THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI....will give you a clue to find peace

With such title, you'll expect a whole story full of marketing or advertising either some product or the referenced town from the title, but no, the movie "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" (2017) is all but that. It uses that long title to set you up in a rural town in middle and rural North America, to tell a story that really happened there and will involve some of the locals in a series of events that started seven months ago when a young girl was raped and murdered. But the local police has done nothing about it, mostly because it's staff is not very reliable to fulfill their responsibilities plus the fact that the case by itself seems to be more complicated than just running some test and doing some research. Reason why a grieving mother that is dealing with the guilt of losing her rebellious daughter after a family fight and refusing to drive her ended with her life, is now decided to make it right and do whatever it takes to find the responsible for  such horrible crime. And since the local police has done nothing the last few months, while driving home she has an interesting idea using the abandoned three billboards outside of town as a friendly but at point note to the local police and the whole town. Kind of a wake up call to the whole country regarding so many crimes and unsolved cases that the police in all their departments and states had left opened leaving the locals without hope and with the devastating truth to live and move on. So this movie has so many layers that we should proceed with that as a start.

With a moving and deep performance from actress Frances McDormand as the mentioned grieving mom, working in a souvenir store and raising her other child, a teenager boy that is dealing with depression and the aftermath of a broken family while struggling with his own issues proper of his age, and after dealing with the separation from her abusive husband that left her to date a teenager girl, not only leaving his family but all of them in broken pieces. This is just another reality of the middle class in rural areas where towns are too small that everyone know each other and people talk and because nothing big happens, life just happens, pushing everyone to try to reach the next exciting thing that approaches just to get away from the routine, reason why alcoholism, violence and addiction are so common as a way to escape their reality and boredom. But is in places like this that real situations happen. Young boys and girls die by accidents from them trying to take some risks, or get marries or knocked up at very young age just because there's no much to do or focus in. What is worse is that some of this reality is encourage by their own parents, that trying to see their children accomplish and do more that what they have done, don't realize what they are pushing them to do or how their influence will reflect in their future actions and decisions, just to see them losing their path by the influence or others and idealistic dreams cause by a rebel soul and hunger for excitement and get away of their normal and average reality.

And when they are grown ups, the just live day by day, like just passing through life as a line to take the next train. Lack of purpose and motivation takes them to boredom and failure. Reason why the police department seems to be full of incompetent police man. They are more intrigue about gossips from the neighbors than actually do something about the situation of their hometown. Cases are filed like encyclopedias for decoration in the room but they will be punctual for happy hour at the local bar, taking advantage of their power to get away with murder, able to beat someone just because and use their lack of anger management to persuade the local to do as they need to, until one is finally standing up for the rest and saying no more.  It is time for them to do their job and respond for the lac of answers at it. Exposing their failure proteting the town is what those billboards mean and will bring chaos to the town, that will see the opportunity to finally point fingers to the police and demand them to do their job but also will cause controversy among the conservationists that like to live peaceful and try to get away from trouble, specially officer Dixon, a police officer that the more he talks the more assures how messed up is the academy that gave him a gun and a batch, but that behind his anger issues nurtured by his mother and his alcoholism, hides a detective soul screaming for an opportunity to prove himself and show off in exchange of validation, but for now he is not happy with his station being exposed as mediocre and incompetent so actions will be taken about it.

But then we also get to know the sheriff of this peculiar place, a man that is trying to do it right but its   caught by his own troubles, specially the fact that he has cancer and will die soon, but in the mean time he is still a dad, so will try to be the best dad and husband possible while trying to be also the best he can do as the sheriff of a town that has not much resources and staff to rely on, but mostly he is part of this community and people care about him, so when he is put in the spot by these billboards, some will look at him as the responsable for let this happen and others will take his side and fight for him, protect his reputation, but might be just the fact that they feel sorry for him. Still, he believes in this woman and thinks her idea is brilliant, sadly he can't do much to help her but to support her cause even that will bring more chaos to his office, but he is just another man, a regular middle age man, that has to deal with real issues like family and a career, both stuck in a town in the middle of nowhere, where no one cares about missing persons and where everybody has a better agenda than help others, and settle by just looking at what is happening out there without doing anything to change it, so are they the ones creating this environment and nurturing the fact that things happen here and have no consequences or are the consequences what are shaping the lives of all this people that is trying to survive by just living through the situation looking forward to move on?

