Review: "Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN" is a Serious and Sexy Standout

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 49 of 2024 (No. 1993) by Leroy Douresseaux

Y tu mamá también (2001)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  Mexico; Language:  Spanish

Running time:  106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)

MPAA – initially not rated

DIRECTOR:  Alfonso Cuarón

WRITERS:  Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón

PRODUCERS:  Alfonso Cuarón and Jorge Vergara

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Emmanuel Lubezki (D.o.P.)

EDITORS:  Alfonso Cuarón and Alex Rodríguez

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring:  Maribel Verdú, Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Ana López Mercado, Nathan Grinberg, Verónica Langer, María Aura, Silverio Palacios, Mayra Serbulo, and Daniel Giménez Cacho (narrator)

Y tu mamá también is a 2001 Mexican coming-of-age comedy-drama and road film from director Alfonso Cuarón.  The title is Spanish for “And Your Mother Too.”  Y tu mama también follows two teenage boys and an older woman as they embark on a road trip with Mexico's late 1990s political upheaval as a backdrop.

Before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and Children of Men (2006) brought him mainstream acclaim, Mexican film director Alfonso Cuarón burst onto the international film scene with Y tu mama también.  It became one of the most talked about movies of 2002.

Y tu mamá también introduces rich teenage friends, Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal).  Abandoned by their girlfriends for the summer, they are on the prowl for new sexual experiences.  At a wedding, they meet the alluring Luisa Cortes (Maribel Verdú), the Spanish wife of one of Tenoch's relatives.  Both boys are smitten with her and try to impress her by weaving tales of Boca del Cielo – Heaven’s Mouth, a beautiful, secret beach.

Of course, there is no such place, but the boys are trying to get Luisa to join them on a road trip to the fictitious locale.  Although she at first declines the sweet offer, Luisa changes her mind when she receives two pieces of bad news practically simultaneously.  Once on the journey, however, the trio finds that their little escapade is riddled with conflict and sometimes interrupted by moments of seduction.

Y tu mama también is an original take on the road movie.  Occasionally harsh (lots of painful revelations and venomous quarrels between the two boys) and often funny (the good-matured ribbing and frank conversations among the trio), the film is filled with witty banter.  The poignancy is found in the fact that this coming of age journey that both strengthens and builds bonds also means that things are coming to an end.  The sense of death, finality, and dissolution infuses this film giving even the sun-drenched Mexican locale a melancholy air.

Y tu mama también is also politically astute, with Cuarón and his co-writer Carlos Cuarón nimbly and skillfully dropping in commentary about political corruption and fraud rampant throughout the corruption (via the narrator).  Cuarón also presents the rampant and widespread poverty among Mexican citizens offering it as a veritable visual feast.  Everywhere the boys go, there is abundant evidence of the impoverished lives of so many people.

Perhaps, Cunard's best choice as director is allow his film to feel so natural, especially in the acting of the three main actors: Maribel Verdú, Diego Luna, and Gael García Bernal who give smooth, flowing performances.  Cuarón doesn’t portray anything as being stages, and he presents this film as if we were peaking through a window that gives us an intimate view of these three lives in transition.  Cuarón doesn’t just put us there; he makes us feel.  That makes Y tu mama también such a wonderfully entertaining film that reaches out to touch the viewer on a personal level.

8 of 10

A

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Friday, November 15, 2024

NOTES:

2003 Academy Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón)

2003 BAFTA Awards:  2 nominations:  “Best Film not in the English Language” (Alfonso Cuarón and Jorge Vergara) and “Best Screenplay – Original” (Alfonso Cuarón and Carlos Cuarón)

2002 Golden Globes:  1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film” (Mexico)

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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93 Nations Submitted Entries for the "International Film" Oscar at 93rd Academy Awards

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS ELIGIBLE FOR 93RD OSCARS® ANNOUNCED

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced feature films eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®.  Eligibility lists by category can be viewed at Oscars.org/93rdFeatureEligibility.  Complete 93rd Academy Awards rules can be found at Oscars.org/rules.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Ninety-three countries have submitted films that are eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards.  An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track.  Lesotho, Sudan and Suriname are first-time entrants.

Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to expand the shortlist from 10 to 15 films.  Academy members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.  The shortlist of 15 films was announced on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

93RD ACADEMY AWARDS® ELIGIBLE FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM CATEGORY:

