The Lebanexican

Dolor y Gloria

It’s time to revisit the best movies of the last year, in my humble estimation. They represent a variety of genres and themes, but they all featured great acting, writing and directing. Read on to learn more, and check out my reviews from previous years here: top movies of 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

Parasite: I wrote about Parasite shortly after I saw it, and I still think about certain indelible images from the movie: the new maid in the Park family using her Olympic talents to toss the hammer in the backyard of her boss’s palatial home; Mr. Kim lying awake, staring at the ceiling after a long night; the many long, dimly lit hallways of the Park mansion. Parasite is a work of visual art, but it’s also an expertly-drawn thriller and an astute commentary on inequality. The ultra rich and those just trying to get by? They exist side by side here, and in South Korea too.

Once upon a time in Hollywood: A few years ago, after reading the novel The Girls by Emma Cline, I became obsessed with learning everything I could about the Manson murders. When I heard that Quentin Tarantino was directing a movie about them, I felt uneasy: I didn’t think his penchant for gore and senseless violence would do the subject justice. But Once upon a time in Hollywood proved me wrong: audiences got 2 hours of classic Tarantino dialogue, a groovy soundtrack, a world of weirdos and misfits played by a cast of actors at the top of their craft. Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant and Brad Pitt all turn in memorable performances. And Sharon Tate gets the ending in this movie that life never gave her.

Dolor y Gloria: Pedro Almodovar’s latest movie gives Antonio Banderas the opportunity to show what a talented actor he is. In Hollywood, he’s Puss in Boots. But in Spain, he’s a gifted actor, and in “Pain and Glory” he portrays an aging film director who spends his days numbing his aches and pains with an array of pills and potions. The movie can roughly be divided into thirds: the director’s reunion with his old collaborator, his reunion with an old lover, and caring for his dying mother. Interspersed with all of this are flashbacks to his childhood, where his mother is played by Penelope Cruz. Almodovar films are colorful and visually gorgeous, vivid testament to the beauty of Spain. This story shows what it takes for someone to pull themselves out of addiction: it’s not easy. But it takes effort. And love.

Hustlers: Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, starring Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez, and featuring music by Lizzo and Britney Spears, among many others, Hustlers was the rare feminist blockbuster. I’m not sure what a movie about strippers conning Wall Street types would have looked like if it had been directed by a man, but this movie portrayed complicated women with complicated motivations- some are more conflicted about stealing from their marks than others- in a nuanced way. It also gives J-Lo a chance to shine, commanding every scene she’s in as the ringleader of the group. This movie was just plain fun, and I hope to see more woman-led blockbusters like it in the future.

The Farewell: Awkwafina has shown that she can do both comedy and drama with The Farewell. Like its lead actress, the movie is never entirely dramatic or comedic. It’s a serious story about an immigrant family with many funny, absurd moments. Isn’t that what family, and real life, is like? The plot is simple: spend time with Grandma without telling her she has terminal cancer. Director Lulu Wang’s tone is whimsical throughout, observing the absurdities of the proceedings at a distance. The result is a deeply personal film about family that was one of the most affecting of 2019.

parasite

I wanted to see Parasite before the hype got too overwhelming. It’s like waiting in an endless line to get ice cream or coffee- after such a long wait, it can’t really be that good. And if there is crazy hype around this movie come Oscar season, I may reevaluate how I feel about it. But moments from the film- images, actions, jokes, music- have stayed with me days later. I love a movie with a good twist- and this one has about three.

What do you need to know going into the movie? It’s about a working-class family, the Kims, that insinuates itself into the lives of a wealthy family, the Parks. Yes, the title may refer to them living like parasites off of their wealthy hosts. But “Parasite” is not a simple anti-capitalist polemic. It is funny, largely thanks to the gullible matriarch of the Park family, as well as the scheming of the Kim family as they worm their way into the luxurious Park home. It is thrilling, as we watch the plot take unexpected turns. Director Bong Joon-Ho is a master of not only setting tone, but at switching, from dark humor to taut psychological thriller, in such a seamless way. The visual language of the movie is rich and tells a story itself, each corner of the exquisite Park home telling a tale, and with the obvious visual metaphor of the Parks living high above the city, and the Kims living in a basement apartment, although the high/low metaphor extends to the interior of the Park house as well. Upstairs/downstairs, indeed.

While I called “Parasite” far from a communist screed, there is righteous anger coursing through the film, especially in the second half. The patriarch of the Kims overhears the patriarch of the Parks confess that Kim (his driver) has the stench of the poor. The Kims get a glimpse of the good life in the Parks’ home, but that’s all it will be- a glimpse. As Kim tells his son, the best plan in life is to have no plan at all. Even when you have the extraordinary good luck to find yourself in a situation like the Kims do, you know it’s all a dream. You’re still the parasite leeching off of the good will of your hosts.

