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Ali & Danny B-
Directed by Vahid Nikhah Azad. 93 min. English and Farsi with subtitles. United Kingdom/Iran.
Danny is a London adolescent on his way to Iran for a children's film festival, where his latest starring role will vie for the top acting prize against Ali, a young Afghan actor with similar dreams.
Danny's a proper British boy, Ali is not, so the two lads are bound to wind up as hotel roomies during their stay.
Ali is a good-hearted kid who takes an instant liking to his English-speaking acquaintance, but their languages and customs collide until the youngsters are at each other's throats.
Director Vahid Nikhah Azad spins an occasionally lively tale of friendship, culture clash, and slapstick adult villains that should entertain the kids and amuse older viewers. It's not told with a terrible amount of grace, but the young thespians are charming. "Ali & Danny" has its heart in the right place.
Fidel. C-
Features Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, Harry Belafonte.
Directed by Estela Bravo. 91 min. English and Spanish with subtitles. USA/Cuba.
Prepare yourself for a kinder, gentler Fidel Castro, one who's so jolly and fun-loving he'll trot out his young son and a puppy dog during an interview with Edward R. Murrow.
That's the "Fidel" of Estela Bravo's bizarre love letter to the longtime Cuban dictator -- leader, legend, and not too surprisingly, personal friend of the filmmaker.
Bravo takes bias to ridiculous -- and pointless -- extremes, painting Cuba as a tropical paradise and Castro as a grandma- visiting superhero who's survived assassination attempts and a U.S.- imposed trade embargo.
"Fidel" fawns over its namesake, rather than examining the more intriguing aspects of a complex and charismatic man, piecing together archival footage, photographs, and various interviews, none of which is the least bit unflattering.
-- A.S.
G-Sale B
Stars Jessi Badami, Scott Burns and Tracey Conway. Directed by Randy Nargi. 87 min. USA.
In an era when vintage, consignment and thrift shops are the trend du jour, Randy Nargi's offbeat mockumentary offers an entertaining look at the subculture where one person's trash is another's treasure. As one garage sale veteran muses, "You don't find what you want. What you want finds you."
And there are the Fenwicks,...