Ballo Ballo

With such rich material that this film has to call upon- Spain in a heavily censored Franco era; the kitsch glory of Rafael Cara's music, fashion and architecture of the 1970's, this film recklessly rides rough through all, and we gain little pleasure in either a visual or text narrative.

The censorship storyline could be fascinating- but Franco's Spain is not explained. There is no context- or no comparison made between what people saw in the rest of Europe. "Hilda" the Rita Hayworth film, where she removes her gloves was considered too racy in Spain, and was censored. Instead, we see an old man, measuring skirts, and wielding scissors- but no explanation as to why he might be so important in a tv studio. And it's just slapstick- resulting in live Janet Jackson "nipplegate" moment, being broadcast on "nochebuena".

Rafaela's fun music is treated to a bunch of truly average dance routines- in planes, on boats, in telephone boxes. Ms Cara's dance ability is outstanding, and I am sure there are great dancers in Spain. But clearly they were all busy that day. Her dance is sexy and raunchy but performed within a vocabulary of 70's disco. Why they choose to make a pastiche of that "pulp fiction/ Saturday night fever moves" instead of exploring or referencing some of the crazy moves that existed in late 70's Spain?

And the design. Well, yes, it's bright and colourful. And all the anachronisms could be forgiven if it had a style. Rafaela Cara had a magnificent wardrobe- amazing catsuits. But the wardrobe department have gone to a bunch of party shops and stitched some digitally printed graphics onto some vaguely old fashioned garments. All the men seem to have a vaguely period jacket bought in Zara that someone thought looked right. The 70's, as encapsulated by Ms Cara was a spandex and sequinned sensation. It certainly wasn't all floppy collars and green eye shadow. Look at how chic "Baccara" are. This film is merely bright. No indication of social class, or background that we should see in a properly designed film. And several times the architecture and the graphics are just crass and wrong.

And I really felt no empathy with the lead character. She's neither a dancer, nor an actress. The role seems to call for a charismatic sexiness, a coquettishness of movement. This poor lead has an on button which is "cry" which she seems to do in every single scene. And somewhere she is meant to ooze a sensuality though the TV that she really lacks. Luckily, the second actress( for no narrative reason) seems to have most of the songs. At least she has an energy and vivacity!

I'm not sure why anyone would want to make an old fax paper copy of "Mama Mia", but the script writers obviously were locked in a room with that playing. It's really a tele novela of a script. A fluffy afternoon script you might vaguely watch when you are ironing. In comparison to some really well made popular cultural offerings coming from Spain- the very polished " La llamada" or "veneno" this film is a complete mess. I was so disappointed, because the source material is so rich.

The kind of movie that will leave a smile in your face and make your day. Super fun and enjoyable, exactly what you want from a musical.

A film for fun, singing and dancing. Very good art, good actors and very good music. You leave the cinema happy and motivated.

If you see MAMMA MIA the movie; you should remember how bad singers and dancers were the main actors. The movie succeeded because of the fine integration of songs, history and views.

Something similar happens with this one. While Ingrid García Jonsson can dance but not so much sing Veronica Echegui can sing but is far from a dancer; however the catchy songs and some good acting make the thing works.

As HAIRSPRAY use the black/white integrations in the 1960s as a background to the story; My Heart goes Boom uses the last year of Franco's government and the fight to end censorship in Spain in 1973.

Other than that is basically a love story resolved quite fast and simple and with some simple dance numbers and songs.

In brief; is not on the level of Hairspray but is entertaining and the music is catchy.

Art is subjective, you either like it or you do not. Movies and music are no different. However, nostalgia is a whole other story. 'Explota Explota' is, first and foremost, based on nostalgia for all of us Gen Xers and Boomers, especially those from Italy, Spain and Latin America who grew up on Carrá's music. While the causal American listener may have heard of her, make no mistake, Raffaella Carrá sold upwards of 60 million albums worldwide so yes, a movie made from her songs was inevitable. At a time when Varieté was big on TV (even in the USA), she came and conquered much like the film's main character. Carrá was the veritable showgirl. She sang, she danced and she put on a show like no one's business. However, at the time censorship was also a big thing, especially in countries like Spain and Argentina, and even Italy. This, along with Raffaella's infectious songs, and a love story woven in, is the basis for the film.

Why the long disclaimer? Because if you know all this, you'll love the film. If not, you may either not get it, or alternatively, may become addicted to Raffaella's songs. Her music was always, first and foremost, FUN. And this movie is FUN. Her songs were always a bit campy, tongue-in-cheek and highly addictive, and remain so to this day. So, it stands to reason any movie based on her music would be equally so. It HAS to be. Utilizing this, the film is also made to dress up (and address) an otherwise terrible period in Spain's and much of Latin America's history, and wrap it up nicely into a romantic fantasy of love and music. Colors are rich and enhanced, acting tongue-in-cheek and musical numbers in full 70s blast. That's the point.

That said, it is not any campier than Mamma Mia, it's success due mostly to ABBA's music and nostalgia surrounding it. 'Explota' follows the same vein of taking select songs from a world famous singer and weaving them into a storyline for a film. Some of the actors are not the best of singers (some, however, are), but neither were they in Mamma Mia. But the music numbers and choreography on 'Explota' is top notch and closely imitate 1970s television variety show. Watch some Raffaella Carrá music clips sometime! As such, the film fits the time period exquisitely.

While the film itself is not a biopic about Raffaella, it is often related to her pushing the envelope against the censorship. Her song 'Tuca Tuca' (featured in the film) was highly controversial at the time (it was about sex....), and some of her songs were censored in Spanish and had to be re-recorded. The film uses these facts and cleverly weaves them into the story.

Is this an Oscar winning film? No...though it did get awards. Then again, have you checked out what gets an Oscar nod lately? What I do know is that I first heard of this film being a Carrá fan since I was 11 years old and became addicted to her music. My partner had not known much about her when he met me, and years later I catch him humming her music in the kitchen. I watched a few clips of the film on YouTube one evening and was so keyed up, I could not get to sleep until 2 AM! I then watched the film, which had the same effect on me. Energy is through the roof, actors and their characters are likable, and if you know some of the stories in Raffaella's songs (Like 'Lucas') you'll get even more of a kick out of this experience. Colors are rich and vibrant, and the treatment of Raffaella's songs (some huge hits, some not as much -- but they carry the story forward) is fantastic. Above all, it is pure nostalgia and FUN! If you've had a rough day and need light and fun, watch this. I guarantee you you'll feel a lot better and lighter after doing so.