KWAIDAN 1964

While waiting really late at night for the time to take my bus, I decided to browse some tv channels and I bumped into one of the most beautiful pieces of work I have seen, it was broadcasted by Channel 22 a semi-cultural channel controlled in part by the goverment.

This movie in spanish is called "El más alla" and I have to agree that probably the best way to translate would be "Ghost Story", the movie done in 1964 and directed by Masaki Kobayashi, the four stories are strong and beautiful. Probably I will say something really bad, some weeks ago I started to watch Dreams (1990) from Akira Kurosawa and I have to say from the story "Crows" the movie falls, We can see that the movie is not round at all, the first part of Dreams is sublime, there is a scene of Kabuki theatre that is simply beautiful,but it is not round as a whole, on the contrary Kwaidan is a really full and round movie, some people might say that is not of horror... horror or suspense the movie is really well written and amazingly directed.

Four amazing strong tales in all the ways, probably my favorite is Hoichi.
The black hair
The woman of the Snow
Hoichi: The Earless
A cup of Tea

This is a must to see if you like suspense.

JESUS ANTONIO

Cantiflas. Los Cortos. The Shorts.

I hope to be right about this, Cantinflas is considered by the vast majority of people as the best mexican comedian (I got to disagree on a certain point, because there were tastes for everybody, for example I love the work of Manuel Medel as a comedian and it is hardly recognized in my country, or Palillo but his political and opinionated sense of humor war poorly used in the movies), I guess the same situation happens when talking about who was better Chaplin or Keaton (In my opinion Keaton but as the saying says "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one"). :)

With Cantinflas happens to me the same that with Chaplin, for a strange reason I have to say that the early short films done by Cantinflas over the years 1939 and 1940 are even much funnier than the following films of Cantinflas. From my perspective after "El signo de la Muerte", "Asi es mi tierra", "Aguila y Sol" or "Ahi esta el detalle", I found a light version of the Cantinflas the comedian taken from Las Carpas. (Carpa a kind of public stand working as a theater settled in the plazas of the city). He adapted the character to suit different professions instead of having the actor to make the role of his own.

The shorts are an amazing adaptation of many plays done in las Carpas. So I always recommend the shorts of Cantinflas where you can see his real personality, a wise ass... a street smart.

JESUS ANTONIO

Män som hatar kvinnor 2009

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When I saw the movie poster and a review in my country, I really thought something different from the movie, I was gladly all WRONG!.
This is probably the best movie I have seen in the last months or year, everything is perfect here, the beautiful script of Stieg Larsson, the direction of Niels Arden Oplev, a Swedish film that the main attraction is the way the film introduce the characters and the music and photography suits perfectly the mood of the story.
I read there is an american version in works for 2011 directed by David Fincher, my recommendation is watch this one...the original, I do not really think that the American version can beat this first installment of Millenium..time will tell!!


Sadly the second part of the Trilogy has another vision, but I will keep my thought for another day!

Go and watch this movie..it is a complete MUST TO SEE!


JESUS ANTONIO

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN

Long... long time without recommending a movie, but after talking about electronic music, I remembered a movie that it was everything but boring.
If you like japanese horror, industrial robots and gore this is a must to see, just be warned that maybe this is not everybody's cup of tea, you may adore it or hate it to your guts.
Tetsuo done in 1989 by Shinya Tsukamoto and part one of a Trilogy.
I hope to re watch the movie over the weeks and I hope one day to have the fortune to watch Body Hammer (1992) or Bullet Man (2009).
I guess the best way to describe the movie is to say that is a man that has a hardcore fetish with iron and everything you can do with iron to apply pain.


JESUS ANTONIO

MEAT GRINDER

This is my recommendation of the Week!

This Thai horror movie is quite good, the ending a little predictable but in the overall a good movie to watch!
Here in my country is really hard to find and in the place where I found it they called it Lon Khon 4 thing that for sure was not true.



