Father Geek reporting in... I've just returned from my whirlwind trip to MEXICO CITY in quest of vintage Luis Bunuel Movie posters. I had NO luck in Spain 2 weeks ago so I headed south out of Austin to one of the world's truely great cities. With it's population of 22 million plus ol' Father Geek figured I was bound to find one of the master's posters, if only from the 1960's.
Well, I was wrong. Collector/Dealer Alejandro Castillo of that fantastic city in the mountains of central Mexico told me, "They're impossible to find anywhere in Mexico." I would not except that, so he put me in contact with 2 other cine poster dealer/collectors, Pedro Barrios and Jose Solano, and I faired no better... BUMMER!
Father Geek did, however, score some nice pieces from these helpful cinephiles, once I had convinced them I was no mere "pelado" full of "cantinfleares." I fell back to my secondary wants and picked up Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez's PALOMA HERIDA, and a couple of beautiful Mexican goldenage examples of poster artwork for Pedro Armendariz films; 1953's LA NOCHE AVANZA and from 1950 the incredible LA BESO DE UNA MUERTA. These were stunning posters! I also bought two impressive looking posters from Juan Ortega flicks, both made in 1954 and starring Sarita Montiel; YO NO CREO EN LOS HOMBRES, and FRENTE AL PECADO DE AYER.
BUUUUUUT.... the real find for Father Geek was a gloryhole of classic material on the most famous name in Mexican movies. The man Charles Chaplin dubbed: "The greatest comedian in the world!" Yes, I found several prime examples of CANTINFLAS poster art; 1958's SUBE Y BAJA, 1950's EL BOMBERO ATOMICO, and 1947's A VOLAR JOVEN among them. Then from another source the solid gold nugget of the newly built collection...
I could not believe my luck... After a week in Madrid and another 5 days eating and drinking my way from the Zocalo to the Zona Rosa to the Plaza Garibaldi, after walking ever back alley in El Centro and exploring every open-air market and hoofing it up and down the Reforma and Juarez Ave. and Insurgentes and Independencia multible times, while kneeling down bickering with a small-time collectibles vendor over his blanket full of old enameled BETTY BOOP change trays my traveling partner on this trip, watercolorist Walter Falk, runs up; "Jay... a guy around the corner is packing up an old CANTINFLAS one-sheet... you better hurry!!!" I leap to my feet and round corner and find every poster collector's dream, an important, and beautiful, and great condition movie poster. Hidden away on the far back side of this thrown together temporary antique marketplace about 1/2 block from Bucareli Ave. was the original Mexican release poster from 1936 for Cantinflas' very 1st film; the astonishingly eyepopping stone-litho graphics of NO TE ENGANES CORAZON, and I could afford it. All those leg cramps just instantly melted away, and this old movie geek knew the quest had been fulfilled. Oh yeah, my friend Falk had been guarding those 6 BOOP items awaiting my return, and I picked them up too.
Sorry this report is a little late, I'm back in the office till late November when Harry and I journey out to LA for 5 or 6 days, so these international reports will all be in their proper place once again. Our various editors and reporters have faithfully turned them in on time the last few weeks, ol' Father Geek has just been out of pocket, sidetracked searching for a paper grail... found, all is well once again in the kingdom. Well, almost all, LOBO took a much needed break this week we got his CELL review for you, he'll return next Tuesday...
LOBO'S review of THE CELL...
Hi Cinelocos !!!
Father Geek did, however, score some nice pieces from these helpful cinephiles, once I had convinced them I was no mere "pelado" full of "cantinfleares." I fell back to my secondary wants and picked up Emilio "El Indio" Fernandez's PALOMA HERIDA, and a couple of beautiful Mexican goldenage examples of poster artwork for Pedro Armendariz films; 1953's LA NOCHE AVANZA and from 1950 the incredible LA BESO DE UNA MUERTA. These were stunning posters! I also bought two impressive looking posters from Juan Ortega flicks, both made in 1954 and starring Sarita Montiel; YO NO CREO EN LOS HOMBRES, and FRENTE AL PECADO DE AYER.