Between all this drama exist the real plot of the story that serves here more as a subplot where a case is still open and lacks of any clues of who's the responsible of such horrible crime. But the real question is, does the mother made this happen by pushing her daughter to go out and be at the wrong place at the wrong time just for trying to be a mother and forge her daughter out of the dark side where she stands? Or was the parents that were too busy solving their own issues, dealing with addictions and emotional problems to really focus in their children and embrace their role as parents before individuals unable to fight to keep their family together? Or maybe was the police department that with their incompetent staff makes of this town an easy target for bad people to come and satisfy their needs to commit ilegal actions, while they use their power as a law force to do whatever they want but protect their town by actually doing the opposite creating fear among the locals, fear to the ones supposed to protect them and fear to your neighbors that won''t do anything to help the situation? Or is it the community that raises new generations entitled by their parents that show no respect or role model figure to them by promoting the wrong things to do in any situation, like overprotection, lack of parenting, an absent sense of culture and education but at the same time a great gift of forgiveness that will let them move on to the next chapter no matter if was right or wrong? The answer we might never know or maybe each one of us will have their own after witnessing this different stories colapse in search of one truth that deserves to come out but for sure this 120 minutes will take you a place you never knew and expose several realities of modern time in some areas of the most watched country in the world. All with a great screenwriting, a story that will shock modern and past generations, a great cast delivering terrific performances under a very detailed and emotional direction that will keep you guessing until the very end, one that will make you want to drive over there and figure it out, are you ready for it?

Life is all about death....COCO

Why are we here? What is the real purpose of life and living if at the end of it we all will die and that’s the only thing we all share and it’s a sure thing, when? How? That might differ but we all will meet in the after life, whatever that is? So, again, what’s the point of life and what’s all about the journey of living? Life is a one way experience, unique in all ways, an opportunity to be whatever we want  and challenge ourselves to evolve in different ways. But the real meaning of it it’s not only about us but how our actions impact others and will stay with them even when we are not around anymore. Family has a huge impact on us. They shape us from the kids we play to be to the grown ups we ended becoming, for better or worse. But it’s our own actions, personality, decisions the ones that end defining us as a whole, letting everyone to get an idea of the person we are and we will. Passing like a curse to the next generations all our knowledge and heritage that will contribute to tie the past, present and future, giving a whole new meaning to every single action we’ve done and any thought we can possible have. That feeling of changing or contributing to the world is what life is all about. Leaving a piece of us in the moment that will transcend through time and will be timeless making everyone to remember and cherish you as if you’d be still here. Because keeping you in mind  is the only and truly way to stay alive and break the time barrier becoming timeless. And with the love all the people that might have you in their thoughts is prove of the impact you made in each one of them.

And because this is a very deep and touching thought is why know Pixar, the genius house of animation, under the wing of Disney brings to the theaters their new story : “Coco” (2017), another animated film that is set to break all records this holiday season and steel all families hearts with the story of a young boy from a small town in Mexico that will learn a big lesson about his family and his ancestors just in time for the big local celebration of Day of the Death or as they know it, Dia de Los Muertos, a Mexican celebration to death and to all their passed beloved ones, when supposedly are able to come and visit their relatives from the after life thanks to the ofrenda that their families prepare for them. This ofrenda is full of food and candles to light the way for them to come home and take some of their favorite things plus some food for the journey. This celebration focuses on remembering and honoring those that we loved and we are not longer with us but they still live in our hearts and memories. The idea of them looking after us and still present by their legacy is why we keep traditions and are defined in some way as a family, in a unique way, that would differ from others. But the story of this particular family has a reason. They had built a local business, after the departure of their grand grandfather, the spouse and daughter learned to make shoes and became good at it, turning that into a family business that will keep them apart from the sad memory of been left behind and passing this new lifestyle through generations just to make it the way to go for any family member.

So when this young boy realizes that his life is meant to be different from what the rest of his family wants to be, he’s decided to prove them wrong and find his way to become a good singer because music is what makes him happy and what he is good at, just like his grand grandfather, only thing is that this will put him in a very uncomfortable situation where he will have to challenge the whole family and break the expectations that they have for him. As we said life is meant to enjoy and make a full experience of it as it will go fast. So how many times are we faced to challenge our own traditions and morals in order to achieve something bigger or what feels right for us but we are too afraid to go against the flow and challenge our own people? How many times we prefer to keep the same path that others choose for us instead of stand up and fight for our dreams no matter the cost but the weight of our family expectations is heavier to handle and ended frustrated and regretting for our own decision of follow others decisions regarding our lives. But life is just one and what would be more important? To be remember for being obedient and for keep the tradition of others, even these others are people we care for and love, or for being brave and strong enough to fight our own battles and chase that dream we all have back in our minds? What would make us more forgettable or be remembered for? And what will make us happy in life so we can die at some point satisfied for what we did or for what we could have done?

