IkuharaKunihiko

A girl invites her boyfriend to meet her father at the dinner. However, as they are preparing the dinner, the girl decides to add another "special" ingredient to the food...

This is a funny little short (horror) comedy film that teases the audience by first presenting a seemingly predictable romantic comedy story in the "boyfriend meets girlfriend's father" concept, just to switch the tables and give a twist ending that surprises. This may not be for everyone, but it is a funny film that once again showed J. Luis Rivera's talent as a director. The best way to look at it is to see it as a sketch. I will not reveal the ending, but it is pure black comedy. I for one found this a very tasty dish that made me want to ask for a dessert.

8/10

Jorge is a peddler at a market, but his business has been doing so bad lately that he cannot even afford to pay for his only employee. Since his cannot support his wife Mary nor his son Jorgille, who is unemployed, anymore, Jorge gets so desperate he enters a good luck charms shop and asks a witch for something to break his streak of bad luck. She sells him a talisman that will guarantee to solve his financial troubles, but demands blood from him...

A modern retelling of W. Jacob's short story "The Monkey's Paw" - as well as the similar "Faust" legend - "Talisman" is a great and unassuming little film that dwells on our constant superstition and fears that there might be "something invisible" out there that prevents us from succeeding in life, yet that even a shortcut to success has its price. Director J. Luis Rivera handles the story in an elegant way, establishing in the opening shots not only Jorge's life as a peddler, but also his financial situation, social observations as well as the mood of the economic crisis of our time. The main plot, where Jorge buys a talisman, hoping it will somehow break his circle of misfortunes, is established already from the first scenes as an eerie "Catch 22" with a 'boomerang effect' (the suspicious shop; the dark cat as a symbol for bad luck; etc.), which will in the dark plot twist at the end aggravate his fate from a part area in life as much as it alleviates it from the financial part. Just like other films about the topic, "Talisman" contemplates about such philosophical terms as an unbreakable equal amount of happiness, almost a yin and yang balance, as well as the fatality of destiny. Rivera showed a talent for a natural story flow that is simple and accessible, yet glues the viewers to the screen and grows on them, while the nice touches can be felt. The actors all round up the impression, led by very good Jorge Moreno and Sara Lara.

As a kid, I used to watch Unsolved Mysteries (1987) when it was on TV, since it was exciting and scary to hear (allegedly true) stories about UFOs and ghosts. I always wished something like that would be broadcast on Croatian television. Finally, in 2002, something like that was approved by Bozidar Domagoj Buric. The result was Na rubu znanosti (On the verge of science), which was something unbelievably refreshing back in those days when only boring political or music shows were on TV. Staying sometimes late until night to watch it on TV was exciting, because you never knew what the next topic would be, ranging from UFOs, ghosts, up to unusual scientific views on energy, the nature of universe and our society.

The appeal of the show originates from two sources: one is the great host, Kresimir Misak, who is refreshingly relaxed and 'cool', often adding even a few humorous observations, but never belittling the theme in question. The other is that the themes are presented in the form of a serious talk-show, where one or two guests would often give quite strong arguments for the theme, which means that it appeals to an audience with an attention span longer than a minute. The guests would talk and give food for thought, and they would be very articulated at it. Some say that anyone could have qualified to be guest on the show, but that is definitely not so: with the exception of only two or three cases (when the host himself subtly expressed his discomfort with them), the guests were up to the case and would often include educated people with a masters degree (Ilija Rkman, Ivan Simatovic, Bozidar Kemic) and even celebrities known worldwide (Edgar Mitchell, David Icke and others). That is truly a great achievement for a show that runs for 10 years.

If you enjoy an alternative view on the world, this show will not disappoint. A few newer episodes experience a lack of energy here and there, but that is normal for a show that runs for ten years, especially since it is still able to produce a few juicy discussions. Having met Misak once in person, I can confirm that he is a one of a kind, a person who is engaged in exploring our world and addressing some troubles we are all experiencing, and which are sadly ignored by other media (for instance, where does the current financial crisis originate from? What happened to the swine flu?). With a few minor flaws, this is an original and refreshing show, and you have to watch it with an open mind.