HARLEM HOSTEL: Movie Review

Posted by: "Prinz" Lee Romero  Posted: 02-19-2010 Print Article Email to a friend RSS Twitter Facebook

Grade: A-
Genre: Comedy
Roars: 4.5 out of 5

Rating: NR / Run Time: 1 Hr. 21 Min.

CAST: Ramon Rodriguez, Rafael Sardina, Julissa Bermudez, Juan Aro Sanchez, Steven Leon / DIRECTOR: Nestor Miranda

If anyone asks who Nester Miranda is, and it so happens that that person’s within the realm of film… they need their head examined. If they’re not too sure, the answer can be the following: “Nester Miranda IS most definitely a filmmaker to be watching out for!” Following his links of other projects, such as Monstrous Nature, Blazin’ and Destination Unknown, his latest piece (Harlem Hostel) carries just as much pride-like weight when having it on his resume. Why I say this isn’t because I’m trying to carry some kind of biased motive towards the man or those involved in the project itself… NO! It’s because as someone that’s seen MANY films, from no to low budget all high up the totem pole, when something serves its purpose, it does and there’s no way one can deny any kind of kudos. Mr. Miranda clearly has a vision which carries well when translating it onto the screen and although perfection does not exist, the sense of being good at what you do, does. I’ve worked within this field for a while now and happy to say I’ve rendered different services… and from talent all through crew… the observation of not only seeing, but listening to directors work, clearly defines who has a commanding vision for the craft and who – well, lets just say go through the motions and rush it.

Having written, directed, and casting himself in a quick cameo, Nester embarks on a tale of three friends from Queens, NYC who on the edge of their personal insanities, decide to venture out on a journey which entails unity, loyalty, and mutual feeling(s) of having nothing but the kind of fun adolescent men dream of having. To which pretty much defines their personal space and allowing independence becoming their norm, however; this may sound appealing and some-what orgasmic (no pun), the twist-of-fate starts to emerge as their day to day lives become complicated in a sense of how stability would be kept. Once settled, finances become tight, disagreements begin, and the addition of another roommate/share-holder lures into a web of unexpected consequences, altering the stakes of their prior commitment and taking it a day at a time as their decision of turning a Harlem Brownstone into an illegal hostel unleashes the most of unique experiences.

To much avail, the film’s genre covers exactly what it suppose to. Comedy with a little Drama… it carries itself very well, it doesn’t have any of that overdone comedy where one can tell the writing or actor was trying TOO hard and although we tend to miss out on some of the other characters in the film (I would have loved to have seen more on Ben’s Stepfather Joe (Angelo Lozada) or a stronger affection between A voice of reason: Julia (Julissa Bermudez) and Ben), the mere focus on this piece was dedicated to the 4 individuals. Will (Ramon Rodriguez) the upbeat, positive and anything goes type, Ben (Rafael Sardina) the grounded responsible type, Rick (Steven Leon) a Marine whose returned home and seeking tranquility at all cost, and Sam (Juan “Aro” Sanchez) a quirky quick-witted smartass who can hold his own. They all worked off each other well. Chemistry is something that didn’t lack from this cast. Their objectives were kept in focus and as the story unveils, a lot about their personalities unravels and explains a couple of the reasons why some of them are the way they are.



With much on their sites of having fun, there’s also a side of caring. Done in subtle ways, Nester really knew how to blend the comedy and drama. Often this is attempted, but like anything else, unless done tactically, it will not work. It was clear Nester knew who his characters were and with an approach that was somewhat invisible, yet transparent (I know it sounds confusing) he was able to link many of their own “demons” among themselves, which entailed a learning process about their outlook towards life. This is made clear towards the end of the film, however; as it moved on… I started to pick up on this during the 2nd. Act, which didn’t leave it open to predictability, but did lead me to start feeling that – like pretty much everyone else – they’d learn from each other’s crazy decisions or obviously their own.

A lot about this film made me feel like there was some kind of connection to 91’s Hangin’ with the Homeboys. There wasn’t much relation regarding the story or anything pertaining to wild nights, but the spark of friends experiencing funny ups and downs during a time-frame is there. Nester pegged it well when combining the testosterone levels of four adolescent youths living their “dreams” to a certain extent only to learn that at times consequences turn out a bit more than they ever expected.

Overall, the film’s unique, fun, and funny and also serves a little bit of drama. There isn’t much drama regarding any kind of mishmash of lovey dovey bullshit, but it lends it’s drama to much more centralized levels of life as a whole (especially as a young adult male) rather than specs. Will this be chomped up by other critics…? perhaps… it’s their (or our) job. But I call it like I see it and as a lover of simple films… as the saying goes “Big things come in little packages” and this small film has A LOT to offer in the sense of production, story, heart, talent, and direction.

(Speaking of talent... IMDB their asses and you'll see what I'm talking about!)

With that said, I’m Prinz Lee and I approve this review!

Opens on a limited release Friday, February 19th.