Listed in alphabetical order by country:
Albania, “Open Door”
Argentina, “The Sleepwalkers”
Armenia, “Songs of Solomon”
Austria, “What We Wanted”
Bangladesh, “Sincerely Yours, Dhaka”
Belgium, “Working Girls”
Bolivia, “Chaco”
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Quo Vadis, Aida?”
Brazil, “Babenco - Tell Me When I Die”
Bulgaria, “The Father”
Cambodia, “Fathers”
Cameroon, “The Fisherman’s Diary”
Canada, “14 Days, 12 Nights”
Chile, “The Mole Agent”
China, “Leap”
Colombia, “El Olvido Que Seremos (Memories of My Father)”
Costa Rica, “Land of Ashes”
Croatia, “Extracurricular”
Cuba, “Buscando a Casal”
Czech Republic, “Charlatan”
Denmark, “Another Round”
Dominican Republic, “A State of Madness”
Ecuador, “Emptiness”
Egypt, “When We’re Born”
Estonia, “The Last Ones”
Finland, “Tove”
France, “Two of Us”
Georgia, “Beginning”
Germany, “And Tomorrow the Entire World”
Greece, “Apples”
Guatemala, “La Llorona”
Honduras, “Days of Light”
Hong Kong, “Better Days”
Hungary, “Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time”
Iceland, “Agnes Joy”
India, “Jallikattu”
Indonesia, “Impetigore”
Iran, “Sun Children”
Ireland, “Arracht”
Israel, “Asia”
Italy, “Notturno”
Ivory Coast, “Night of the Kings”
Japan, “True Mothers”
Jordan, “200 Meters”
Kazakhstan, “The Crying Steppe”
Kenya, “The Letter”
Kosovo, “Exile”
Kyrgyzstan, “Running to the Sky”
Latvia, “Blizzard of Souls”
Lebanon, “Broken Keys”
Lesotho, “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection”
Lithuania, “Nova Lituania”
Luxembourg, “River Tales”
Malaysia, “Roh”
Mexico, “I’m No Longer Here”
Mongolia, “Veins of the World”
Montenegro, “Breasts”
Morocco, “The Unknown Saint”
Netherlands, “Buladó”
Nigeria, “The Milkmaid”
North Macedonia, “Willow”
Norway, “Hope”
Pakistan, “Circus of Life”
Palestine, “Gaza Mon Amour”
Panama, “Operation Just Cause”
Paraguay, “Killing the Dead”
Peru, “Song without a Name”
Philippines, “Mindanao”
Poland, “Never Gonna Snow Again”
Portugal, “Vitalina Varela”
Romania, “Collective”
Russia, “Dear Comrades!”
Saudi Arabia, “Scales”
Senegal, “Nafi’s Father”
Serbia, “Dara of Jasenovac”
Singapore, “Wet Season”
Slovakia, “The Auschwitz Report”
Slovenia, “Stories from the Chestnut Woods”
South Africa, “Toorbos”
South Korea, “The Man Standing Next”
Spain, “The Endless Trench”
Sudan, “You Will Die at Twenty”
Suriname, “Wiren”
Sweden, “Charter”
Switzerland, “My Little Sister”
Taiwan, “A Sun”
Thailand, “Happy Old Year”
Tunisia, “The Man Who Sold His Skin”
Turkey, “Miracle in Cell No. 7”
Ukraine, “Atlantis”
Uruguay, “Aleli”
Venezuela, “Once upon a Time in Venezuela”
Vietnam, “Dreamy Eyes”

All dates and rules for the 93rd Academy Awards are subject to change based on national guidelines, state-mandated government orders and Academy-determined best practices.

Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15, 2021.

The 93rd Oscars® will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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87 Countries Seek a "Foreign Film" Oscar Nod at 91st Academy Awards

87 COUNTRIES IN COMPETITION FOR 2018 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OSCAR

Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 91st Academy Awards®.  Malawi and Niger are first-time entrants.

The 2018 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;

Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director;

Argentina, “El Ángel,” Luis Ortega, director;

Armenia, “Spitak,” Alexander Kott, director;

Australia, “Jirga,” Benjamin Gilmour, director;

Austria, “The Waldheim Waltz,” Ruth Beckermann, director;

Bangladesh, “No Bed of Roses,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;

Belarus, “Crystal Swan,” Darya Zhuk, director;

Belgium, “Girl,” Lukas Dhont, director;

Bolivia, “The Goalkeeper,” Rodrigo “Gory” Patiño, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Never Leave Me,” Aida Begić, director;

Brazil, “The Great Mystical Circus,” Carlos Diegues, director;

Bulgaria, “Omnipresent,” Ilian Djevelekov, director;

Cambodia, “Graves without a Name,” Rithy Panh, director;

Canada, “Family First,” Sophie Dupuis, director;

Chile, “…And Suddenly the Dawn,” Silvio Caiozzi, director;

China, “Hidden Man,” Jiang Wen, director;

Colombia, “Birds of Passage,” Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, directors;

Costa Rica, “Medea,” Alexandra Latishev, director;

Croatia, “The Eighth Commissioner,” Ivan Salaj, director;

Czech Republic, “Winter Flies,” Olmo Omerzu, director;

Denmark, “The Guilty,” Gustav Möller, director;

Dominican Republic, “Cocote,” Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, director;

Ecuador, “A Son of Man,” Jamaicanoproblem, director;