The journey of this family movie is about exploring life through death and by death I mean our beloved ones that are no more with us. How much do we know about our ancestors and what they did in life and what was behind their actions? Maybe was that they loved someone or that they struggle in life or maybe they were happy and achieved all what they wanted. We might never know but whatever they did is part of us right know because their actions had an impact in the next generation and so that generation did with the next and so on until us, that will ended doing the same with what’s next. The way we behave, our believes, traditions, manners, confidence, all come from that heritage that we can’t see but is part of our family as our last name is. One that our young boy starts to discover his family origins and realizing what really happened long time ago and how that changed the view of an entire family, he starts to become more like the one he feels and believes he is and by his own surprise this idea of himself is no original at all and no other than part of his family that has been forgotten, but now it’s on his hands to change things and make things right. Because never is to late and this life is just one step to something bigger. A journey that will define and shape us into what we should be for the next level, even if that works for better or worse.

Among all this fairy tale and adventure through life and death, discovering how close we are with each other the film honors another forgotten culture, The Mexican, one that has been there, too close to everyone but hardly recognize and this movie is a song to Mexico, to his small cute towns full of live but stuck in an old age due to the poverty of the country. Their great value as family traditions where each member is as important as the other but always will Be one that will take control of the entire family and rule in some way but at the end all will be there for each other. Their food, culture full of colors and traditions, that can be almost touched once you witnessing this adventure at the big screen. So by the end of the movie you just not will see México in a different way but also you will remember all what you been trough in your own life experience and the decisions you have made until this point realizing that every single one of them has someone you love behind it and once you look at the mirror again, you will see all these people that has been with you and shaped you in what you had become, all your ancestors standing there, looking at you, as they, in some way, now are part of you. And Coco will remind you of all the things that you also might had forgotten for some reason just to shake you up as a wake up call to embrace your own and stand up for what you believe and love because life is just one and there’s no time to waste or we all might end being forgotten as well.

Have you ever....WONDER?

If you have to choose between right or kindness, what would you choose? That's the plot around this heartwarming and inspiring drama that can't escape from cliche's and sensibility to tell a story of acceptance and compassion. Based on the NY Times bestseller from the same name, that had everyone in tears, the motion picture adaptation was a sure thing. So this month we finally got "Wonder" (2017), the story of a kid that is being bullied at school, his parents, his sister that is struggling the issues of any teenage girl and her best friend and his best friend. All this different people struggling with real situations while trying to have a "normal" life, all moving around someone that is far from normal, and for some, closer to be a wonder. This is the story of August Pullman aka Oggie, a genuine, smart and funny boy that at his short age has been through a lot. Born with a deformity due to his parents genes, has been to multiple surgeries, first to make it able to breath, see, talk, then just to make his face more of presentable for the world out there, but still as much as he wants to look like a normal kid, he is far from that, and not just because of his looks but because he is much more than a normal kid.  Because in case you haven't notice, when people had to deal with uncommon circumstances they are shaped in different ways as the rest that for some reason get to enjoy a more privilege position or  move around a more familiar situation, being able to find other ways to adapt and be accepted, so they actually look and notice things that others don't feel the need to. Bringing them a very unique strength to deal with hard situations and rejection. Forging them as someone more flexible and sensible to others needs and capable of appreciate the love and respect to them and others as someone than be treasured as any gift. Because real friends are hard to find. We surround of people that will help us to socialize and make it through school, work, the party scene, romance or lust but don't we actually need real friends?

Those that are kind and respectful. That can shine by their uniqueness no matter how different they can seem, it's exactly that difference what make them so valuable. Those that can make the worst day turn into a great one or the opposite. Because we all need that feeling of belonging and acceptance but would you rather be accepted by someone that you admire instead of someone that can even deal with it's own. That's being the main struggle with this young kid. He obviously feels insecure because of his looks, reason why keeps hanging out wearing an astronaut  helmet and has been schooled at home by his mom, which aware of her son needs decides to send him to school so he can have a normal life even she's afraid of how tough will it be when other kids look at his face and once he get's there, she was totally right. Kids give him a look, and avoid him, start talking about him and gossiping, making up stories of his condition, and kids can be too transparent sometimes, not like frown ups that tend to be polite and because of that can also be cruel and can make someone feel bad about themselves, and without been physical there is a lot of damage that they can cause by making fun of someone and sending awful drawings to make someone feel a bad person and insecure. And even our main character is a strong kid that can silence all this noise, everyone has a limit to what can we take but when we have someone on our side things can change. And that's how we meet  Jack Will, a classmate that is intrigued by him because his unique personality and because he can't relate to the other guys plus they are not his cup of tea to hang with but has to keep the appearances until Auggie helps him in the science class and he realizes how much he like be around him. Following him another group of kids will join the group all falling for the big heart of a kid that all what he ever wanted is to feel normal and accepted. But the road to get won't be easy. We all need to overcome some bumps in the road to be able to prove ourselves to others and be able to win their compassion and likes.

