Mexico – We Are Movie Geeks

CARMEN (2023) – Review

Alright, you eager Summer movie blockbuster fans, cool your jets. There will be plenty of fast cars, fist fights, and superheroes headed your way in the next couple of months. For now, we can settle down for a bit of culture, a deep dive into high art. Oh, but don’t be fooled by the title, this isn’t a literal translation of the centuries-old Bizet opera. Nor is it the 50’s revamp that starred the much-missed Harry Belafonte. True, there’s a song or two, but the main mode of communication, aside from the dialogue, is dance. No tutus are seen, as it’s a gritty tale of murder of desire along the much-in-the-news Southern border involving a vet named Aidan on the US side, and on the other side, a sultry young beauty on the run named CARMEN.

And the opening scenes are set on her side, near the tiny home she shares with her mother, far away from any village. Um, I should say “shared” as Carmen (Melissa Barrera) returns there moments after a tragic event. After throwing a few belongings in a bag, she hurries to meet up with a truck headed to the border. And on that side we meet Aidan (Paul Mescal), a recently returned soldier (two stints), who’s adrift, either sweating daily boxing workouts or hanging with his old pals (though he’s now sober as he deals with PTS).. His sister urges him to head into town that night to be a volunteer observer for the border patrol (which could lead to a formal job with them). Unfortunately, he’s paired with a local “hare trigger” who has no intention of “calling it in” if he spots some illegals. He gets his chance when he spots a truck that’s broken down, with Carmen in the back. After the burst of violence, she hops into a working vehicle, just as Aidan jumps in the cargo bed. The two strangers are on the run, certain that the authorities are close behind. Yet, somehow they make it to LA, where Carmen is reunited with her aunt, Masilda (Rossy de Palma), who runs a neighborhood dance center. Masilda offers the talented Carmen a job there along with a room for her and Aidan, He needs cash to disappear into the night, and a friend tells him of an illegal underground boxing club. But can he score the big cash prize? And will he want to leave Carmen after they’ve fallen in love, a romance that may be cut short by a dogged plainclothes cop on their trail?

Though perhaps best known for her lead role in the last two entries of the SCREAM franchise, Barrera impresses with her movement skills as the haunted dancer at the center of this story. Her gestures and intense posing, often with piercing stares, draw us into her inner turmoil. Mescal makes an excellent partner, whether in a dancing duet or in the volatile verbal exchanges as they try to pierce each other’s protective emotional armor. Aidan’s may be harder than hers as his hallucinations hint at the horror he’s endured and his realization that there’s no going back. Making the most of her break from her work with Pedro Almodovar, de Palma is a riveting visual icon as her Msilda hovers over most of the drama, as though an observing titan. She comes back to Earth with her nurturing tender rapport with her adored niece. Another striking dance performance is provided by the fierce Marina Tamayo as Carmen’s doomed mama, who chooses to stare down the “devil’ rather than submit and betray. And Elsa Pataky is magnetic as the glowing blonde angel behind the bar, Gabrielle.

This marks the feature film directing debut of acclaimed choreographer Benjamin Millepied (BLACK SWAN), who has crafted some stunning dance sequences while giving the film a unique dreamscape look and feel. Fire erupts in the desert in the dead of night along with a shower of sparks near a traveling carnival (perhaps a roadside mirage). Glowing pastel neon cuts through the midnight darkness, leading to the Oz-like LA dance haven. There is a script from Lisa Loomer, Loic Barrere, and Alexander Dinelaris adapting the Prosper Merimee novel, but much more care is devoted to the sights and sounds, rather than giving us much of a motivation for many characters, as they have hazy backstories (why must Carmen flee). A lot of it is predictable, and the big final act showdown is confusing and a tad anticlimactic with sudden location shifts and fast-forward images. The music and dance are quite distinctive, but the narrative is “waiting in the wings” in the politically charged allegories surrounding CARMEN.

2 Out of 4

CARMEN is now playing in select theatres

HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN – Review

HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN is a subtitled Mexican psychological thriller with dangling supernatural questions. It isn’t an easy film to watch but many will find the story and lead performance well worth the discomfort. Valeria (Natalia Solian) is a young wife eager to bear a child with her loving husband. She becomes pregnant early in the film, but nothing seems quite right about what should be making Valeria, her family and friends ecstatic.

Guilt over an unfortunate childhood left Valeria painfully insecure about her fitness for motherhood. That doubt is magnified by her mother and sister-in-law, who gleefully pound her with reminders of it at every opportunity. She starts having disturbing, surreal visions that could be signs of psychosis or something occult. Either way, her fears of maternal failure escalate greatly throughout the pregnancy. The only support and comfort she can find come from a kindly aunt with a circle (or perhaps coven) of mystical friends, and a former girlfriend, Octavia (Mayra Battala). Hubby is loving, patient and willing to be supportive but his effectiveness borders on the vestigial.

