eoscarz Reviews

Una cita con la vida (1958)

First love

[10/10 · 29 January 2010]

Luis and Nelida have both problems at their own respective homes. Luis has a brother who is involved in crime whilst Nelida is a teenage girl who lives with her divorced mother and who does not seem to understand her. One day she wakes up earlier and sees a man leaving her mother's bedroom. This was the final straw for Nelida and she decides to leave home for good. Walking along in the deserted streets of the city she is approached by Luis who worries about her being vulnerable and all by herself. Few minutes later Luis gained Nelida's confidence by offering to listen to her problems and to help. The inevitable soon happens and they become lovers, but would they be able to stay together? Hugo del Carril has once again probed to be an impeccable director, mastering every single aspect of the film with professionalism and sensibility. Del Carril is a director who is very much underestimated by the general public in this area of work, as he was also a very well known actor and tango singer, professions these in which he also excelled. But has a director we see his brilliant skill and his wonderful distinctive touch in each of the scenes of the film. He inputs pathos and emotions at the right moment, paying attention to each single detail. This is a wonderful film that has not dated at all and that tackles problems that are still current in today's society and especially amongst teenagers.

Las aventuras de Hijitus (1973)

cartoon animation from South America at its best

[29 December 2009]

The Aventuras of Hijitus are finally available on DVD. I have seen two packs containing 5 DVDs each, with each DVD containing on average 6 episodes. For all those grown ups, like myself, it is a joy revisiting all favourites from our own childhood. On each episode we encounter Hijitus, Pichichus, professor Neurus, Pucho, Serrucho, Larguirucho, Oaky and his father Gold Silver as well as sporadically appearances from Cachabacha with her assistant Pajarraco, Boxitracio and the Comisario (who is my favourite of all times, particularly with his own distinctive accent from the region of Corrientes!). Manuel Garcia Ferre is a master and innovative creator unique on this genre. He has created a cavalcade of memorable characters each one with his own distinctive idiosyncrasy. Children and grown ups alike will love and enjoy watching the adventures and misadventures of Hijitus (an orphaned boy who represents good and is always ready to put things to right when he converts himself into Super Hijitus!). The voices of many of the characters were done by the 'Master' of this type of work: Pelusa Suero, a very talented and multifaceted artist who gave life to the series with his distinctive voice. The story is set in the ideal town of 'Trulala' which has many similarities to Buenos Aires (in some episodes for example you can see the Obelisco and the Avenida 9 Julio). Each character has his own catching phrase like Oaky's 'Tiro, Lio, Cosa Golda' o Larguirucho's 'Bla Mas Fuerte Que No Te Escucho' or Hijitus' with 'Ojala, Ojalita, Ojalata, Chuculita, Chuculata'. One can spend ages analysing each episode, describing each situation and the behaviour of each of his inhabitants, but overall the formula is always more or less the same, the bad represented by greedy professor Neurus (and sometimes the witch Cachabacha) against the good represented by Hijitus and the Comisario (who represents the public order). The series are a joy to watch again and again and represent one of the highest and best forms of comic and cartoon strip in Argentina. These characters have already passed onto the field of popular culture and there are multitude of merchandise representing all the characters from the series very much sought after by collectors.

Elsa y Fred (2005)

A brilliant film full of pathos and emotions!

[10/10 · 25 December 2009]

Elsa is a mature Argentinian woman who lives in Madrid by herself on her flat. She has two sons, one married and another one an artist. Both of them live independently. Elsa is full of life and because she is ill she tries to make the most of every minute. She has a very optimistic outlook of life and is the sort of person who sees the glass as 'half full' instead of 'half empty'. On the same building and in a different flat moves in Fred, an elderly man whose wife died seven months ago. Due to a minor incident with the car of Fred's daughter, Elsa gets to know her new neighbour and soon develops a very tender love affair amongst these two. It has been said that Elsa had some similarities with Anita Ekberg and she always dreamt of going to La Fontana Trevi in Rome to recreate the famous scene from the 1960s film La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini. But would her wish come true? This is a very funny and, at the same time, sad and emotional story. It is not often we see a romantic film where its protagonists are over 70 years old. This film was created with sophisticated taste and the music that accompanies each scene adds a great and melancholic atmosphere. China Zorrilla's performance is extraordinary and at its best in this film. She is that type of actress that touches the audience emotionally with her mannerisms, body language and technique.I remember watching a TV series with her and Marilina Ross and Arnaldo Andre(Piel Naranja) in the 1970s, where China's catching phrase was 'Mamita knows, Silhueta the Lujo' and since then she became one of my favourites actress of all times. Also commendable are the performances of the rest of the cast and particularly touching that of Manuel Alexandre. Marcos Carnevale, writer and director, has produced a masterpiece that everyone with emotions no doubt would drop a tear or two when watching his film. Highly recommended! I thoroughly enjoyed it (that is the reason why I am writing this review) and hope you will enjoy watching it too.

Rolling Family (2004)

a very enjoyable movie!

[9/10 · 19 January 2008]

I have to admit that I totally disagree with the unfair comments from the previous viewer as I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film. Obviously if you are a fan of fast pace films, such as American blockbusters, then this film will definitely not be your cup of tea. What this film does is to take an ordinary family out of their natural environment and explores their feelings and emotions. There are conflicts throughout and tension among most of their components. It is a journey of discovery. The fact that Grandmother is invited to a family wedding in Misiones (1,200 kilometres from her home in Buenos Aires) is an excuse for the director to deeply explore and investigate how the characters will react and come to terms with their own feelings. The caravan is a very small environment and it is hard for the family to live in such a close boundary. I did not find this film boring in anyway and I will highly recommend to anyone who is interested in human relationships (including mechanics! Haha). The only disappointing thing is that the subtitles does not always give a true representation of the dialogues from the original language and, if you do not speak Spanish, that may be a daring task to follow.

Los celos de Cándida (1940)

Candida and Jesus decide to purchase a bed and Breakfast in Buenos Aires. But in the hostel already lived an Italian opera singer that provokes the jealousy of Candida.

[10/10 · 14 April 2006]

Nini Marshall was one of the best actresses that emerged from Argentina. She made many films in her native country during the golden years of Argentina cinema, but had to exile to Mexico after 'unfair' disputes with the government of Eva Peron. In Mexico she made a handful of films, most of which were very popular and awarded by critics and also very well received by the public.

Los Celos of Candida (Celos = jealousy of Candida) starts with the newly wed couple (Candida and Jesus) going to their honey-moon trip to the seaside resort of Mar del Plata. On the train they meet a man who, like those two, is a Spanish immigrant. In Mar del Plata, persuaded by their new friend, the couple try their luck in the Casino and win. With the money they decide to purchase a small bed and breakfast in Buenos Aires. In that pension already lives an Italian opera singer and Jesus (Candida's husband) takes a fancy to her. From here on starts to manifest and to grow the jealousy of Candida and the events will develop in hilarious episodes with the main and final purpose of redeeming Jesus' love.

This film is a joy from beginning to end. There is not even one second of it that is boring or irrelevant to the plot. Nini Marshall plays wonderfully and is thoroughly convincing in her role of Spanish immigrant (which were very popular in Argentina during the first half of the twentieth century). I have seen this film countless times and always find something new and appealing. This is the power that only a gigantic actress such as Nini Marshall can have on her captivating audience. Highly recommended. This is comedy genre at its best. 10 stars rate and not to be missed