Well Father Geek is posting a damn interesting Latin-AICN column this Tuesday, really heavy on festival news and with a report on the Brad Pitt flick's script from none other than Sister Satan, plus LOBO is back with lots and lots of Mexico related film news, and of course we have our man in Brasil, Coffin Joe also.
Coffin Joe here , back with what I could dig up in this
week . Here we go :
MEXICO and LOBO...
MEXICO and LOBO...
Salud... LOBO reporting in with movie news from Mexico once again, (my 3rd report)
"Ciclo de Cine Escandinavo en la Cineteca Nacional"
This month of June in Mexico city there's going to be a film festival called "Scandinavian Movie-Cycle" with a compilation of 23 films from Norway, Finland , Switzerland and Denmark, from the silent era from 1910-1929. This compilation is based on eighteen feature length films and five shortfilms. Some of the films that will be shown are "Anna la gitana" (Anne, the gypsy) ,"Ordenes cerradas" (Sealed orders) and "A la puerta de la carcel" (The Jail's door).
The Devil's Backbone"
The actor Federico Luppi (Cronos,Auntum Sun,Men with guns ) was at the premiere of the movie from Argentina "76 89 03" in Mexico City and made a comment that he is working again with the Director Guillermo del Toro. This time in Spain outside Madrid this summer on a movie called "El espinazo del diablo" THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE having as co-stars; Marissa Paredes and Eduardo Noriega... This movie is about the Spanish Civil War's orphans and some very strange and deadly happenings that occur to them... Is it the supernatural? Ghosts? Or is it simply criminal behavior and depraved lust that threatens the children and their teachers at their remote boarding school? Federico wouldn't say...
SOME PREMIERE WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS of THE CINESOL FESTIVAL:
CineSol honors Edward James Olmos, Friday, 8:00 pm, June 2nd CineSol honors Jamie Chahin, The Forgotten Americans, Saturday, 8:00 pm, June 3rd Texas Commission on the Arts Executive Director John Paul Batiste as Panel Presenter
As a Tribute to the Rio Grande Valley's historical role as a gateway for Mexican films from the 1930's-70's- CineSol presents a special segment of Mexican Vintage Films from the Agrasanchez Collection as part of our community outreach programming, a Photo Exhibit of Valley Mexican Theaters/Drive-Ins curated by Laura Lincoln, and Vintage Mexican Poster Exhibit from the Peralta Collection to be on display during the Premiere Weekend. Orilla del Mar III- a visual art exhibit featuring Valley-based artists curated by Noe Hinojosa/Mesquite Review will be on display during the Premiere Weekend.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2000: .
8pm: Opening Night Screening and Reception Welcome: Mayor of South Padre Island, Ed Cyganiewicz Special Guest: Edward James Olmos , CineSol 2000 Rayo De Luz Recipient Special Screening of The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, directed by Roberto Young and co-produced by Moctezuma Esparza - a film that takes place in South Texas in 1901. Gregorio Cortez was a family man. A sheriff approached him at his farm and questioned him on the possibility of stealing a horse. There was a misunderstanding between the translation and Cortez' brother was shot and killed. In retaliation, Cortez pulled his gun and killed the sheriff. This groundbreaking film starring Edward James Olmos was based on the book, With A Pistol In His Hand, by Brownsville, Texas native Americo Paredes. Reception following screening.
SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2000
10:00 am - 11 am: Panel Discussion with Presenting Filmmakers Moderator: Paul Espinosa Participants: Anahuac Valdez, Kinan Valdez, Hector Galán, Efrain Gutierrez, Monica Delgado, Veronica Cavazos, Ray Santisteban
11:00 pm- 12 pm: Actors Panel: Moderator: Gilbert Zepeda, David Barrera, Maria Canals, Jesse Borrego
SCREENINGS:
10:30: am: Abismos de pasión (dir. Luis Buñuel, 1953) 91 minutes b&w with Jorge Mistral, Irasema Dilián, Ernesto Alonso, Lilia Prado Luis Buñuel's version of "Wuthering Heights," translated to Mexico Alejandro (Mistral) returns after an absence of many years, now a rich man. His childhood sweetheart Catalina (Dilián) is married to Eduardo, but she still loves Alejandro.
