Ana-Alicia Books

this book is incredible. i am american but i have been studying spanish for 8 years now. this book is very hard to read because the material is very dense but it is nevertheless interesting. it focuses on an argentinian man who is remembering his childhood during the military regime in Argentina. His friend, M, is kidnapped and never found. grino (the narrator) is very effected by this and the book is a reflection of his insecurities with memory, growth and identity. this book asks a lot of questions and is very demanding of the reader. it is provocative, sad, and familiar.

Cubans are under communism a.k.a SLAVERY. Cubans are not allowed to be independent in any way including economically, they are forced to depend on a very useless government despite how mediocre it may be, is a control tactic. After Castro outlawed (stole) all private property and with this destroyed the Cuban GDP and economy he solely depended on the money the U.S.S.R gave him directly which at the end amounted to billions to keep Cuba a Russian satellite nation, when this disappeared in '89 Castro was scared and in mid 90's opened Cuba to tourism to bring in money.

Everything is state owned still, so his grip is the same, he allows Cubans to make and receive SOME level of money since he owns all stores and necessities it will be his money at the end, as soon as Cubans start to operate outside the government, show independence and start creating a needed industry he strikes. Again, it is slavery, once you realize this everything is so clear. Lets recall that in '58 just a year before Castro, Cuba had the largest middle class per-capita not only in the Caribbean but in Latin America. Just a look at todays crumbling Havana more than reveals that this was a first world style metropolis unlike any other in a long radius; also, all those Chevrolets to Cadillacs still around from its capitalistic days more than shows proof of a past strong middle class.

Cubans have been submerged in necessity and poverty and Cuba has been falling to pieces ever since Castro took power. So ask yourself, where did all the Russian billions of $$$ go? They went to his Swiss bank account and in efforts to export his revolution; remember Grenada, Angola, the Salvadorian Civil War,etc. And where did the Colombian guerrilla got trained and supplied in the 60s and 70s? Cuba was the name. Is not about the embargo is about who is in control and truly embargoing the Cuban people. Is not about a cup half-empty or half-full is about go is drinking the water. To be more imformed check therealcuba site.

"Capitalism, God and a Good Cigar" by Lydia Chavez (editor) is a collection of 14 essays about life in contemporary Cuba. The book provides an intimate look at the experiences of ordinary Cubans as they struggle to define themselves in what appears to be a country that is positioned somewhere between socialism and capitalism. In that light, the book tantalizes the reader with the possibility of Cuba's transformation into a new and unique kind of socialist or capitalist state, depending on one's own perspective.

The authors present some of the many contradictions that abound in contemporary Cuba. For example, while articles such as "Four Women Survive Manzanillo" by Alicia Roca makes it clear that many citizens live impoverished lives, "Life on the Margins" by Julian Foley discusses how Cuban entrepreneurs are profiting from an underground economy that feeds off the officially-sanctioned tourist trade. Yet, the dollars earned by the government through tourism helps to finance popular universal educational and medical programs that benefit all of Cuba's citizens to a degree not found elsewhere in Latin America. One wonders if it will be possible for Cuba to finance its social programs through for-profit tourism without individualism and the lure of profit resulting in a breakup of the social compact.

As in any collection, there is variability in quality. Possibly the weakest article was "Hip Hop Pushes the Limits" by Annelise Wunderlich. In my view, the author's bemoaning of the difficulties that young rap artists experience while trying to cash in on their talents tends to trivialize the debate about capitalism versus socialism. More problematically, she recognizes that Cuban rap music has gained critical and popular international acclaim but misses the point that this success is attributable to the fact that Cuban music is produced by artists living within a socialist country and therefore is viewed, rightly or wrongly, as a more authentic expression of rage against the capitalist machine compared with rap music produced elsewhere.

Fortunately, the "Hip Hop" article is a rare moment in a book that is otherwise abundant with excellent content. The Introduction entitled, "Adrift: An Introduction to Contemporary Cuba" by Lydia Chavez provides excellent context and analysis to prepare the reader for the many articles that follow. Some of my favorites include: "Dancers Who Stretch the Limits" by Ana Campoy presents the triumphs and heartbreaks of ballet as practiced in revolutionary Cuba; "Socialism and the Cigar" by Daniela Mohor discusses the success of Cuba's socialist cigar factories in producing world-renowned products while providing benefits to its workers; "Authors Who Knew or Know the Limits" by Ezequiel Minaya draws on interviews with prominent writers who have struggled with Cuba's sometimes Stalinist repression of free expression; "Cubans Log on Behind Castro's Back" by John Cote describes how Cubans gain access to the Internet in a country with limited technological resources and government controls; and "The Spanish are Back" by Megan Lardner discusses the volatile but increasingly necessary relationship between Spain and Cuba, with an emphasis on the effect Spanish investment is having on reviving the Cuban economy.

