Havoc

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: October 16, 2005 (Armenia)

DVD Release Date: November 29, 2005

Plot 411: Wiggers from Pacific Palisades check back into reality when they have an encounter with 16th Street gangsta.

Review: Rich kids Allison (Anne Hathaway) and Emily (Bijou Phillips), in an effort to be real and actually feel alive, venture into East L.A. and kick it with the 16th Street gangsters. Wary at first, they soon find themselves fitting in with these hardcore criminals, drug dealers and overall thugs. They meet Hector (Freddy Rodriguez) and think they're so cool to be with such dangerous people. Their lives cease to be boring because now they're living on the edge. However, they are naive and don't realize that in this case appearances are reality. They do not and cannot fit into this lifestyle. The film is an intense look at these kids' privileged lives as they appropriate hip hop and gangsta culture forming faux-gangsta crews. They walk the walk. They talk the talk. They listen to hardcore rap and even believe themselves to be hardcore. But none of it is real. It's all a game to them to fill the void that is their lives. With drugs and sex they become numb and are able to escape, if only for a little while, their lonely existences. Most of their parents are workaholics or have their own mental and emotional issues. Some even have their own substance abuse problems. This film makes a clear statement about the lives of the idle rich. Despite all their attempts, their lives are completely separate from the middle class and astronomically apart from the ghetto that inspires them. After watching this film, I wasn't sure who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. Are the gangs the truly evil part of this equation because they corrupt youth, advocate violence and make people dependent on chemical substances? Or are they victims just trying to make a living any way they can so they can support their family, even in the face of discrimination? Are the rich at fault for neglecting their children because they are blinded by ambition and wealth? Are their kids guilty of whatever happens to them because they go out asking for trouble in a powerplay that they hope draws their parents' attention? These are all legit questions and I guess no answers are ever easy. The film also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in an almost unrecognizable role that I think he plays well, and brief appearances by Channing Tatum, Laura San Giacomo and Alexis Dziena.

Watch It: For a harsh dose of the reality we live in. This movie reminded me of Alpha Dog.

Skip It: Because Hathaway didn't really put on a believable performance of good girl gone bad.

Nothing Like The Holidays

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: December 12, 2008

DVD Release Date: October 27, 2009

Plot 411: A Puerto Rican family spends the holidays together and emotions run high for all of them.

Review: Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) returns home to Chicago after serving in Iraq as a Marine. It's obvious he is experiencing a little PTSD, and we learn later that this is partly because one of the men in his unit died. His father (Alfred Molina) owns a bodega, which he expects Jesse to run one day, and his mother (Elizabeth Pena) is at home cooking a holiday meal. Also arriving for the festivities is his sister Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), his brother Mauricio (John Leguizamo) and sister-in-law Sarah (Debra Messing). In everyone's eyes, Roxanna is a Hollywood starlet who living in California and works in show biz. In reality, she is a struggling actress like many others. Mauricio and Sarah are both career driven and succeeding in their perspective jobs. To the dismay of his mother, Mauricio has not produced a grandchild and this is a source of many disagreements between him and his wife. At the holiday dinner, their mother announces that she plans to divorce their father because she suspects he has been unfaithful. When he doesn't deny the charges, this causes an uproar that threatens to tear the family apart. I didn't know a thing about this movie and had assumed it'd be a romantic comedy. Boy, was I wrong. This was, instead, a family drama with some serious themes. However, many of them just failed to strike a chord with the audience. The characters weren't really unique and drew no sympathy from me. I didn't feel compelled by any of their stories. A lot of the scenes felt stilted and the characters didn't seem to relate well to one another. The movie tried its best to be the Latin version of This Christmas but I think it failed miserably.

Watch It: If, perhaps, you're interested in seeing just how old Debra Messing seems to have become.

Skip It: If you're looking for a good holiday movie about family. Instead, pick up This Christmas.