But the struggle is all shared. As much as we want to fall for this kid problem's, we cant but wonder about the rest of his family. His parents that had done everything in their hands to make his life more enjoyable and guide him to become a strong, confident kid capable to someday face the outside world. And his mom, put her life on pause. They say because that's what mom's do, but she is as human as him, with her own needs and being able to put your kids needs before yours sounds easier than it is. Because it's not just a moment. Would be a series of frustrations and some times it won't be up to you to make it right but just be there to bring some calm and love where others should be the one fulfilling it. And same thing will go for the dad. Only difference is that in some cases like this, is that dad use to go out and work to be able to keep supporting the family while mom is the one who stays and lives this reality 24/7. But at the end this is thir family and only thing left to do is fight for it and do their best to rise their kids the best way possible so they can face the world on their own someday, but while that happens, they will carry the joy and sadness of their cubs on their shoulders. And becoming for a family with special needs like this will have a different impact in everyone, like the sister, Violet, a very calm, understanding, caring young girl that loves her brother and has bee always for him, but that doesn't change the fact that she also has her own life full of good and bad moments, on her very personal way. And now she is facing the fact that her all time best friend is growing apart from her, leaving her by her own at a new year at school, where everyone feels like an outsider per se. Until she meets a charismatic and artistic guy that persuades her to join the theater club so they can hang more and try something different in hopes that this might help her struggle.

How many times do we live in a bubble incapable or looking other than our own problems and feeling like we are the center of the universe and everything around us is playing against us? But how many of those times, we are able to realize that actually the people close to us have their own issues and maybe we are judging them without knowing their own battles, because we don't look, we don't pay attention and we don't listen. We close ourselves into our own problems and thoughts that we become selfish and blind to others needs and circumstances just because we think that ours are more important or worse than theirs. Are they? How often do we empathize to our beloved ones situations? Like in this story, Viola best friend is pushing her away because her own family is breaking apart and she feels so lonely that the only way for her to come across with her new situation was to pretend to be her best friend, the same one that is going through a bad time, but for her is a role model and a very unique person, including her family, that inside their own bubble seems like struggling and having a bad time all because of their situation but once compared with her own family situation seems like the picture perfect of a family portrait and she wishes that would be hers, and misses them because they have always treated her as part of the family. But she is trapped in her own mind and instead of being close to the people that care about her, she is moving away of them and alienating herself. Protection for survival. Really? How hard is to find people that loves you just because, to throw that away so easily? Why in order to deal with our own problems we have to push away people that wants to help you because they like us, but we are too afraid of being vulnerable and look weak to others, but don't they say that being united make us stronger? Why by being emotional we became emotionally unavailable?

Once that we see all these characters come together, we realize that all lives run in a separate path but they keep crossing to lead us to a better or worse direction, but at the end is our own decisions and attitude towards what come across who defines the color of that line and might attract other or push them away. But life is not that easy, when someone shines by it's own color, insecurities from others will awake, but at the end any judgment or hate to someone is just a reflection of our own faults.  But yes, this is a family movie, and i'm sure things get worse than what we get to see on screen.and sometimes the story and direction moves toward sentimentalism and predictable feel good situations that tend to manipulate the audience in hands of an extraordinary cast of young new talents leaded by Oscar nominee Jacob Tremblay  and big Hollywood stars like Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson that will steal your heart without you even noticing it. But more than the ride is the message hidden that makes it so relevant in modern days. A scream and example of tolerance and acceptance, a song to friendship. An earnest and sweet story targeting the current climate of american Bullying is all what we need to make our already crazy and tough society a more civilized and happy one because we need to move far from those days were making feel miserable others would be the only way to make us look better. We need to start working on solving our own issues and fight t be a better self because we all need that a some point and because we are too many in this world already that finding our place in it gets harder day by day but everyone is still so unique in it's own way that only by being noticed and recognize should be the equal to a standing ovation, because indeed, we all should get one standing ovation at least once in a lifetime to re assure us how of a wonder we all are. A must for everyone.

