Tag: miguelmikemedina

Moscow on the Hudson – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Moscow on the Hudson is a classic 1984 film that you can watch it on Netflix. It’s a Rom-Com movie with a good message. There are some cliches but the cast is great. The movie stars with Robin Williams and Maria Conchita Alonso. Robin’s character, Vladimir, a saxophonist, defected from Russia and decided to build a life in New York. However, his expectations are not all that they cracked out to be. He falls for a woman who works in Bloomingdale. Williams and Maria Conchita Alonso’s on-screen chemistry is what keeps us engaged in the story. The interaction between the characters in this movie is great and entertaining. 

Vlad and Lionel develop a strong friendship. Lionel takes Vlad under his wing and invited him to stay to live with him and his family. You can see the camaraderie between those characters and how funny those scenes are. Lionel works security at Bloomingdale’s. 

This movie is about looking and finding freedom, chase your dreams, and working hard. Defecting is hard. You leave your family and friends behind. One of the somber moments of the movie is when Vladimir finds out that his grandfather passed away. His grandmother loved comedy and he was a comedian. 

Moscow on the Hudson is entertaining but at the same time dramatic. Robin Williams makes you believe that he’s Russian. He brought that character to life and knocked it out the ballpark. It’s cool to see a young Robin Williams and this is one of his best performances in the 1980s. 

There’s nothing cooler than watching old-school New York in movies. New Yorkers like myself would feel the same way. Also, the legendary journalist Kaity Tong made a cameo appearance in this movie as a reporter. She was working at ABC at the time before coming to PIX 11. 

Review. 4 out of 5 stars 

Edison – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Edison is one of those sleeper movies that came out years ago but I didn’t know about it until recently. Thanks to YouTube for putting it up for free. This is Ana amazing film to watch. I mean, look at the cast. This movie is loaded with talented actors. A good cast. We’re talking about Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake, John Heard, Dylan McDermott. This is an Action/Drama movie that came out in 2005, but I never knew about it until a few days ago. I’m glad I found this movie.

Edison gave me L.A. Confidential vibes. A movie about corruption, law, corporate, and justice. This movie takes you on a wild ride. Very captivating. Good script, good dialogue, love the tempo, and good actors. Anything with Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, I’m open to watch their films because their talent is so good. I like every scene that both Ashford (Freeman) and Wallace (Spacey) share on screen. 

The fight scene in Act Three with Deed and Lazerov is intense and hostile. Great stage combat. LL Cool J excels as an actor when he’s playing roles in Action-Drana movies. It suits him. He’s built to buy those strong male characters and complex characters. His scenes with Justin Timberlake are also fantastic. Timberlake doesn’t get enough credit for his acting chops. 

My review for Edison is 4.3 out of 5 stars. 

Edison is an underrated movie. Better than I expected. Take advantage of free YouTube movies. 

Election – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Election is a Comedy/Satire movie that came out in 1999. It’s produced by MTV Films. That’s right. This is when MTV was MTV. Directed by Alexander Payne. It’s been 25 years since the release of the movie. The premise of the movie is somewhat crazy and bizarre but it demonstrates how certain characters can go insane when they want to win by any means necessary, especially in politics. You have candidates who are notorious and vicious in politics. 

Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick and Matthew Broderick as Jim McAllister have great chemistry as the teacher and student. Tracy is a hardcore driver student who is running for school president. Jim is a teacher who is not too fond of Tracy and is trying to sabotage her from winning. Reese steals almost every scene in this movie. Election is like the prequel or a little taste to the movie Legally Blonde, which Reese Witherspoon knocks out of the ballpark in her role. 

The “we’re in love” line delivered by Mark Harelik portraying Dave while crying made me laugh. This happened during the 15-minute mark of Act One. Dave getting involved with a student like Tracy cost him his job and his marriage. Linda, his wife, ended up kicking him out of the house. Dave moved back to Milwaukee to live with his parents. That’s a funny sequence and it goes to show that they’re repercussions when you sleep with a student. It’s funny because of the acting of these characters. Very good performance. Alexander Payne was able to capture that so eloquently. 

