Father Geek here with another Latin-AICN column for Tuesday morning. Once again LOBO and Coffin Joe have put together an informative and fun report for all of you interested in Latin cinema, but first here's a review of the up coming flick THE MEXICAN that was sent to me today. We've covered this movie for months now, ever since El Chango filed his reports from the film site in the real life Mexican ghost town of Real de Catorce deep in the mountains of north central Mexico. Check it out...

I caught a screening of THE MEXICAN tonight at the Block, a soulless 30-Plex in the city of Orange. The film checks in at around 2 hours and is 'scope'.

Oh, in case you were worried, this movie KICKS ASS!!!!

I never saw Gore Verbinski's feature MOUSETRAP--just didn't seem interesting, but regardless, he has whipped up a good ride with his latest feature. It is a lovely amalgam of genres, completely authentic, and very entertaining. A bit along the lines of NURSE BETTY in tone (only a bit more mainstream and pedestrian), the film follows Jerry (Brad Pitt) as he leaves his girlfriend Sam (Julia Roberts) to head south of the border to retrieve a mysterious pistola called THE MEXICAN. Sam must recover the pistola because he is indebted to a big-shot mob/gangster type dude in LA.

The film is a great! Very witty and original, with some great lines and genuine performances all around. I think it's a step in the right direction for all involved, and a clever bit of Hollywood filmmaking.

I won't spoil the film. I knew nothing about it except the aforementioned before viewing it, and since it is such a stellar bit of filmmaking, I won't delve into any huge plot details.

Pitt's Jerry character is a goofy fellow, but with a hint of badass and a dash of bravura that helps his portrayal trancend being a loser typecast, typical of most JERRY characters we see in films these days ("We're not a bank Jerry").

Anyway, Pitt heads south to recover the pistola, but of course everything that could possibly go wrong indeed does. The wrong people die, he loses the pistola, gets it back, loses it again, allies betray him, loyalty avaids himthe dramatic irony of Jerry's plight is a wonder to behold.

Meanwhile, Julia's Sam is having her own troubles up North in California. She is sick of Jerry being such a troubled boyfriend, and opts to leave to Las Vegas when Jerry has to leave on his Mexican adventure, so to speak.

Part of what makes the film so intoxicating is the legend of the MEXICAN pistola. Told in Old Hollywood reel-to-reel flashback style, the filmmakers re-enact the mythology of the MEXICAN and how it's curse/legend came about, and by golly, it is some insanely funny and charming bit of cinema. The whole spin of having the gun be a cultural heirloom ultimately makes the film stand out amongst your typical heist films. We relate to THE MEXICAN not simply as an extremely valuable item, but an exquisite and highly sentimental bit of Mexican culture.

Indeed, the narrative and script is amazing!!

Pitt's performance is solid, though a bit of a one-trick-pony. Regardless, he has the hardest role to pull off--if you don't like Jerry, it's impossible to like the film. Julia's Sam(antha) is a dreamy hopeless romantic type who, throughout the film, tries to rationalize her blind enamorment for Jerry. And in the film's best performance, James Gandolfini plays a hitman who...nah, I WON'T SAY A WORD!

But he's simply brilliant!!

Verbinski's direction is sharp, by no means showy, and seamless. He throws in some quite humorous camera-work moments, and has some lovely, even poignant motifs. He frames the actors well, keeps Pitt under control, pushes Roberts to the next level, and has created a very tight final work.

I personally liked it because, while I expected it to be offbeat, I did not expect the intelligence and originality of the dialogue. Moreover, I would have never imagined the beautiful Roberts being able to pull off such a brutally honest yet sweet victim type character and still maintaining her PRETTY WOMAN type charm. She did a great job, kudos!

The film doesn't come out till March, but it was seemingly complete. Usual colour and sound mix problems, but the film had opening and closing titles? I dont' get it--it should be coming out this Winter.

Maybe they don't know how to advertise it? I mean, it's not your typical Julia Roberts film?

But I'm pretty certain that it will rake in major cash.

Let me put it this way: if it were a 2000 film, it'd be in my Top Ten. And it would probably be a critical end-of-the-year darling, and with Roberts aboard, might even get a bit of Oscar recognition??

But next year, who knows...

