Father Geek here along with LOBO and his reports from MEXICO, Ulysses riding high in the Pampas grass, and Coffin Joe back at home in Sao Paulo, Brazil. There's some pretty cool news and alot of Festival info this week. Check it out...
QUE PACHO LOCOS !! LOBO again with a little bit of stuff.
QUICKIES / RAPIDINES
**** The soundtrack of the movie AMORES PERROS is already available everywhere, this CD includes songs from las bandas de Rock en Español like CAFE TACUBA AND CONTROL MACHETE. Now that I mentioned Rock en Español , don't forget about the WATCHATOUR this year and for those rockeros see you in San Antonio and Dallas.
**** Well it seems that KONAN and the producers of the movie Collateral Damage are actually going to start doing something, I hope on news about this from EL CHILANGO , but more than likely I will inform you about it once is finished , I mean just in case it gets postponed one more time.
**** Looks like Salma Hayek likes Spain, because she will be in one more movie. This time with the director Mariano Barroso(SPAIN) who will be the director of the movie "In the Time of the Butterflies"(MGM) . Mariano will start spending the $10,000,000 he got for the making of the movie in September and he will be working in L.A. and in Veracruz, Mexico.
**** "LAS DOS ESQUINAS DEL CIRCULO" might be the title of the movie that Edward James Olmos(U.S.) and Gabriel Retes(MEX) will make together. For this film both of them are thinking to work with the actor Johnny Depp and are also considering on filming in some areas of Mexico.
EXPRESION EN CORTE 2000
Expresion en corte 2000 es the name of a festival that is about to start in Mexico, this festival use to take place in San Miguel de Allende but because of its success, they decided to start doing it in Guanajuato. The festival will have some short-films from different countries like Cuba, Canada, Chile, France etc....and this year besides the 16 and 35 mm, they also got a lot of shorts and documentaries on video. So for those CINEMANIACOS that look for Festivals like this to send or enter their material I think this is one to keep in the Agenda. This festival besides the screenings of the short-films and documentaries also has a contest on every category and they have some cool prizes like for example; the winner for the best documentary will get a scholarship to study film in Cuba and the other winners will get the entire equipment necesary to make a movie (35mm) which I think is really cool <<<-- ( if they have the same prizes next year I will be there with some documentaries).
Some of you already know this Guanajuato, but for those who don't let me tell you that the time that I specially recommend to go there is October because in that month there is a festival called EL FESTIVAL CERVANTINO which last 2 weeks. At this festival you can party all day long 24/7 during those 2 weeks, there is no excuse of not having fun, you can go to the Club and dance or just have a good time, you can drink until you get sick and sleep in the streets, you can see live concerts in different stages or if you are a romantic person or a person that just wants to get some , then you go with the Estudiantina who will play music all night while you follow them trough the streets (one is called "El callejon del beso") that are really narrow and perfect for this kind of situations. You can also go to the theater and watch the plays or become part of them , you can also go see the Mummies of some people that use to live there and are now in a museum inside glass cases( one of the Mummies is a woman with her baby on her arms), anyways is a place where 2 weeks is not enough.
Well now that I also mentioned Mummies here is a link for a movie called The Robot Vs. the Aztec Mummy (1957-MEX) that has Horror and some adventure. Is about a doctor who creates a Robot and uses it to get some Aztec treasure that is inside a pyramid and well... just click here www.broadcast.com/video/listenpages/ro/4466
LATER FOLKS, LOBO signing off for now.
ARGENTINA
Hey central...Ulysses reporting
Hey central...Ulysses reporting
A look at Viridiana
On my all-time favorite list of directors, Luis Buñuel occupies one of the top spots. I recently had the chance to attend a retrospective of his entire work. And man, when you are about to enter the theatre you really don't know what to expect. He raises the bar continuously. Not in technique, though his films are masterfully shot, but in storytelling. I once met a guy who said that his sole purpose was to offend and create mayhem with peoples minds. But I think this couldn't be farther from the truth. In every film he tries to capture the frailties and contradictions of our soul and in doing so, he places his characters in extreme situations that defy everything they believe in and by which they define themselves.
This is a man who was censored time after time and raised words of protest even from the Vatican. This is a man who had to flee from Spain, because of his ideas. This is a man who dared to create a savage parody of the Last Supper. And as you see, this is a man who wouldn't stop at anything to translate his vision to the big screen.
So for those of you who have the chance to see his restored films next month ( I think they will be playing just in NY), go for it. It's an experience you will never forget. Here is a review, from my very greek point of view of Viridiana.
VIRIDIANA (1961)
This film created a scandal. And it is completely understandable, given the lack of humuor of our good folks near Italy. I can't think of another film that made such a bold statement against the catholic church, not even The Golden Age aproximates it. The main character, a nun called Viridiana, is a perfect example of virtue. And from the very first minutes of the film, I got to dislike her completely. I thought she was a stubborn, hypocritical bitch. And watching all of her principles decay within her, as all her attempts to maintain her faith failed miserably, I couldn't help enjoying myself to an unhealthy level. Call me a nut, an atheist, a church hater. I am not. I just like when the little pathetic worlds in which some people submerge themselves crumble around them, as they realize the awful and blinding thruth.
This is a film that talks about charity. But it is not a biopic of Mother Theresa, as it portrays the way some people toy with it, constituting the flip side of this exemplary woman. It shows it as a tool for personal satisfaction, so people can feel good about something. It's an indictment of the hypocrecy with which this acts are handled by certain individuals, not really doing anything for anybody, but just making things in a ham-fisted way in a desperate persuit for clean concience.