The movie is easy and understandable to watch. Election goes to unexpected places and manages to make it work. One of the funny parts is the pettiness of the teenagers. There are some dark jokes. One of the scenes that I didn’t like or that I felt that was not needed is when three actors were praying in bed. I never like the idea of praying to for when you need something from him. You should be praying to him every day naturally, not only when you’re in trouble and when you need something from him. The dialogue during the praying scene, which was at the beginning of Act Three wasn’t clever or creative. But that’s just my opinion. 

Overall, my review for Election is a 4.1 out of 5 stars. You can watch the movie on Max. 

Isiah Turns 63: Great Point Guard and Floor General


by Miguel Mike Medina

Isiah Thomas is from Chicago. People need to know that ball players from Chicago come with a different type of grit. They are wired differently. Ask Tim Hardaway, Derrick Rose, Patrick Beverley, Nick Anderson, etc. Players that come from Chicago bring a lot of toughness and passion on the court whether they are superstars or role players. Isiah went from Chicago to Indiana where he played under the legendary Bobby Knight. Together, they won the 1981 National Championship. He was Consensus First-Team All-American and named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

He got drafted by the Detroit Pistons and turned the entire franchise around. He was the ringleader of the “Bad Boy” Pistons who were very physical and not well-liked by opponents and the NBA. But the Bad Boy Pistons are one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Isiah has a playoff-winning record over Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. The rivalry with Thomas and Jordan will never be forgotten. Two great players, two fierce competitors going for the throne. Pistons and Bulls were at each other’s throats from 1988 to 1991. It took the fourth try for the Bulls to finally beat the Pistons.

Isiah Thomas’s signature game and the game that cements the legend of Isiah is the 1988 NBA Finals Game 6. Thomas hurt his ankle during a fastbreak situation and he stepped on Michael Cooper’s ankle. His toughness and willingness to lift his team to glory was put on display. Thomas scored 25 points in the third quarter with one leg and to this day is an NBA Finals record. Not only was he torturing the Lakers, but he was inspiring his teammates. There hasn’t been another performance in a single quarter like Isiah. Despite the effort, the Pistons lost that game and they also lost Game 7. 

However, the Pistons got revenge the following season. They swept the Lakers in the 1989 Finals to win the title, and they repeated as champions in 1990 by beating the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. 

Isiah is a 12-time All-Star, 2-time NBA champion, 1990 Finals MVP, and 2-time All-Star Game MVP. A gold medal is missing on his resume but he should’ve had one in 1992. We all know why. He never won league MVP but winning a championship plus Finals MVP is much better and rewarding. We salute one of the greatest points of all time. He wasn’t everyone’s favorite cup of tea, but the man deserved his flowers for what he meant to the game of basketball. Incredible basketball IQ and a student of the game. 

Jontay Porter Receives Lifetime Ban

by Miguel Mike Medina

Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating the league’s gambling policy. According to reports, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else’s betting accounts. This is a sad case. Porter is 24 years old and was a member of the Toronto Raptors. 

It’s not easy to make it to the NBA and for Porter to gamble his life away and throw his career to the toilet makes me sick to my stomach. I can’t imagine what the family going through at this time. Porter had a chance to play in the league for a long time if he dedicated himself to his performance rather than betting. This story would’ve been a way big deal had it been a superstar or an All-Star player. Porter was a role player for the Raptors. Porter just like Pete Rose will be remembered for this foolishness. 

Coby White scored a career-high 42 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to victory over the Atlanta Hawks by the final score of 131-116. Chicago will play Miami on Friday for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. 

Texas Rangers top prospect Jack Leiter will make his starting pitching debut today against the Detroit Tigers. Jack is the son of former pitcher Al Leiter, who won three championships in his career and played for a variety of teams. Pitching runs in the family. 

The Yankees overcame a 4-1 deficit and snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-4. Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton hit solo home runs. Lee Trevino tied the game in the top of the 9th inning. Aaron Judge hit a clutch2-run single passed third base to give the Yankees a 6-4 lead. The Yankees needed to win that game. They improved to 13-6 in the season. 

Closely Watched Trains – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Closely Watched Trains is one of those classic films I never heard about until three days ago on YouTube about great foreign language films you need to watch. I had this on my radar and wasted no time to watch the movie. This movie is cinematically masterful. I love the way it’s directed and shot. Amazing cinematography. Phenomenal black-and-white film. The movie was shot in Czechoslovakia and directed by Jiri Mendel. Closely Watched Trains won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. 