Egypt, “Yomeddine,” A.B. Shawky, director;

Estonia, “Take It or Leave It,” Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo, director;

Finland, “Euthanizer,” Teemu Nikki, director;

France, “Memoir of War,” Emmanuel Finkiel, director;

Georgia, “Namme,” Zaza Khalvashi, director;

Germany, “Never Look Away,” Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director;

Greece, “Polyxeni,” Dora Masklavanou, director;

Hong Kong, “Operation Red Sea,” Dante Lam, director;

Hungary, “Sunset,” László Nemes, director;

Iceland, “Woman at War,” Benedikt Erlingsson, director;

India, “Village Rockstars,” Rima Das, director;

Indonesia, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” Mouly Surya, director;

Iran, “No Date, No Signature,” Vahid Jalilvand, director;

Iraq, “The Journey,” Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji, director;

Israel, “The Cakemaker,” Ofir Raul Graizer, director;

Italy, “Dogman,” Matteo Garrone, director;

Japan, “Shoplifters,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, director;

Kazakhstan, “Ayka,” Sergey Dvortsevoy, director;

Kenya, “Supa Modo,” Likarion Wainaina, director;

Kosovo, “The Marriage,” Blerta Zeqiri, director;

Latvia, “To Be Continued,” Ivars Seleckis, director;

Lebanon, “Capernaum,” Nadine Labaki, director;

Lithuania, “Wonderful Losers: A Different World,” Arunas Matelis, director;

Luxembourg, “Gutland,” Govinda Van Maele, director;

Macedonia, “Secret Ingredient,” Gjorce Stavreski, director;

Malawi, “The Road to Sunrise,” Shemu Joyah, director;

Mexico, “Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón, director;

Montenegro, “Iskra,” Gojko Berkuljan, director;

Morocco, “Burnout,” Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, director;

Nepal, “Panchayat,” Shivam Adhikari, director;

Netherlands, “The Resistance Banker,” Joram Lürsen, director;

New Zealand, “Yellow Is Forbidden,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;

Niger, “The Wedding Ring,” Rahmatou Keïta, director;

Norway, “What Will People Say,” Iram Haq, director;

Pakistan, “Cake,” Asim Abbasi, director;

Palestine, “Ghost Hunting,” Raed Andoni, director;

Panama, “Ruben Blades Is Not My Name,” Abner Benaim, director;

Paraguay, “The Heiresses,” Marcelo Martinessi, director;

Peru, “Eternity,” Oscar Catacora, director;

Philippines, “Signal Rock,” Chito S. Roño, director;

Poland, “Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski, director;

Portugal, “Pilgrimage,” João Botelho, director;

Romania, “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” Radu Jude, director;

Russia, “Sobibor,” Konstantin Khabensky, director;

Serbia, “Offenders,” Dejan Zecevic, director;

Singapore, “Buffalo Boys,” Mike Wiluan, director;

Slovakia, “The Interpreter,” Martin Šulík, director;

Slovenia, “Ivan,” Janez Burger, director;

South Africa, “Sew the Winter to My Skin,” Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, director;

South Korea, “Burning,” Lee Chang-dong, director;

Spain, “Champions,” Javier Fesser, director;

Sweden, “Border,” Ali Abbasi, director;

Switzerland, “Eldorado,” Markus Imhoof, director;

Taiwan, “The Great Buddha+,” Hsin-Yao Huang, director;

Thailand, “Malila The Farewell Flower,” Anucha Boonyawatana, director;

Tunisia, “Beauty and the Dogs,” Kaouther Ben Hania, director;

Turkey, “The Wild Pear Tree,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;

Ukraine, “Donbass,” Sergei Loznitsa, director;

United Kingdom, “I Am Not a Witch,” Rungano Nyoni, director;

Uruguay, “Twelve-Year Night,” Álvaro Brechner, director;

Venezuela, “The Family,” Gustavo Rondón Córdova, director;

Vietnam, “The Tailor,” Buu Loc Tran, Kay Nguyen, directors;

Yemen, “10 Days before the Wedding,” Amr Gamal, director.

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019.

The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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Family of Mexican Superstar Singer, "Juan Gabriel," Releases Statement

Statement from Family of “Juan Gabriel”

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alberto Aguilera Valadez “Juan Gabriel” passed away suddenly earlier today (Sunday, August 28, 2016), as has been widely reported. Juan Gabriel was a giant in the music industry and is as popular now as ever. As importantly, Juan Gabriel was a beloved father and grandfather. He is survived by his sons and grandchildren.

Juan Gabriel’s son Ivan Aguilera stated, “My father’s untimely passing is a tragic loss for all of us, his family, colleagues, and fans alike. We give heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of condolences we have received from around the world including from President Enrique Pena Nieto. We know that our father will miss entertaining his countless fans, who brought him tremendous joy in life.”

