Amazon.com

Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve Wiecking ... Read more

Reviews (37)

'¡Eh!' '¡Despierta!'
This film is incredible. I'm relatively fluent in Spanish and had to make do without subtitles which always tend to detract from the full experience of a film. It took me a couple a viewings to fully understand everything that was said but when I finally twigged, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
We start off with Enrique, an up and coming movie producer. He's on the look out for a good story and one comes walking right through his door. Turns out his old school friend, Ignacio, who now wants to be known adamantly as Angel, has the perfect solution. He's written a screen play depicting certain points of their lives with added fiction, naturally, and hopes Enrique will consider producing it, with him staring as the principle character Zahra, a transvestite. Sound unusual? We haven't even scratched the surface. When Ignacio and Enrique were boys, they attended a strict catholic boarding school. The two of them were in love, much to the distress of El Padre Manolo, who wanted Ignacio all to himself. One poignant scene is during a field trip. We see the school boys frolicking happily in a lake while hearing a beautiful coir boy rendition of `Moon River'. All of a sudden the song is cut short with Ignacio running out from behind a bush with El Padre in pursuit. Ignacio falls, a rock cutting his forehead. As the blood slides down the centre of his face, we here him remark `I knew that ever since that moment, my life would for ever be divided in two'. After a little mis-hap in the boys bathroom after lights out, El padre Manolo expels Enrique and continues his advances on Ignacio, which is left to the viewers' imagination. The years go by, and they never meet again, until now, back to the present day. Enrique is delighted to have been reunited with his lost love but Ignacio or `Angel' is behaving rather strangely. Not remembering their favourite song from their school days and indeed turning a rather horny Enrique down in a risqué pool sequence (¡calienta poyas!), something's definitely not right. Angel leaves in a huff and forgets his lighter which conveniently has his hometown address on the side. Enrique journeys to Valencia only to find that *his* Ignacio died 4 years ago and his brother Juan, Stage name Angel, took it quite hard. Part devastated part intrigued, Enrique decides to play along, giving Angel the part and taking him as a lover, all in the desire to find out what makes Juan tick, he's an impenetrable mystery. The story, aptly named `La Visita' has its ending rewritten and as the final dramatic shoot comes to an end Enrique is still at a loss, that is, until he receives a visit of his own!
I'll leave the rest to you; this movie has many intricate threads woven in. A story within a story as they say. The actors are spectacular and Gael García Bernal manages to come off as childish, sensual, innocent, conniving and in the end quite chilling, he also makes a stunning drag queen. I recommend this move to anyone that likes a good mystery. I'm on the hunt for the soundtrack. ¡Cómpralo ya!

Intense & Provocative but not how you'd think
This exceptional film is entirely unique in its intensity and depth, but not how I expected. The priestly molestation is rather matter-of-fact, and not dramatized to the extreme as so many movies have done of late. The sex & nudity is very carefully placed, not at all gratuitous (unfortunately-more would have been welcomed albeit unnecessary for the story). In fact I can not tell why this version is NC-17, have Americans really become That Victorian?
Much has been written about the story, what I didn't know prior to viewing was the intensity of plot twists and turns. I won't spoil any secrets here, but suffice it to say that it isn't even the secrets that are so intense, it is the masterful way in which things are revealed. This is really a film about sex as power, and all of the power plays which don't make anyone happy.
Almodovar's direction and cinematography are stunning, erotic, and intensley emotional. He tells so much of the story visually without dialogue. What a treat.
The film ends on a realistic note. There are no firey car crashes, no earth-shattering explosions, no full-frontal nudity, none of the usual supects, but this film sneaks up on you, shakes you to your being, and as you are drawn in by the sensuality and drama, the film demonstrates that life isn't fair, kind, or even very pretty sometimes.

all stars
After watching many of Almodovar's films in a Spanish cinema class at UNC-Chapel Hill, I must say this one is the most accessible so far.Gael Garcia Bernal does one of the best acting jobs I've ever seen in a film- ever.If you can stomach the subject matter it's worth watching.