Two months into 2019, I still carry the optimism of the New Year into February. A sense of new beginnings, new possibilities both professional and personal. I know that there are new things to learn and do this year. The question is where.

The following is a list of some accomplishments that I’m particularly proud of:

Hosted on WordPress, I managed a news and culture website- editing photos, translating posts, assigning articles to contributors, which culminated in a weekly email newsletter to industry peers.

I earned a Masters degree in Spanish Translation, where I translated financial, economic, scientific, technical, legal and political texts from English to Spanish and from Spanish to English. My internship was at the U.N.

Relentlessly pursuing leads, I nurtured relationships with media companies in Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama, and Peru, among others, signing advertising contracts with them that allowed us to run successful digital ad campaigns.

Every day I monitored social media channels for our company; it was vital in enhancing the company’s profile in the industry.

Many people have seen the script I wrote for a video explaining the findings of a months-long customer research study, to easily share the results to internal audiences.

Each and every week, I worked closely with salespeople and ad operations teams to successfully deliver highly-targeted digital ad campaigns.

So what am I most proud of? Using language to communicate ideas and tell stories; creating relationships that benefit my employer and our client alike; working closely with teams to execute and achieve a common goal. And doing so in both English and Spanish.

Connect with me here. Let’s work together.

A dos meses del Nuevo Año, aún llevo mucho optimismo conmigo; siento que las cosas van a cambiar, que nuevas posibilidades están por comenzar. La cuestión es…¿dónde existe este nuevo comienzo?

Lo que sigue son unos hitos míos de los cuales estoy orgullosa:

Manejaba un sitio de noticias sobre nuestra industria -editaba fotos, traducía las publicaciones, y redactaba artículos- todo lo que culminaba en un boletín semanal enviado por correo electrónico.

Estudié una maestría en Traducción, y durante el transcurso de mis estudios traducía textos de índole financiero, económico, científico, técnico, legal, y político. Mi pasantía fue en la ONU.

Cultivaba relaciones con empresas mediáticas en México, Colombia, El Salvador, Panamá y Perú, entre otros, firmando contratos que permitían que campañas publicitarias digitales salieran exitosamente en sus sitios web.

Monitoreaba los medios sociales de la empresa. Era imprescindible en alzar el perfil de la compañía en nuestra industria.

Escribí el guión que acompañó un video explicando los hallazgos de una importante investigación de consumidor, con el fin de compartir los resultados con un público interno.

Trabajaba en equipo con los equipos de ventas y de operaciones para entregar campañas publicitarias digitales con metas muy precisas.

Ahora bien, ¿qué une estas hazañas?

El usar el idioma para comunicar ideas y contar historias; entablar relaciones que benefician a todas partes; trabajar en equipo para ejecutar y lograr un objetivo. Y hacerlo de modo bilingüe.

Conéctate conmigo aquí. Trabajemos juntos.

Ever since I saw the first advertisements for Green Book, I was turned off. My reaction was visceral. In the year 2018, a movie where a white man learns that African-Americans are a-okay, who stops being racist because of his friendship with a black man, feels very outdated. And yet rave reviews poured in for this movie.

I was puzzled. Was I not giving it a fair shot? Green Book stars two talented actors, Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. But it was directed by Peter Farrelly, of Dumb and Dumber fame. The movie was written by the son of the real-life white protagonist. When I learned this, it confirmed my suspicions that Green Book is more about a white man’s transformation than a gifted black musician, who mostly serves, it seems, as a vehicle for his chauffeur’s redemption. Black characters at the service of a white story.

And then I watched the Golden Globes, where Green Book won for Best Screenplay and Best Comedy. I was bewildered. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post helped to articulate what feels so wrong about this throwback tale receiving so much praise: because it is happening in a year when Black Kkklansman by Spike Lee, Blindspotting by Daveed Diggs, Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley, If Beale Street Could Talk by Barry Jenkins and Black Panther by Ryan Coogler were all released. So many films were made by black filmmakers with black people at the heart of the story, with fresh, original takes on race and racism. And yet Green Book gets all the praise? It feels strange, and unfair.

Needless to say, I will not be seeing Green Book. But I look forward to seeing If Beale Street Could Talk this weekend.

Progressive women of color

Standing tall,

They rise

One by one

With the winds of change at their backs.

Determined

From across the land they rise:

Minnesota

Michigan

Kansas

Boston

Atlanta

New Mexico

The Bronx

The labor of a century,

To vote,

To advocate,

To represent,

Realized.

The women of this nation are rising.

