Don Juan DeMarco (1994) Review:

Romanticism is a genre of many stories. Some of which are just fairy tales and are by no means close to real. There are others which happen to be based on true events or happen to be exactly the story itself. Of course then there are others where the story is so muddled in its history, it becomes more of a myth; blurring the lines between what is truth and what isn’t. The legend of Don Juan seems to be one of those stories in that undetermined area. Complimenting that is this film which sort of does the same thing in its narrative. And who could best fit that role, none other than rising star at the time Johnny Depp. After coming off several successes in the early 1990s like Edward Scissorhands (1990), Arizona Dream (1993) and Benny & Joon (1993), it’s really no surprise he was awarded the character of focus here.

Written and directed by Jeremy Leven who would later pen the screenplay to Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook (2004), the story is about a mysterious man who goes by the name of Don Juan DeMarco (Johnny Depp) who legitimately goes around wooing and sleeping with any woman that falls for him. He dresses with clothes that represent the mid 1800s, he speaks with a Spanish accent and yet it is current day. After making love to the last woman he feels he can, he prepares to take his own life, only to be talked out of it by Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando). Being pressured by his boss Dr. Paul Showalter (Bob Dishy) to put the man in the psycho ward, Mickler asks that he try to see what can do to prove the eccentric man is not indeed crazy.

For most of the time, it involves Depp’s character explaining to Dr. Mickler his story and how he came to be. How he originally only had one love Doña Julia (Talisa Soto) who of which her father forbade him from seeing. To later discovering he had a talent for swooning women very easily but wanted only one woman and her name was Doña Ana (Géraldine Pailhas). Despite much of the narration being between the two, the characters’ charms rub off on others. As Dr. Mickler spends time with Don Juan, he begins treating his wife Marilyn (Faye Dunaway) differently. It’s interesting to see how that plays out among others, which lends to some of the light comedic aspects to the movie. Perhaps the one thing that doesn’t feel completely concrete is the story being told to the audience.

It’s funny because essentially, the movie is treating the plot as a mystery just like the myth of the original Don Juan. At the same time, provide some closure. It’s not really clear if this movie does that. The film also contains a number of other actors fans would recognize like Rachel Ticotin from Total Recall (1990), Talisa Soto from (Mortal Kombat), Richard C. Sarafian from Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Carmen Argenziano from Unlawful Entry (1992), Tom Lister Jr. from Universal Soldier (1992) and even the late popular Latin singer Selena has a cameo appearance. All of which each cast member gives a welcome performance that is just as credible as the next. It’s truly amazing just how many faces appear in this particular feature that viewers can pick out among the crowd.

Cinematography shot by Ralf D. Bode was okay, but not anything worth noting. It was standard for the film but did not come across as different or really inventive. This is probably perhaps due to the film itself not being an energetic production, requiring crazy camera skills. Surprisingly though, Bode isn’t some nobody. He also shot for Saturday Night Fever (1977). As for music, the film score was composed by Michael Kamen. For the rough 40 minutes of the available album, Kamen uses a recurring motif for the story which is now best known in Bryan Adams “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman”. It’s interesting because some viewers may not know that this is where the song originated from. Not that it was something Adams just made up on his own and the film ended up using it because it matched.

Even though the story itself remains sort of mysterious like the character of focus and the cinematography is just standard, the story is still fun to watch play out. The characters are likable, there’s a slew of other actors and the music is enjoyable to listen to.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Selena (1997) Review:

There are times in this world where life happens fast. Mostly these moments occur with people who are in the entertainment business. They may start off slow and feel unrecognized, but usually their popularity rockets out of the sky with so much acceleration, it not only surprises the fans but also the person of focus as well. This happens especially when it is a hidden gem of talent. For the case of Abraham Quintanilla, he would not realize this until much later when he creates a family of his own. Of his family, the surprise star that would rise from his effort would be his daughter Selena. A woman who would go on to become a wildly popular singer in much of the Latino community and later in the United States.

The film here is about Selena and how the dream of her father ended up being channeled into her. Written and directed by Gregory Nava who also wrote and directed My Family (1995) and would later write in Frida (2002), heads this production. Originally, Selena’s father Abraham (Edward James Olmos) was a musician himself and wanted to become famous. During the time he grew up though where most immigrants were not as marketable as the mainstream, he struggled. Years later he would have a family of his own and try to restart his passion of music through his family. Only to discover his daughter Selena (Jennifer Lopez) had quite the vocal chords. Because of this he pushed her more and more to the front for exposure. And before anyone realized, she was not only getting many people’s attention but it was all for the reasons Abraham had wanted.

What Nava accomplished in his script is important for any viewer while watching this film. Not only does the screenplay highlight why Selena became such a powerhouse in her genre of music, but also the struggles she and her family endured among both American and Latin communities. Despite them sharing each background, they were scrutinized equally. If anything, this helps put into perspective how immigrants feel when faced against adversity from either side they belong to. It can be eye opening and for those needing a reminder, it is just as factual. The narrative also covers how the family dynamic changed over time as Selena became more and more popular. For example, the roles different people took on. Or how Selena found love among one of her band mates Chris Perez (Jon Seda) and the risks that she took in order to be with him.

Of course one cannot also enjoy this film without acknowledging the fact that this movie is what brought Jennifer Lopez to the forefront. Prior to this she had roles in movies like Money Train (1995) and Jack (1996). There’s also appearances from Jackie Guerra, Constance Marie and Jacob Vargas all playing the parts of Selena’s family. There’s also Lupe Ontiveros playing one of background members of the traveling group. Any other actor featured within the running time along with everyone else performs well and it feels believable. As much as people may rag on Jennifer Lopez for not being an actress completely and is more known for her singing career, she can do both. Possibly the most convincing in their performance was Edward James Olmos as the father, since Selena’s success stemmed from him.

For cinematography, Edward Lachman handled the camera for this production. The sets used through the film are to best show the spots at which Selena performed and how they impacted her career. Lachman has credits going all the way back to the 1970s and has remained with a lot of music related films like The Lords of Flatbush (1974), New Order’s Confusion music video and Madonna Into the Groove music video. For the music, the film mixes a lot of the songs Selena had sung to along with having its own score composed by David Grusin. No doubt fans will enjoy Selena’s music whether they’re familiar with either her English or Spanish songs. As for Grusin, the score uses piano in much of its tracks which are quite gentle to the touch. Grusin has also composed for Tootsie (1982), The Goonies (1985) and Tequila Sunrise (1988). The music works well along with Selena’s songs.

This biopic is a respectable representation of Selena as a singer and a person, especially since her family was made sure the story stayed true to their daughter. The acting is good, the story brings to light thoughts that some may not be aware of and the music entertains for any viewer.

Points Earned --> 10:10