Best line: "Gay!" "I'll rape you!" "Gay" "I'll rape you!"

You'll know what I mean in a few months...

Stig Helmer

Hello, Father Geek back simply to say... Here's LOBO...

LOBO y Cine Latino...

Que paso cinefilos !! Bienvenidos nuevamente, yo su amigo LOBO, have for you a Review of the movie "Ratas, Ratones, Rateros" and a small report on Pedro Infante... Vamos a ver ..should we...

PEDRO INFANTE

Bueno chicos y chicas, Yesterday was the day when one of the Stars from the Mexican Film industry was born, PEDRO INFANTE "El Charro del Cine Mexicano". He was Born in Mazatlan,Sinaloa (MEXICO) on November 18th of 1917 and Died on April 15 of 1957. This guy is one of my favorite Actors from Mexico and I like all of the movies he did in his carrer. Until this day people still remembering him and also they still love his movies. Also on a day like Yesterday (Sunday NOV 18th) a lot of people gather in the cementery where he was burried just like the way it happens with ELVIS PRESLEY, those Fans of him take flowers to him, Tequila and also serenate him with some of his music, so that place really gets crowded that day by the fans, Charros y Mariachis who remember him as the star he still is. Pedro Infante worked next to a MARIA FELIX, BLANCA ETELA PAVON, CARMEN MONTEJO, LUIS AGUILAR, JORGE NEGRETE, MARGA LOPEZ, LOS HERMANOS.. SOLER, JOAQUIN PARDAVE and "LA Abuelita de Mexico" SARA GARCIA.

This Charro Mexicano was a good Actor in every single movie he did, he was also a good singer and his music still as popular as it was before. Some of the movies I will recomend for you to check if you want to see him acting and singing are : TIZOC (with Maria Felix), "Un Rincon cerca del cielo" , "Los Tres Garcia", " ATM (A Toda Maquina)" ...This are the best picks I can come up with since I really don't have a favorite one becasue I like them all. I think I am going to do a big report on PEDRO INFANTE and dedicate more time to that so you can get to know more about his carrer, movies and background, I will do that as a special report outside this column including a lot of pictures and reviews from some of his movies...but for now I am just going to give you this bit since my main thing was to tell you about his Birthday and what happens that day..

Remember our cuate Andres, the one who wrote the report last week about the movie "Ratas, Ratones, Rateros", well this time he has writen a Review and here it is for you to know more about that film......

About a year ago, a small film directed by a first-timer left South America and began touring film festival circuit, picking up several awards in Italy, Spain and Cuba. The real distinguishing characteristic of this film, however, was that it came out of Ecuador, a country with a practically non-existant history with film. Because of that fact, "Ratas, Ratones, Rateros" ("Rodents" in English), directed by Sebastian Cordero, is much more than just a good movie (it's great, by the way)...it is a symbol of the country's culture; a celluloid ambassador to the world; and a promising sign of things to come.

The movie focuses on the lives of two cousins: Salvador, a teen from Quito, and Angel (played by newcomer Carlos Valencia, who picked up "Best Actor" honors for this role in Spain and the Dominican Republic), a weathered delinquent from Guayaquil. The films open with an exciting chase (Angel is in trouble...again) through the slums of Guayaquil, ending with Angel killing his pursuer in a dusty graveyard. Aware of the dangerous position he's put himself in, he flees to the sierra, hoping to shack up with his younger cousin, who himself has begun to dabble in robbery. Though Angel promises to clean up his act, his problems back in Guayaquil catch up to him, endangering both him and Salvador. Drugs, sex and murder then present themselves to the two cousins...

Although the plot itself isn't anything out of the ordinary, Cordero's direction and the movie's cinematography are spectacular. Also strong are the actors' performances, especially considering their relative inexperience (most are local actors with little experience with formal acting). Valencia is most definitely worth the honors...he's brilliant as the misguided, smooth-talking Angel. But again, the movie's accurate depiction of Ecuadorian culture is why this movie recieved so much praise in its country. From the disparity of wealth, to the widespread delinquency, these are issues that many latin american countries face, and issues which are exposed very well by Cordero.