The family will release further details regarding Juan Gabriel’s passing in the coming days. In the meantime, the family respectfully asks Juan Gabriel’s fans and the worldwide media to allow them this very brief window to mourn the loss of Juan Gabriel.

Inquiries should be directed to Wragg & Casas Public Relations.

Contacts

Wragg & Casas Public Relations
Jeanmarie Ferrara, 305-458-3778
jferrara@wraggcasas.com

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76 Nations Compete for Five 2013 Foreign Film Oscar Nominations

76 Countries In Competition For 2013 Foreign Language Film Oscar®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®.  Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants; Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.

The 2013 submissions are:

Afghanistan, "Wajma – An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram, director;
Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina, director;
Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo, director;
Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt, director;
Austria, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler, director;
Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev, director;
Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonça Filho, director;
Bulgaria, "The Color of the Chameleon," Emil Hristov, director;
Cambodia, "The Missing Picture," Rithy Panh, director;
Canada, "Gabrielle," Louise Archambault, director;
Chad, "GriGris," Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director;
Chile, "Gloria," Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, "Back to 1942," Feng Xiaogang, director;
Colombia, "La Playa DC," Juan Andrés Arango, director;
Croatia, "Halima’s Path," Arsen Anton Ostojic, director;
Czech Republic, "The Don Juans," Jiri Menzel, director;
Denmark, "The Hunt," Thomas Vinterberg, director;
Dominican Republic, "Quien Manda?" Ronni Castillo, director;
Ecuador, "The Porcelain Horse," Javier Andrade, director;
Egypt, "Winter of Discontent," Ibrahim El Batout, director;
Estonia, "Free Range," Veiko Ounpuu, director;
Finland, "Disciple," Ulrika Bengts, director;
France, "Renoir," Gilles Bourdos, director;
Georgia, "In Bloom," Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross, directors;
Germany, "Two Lives," Georg Maas, director;
Greece, "Boy Eating the Bird’s Food," Ektoras Lygizos, director;
Hong Kong, "The Grandmaster," Wong Kar-wai, director;
Hungary, "The Notebook," Janos Szasz, director;
Iceland, "Of Horses and Men," Benedikt Erlingsson, director;
India, "The Good Road," Gyan Correa, director;
Indonesia, "Sang Kiai," Rako Prijanto, director;
Iran, "The Past," Asghar Farhadi, director;
Israel, "Bethlehem," Yuval Adler, director;
Italy, "The Great Beauty," Paolo Sorrentino, director;
Japan, "The Great Passage," Ishii Yuya, director;
Kazakhstan, "Shal," Yermek Tursunov, director;
Latvia, "Mother, I Love You," Janis Nords, director;
Lebanon, "Blind Intersections," Lara Saba, director;
Lithuania, "Conversations on Serious Topics," Giedre Beinoriute, director;
Luxembourg, "Blind Spot," Christophe Wagner, director;
Mexico, "Heli," Amat Escalante, director;
Moldova, "All God’s Children," Adrian Popovici, director;
Montenegro, "Ace of Spades - Bad Destiny," Drasko Djurovic, director;
Morocco, "Horses of God," Nabil Ayouch, director;
Nepal, "Soongava: Dance of the Orchids," Subarna Thapa, director;
Netherlands, "Borgman," Alex van Warmerdam, director;
New Zealand, "White Lies," Dana Rotberg, director;
Norway, "I Am Yours," Iram Haq, director;
Pakistan, "Zinda Bhaag," Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, directors;
Palestine, "Omar," Hany Abu-Assad, director;
Peru, "The Cleaner," Adrian Saba, director;
Philippines, "Transit," Hannah Espia, director;
Poland, "Walesa. Man of Hope," Andrzej Wajda, director;
Portugal, "Lines of Wellington," Valeria Sarmiento, director;
Romania, "Child’s Pose," Calin Peter Netzer, director;
Russia, "Stalingrad," Fedor Bondarchuk, director;
Saudi Arabia, "Wadjda," Haifaa Al Mansour, director;
Serbia, "Circles," Srdan Golubovic, director;
Singapore, "Ilo Ilo," Anthony Chen, director;
Slovak Republic, "My Dog Killer," Mira Fornay, director;
Slovenia, "Class Enemy," Rok Bicek, director;
South Africa, "Four Corners," Ian Gabriel, director;
South Korea, "Juvenile Offender," Kang Yi-kwan, director;
Spain, "15 Years Plus a Day," Gracia Querejeta, director;
Sweden, "Eat Sleep Die," Gabriela Pichler, director;
Switzerland, "More than Honey," Markus Imhoof, director;
Taiwan, "Soul," Chung Mong-Hong, director;
Thailand, "Countdown," Nattawut Poonpiriya, director;
Turkey, "The Butterfly’s Dream," Yilmaz Erdogan, director;
Ukraine, "Paradjanov," Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova, directors;
United Kingdom, "Metro Manila," Sean Ellis, director;
Uruguay, "Anina," Alfredo Soderguit, director;
Venezuela, "Breach in the Silence," Luis Alejandro Rodríguez and Andrés Eduardo Rodríguez, directors.