BUUUUUUT.... the real find for Father Geek was a gloryhole of classic material on the most famous name in Mexican movies. The man Charles Chaplin dubbed: "The greatest comedian in the world!" Yes, I found several prime examples of CANTINFLAS poster art; 1958's SUBE Y BAJA, 1950's EL BOMBERO ATOMICO, and 1947's A VOLAR JOVEN among them. Then from another source the solid gold nugget of the newly built collection...
I could not believe my luck... After a week in Madrid and another 5 days eating and drinking my way from the Zocalo to the Zona Rosa to the Plaza Garibaldi, after walking ever back alley in El Centro and exploring every open-air market and hoofing it up and down the Reforma and Juarez Ave. and Insurgentes and Independencia multible times, while kneeling down bickering with a small-time collectibles vendor over his blanket full of old enameled BETTY BOOP change trays my traveling partner on this trip, watercolorist Walter Falk, runs up; "Jay... a guy around the corner is packing up an old CANTINFLAS one-sheet... you better hurry!!!" I leap to my feet and round corner and find every poster collector's dream, an important, and beautiful, and great condition movie poster. Hidden away on the far back side of this thrown together temporary antique marketplace about 1/2 block from Bucareli Ave. was the original Mexican release poster from 1936 for Cantinflas' very 1st film; the astonishingly eyepopping stone-litho graphics of NO TE ENGANES CORAZON, and I could afford it. All those leg cramps just instantly melted away, and this old movie geek knew the quest had been fulfilled. Oh yeah, my friend Falk had been guarding those 6 BOOP items awaiting my return, and I picked them up too.
Sorry this report is a little late, I'm back in the office till late November when Harry and I journey out to LA for 5 or 6 days, so these international reports will all be in their proper place once again. Our various editors and reporters have faithfully turned them in on time the last few weeks, ol' Father Geek has just been out of pocket, sidetracked searching for a paper grail... found, all is well once again in the kingdom. Well, almost all, LOBO took a much needed break this week we got his CELL review for you, he'll return next Tuesday...
LOBO'S review of THE CELL...
Hi Cinelocos !!!
I could not believe my luck... After a week in Madrid and another 5 days eating and drinking my way from the Zocalo to the Zona Rosa to the Plaza Garibaldi, after walking ever back alley in El Centro and exploring every open-air market and hoofing it up and down the Reforma and Juarez Ave. and Insurgentes and Independencia multible times, while kneeling down bickering with a small-time collectibles vendor over his blanket full of old enameled BETTY BOOP change trays my traveling partner on this trip, watercolorist Walter Falk, runs up; "Jay... a guy around the corner is packing up an old CANTINFLAS one-sheet... you better hurry!!!" I leap to my feet and round corner and find every poster collector's dream, an important, and beautiful, and great condition movie poster. Hidden away on the far back side of this thrown together temporary antique marketplace about 1/2 block from Bucareli Ave. was the original Mexican release poster from 1936 for Cantinflas' very 1st film; the astonishingly eyepopping stone-litho graphics of NO TE ENGANES CORAZON, and I could afford it. All those leg cramps just instantly melted away, and this old movie geek knew the quest had been fulfilled. Oh yeah, my friend Falk had been guarding those 6 BOOP items awaiting my return, and I picked them up too.
Sorry this report is a little late, I'm back in the office till late November when Harry and I journey out to LA for 5 or 6 days, so these international reports will all be in their proper place once again. Our various editors and reporters have faithfully turned them in on time the last few weeks, ol' Father Geek has just been out of pocket, sidetracked searching for a paper grail... found, all is well once again in the kingdom. Well, almost all, LOBO took a much needed break this week we got his CELL review for you, he'll return next Tuesday...
