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La mujer del animal (2016)
Warning, spoiler: The Animal is the most despicable villain in film history.
The Animal is a dirty, rotten, nasty, bastard. If he was a victim in ten straight Saw movies, he still wouldn't get what he deserves. At one point, I wanted Alan Rickman to sweep in and gouge his beating heart out with a spoon. On the serious side, this film is a gritty exposé of Colombian poverty, and social dynamics within that community. The film is an exposed-nerve of a social drama, not for the faint of heart. There is rape, and unspeakable violence towards women, not just physical, but psycho-emotional. If you are not familiar with director Victor Gaviria, the guy is a genius. He's the Vittorio De Sica of Colombia. He's the Scorsese of the Medellin ghetto. Go see for yourself. The Animal's Woman is a return to the world of Colombia's poor, after his bad-ass exploration of the Narco game, Sumas Y Restas, released in 2005.
The Racket (1928)
One of the lost gems of the noir genre.
Only Howard Hughes could have pulled off something as subversive as the racket. It contains (as far as I can tell) the first reference of cocaine use in any American film. The casting is perfect. From the broken-nosed tough to the dangerously sexy gun-moll, you'd be hard pressed to find a better team of hard-boiled noir players. The film is filled with exotic images. The woman with a face on the top of her hat. The violin with a trumpet horn attached to it. The Hollywood establishment would have never made this film.
Like Vampyr, which was made in Germany with independent money in 1932, the film is pregnant with the artistic audacity that only non-Hollywood money can bring into a production. The Racket is worth the search. If you like the gangster genre, you will not be disappointed.
Winchester '73 (1950)
affirms the classic image of good versus evil...
The narrative affirms the classic image of good versus evil in the form of a struggle of brother against brother. The main character, Lin Macadam, played by James Stewart, represents justice and righteousness. His brother, who operates under the persona of Dutch Henry Brown, played by Stephen McNally, stands for the classic stage-coach robbing western outlaw, chased by his brother for having killed their father. The world the story takes place is the classic dystopian west where the only way to prevent its inhabitants from killing each other is to take away their sidearms as soon as they enter town, and the man responsible for keeping this law and order is the classic western lawman Wyat Earp.
Present as well are such flat characters typical of the western, such as the murderous Indian warrior, the besieged cavalryman, and the bonnet-clad damsel in distress.
Another important archetype in this film, that which gives the film it's name, is a custom made Winchester rifle. The weapon can be viewed as an allegory for the rewards given to those who do things honorably. Once it is stolen from its rightful owner, it brings tragedy to everyone that comes in contact with it. In this sense it resembles other such icons like the holy grail in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the blood stained letter in Saving Private Ryan. This gives the film an element of surrealism which is usually absent from westerns, a genre not known for esoteric themes and symbols.
Being essentially a revenge film, it shares this element with many other examples of the genre, such as Jack Arnold's No Name on the Bullet, and Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven.
There is also a tacit theme of rape in Winchester '73. Waco Johnny Dean, one of the film's villains played very effectively by Dan Duryea, abducts a woman after killing her husband. The volatile cowboy toys with the tenderfoot husband, and dispatches him like a caricature of a cat toying with an insect before biting its head off. Waco Johnny Dean eventually gets what is coming to him after coming in contact with the ominous Winchester rifle.
The main story of Winchester '73 is reminiscent of the mythological tale of Jason and his quest for the golden fleece, as told in Apollonius' Argonautica. Both stories deal with the acquisition of a sacred object that possesses some sort of intangible quality. Like Jason, Stewart's character hops from one adventure to the next in search of a one-of-a- kind prize. Another theme in Winchester '73 that is similar to a mythic tale is the struggle between brothers. Several stories of antiquity deal with this issue, such as the Hebrew Bible's tale of Cain and Abel, and the vulgate tale of Romulus and Remus.
As for the theme of abduction and rape present in Anthony Mann's film, it is present in many mythological works, such as the rape of Europa as told by Ovid in his Metamorphoses.
Winchester '73 is a fine example of the western genre, and acts as the objective correlative for many classic American western and ancient mythological themes.
RoboCop (1987)
a meditation on the detritus of modernity...
Robocop was a definite commercial success both in the United States and overseas.
It has since become a classic example of the futurist genre alongside such great films as The Road Warrior, Blade Runner, and the much overlooked Charleton Heston classic Soylent Green.
The thematic intertextuality of these films is clear, as they all deal in one way or another with issues such as overpopulation, the deterioration of the human lifestyle, consumerism and the corporation as the root of all evil.
Robocop has earned it's place in popular culture as a prime example of its genre and has been nominated for Academy Awards in film editing and sound.
Director Paul Verhoeven won the Saturn award in 1988 for his work on Robocop, and the film went on to receive more than a dozen awards and nominations including BAFTA and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Robocop has become a classic meditation on the detritus of modernity, and reminds us not to lose our humanity in the rat race of the post industrial world.
Jackass Number Two (2006)
A Masterpiece!!!
Made with style and wit.
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Oro blanco, droga maldita (1985)
If Tarantino was Latin...
I am a huge fan of Latin gangster films and Oro Blanco just made my day. As I watched it, more and more details captured my attention. The film was shot in Colombia, with local actors, but the dialog was dubbed in Mexico, trust me, if you speak Spanish, this will trip you out. From the cheesy retro score to the surprisingly well done (for the budget) aerial-duel scene between Colombian Cartel-Men in Cessnas, and the totally unexpected double-homicide-by-moll scene, this movie is a Latin cult classic just waiting to be discovered. A must see for any aspiring Latin filmmaker. Keep your eyes open for one of the original cast members of "Sabados Felices", as one of the Mafiosos, and veteran actor Gregorio Casal as the Colombian Cartel Capo.