¡Azúcar!

"The Mambo Kings" is playing on cable these days, and I tuned in to watch it for the first time since it came out in the early '90s. What a joy.

Not just the grand Cuban tragedy of it all. Not just the seamless "I Love Lucy" scenes, with Desi Jr. playing Daddy. Not just the spectacular soundtrack (which I got as soon as it came out -- Tito Puente! Machito! Mambo Nagilah and Copa culture and those glorious ballads!), or the eye candy of the young Antonio Banderas (his first movie in English, I think), or the only time I've really liked Armand Assante.

No, I think it's because it's the first time I saw the great Celia Cruz -- by no means a raving beauty, and almost 75 when she made the movie, but what soul, what presence, what moves, what pipes, what style. No wonder 75 gold albums, plus a National Medal of Arts. That song-dance she does alongside the closing credits says it all.

Give it a look if you can, chicos.