The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

"Blue is the Warmest Color" Wins 2013 Palme d'Or

by Lucy Troy

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival was held in Cannes, France from May 15 to May 26, 2013. I’ve included a list of winners of the “In Competition” categories, the main competition in which films compete for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. I’ve included the winners from three other competitions: “Un Certain Regard,” “Cinefondation,” and the “Golden Camera.”

The “Grand Prix” is the second most prestigious prize given at Cannes, after the Palme d’Or. The competition known as “Un Certain Regard” is a part of Cannes that runs parallel to the competition for the Palme d’Or.

Steven Spielberg headed the jury for the main competition. Twenty films competed for the Palme d’Or. Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinefondation and Short Film sections.

The lesbian romance and drama, Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele, won the Palme d’Or. Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1960s folk tale, Inside Llewyn Davis, took the second prize, the Grand Prix.

In an unusual move, the jury gave the Palme d’Or not just to Blue is the Warmest Color’s director, Abdellatif Kechiche, but also to the film’s two stars, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. Adele Exarchopoulos portrays a 15-year-old girl whose life is changed when she falls in love with an older woman, played by Lea Seydoux. The three-hour film caught headlines and gained notoriety for its lengthy, graphic sex scenes.

2013/66th Cannes Film Festival winners:

FEATURE FILMS:

Palme d'Or:
LA VIE D'ADÈLE - CHAPITRE 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche

Grand Prix:
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Award for Best Director:
Amat Escalante for HELI

Award for Best Screenplay:
JIA Zhangke for TIAN ZHU DING (A Touch of Sin)

Award for Best Actress:
Bérénice Bejo in LE PASSÉ (THE PAST) directed by Asghar Farhadi

Award for Best Actor:
Bruce Dern in NEBRASKA directed by Alexander Payne

Jury Prize:
SOSHITE CHICHI NI NARU (Like Father, Like Son) directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu

Vulcain Prize for an artist technician, awarded by the C.S.T.:
GRIGRIS directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

SHORT FILMS:

Palme d'Or - Short Film:
SAFE directed by Byoung-Gon Moon

Short Film Special Distinction Ex-aequo:
• HVALFJORDUR (WHALE VALLEY) directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
• 37°4 S directed by Adriano Valeio

UN CERTAIN REGARD:

Prize of Un Certain Regard:
L'IMAGE MANQUANTE (The missing picture) directed by Rithy Panh

Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard:
OMAR directed by Hany Abu-Assad

Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard:
L'INCONNU DU LAC (Stranger by the Lake) directed by Alain Guiraudie

A Certain Talent Prize:
LA JAULA DE ORO played by Diego Quemada-Diez

Avenir Prize:
FRUITVALE STATION directed by Ryan Coogler

CINEFONDATION:

1st Prize Cinéfondation:
NEEDLE directed by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh

2nd Prize Cinéfondation:
EN ATTENDANT LE DÉGEL (Waiting for the Thaw) directed by Sarah Hirtt

3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo:
• ÎN ACVARIU (IN THE FISHBOWL) directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
• PANDY (PANDAS) directed by Matúš Vizár

GOLDEN CAMERA:

Caméra d'or:
ILO ILO directed by Anthony Chen

Review: "Pan’s Labyrinth" is a Fantasy Film Masterpiece (Happy B'day, Guillermo del Toro)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 95 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
El Laberinto del fauno – Spanish title
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico/Spain/USA; Language: Spanish
Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic violence and some language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro
PRODUCERS: Álvaro Augustín, Alfonso Cuarón, Bertha Navarro, Guillermo del Toro, and Frida Torresblanco
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro
EDITOR: Bernat Vilaplana
COMPOSER: Javier Navarrete
2007 Academy Award winner

FANTASY/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergí López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo, Manolo Solo, César Vea, and Roger Casamajor

The subject of this movie review is Pan’s Labyrinth, a 2006 Mexican fantasy film. The film is directed by Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro.

Set in post-World War II Spain during the regime of Francisco Franco, El Laberinto del fauno (or Pan’s Labyrinth) is director Guillermo del Toro’s adult fairy tale that blends classic folklore with 20th Century political themes in a manner similar to del Toro’s Spanish Civil War-set The Devil’s Backbone (2001).

Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a dreamy girl who loves to read fairy tales, finds herself moved to a forest military outpost with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), at the behest of her stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergí López). Ofelia feels powerless and lonely, and except for her mother, makes one new friend, the outpost’s housekeeper, Mercedes (Maribel Verdú).

