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Reviews
El extraño hijo del Sheriff (1986)
Good Western, Okay Horror
The Strange Son of the Sheriff is probably one of Almada's better made movies. The setting is worthy of any of Leone's films.
The themes of any western are here, man versus something beyond himself. Either natural or supernatural. The film uses well the setting of the western to show the struggle of man to civilized what cannot be civilized. The script is also quite decent with well develop characters that are layered, at least the main characters. Sometimes it screams the motives of the characters but their acting allows them to show more nuance at many times.
As a horror, the film suffers from the past of time. The cheese special effects are detrimental. Sure, I got freak out as a child but I have seen the movie a couple of times after that and the charm is gone. Frankly, in the horror aspect, less is more. The scene where the face of the child is reflected on the wall is ludicrous. Compare to the scene where the sheriff's best friend runs to hug the kid, only to find out he is hugging the ghost of the dead kid.
Probably what sets this movie apart from the crap, is the questions that arise from it without knowing. It is clear that some aspects of the movie were made for the prudish Latino audience. Sorry for the term, we had and still have some cultural ideas. The dead kid is bad because he cannot just die. After his father kill him and throw him like an animal in a hole, what did they expected? It was only natural for the innocent child to become a demon. The doctor's mistake was to trust science more than God, really? for real!?
The doctors actions, although clear and honest to the naked eye, also leave many questions and he is guilty of a terrible action, even if feeling guilty about it. The sheriff's moral core, at first strong and unshakable, clearly quite ambiguous. The father of the murderer using justice to quench his thirst for blood. The unedited ending, quite shocking and clearly amoral.
Once the flimsy cultural values are taken away, we have a movie without redemption. The characters are only jokes of an attempt to civilization and the natural and supernatural plot against any form of justice. If only the creators had the strength to make the film as it should, undiluted by society's sense of right or wrong, this movie could have ended a masterpiece of its time. But it is not, so it only gets a 6.
El bombero atómico (1952)
Not the best but quite funny indeed
El Bombero Atomico is clearly what would be called a vehicle for its iconic star. Cantiflas was, and still is, the best comic ever to grace Mexican cinema. His style was so unique and tied to language, sadly, it could not be replicated outside the Spanish language.
This is not the best movie Cantinflas made. You expect a movie with a tittle of the Atomic Fireman to have, you know, Cantinflas as a fireman. Well, he is only for a while, then he precedes to become a police man. The plots are not really good. There are some really visible goofs and the ending is kind of rush.
None of that matters, of course, because the film is so incredible charming and utterly funny that I just have to forgive any mistake. The sequence where Cantiflas goes as an undercover cop is frankly, hilarious. Also, I am pretty sure that the gag during the fight was the first one, and still by far the best. Although most of the jokes are language oriented, some involved physical comedy and are pretty good. The movie is a jewel. I am writing this review in English because Cantinflas' movies are quite popular and famous among Spanish speakers.
Relampago (1987)
Biologist by day and super hero Relampago by night, a man helps his hometown to get rid of the evil, greedy rancher that wants to control the whole region.
Relampago may not be the best movie but it is close enough. It is too corny and cheesy to be taken seriously. Still, it is fun to watch. The script is especially bad and the action scenes are not awesome. The helicopter scene is pretty uninspired. Yet, the over the top acting by the love interest of Relampago combined with the worst one liners ever to grace Mexican cinema make up for the other issues. They loaded the movie with comics but waste them in inane characters. They also have serious actors who deliver their lines in a funny way. Maribel Laguardia is the prime example. The soap opera starlet creates a character that is irritant and funny for the wrong reasons, not the best characterization for a damsel in distress. Relampago has a black truck named Matilde - no kidding- and what you know? They kick rich, evil ass effortlessly. Another bright spot in the movie is the rich guy's brother. Apparently in Mexican B-movies is not enough to have hordes of hired guns and the police in your side. You also need an evil biker brother and his evil biker bang. I know there is a plot somewhere hiding but it doesn't matter because a)an evil rancher, evil biker and a truck named Matilde are more important than any plot and b)the plots do not make any sense. This movie is fun but don't take it too seriously
Curado de espantos (1992)
An attractive archaeologist wakes up a vampire from a pyramid. She uses the aid of two inept and inappropriate shamans to kill the beast once for all.
First of all, this film is really bad. Really bad. Everything from the concept to the final product is a cinematic aberration that screams "watch me!." The movie has a pretty basic premise. A beautiful archaeologist wakes up a vampire and hires two shamans to kill the monster again. Although it has no nudity and little violence, the movie can be offensive. For example, the vampire attacks the house where the archaeologist lives. One of the shamans tries to stop the vampire with a bible. The vampire laughs. "I'm Jewish" he screams. The shaman gets a swastika and repeals the vampire. Curados de Espantos has actually a few good lines but the real treat is to watch all the mistakes in all their gritty glory. My favorite is the soaring of the vampire. The editor cut the shot a second too late. The result is an actor with his arms up in the sky when he was supposedly be flying already. It wasn't surprising to find no comments or reviews for this film. Even though it appears periodically in television and is available in video. No one likes to admit to watch movies like this. Still, is a fun to watch, especially the exorcism scene and the awesome way the demon was cast out of the boy. I give this film 7 out of 10.
El laberinto del fauno (2006)
So, a little girl with the stepfather from hell thinks she is a princes.
First of all, this is no Lord of the Rings. It has a beauty and complexity which is all its own. It took me three times to watch it and analyze it as a film. The mesmerizing beauty of the movie impede me to actually critique the editing, acting and so forth the first time I saw the movie. Although the film is too dark at times, it is just a little blemish in what is otherwise a gorgeous face. Pan's Labyrinth is a simple vessel that hides complex issues. Del Toro delivers a deliberate masterpiece where no stroke is unintentional. It might seem as if the characters are hammered into a position. The army is evil and the mother is shallow. Still, part of their nuances are shown. The Captain self hatred is shown when he slice the throat of his image on the mirror. The mother selfishness is an attempt for survival and maybe part of her disillusion. Whether Ofelia is truly a princes is also a question Del Toro gives to the viewer. If you are more like Ofelia, you will believe she is a princes. If you are like Mercedes, you don't believe but you allow others to be whatever they want. If you are like the Captain, besides being monster, you hate this movie.