1:15 pm: A Springbreak Lowrider in San Quilmas 2000, 100 min, English, Video, Fiction, San Antonio, Texas Director/ Producer: Efrain Gutierrez A light, romantic comedy. Sonny is an ex-musician who is promoting the biggest Lowrider Car Show to be held in Texas. Lowriders throughout the United States are competing for the $25,000 top prize. The film gives a glimpse into how old useless cars are transformed into beautiful pieces of art that are always on exhibition.
UNCENSORED LATINO ALTERNATIVE VIDEOS Curated by Michael Hernandez of the Latino Rock Alliance/Austin, Tejas, A special screening of videos that have pending censorship in Latin America due to their political and social criticisms and visual art.
4:30 pm: Bella! Bella! Bella! 2000, 15:30 min, English, 35mm,USA (Filmed in the Rio Grande Valley) Director: Jeff Van Hanken, Producers: Annie & Jeff Van Hanken Down on the Texas-Mexico border, Enrique Breceda has lost his mind. Screaming like Ricky Ricardo and looking like Roberto Benigni, Enrique's scaring the crap out of his wife and daughter. All this just because they can't afford a horse for 9 yr. old Amelia's birthday? Fortunately, even in hard times, imagination runs in the family as a young girl escapes her troubled homelife through the magic of her father's long hidden poems. Filmmakers will be present
9:30 pm: Split Decision 2000, 75 min, English, documentary, 35mm. Producer: Marcy Garriott. Talented boxer Jesus Chavez finds his rise to the world championship cut short when he is deported to Mexico for a youthful crime in his past. Outmatched by a "one strike you're out" justice system, faced with new challenges in the country he left behind as a child, Jesus tries to rebuild his life with resilience and courage.
SUNDAY, June 4th, 2000
2 pm: Open Mike: Filmmakers are invited to screen shorts/highlights of just completed works or works in progress.
3:30 pm: The Forgotten Americans 2000, 56 min, English, documentary, video, Executive Producer: Jaime Chahin, Producer: Hector Galán A compelling portrait about the people who live in U.S. neighborhoods called colonias found along the border with Mexico. There are almost fifteen hundred colonias in the United States, usually lacking the most basic services such as water and electricity. The film tracked the lives of colonia residents for over a year and captured their struggle to survive as they search for their American Dream. Producer Hector Galán will be present for Q&A after the screenings
" THE MEXICAN"
...Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt left the mountain town of Real de Catorce this weekend, but not without signing a visitors book. A book that has the signatures and comments of all the Stars that visit that nearly abandoned 16th century town.
Julia Roberts signed it and also wrote " Paz y Gracias" and Brad wrote that he liked the town and he enjoyed being there. So after the scene in the mountain ( you'll see it later) they did one more shot and they came back to U.S. but leaving some of their stuff that some people were wanting to buy....Km'on a lady was offering $2500 for the robe that Brad wore during those days.
Just as an added comment; El Rey del Futbol "PELE" also has signed that book.
LATIN AMERICAN FILMS ARE PLAYING IN GERMANY
LA CUCARACHA comes to video and dvd
This flick takes place in Mexico where Walter (Roberts) lives in a shack outside a village, drinking himself into insanity, fantasizing a platonic love and looking for some novel to write, he gets an offer from the local mob and thinks of it as the way out of his miserable life. Hired as a killer he becomes part of the "novel" he was looking for, where he gets into situations never handled by him before, and later (too late?) he regains his will to live and finds in himself very similar to the cucaracha (Cockroach).
Cucaracha harmless creature, but still every one wants to step on it....... and what does it do.......nothing .......it's still here...... living...........