While exploring the forest, Ofelia stumbles upon a decaying garden labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun, Pan (Doug Jones). Teasing and enigmatic, he tells Ofelia that she is really the lost Princess Moanna, who rightfully belongs in another world. Pan offers Ofelia a chance to prove herself – three tasks that will prove that her time in the mortal world has not washed away all of her immortality. As difficult as the tasks are, Ofelia must not only face the monsters of magical world, but also the ones in her daily life, especially Vidal and his brutal campaign against a band of anti-Franco rebels who hide in the forest.

Although many directors are called visionary, Guillermo del Toro certainly deserves the label, and I like to think of him as a Latin parallel to director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). His devotion to gothic horror has resulted in dark, dark fantasy films that are both colorful and moody, as well as being filled with daring and innovative imagery.

Pan’s Labyrinth weighs against blind obedience to ideology, and favors devotion to friends and loved ones. It advocates sacrifice in place of unyielding selfishness and cruelty. Del Toro works these themes through the film using two narratives about two worlds. There is Ofelia’s harsh real world where her mother suffers a difficult pregnancy and her stepfather is a monster. The other world is one of the fantasy quest, which one can see as either literal or simply a figment of Ofelia’s vivid imagination. While both narratives may seem unconnected, they come together. One portrays the danger of belief that one’s ideology makes one superior to others and therefore has the power of life and death over them. The other deals with doing something that feels wrong out of desperation for reward – the end justifies the means.

The lovely performances and ingenious production add beauty to this ambitious and successfully executed story. In the end, Pan’s Labyrinth’s ideas do outweigh its grand imagination, and considering the visuals, that’s quite a feat.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 3 wins for “Best Achievement in Art Direction” (Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta), “Best Achievement in Cinematographer” (Guillermo Navarro), and “Best Achievement in Makeup” (David Martí and Montse Ribé); 3 nominations for “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score” (Javier Navarrete), “Best Foreign Language Film of the Year” (Mexico), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Guillermo del Toro)

2007 BAFTA Awards: 3 wins: “Best Costume Design” (Lala Huete), “Best Film not in the English Language” (Alfonso Cuarón, Bertha Navarro, Frida Torresblanco, and Guillermo del Toro), “Best Make Up & Hair” (José Quetglás and Blanca Sánchez); 5 nominations: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Edward Irastorza, Everett Burrell, David Martí, and Montse Ribé), “Best Cinematography” (Guillermo Navarro), “Best Production Design” (Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta), “Best Screenplay – Original” (Guillermo del Toro), “Best Sound” (Martín Hernández, Jaime Baksht, and Miguel Ángel Polo)

2007 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Foreign Language Film”

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

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Review: Young Casts Makes "THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE" Work (Happy B'day, Guillermo del Toro)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 150 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

El Espinazo del Diablo (2001)
The Devil’s Backbone – U.S.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico and Spain
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence, language and some sexuality
DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro
WRITERS: Antonio Trashorras, David Muñoz, and Guillermo del Toro
PRODUCERS: Agustín Almodóvar and Bertha Navarro
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Pedro Almodóvar and Guillermo del Toro
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro
EDITOR: Luis de la Madrid
COMPOSER: Javier Navarrete

DRAMA/THRILLER with elements of mystery and fantasy

Starring: Fernando Tielve, Iñigo Garcés, Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Irene Visedo, and Junio Valverde

Set during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War, The Devil’s Backbone is the story of Carlos (Fernando Tielve), a 12-year-old orphan who is the latest arrival at Santa Lucia School. The School is an imposing stone building that shelters orphans of the Republican militia and Red politicians and also children left behind by their parents because of the civil war. There are, of course, dark doings at the school, involving the usual suspects of sexual intrigue, secret murder, and hidden gold. It is Santi (Junio Valverde), the ghost of that secret murder victim, who holds the key to the story’s resolution and to justice.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, who has had movie hits in the United States with such fantasy comic book adaptations as Blade II and Hellboy, The Devil’s Backbone is in the fine tradition of Spanish and Latin American storytelling that allows for ghosts and the spirits to play an active part in real world drama. The film is an expertly crafted thriller and poignant drama that is as scary and as intense as traditional horror films and manages this while being a quiet character drama.

In a way, The Devil’s Backbone is very difficult to categorize, it could be classified as a drama, thriller, mystery, or horror film. The characters are important to the film, but the school’s haunted atmosphere (even more so than the ghost) and its aura of misery are as important. The film would clearly fit into the fantasy genre, but it is firmly grounded in characters with real world needs, feelings, desires, and thoughts. In the end, the most important thing about the film is that it is simply a good story.

Early in the movie, the adult characters seem as if they’re going to control the show, but in the end, it is the young actors who shine. And it’s not so much that one juvenile actor dominates (although individual young characters have the larger parts than others), it’s the youthful cast as a whole that makes this story work on so many levels, as everything from a crime drama to haunted campfire tale.

