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Un mundo maravilloso (2006)
It sure IS like Mexico!
Not the best movie I've seen... not even dark, acid enough. It is to be taken as a farcical look at Mexican social reality.
Some things aren't shown the way they really are in my country, such as the ideal family portrayed in it or even the house or neighborhood they live in.
But the way public officials deal with matters such as those they are confronted to in this movie is close enough. The way super-rich live also pretty close to reality, houses and all (and yes, there really are super-rich people in Mexico... one of them even ranks just below Bill Gates according to Fortune Magazine).
As for the poor... millions of people live like that in my country, way below any concept of dignity or any other ideas or social values we are fortunate to have been taught and live by. They are born and die in misery, without the faintest hope of ever getting out of poverty. To be sure, they are not that articulate or sympathetic, of course, so you need actors and a script to play their roles, and that way it is actually possible to be entertained for two hours by their coming and goings, which in real life are much too harsh and painful to be called tragedy.
But particular features of any given human existence taken out, the movie lets you catch a glimpse of what could be called the results of the World's economic and political organization.
And then, it could also be called tragedy.
Unfaithful (2002)
It raises the bar
The story of a straying wife in an erotic-turned-thriller film is pretty much a well established subgenre in the movie industry.
One can be certain that it will contain several invariable ingredients like nudity, explicit sex, an almost unbelievable good lover as the man outside the marriage and as a general rule, at least one of the three involved will die.
However, results may vary depending on the quality of those ingredients, which is quite evident in the case of Unfaithful. An experimented and skilled director, along with excellent actors, make a whole world of difference, even for a plot that is probably as old as the institution of marriage itself.
Unfaithful is, in this sense, sort of a closure film, rather than ground breaking or even originally told. By no means, of course, will this be the last of its kind.
Richard Gere seems well adjusted to the role of supporting character for female co-stars that steal every scene, which also happened in Pretty Woman.
In short, Unfaithful raises the bar for the cheating wife subgenre and is very unlikely that we will see another comparable film about this subject any time soon.
Bitter Moon (1992)
Shocking to the utmost, masterfully directed.
This is a film that is structured to be sour and poignant from every angle, and a very clear example of how to play with your audience's emotions, which can only be delivered by a really skillful director.
Although it starts very simple, the story starts grabbing you in a way that leaves you totally exposed and vulnerable, a sitting duck for just about any emotional shock, of which there are plenty.
If you are planning to watch this one, be prepared, for it is not a conventional or even predictable drama.
Lone Star (1996)
Complex and captivating
This is a movie about people and how they relate to their environment, as well as how the environment guides their lives and position in life.
What sounds like a cliché (and not a very good one) turns out to be a powerful premise for a film that is both balanced and compelling, grabbing one's attention through a rich and complex plot that shows the coexistence of three different ethnic groups in a small town on the U.S. border with México, each one with a reason to be there. Without really making any social or political point, it certainly depicts an interesting subplot out of the racial issue, in a community where openness has not totally erased mistrust.
The effective portrayal of characters is also to be noted, as well as the overall craftmanship of the film.
One more thing: Despite the fact that the story is placed in southern Texas, there is a sheriff present and a lot of characters use cowboy hats, I wouldn't be sure this is enough to make this movie a western.
54 (1998)
Falls short in almost every aspect.
I really had a big expectation about this movie. I was a kid in the disco era, but still enjoyed its decisively vigorous, if vacuous and musically sterile, tunes. And of course, it was (still is) the culminating point of dance music. However, when I listen to disco music, specially now that I am able to understand the joyful and morally permissive atmosphere of the 70's and early 80's, I get a feeling of awe that is somewhat lost in the film.
And the film itself seems lost as to whether it is about the mostly underdeveloped characters, or the irresponsible fun-culture of the time.
Anyway, the biggest surprise it that this is a criticism of the hedonistic spirit that reached its highest point in the club's parties; in fact this flick was more like a fable -a gross one- complete with a moral.
So, as I heard so many people say... Boy: did the studio mess up with this one!
Twogether (1992)
A sybaritic painter and a misguided environmentalist strive to develop a relationship out of a casual fling.
This is a movie that explores to a certain deep the very unstable circumstances under which a couple can try to experience love, even pretending to have everything in control. In fact, with some less characters it could be a documentary about the making, growth and death of love itself.
It sure has the virtue to take the viewer on an emotional roller-coaster, although it fails to compound more complex scenarios to unveil the crisis that seems inevitable from the very start of the film.
The story begins with the introduction of John Madler, an hedonist painter who can't seem to relate to any woman on a long-term basis. Shortly after wards, he meets Allison McKenzie, a young and beautiful woman who, while being capable of throwing herself to a very enjoyable affair, keeps turning into a fragile-spirited girl looking for self assurance.
True, it appeals to common places all too often, both when it comes to explaining the characters and when the characters themselves open their mouths. If nothing else, it proves to filmmakers that the borderline between verisimilitude and expressing yourself as an author is, at best, unclear.
Personally, I also find it worth of praise that every so often it comes close to turn out really bad and then, it just doesn't.
Performances, on the other hand, are quite convincing, specially Brenda Bakke's, who manages to display a very extended range of emotions. Nick Cassavetes characterization is also remarkable, with less honorific mentions to the rest of the cast.
In my very personal opinion, is worth watching whether you are interested in identifying the constituent elements of a rather simple plot or if -which is more likely- you are just sentimental.