Closely Watched Trains is a blend of Comedy and War. Milos is a character who has no luck in this movie. However, later in the movie, you will see that Milos ends up finding love but danger and trouble are waiting for him. I’m not going to spoil anything because even though this movie came out in 1966; many people still haven’t seen it or have not heard about it. The film stars Vaclav Neckar, Jitka Bendova, and Vladimir Valenta as Stationmaster Max. 

It’s a coming-of-age type story. The acting is flawless. It’s a film that makes you laugh, sad, and other emotions. It’s a human film. The ending is bittersweet and somewhat depressing. Overall, this is one of those classic films that cinematographers should stuff. As a person who is trying to get into cinematography, I have this film in the list of so many great cinematography films. 

The movie is free on YouTube. My review for Closely Watched Trains is 4.4 out of 5 stars. 

Get Shorty/Be Cool – Movie Reviews

by Miguel Mike Medina

Get Shorty

Get Shorty is a 1995 Comedy/Crime movie that features a very well solid cast. Starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and James Gandolfini (before his breakout role in The Sopranos). The synopsis of the movie is about Chili Palmer (played by John Travolta), who is a loan shark and movie buff who comes to Hollywood with dreams of entering the film business. He learns that the business is more cutthroat than the mob world. 

John Travolta is smooth and cool playing the character of Chili Palmer. I can’t see anyone else playing that character so eloquently like John Travolta. This role comes after his mesmerizing performance in Pulp Fiction. The script is brilliant and the cast does a fascinating job. The movie has some entertaining moments but I felt that it was more crime based than comedy. 

In my review of this movie, I give Get Shorty a 4.3 out of 5 stars. 

Be Cool

This movie is the sequel is Get Shorty. Be Cool was released ten years later. I remember going to the movie theaters to see this movie and I laughed in so many moments. It was a fun experience. Be Cool is loaded with talent. New additions to the cast feature Uma Thurman, reuniting with John Travolta since Pulp Fiction, Cedric The Entertainer, Andre 3000, Christina Milian, Vince Vaughn, Harvey Keitel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and more. 

Be Cool, in my opinion, is more funnier than Get Shorty. The script is not as strong as Get Shorty, but the level of entertainment and the cast make this a must-see movie and one of those movies where you can sit back and relax. The scenes with Andre 3000 and Cedric are outstanding. Both of them have impeccable comedic timing and chops. Christian Milian, with whom I always had a crush since Love Don’t Cost A Thing, does a solid job playing an aspiring singer who became a big star thanks to Chili Palmer. 

In this movie, you see Chili Palmer make the transition from the movie business to the music business and teams up/falls for Uma Thurman. I feel that John’s performance in this movie is more clever and smoother than Get Shorty. 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is hilarious. This is one of my favorite performances of his career. He steals every scene he’s in. You can’t teach or deny his Incredible charisma. I just gotta say one more thing about him: SCORCHING! If you had seen the movie, then you would know, haha. 

My review for Be Cool is a 4.1 out of 5 stars. 

Brewers 4-0 Start, Harper’s Slump is Over, Gators’ Rally

by Miguel Mike Medina


MLB

Milwaukee is 4-0 for the first time since 2006 during the Prince Fielder-Ryan Braun era. Christian Yelich homered and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 on Tuesday. Brewers right-handed pitcher Joe Ross will take the mound for the Brew Crew on Wednesday afternoon.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung will miss six weeks due to his broken right wrist. He was hit by a pitch on a swinging strike in the ninth inning of the Rangers’ 9-3 win on Monday night. King will be replaced by infielder Justin Foscue. Jung hit .266 with 23 home runs and a .781 OPS last season, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year. 

Phillies top man Bryce Harper homered his first three hits of the season, including a grand slam, and. The Phillies took care of business and beat the young and hungry Cincinnati Reds 9-4. Bryce Harper came into this game going 0-for-11. The slump had to come to an end at some point and it did on Tuesday night. This is Harper’s second career three-homer game and his 26th multi-homer game overall.