8 of 10
A

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"In a Better World" from Denmark Wins Best Foreign Language Film Oscar

Foreign Language Film

“In a Better World” Denmark WINNER

“Biutiful” Mexico

“Dogtooth” Greece

“Incendies” Canada

“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

2011 Oscar Nominations: Foreign Language Film

Foreign Language Film


“Biutiful” Mexico

“Dogtooth” Greece

“In a Better World” Denmark

“Incendies” Canada

“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Review: "Cronos" is a Different Kind of Vampire Flick (Happy B'day, Guillermo del Toro)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 194 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Cronos (1993)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico (Languages: English and Spanish)
MPAA - R for horror violence and for language
Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro
PRODUCERS: Arthur Gorson and Bertha Navarro
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro
EDITOR: Raúl Dávalos

HORROR

Starring: Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Margarita Isabel, and Tamara Shanath

Cronos is writer/director Guillermo del Toro’s novel take on the vampire myth. The “Cronos Device” is a golden, elegant, mechanized scarab that grants the gift or curse of eternal life to those who would wear it. Inside the scarab is a tiny insect of unknown origin, and when the device stabs a mechanical pincer into the flesh of the wearer, injecting them with a substance from the insect that gives the wearer immortality.

Jesús Gris (Federico Luppi), an aging antique dealer, finds the scarab and inadvertently uses it, unaware that the device comes with instructions written on a set of ancient documents. Those are in the possession of Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook), a wealthy industrialist slowly dying of some debilitating disease (likely cancer), a man who has been searching long and hard for the Cronos Device. Dieter uses his nephew and heir, Angel (Ron Perlman), as a heavy to obtain the device from Jesús, which leads to a protracted, bloody, and gruesome dispute between all parties involved in the struggle for immortality and the Cronos Device.

As a film, Cronos likely passes as a horror movie, but as a story, it’s more dark fantasy than anything else. Visually, Cronos has a striking, almost golden-hued or gilded gloomy look. The story is nice, and though he doesn’t pay off on the concept’s potential, del Toro creates a number of decidedly creepy images. Still, the golden earth tones, unique art direction, and mechanical effects make this a decidedly different kind of horror tale, worth viewing by those who take their movie watching seriously.

6 of 10
B

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Review: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" - Robert Rodriguez's "Mexico Trilogy" Stumbled to the Finish Line

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 142 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong violence and for language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez
PRODUCERS: Elizabeth Avellan, Carlos Gallardo, and Robert Rodriguez
CINEMATOGRAPHER/COMPOSER/EDITOR: Robert Rodriguez

ACTION/CRIME/DRAMA

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Mickey Rourke, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Enrique Inglesias, Marco Leonardi, Cheech Marin, Ruben Blades, Gerardo Vigil, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., and Willem Dafoe

Take a Sergio Leone spaghetti western like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and spin it on its head; add the flavor of the Southwest and Mexico, and you just might have director Robert Rodriguez’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a follow up of sorts to his 1995 film Desperado, itself a remake of Rodriguez’s El Mariachi. The film is certainly unique, being a mixture of several genres, but not really being like anything else in particular. As with most Rodriguez’s work, the film is of his own unique and zesty recipe, even if the film ends up being quite messy.

Sands (Johnny Depp) maybe a rogue agent of the Central Intelligence Agency, but like a lot of things in this movie, it’s not entirely clear what he is and what he wants. He hires the legendary El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas, reprising his role from Desperado), the guitar case assassin, and his compadres to kill Mexico’s El Presidente (Pedro Armendariz). Sands, however, is into manipulating a whole slew of players including a police officer (Eva Mendes) for whom he has amorous feelings, retired FBI agent (Ruben Blades) and a drug lord (Willem Dafoe), among others. It’s an explosive plan Sands has set for detonation during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, but he just might find himself scorched by the explosion.

Once Upon a Time has a lot going on in it, and there is so much to see; the film is literally a visual feast. Its most glaring deficit, probably the most important element, is a weak story and an even weaker script. Even if you take this film at its face value, which is that the tale is more impressionistic and symbolic than literal, the narrative is too jumbled to make much sense. There’s a lot of goofiness in the hyper-violence, and the film’s action sequences have a rapid and rabid, colorful, manic, music video cool about them. The film’s color palette is so lush and delicious that the film seems practically edible. Still, when all the dazzling is done, by the end of the film, the best you can do is agree that it seems as if the good guys won.

The acting (what there is of it) is mostly good, and Depp (He’s one of those actors that the camera really loves) steals the show. He is, however, not the lead, and although this is an ensemble drama, his character, if not the most important, is played by the most intriguing cast member. Maybe, he should have been the lead and his character more than just a catalyst (the crap starter) because Banderas, as the central figure here, just doesn’t work.