MILA KUNIS....bad mom with benefits

Cuando uno piensa en los Estados Unidos, todos nos imaginamos el estereotipo de cowboys y barbie's al que nos acostumbraron en tiempos pasados olvidando que el país ha evolucionado tras una ola de inmigrantes Italianos, Irlandeses, Británicos, Alemanes a nuevas generaciones provenientes de otras regiones como India, LatinAmerica y Rusia. Con tal mezcla de nacionalidades, las nuevas generaciones lucen muy diferentes a los estereotipos que veíamos décadas atrás creando una diversidad que ahora se respira en cada rincón del país y sobre todo en la industria fílmica y del entretenimiento donde tras la globalización, las masas piden por caras frescas con las que puedan identificarse mas allá de una simple cara bonita. Tal es la historia de Milena Markova Kunis, mejor conocida como Mila Kunis, una joven de origen ruso, nacida en Ukrania en 1983, donde creció a lado de sus padres, una maestra de física y un ingeniero mecánico, la cual le dieron una buena vida, pero dados sus orígenes judios, deciden emigrar a los EU cuando ella tenia 7 ańos de edad buscando darle a ella y su hermano una mejor vida que en su tierra natal, por lo que se mudan a Los Angeles y sin saber una palabra en ingles, empiezan la escuela y una nueva vida.

A tan solo 9 años de edad y tras 2 viviendo en los EU, su padre la inscribe en una escuela de actuación en Beverly Hills donde empieza a tener castings para comerciales de television y pequeñas apariciones en series de la época, telenovelas y películas que se fueron directo a video, pero que le sirvieron para abrirle las puertas al sit com "That 70's show" (1998-2004), el cual la lanzo a la fama tras su popular corrida durante 6 temporadas y donde conocería a su ahora esposo, el actor Ashton Kutcher con quien se caso en 2015, después de re encontrarse tras anos después de trabajar juntos. Lo curioso es que ella tenia solo 14 años cuando ingreso al programa de tv y la edad requerida era 18 pero ella era la opción correcta para el rol que lo pasaron por alto y la hicieron lucir mayor, lo cual pago en grande brindándole una fructuosa carrera a la joven actriz quien empieza a coquetear con la pantalla grande en 2001 al aparecer en la comedia adolescente "Get it Over", a lado de jóvenes promesas como Kirsten Dunst, Zoe Saldana y Ben Foster en una vaga adaptación del clásico de Shakespeare, sueños de una noche de verano, pero que fallo en conquistar a su joven audiencia y generar pobres criticas, mas sirvió de plataforma par su joven elenco.

Esto no la detuvo para protagonizar la secuela de un clásico en "American Psycho 2" (2002), desgraciadamente la historia no tiene conexión con la cinta original, contando la historia de una joven estudiante de criminología que es atraída al lado obscuro del homicidio, razón por  lo cual la mando directo a video. Y a esta le siguió otra serie de cintas que se fueron directo a video o tuvieron una pobre recepción en taquilla dada su muy limitada corrida comercial como "After sex" (2007), "Moving Mc Allister" (2007), "Boot Camp" (2008), siendo hasta que aparece en "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008), una comedia producida por Judd Apatow, sobre un joven que trata de salir adelante tras su hermosa novio lo ha terminado por irse con otro, un joven mas atractivo y popular y que al hospedarse en un hotel en Hawaii, un viaje que ya tenían planeado cuando aun eran pareja, empieza una relación amistosa con la atractiva recepcionista, interpretada por la actriz. La cinta tuvo una excelente recepción en taquilla y la critica la aplaudió como comedia, romance en una entrega mas inteligente y alejada de los cliches del genero. Así ingresa en los blockbusters con el proyecto "Max Payne" (2008), cinta basada en el video juego homónimo a lado de Mark Wahlberg en una historia de venganza sobre un policía moviéndosela en el mundo criminal de NY, pero como es de costumbre con el genero de video juegos adaptados a la pantalla grande, a pesar de gozar con pésimas criticas logro colarse al top 10 de taquilla mas no logro ser un éxito que disparara una franquicia.

