Movie-A-Day #334: La Bamba

[KingLouieLouie]

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Well... I decided to continue my music themed week of movies w/another favorite selection of mine... This will probably generate some views and actual replies since it is a more popular film than "the Five Heartbeats"... Again... per usual.. I would like to thank Amazon.com for the following:

Amazon.com
Lou Diamond Phillips leaves a haunting impression as the late 1950s pop idol Ritchie Valens, who made the Latino influence in rock & roll conspicuous through his hit songs. Filmmaker Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) creates a nimble, exciting, and sympathetic portrait of the boy driven to rise above obstacles of race and family legacy, and Esai Morales is equally fine as Ritchie's envious, searching brother. Great support from Elizabeth Peña and Danielle von Zerneck as Valens's sister and mother, respectively, and Joe Pantoliano is solid as the singer's straight-talking manager. Valdez brightens up the third act with a rock & roll show featuring, among others, Brian Setzer as Eddie Cochrane. Marshall Crenshaw turns up as Buddy Holly getting on that plane with Valens, and Los Lobos (who actually performs Valens's music on the soundtrack) has a nifty cameo as a Tijuana band that gives Valens a piece of crucial inspiration. --Tom Keogh

Personal Note:

I have probably watched "La Bamba" more than I can possibly imagine... True.. the conclusion is obvious since the "Day the Music Died" has been vastly well-documented, it still causes me to become very teary-eyed each and every time I witness those who portrayed Valens' mother and brother embrace each other upon hearing the radio newsflash of that ill-fateful crash.....

Lou Diamond Phillips was ideally casted in this role since he did a first-rate effort in capturing the essence of Ritchie Valens.... Danielle von Zerneck executed the role of Donna without any slight blemishes, and Esai Morales had a difficult task ahead of him by having to take the role as Ritchie's troublesome brother, but did it flawlessly.. he certainly didnt disappoint...

Also... casting Brian Setzer as his idol Eddie Cochran was a major coup along with Marshall Crenshaw as Buddy Holly and Stephen Lee as Big Bopper were spectaculor in their albeit brief perfomances... And also... Howard Huntsberry as Jackie Wilson was done with quite realism that you would have thought that was Wilson himself....

True, La Bamba obviously deals with an actual event in which the conclusion is already etched in the stone, but gaining the events and everything prior from the perspective of Ritchie Valens and his story added further allure... Especially since he was the first to blend his deeply vested Mexican roots to what was gradually becoming known as "Rock-n-Roll" made the film very more intriguing.....

For those who still havent seen La Bamba, it is definitely the next movie you should rent... again doesnt matter if you're fan of Valens or music in general.. because this movie captured phenomonally someone who gained immediate stardom, but unfortunately his life ended prematurely as quickly as he did rise......

Edit: I shouldnt overlook Los Lobos either.. they really embodied Valens music talents to every last detail and then some.. Also.. the inclusion of them in the film was quite inspiring....

 

[jenna2891]

i saw this when i was like five or six. all i remember is something about lou buying his kids a pool, maybe? also, the babysitter was all freaked out after because she had to fly the next day.

 

[Bada0Bing]

This movie came on HBO when I was a teenager. I thought it was pretty cool and watched it a few times. I had no idea that Joe Pantoliano (Ralph from The Sopranos) was in it.