Most first-time parents experience at least some nagging concerns about whether they’ll be up to snuff. Valeria’s reaction to the pregnancy she craved ramps them up to panic levels. As we see what she sees, or at least thinks she sees, we wonder about her backstory, and from whence this terror comes. That includes learning whether an occult ritual (hence, the title) might provide a cure.

The tenor of the film, directed by Michelle Garza Cervera, is mostly that of looming menace from an unknown origin, real or imagined. The score consists of more unsettling sounds than music. Soft focus and dim lighting add to the eeriness of the presentation. We can’t be sure if we’re watching a ROSEMARY’S BABY, or a case study in schizophrenia. Or a combination of the two.

There are long stretches with little or no dialog, made compelling by one factor – Ms. Solian’s performance. Her expressive face carries most of the load, which is all the more impressive since it’s her first feature film, after only a handful of TV gigs.

I can’t mention more without spoilers but there will be plenty of fodder for discussion about a number of issues by the time the final credits roll. Patience is required, since it may seem longer than its 93 minutes but many will find the effort worthwhile, including what is likely an introduction to Ms. Solian and the bright future she should enjoy.

HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN, in Spanish with English subtitles, will be available Video On Demand starting Thursday, Feb. 16, from XYZ Films.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

VACATION FRIENDS – Review

So, aside from the upcoming three-day holiday weekend, you’re ready to get your nose back on the ole’ grindstone, set aside those getaway pictures, and settle back into the colder months on the job or at school, or maybe both. Right? Well, this weekend’s new comedy doesn’t think that the outta’ town (or country) fun is quite over. It’s an exploration and for some of us (I’ll admit it) an explanation of the two-word catchphrase for the acquaintances you start while enjoying a recess from your regular life. And if they wouldn’t mesh with your friends back home, well, as that ad line says, “What happens (or who you hang with) in Vegas (or anyplace), stays in (that place)”. Of course, that’s not the case with this comic quartet of VACATION FRIENDS.

Hard-working Chicago construction company owner Marcus (Lil Rel Howery) is really psyched about the Mexico getaway with longtime girlfriend Emily (Yvonne Orji). Ah, but more than rest and relaxation is on his mind. Marcus is planning on proposing to Emily once they arrive at their four-star spa/resort. Now, the ride from the airport should’ve been a harbinger of things to come. Actually, that hint was the view as they observed a muscle-bound doofus driving a jet ski, recklessly speeding atop the water, while a blonde bimbo hangs on with one arm around his “eight pack” and the other arm working a vape device no doubt filled with local “herbs”. And yes, things go rapidly downhill as their booked room is utterly trashed due to a leaky ceiling. Heading back to the lobby and finding out that no other rooms are available, Marcus forges ahead with his plan and drops to one knee. A nearby couple is stunned by the site. After the “Yes!!”, Ron (John Cena) and Kyla (Meredith Hagner) introduce themselves and impulsively invite the newly engaged couple to share their massive presidential suite. After some hesitation, Marcus reluctantly agrees and the two couples become “tied at the hip” “vacay pals” over the next few days. The quartet over-indulges in all manner of legal and illegal substances leading to a cliffside beach wedding ritual presided over by a local shaman, with Ron drafted as Best Man. Then things get even weirder and wilder hastening a quick return to the states. But not after Marcus promises to invite their new BFFs to their Atlanta wedding later. Cut to actually seven months later as a nervous Marcus tries to make amends with Emily’s wealthy family (they can’t stand him) at a pre-wedding dinner at her pop’s swanky country club. But the festivities are halted when a truck crashes through the fence. Surprise, it’s Ron and Kyla! Oh, and their unannounced destructive arrival is just the first of many shocks and surprises in store over the weekend for the already stressed-out Marcus.

The biggest “draw” for this flick is probably the busiest actor this past movie season (should we dub him “Mr. Summer 2021), John Cena as the aggressively gregarious knuckleheaded Ron. Yup, he’s a big doofus, but thankfully not a heavily armed and dangerous one like his last role as “The Peacemaker” in THE SUICIDE SQUAD. Cena plays him with the sweet-natured enthusiasm of an un-housebroken puppy. Even as the script hits a clunky, Cena attacks it with a grinning zeal. His energy level is matched by bouncy and blonde Hagner who imbues Kyla, often an annoying and abrasive “woo” girl, with a kind heart, though she’s really running her relationship (equal parts sweet and tough). And when Hagner puts on her “pout”, you know that some serious you-know-what’s goin’ down. And much of that’s directed at Marcus, who’s given an everyman attitude by Howery, though more sober and stoic than his Buddy in the big hit FREE GUY. Yes, he’s the straightest of straight men, but Howery still gets to deliver some scathing “burns’ almost under his breath. All this makes his gradual descent into explosive meltdowns truly epic. Plus there’s believable chemistry with his partner, Orji, as the incredibly patient and understanding Emily. She’s a staple partner for the often timid Marcus as she gently nudges him into action.

