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El bello durmiente (1952)
Possible demand?
Can any of the descendants of Gilberto Martinez Solares sue Hanna-Barbera for copying many of the gags thrown into this movie? Examples: Newspapers made of stone. Bowling with stones. Eating pterodactyls, and so forth.
See this movie and amaze of a Mexican comedy that 10 years before established those gags that everybody enjoy on the Flintstones.
The plot is simple. What if caveman had found a potion to sleep for thousand years? A group of archaeologist find a cave with a completely preserved caveman inside, Triki-tran from about ten thousand years. Triki-tran is a skinny but smart hunter of a tribe of caveman that just had arrived at volcanic central México. His tribe worship the god of fire and hate the god of water, hence they doesn't bate! While his comrade Traka-tran is hunting a dinosaur, Triki-tran found a lovely cave-girl name Jade from the rival tribe, that bate and hence worship the god of water, and of course fell in love with her and want to marry her caveman style. Traka-tran also wants this girl so convince the tribe leaders that Triki-tran is a protected of the god of water and since it was send to set peace with the other tribe by marrying with their chief's daughter. This sets the plot and continues even in the modern age with Triki-tran learning to speak Spanish and dance. Hilarious from start to finish. Tip: Watch out the dust that raises when the fire tribe salutes each other...a sign that you are from the fire tribe!!!
La nave de los monstruos (1960)
The way B-movies supposed to be made
This is a cute sci-fi/comedy/horror flick from Mexico. Eulalio Gonzales (aka Piporro) is a cowboy that tells many lies to impress others at the local bar. Two beautiful Venusians (well they come from planet Venus) are send to the space to obtain the best males to be the fathers of new off-springs because Venus males are dying (maybe are all queer, they don't explain). So they come to earth and apparently Piporro is the best male earth can offer, so they try to kidnap he. The males of other planets (in this case monsters like a cyclops, a spider and a blood sucking guy with a huge exposed brain) got unleash because one of the Venusians is really a vampire and sees the opportunity to conquer earth with their help. Piporro, his nephew and the other kinky Venusian will try to stop the evil monsters. La nave de los mounstros probe what a B-movie should be. It doesn't try to be very dramatic (like Gringo b-movies) because we ALL KNEW that the monsters are made of cheap plastic (well even a today kid will laugh) because of the tight budget. And doesn't try to be an all comedy (because it will lose its charm). For all you non-Spanish speakers is better that you try to get a copy with subtitles (or better with a decent dubbing) because you will miss some great jokes and cheap dialog you won't find on any gringo B-movie. (I refuse to call anything coming from the United States "american" because we all -from Canada to Chile- live in a continent named America and so we all "americans" not just they)
Hasta el viento tiene miedo (1968)
Gringo filmmakers - learn from this movie!
Almost every time an American filmmaker wants to do an Horror film, without a doubt goes direct to the blood and to the grotesque thing, even the superb Shamalayan. Latin filmmakers (were they come from France, Italy , Spain or this time Mexico) does the other way. They play with our primal fears, primary our fear of the unknown, of what we feel but not see. Carlos Taboada does a great job to get chills and terror from this masterpiece.
Claudia is a student in an all girl college that have dreams about a hanged woman that calls her. Her five friends don't believe her and after climbing on the stairs of a three floor cellar they are punished by the principal Bernarda to stay campus for summer vacation, because it is prohibited to go into the cellar. After all girls see the ghost, her beloved teacher Lucia tells them that the hanged woman was Andrea a former student who had committed suicide five years earlier because she was punished the same way the girls were and doesn't have the chance to go see her dying mother, her only living relative. After possessing Claudia, the spirit of Andrea seeks revenge and hangs the principal.
Aside the final scene with the swimming pool that appears to have thrown in because of the time (just to see girls on swimsuits), all the movie has memorable cuts of truly suspense scenes. Andrea appearing in front of the students and in the top window of the cellar. The scene of teacher Lucia with gardener Diego: Have you seen her?! -Yes...you don't?. The piano and heliotrope scene, when Bernarda starts to believe. The bird scene, and...well all the movie up to the few last scenes. Some other reviewers said that after 55 minutes (after the possession of Claudia) or so the movie is awesome, but afterward was all cliché. I disagree. I haven't see a movie were a possession was masterfully followed on every scary aspect possible.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Probably the best so far...
Perhaps I'm writing this review as a Mexican who is proud of the mexican director of the film, but aside some nationalistic feelings this is probably the best of the three Potter films so far. I've read the book before watching the film, just as I did with the other two Potter films and one way that tells me that is better is that I didn't get bored at the middle of the movie (because I knew all the things).
This film set apart (witch some had disliked) from the previous two in ambient, in darkness and in a more mature atmosphere (it's clear in the acting of the main characters), but for one reason: it's the first chapter in the Potter series were all the previously child characters are now teenagers (13-14 years). That's way the director (and I hope the producers) want (and ultimately does) a new style that is welcomed, and make a precedence to the next films to follow as the characters and actors grow older. Some other reviewers complain that the movie is loosely based on the novel, that the other two had almost everything from the books, and this had not, but that's no all true. Sure some of the key plots that link Azkaban to Goblet are missing (like the Chan girl, Harry's love interest in the next chapters), but many of the things that other users complain of are present, like the absence of the explanation of who make the marauders' map (in the film Sirius explains that is HIS map), and some other things that are there but inside dialogues and situations. It's was an intelligent way of compress a big novel into a two hour movie. And of course it's Cuaron way of doing things: that the spectator had to stay focused on both dialogue and picture to get all of the script and the film, and to understand things and situations. It's good that some one makes a truly `teen' movie, for intelligent teens. I hope my teen nephews appreciate,enjoy and like this movie. One last commentary: my wife is still at the middle of the book and understands the entire plot, and of course had enjoyed the movie as much as I did. Cuaron get to make thinks a little different than the book to make me interested from start to finish. 9/10.