Note: Make sure to eat popcorn or something crunchy during the hospital scene. THIS IS THE BEST I'VE SEEN OF ERIC ROBERTS...... This Film is avaliable now on DVD and VHS.
Well thats about it for LOBO this week, I'll see you next Tuesday with more news from Mexico. Make sure to send me any film scoops you may find, just address them to MY CAVE deep in the hill country and I will see that Latin-AICN gives it coverage...
Now for a report from SISTER SATAN on the script for THE MEXICAN...
Sister Satan here, while creeping around the cave a night or two ago, I felt this strange lifeform inside of me will me into a neverbefore explored corner of the cave where I came upon the script for The Mexican. Knowing what I had read on the site a few weeks prior, I decided to sit down and flip through it, soon the story sucked me into a whirlpool of 113 pages which took me from Las Vegas all the way to San Miguel, Mexico.
The story revolves around Jerry a guy with shit for luck and a pretty odd lot in life, he has one last job in his life of crime, to deliver a cursed antique gun from Mexico to the great ole US of A, sounds simple enuf however the situation becomes complicated from the get go, the woman he loves is fed up with him, he has no one to trust, and like I said before he's just tripping over every stone placed before him no matter how hard he may try not to.
The story is a good one, especially discovering the importance and past of the gun, which is revealed in pieces throughout script, and I will not reveal it to you guys for the sake of the flick.
The best way to describe Jerrys character in my opinion is that it is very similar of Sean Penn's in U-Turn.Jerry is going to be played by Brad Pitt, and I have total faith that Pitt will do the job well, Jerrys girlfriend is being played by Julia Roberts whom I have faith in also but since her character is my least favorite in the script I haven't much to say.
The draft i read was dated April 1999, which does leave quite a bit of time for changes and such, so I expect Julia Roberts’ character will most likely be more fully explored in more recent drafts. The writer is J.H. Wyman, which has written Pale Saints (1997) and Mr. Rice's Secret due this year, the Director of this film (The Mexican) is Gore Verbinski winner of 4 Clio's and 1 of Cannes Silver Lions, I dont know much more about the two. Sorry:O( I do know however they just stopped filming in Mexico this weekend. I look forward to seeing this film in 2001 read pretty well and at one point had me biting my nails. Well Idont have anything else to say so I'll let you all go...
xoxoxoxo
*Sister Satan*
P.S. This comes from KublaKhan. I have yet to see my first film. I’m residing in utero at the moment, but soon I will rule the world!
Whoa,LOBO and SISTER SATAN have really filled up the column today, now to my part down here at the very bottom, here's Coffin Joe to finish up ...
BRASIL
- Paul Thomas Anderson , director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia , while doing the routine press junket stuff for Magnolia , talked to HBO Brazil , saying that he has a movie in the works ( he didn´t say wether or not it´s his next movie ) about Brazil . He refused to give any details about the project or say anything about how far in development it is . Let´s wait and see .
- Last week I told you about this movie that was set to be screened at my college , called " O Dia da Caça " (* Day of the Hunt ) , about drug dealers in the Amazon , corrupt police officers , media tycoons who are drug lords , and a whole bunch of other crap . I´ll put it simply : it sucks ass . There you go , simple and direct . The acting is awful , truly bad stuff ; a weak script doesn´t help things much either . The director of photography is the only guy who saves the movie from being a complete mess , showing some style . Disappointing .
- I caught a screening of Win Wenders´ latest flick " The Million Dollar Hotel " starring Mel Gibson , Milla Jovovich and Jeremy Davies which has just been released on a limited basis down here . This isn´t your average Win Wenders film , the script by U2 lead singer Bono is a little out there , mixing the loonie with a bit of noir , an interesting , but not very succesful mix , because the film seems incoherent , showing glimpses of a number of cool characters but never exploring their full potential . The theme that is always a constant in Wenders´ movies is here too : the difficulty of communication between human beings . He´s done better with the same issues before . The Million Dollar Hotel is cool , not Win Wenders´ best , that would be Wings of Desire , but this new one is still worth a look .