Rodriguez, as usual, is a one-man gang filmmaker. A musician, he scored the film, and edited it. He shot the film himself using digital video camera technology (which filmmaker George Lucas introduced him to in 2000), and he is, of course co-producer, writer, and director. I’m impressed with his verve, but I wish there was a little more meat to Rodriguez’s film. He’s a jack-of-all-trades, but sometimes, he doesn’t seem to be very good at any one. This is one of those times when a collaborator or two would have better served the end product. Once Upon a Time in Mexico is a good idea that doesn’t come to fruition. Although on the surface it may seem otherwise, it ends up being like a lot of summer action flicks, full of sound and fury, and not, surprisingly, empty.

5 of 10
C+

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Review: "Desperado" Both Beautiful and Brutal

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 65 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Desperado (1995)
Running time: 106 minutes (1 hour, 46 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong bloody violence, a strong sex sequence, and language
DIRECTOR/WRITER/EDITOR: Robert Rodriguez
PRODUCERS: Bill Borden and Robert Rodriguez
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Guillermo Navarro

ACTION/WESTERN with elements of crime

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Joaquim de Almeida, Cheech Marin, Steve Buscemi, Carlos Gomez, Quentin Tarantino, Tito Larriva, Carlos Gallardo, Albert Michel, Jr., and Danny Trejo

Robert Rodriguez followed up his ultra-low budget independent thriller, El Mariachi, with the larger-budgeted ($7 million, which is low by Hollywood standards) Desperado. The film is a slightly re-imagined sequel. El Mariachi is now played by Antonio Banderas, replacing Carlos Gallardo, who played the character in the original film and who does make a cameo appearance here. This time the no-named musician (we do learn his name by the end of the film) is stalking Bucho (Joaquim de Almeida), the last Mexican drug lord with connections to the death of his girlfriend (as seen in the first film). He meets Carolina (Salma Hayek), a beautiful bookstore owner and falls in love with her while also taking on a small army of Bucho’s henchmen in a small, dusty border town. El Mariachi learns, however, that Bucho has a strong link to his past.

Some described Robert Rodriguez’s poetic way of presenting violence in this movie to the cinematic styles of John Woo and Sam Peckinpah, and the shoot-‘em-ups in Desperado are indeed eye candy, especially the violence in the first hour of this film. This first half of the film sparkles with black comedy, acerbic wit, and violent slapstick, but as the film goes on, it begins to list. The romantic scenes are dry and are only road bumps in the narrative. Whereas El Mariachi was short and tightly efficient, Desperado is a bit long and a little padded. Still, the combination of Guillermo Navarro’s warmly hued photography and Rodriguez’s visual acumen make for a beautiful, brutal, ballet of film violence, proving that violence does indeed look good on film, if the director knows what he’s doing. And with each movie, Rodriguez proves to be a natural born moviemaker.

7 of 10
B+

Monday, May 16, 2005

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Review: Superb "El Mariachi" Introduced Robert Rodriguez

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 64 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux

El Mariachi (1992)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mexico/USA; Language: Spanish
Running time: 81 minutes (1 hour, 21 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Robert Rodriguez
PRODUCERS: Carlos Gallardo and Robert Rodriguez
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR: Robert Rodriguez

ACTION/CRIME/THRILLER/WESTERN

Starring: Carlos Gallardo, Consuelo Gomez, Jamie de Hoyos, Reinol Martinez, and Peter Marquardt

The virtual one-man film studio, Robert Rodriguez, introduced himself to audiences around 1993 with his film, El Mariachi. The film, which garnered Rodriguez and his producing partner, Carlos Garner, an Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature,” chronicles the travails of an unnamed traveling musician known only as El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo) who is mistaken for Azul (Reinol Martinez), a murderous criminal who carries his arsenal in a guitar case.

Both El Mariachi and Azul dress in black and carry a guitar case. Azul goes on a murdering rampage to get money owed to him by a former criminal associate, Mauricio (Peter Marquardt), also know as Moco. Azul kills several of Moco’s men, so Moco sends some of his hired killers out for Azul. They mistake El Mariachi for Azul; however, the musician is capable of defending himself, and he kills several of Moco’s men. El Mariachi takes up with a local bar owner, while he tries to straighten the mess he’s in, but it’s still all heading for a violent confrontation.

El Mariachi also won the “Audience Award” at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, and Columbia Pictures bought the film and distributed it later in the year. Like everyone who has seen it, I’m amazed that this tense, action thriller was filmed for $7,000. The truth of the matter is that Rodriguez is just super skilled at making the most of what he’s got, even if it’s very little.

The actors are mostly amateurs and people off the streets in a small town in Mexico, but Rodriguez makes them look like professionals. The action sequences are more riveting than those from most big-budget action movies. El Mariachi is a gun-slinging modern western that gives life to the genre, although its setting is almost a century after the setting for traditional westerns. Rodriguez takes “The Man with No Name” attitude of such Clint Eastwood films as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars and turns it into a raw, unpolished street fight. This is brilliant, bravado filmmaking that is perfect for action movie fans and movie lovers.

8 of 10
A

Monday, May 16, 2005

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