Tough news for the Kansas City owners and the city of Kansas City might not be happy with this either. Kansas City voters denied a sales tax that would’ve kept the Chiefs and Royals in the metropolitan area for the next 25 years. The tax would’ve provided about $2 billion to help renovate Arrowhead Stadium and build a new Royals stadium.

College Baseball 

No. 12 East Carolina defeated NC State 12-4. East Carolina scored two runs in the second inning and never looked back. They broke the game open in the sixth inning by scoring three runs and did more damage in the seventh and eighth innings. First baseman Cunningham went deep. Dixon Williams and Jacob Starling combined for four RBIs. East Carolina improves to 21-6 in the season.

No. 6 Florida Gators rallied quickly after trailing 3-0 in the first inning to Florida A&M. The Gators won 10-7. Both teams combined for seven home runs. Gators Junior pitcher Fisher Jameson improved to 2-0 in the season. 

An Officer and A Gentleman – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

With the passing of Louis Gossett Jr, I decided to watch his Academy Award-winning performance, An Officer and A Gentleman. I’ve heard about the movie in the past but I never watched the movie from start to finish. The movie is about a young man who must complete his work at a Navy Officer Candidate School to become an aviator, with the help of a tough Gunnery Sergeant and his new girlfriend. Richard Gere plays the young Navy man named Zack Mayo. Louis Gossett Jr plays the character of Sargent Emil Foley, he is a hardcore strict leader at the Academy. 

My favorite scene of this movie and arguably the best scene performance of the movie is when Zack Mayo tells Foley that he has nowhere else to go. He says it repeatedly. Foley pushes him hard through training but Zack doesn’t give up because he has a lot riding on the line. 

Foley brought out the best in Zack. I believe that Foley was the best thing that ever happened to Zack at that particular time in his life. Through Foley’s leadership, Zack learned to be a team player and became a much better man. Foley challenged him for the better. 

An Officer and A Gentleman has a good script, and terrific all-around performances by Richard Gere, Debra Winger, and Louis Gossett Jr. Louis went on to win Best Supporting Actor for this role. I like Richard’s performance in the second half of the movie more than the first half of the movie. Gere picked up the intensity and emotion. 

My review for this movie is 4.2 out of 5 stars. You can watch this movie on Max. Rest In Peace, Louis Gossett Jr. He was 87. 

Selena (1997) – Movie Review

by Miguel Mike Medina

Year 29! Today marks the 29th anniversary of the horrible and devastating murder of Selena Quintanilla. Selena was only 23 years old when she made her journey to heaven. After having early success, she was just getting started. She made a big impact on the world and left a huge legacy. This led me to make a movie review of her 1997 biopic, Selena.

Jennifer Lopez starred as Selena in this film. There was some criticism because J. Lo is Puerto Rican and Selena is Mexican. Many people wanted someone Mexican to play the role of Selena. Jennifer played the role so beautifully. She’s not a great actress in my opinion, but she does an incredible job bringing Selena’s character to life. This role changed Lopez’s career forever. The Jennifer Lopez that we know today, all blew up and started with the massive praise and attention from her performance in Selena. You can tell she studied Selena. Everyone who was part of that picture had nothing but high praise when discussing Jennifer’s preparation and work ethic for this role. 

I also found the chemistry between Jennifer and Jon Seda very believable. Jon Seda played the character of Chris Lopez, Selena’s fiancée and the band’s guitarist. Edward James Olmos, whom I like as an actor, did a great job playing A.B. Quintanilla (Selena’s father). The scenes with the father and daughter are essential, especially the pizza scene and the scene where Selena tells her father that she got married to Chris. As we all know, Abraham didn’t approve of their relationship at first, but then he accepted him back into the group and their marriage. Abraham was afraid of her daughter getting married so young and having her career in the palm of her hand, but Selena had a way to melt her father’s heart and change his mind. 

Selena and her mother had a great relationship. You saw it in the movie and I believe it was like this in real life it was the same way. Based on interviews I’ve seen, you can tell that out of all Abraham and Marcella’s kids, Selena was something special. I’m not making this as preferential treatment or favoritism. The parents loved all of their kids equally, but there was something about Selena that made their relationship really tight.

My review for this movie is 3.8 out of 5 stars. The movie has some flaws from a directing and writing standpoint, but it’s a heartfelt and inspiring story. A tragic end but it’s her impact that makes this story unforgettable.