Que Patza! Father Geek here with Latin-AICN's Tuesday column por ese semana. Lots of cool stuff this week to keep all you CineLocos out there happy.

Primera, I have a report from Spain on Director del Toro's latest film THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE from a new untested cuate. Ol'Father Geek has read the shooting script for this motion picture and I spent some time on the set during shooting outside Madrid, Spain last August. I feel our reviewer has the wrong slant on the type of film this is. I haven't seen a print as of yet, and I don't know how they're trying to SELL the film in Spain to the public. To me, Guillermo was aiming more at creating a Hitchcockian Chiller than a "mystery" and from what I've been hearing the last couple of months he succeeded very well.

Spaniards go see this flick, EL ESPINAZO DEL DIABLO, and write Father Geek and tell me all about it. I'll see to it that your ideas make next week's column...

Hello, Guillermo del Toro's "The Devil´s Backbone" has just been released in Spain and i think you would be interested in how end product looks like. It's a ghost story in an orphanage set somewhere, sometime during the Spanish civil war. The film had quite high expectations, helped by Pedro Almodovar producing, and I have to say that the hype somehow doesn't fully deliver.

Don't misunderstand me: it's shot like a dream. Del Toro not only knows exactly where to put the camera, the attention paid to the visual effects (helped by the set-ups: the dark orphanage in contrast with the vast, arid surroundings) and especially the sound FX is mesmerising.

The adult cast, (Federico Luppi, Marisa Paredes) is perfect - even Eduardo Noriega, an actor ("Open your eyes") that I can't possibly hate more, is very fine in here.

And the children's performances are up to the standards of the older cast ones. They are well chosen - not too cute - and Del Toro has no problem in showing them bleeding and dying. And the ghost kid (no spoilers there, he appears in the first five minutes) is nicely designed: with the bones showing through the skin.

The suspense is quite well handed. There is only one scare that makes you jump from the seat, the rest are more "Halloween"-ish, where you see the "creature" in frame most of the time, behind the actor's back.

But, everything has this really heavy mystery atmosphere from the very, very beginning. You are asked to be afraid even though you have no idea of why you have to be afraid. And when the "mystery" is revealed. well. is simple. Expect no twists in here. No surprises. Slightly childish. Maybe we are now too accustomed to twists in this type of films, and when can't appreciate a simple, straight forward ghost story. but this plot, with spoilers, can be resumed in four lines. Maybe that's why EVERY character has a background, to add screen time and there is another plot about hidden gold that mix with the ghost story. Sometimes this many plots seem to drag the story, it looks to much in pieces, one after the other, instead of flowing naturally.

The film ends with almost no main characters left. No problem here, if it weren´t because none of this characters seem to know what they have to do and why they are doing this, and last, but no least, McGuffins appear to much: a bomb that hasn't exploded, the gold, a wooden leg. All wonderful to look at, expensive to produce and I feel completely expendable.

So, even though the director seems really proud of his work (the film is dedicated to his parents) and he has many technical reasons to be, I feel that the script was a bit of a letdown. It has good intentions and in some early scenes is very chilling, but overall seems simple and not worth what feels like 120 minutes long.

"The boy who ate his own oesophagus"

Father Geek back, only to introduce Coffin Joe Jr. Now... Nos Vemos Luego...

Hey freaks and geeks , how you doing ? Coffin Joe Jr. here once more for another week of ghoulish fun from the latin world of filmmaking . Before we get to the news let´s talk about something I´ve been meaning to say for a long time : When are we gonna get a DVD of Guillermo Del Toro´s " Cronos " ? I know he´s busy with his new flicks , " Blade 2 " , " Devil´s Backbone " and even " The Coffin " , but come on get it out . Commentary track , making of , trailer , widescreen transfer . You know , the works . Please ? Please ?

Here´s this week´s news :

US

-" Empire " is the feature film debut of writer/director Franc Reyes , with a notable cast of latin actors that includes Sônia Braga , Rubén Blades , John Leguizamo , Nestor Serrano and Rafael Báez . Denise Richards and Isabella Rossellini also star in this independent film , which is already in post-production , with no release date set just yet . As soon as I get a bit more info , such as the plot and the release date , I´ll pass it to you guys .

-Speaking of Brazilian beauty Sônia Braga , she is also in the Jennifer Lopez drama " Angel Eyes " , directed by Mexican Luis Mandoki ( " Message in a Bottle " ) and written by Gerald Di Pego , who worked as a screenwriter on " Phenomenom " and Mandoki´s own " Message in a Bottle " . Other notable cast members include Mexico´s legendary actor/director Alfonso Arau and Jim Caviezel ( " Frequency " ) . The plot goes something like this : a mysterious stranger claims to be guardian angel of a female police officer , played by Lopez . There´s already a trailer out for Warner Bros. release , which is scheduled to hit American theatres in August 24th 2001 . Visit the official site at : www.angeleyesmovie.com

-Ok , tiny bit of info , Jimmy Smits is in Star Wars - Episode II , as a character named Bail Organa .

