It was Andrea Brianna Garza birthday yesterday as she turned 5 years old . She was so excited for her photo shoot that she reminded me of Little Miss Sunshine. The scene where the little girl finds out that she qualified for the competition. Well right away the first thing she told me was that she was going to do her own poses lol. She is really photogenic and very easy to make smile. Joe was behind me making a big dork of himself as he made Andrea laugh a lot.

Andrea Brianna Garza

5 years old

April 2

Article and photos by Abel

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to have a movie date with a friend who shares the same cinematic tastes as I do.  She suggested the movie Valentin and while I was apprehensive at first, it didn’t take the movie long to win me over.  Valentin, released in 2002, is a Spanish film that takes place in Argentina in the 1960s and is about a boy who lives with his grandmother, dreams about being an astronaut and receives occasional visits from his ever absent father.  The heart and soul of the movie is of course the child Valentin.  The movie cleverly combines Valentine’s cross-eyed nerd-like appearance with his charisma, charm and wit.  In fact the nerdy appearance only enhances Valentin’s persona as it fits in perfectly with today’s geek-chic fashion that has become so popular amongst today’s hipsters.  The film centers around Valentin’s conversations with his adult companions which contain some pretty funny dialogue driven scenes.  The acting all around is good, soundtrack is great, and the scenes featuring the city are so beautiful that you’ll want to book a flight to Buenos Aires for your next vacation.   All in all this is a great date movie and one I recommend for all our visitors.  Another 4 star rating for my Net Flix.

Yesterday, I finally got around to watching the movie Precious.  By now, I’m sure many of you have seen if not heard a great deal of buzz about this movie.   If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend shooting it to the top of your NetFlix Que.   Mo’Nique’s performance as Precious’s mom is truly frightening and in a good way.  She truly deserved the Golden Globe she received for this role.  There were so many moments in the movie I genuinely felt scared because although you knew what this woman was capable of you always felt she could surprise you at any given moment.  A good deal of praise must be dealt to Lee Daniels, the director, as well.  Daniels does an excellent job of getting the audience to connect with the character and truly empathize with Precious.  You feel fear when she’s scared, anger when she’s upset, and melancholic when she breaks down.  The movie can be very depressing at times with its few short lived positive moments but it does end on a positive note.   However the scariest attribute you’ll take away from the movie is knowing that while this is a fictitious movie, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to say this could just as easily be based on true events.    In case you’re wondering, Precious received a 4 star rating on my NetFlix.

What’s next in our que?  Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  Next up we re-visit the 1982 classic that launched Sean Penn’s career, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.