Konterr Brilliant and touching

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

english-express just saw it last night,at 2:30 a.m.,on cable TV.it was such an unexpected joy!i'm still digesting the film,its humor,its brilliant direction,every single aspect that makes it a superb film.had never seen anything from the director before,but while watching it,i reckoned:it's a genius,sheer,pure genius.not to tell that i kind of woke up the family laughing,terribly,laughing...his little touches of being human,that belongs ,only,to the big ones.i'll talk to everyone about it.if films are made to entertain us,it did it;if films are made to enlighten us,it did it;if films are made to make us feel that we're part of some big thing that we can and cannot discover truly,this did it!success?failure?don't we encounter those in our lives?watch it,and enjoy!

valdezlopez I just watched this movie as part of a screening organized by the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival organizers."How?", I ask, that Argentinians (well, Juan Jose Campanella & co.) keep making these amazing little movies with almost no budget? I'm Mexican, and proud as I may be about the very, very few recent successes Mexican cinema may have, I do think (and, oh, please, don't let nationalisms rise, this is TRUE) Argentinian cinema has a thing or two to teach the entire Latin American movie industry.For starters: the story is so simple, the budget issue is leveled. And no, there's no bank robberies, no kidnappings, no killings, no raping and even curse words are used with such cleverness that they recover their meaning.Second, the script itself, its dialog: it rings true and alive throughout the whole story. Granted: I don't get many of the South American jargon, but I still get the point.Third, the cast. What a marvelous ensemble.Fourth: it's damn funny (check the 'dental retarded' line) and heartwarming as well (without being it preachy; reality smacks down any attempt from "preachines").What gets me is that this movie was released in 2004. It took me 4 years to find out about it. Four years! Why? Why do smart/polished productions like these get the short end of the stick? They're good stories and they're PROFITABLE stories as well! The movie was bringing down the house in the Anglosaxon-filled theater it was shown.I guess it all comes down to numbers. There's too much competition and distributors don't have faith in contemporary gems like these. That's probably what forces its directors to leave for better work fields and put their hands on NorthAmerican TV series like "30 Rock", "House M.D." or "Law and Order: SVU".Hopefully, we'll see more of these Latin American (thank you, Argentina) movies in the future.Did you liked this movie? Try "El hijo de la novia (The Bride's Son, 2001)" or "Valentin (2002)".

Henry Fields Luna de Avellaneda is a 70 years old club, in the good ol' days it had more than 8.000 members. There they teach ballet, you can play basketball, you can chat with your friends... In short: it's your family out of your family. Now, times have changed, things are getting hard and people don't have much money. The club has nowadays less than 300 members, and has lots of debts. They're going' to have to sell the facilities, they say they're gonna build a casino, they say there will be a job for everybody, they say prosperity will be back in town... they say...This is such of a metaphor of the whole Argentinian situation. He uses this club to represent the reality of a country that's been hurt very deeply, surrounded by looters and sick of promises. A country which uses the sense of humor and the sarcasm as a medicine.Two hours of rage, love after love, and tons of hope... (we really need that) *My rate: 8/10

seriousgirls At once universal, in its complex Dickensian portrait of a society, and extremely timely - narrating in microcosm the recent economic crisis in Argentina - Luna de Avellaneda is a beautiful, eloquent film that will resonate deeply with both Argentine viewers and audiences worldwide. Very funny and very moving, the film is rich in human drama, its characters ranging from a small boy whose braces are killing him to an old man on his deathbed, with all sorts of variations in between - a man who discovers his wife is having an affair, a son who wants to escape the catastrophic situation by emigrating to Spain, a drunk who falls in love and tries to reform, a girl from a shanty town who wants to learn ballet. Small miracles occur throughout the film. The dialogues are brilliant, the acting consistently strong. As in reality (though not often depicted in films), economic concerns are never far from anyone's mind, yet at the same time the emotional life persists. Rarely have I seen such a felicitious melding of the two, as when the central character, Roman, whose marriage is failing, goes to buy cologne to try to spice things up and, after perusing the range of possibilities, can only afford the cheapest, and most acrid-smelling, scent on the shelves. Or when a still infuriated divorcee invites her ex to a romantic dinner in a five star restaurant and, after ordering numerous bottles of the best champagne, then slips away leaving him to foot the bill. I cannot recommend this film highly enough.