-Besides his starring role in the upcoming Miguel Piñero bio pic , simply titled " Miguel Piñero" , Benjamin Bratt is also part of the cast of the thriller " Abandoned " , written and directed by " Traffic " scribe Stephen Gaghan , for Paramount Pictures and SpyGlass Entertainment , to be shot in Montreal .

MEXICO

-The movie " Que no quede Huella " ( " Without a Trace " ) , directed by Maria Novaro , starring Aitana Sánchez-Gijón , and which won the Latin Cinema Award at Sundance this year ( tied with " Possible Loves " ) has already opened in Mexico and is doing the festival circuit , but is still looking for distribution in the U.S. . Wake up American distributors ( Lion´s Gate , Sony Classics , Miramax ? ) .

BRAZIL

-Actor Eduardo Moscovis is currently shooting a new movie in Rio called " Bendito Fruto " , directed by Sérgio Goldemberg .

-Good news this week : director Beto Brant ( " Friendly Fire " , " Belly Up " ) is currently shooting his latest film called " O Invasor " . Cast members include two of the most beautiful women in Brazil : actresses Malu Mader and Mariana Ximenes .

TEXAS

"PACHANGA PUNCHLINES" Exclusively at the *ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE Cinema en Austin, Texas...

Showtimes are: 3:20 P.M. & 4:40 P.M., SUN. APRIL 29th, 2001

Por mas informacion CONTACT: Gustavo Aguilar, (512) 447-7520; E-mail to: gustavo@pachangapunchlines.com ; or visit the site at: www.pachangapunchlines.com

Dos Guys Productions presents "PACHANGA PUNCHLINES" for public and critical review at 3:20 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., Sunday, April 29, 2001, at the Alamo Drafthouse on 409 Colorado St. After-viewing party featuring Los Skarnales at Spiros at 9:15 p.m.

Shot entirely in Brownsville, Texas with local actors, the 55-minute independent film chronicles the typical South Texas Pachanga. The Pachanga, a South Texas cook-out, has long been the event where friends and family gather together to share hot fajitas, cold beer and all of the neighborhood gossip. The production, co-written and directed by Brownsville natives, Gustavo Aguilar and Tony Garza, Jr.,takes a humorous look at the Pachanga and all of the personalities that it attracts.

The Pachanga comes to life as Nacho Loco works the crowd for laughs and David and Ozzie argue over the merits of Tejano and Rock n' Roll. Cheno considers moving his grandmother from Mexico to Canada to get a cheaper phone rate while Don Simon keeps a watchful eye on the group. The backyard gathering provides an entertaining look at the lighter side of Latino life.

Houston Ska band, Los Skarnales provides music from their latest album "Suavecito Style" for the party. Along with Los Skarnales, the soundtrack includes music from Tejano band, James Garcia and the White Eagle Band and Brownsville bands Happy Hour, Obsesion, and Three Blind Mice.

"With very little cinema coming out of South Texas, we felt that it was important to see this project come to light," producer/director Gustavo Aguilar says. "Through the comedy in Pachanga Punchlines, we're able to shed light on some of the social and political issues important to Latinos along the U.S./Mexican border."

The movie premiered in March at the Dallas Video Festival to good reviews. "I've been living in Dallas for the last few years," said Brownsville native George Hernandez, "it was great to see people on the silver screen I could relate to." The movie is also set to be shown at the CineSol Film Festival in June.

UNSEEN GEMS

" Twin Falls Idaho " Director : Michael Polish

How come no one saw this movie ? I just can´t believe it . This is one of my favorite flicks of all time , it is best described as a very sweet drama set in a bizarre world that would make David Lynch proud . As soon as you see , at the beginning of the movie , a cab driver who has a hook for a hand , you know this ain´t your typical movie . It is more or less a love story , between siamese twins and a prostitute . Sounds like awful , depressing , downright ugly stuff to ya ? IT IS NOT . This is beautiful , poetic , dreamy , and above all things it is filled with the kind of imaginative filmmaking you don´t expect from two newcomers . I was stunned when I found out that this was the Polish Bros. first movie as a writer/director duo . The only thing they did before was an acting gig in one of the " Hellraiser " flicks . Holy shit , these guys are good . In this movie they work with a very limited setting ( basically the boys´ apartment ) , few characters and odd , simple situations , but they manage to make it all unique , interesting and visually creative . They use color very well , making it an integral part of the film . I really can´t stress enough the greatness that the Polish Bros. achieved in this movie . Is it indie ? Yep , it is , but it´s not pretentious or self-indulgent , it´s just a great story , but an odd one , which explains the indie label . It certainly isn´t mainstream material , but those who can appreciate this type of movie are in for quite a ride . I should also note the brilliant performance by Michelle Hicks as the prostitute , Penny , acting in a quietly sad manner that just breaks your heart . Great stuff , highly recommended . This movie is available on DVD ( with a very entertaining commentary track ) issued by Sony Classics , who will release the boys´next movie , " Jackpot " , this summer .

Well , I´m done for this week .

Coffin Joe Jr. says : bye .