Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)

Tonight I came across a real gem on Netflix. Under the Same Moon is the story of love that spans the controversal border that divides Mexico and the USA.

The main characters in the film are a mother and a son who have been apart for four years and counting.  Rosario (Kate del Castillo) crossed the border illegally four years earlier seeking to provide a better life for her family.  She reluctantly left her 5 year old son, Carlitos (Adrian Alonso), behind in Mexico to be cared for by family members.

Reassured by a weekly phone call of the love his mother has for him, Carlitos faithfully accepts his mother's reassurance that they will be together again as soon as she can make it possible.  Briefly following his 9th birthday, a life changing event sends young Carlitos to bring them back together sooner rather than later.

The rest of the film delivers a masterful tale of the independent efforts of mother and son to reunite, documenting the challenges, unlikely heros, and fearful opposition along the way.  The performances are the type that make you fall in love with the cast and inevitably take the audience along for the stirring journey.  This film will inspire even the most unsuspecting watchers. 

A foreign film in Spanish with English subtitles, the movie transitions seamlessly from scene to scene with zero difficulty in understanding the pure messages that were so beautifully crafted for the silver screen.  My heart was touched by the story, I was inspired by the drive fueled by true, honest family love, and I will continue to seek out true gems like this one that help us to see that no man made border will ever be able to separate a divinely created people.

3... 2... 1... Blast Off!!

Welcome!

I’m glad you are here and wanted to give you a brief intro to my new blog, its origin, and my plan for it going forward.

Today, a few co-workers and I were having one of those rare open discussions work and life; about what we’d really like to be doing with our time during the day instead of wasting away in the office. [That may offer a peek into the reality for the average banker… most of us “fall into” banking and then get comfortable, never feeling that it thrills us or is helping us meet the full measure of our creation. Instead, it is a way to pay the bills that happens to draw on some—but not all—of our natural strengths.]

So we went around this small circle of four souls, spilling the beans of what would really thrill us. It was enlightening for me to see a common thread—each of us has a creative side that we’d love to unleash! For one, it was creating and selling textiles; another would follow a love for buying, improving, and selling homes; even more surprising was the response from another who quickly said flat-out she’d like to be a meteorologist!

When it was my turn to answer that question, I said, “Well, I love watching movies! I’d like to get paid to do that and to write reviews!” Each of those co-workers was supportive of that fit, complimenting me on my writing style (I suppose the verdict is still out on the quality of my opinions…). The future meteorologist even came up with the simple yet spot-on title of this blog—Justin’s Review. I loved it immediately and figured it couldn’t hurt to start with a blogspot address!

Anyhoo, my intent is to not only review movies but also books, recipes, consumer products, services, and anything else that grabs my attention with enough of a stronghold that other people might have interest to hear a third-party’s thoughts.

Another intention for this venture is that my writing will not be classifiable politically. In some ways, I am conservative; in others, I’m more liberal. That's why I call myself a moderate. Regardless, I believe I am ethical, respectful, and open-minded, and I plan for those qualities primarily to be prevalent in my writing!

Finally, and you wouldn’t guess it from this initial post, I plan to be curt and concise, to throw the words on the page without being too verbose yet expressive. And, since this is all about opinion, I’m certainly excited to read feedback, whether it is in agreement with my take or not!

Thanks for reading,

Justin