Los pajarracos

I was able to attend Pajarracos at its Premier and found it a funny, tongue-in-cheek entertainment experience which, by the way, does not take itself too seriously. Hence, I believe, its power and allure. The script, enriched through a Sundance scriptwriting seminar, creates a world of its own influenced (or paying homage to) contemporary movies such as Snatch and oldie Pop-culture home video auteurs the Almada Brothers. In between is every Mexican icon, old and new- luchadores, ficheras, the Saint Patron of drug smugglers, and so on. Indeed, the film was not meant to change the world or alleviate mankind's sufferings. It was conceived, on the other hand, to take on serious issues through an outright tragicomedy approach-- a very Mexican way of dealing with nasty issues. Last but not least I also found it amusing to see old-time actors having the chance to grace the big screen once again.

I saw this movie at the San Diego Latino Film Festival and it was a riot. It was totally outrageous and over the top funny. The characters involved in trying to catch up with the wrestler were all very different but all genius. Much of the humor is tongue in cheek and most of it is ethnically tied into being Mexican. In other words if you are not Mexican or familiar with the culture you might not get some of the jokes. The characters who were not Mexican were very funny as well as they portrayed inept gringos. This movie does not discriminate when it comes to making fun of stereotypes and laughing at ourselves. The return-to-Aztlan-pseudo-Aztecs antics throughout the movie were priceless. The gritty shots of Tijuana added local flavor and credibility to the scenes in spite of the unusual scenarios. Imagine a Mexican station wagon taxi,with an Aztec pyramid fixed to the roof cruising the local neighborhoods and you get the picture. This movie was really funny with fine performances by all the weird characters. I only wish that the movie were subtitled so that a larger audience could enjoy this very funny look at Mexican life.

Saw this one at Guadalajara Movie Festival. Utter crap. Bad acting (for most of the part), horrible photography and one of the worst excuses of a script, even for Mexican cinema standards. It's evident that the filmmakers were trying to appeal to the public using lots of Mexican pop culture references (lucha libre, drug cartels, many b-movie comedy icons from "cine de ficheras" era), but ultimately without an at least coherent script, they failed miserably and should NEVER be given any more precious money to waste in this kind of turd.

Recommendation if you did not get my subtle opinion: avoid like an Uwe Boll movie.

I must confess I don't like Mexican movies. Quality is the main issue. Anyway, I must recognize there is people out there trying to make decent films. While we have great directors like Cuarón, Iñarritu, Del Toro, etc. we still have their counterparts who try to keep 'cine mexicano' being as bad as it has been for so many years. It's a shame 'Pajarracos' was on a film festival. It's a shame we show this to foreign audiences. Please don't judge Mexican films from this movie. It would be pretty unfair for lots of talented Mexican people waiting for an opportunity in the film industry. (sorry for any mistakes on my English =P)

This story revolves around a wrestler who dreams of fame and success if only he can jump the border fence of Tijuana into the land of opportunity. Although the film comes across as a socio-political satire look into the politics of bordering countries under post NAFTA agreement, it is also a comedy of errors with a keen observation into the colorful and culturally rich people of Mexico. As a first feature film for the filmmakers, I see tremendous potential and a sign of strong directorial vision. The production design is outstanding, the cinematography well executed and the sound track is of particular originality. I recommend this picture for those who appreciate foreign films that don't take themselves too seriously when showing to the world a portrait of their own society, its virtues and faults. The vibe and energy of the film reminded me of Emir Kusturica's 1995 Underground.