Well folks, this is all for this week. Next time, I'll ran some more reviews of this master of cinema. Until then....
...Ulysses out
BRASIL
Hey there , Coffin Joe here with the latest from Brazil , after a week
of vacation in beautiful Orlando , Florida . Here´s a rundown of what I
saw there : X-Men ( cool , but the sequel will be even better , and Hugh
Jackman is awesome ) , The Patriot ( ain´t no Braveheart ) , The Perfect
Storm ( ain´t no Das Boot ) , Scary Movie ( ain´t no I´m Gonna Git You
Sucka ) , Disney´s The Kid ( nice flick , reminded me of Big ) , Shaft ( Sam is the MAN ) , Chicken Run ( Nick Park is second only to Henry Selick ) , Titan A.E. ( liked the visuals and SDTK , didn´t care much for the bland characters ) . That´s it .
Enough of that , let´s get to the news :
BRASIL
Hey there , Coffin Joe here with the latest from Brazil , after a week
of vacation in beautiful Orlando , Florida . Here´s a rundown of what I
saw there : X-Men ( cool , but the sequel will be even better , and Hugh
Jackman is awesome ) , The Patriot ( ain´t no Braveheart ) , The Perfect
Storm ( ain´t no Das Boot ) , Scary Movie ( ain´t no I´m Gonna Git You
Sucka ) , Disney´s The Kid ( nice flick , reminded me of Big ) , Shaft ( Sam is the MAN ) , Chicken Run ( Nick Park is second only to Henry Selick ) , Titan A.E. ( liked the visuals and SDTK , didn´t care much for the bland characters ) . That´s it .
Enough of that , let´s get to the news :
-BRAZIL
-" Senta a Pua ! " is a new ambitious , huge , and very interesting multimedia project that deals with the participation of Brazilian airplane fighter pilots in the Second World War . The first step towards getting it done has been taken with the " Senta a Pua ! " documentary which is in the can , and has been doing the festival circuit here in Brazil , with a planned release in the first semester of 2001 over here . Among other things being worked on , they have a feature film , a TV show , a book , a computer CD-ROM and a soundtrack CD . The man who directed the documentary and is the main brain behind the whole thing is Erik de Castro . Check out more cool info about " Senta a Pua ! " over at their site : www.sentapua.com.br . .
-Long live DVD ! In a great move , Columbia/Tristar Brazil has just released the movie " Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum , o filme " in DVD and VHS simultaneously , the first time ever a Brazilian film gets in the home video market in both formats at the same time . Directed by Cao Hamburger , the movie is about a boy named Nino , who has to follow the family tradition and become a warlock . A very well made fantasy flick , " Castelo Rá-Tim-Bum " features some impressive CGI and stunning production design . The story touches a familiar theme , being different , but deals with it in a very nice , inventive manner . More info on the site : www.casteloratimbum.com.br
-BRAZIL COAXIAL
-Here´s something you will get a kick out of : two Brazilian networks have ripped off a couple of the most popular shows in the U.S. , " Survivor " and " Who wants to be a Millionaire " . The Survivor copy is called " No Limite " ( something like *On the Edge , please feel free to laugh your ass off ) , and the Who wants to be a Millionaire copycat is called " Jogo do Milhão " ( *The Million Game , laughter follows once more ) . Idiots .
-INTERNATIONAL
-The fourth edition of the L.A. International Latin Cinema Festival began July 21st and it will go until the 30th . Here´s some of the movies that will be featured :
ARGENTINA : " Mundo Grua " directed by Pablo Trapero
" Yepeto " directed by Eduardo Calcagno
BOLIVIA : " El Triangulo del Lago " directed by Mauricio Calderón
( Coffin Joe Note : this guy went to my college and talked about the movie and all the difficulties of doing a sci-fi flick in his country . Nice fella . Cool movie . )
BRAZIL : " Orfeu " directed by Carlos " Cacá " Diegues
" Por Trás da Tela " directed by Luiz Fernando Villaça
CHILE : " El Desquite " directed by Andrés Wood
" Tuve un Sueño Contigo " directed by Gonzalo Justiniano
" En un Lugar en la Noche " directed by Martin Rodriguez
" Campo Minado " directed by Alex Bowen
" El Chacotero Sentimental " directed by Cristian Galaz
COLOMBIA : " Golpe de Estadio " directed by Sergio Cabrera " Kalibre 35 " directed by Raul Garcia
CUBA : " Un Paraiso bajo las Estrellas " directed by Gerardo Chijona
EQUADOR : " Ratas , Ratones y Rateros " directed by Sebastian Cordero
MEXICO : " La ley de Herodes " directed by Luis Estrada
" Todo el Poder " directed by Fernando Sariñana
" Segundo Siglo " directed by Jorge Bolado
" La Segunda Noche " directed by Alejandro Gamboa
" En el Pais de no pasa nada " directed Maria del Carmem de Lara
" Del olvido no me acuerdo " directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo
PERU : " La Carnada " directed by Marianne Eyde
URUGUAI : " El Viñedo " directed by Esteban Schroeder
VENEZUELA : " A la media noche y media " directed by Mariana Rondon and Marite Ugas
" Huelepega : Ley de la Calle " directed by Elia Schneider
" El Valle " directed by Gustavo Adolfo Baza
Plus movies with a Latin flavor from the U.S. , like " Woman on Top " with the gorgeous Penelope Cruz and Brazilian actor Murilo Benicio , and cool flicks from Spain like " The Nameless " , directed by Jaume Belangueró , which was recently featured in Fangoria .
