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Reviews
Doña Diabla (1950)
Maria Felix is no witch
I don't know why other posters refer to Barf Bags and witch hunting in their reviews. I'm pretty sure it has absolutely nothing to do with this film, in which a woman, after committing a murder in the first scene, flees into a church, confessing her life story to a priest.
It is this story of hopeful marriage, the indignities brought on by her ambitious husband, and her vow to raise her daughter sheltered from the corruption of the world of men, even if it means damning her own soul.
Of course, nothing as extreme as witchcraft occurs. She gets the nickname 'Doña Diabla', or Madam Devil, mainly for her reputation for seducing men and ruining their lives. She becomes a shrewd manipulator and a skilled businesswoman. She gets involved in adultery, shady financial deals, marriage-breaking, leading others to ruin and even driving a woman to suicide. Of course the film redeems her because she did it all to provide her daughter with a decent, wealthy life.
It stars the glorious Maria Felix, a woman suited for a close-up, if there ever was one. Films like this made her reputation as a headstrong diva that was willing to play in the world of men by her own rules. This of course made her a National Legend, and she was the most popular actress in Mexico's Golden Age.
Of course.. this film has nothing to do with witchcraft, barf bags, or even nudity, this was after all, filmed in 1950!. I can only try and guess what those other posters had on their minds!!
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
HEY!!! Let's kick off the greatest decade in American Cinema
WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD
I firmly believe that the 70's were the best times in cinema, creators believed in experimentation and creating a solid national body of work with an underlying thread and renovation/innovation of film, comparable to Italian Neorrealism or the French New Wave, the 70's produced some of the best films in American Cinema, and actually had something original to say, unlike today's lack of originality and abundance of mindnumbing emptiness...
Five Easy Pieces started off the trend that had begun to shape around films like Easy Rider or Midnight Cowboy, dealing with deeper themes that reflected a deeper understanding of humanity's concerns that could only be hinted at during the Golden Age of the Studio System
It basically deals with a man that is caught between his potential and his aspirations(or lack of). Jack Nicholson really brings to the surfaces the inner conflicts of Robert Dupea, an oilrig worker that lives a working class existence, with it's usual insatisfaction, while at the same time is hiding or running away from his musically gifted family and his promising future as a Concert Pianist.
After learning that his father is ailing from a Stroke, he embarks on a Road Trip to visit his family in Puget Sound, and takes with him his bimbo girlfriend(a hysterically ugly Karen Black, but ugly not for her ugliness but for her attempts at being beautiful, Think Peggy Bundy). The Trip allows him to escape the mediocre life he has, and even comprehend his mediocrity and his wasted potential, while at the same time, the contact with his family and their "cultured" existence reminds him of why he left.
The master touch is the ending, in which he finally leaves the family and embarks on the road home with his pathetic excuse for a girlfriend. Stopping at a gas station he goes to the restroom, hangs his jacket and when he comes out, instead of heading for his car, asks a truck driver if he will let him ride along, running away again, from his unfulfilled potential, his mediocre life, a cold family and a woman that he doesn't even love. He heads off to find satisfaction of his unknown desires... Here you see he is above his family's intellectual games, his working class existence, and his unfulfilled life, he merely wanders in search of an existence where he will be satisfied.
By the way, the films title is an ironic reference to the piece he plays at home, flawlessly achieving a somewhat complicated Piece and then calling it one of the easiest pieces he can play.
A superb effort and a compelling, existential, character study that works because those involved succeed in portraying the complexity of insatisfaction
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Overrated!!
I pride myself of being a person who enjoys great movies, not just lame gag comedies or mindless explosion and killing Action movies, chick flix and emotional manipulative trifles aside, i tought that a Beautiful Mind would be a gripping emotional well crafted story...
I WAS WRONG...
It starts Boring and rarely lets up, with a "talented" lead actor playing Nash i wonder what all the buzz is about, i didn´t enjoy his performance, altough it was pretty much what i expected from a 4 face actor(Happy Face, Angry Face, Sad Face & im a serious actor face), at least the film has good supporting roles, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly and others, but clearly the STAR uses this film as his "Look at me i can make good movies" movie. I recently read in EW that they considered him one of the finest actors around, if that is true, it saddens me...
What i liked the least is the screenplay, which meant having to listen to predictable and often sappy dialogue (do you think space is infinite, yes i do, how do you know, i just believe so, the sames true for love... come on what the hell is that?) for the 2 hours and more that the film drags on... a tearjerker ending, etcetera this movie did not in my eyes deserve so much praise... but ive come to expect stuff like that from Ron Howard, i too loved him as Opie and as Richie Cunningham, but i dont enjoy his movies and i didnt enjoy this one. This is just proof that a movie can be marketed as a great movie, an eventually the critics and the audience believe it as so.
American Beauty (1999)
My Favorite Movie
This Movie and this Story in particular is so Great, the acting so precise, the directing flawless, that the only thing you will be sorry for after seeing this movie, is the fact that you hadn't seen it earlier
Kevin Spacey is so good in this movie he falls apart along with his character, he rises with his character, it easily could be said that at the end of the movie, Lester Burnham= Kevin Spacey, he is just so perfect for the role, nobody could have pulled it off like that, He has just the right Stuff, to play a loser who turns his life around. Annette Bening, the uptight Suburban Housewife, who brings home the Bacon, likes Elevator Music, is too much of a Hypocrite to end her shell of a Marriage. She has just the right amount of Plasticity, and Screamingness, to show us the annoying Wife, some sweet girls end up as.
I fully Believe that Mena Suvari deserved at least an Oscar Nomination for her role as the Not that Innocent Teen Queen, Wes Bentley, Thora Birch, so good in this movie, 3 young actors who show a lot of talent early.
The Screenplay is one of the Best I've heard, the Direction is a perfect model of how to make a movie with the Beautiful Dialogue and the Gorgeous Cinematography. If this is not one movie that leaves you satisfied and yearning for more, LOOK CLOSER
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Nicholson at his peak
We have always seen Jack Nicholson as somewhat of a Lunatic in his movies, slightly evil, slightly murderous, but never have we seen a bad performance.
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of the Movies that best suits to Jack's Style, not to mention his face, one look at his grin and you want to run to mama. Playing a convict who is not necessarily crazy, but does seem to be a challenge, but he pulls it off with such perfection that I dare you to find a flaw. The accompanying cast provides an interesting and colorful backdrop to his crazy shenanigans, but be on the lookout for the performance of Oscar Winner Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched, she is one evil nurse, she inhabits her role with such a powerful presence, that if she were really a nurse, most patients would pretend health just to be free. They really are memorable performances, capped off with Milos Forman's Best Work in my opinion, you really have a Grade A Movie.
A Word of Advice, if you have some petty grudge against any of the actors involved, leave it at the front Desk, and come inside the Ward, you will be pleasantly surprised
The Usual Suspects (1995)
This movie will leave your jaw on the floor
Quite possibly one of the most incredible movies of all time, every single actor gives a performance never to be forgotten, especially Kevin Spacey, nervous, not too bright, but what you don't believe is that he's the King of the Universe, that is until you find out what a phenomenal Liar he is, and how when you're a Mastermind Criminal, you better be as cunning as cold blooded as He is.