eongay Reviews

Hell (2010)

Best Mexican movie of the year

[10/10 · 13 September 2010]

Estrada's "El infierno" is a must see movie. Estrada has come back again in force from La "Ley de Herodes" (Herod's Law). In that movie, Estrada made a well depicted view of Mexican society in the late 1990s and we couldn't get worse back then. How wrong we were: It has. The satire portrayed in El Infierno shows how we are really at the gates of hell in a civil war that nobody wants to see or acknowledge. The movie has spectacular shots of the San Luis Potosi Desert that serve as a framework to develop all the memorable characters in the film, like Damian Alcázar Benny that transforms itself from a naive character to a ruthless hit man; or Joaquín Cosío (Cochiloco) both salvage and family man. Even with the pessimistic mood and end message of the film, it is commendable that has been partially financed by public funds and that is having a well-deserved attendance in commercial theaters. Highly recommended.

The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)

A must see documentary

[10/10 · 28 November 2006]

We saw sorrow and the pity on DVD during this weekend. A powerful and moving documentary about life in Clermont - Ferrand during the war years. Although lengthy in running time the interviews are excellent and well prepared because it gives a balanced view of how life actually was during that time. It demystifies and, trough interviews, criticizes fascism, communism and democratic views as part of a complex political stage during that period. It really makes you understand part of the history of that period and phenomena that actually didn't make sense trough the vision of propaganda films or the victorious literature that tried to explain the reasons for many actions. It is a must see.

Immortal (2004)

A piece of cinematographic excellence perhaps ahead of its time

[8/10 · 22 March 2006]

I saw this gem last night in cable TV. Several things surprised me about this film. Its limited distribution (investigating they showed the film in an art festival for one day in México City), as other users its negative comments opposed to the positive ones, and the quality of the film itself. Blending seamlessly cinematographic techniques to translate a graphic novel that actually is a story board is hard and this picture makes it possible. The obligated references to Blade Runner and the fifth element are perhaps unfair due to the historical time in which these two films were produced. There is a huge trend to put into film graphic novels with two tendencies: the popular comic book high budget Hollywood approach (fantastic four, spiderman, etc.) and the approach made by other filmmakers with mixed results (i.e the adaptations of Alan Moore's graphic novels such as V for vendetta or the league of extraordinary gentlemen, del Toro's adaptation of Mignola's Hellboy or Frank Miller's Sin City just to name a few). In both approaches the winner is the graphic novel writer – director formula (i.e. Frank Miller and in this case Enki Bilal) that translate what is in paper into film in a great way. I think this film has to be analyzed calmly and I look forward to purchase the DVD. As other users have mentioned this is not a film for everyone. In my opinion it has to be taken for what it is: a piece of cinematographic excellence perhaps ahead of its time.

Man on Fire (2004)

Interesting filming excercise

[8/10 · 12 September 2004]

I live in Mexico City and this movie moves me to comment on it. Although several persons didn't like the movie because its editing as a music video, I think this kind of editing perfectly reflects the kind of city we live on: contrasting colors, people fast pace and chaos. Beside the leading actors performance, the supporting cast is excellent and deserves special attention (e.g. the character of 'the voice' sister is truly exceptional). Violence and express kidnapping are sad things that are currently happening in our city but are common in other major cities around the world. Unfortunately, for us locals, the movie has several geographical and social inconsistencies. I recommend this movie and my only regret is that there wasn't more involvement with local cinematographers that could have helped in giving it a more realist setting.