WHAT'S UP! SCOTT MARKS / FILM REVIEW


Help Wanted Advertising Sales Rep


San Diego Community News Network (SDCNN) is seeking an experienced, motivated ad sales rep for Uptown’s community newspapers: SD Uptown News and Gay San Diego. We serve the uptown communities of Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, North Park, east to Kensington and Talmadge and extends to Downtown.


Must be knowledgeable of these areas and have a minimum of one year advertising sales experience. The ideal candidate is an energetic team player who is bright, positive, creative, personable and a team player who relates to small business owners and can assess their advertising needs.


Fulltime, base plus commission. Our office is located in the eclectic community of Hillcrest at 3737 Fifth Avenue, Suite 201. For more information about our biweekly community newspapers visit us at www.sduptownnews.com.


If you are interested in an opportunity with great earning potential and in joining our professional team, contact us today.


GAY SAN DIEGO


Resume to: David Mannis – dmannis@sduptownnews.com 3737 Fifth Avenue San Diego, CA 92103 – (619) 519-7775 ext. 101


San Diego Uptown News | Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2011


15


Javier Bardem stars in “Biutiful.” (Courtesy of Roadside Attractions)


Character-driven film provides 'biutiful,' yet tragic, trajectory


“Biutiful” Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo and Nicolás Giacobone Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álva- rez, Guillermo Estrella and Diaryatou Daff


Rating: HHHH


The only trace of irony or senti- ment to be found in “Biutiful” is contained in the title, a misspelling found in a hand scrawled refrigera- tor note posted by Uxbal’s (Javier Bardem) young daughter. How many times have you heard me moan about characterless filmmak- ers lacking the courage of their conviction to see a dark vision through to its logical and inescap- ably moribund conclusion? Writer, director Alejandro González Iñár- ritu wears sunglasses at night. With “Amores Perros,” “21 Grams” and “Babel” to his credit, Iñárritu continues to display a talent for turning human tragedy into a means of finding unification and redemption. His jumbled, multi-char- acter accounts slowly draw together their bands of otherwise unrelated individuals. We watch as storylines are intercut and siphoned into one core cause, say how many individu- als a stray bullet impacts in “Babel.” In “Biutiful,” the narrative is lin- ear and the lives of many dependant on one. Uxbal is a sainted sinner, a devoted father of two who makes his living off drug peddling street vendors, a made man in the Barce- lona underworld who finds himself caught in a power struggle between corrupt dealers and even more nefarious cops. Here’s a novel idea: To help keep everything clear, the subtitles come color-coded: Blue = Chinese, White = Spanish, etc. On the saintly side, the border- line Christ figure tries his best to ensure the safety and comfort of a group of twenty-five illegal Asian immigrants he finds “employ- ment” for at a local sweat shop. He is blessed with an otherworldly ability that enables him to pick up a few extra bucks on the side by conversing with fresh corpses who


have yet to fully cross over. When one of his vendors is put in jail, his initially reluctant wife Ige (Diaryatou Daff) is won over by Uxbal’s emotional strength and becomes a member of his extended flock. Unbeknownst to Uxbal his bi-polar wife (Maricel Álvarez) is carrying on an affair with her brother-in-law and all he can concentrate on is a recurring nightmare—a mysterious male figure stands in a snowy glade beckoning him to cross over -that keeps playing in his head. His pre- monition becomes a reality when both the doc and trusted family psychic give him no more than a few months to live. There is this sublimely surreal moment of CGI artistry that I had


to see again in order to believe. Ux- bal continues to make his rounds, burdened with the fresh news of his pending mortality. Several knocks bring no answer, and as he recedes from the glass door Uxbal’s reflec- tion is no longer in sync with his physical being, a subtle indication that he’s losing his identity as he prepares to make the transition. Fans of the afterlife who couldn’t wait to see “Hereafter” or “Undertow” might well look at this as a cosmic capper. Other have called Iñárritu’s ideas soft, but he’s making a movie not constructing a theological treatise. At this point in time, his message of deliverance through darkness will no doubt bring comfort to a lot of people. And in spite of that I still like it.u


COMPUTER PROBLEMS? Call Fishbone Computing today!


Business and Residential plans as low as


$44 /mo hourly rates available


unlimited help desk installs & upgrades remote & onsite assistance data protection


monitoring & maintenance antivirus solutions


For a FREE technical assessment contact Fishbone Computing at (858) 754-9359.


The


SOHO Annual


Historic Home Tour


Historic Seventh Avenue off Balboa Park FEATURING


Irving Gill • William Hebbard Frank Mead • Richard Requa Event Headquarters


Marston House Museum Shop 3525 Seventh Avenue


Lectures • Party • Ample Free Parking on Balboa Drive


Save the Date! Weekend includes


Historic Home Tour


For more information call (619) 297-9327 or visit www.SOHOsandiego.org


Proceeds benefit SOHO’s advocacy and preservation work Proceeds benefit SOHO’s advocacy and preservation work


For more information call (619) 297-9327 or visit www.SOHOsandiego.org


Recreating the Ancient Mexican Hacienda Cliff May’s First Houses 1932-1933


Tour five private homes designed by 20th Century master architects


Weekend March 26-27, 2011


fishbonecomputing.com


FinFinancial support is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.


ancial support is provided by the City of San Die o Commission for Arts and Culture.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28