En 2009 regresa con "Extract", una comedia a lado del actor Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig y Ben Affleck, en una historia que gozo de positivas criticas pero pésima critica, en una parodia a las corporaciones y los negocios de la época moderna, donde empresas se fusionan o adquieren otras con la intención de ampliar su mercado pero poco se enfocan o preocupan por  sus empleados. Pero con "The Book of Eli" (2010), una historia post apocalíptica protagonizada por Denzel Washington, en una travesía de un hombre que debe entregar su libro a una determinada locación en la costa Oeste del país, y donde la actriz interpreta a la hija de una mujer que pretende robar dicho libro usando a su hijo para seducirlo. Aquí las cosas se reversarian contando con una buena taquilla mas no tomismo va para sus criticas. En la famosa comedia "Date Night" (2010), protagonizada por Tina Fey y Steve Carrell, la actriz aparece con un pequeño rol como la esposa de un hacker, interpretado por el actor James Franco también haciendo un breve cameo, así como otra serie de A-list cast que impulsaron la cinta a un éxito seguro en taquilla con la historia de una pareja aburrida de su vida y su matrimonio en una noche fuera de su rutina.

No es sino hasta "Black Swan" (2011), co protagonizando a lado de Natalie Portman, que la actriz encontraría su lugar como estrella en Hollywood al formar parte de este aclamado proyecto sobre el ballet clásico y la historia de una joven tratando de abrirse camino en esta no tan popular pero muy estilizada arte, llevándola a momentos extremos de obsesión influenciados por la dura influencia de su madre y la competencia con otra prominente bailarina interpretada por Kunis. Ambas actrices fueron nominadas al premio de la Academia mas Mila no logro llevarse la estatuilla pero se guarda esta y otra serie de nominaciones por su intensa interpretación que la pondría en la mira de la industria de ahora en adelante. Siendo "Friends with Benefits" (2011), la primer cosecha de dichos frutos, una comedia romántica que protagoniza a lado de Justin Timberlake sobre una pareja de jóvenes amigos que inician una relación meramente sexual sin atoche sentimental hasta que este sucede por la química entre ambos. La cinta estrenada en el verano fue un éxito de taquilla y sorpresivamente gusto a la critica por igual. Lo cual motivaría a la joven actriz a continuar en el genero, ahora co protagonizando nuevamente a lado de Mark Wahlberg en la historia de un osito de peluche mal hablado pero con un gran corazón que escribió y dirige Seth MacFarlane con quien trabajo anteriormente en la animación "Family Guy". La cinta fue otro gran éxito que robo carcajadas de la critica y el publico por su historia de un hombre regejo a madurar y cuando a su oso de peluche como excusa en "Ted" (2012).

Posteriormente regresa a los blockbusters con la nueva adaptación de un clásico, "Oz" (2013), ahora sirviendo como precuela basándose en la historia del mago y las tres brujas que reinaban el lugar, siendo Mila quien interpretaría a la malvada bruja del Oeste. Con una impresionante producción y en elenco multi estelar, la cinta se convertir en un éxito rotundo en la taquilla con tibias respuestas de la critica. Volviéndose cada día mas cotizada, la vemos en "Blood ties" (2013), un thriller sobre un hombre recién salido de prision después de 12 años tras haber sido acusado de matar a un violador cuando lo descubre en el acto, siendo Kunis quien interprete a la nueva novia de este hombre saboteado por tratar de abrir un negocio. La cinta gozo de una limitada exhibición lo cual se reflejo en su taquilla a pesar del talento involucrado, entre actores como Clive Owen y Marion Cotillard. Mas esto no detendría a la actriz de buscar papeles y proyectos mas serios, y así la vemos en "Third person" (2014), co protagonizando a lado de James Franco, por tercera ocasión compartiendo pantalla, en un ensamble de actores contando tres historias de amor diferentes que de alguna manera se conectaran a pesar de estar ubicadas en tres ciudades diferentes del mundo.  El resto del multi estelar elenco figuran actores de la talla de Liam Neeson, Kim Basinger, Olivia Wilde, Adrian Brody, entre otros que desafortunadamente tras mantener la cinta enlatada por un tiempo buscando crear cierto buzz en los mas importantes festivales solo jugo en su contra al no ser favorecida por la critica dada la fallida vision del escritor Paul Huggins en su debut como director.