It’s quite an appealing foursome, so it’s tragic that they aren’t given stronger material. The cobbled-together script, credited to five, really, five writers lurches from one tired set-up and premise in search of THE HANGOVER style belly-laughs. Or at least a knowing chuckle at painfully awkward wedding situations. But it’s far removed from that trilogy, or even the MEET THE PARENTS flicks. Most of the supporting players in the wedding party are cardboard cliches (just why did Marcus punch Emily’s brother and when is the jerk gonna’ get over it). Cena’s destructive stunts have little repercussions (much as his role in F9 a couple of months ago), and many of his comic antics make little sense (the golf game fiasco). And please, Mr. Howery let’s avoid any more “tripping out” scenes for a while. In BAD TRIP he hallucinated in a grocery store and here he does the same during a “fox search” (don’t ask) and deals with an animal puppet that wouldn’t scare a toddler. It was an interesting idea to do a racial “flip” (in past films the minority couple would loosen up the stiff uptight white folks), but the concept wears thin as the film stumbles along to the happy (I was ecstatic it was over) fade-out. First-time feature director Clay Tarver does his best to let the jokes flow, but most of them don’t “stick the landing”. You just may need another “vacay” after spending time with these VACATION FRIENDS.

1 Out of 4

VACATION FRIENDS streams exclusively on Hulu beginning on Friday, August 27, 2021

HALF BROTHERS (2020) – Review

As this year thankfully nears an end we’re between those two big holidays that are all about family. So after we’ve eaten the big feast with them we’re gearing up for the big gift-giving season, full of brightly wrapped presents that often hide big surprises. But what if the biggest surprise isn’t in the package festooned with shiny paper and ribbons? How might you react upon finding out about a parent’s other family, complete with a sibling? That, along with riddles and a long road trip, is at the heart of the new comedy HALF BROTHERS.

The story begins 26 years ago down in Mexico as pre-teen Renato Murguia is enjoying an idyllic childhood, flying his remote-control model airplane with his best pal, his adoring papa Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa). All is bliss until the economic crash and the peso is devalued. With tears in his eyes, Flavio must leave Renato and mama Tere and join the throngs headed over the border to the US of A. But he promises to return very soon. Cut to today as the adult Renato (Luis Gerardo Mendez) is the head of his own successful aviation company. As he prepares to wed his fiancée Pamela (Pia Watson) and help raise her unique (loves to cosplay recent horror film icons) ten-year-old son, Emilio, a phone call stops him in his tracks. It’s from an American woman named Katherine who claims to be Flavio’s wife. . She says he’s dying and wants to see him one last time. Renato angrily dismisses the request, but Pamela, seeing he has issues, convinces him to make the trip to Chicago. At Flavio’s bedside, Renato is shocked when introduced to his half-brother Asher (Connor Del Rio), the same “goofball” that hit him up for money at a coffee shop earlier that morning. Pappa tells them that they must find someone named“Eloise” together and gives them an envelope marked “Evaristo”. Again Pamela insists that Renato make the journey, even though their wedding is just days away. With papa’s passing, he reluctantly joins the free-spirited, impulsive Asher in his clunker of a car for a road trip adventure to solve Flavio’s final riddle and locate the elusive Eloise.

The more dominant of the duo and the film’s main focus is Renato played with swagger and lots of barely suppressed rage by Mendez. As the story progresses and the wedding deadline nears his “slow burn” gains speed until it becomes a short lit fuse. Still, he gains our sympathies as he often feels like the only voice of logic and reason. Mendez makes him a most macho “alpha male”, striding confidently in his tailored suits and not suffering fools likely, especially in his first scene with a dimwitted US reporter. Speaking of fools, Mendez is far too often the straight man to the tired antics of Del Rio as one of the most annoying characters in recent movies, the obnoxious, impulsive, selfish Asher. The creators may have wanted to do a modern twist on Michael Keaton’s endearing motor-mouthed hustler from NIGHT SHIFT (time for a revisit), but the abrasive “man-child” quickly becomes the human-embodiment of fingernails on a chalkboard as he gives in to every whim, uncaring of others or the consequences. I’m sure Del Rio did his best with the poorly conceived and written role, but it’s hard to imagine a more irritating travel partner, despite the weak attempts at pathos (Dad didn’t “get” him). Luckily several flashback sequences spotlighting great work by Espinosa as the conflicted dad break up the chaos. Oh and there’s one familiar face, though buried under a thick and heavy grey beard: 1980s heartthrob Vincent Spano as Mr. B, the world’s most sympathetic pawn shop owner.

