a baseball team to participate in the Little League World Series.

César Faz, moves to Monterrey , Mexico, after leaving his work with St. Louis Cardinals as a clubhouse attendant . There he meets a group of young boys led by Priest Esteban and they love baseball, Cesar has a special connection with Angel  Macias, a young pitcher that he takes as a pupil and teaches all his own pitching skills . Angel  convince Cesar to coach the team with his skills and priest Esteban support, the boys hone themselves into a competitive team,  involving them in situations of segregation and racism, as well as obstacles to prevent them from being the champions of the minor leagues.

Poignantly directed by  William Dear, the film manages to capture the essence of Mexico in the 50s, where the first signs of industrialization were given, with a wonderful handling of scenery and photography mixed with the great performances of the stars, making the viewer be moved by the different situations that they are facing. 

Although the story seems like a fable, it reflected true events. You sort of know how these underdog sports movies turn out. Doesn't matter. The Perfect Game so expertly uses the charisma and personalities of the actors, especially the young ones, that it's thrilling anyway.

Secret Life of Pets (review)

 The Secret Life of Pets is a clever, engaging adventure. It's a film by Universal Pictures which was written by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney. This film takes place in New York City in 2015 which is about what your domesticated animals do while you're not around. Main characters Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) and Duke (Eric Stonestreet) 

The film involves some dangerous adventures in which the main characters are Max and his friends. Max, who is Katie´s adorable dog, loves spending time with Katie and she loves him because he is a well-educated dog. The drama starts when Katie adopts Duke, who is a larger mutt. Obviously, Max doesn´t like Duke and he is jealous. One day, Max and Duke go out with their dog walker but he is distracted by his cell phone so an animal control officer catches them. The adventure begins when Snowball, who is a lovely rabbit that was disappointed by humans, helps them to escape with the condition to join his revenge plans against humans pointing out that he hates domesticated animals, Max and Duke accept, even when they are domesticated animals, but they only want to go back home with Katie. So the impossible mission starts but Snowball mustn't discover their real identity

Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, directors, have made this film something memorable, in which with some help from Universal Studios has done extraordinary animation work. You can see a lot of details in every moment (shapes, light, etc.). My favorite character is Snowball who has an uncontrollable temperament. He is so cute and funny. There´s no doubt that Chris and Yarrow are talented directors. 

This film has a lot of hilarious scenes, which you won't stop laughing at. There are also romantic scenes and more. However, for me, the most fascinating contrast is the Duke and Max friendship, in which you can see the evolution of how they became brothers. The Secret Life of Pets is a light, delightful film which I´d thoroughly recommend. 

DON'T LOOK UP

Dont’t Look Up is set in America in the 21st century digital world. It stars Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy grad student, and Leonardo DiCaprio as her professor Dr. Randall Mindy. 

As the film opens, Kate makes an astounding discovery of a comet orbiting within the solar system. What is supposed to be a ground-breaking discovery for her career, soon becomes the worst nightmare for the pair of scientists, who realize that the comet is headed towards the Earth, triggering what they estimate to be an extinction-level event. In an attempt to warn mankind of the approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth, the two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour that will face them with the sad reality of society today: No one really seems to care. Starting from the office of an indifferent President Orlean (Meryl Streep) and her sycophantic son and Chief of Staff, Jason (Jonah Hill), to the airwaves of The Daily Rip, an upbeat morning show hosted by Brie (Cate Blanchett) and Jack (Tyler Perry), we see them meeting the famous pop star Ariana Grande. With only a six-month interval before the comet impacts the Earth, taking control over the 24-hour news cycle and gaining the attention of the social media obsessed public before it's too late, shockingly comically proves what it takes to get the people all over the world just to look up.

Skilfully directed by Adam McKay, the film captures the essence of the culture of banality in a humorous and entertaining way, focusing on the shallowness and tackiness of today’s humanity. The script is gripping, with a pretty dark theme and timely hilarious moments. The performances of DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett are flawless, all of them do a brilliant job. However, in my opinion, the character of Kate, convincingly acted by Jennifer Lawrence, is the most amusing of all and made me realise how much I missed watching her in films. 

With such a big cast of absolute talent, the skill of the director and editors, and the story, mixing scientific facts and verbal garbage from political blowhards and tech giant psychos who have no idea what they're doing, Don’t Look Up is a family-friendly film which I thoroughly recommend. Satire at its best!