It is truly a shame that Latin American countries don't support one another's films more. It seems that any good Latin movie needs to go through the U.S. or Europe before being able to return to tour S. America. Ratas is a film that is very personal to Ecuador, but whose message can be applied to all our countries. Cordero is a true artist and visionary, and as such must be supported and encouraged to continue making movies. Our cultures have so much to offer...it's about time we all start helping in their spread.

This movie might be hard to track down, but is still making the rounds to festivals worldwide. Check out the website at This Location for more details.

Andres

Well that's it this time from Andres, but I am sure he will keep us up date on what else is'up with this film..Gracias Andres ..muy buen trabajo..!!

That's all folks..so LOBO will see you later okay...

Coffin Joe and news from BRASIL...

Hello Father Geek , boys , girls , ghouls , freaks , geeks , jocks ( yeah right ) , babes ( yeah right ) , and anyone who reads these damn things we crank out every week , Coffin Joe here back from the dead ! Just kidding folks . Here´s this week´s news :

-Whenever I get an e-mail ( and that´s like once in a century that ends in an odd number ) , it´s usually asking me about Coffin Joe ( the real guy ) . Well there´s a bit of interesting news from the old one´s very own website . In the news section there´s a scoop about a missing film of his , which he made when he was only 13 (!?) , that was recently found . The short film is called " Reino Sangrento "( *Bloody Kingdom ) and the man himself is currently restoring the film digitally , and plans to redub it and add a voiceover narration to the movie . Plans also include a commercial release of the short . Let´s wait and see .

-The movie " Tolerância " , which was featured in the São Paulo Film Festival , has been released in theatres here so I decided to give it a proper review . Here´s how this movie works : it´s like a steamier version of " American Beauty " , but there´s no strong social commentary ( which is odd for a Brazilian film ) and the filmmakers added a bit of a suspenseful edge to it , almost a thriller kinda approach ( I said almost ) . Even so , it plays like a bad soap opera , with average performances , some hot sex scenes involving the beautiful Maite Proença , and a cute young lady the dad falls in love with . Is it any good you ask ? I would have to say it´s like a stylish Cinemax softcore flick , you know those with either Shannon Tweed or Shannon Whirry or Julie Strain . It´s not that ludicrous , but it´s damn close . The filmmakers are talented folks from the South region of Brazil , members of a production house called Casa de Cinema de Porto Alegre , veterans of music vid! eos , commercials , TV shows and documentaries . It´s their first feature . It shows its their feature film . The director , Carlos Gerbase , has an understanding of the material ( he is one of the writers ) , but looses control of the movie when it comes to the acting . Most of the dialogue sounds fake , really fake . In the end it is watchable , not the kinda flick I would pay to see in a movie theatre , but good for late night TV .

-Remember a while ago I told you fellas about that TV mini-series which was turned into a movie , " O Auto da Compadecida " ? Remember how I said it was pretty funny ? Well , gee , guess what , it´s quickly on its way to becoming the biggest box-office success story here in Brazil ever since the rebirth of Brazilian cinema in the mid-nineties . The movie is expected to count two million tickets sold since its release this week . That´s better than " Central Station " (1.5 million) , " Bossa Nova " (500.000) or " Me , You , Them " (800.000) . The Globo TV Network is laughing all the way to the bank , ´cause the box-office has already covered their expenses with the film , plus they have the revenues from the TV ads when it aired on TV a while ago . A success story for them , which , hopefully , will spawn more movies from them ( QUALITY flicks please ) .

-The movie " Coronación " , from Chilean director Silvio Caiozzi , won this last Saturday the Colón de Oro award at the XXVI Huelva Ibero-American Fim Festival . Brazilian director Ruy Guerra won the best director award for the dizzying ( literally ) " Estorvo " ( " Turbulence " ) . Here are the winners :

BEST FILM - COLÓN DE ORO (JURY) - " CORONACIÓN "

BEST FILM - COLÓN DE ORO (AUDIENCE) - " PERCA VIDA "

BEST DIRECTOR - COLÓN DE PLATA - RUY GUERRA for " ESTORVO "

BEST ACTRESS - COLÓN DE PLATA - CECILIA ROTH for " UNA NOCHE CON SABRINA LOVE "

BEST ACTOR - COLÓN DE PLATA - JULIO JUNG for " CORONACIÓN "

Well , that´s all for me , hope you enjoyed it , see you all next week . Coffin Joe says : bye .