Weekend Picks #3

My picks for this past President's Day weekend.

Electric Shadows
I liked this movie a lot, but I felt it had a slow beginning. Set in China, it's about a little girl whose father abandons her. To replace the void, she relies on movies and dreams of being a famous movie star. The story is told via flashbacks and it's not until it gets into her everyday life that it's actually compelling. (She's bullied in class, makes various sacrifices for her family, etc.) The ending ties everything together perfectly and makes up for the "slow" beginning. Overall, great movie. It's short — about an hour and 30 minutes — but stick through the slow start and you'll get a nice payback/ending. Chinese with English subtitles.

Vampires in Havana
I have to admit, it was the title and artwork of this movie that attracted me to it. Otherwise, I never would've seen it. It's a cartoon about a vampire scientist, Wolfgang Amadeus von Dracula, who discovers a formula (called Vampisol) that allows vampires throughout the world to walk in the sunlight. He tests it on his young nephew, Pepe, and it works so well, that as he grows up, Pepe doesn't realize he's a vampire. The scientist, who lives in Cuba, wants to give this formula to the world for free.

Now, here's the conflict. There are two vampire families (more like mafia families) in the world, the European family in Dusseldorf and the American family in Chicago. The Chicago family has created a network of artificial "beach" theme parks specifically for vampires, so they're afraid Vampisol will hurt their profits. Meanwhile, the European family wants to steal the Vampisol formula so they can sell it and make a killing with the profits. All craziness ensues. In retrospect, the cartoon is very political, but it's still a very fun flick. Spanish with English subtitles.

Casa Julia Carmenere
This is a great value wine if you like reds. It's a carmenere from Chile (as most camreneres are.) You can usually find it for no more than $12. (I usually pay $10.) It has a nice fruity flavor without being overly tannic or dry. It's a great "party" wine when you have friends over (so far all my friends seem to love it) and it's also a great "weekend" wine if you're craving some red.