The guiding force of this flick is comedy vet Larry Greenfield, who does a competent job with the most lackluster of materials, namely the tired, predictable script. It may aspire to be PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES, but it’s not even DUE DATE. The shifts from traumatizing drama (Flavio’s violent mugging) to zany hijinks (oh, Asher stole a baby goat, that rascal) could cause easily result in viewer whiplash. Plus it got so annoying that a good 75% of the Anglos that Renato meets are slovenly, ignorant bullies. Maybe it’s long-overdue revenge for the scores of Bandidos and drug runners (not to mention Jose Jimenez) that have been staples of US pop culture for so long (indeed payback is a b#*%h). And the scenes dealing with immigration enforcement are trivialized to generate conflict. I’d say that HALF BROTHERS is a film aimed at halfwits, but that may be giving it too much credit (by at least 35% or so). As they said in the olden days, “Was this trip really necessary?”, Nope.

One Half Out of 4

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID – Review

This film’s premise may promise many flights of fantasy and endearing whimsical humor, but what it delivers is something else entirely. A group of modern (well, the last decade) street kids must work together in a re-imagining of classic fairy tales. Sounds a bit like last year’s THE KID WHO WOULD BE KING, doesn’t it? Well, there are really few similarities, since this setting is a Mexican city turned war zone, with vicious drug runners blasting away at anyone, kids especially, that gets in their way. Can their belief in the power of those iconic stories and characters save these urchins, or will their sense of wonder lead them to their doom? Maybe they can learn to become fearless since TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID.

We meet the film’s two main characters in the pre-title scenes. Middle school student Estrella (Paola Lara) is excited by the class assignment. Using classic characters and setting (princes, castle, witches, and tigers, of course), they are to create a new “fairy tale”. Cut to the dark, dangerous streets as a boy around the same age, El Shine (Juan Ramon Lopez), observes a “thug” named Caco (Ianis Guerrero) drunkenly stumble into an alley to relieve himself. While he’s “occupied”, Shine lifts his gold-trimmed pistol and his dragon-decorated cell phone. Meanwhile, Estrella’s concentration is interrupted by gunfire just outside the classroom. The students dive from their desks onto the floor. Her teacher crawls to Estrella, giving her three pieces of chalk as she whispers “Here’s your three wishes”. Later that day Estrella walks back to her home from the now “closed indefinitely” grade school. But the apartment she shares with her Mama is empty. As the hours drag on, Estrella observes a group of boys (led by Shine) who have their own make-shift home on the roof of a nearby deserted building. The next day she catches Shine robbing her place, and follows him back to his “camp”. Shine wants nothing to do with her, but Estrella soon becomes a surrogate mother (or big sister) to the other three boys. But as they begin to bond, Caco arrives looking for his stolen items. Seems that the phone is far more valuable to him than the gun. So valuable that the children’s’ lives are in deadly danger. Can Estrella’s faith in fairy tale “magic” save them from the violence that has made their neighborhood a “ghost town”?

Director/writer Issa Lopez has crafted a very modern, hard-edged take on the old “bedtime stories”, deftly mixing elements of “magical realism” with a tough, gritty urban gangster crime thriller. One big reason this “mash-up” works is the natural performances by Ramon Lopez as Shine and Paola Lara as Estrella. They seem like real kids since they’re gifted amateurs rather than seasoned pros. Those rough edges really work, particularly for Shine who must always project strength above all else until he finally reveals his vulnerable side to Estrella. The scars on the side of his face are nothing compared to the ones around his young, battered heart. Lara may have the more complex character arc as Estrella who must adjust to street life after the sanctuary of home and school is shattered. Lopez makes this modern city feel like a decimated post-apocalyptic “dead zone” like the settings for I AM LEGEND and any number of Zombie TV shows and flicks. Life is cheap here, with no “safe space’ for women and children, with the drug-running criminals the true “monsters” of this fable, and the “law’ is no help at all. This makes the fantastical elements and effects more powerful. A stream of blood careens across floors and walls in search of the next fatality. Objects spring to life around Estrella: a bracelet becomes a flock of blackbirds, a snake and dragon slither away from a gun and a cellphone, and a beloved stuffed toy becomes a guide. And where does the toy send her? In a sequence reminiscent of the 50s EC horror comic books, the dead demand revenge, as bodies wrapped in clear plastic plead for justice. Really heart-breaking, but still horrific, much like the Del Toro’s masterwork PAN’S LABYRINTH, TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID casts a most memorable spell. But this is a fairy tale is not for the “wee ones”.

