Despite all the arguments for America First ideology as a way to preserve the United States with the ideology formed on a basis of Christian Nationalism, it’s a belief system that cannot stand in the wake of actual data and… Read More ›
Mexico
Horror comedy “Fifteen” proudly owns its full identity as its leads attempt to find theirs. [SXSW]
Growing up is hell. I can only fathom being a girl is that much more hellacious as that’s an entirely different game and strategy on how to fit in, be popular, and make friends. None of it is easy, all… Read More ›
“Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (Batman Azteca: Choque de imperios)” clings so tightly to its DC roots that it stifles the flair when it embraces its Mexican influence.
In 1991, DC Comics published Batman: Holy Terror, a tale featuring an alternate history for the United States in which it remained a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom. It shifts the origin story we know of Bruce Wayne into Batman… Read More ›
The clear potential in “The Devil Smokes” gets hampered by narrative indecision and a need for stronger directorial discipline. [SFFILM]
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (El diablo fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja)), also listed simply as The Devil Smokes, is an ambitious and visually arresting… Read More ›
Criterion’s 4K edition of “Cronos” offers nothing new past the restoration.
If anyone knows me, then you know I champion Criterion and their releases. They’re usually some of the best of the best, bar none to any other release in terms of quality of release (and quality control) and features. While… Read More ›
“Satanic Hispanics” on Blu-ray falls short as an anthology.
No one who is involved in making movies goes out of their way to make anything less than spectacular. This does not mean every movie is going to be gold, nor does it mean every movie is going to be… Read More ›
Xun Sero’s documentary “Mamá” covers a lot of ground in its simple premise of a mother/son conversation. [imageNATIVE]
When we’re children, we look to our parents for our needs. We rejoice when we get what we ask for, and we encounter terrible pains when we don’t. That pain can turn into resentment to the point where it festers… Read More ›
Open Dialogue with “BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” actors Daniel Giménez Cacho and Ximena Lamadrid.
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths is a creative exploration of finding humanity within sometimes inhumane conditions of the physical and mental states. Today on Open Dialogue our guests are Daniel Giménez Cacho and Ximena Lamadrid. These two… Read More ›
Suspense thriller “The Inevitable Death of the Crab (La Inevitable Muerte del Cangrejo)” is a strong first full-length outing by Ahcitz Azcona.
An observation about American cinema is made early into writer/actor/director Ahcitz Azcona’s The Inevitable Death of the Crab (La Inevitable Muerte del Cangrejo) that’s incredibly obvious yet startling once considered: whomever the latest “bad guy” is to the U.S., they… Read More ›
Raw, unflinching, and defiant “Luchadoras” follows the reclamation of personhood in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. [SXSW Film Festival]
If you were to presume that co-directors Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim’s documentary Luchadoras (Female Fighters) is about female wrestlers in Mexico, you’d only be about a quarter correct. While their film does follow four wrestlers — Lady Candy, Baby… Read More ›