I highly recommend this intriguing book for anyone interested in contemplating the question of whether the contemporary Cuban experience represents a glass that is half full or half empty -- and whether that glass might ultimately prove to be socialist or capitalist.

I very much enjoyed the simplicity and ease with which the various authors skated through the many cities and shared such encounters of colorful locals. Interspersed is a little history that is easy to grasp and enjoyable. The many articles provide varied perspectives of life in Cuba today.

The illustrations were fantastic and the story was touching and quite true. Many children do not know how to accept their cultures and try to be a part of only one, forgetting or ignoring the other integral parts that make up their lives. This book, with its gorgeous drawings, sensitively walks a child through that maze into acceptance of him/herself and an appreciation of that diversity.

Original, fun, with a sad unconventional ending. A definite love it or hate it movie. Makes you appreciate what you have rather than taking everything for granted as David Ames does. If you "don't get it" at first, watch it again. If you watched it once and hated it...don't bother.

For many years this has been one of my favourite films. The very film itself is very "Faustian", in it's theoretically never ending quest for love, experience and knowledge. It also has a much darker side to it, reminding me somewhat of another absolutely wonderful dark film; "The Jacket", with a touch of "Donnie Darko". I've seen the original Spanish film "Abre los ojos" that this more or less is an exact remake of, and amusingly, it contains the same lovely Penelope Cruz in her role as Sofia Serrano. The lead character David Aames is played by Tom Cruise, not someone I particularly like neither in "real life" nor in this film, but he does a good job in this film, and that is after all what counts. His role as a lucky rich boy with no responsibility and who's "all about fun", in his own words, represents my complete opposite, that being so, he quickly finds himself forced to recognize that "there are consequences in life".

Aames falls completely in love with a girl that his lonely best friend brings to Aames' own birthday party (some friend, huh?). Jason Lee does an excellent role with his character Brian Shelby. The happiness ends suddenly though, after Aames lack of responsibility comes back around to him the morning after and he ends up emotionally and physically crippled afterwards. Cameron Diaz plays the character of the slut stalker of Aames, and no fault of Diaz, her character is completely horrible, an awful person.

Without revealing the end and the entire plot for those of you out there who strangely have not seen this marvellous film yet, I would just like to recommend this beyond words. Even though the upper layer of the film seems very "decadent" and "shallow", it really is about (in my view) the greatest thing of all, the search for knowledge and experience. Add the beautiful Penelope Cruz and a really existentialist theme throughout, which I'm sure everyone who thinks for him or herself can relate to (is the world real or merely an illusion?), and you've got yourself one of my favourite films. The end scene is simply sublime, with what probably is the best song in the world, Sigur Ros' divine "Njosnavellin".

Watch it!

This movie is a love story with some sci-fi elements awkwardly thrown in, but there are some moments of good acting and dialogue that make it worth watching.

All the reviewers who said that this is a movie you love or hate,and I really hated it. It was long, boring, and I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I would have turned it off long before it was over, but I was watching it with other people. The only thing remotely good is Camron Diaz, I guess I did like one character after all. Stay away unless you feel you just have to, and if you hate it, you can jump into our ship!

A film which makes an attempt to pattern itself on the fantasy vs. reality films that had become popular at the turn of the new millennium - David Fichner's "Fight Club" and M. Night Shamalan's "Sixth Sense" both from 1999, Christopher Nolan's "Momento" from 2000, and David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" released the following year (all of which don't surpass the reigning king of this genre when Terry Gilliam released his 1985 masterpiece "Brazil") - by no means fails in this respect since I found it both entertaining and intriguing for the most part, but is noticeably long and certainly may confuse the average '2hr-max-movie-goer'. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz both stand out playing their respective, 'good gal/bad gal roles and Jason Lee is quite appealing as the best friend of our dashing lead Tom Cruise. Yet Cruise may be viewed as stretching this performance given the physical challenges that are demanded. I hesitate to reveal these challenges to those that have not seen the picture as they are indeed the focal point of the plot. Many good things like the witty Cameron Crowe retrospective soundtrack that is weaved into clever culture references and tributes which are indeed enjoyable and even necessary to solve the riddle presented in 'what's is going on?' scenario of the main character's pressing dilemma which may not be easy to access with a single viewing. But still the ride can be entertaining as Tom runs away and into trouble as he often does in quasi-action films that are laced with mystery and intrigue like Sydney Pollack's 1993 "The Firm", Brian De Palma's 1996 "Mission Impossible" and even the more cerebrally dark, "Eyes Wide Shut" from Stanley Kubrick. As noted by many educated critics as well as the tasteless tabloids Mr. Cruise may be biting off more than he can chew as he dives into the land of independent production. I applaud Tom for his efforts and are rooting for his success yet do believe that his choice for future roles should include a return to comedic territory as a deviation/diversion to selecting elaborate/complicated efforts which could be prove too risky and result in a poor reception at the box office.