Las cosas no mejorarían con "The Angriest Man in Brooklyn" (2014), una de las ultimas comedias protagonizadas por el fallecido Robin Williams, una historia sobre un hombre que ha sido notificado que tiene un tumor en el cerebro, siendo la joven actriz quien interpreta a la doctora encargada de los análisis y de darle la noticia a este peculiar individuo. Basada en una película Israeli, la cinta también fue muy limitada por lo cual paso desapercibida para muchos y el hecho de que la critica no la favoreció no le ayudo mucho a generar interés en taquilla. Lo que parecería apuntar a una carrera a punto de apagarse, la actriz se apunta en un ambicioso proyecto, "Jupiter Ascending" (2015), la nueva cinta de los hermanos Wachowski un blockbuster de ciencia ficción que pone a la actriz como protagonista de esta opera espacial donde una joven terrestre común y corriente es protegida por un sexy y talentoso alienigena interpretado por Channing Tatum, ya que es la elegida para salvar al universo al poser habilidades que pondrán una lucha intergaláctica a su fin. A pesar de su ambiciosa premisa, la cinta fallo en su producto final por lo que se reflejo en su taquilla que no alcanzo a recuperar su alto presupuesto que la convirtió en un fracaso mas no por bajo ingreso.

Tras una serie de fracasos, un éxito estaba mas que deseado y por fortuna llega en 2016 de la mano de "Bad Moms", una comedia de girls gone bad, donde finalmente es el turno de las mujeres de alocarse y divertirse. Centrandose en tres madres, muy diferentes una de otra, pero que se unen para enfrentar al grupo de madres apretadas que pretenden dictar la manera de educar a sus hijos en la misma escuela probando que ser madre no es fácil y el sacrificio que hacen todas es sobrevalorado y como cualquier mujer también tienen derecho a divertirse y disfrutar. La formula pago bien pues el producto final no solo fue original, sino divertido y con gran corazón, dada la química de las tres protagonistas, siendo Kunis en quien se centra la historia como una madre joven recién divorciada tratando de criar a sus dos hijos. Pero como todo éxito, el estudio buscaría la manera de explotar la formula mas, y es así como este mes la vemos nuevamente en la secuela "A Bad moms Christmas" (2017), siguiendo la historia de las tres madres rebeldes, ahora enfrentandose a la navidad y el hecho de que sus respectivas madres aparecen para dicha celebración. La formula se siente gastada y repetitiva al querer también convertir la comedia en una cinta clásica de las festividades, lo que le afecta con la respuesta de la critica y aunque a la fecha tiene ya una decente taquilla, no ha alcanzado la altura de su predecesora, mas el hecho de poder conocer mas de donde vienen estas mujeres al explorar a sus tres madres y el hecho de todos criticamos a nuestros padres por el mismo hecho de no conocer de donde vienen, se agradece y llega a conmover. Mas aun así, no hay nada escrito para la actriz que también enfrenta su realidad como madre fuera de la pantalla y la mira esta puesta en su siguiente cinta, la comedia "The psi who dumped me" (2018) a estrenarse el proximo verano y donde a lado de Kate MacKinnon, Sam Heughan y Justin Theroux trataran de robarse la taquilla contando la historia de un par de amigos que descubren una de sus exes es una espía lo que los pondrá en medio de un serio espionaje. El proyecto ya suena ambicioso mas esperemos la historia no se repita y sea un éxito mas en su carrera que le permita consolidarse en Hollywood antes de ser opacada por la nueva generación de jóvenes actrices que están inundando la pantalla grande y chica.

When faith and believes gone wild.... A HANDMAIDS TALE

We all need something to hold on to when things go bad or wrong and we are struggling through difficult times. Humanity for nature it's incapable of deal with something that can't explain or understand so we go out seeking for an answer, believing in something greater than us. That's why we came up with faith and religion. The only explanation for all those things that we just can not explain is based on religion and faith is a powerful weapon that can move mountains, so once that this was noticed different kind of cults ad religions were created in order to control and manipulate society under the spell of being all guidelines dictated by a God or something bigger than us. And we are not here to discuss if the existence of a God is true or real, that belongs to each person to judge and believe but the real fact is that others, the ones in the power and able to control others are using those believes and everyone's faith to manipulate us in their advantage. Trying to dictate what is right or wrong using faith and religion as a shield to target those moral subjects to control society. And this comes from long time ago when church and the men and women with power use their influence to dictate moral and social behavior based supposedly in what God said. As if they would had a personal connection to him to be able to speak in his behalf. But those were different times, and we bought all that idea. Now things are different and we have evolve, understanding what separates faith and religion from church as an institution.

