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Reviews
Imagining Argentina (2003)
Not Bad, Not Amazing
First of all, let's address the fact that this movie is not as bad as I'd heard it was. That being said, it wasn't amazing either. I think they had their heart in the right place in that they tried to convey how horrible and inhumane the climate was in Argentina during the military dictatorship, and I especially liked that they tell the viewer all the places where this is happening right now or has happened. The one major complaint I have with this movie is the whole magical realism/clairvoyance deal in the plot. It detracts from the message of the film. I love Emma Thompson and as usual she's great in this film. She shows grace and humanity in situations that are not easy to handle. Antonio Banderas is great too, but unfortunately his character gets saddled with the aforementioned psychic type deal. I think if that had been left out Banderas would have had more to work with. The rest of the characters come across as more symbolic than anything. I wish we could have seen them as individuals instead of as standing in for the many "disappeared". It is said that sometimes the victims of crimes become faceless, but here they become only a face. I think the victims are owed a little more than that. Overall, it wasn't bad, but two far better films would be Missing with Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek, great film. and The Official Story. Those two manage to not only convey the horror, but the human aspect as well, or rather the dehumanizing aspect. See this movie if you like,you could do worse, but if you want the real deal, go for Missing or The Official Story.
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Not Worth Your Time
I thought this movie was a complete waste of my time. It tried too hard to be artsy and say something and in the end it failed miserably. It's the story of these two teenage boys about to grow up who go on this road trip with an older woman. I won't go much into what happens there so as not to spoil the ending, but it seemed clichéd to me and incomprehensible. No offense to the actress, but it seems unlikely that two teenage boys would fall for someone like her. She lacks the level of physical attractiveness needed for the role. There is also a great deal of gratuitous nudity. The two male lead actors' boyish bodies leave one feeling disgusted. It's almost like watching two children, so gross. The lead actress is a poster child for anorexia and her emaciated body was not needed in the story. Thank goodness I fast forwarded through the film, otherwise I would have wasted two whole hours of my life. As is I want my time back. Oh, and being fluent in the language doesn't help any, all that served me for was understanding how crappy this movie was in two languages:it's original language and the subtitles in English.