Bella
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.94 You Save: $9.04 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.47 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Bella
Movie Review: Suave, doce e autêntico
Summary: 5 Stars
Every once in a while a film comes along that sucks you into it so completely that you forget that you are watching a movie. None of the lines are forced, none of the "action" defies real life, none of the emotion contrived. This was almost like watching a docudrama, but the pace, the mood and feel were so gentile, loving, sweet yet authentic that it was like being a fly on the wall to two people confronting their own individual grief over mistakes made and consequences to be faced for an undetermined amount of time. Can life ever be right again? This movie argues as emphatically as a butterfly can that life can be renewed if real love and virtue are the next steps, whether the circumstances or consequences of our self made tragedies ever change. As Spike Lee once noted, "Do the right thing? That's it?!?" "That's it!" I kept waiting for this film to veer off course. For me, it never did. I can't think of a better film in my lifetime. And not that I ever want to see it, but I imagine an ending of happily ever after for the haunted man and the woman who just wanted a real father for her child and a husband that she could love and trust for the rest of her life with that child. This movie was bellísimo.Movie Review: It's a Beautiful Life
Summary: 5 Stars
"Bella" is a finely crafted gem of a movie. It's set in New York City,over the course of a single day. Nina (Tammy Blanchard) discovers that she's pregnant. A co-worker,Jose (the handsome Eduardo Verastegui) follows her, helping her through her ordeal. There are no villains; it lacks melodrama and sappiness (thankfully) There is a hint of romance between the leads,but above all it's a story of redemption. Nina and Jose redeem each other.
"Bella" has flashbacks,flash-forwards and might-have-beens. There are the sweet relationships within Jose's family--between his Puerto Rican father and Mexican mother,his adoptive brother Manny,and his Latin lover brother Eduardo (based on Verastegui's past in Mexican telenovelas--he was cast as the heartthrob) Abortion is handled delicately, without demonizing Nina. She's a desperate woman. Even the unknown father of her child isn't demonized. Abortion is seen as an act of desperation. Jose is Christlike in his generosity&compassion towards Nina. As Nina has a possibly tragic future,Jose has a tragic past.
"Bella" is poignant and powerful. It's a perfect Christmas movie with its pro-life message. It's a cinematic epiphany. Merry Christmas!
Movie Review: beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
Some viewers might find Bella too saccharine for their tastes. But like it or not, Bella pulls you where a movie should; it makes you think about what's important without employing faded cliches. The acting is true and delicate and the cinematography is compelling but not distracting. Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard have powerful chemistry but it's done with such intentional restraint, making their stories more real and meaningful. Also adding depth to the film is the rich Mexican-Puerto Rican culture: gorgeous food, language, tradition. It's the absolute creme de la creme of indie filmmaking. It's anti-Hollywood, anti-blockbuster, anti-romantic comedy. Pro-life? Perhaps it could be interpreted that way, but until I read reviews online that concept Bella steers away from pigeonholing itself into a category, yet still wears its heart on its sleeve, in the best way a movie can. It's a feat for a movie to tell a love story without showing kissing or love scenes. The "love" conveyed in this movie is more visceral, more profound than fleeting boy-girl attraction. Bella is about redemption, hope, and most importantly: Life.Movie Review: Subtle, nuanced movie
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a gentle story of a young woman faced with a hard choice, and the sudden friendship that plays a defining role in helping her make her decision.
Yes, the movie is in parts idealized, particularly when it comes to family life, but it also doesn't shy away from depicting the consequences of one's actions.
Those who like frenetic action, rapid-fire dialog and stark reality will probably find this movie too tame. But I get enough reality in my daily life and was glad to immerse myself in these characters' story. And, although I don't always need happy endings, this one was satisfying, because while it's happy, it's not the happy ending you'd expect to be hit over the head with.
In fact, that's what I liked best about this movie. It's about big issues, but they are addressed in nuanced ways that allow the viewer to think for him or herself about the choices the characters make. I watched Bella in the same weekend as The Visitor and I felt the same way about that movie.
Movie Review: A true love story ... without even a kiss
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember seeing Bella on opening night with family & friends and tears welling up in my eyes. Only on the drive home did the impact of the movie's message start to develop. The profound, yet simple message of love in this movie was amazing. I once heard Steve McEveety (Bella, Passion of the Christ, Braveheart producer) say "The Passion showed us how Christ died for us - Bella shows us how to live for Christ." The movie does not "push religion" (the only clear reference to God, Christianity, etc is during a light-hearted scene where the family prays before a meal)
Later that weekend, I saw Bella again at a screening in Houston, where Eduardo Verástegui and Sean Wolfington were there to disuss the film. Eduardo's testimony of making this movie was nothing short of phenomenal - it added a new dimension to the film. He had such a passsion to create a film that shows a Latino man as an "everyday hero" and to make a film that does not objectify women (or men, for that matter).
This was by far my favorite movie of 2007 - absolutely amazing & life-changing!!!!