3 Out of 4

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Marcus’ St. Charles Stadium 18 Cinema

TRUTH OR DARE (2018) – Review

Ah, it’s another special Friday, a day to avoid black cats while walking around a ladder in order to see a new horror flick at the multiplex. On this thirteenth, we’re not getting another incarnation of Jason Vorhees, or Freddie, Leatherface, or Michael Myers (the Halloween guy, behave!). Nope this flick is in a part of “Scare City” that’s a bit more genteel than where those dudes do their mayhem. That’s because (speaking of the thirteenth) this movie’s rated “PG-13”, an area that’s more in the wheelhouse of the company known as Blumhouse. Just in case you were thinking they’ve gone all “respectable’ with their Oscar win (Best Original Screenplay) for last year’s smash GET OUT, here’s another movie for teens who love to see slightly older, very photographic young adults in jeopardy. And just so you don’t confuse it with that ancient 1990’s Madonna documentary, the studio’s moniker precedes the title in all the marketing with Blumhouses’s TRUTH OR DARE.

The frights begin with a scene of savagery down south of the border prior to the title card. Cut to a sun-speckled college campus just north of said border, probably California (USC Sunnydale, perhaps). Perky, bright-eyed brunette Olivia (Lucy Hale) is speaking into her laptop screen, imploring the followers of her You Tube channel to join her for Spring break at a Habitat for Humanity site. Not so fast. Her roommate and BFF Markie (Violette Beane) insists that Olivia join the gang on a Spring break trip to Mexico. As Olivia hesitates, Markie and friends agree to work at the next H4H project (“Twelve hands are better than two”). And so, they pile into the gas-guzzlin’ vehicle. Markie’s got her beau (for whom Olivia secretly pines) Lucas (Tyler Posey), there’s another couple, hard-drinking Penelope (Sophia Ali) and shady drug dealer (he’s got a prescription pad) Tyson (Nolan Gerard Funk), along with the closeted (from his clueless cop dad) Brad (Hayden Szeto). After countless selfies and cell phone videos, the group convenes at a beach-side bar for the last night of the “vacay”. Unfortunately Olivia bumps into obnoxious party dude (same school) Ronnie (Sam Lerner) just before she meets the mysterious hunk Carter (Landon Liboiron). Darn, it’s last call, but Carter knows a secluded place where they can keep the party going. Wow, it’s a super-creepy old run-down church. Inside, Carter suggests they play a game of Truth or Dare. He ducks out quickly as the game reaches an uncomfortable end. Or has it? Back at school, seemingly possessed strangers (with sunken dark eyes and Joker-like grins) continue the game with the group. Some find out the hard way that you’ll pay the ultimate price for refusing to play. Oh, and lying in “truth” mode gets you killed. As does refusing a “dare”. As the bodies begin to pile up, Olivia realizes the game is cursed and tries to convince her friends as she figures out a way to end the game before it claims them all.

The simple plot is pushed forward mainly by the tag-team efforts of the film’s two main actresses. Of course, the central heroine is Hale, her sharp-angled bobbed do’ and accented eye shadow making her resemble an anime star, who has the difficult job of not only figuring out the deadly on-going game, and then struggling to convince those around her of the deadly danger. Unfortunately her role is too “squeaky-clean” with almost new flaws or foibles. Most of those are loaded onto the Markie character played with great energy by Beane (so good as Jesse “Quick” on TV’s “The Flash”), Still reeling from her father’s demise, Markie throws herself at any man, even grinding up against a stranger on the dance floor mere feet from her dull-witted steady guy. She’s the story’s true “wild card”, threatening Olivia, then refusing to the ‘dare’ to smash her hand minutes later.. The others are mainly “creepshow cannon fodder”, popping up to display bad behavior, then pay for their “dirty deeds”. We’re left to wonder why Penelope boozes to extreme excess. Why’s her man Tyson nearly as big a jerk as that lunk-headed horndog Ronnie? Plus it trivializes Brad’s big decision subplot. And why does it seem that Carter wondered in from a more interesting recent horror flick, IT FOLLOWS (he should be wearing a T-shirt with “bait’ printed in blood-red letters across the chest).

This trite exercise is a real step down for director and co-screen writer Jeff Wadlow after his last theatrical feature five years ago, the flawed but often entertaining KICK ASS 2. Of course, he’s loaded this up with telegraphed scares, fake-outs, and sound manipulations, which is still more watchable than the mind-numbing vacation montage that precedes the fateful night. At least the writers thought ahead and inserted a new rule that there could be no more than two “truths” before a deadly “dare”, which makes some characters go for the danger to spare the next player. Plus, the “ghoulish grin” CGI effect is powerful the first couple times, but its repetition blunts its impact. Those death punishments have none of the “Rube Goldberg” zaniness of the FINAL DESTINATION franchise. By the third act, Olivia and her pals are hopping back and forth over the border so frequently that we wonder why the border security didn’t hold them for questioning. It all winds up back at the now crumbling church that’s falls apart much like all the big estates and mansions at the end of the Corman Price/Poe pictures from the 50’s and 60’s. The finale is so muddled and clumsy that the set-up for a sequel is laughable. The producers will discover that those playing this game of TRUTH OR DARE will probably pass on another round.