Original, fun, with a sad unconventional ending. A definite love it or hate it movie. Makes you appreciate what you have rather than taking everything for granted as David Ames does. If you "don't get it" at first, watch it again. If you watched it once and hated it...don't bother.

For many years this has been one of my favourite films. The very film itself is very "Faustian", in it's theoretically never ending quest for love, experience and knowledge. It also has a much darker side to it, reminding me somewhat of another absolutely wonderful dark film; "The Jacket", with a touch of "Donnie Darko". I've seen the original Spanish film "Abre los ojos" that this more or less is an exact remake of, and amusingly, it contains the same lovely Penelope Cruz in her role as Sofia Serrano. The lead character David Aames is played by Tom Cruise, not someone I particularly like neither in "real life" nor in this film, but he does a good job in this film, and that is after all what counts. His role as a lucky rich boy with no responsibility and who's "all about fun", in his own words, represents my complete opposite, that being so, he quickly finds himself forced to recognize that "there are consequences in life".

Aames falls completely in love with a girl that his lonely best friend brings to Aames' own birthday party (some friend, huh?). Jason Lee does an excellent role with his character Brian Shelby. The happiness ends suddenly though, after Aames lack of responsibility comes back around to him the morning after and he ends up emotionally and physically crippled afterwards. Cameron Diaz plays the character of the slut stalker of Aames, and no fault of Diaz, her character is completely horrible, an awful person.

Without revealing the end and the entire plot for those of you out there who strangely have not seen this marvellous film yet, I would just like to recommend this beyond words. Even though the upper layer of the film seems very "decadent" and "shallow", it really is about (in my view) the greatest thing of all, the search for knowledge and experience. Add the beautiful Penelope Cruz and a really existentialist theme throughout, which I'm sure everyone who thinks for him or herself can relate to (is the world real or merely an illusion?), and you've got yourself one of my favourite films. The end scene is simply sublime, with what probably is the best song in the world, Sigur Ros' divine "Njosnavellin".

Watch it!

This movie is a love story with some sci-fi elements awkwardly thrown in, but there are some moments of good acting and dialogue that make it worth watching.

All the reviewers who said that this is a movie you love or hate,and I really hated it. It was long, boring, and I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I would have turned it off long before it was over, but I was watching it with other people. The only thing remotely good is Camron Diaz, I guess I did like one character after all. Stay away unless you feel you just have to, and if you hate it, you can jump into our ship!

A film which makes an attempt to pattern itself on the fantasy vs. reality films that had become popular at the turn of the new millennium - David Fichner's "Fight Club" and M. Night Shamalan's "Sixth Sense" both from 1999, Christopher Nolan's "Momento" from 2000, and David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" released the following year (all of which don't surpass the reigning king of this genre when Terry Gilliam released his 1985 masterpiece "Brazil") - by no means fails in this respect since I found it both entertaining and intriguing for the most part, but is noticeably long and certainly may confuse the average '2hr-max-movie-goer'. Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz both stand out playing their respective, 'good gal/bad gal roles and Jason Lee is quite appealing as the best friend of our dashing lead Tom Cruise. Yet Cruise may be viewed as stretching this performance given the physical challenges that are demanded. I hesitate to reveal these challenges to those that have not seen the picture as they are indeed the focal point of the plot. Many good things like the witty Cameron Crowe retrospective soundtrack that is weaved into clever culture references and tributes which are indeed enjoyable and even necessary to solve the riddle presented in 'what's is going on?' scenario of the main character's pressing dilemma which may not be easy to access with a single viewing. But still the ride can be entertaining as Tom runs away and into trouble as he often does in quasi-action films that are laced with mystery and intrigue like Sydney Pollack's 1993 "The Firm", Brian De Palma's 1996 "Mission Impossible" and even the more cerebrally dark, "Eyes Wide Shut" from Stanley Kubrick. As noted by many educated critics as well as the tasteless tabloids Mr. Cruise may be biting off more than he can chew as he dives into the land of independent production. I applaud Tom for his efforts and are rooting for his success yet do believe that his choice for future roles should include a return to comedic territory as a deviation/diversion to selecting elaborate/complicated efforts which could be prove too risky and result in a poor reception at the box office.