LOBO'S review of THE CELL...
Hi Cinelocos !!!
LOBO'S review of THE CELL...
Hi Cinelocos !!!
Me (LOBO), Sister Satan and GIOVANNI (Our son, age 7 weeks) went to a matinee of THE CELL, yeap , a matinee because at noon is exactly when GIOVANNI is really calm so all of us can go to a movie theater. Anyways we got there just in time to see the beginning, once we got in the auditorium we found a seat for each of us and waited for the feature presentation, this was after that annoying thing with the Pepsi-girl. Anyways as the movie started the first thing that I got on my mind was "This looks familiar..looks kind of like the beginning of EL TOPO.." but maybe was just my mind trying to compare stuff with other movies during the entire film, because I haven't really seen a movie this year that is totally original. I really liked the way started and that was when I thought, "man it looks that this is going to be fun"...
but I was wrong, THE CELL was not what I've expected it to be, I mean I was expecting MORE cool stuff, MORE special effects and specially new stuff never seen before on the Big screen, like some stuff from the Nine Inch Nails videos or something better than that, but that wasn't the case I was really disappointed, when I first saw Jennifer Lopez and that hair style that doesn't look good on her, I really got bored of watching those curls, also I got that feeling of " I think this is going to be one more of those many " , then later on the movie you get to see some of the victims of the serial killer but you don't get to see them dying or why he chose them as his victims, for me that was really bad because it seems that the makers of this movie rushed in making the film and payed more attention to the special effects (no so special) than the plot specially a little bit more info on the backround of the characters. I have seen better movies with a lot more cool stuff..like What dreams may come for example or even music videos. Another thing about the movie that I didn't liked was the fact that once again the drug thing was touched again, I mean what kind of shrink for kids is the one who smokes a joint of grass (or was it a cheap cigarette??), what ever it was I am really tired of watching movies that must have some drug use scene (or a sex scene), I mean what'a.F. is that all the writers think of, is it a "must have" for every filmmaker to get their movie in the Big screen around the nation/world, where is that imagination there use to be, anyways I really got pissed off when I saw that because I am all against drugs. Later on, the movie started to get me tired and sleepy, I even got more interested on the sounds that came from the auditorium next to where we were. I think THE CELL had the chance to be a better movie, all that was needed to do so, was more time. There is something I really liked about it, and that is the world's of the little boy, the killer and Jennifer, those shots and those scenes were cool, I really wanted to see more of the killer's world or even better a longer and more tragic battle between the minds of Jennifer and the killer, more suspense, more effects, more intensity, a duel between the both of them in a neutral world, now that could have been a lot better and a movie to enjoy. This is my personal opinion on the movie because it looks that there is a lot of material that was either cut so THE CELL made it to the big screen or it doesn't have more material than the one they show, if some of the film was cut I would like to see it I really think that by watching the entire work of the CELL I would have a different point of view ,also if that is the case well I think it sucks because with that little piece missing this could be a different story,
well all of this doesn't mean that the movie sucks...because it might not for you..and you might even disagree with me..so if you haven't seen it and you are about to..go ahead..your opinion could be totally different from mine. Well before I leave I have to say that Jennifer Lopez still a good actress and I think that she is really the reason why the movie is in theaters, I really like a little scene where she kicks some butt...and I think she will really look cool and badass in the sequels of the matrix, I think she can really do the character of a big time Kung- Fu girl wearing all black. Well this is it for me..nothing personal but I was just wanting to say that THE CELL is not what I was wanting to see.
LOBO out...
Ulysses and ARGENTINA...
Hey gang, Ulysses reporting.
Hey gang, Ulysses reporting.