1.5 Out of 5

COCO – Review

With 2017 nearing an end, the multiplex is ready to get you in the mood for the big holiday season. Those BAD MOMS and the DADDY’S HOME gang have gathered under the tree, and today we’ll find out how Charles Dickens became known in some circles as THE MAN THAT INVENTED CHRISTMAS. Now the talented team at Pixar are here to celebrate…Dia de Muertos. Hey that was almost three weeks ago, so you probably just boxed up all your Day of the Dead decorations. Just what are those jokers in Emeryville up to (well, Mexican movie goers did see it closer to the actual date)? Wasn’t that special day fully explored three years with THE BOOK OF LIFE? Not hardly, and really if Christmas can be the setting for a myriad of flicks (from ELF to DIE HARD), why can’t this day have more than one (hey James Bond danced with a skeleton senorita in the pre-title sequence of SPECTRE)? Hey, there’s cause enough for celebrating, since we’re being rewarded with a second Pixar flick this year (CARS 3 sped through last June), so settle in and savor the throughly delicious and delightful COCO.

After gliding through several colorful banners we meet one of the residents of the quaint Mexican village Santa Cecilia, twelve-year-old Miguel Riviera (voice of Anthony Gonzalez). It’s just hours before the Day of the Dead celebrations and Miguel plans on winning the big talent competition by wowing the town with his singing and guitar skills. But his family, who run a shoe-making business, is adamantly against any sort of melody. This is because Miguel’s great-grandmother Coco’s papa abandoned her and his wife to pursue fame. They even ripped his face off the family photo. But Miguel recognizes the guitar in the photo, the unique instrument of 30’s movie musical superstar, Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt). Unknown to his folks, Miguel has set up a makeshift shrine to Cruz in the attic, complete with a VCR which runs a tape of film highlights, and his own hand-made guitar. When it’s destroyed, Miguel decides to sneak into the opulent Cruz mausoleum and “borrow” his celebrated guitar. But when he touches it, he and his street-dog pooch pal Dante are sent to the afterlife dimension. He’s soon on the run from their police (no live folks allowed) and sees that is flesh is fading, reveling his bones. Unless he is given a blessing by a deceased relative, while holding an Aztec marigold, before dawn, Miguel will be trapped there. As Pepita, a spirit animal (looks like a winged eagle/lion with horns and a lizard tail), tries to track him down, Miguel enlists the aid of resident con-artist, ne’er-do-well Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) to find Ernesto and learn the truth of his family history.

Once again Pixar, unlike most animation studios, opts not for celebrity “stunt” voice casting (with stars’ names above the title), but enlists the actors best suited for the roles. Case in point, screen newcomer Gonzalez who perfectly captures the excitement and anxious quality of a youngster wishing to spread his wings. We’ve seen other characters who want to break the mold and achieve goals that others believe are beyond them (Remy IN RATATOUILLE), but he infuses the “I want” role with a great youthful passion and panic (when he begins to dissolve ala Marty in the original BACK TO THE FUTURE). He’s teamed up with some great screen vets, particularly Bernal as the bouncy, put-upon Hector (a “street rat” much like ALADDIN), who rises from clown to hero while bringing a touch of real pathos to the story. Bratt is pure boasting bravado as Cruz, his smooth as silk exterior masking his darkness. Albanna Ulrich is a forceful queen leading those on the other side to find Miguel, while in the land of the living Renee Victor is an intimidating force of nature as the footwear flinging Abuelita.

While this voice cast is most impressive, above all the film is a dazzling visual feast, a fiesta of inspired character designs and colors that literally pop out from the screen (and this was from a standard viewing, as it is also in various 3D formats). In the earliest Pixar projects (shorts and first features) they strived to create humans as well as the toys, robots, and bugs. This time out Miguel’s family has unique textures and have real weight (some CG characters “hover” above their settings). Here’s two examples. Coco is an incredible achievement, looking every second of her ninety-some years with her wrinkles and skin spots. But her emotions aren’t buried under the details. There’s a sparkle that glimmers from her tired eyes as her great-grandson ‘s antics give her reason to keep living. And though’s he’s not a human, Dante with his constant hanging tongue and lop-sided run, like two golf balls encased in a tight skin covering, is another animation marvel. And their backdrops are gorgeous, with color schemes that set the dramatic tone of the story, The village is full of warm tones, making us feel the golden sun baking the streets and brick homes. In the after life, it’s all cool blues and purples, with twinkling white lights making the city into an indelible star field. Their skeletal denizens wobble about with unique carvings and color flourishes adorning each skull. There are several former celebs mixed in with the throngs, making delightful “Easter eggs” of pop cultural history. Oh, and the spirit animals, wacky combos (a frog bunny) in blazing flourescent colors, are another sweet bit of eye candy.

