Tony-Kiss-Castillo

La Gente de la Universal - 1991 Maria...Full of Grace - 2004 Ah-h-h-h-h.... What a profound difference 13 Years Make!

Movies that continue to ricochet around in your brain long after having seen them are who I am. Despite having seen LA GENTE only twice in the 90's, many of its haunting, uber-disturbing images have been domiciled in my gray matter ever since! To quote Yoda... "A Doctoral Dissertation of 30 or 40 pages, it deserves!" No Can Do Here! So, I must find the wherewithal to overcome my "No Soy de Aquí, Ni Soy de Allá...!" Bicultural, Quixotic Quest, Hard-Wired Schizophrenic Tendencies...And Channel into some sort of Prioritized Logical Sequence!

So...First Things First: La Gente de la Universal.... A Critique..........

Director Felipe Aljure Salame committed a World Class Mortal Sin against the First Commandment of Colombian Cinema Directors in the 90's... "Thou Shalt Not Incorporate Narcotrafficking Urban Legends into Thy Films Intended for International Distribution!" ...Naughty Boy! On-Screen Fusion of Criminal & Religious Ritual Activities CATOLICAS!?!?!......Ay, DIOS MIO!

Really can't go into any more detail, because that would, perhaps, be misconstrued as Sp....lers!

How is it possible that Sr. Aljure, in his first Directorial At Bat in 1991, hits an Out-of-the -park, Neurotic/Nefarious, Anti-Formula, Dark Classic Masterpiece for the Ages...Only to find himself Blackballed (?!?=My Educated Guess!) from film Directing for the next 11 or 12 years!?!?!?

La GENTE must have really P*ssed Off the Colombian "Rosca" (Clique) with monopolist ties to international distribution channels! Just look at the IMDb title...No English Translation! Wow! Talk about stifling distribution chances outside of Colombia!

Certainly, GENTE also P*ssed Off Colombians guarding the gates of National Distribution, as well...Despite being produced in 1991, GENTE was blocked from National Release in Colombia until 1995!!! Go Figure!!!

If you can manage to get your hands on this intentionally swept-under-the-rug gem, do so, and watch it! You are in for a scrumptious Dark Treat!

ENJOY / DISFRUTELA !

Cerstinly... Not a great many films made 3/4 of a century ago hold up under scrutiny in 2025. If my memory serves me, I first saw this 1951 Hitchcock "Classic" on TV at age 12 or 13. Shame on me for making that fatal mistake of setting my expectation level for a second viewing at "10".

My best recommendation for those of you who just might decide to see it for the first time: It is an engrossing character study, (Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony) but falls somewhat short on many other levels, especially when compared to a number of other Hitchcock works. Walker's portrayal of an obsessive sociopathic socialite, although intense, gripping and intriguing, strikes me as very demanding in relation to the 2025 viewer's Suspension of Disbelief. An interesting footnote.....This was Walker's penultimate film. He died just before completing his next and last project, "My Son John". Evidently, like the character he portrayed, Walker also was plagued by a number of his own demons. If you crave more details, you can get them here on IMDb.

The very best thing STRANGERS has going for it, aside from the aforementioned stellar performance, is the intriguing central premise of the film itself. From the onset, Hitchcock seems keenly aware of this, perhaps overplaying his hand on this point as the film approaches its climax. Without crossing the S****er Details threshold, perhaps my biggest criticism of the movie is its final minutes. Visually, a crucial scene just does not hold up to our present day CGI sensibilities. To use an appropriate colloquialism, one scene is really "hokey"! All of which, again, taxed my Suspension of Disbelief to the breaking point. So, don't set your expectations extremely high.... and the film will probably be worth your while.

7*.... ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!.....

The TV promo trailer for "The Weather Man" did nothing to capture my interest. It looked like another of those "Light" comedies, which usually just aren't that good. Via recommendations from a few of my students, I decided to check it out. Wow!..Sometimes Hollywood marketing teams are so utterly clueless! In this case, the trailer shown on TV and the film projected in the theater had absolutely nothing in common with one another!

............... Director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring) has given us a film that at first glance seems simple enough, but which ends up being as absolutely unpredictable as the science of meteorology itself. David Spritz (Nicolas Cage) is a divorced meteorologist who has attained considerable success on a professional level, but whose personal life, despite his perpetual fantasies to the contrary, is an explosive and unmitigated disaster.

As the perturbed and ever-reflexive protagonist, Nicolas Cage (National Treasure, Lord of War) positions himself in the eye of his own tormented life, and is likewise the title character of the film. Like almost every other human being, Spritz is unable to come to grips with the stark reality that the dark clouds constantly present in his life are creations of his own device. They are clearly the consequence of his own actions and his particularly obstinate way of being and not merely products of some uncontrollable, mystical fate.

While growing up, young David always loomed in the shadow of his famous Pulitzer-Prize winning father, Robert Spritz, played masterfully by Michael Caine. It seems that communication between father and son was never really what it should have been. Similarly, David leaves a lot to be desired in the area of warm and communicative interaction with all the important people in his life: His son, daughter, and of course, his ex-wife. David's disconnect is that he fantasizes that love and affection from his loved ones is linked directly to his level of professional success and recognition.

The Weather Man, despite being a great European style film, suffers from some excesses. In order to drive home the fact that David often walks rather aimlessly through life, it isn't indispensable to permit the film to meander and lose its focus for a few minutes as well! Nor do I believe that the constant, non-stop profanity to be consistent with the characters nor with the overall tone of the film. But if you enjoy European flavored cinema and movies which project life through a slightly surreal philosophical prism, surely this Weather Man will make your day...Sunny and Clear! 8*STARS*......ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions, or observations, in English or Español, are most welcome!