Father Geek here to welcome all you CineLocos who read this column weekly to yet another fun edition. Que Patza? Before I turn you over to our Editor in Sao Paulo, Brasil I've got this bit of interesting info that wormed its way into my trusty old PC, como cuerpo de serpiente... o el espinazo del Diablo...
Click Here Now to view Guillermo del Toro's wonderful trailer for his phantastic EL ESPINAZO DEL DIABLO.
>> Now check this info out...
My name is Renato Silveira, I work on the Brazillian site Cinema em Cena [www.cinemaemcena.com.br], one of the most visited websites about movies throughout Latin America. One of our readers has send us an e-mail, where he confirms the involvement of actress Laura Harring on Van Damme's upcoming film, DERAILED.
His name is Romão and he had contacted Laura through her official site. The actress answered him by herself, as you can see in the copy of the message bellow. She actually gives new information about her role in the film:
Data: 19/Oct/2001-23:44
De: Laura Harring
Assunto: Re: Dear Lauta :
Yes ,I am training to fly 50 feet up in the air like the Cirque de Soleil stars. It is a great action script and am excited to fly up it the air and fight like a man.
All the best,
Laura
Hope this information be useful for you.
Um abraço,
Renato Silveira.
Muy Saberrrrrrrr!!! Now, here's Coffin Joe Jr...
Welcome to another edition of our beloved weekly column known simply as Latin-AICN. Coffin Joe Jr. is in the house of pain and death to bring you the latest from the world of filmmaking spoken in Spanish or Portuguese, and sometimes other languages too, you just never know. This week some reviews and just a bit of news so, sit back, relax and let me inform and entertain you fanboys.
BRAZIL
-Walter Salles´s ("Central Station") latest film, the drama "Abril Despedaçado", which was screened at the Venice Film Festival as "Behind the Sun", is going to be the movie that represents Brazil in next year´s Academy Awards.
SPAIN
-Alejandro Amenabar´s "The Others" has become the highest grossing local flick in Spanish history. Even though the flick is a co-production, United States and Spain, the whole crew was from Spain and the movie was shot there as well. The fright flick has been doing extremely well in the U.S. as well, ending its run with about 100 million dollars.
Congrats to Amenabar and his team.
COFFIN JOE JR. MOVIE REVIEWS
"Waking Life" (US - 2001)
Director: Richard Linklater
I managed to catch a packed screening of Richard "Slacker" Linklater´s animated existential meditation, or "Waking Life". This is one of those movies that has one very rare problem, if you can call it a problem. It has way too many ideas for a feature film. It seems that Mr.Linklater has a lot to say, but the 90-120 minute format of a feature film is just not time enough for him to present everything in a clear way. The movie is about this kid who can not wake up from what appears to be an ongoing dream. Once that has been established, the whole thing is basically the young man wandering around, listening to a bunch of different folks talk about life, artists, the meaning of our existence, movies, the laws of the universe, time, and a lot of other stuff that I just can´t remember, because there´s so much ground that these little monologues cover, that I couldn´t possibly try to convey even half of it here. Also, there´s not much room for breathing or passive behavior from the members of the audience, because once one guy is done talking, the damn kid goes somewhere else and another fella starts to blabber, and after a while it is hard to keep up with everything, and believe me I wanted to. I also kinda think that this is one of flicks that will have a sort of love/hate reception from audiences. That´s what happened at the screening I attended. Some folks left the theater before the film was over, and others stayed to watch the cool credits.
One thing that I can truly recommend for anyone, is the animation. It is really something unique, different and very unusual. It is very difficult to say you´ve seen something groundbreaking and completely new, but I think this is one of those amazing cases. The animation is so cool, I can´t even begin to describe it. If I´m not mistaken they animated the movie after they shot it with real actors, and the results are marvelous. Honestly, it has to be seen, to be believed. It´s even fun to spot the people from Linklater´s previous efforts, like Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Nicky Katt, Adam Goldberg, and even a special cameo appearance by a very cool filmmaker who tells one funny little tale.
This is not Linklater´s best movie, I still prefer "Slacker", but it came pretty close.
Fox Searchlight is the distributor in North America and it has already opened in select markets, it is expanding, so catch when it gets to your town. Recommended for the adventurous and those ready for something different. This one really is an experience, not a movie.
"O Xangô de Baker Street" (BRAZIL - 2001) Director: Miguel Faria Jr.
It is funny that "From Hell" has just opened in the U.S., and this Brazilian version of the Jack, the Ripper, story has just begun its run in theaters down here. Just a thought, strange coincidence. This movie, based on the book of the same name by author Jô Soares (who is sort of a Brazilian version of David Letterman/Jay Leno, and has a very funny cameo appearance in the movie), tells the tale of a series of grisly murders being committed in Rio de Janeiro in the 19th century, murders that are connected to the theft of a very expensive violin, and that involves the local royal family. The local authorities decide to call the help of the most famous investigator in whole world: Sherlock Holmes. The famous English detective comes to Rio, with his faithful partner Watson, to try to solve the mystery.
The tone throughout the whole movie is one of light comedy, but sometimes things get dark and dirty, a little too messy if you ask me. The comedy bits really work well, with some of the funniest stuff I´ve seen in a long time. The nasty bits don´t work as well. The murders are very well shot, beautiful stuff, atmospheric, stylish, energetic, no complaints. I just don´t think it fits this movie. That´s all. There´s also a very strong historical sense, with local historic figures being an integral part of the story. While I appreciate the accuracy and research that must have been done get this stuff right, it doesn´t make much of a difference, unless you´re a history buff, because these characters are barely mentioned, and their screen time is not that relevant, because there´s too many of them.
Sherlock Holmes is played by Portuguese actor Joaquim de Almeida (Bucho in "Desperado"). He´s very good, speaking three languages (!?), and creating a very respectable and pretty personable Holmes. The guy is good. Anthony O´Donnell is also very good as Watson, and he has the funniest scene in the picture. Maria de Medeiros ("Pulp Fiction") portrays the famous French actress Sarah Benhard and she does the bitchy, whiny star thing very well, besides the fact that she´s so damn cute. The Brazilian actors are pretty good too, Marco Nanini as police officer Mello Pimenta is hilarious, getting a lot of laughs because of his weird energetic performance.
The photography by Lauro Escorel ("Ironweed") is exceptional, moody at night, and during the day it showcases the Rio de Janeiro scenery in all of its stunning beauty. The epilogue in London is also a highlight. This movie is distributed by Columbia Pictures Brazil and it is playing here, don´t know about a U.S. release.
Highly recommended by your pal Coffin Joe Jr.