One Man's Hero (1999)
Decent picture.
First of all it was good to see a movie about this obscure portion of the history. Even in Mexico is little known the San Patricio's aid in the Mexican-American war. I've read some of the other user's reviews and I'm tired of listening that in the Mexican-American War the U.S. had better weapon and that Santa Anna was president. That's false. First read history books (both sides). Santa Anna was exiled at that time. He returns because the liberal party had won the control of the capital after a series of disastrous political and military conservative officer's governments just after the same Santa Anna want to start a monarchy-style government in late 1843, that was overthrown by the liberals that was overthrown by the conservatives in a series of uprisings from 1845 to 1846. He promises to the U.S. that he put and end to the war. He lies (partially because he was so BAD that actually helped the U.S. to win the war) and led the defense of the country. The Mexican military was exhausted by the series of uprisings from 1840-1846 and the government was in a "technical" bankruptcy, and the generals who led them were poor prepared and had an EGO from here to the center of the galaxy. That's why the artillery was bad served, and bad positioned. For example in one of the last battles of the war at the outskirts of Mexico city (Churubusco Battle) the defenders had to surrender because they had no ammunition. That's partially true. The defenders really had tons of ammunition but for another type of gun, that supposedly was destined for another army (the man in charge of the supplies never explain that fault, some historians argue that he thought that the army at Churubusco was a regular army, in reality was an army of volunteers with more older weapons). So the soldiers start to throw the bullets to the attackers with their hands!.
The Alamo (1960)
History upside down
Recently I saw this film on cable for the first time. The reason: this film was never screened on Mexican cinemas ever, and I never saw it on tv until now. First of all, this movie is NOT an history lesson like other users point (i even read a comment of an historian said the opposite!!). This movie portraits what our Mexican cinema lacks for at least thirty years: patriotism and nationalism. This is the biggest achievement of the movie, to move the inner feelings of any who sees this film and have some love for his country (no matter what country is) and their heroes. For those of you who know only what is told in history class on American schools, here is the TRUE story (in Mexico's history there is no Alamo because it was a waste of resources and a tinny battle only fought because of Santa Anna ego). Both military leaders, Gen. Santa Anna and Col. Travis were ego-centric men. Both knew that the Alamo has a little military importance and both nevertheless lead their men to death. Travis, (he only have been leaving in Texas for a couple of years) because he want to avenge the massacre at Goliath (sure with only 200 men).
Here are some other TRUE facts about the battle: 1. The majority of the defending forces at The Alamo were American mercenaries that the American government (in the form of some state governors and federal deputies and senators) and the pro-annexation Texans leaders recruits in the exchange of free land and money. (Sadly very few of their widows receive that). 2. The vast majority of the Texans NOT want their independence, they only want that the federal constitution of their country (Mexico) was restored. And they want to became a separate state inside Mexico, because originally they were part of Coahuila state. Even a mexican were among the leaders of the revolution (Lic. Lorenzo de Zavala). The independence party (rather small at that time) became the dominant force just after Goliath and the Alamo. 3. Gen. Santa Anna attacks the fort even knowing that victorious Gen. Urrea and other commanders were marching following the Texan coast line to Washington en el Brazos because he know he can defeat the Texan forces rather quickly and go ahead Urrea in the pursuit of Sam Houston. He wants to be the first in every thing!. If the Mexican Generals would have work together the Alamo would fail because the Texans never receive reinforcements and they can't hold a long siege. 4. The Mexican army was colorful but old and antiquate. And the Mexican forces have been marched for at least three months before the attack, with a non existent line of supplies. Gen. Arista the commander of the North Army and latter president of Mexico, said once that `their soldiers were the first, the finest and the best because they know and developed the tactic of not eating, tactic unknown to other parts of the world'. 5. Crockett and other survivors were made prisoners and killed without a trail because they were mercenaries and there was no state of war between Mexico and the United States. 6. Gen. Santa Anna was a BAD general. In his own words: `He only could have been a private'. His only achievement was recruiting and moving huge amount of military forces from nothing and of course a huge charisma and great speeches.
So if you want to know history, please read some books. If you want to have fun, see this movie.
El cementerio de las águilas (1939)
Not quite historical
If the Gringos have their movies like "The Alamo" or "One man's hero", there's is little Mexican film with then (by 1939) huge popular actor and singer Jorge Negrete, about the Mexican-American war: "El cementerio de las Aguilas". I saw this film on Mexican syndicated television when I was 10 o 11 years old. Filled with historical inequalities (from the point of view of the parallel story of boy hero Agustín Melgar) ,is a patriotic drama, that tells the story of Miguel de la Peña and friend teenager Agustin Melgar, a middle class man and a poor class boy who are in love with a pair of aristocratic "criollas" Mercedes and Ana Maria in the year 1846, just as the Mexican-American war begun. De la Peña enrolls with the Mexican army (the infamous and traitor Polkos Battalion) just as the North American armies approach the nearing of Mexico City, because he wants to give some time to his relationships to a divorceé and Mercedes. Meanwhile Melgar is studying in the famous military college at Chapultepec but the love for Ana María and the desire to marry her, make him desert the military . The father of ana maria scolds him and Melgar leave in dispair. Just as the enemy forces approach, and trying to emulate de la Peña, Melgar returns to the college to fight with their comrades and defeat the enemy. From then on, the story tells us the heroic deaths of the six boy heroes, counting Melgar at the Chapultepec Battle in Sept. 13 1847. If you want to see the Mexican point of view of the Mexican-American war you must see this film. Is quite good, aside the soap opera melodramatic love story that never fails in Mexican cinema (principally in the Negrete's films).