JESUS ANTONIO

EN LA CAMA

I was watching this movie in a network from my country and I got to say the script is brilliant.
EN LA CAMA (Over the Bed) a movie from Matiaz Bise written by Julio Rojas, 2005.

I just can say it make me think about my personal life a lot...

Watch and enjoy this song from the movie!

Meme from Cafe Tacuba,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6aUP8VPd4E

JESUS ANTONIO

Ben-Hur 1925

Long time without giving a silent movie recommendation.

Ben Hur. The Tale of the Christ done in 1925 and directed by Fred Niblo, beautiful in many aspects, one of the first long long long movies done in that period more than 2 hours maybe one of the surprises from that time is to have Ramon Novaro in the lead part (One of the first mexican actors to be recognized, probably him and Dolores del Rio being big stars in both markets spanish and english).The spotlight scenes are in technicolor.

A must to watch!

JESUS ANTONIO

FAUST 1926

I finally had the opportunity to watch this movie over the night!!
It is without doubt the best movie I have seen over the year.

If you have the time rent it or buy it!!!

F.W. Murnau is the director and I hope tomorrow to watch Sunrise another classic from Murnau.

After watching it I have an idea for a next Tarot card I will design over the week!!

JESUS ANTONIO

VAMPYR 1930.

Long time without watching horror movies, well I have watched some but later in other post I will talk about them.
I want to recommend what people called one of the jewels of Carl Theodore Dreyer, the movie done in 1930 (yeaph, I know that people marked the released year that was 1932 but it was produced as a silent film in 1930 and they also tried to reworked this as one of the first talkies I guess in german and french, sound is lost).
This movie is amazing and I will sound a bit ignorant people titled this movie as impressionistic but I consider it more like a good example of what Art Deco was on that time, the rotating camera and the close ups make this movie a Jewel that you must watch!.


Be good

JESUS ANTONIO

Fatty Arbuckle in Coney Island. 1917

This silent film with Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-H06G7eiE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv77EwvStpM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcBHze5Owqc

Enjoy!

JESUS ANTONIO

Deathproof

When you watch a movie of Quentin Tarantino there are many things to take in consideration
1.-To understand his vision of giving homages to the B-flicks, cult movies, cartoons, comics He saw over his childhood. If you like that kind of movies or you have a similar background you will be absolutely related to his movies.
2.-To have a certain fond for gore, explicit topics, dark sense of humor and sarcasm.
3.-He likes to play tricks and make fun of us. He is an expert to set moods, many of them in the verge of bad taste.
4.-If you want to make sense to some of the arguments or plots, you are wrong. many of them are only to enjoy and remember the old times sake.
His world is full of nonsense ergo REALITY.
5.-If you care too much for quality in the soundtrack.

I need to watch the second part directed by Rodriguez but I can say that this a beautiful movie, If you are okey at least to two of the mentioned points, You would love the movie!

Have a great day!

JESUS ANTONIO

Der Müde Tod 1921

This is maybe one of the best movies ever done for many many many situations, firstable I have to say that I had finally the chance to see this movie in a cultural channel in my country (Canal 22) yesterday night while trying to get asleep, happens I was with low pressure and high pressure all night and a bit of fever I am still a bit sick but I am much better.
Well into the movie I still do not know why it was called in English DESTINY or THE CIRCLE OF DESTINY in my opinion I guess the best translation is THE WEARY DEATH, in fact for spanish and french viewers you can find it by the title THE 3 LIGHTS (Las tres luces) a bad decision in translation in terms of wrapping the main plot as the whole concept into the 3 subplots given by three creepy love stories.
This is one of the movies I wish everybody had the opportunity to watch even for research aspects, as I read in a site and the way that summarizes everything is that in the first years of the 20th Century while United States was trying to make naive and lousy attempts and experiments with the new format that movies became, German movies were playing with the maturity that the skills of the new format gave to german directors and were trying hard to tell stories in different and innovative ways(I have to say that many european directors had this new format dominated in those early years).
Destiny or The Circle of Destiny is a round movie with a great ending!

Watch this movie if you can!!

Have a great week!