Now days we can see ourselves as a modern society that preaches love and respect, acceptance, equality, for everyone, and when looking back, far seem those days when we were supposed to love each other but at the same time, we were fighting to each other trying to conquer a new land and be proved as the most powerful country, but also racism, hate, genre submission, slavery, intolerance, were were hunting other that had different believes, and were different from what a few called normal., so definitely feels like we have made a lot of progress in terms of that love to each other that were told since ancient times. And feels great to be able to live under this new era where men and women can stand up as equals, all races are seemed the same way, your believes, sexual preference, ideas, are accepted and respected. And for that reason we have less tolerance for bullying and war. We finally want to live as brothers and sisters. Uniting humanity as a whole, opening our minds to embrace all the different shades that we by nature own. Is it ideal, right, wrong, we don't know yet, but definitely feels like an improvement and a big step forward to a more diverse society and to achieve love and respect to others as for ourselves. We can still believe in something greater than us, someone or something that pull the strings when comes to terms of death or life, creation, miracles, evolution, giving a connotation to all those questions that are still in the air but also make us pray, meditate, find peace in our minds and hearts. All in order to seek happiness and work on becoming a better self.

But what if all these would be taken from us? Once again erased as a life style and turning the table back to centuries ago where oppression and monarchy was the way to rule the world? What if things just fade the way we know them just to place society back in ancient times where masters and servants where the structure of society? This and more is the base that serves as  plot from the 1985 novel and now a TV show "A Handmaid's tale" (2017-current). A show that took everybody by surprise specially playing a perfect timing due to recent events in the United States with their current political environment, and with all that, the show became an award winning series taking 8 awards from 13 nominations at the Emmys. The drama follows a story in a fictional future that might feel scarier enough to become a thriller, following the tale of June, a woman turned slave or handmaid and renamed Offred. Why? well basically because in a near future due to pollution and sexual transmitted diseases, infertility rates collapse putting humanity existence in danger of extinction and in the aftermath of a civil war in the country, a totalitarian government has taken over, with a big christian and religious regimen that will send the country back to a century ago where white men where the privileged ones ruling the world subjugating women, not allowing them to have money, own property and not even read. And the few ones that are still fertile are taken as handmaids and assigned to a master to be raped once a month so they can give her master a child while his spouse watches everything pretending to be the one participating on it.

This horrible setting let us see and feel how it would be to start living like was centuries ago and realize how far have we come in terms of civil rights and equality. Sadly all this militarized new society is ruled by biblical influences, segregating society by their roles, limiting pretty much everyone in their duties and freedom. Women again are taken to the back sit but now since they have proven been as strong, intelligent as any man, they are making sure to cut any access of them to culture or having an active role in society, turning the handmaid is basically just an object made to bring babies to the world. They can't even go shopping by themselves, always have to be wearing a distinctive red cape and white hat and walk in groups always under surveillance and treated just as any slave back medieval times where if they don't behave properly or as indicated, will be punished severely, so some had lost an eye, a finger, a hand. June has lost her daughter and missed her husband, while they were captured trying to escape the country. But her new master is a high rank government official that seems having more interest to connect with her rather than just using her. But he has a wife and she is a beautiful young woman that has made peace with her limited new role in this society that she helped to build, all based in the conservatism and believes of Christianity, but at the same time all that frustration seems to be taken over her new handmaid by being cruel to her even she comes from a very conservative and religious background.

This serves perfect to prove once and for all how ironic is and has been through history the way religion and church has treated the ones opposed to their believes. While trying to preach love and acceptance for everybody, if you dare to defy any other statements, punishment will come to you and in a very cruel and inhuman ways. How ironic is that? People feel able and devoted to commit barbaric acts, even murder in name of their fate and believes, while all what any faith or any religion are based on are to create and bring to broken societies preaching love, respect and acceptance to each other while working on being a better self for you current life and a possibility of an after life. And it's shocking to watch how the more affected ones are the first ones to compromised and accept the new rules. Instead of all women unite and fight back, there are the first ones submitting under men and push them to take control and accepting what someone said once that they  are just meant  to please their men. How many times the minorities are the ones putting themselves in less favorable situation, blaming others, like god, religion, the government, for their situation instead of stand up and fight back for what is right for them. Is it still ok to marginalize others in order to satisfy anyone's hungry for power? And if so, does that really makes you powerful? The fact that you got the power because you were able to manipulate and control others that might be more powerful but you never defeat them, and you might never will but if you keep them under your sight and control that let you be one on top. How many times do we need history to repeats to understand what is best for us and that as scary and challenging the future might look, there is a reason we move forward so going back can't be the solution and we need to start blaming ourselves for our contribution to society and do something to make it better instead of leaving it to others that might go on a wrong direction but it's easier to blame them and complaint rather than face our own consequences. Until when? First women, who will be next?