- The argentine film " Burnt Money " will be shown in a parallel section of the Venice film festival. I think I have already written something about it, but I really doubt you guys will remember what an old and cranky Greek mythological hero said about a small South American film, which you`ll probably never see. But anyway, the story follows three crooks that steal an armored truck and flee to Uruguay, where they are tracked down by the police and ambushed in a building. It was based on a book, which was the account of a real story that happened back in the 60s. The catch is that two of the criminals are lovers and while in the book this angle was merely suggested, it becomes the central story of the film. And this really hurts it, as it derives from a noir thriller to a gay melodrama made with the subtlety of a Gary Marshall movie.
- Jeff Wells over at Reel.com pointed has out the various similarities between K-PAX, which will start shooting soon with Kevin Spacey in the lead, and the argentine classic " Man Looking Southeast " . And if you have seen this great drama from the 70s and then read the plot summary of K-PAX, you`ll have the strangest case of DEJA VU . I guess we will see next year, when the film is released.
Anyway, the director of " Man Looking Southeast " is Eliseo Subiela, who also made the surreal " Dark Side of the Heart " . His latest film is called " The Adventures of God " and it will be released in October. The details of the movie are not known still, but it is one of the first argentine productions to be shot entirely in digital video.
From the southern pampas¦Ulysses out.
Coffin Joe and BRASIL...
Hello , Coffin Joe back after a great weekend at the movies , with the premiere of " Eu , Tu , Eles " , which had a great buzz coming off a succesful run in Cannes , and the 11th International short film festival here in São Paulo . Anyway here´s this week´s news :
Hello , Coffin Joe back after a great weekend at the movies , with the premiere of " Eu , Tu , Eles " , which had a great buzz coming off a succesful run in Cannes , and the 11th International short film festival here in São Paulo . Anyway here´s this week´s news :
*BRAZIL :
-The provocative , in-your-face Brazilian film " Cronicamente Inviável " , directed by Sérgio Bianchi , will be one of the selected films at this year´s NYFF , the 38th New York Film Festival . The movie is basically a punch in the gut , a low budget character piece , dealing with some of the more twisted aspects of life in today´s society , in particular Brazilian society , with a few scenes that are guaranteed to shock some of the most sensitive members of the audience ( watch out for the scene in the steam sauna , just creepy , I mean really repulsive ) .
Another Brazilian filmmaker will be at the festival , although as an actor , none other than Hector Babenco ( Pixote , Kiss of the Spider Woman , Ironweed ) . Babenco will be in Julian Schnabel´s " Before Night Falls " . By the way , Schnabel was the guy who directed the artsy-fartsy " Basquiat " . The rest of the cast of " Before Night Falls " include Sean Penn , Johnny Depp and Spanish dude Javier Bardem . The movie is another bio pic for Schnabel , this time around about the life of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas , an icon of the movement for the rights of the gay comunnity in his native land , and who commited suicide in 1990 . Bardem plays Arenas in the movie . Among the other films at NYFF , you got Lars Von Trier´s " Dancer in the Dark " , Ang Lee´s " Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon " and the latest from stylish Hong Kong maestro Wong Kar-Wai , " In the Mood for Love " .
-I will be writing my review of " Eu , Tu , Eles " next week , so that you guys can read it in next week´s column , ´cause I don´t think the first one I wrote does it justice , after all this is expected to be nearly as big as " Central Station " all over the world , with Sony Pictures Classics already having the rights for American distribution . So this week I´ll fill you guys in on some rumors regarding the director of the movie , Andrucha Waddington . It seems Andrucha is in negotiations with Miramax to direct the bio pic about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo , with a screenplay by Rodrigo Garcia , the son of writer Gabriel Garcia Márquez , and starring Salma Hayek . However there´s another flick about the Mexican painter , this one starring Jennifer Lopez , set to be written and directed by Luis Valdez , and produced by Francis Ford Coppola . Which project is gonna get before the cameras is still unclear at this point .
-Hey , shooting on Walter Salles´ new movie " Broken April " is already underway in Bahia , here in Brazil . Principal photography is expected to last another seven weeks .