JESUS ANTONIO

SICHININ NO TOMURAI 2005

© 2004 BANDAI VISUAL, TOKYO FM and OFFICE KITANO


I was watching Cinemax late night while inking the pages I am working and I bumped into this very good dark comedy story from Dankan from what I read previously Dankan was a writer involved in TV shows mainly sitcoms and this is his opera prima.
It is quite naive in terms of the visuals and in fact the script is the core and strong base of the movie.
Watch it it is a worth movie to mention and watch!!

JESUS ANTONIO

Bad Luck indeed!

Today in the morning I was watching my daily amount of news on TV and it was shown a Coverage of a short film that won a prize,and an interview with the guy who won, this guy is from Tampico (I gotta say that He poorly defended his take and participation on the shortfilm and the broadcaster simply beated him up).Well, He won an award for the best Online Annual Short Film from NFB in association with The Cannes Festival 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9eUBVpL0ZU

The catch? Well...

To his bad luck many people started comparing his Short Film to another done in Spain two years ago from Francisco Cuenca Alcara and that short film was participating in the Notodofilmfest 2006. (some people say that this is also based on a movie done in 1961 called 30 historias).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2usxktcoNA

And now this 24 year old guy is in big turmoil...
What I can only say is that TERRIBLE BAD LUCK and TIMING for the boy in Tampico!

JESUS ANTONIO

Iron Man. 2008

You know I do not normally watch movies based on Comics (seems I have a tendency to get dissapointed when the character is not handled the way I wish it were) but.......Gosh!!!!!!
From long time I can gladly recommend one based on Comics,Marvel Films are doing with the movie something really great to see and enjoy!!
And they respect the character fully!!! Yay!!!!!
Watch it and yes as many others have said wait till the very ending of the movie to see the final final!!!

Have a great day!

JESUS ANTONIO

Horror, Horror, Horror!!!!

These are the movies that are in my hands so I have a long long weekend to watch them with my girl!!!
Expect some reviews in case they are good!!!
Have a great day!!

JESUS ANTONIO

Noviembre. 2003

I have not slept yet, I am still trying to figure out some panel work I need to do over the night before going to Monterrey and while browsing the TV I got trapped with the movie done by Archero Mañas in 2003.
A difficult movie to digest for some tastes, but it is really worth, the idea is to make us feel like We are watching some of the principles of Dogma the film movement and the bold moves of a gang bonded by utopic concepts with tiny tastes of Orange Clock.
I do not want to give spoilers the only one so you can understand the plot is that the movie is a Mockumentary (means that the movie looks like a documentary but everything is fictional).
It is really worth to watch!

Have a great time!!

JESUS ANTONIO

Waiting for this!

I have to say that I considered Hellboy 1 a bad movie so I am really having good hopes this second try is the ONE!!!

Have a great time!!

JESUS ANTONIO

Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari 1919-1920

Last Weekend I watched with my Mom The movie (isn´t She great? :))The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (original title: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a groundbreaking 1920 silent film directed by Robert Wiene from a screenplay written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. I always wanted to watch this movie because many people called it as the first horror movie ever made, what I can say is that from the artistic perspective this is A MUST!!!!! to see, even for comic work you can learn so many tricks used over the picture to call the attention of the reader!!
It is one of the earliest, most influential and most artistically acclaimed German Expressionist films.
In fact They took expressionism into the perfect amalgam of story and ambience!!
The ending is amazing!!

Have a great time!

JESUS ANTONIO

L´Age D´Or

This is the second surrealist movie done by Luis Buñuel and Dali over 1930, and this time Garcia Lorca was not part of it due to a prank Dali made to Garcia Lorca well I do not know If to call it a prank, Dali made fun of the penis of Garcia Lorca and also dare to steal a kiss from Lorca in Public. That is one of the versions I read.
This movie is so surrealist that my best advice is to enjoy the piece and not to try to find a plot or subplot I would call it as a long frenetic dream becoming a nightmare!!

Be good!!

JESUS ANTONIO