While dutifully working from home today, I watched Birdbox on Netflix (I’d seen the memes). Watching a tense thriller with the blinds open, sun shining through, is the only way for me to do it (though I discovered that when I turned away from the screen, I faced the mirror closet in our entryway. Still saw everything!).

I was hesitant to watch it, not only because it promised to be scary, but because I’ve had my fill of post-apocalyptic hellscapes. I read Parable of the Sower and Station Eleven last year. I’m very familiar with The Hunger Games. The genre has kind of jumped the shark. What does Birdbox add to this overcrowded genre? Is it a fable about global warming? A prophecy that women and people of color will inherit the earth? Does it tell its survival story in new and interesting ways?

No, as far as I can tell, Birdbox doesn’t say much, nor does it add much to the post-apocalypse genre. And although I watched some scenes from behind a pillow, what I did see was impressive turns by John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, and of course Sandra Bullock. I love a good survival story against faceless foes. Despite its flaws, I liked Birdbox. You should see it with eyes wide open.

I started the day off with a first date, a breakfast date. A bold move for a new year. It’s comforting, as I get older, to embark on a date and call it that, to not act like we have something extremely casual with zero pressure, just two buddies meeting. So while it’s refreshing to jump right into the important stuff, I still stumble when asked “What are you looking for”?

My instinct, as always, is to answer with humor. To deflect. But what am I looking for? It’s certainly not what I was looking for ten years ago. Also, I’m not looking, at least not actively. I’m waiting for love to show up, announce itself, ready, easy (though it’s never easy). I told my companion that I’m looking for a man with whom I’m compatible. Compatible is one of those words that’s hard to define. I think of it as comfort. Comfort in someone’s presence. Feeling at ease, sharing a worldview. Not having to explain yourself, being able to just be. Now put that in a dating profile.

Were the gentleman from this morning’s coffee date and I compatible? Somewhat. It’s hard to say. Another date is in order. With him, and with others. And the beat goes on.

Sorry to bother you

It’s December, the Golden Globe nominations are out, and oh, I still can’t get the song “Shallow” out of my head. It’s a time to reflect on the past year, and that includes looking back on a particularly great group of movies that I saw this year. Before reading my very eclectic list below, check out my picks from previous years: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Sorry to Bother You: What a weird, wonderful movie this was. I imagine that watching Pulp Fiction in 1994 was a little bit like watching this, knowing that you’re watching a fresh, original voice express a bold vision onscreen. Boots Riley, of Oakland rap group The Coup, directed this story of Cash Green, a young telemarketer who finds success using his “white” voice. The vision of a not-so-distant future where people opt in to slavery is bold, but the struggle of whether to stand by one’s friends or sell out and make money? That is timeless.

Crazy Rich Asians: This romantic comedy was like many others- money and family threatens to tear apart two lovers. But Crazy Rich Asians was groundbreaking in several ways: an all-star Asian cast, including a charismatic performance by the Cary Grant-esque Henry Golding, a lush Singaporean setting, and clever, sure direction by Jon Chu. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Place Publique: In-flight movies do two things for me-they either lull me to sleep or keep me awake. As I flew over the Atlantic this summer, Air France gave me the opportunity to watch a plethora of French movies. Place Publique, directed by Agnes Jaoui, was exactly my kind of light, breezy summer movie- the entire film takes place during a party populated by producers, TV weather girls, YouTube celebrities, and starstruck yokels, among others. It’s both very funny and very insightful about the nature of fame and celebrity.

A Star is Born: Some people scoff at anything that is popular and successful. They figure only obscure art with limited appeal can be good. A Star is Born is a remake of a remake of a remake; a timeless story about fame, addiction and love. I can’t compare this version to any of the previous ones. But to me, the music- country, pop ballad and dance pop-along with expert pacing and direction by Bradley Cooper make the story sing. That, and phenomenal acting by Cooper and Lady Gaga, at whose altar I worship.

Roma: Alfonso Cuarón has directed two masterpieces- Children of Men and now Roma. Though named after the Mexico City neighborhood where Cuarón grew up (and which I know well), the movie title evokes the languid cinema of Italian directors. Based on the director’s memories of childhood, the story unfolds more as a series of remembered moments than as a traditional, linear narrative. The roar of planes flying overhead. The panic of losing sight of a child on a crowded street. The clunky old car that never quite fit in the garage. These moments are told with arresting visuals. But more than the sights and sounds of 1970’s urban Mexico, Roma is about the intersecting lives of two women, Sofía and Cleo, but more specifically Cleo, as both are abandoned by men. Roma is a story about gender, class, the startling brutality of political violence, and the way we remember the past, both personal and political. I thought it was stunning.