As lovely as it is to gaze upon, this film will engage the heart as much as the eyes. This may surpass the great INSIDE OUT in raw emotion, even invoking the silent opening flashback of UP. Plus it contains another “gut-puncher” in its big song, “Remember Me”, which should cause you to remember the tear-duct attack of “When Somebody Loved Me” from TOY STORY 2. In all departments, led by director Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, these artists have reached another level of movie-making. The warm, charming, colorful COCO is a new classic. See it with someone you’ll never forget.

5 Out of 5

CARTEL LAND – The Review

In the Midwest, we are aware of the illegal immigrant issues. We see it and live among it and have out own opinions about it, whatever they may be. But truly, we are far removed from the drug wars that occur at the US/Mexico borders. We, like any sizable city, see the drug abuse and the lives it tears apart, but that’s the end of the line. Where it starts, where the buck stops (so to speak) is where cultures and countries collide. That’s why films such as CARTEL LAND are crucial to the rest of us not living in the middle of the source of the problem.

Produced, directed, shot and edited and may other credits go to a nearly virtual one-man filmmaking team. Matthew Heineman tossed himself into the heart of darkness to capture a sample of the essence of organized crime in Mexico and it pays off, having risked life and limb in the process. CARTEL LAND is an off the cuff, seat of your pants documentary that at times plays like an action-drama. Intense moments of live gunfights between Mexican vigilantes and drug cartels are broken up by engagingly honest interviews on location and heartfelt, emotional moments of recollection and tearful testimony.

CARTEL LAND is essentially told in two chapters, inter-cut back and forth between the US and Mexican side of the border. Roughly one third of the focus lies on the Arizona Border Recon, a paramilitary group of citizens that patrol the border and track cartel movement and activities, in the hopes of squashing as much of it as then can. The Arizona Border Recon was started by Tim “Nailor” Foley, a veteran and former drug addict whose life changed after an accident which led him end his drug use and fight the cartels, who have increasingly become more bold in crossing into US territory.

The story of Foley and his Arizona Border Recon is weak, admirable on some levels, but little happens and interviews with Foley lead us to have certain doubts about his and others’ motives. His and his groups’ actions prove to have little measurable effect as depicted on screen and he is far less an intriguing character as his Mexican counterpart. Foley’s story often feels self-serving and not so much about the cause as it is about his own personal vendetta. This arc of the film draws away from the overall consistency and quality of the film and I honestly could have done without this portion altogether. I see and I understand the bilateral nature of what Heineman was attempting, but for whatever reasons, it fails to hit its mark.

The other two-thirds of CARTEL LAND focuses on Dr. Jose Mireles, also known to his supporters as “El Doctor,” who honestly deserved to have the entire film centered on his story. Dr. Mireles saw what the drug cartels were doing to his friends, family and neighbors, and saw it eating away at the fabric of his country. He founded the Autodefensas, a paramilitary group of concerned citizens who take up arms and take back what is theirs… land, property, loved ones and control over their towns and their lives. Over time, Dr. Mireles and his Autodefensas enjoy incredible success and respect for their accomplishments. However, as we see repeatedly throughout the world, putting one’s self out there in the world eventually has its price as the underlying corruption that infects society seems always to relapse after a period of remission.

CARTEL LAND flourishes as a bittersweet drama of good deeds rewarded with bad luck brought on by evil men. Dr. Mireles is an extraordinarily fascinating individual with whom we can relate. At the risk of overstating my point, Dr. Mireles for Mexico is like their Ghandi without the penchant for non-violence. He does good work, even is his means are forceful and ride the thin line of what’s lawful, but in the absence of law he brings justice. In this sense, I suppose we could call him the Batman of rural Mexico, but all kidding aside, it’s difficult to watch this film and not feel respect for the man.

This becomes all too unbearable when the tables turn and we realize what fate ultimately has in store for Dr. Mireles, a turn of events that is sickening and all too familiar here at home as well. CARTEL LAND is as much exotic to us as it is deeply personal and relevant too all our lives, even if we don’t feel it personally from day to day. Heineman puts himself out there, on many occasions capturing the chaotic, real-time danger and uncertainty on film as he’s pulled behind a truck for cover during a gunfight or tripped up during pursuits. Remember, this is a man and a camera in the midst of the action and its real life.

CARTEL LAND depicts a side of this ongoing, seemingly never-ending war from an entirely new angle and perspective. The film is not overly graphic, but images of beheading and hanging victims are displayed, as well as shots of dead Mexican citizens caught up in the violence. I commend Heineman for not shying away from this. It is reality and people need to see the truth as it truly exists. Like the westerns of the 1950s when nobody bled gave way to controversial modern depictions such as Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH, violence begets blood and blood is life, so depicting the loss of life means we’re bound to see blood.

Let’s be honest. This is a hot button, political topic. CARTEL LAND is a film that digs into the truth without succumbing to the tabloid, self-serving sensationalist documentary styles of so many contemporary films of this nature. Heineman manages to drop himself right in the middle of the action and stays there till the end, but never turns the camera on himself and somehow remains virtually invisible the entire film, but still makes a powerful statement, the way documentaries should be made.

CARTEL LAND opens in theaters on Friday, July 17th, 2015.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

THE BOOK OF LIFE (2014) – The Review

The great “schnozzola” Jimmy Durante’s signature catch phrase “Everybody wants ta’ get into da’ act!’ couldn’t be more true when it comers to animated features these days. Perhaps this may be a result of the incredible all-ages success of Pixar. Or it might be the love of animation held be many aging “baby boomer” film makers who awaited Saturday mornings in front of the tube (which just ended now that no broadcast networks run weekend ‘toons) or those grand ole’ special kiddie matinees. Tim Burton may have kick-started this trend by coming off his big Batman flicks to produce THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS and later direct THE CORPSE BRIDE and FRANKENWEENIE. Johnny Depp and his PIRATES director scored a hit with RANGO. And recently Adam Sandler started a new franchise with HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA. New to the animation arena, but a big name in the fantasy/horror genre is Guillermo del Toro (PACIFIC RIM ). Now he’s not jumping in with a princess fairy tale or a forest animals united-type story. This new film covers much of the same territory as his PAN’S LABYRINTH and is a post-Halloween love letter to his south of the border roots. Settle back in your theatre seats and experience an entry from THE BOOK OF LIFE..

It begins as a school bus full of bored, rowdy pre-teens pulls up to the steps of a museum. Luckily their tour guide Mary Beth (voice of Christina Applegate) knows just how to entrance them. They enter through a secret magical passageway to an area dedicated to the legends and lore of Mexico. Using small carved figures, Mary Beth begins a story about a small village and the realm just below the surface, a colorful land full of spirits called the “Land of the Remembered” run by the beautiful La Muerte (Kate del Castillo), while beneath them is the dank, dismal, dark “Land of the Forgotten” lorded over by the foul Xilbaba (Ron Perlman). On the annual Day of the Dead festival, the two rulers pay a visit to the village. There they observe two boys and a girl at play. Xilbaba proposes a bet over which lad the lass will marry once they’re reached adulthood with the loser of the bet remaining in charge of the Forgotten realm. Years later the young men eagerly await the arrival of their friend’s return after years at a far-off school for young ladies. La Muerte’s choice, Manolo (Diega Luna), has been groomed to follow in a long family line of matadors, but he prefers the guitar to the sword, while Xilbaba’s pick, Joaquin (Channing Tatum), is a much decorated soldier who protects the village. When they re-unite with Maria (Zoe Saldana), all are surprised by her independent attitude (and she’s very good with a sword!). Later, a scheme by the devious Xilbaba sends one of the suitors off to his ancestors. With the help of the wise Candle Maker (Ice Cube), can he make his way back to the land of the living in time to save the village from an unstoppable bandit army?

Just two weeks ago I remarked that THE BOXTROLLS was a visual feast. Well I could say the same for this film, although it may be more of a spicy, Latin buffet. While the denizens of Cheeseburg had a squishy, pliable look owing to the stop motion figures, BOOK’s main characters look to be carved right out of different varieties of wood. But this film is made up of pixels which simulates the look of string puppets or marionettes (no bouncing from overhead wires, though). The modern-day museums wrap-arounds have the usual CGI rounded feel, but Manolo and Joaquin in particular have great carved, smoothed heads while their arms seem to be composed of wired together blocks. the hands separate as the fingers curl. Instead of knees, their legs bend with a middle hinge. Several of the village extras (like the ineffectual soldier) have a built-up 2D effect with eyes and lips jutting out of the side of the head like Picasso’s art. The backgrounds are just as striking. The village has a golden, dusty, lived-in beauty. Below, in the land of the Remembered, it’s a dazzling fiesta with explosions of color. Farther below is a cool mix of mists and moonlight broken up by a wonderful living statue and an ornate maze to challenge the hero. The skeletal denizens have intricate designs carved around their faces with deep, black eyes and holes where the nose should be. One of the best character designs is the hulking bandit leader whose arms flail about like spiked cannonballs atop “slinkees”. This is a world that begs to be explored again and again.

All the voice actors are superb with kudos to Luna who croons several new and classic tunes (including an Elvis standard). Gustavo Santaolalla’s original score weaves in familiar ballads and makes good use of a signature riff from Ennio Morricone. Director Jorge R. Guiterrez (who co-wrote the script with Douglas Langdale) keeps the dramatic story flowing while including many wonderful sight gags and tossed-off humorous asides. The very young viewers may get a tad spooked by the spooks and ghoulies, but older audiences, including adults, will be mesmerized by the stunning visuals and clever script. Here’s hoping that there will be at least one more volume of THE BOOK OF LIFE.

4 Out of 5

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Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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