Almodovar's attention to detail is amazing, just watch Sr. Serrano cut stories out of the newspaper and you'll see what I mean... Amazing.And Almodovar messes with your mind by the way he does the casting.. don't want to spoil it for anyone, just see for yourself.

Almodóvar Illustrates the Aftermath of Bad Education...
To see is to believe, some say, yet what one sees in Bad Education should not be trusted, as everything has a sinister characteristic.All of the characters are ominously sleazy, even the protagonist of the film offers an element of darkness around him, which seems to stem from a criminal background.This dark theme suggests that the story offers a film noir experience.However, even the concept of film noir does not give this film justice, as it goes beyond the known borders of this genre while venturing into a new territory.Pedro Almodóvar creates a refreshing cinematic experience that takes sudden turns when least expected while traveling into a dubious world.Many of Almodóvar's previous films offer laughter and contemplation, yet most of them deal with a dubious theme, as does Bad Education. His personal insignia with colorful photography still leaves traces throughout the film, even though it is slightly subdued.

Enrique Goded (Fele Martínez), who some might have seen in the bloodcurdling Thesis (1996), or in the mesmerizing Open Your Eyes (1997), is on the rise in the Spanish world of cinema as he has recently made a successful film.Nonetheless, he is now struggling to come up with an equal or better idea for his next film when Ignacio Rodriguez (Gael García Bernal), from Amores perros (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), and the recent Motorcycle Diaries (2004), appears from out of the blue.Together Enrique and Ignacio used to attend a private catholic school where sexual and physical abuse was predominantly common while the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco heavily tainted the school regulations.They were close friends, but they also discovered their first love in one another in the unforgiving school run by Catholic priests.Now years later they reunite, as Ignacio offers him a film script that he has written based on their time at the Catholic School.

At first, the film seems to focus on the Catholic School where Ignacio was a victim of severe sexual abuse, which is told through the screenplay.This is a clever curveball that Almodóvar throws at the audience, but it is necessary to understand what happens as the development of the story rests in the past of Ignacio and Enrique.However, this review will not elaborate on the notion of what happens next, as it would skew the initial experience with the film.Nonetheless, the script that Ignacio gives to Enrique portrays a world where Ignacio seeks a way to have an operation to reach what he desires the most - to be a woman.Cleverly, Almodóvar throws out the gender boundaries of film noir, as he exchanges his femme fatale for a man that seeks womanhood through modern technology.This displays Almodóvar's ingenious way of telling a captivating story, as it does not follow the conventional rules that often make films one of dozens.

As mentioned previously, the film does not concentrate on the Catholic Church, but instead the aftermath of Ignacio's education.Through several turns the film illustrates what happen to Ignacio.Much of this goes back to his years when the head priest sought him out for his own pleasure, which continues to trouble Ignacio well into adulthood.This seems to be the reason why Ignacio wrote the script in the first place, as he tried to exorcise his demons while trying to find an existence that fits with his upbringing and education.The story drifts between Enrique reading the script to the present time with occasional flashbacks that provide additional information in regards to the story.Initially, it might seem a little confusing, however, Almodóvar has been nice enough to add a couple of side bars whenever there is a flashback or a scene from the script that Enrique reads.Eventually, the audience will have gone through a very troubling, yet spellbinding tale that makes All About Eve (1950) seem like a Cinderella story.

Excellent acting from Bernal
García Bernal is not only doing one, but three roles in the same movie, and he plays them all convincingly. Seeing dressed in drag is quite an experience. However, the movie is darker than previous Almodovar works, because of the nature of the plot: church, sex and homosexuality. Those are touchy subjects, but Almodovar makes us watch by using a well played game of role reversals and twists. It's and enjoyable film, I recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Demanding, brilliant and not an easy one to watch.
A disturbing, yet deeply moving film. It struck me as very like watching a cinematic outpouring of images from the collective unconscious, with all the beauty and horror and mystery we see in dreams -- and nightmares. A journey of transformation and pain, and an indictment of European imperialism, as well as the cruelty of the missionary zeal of the Catholic Church. I felt I was watching an average human being undergo loss of ordinary self, thus opening him to a wider and deeper experience of life. It is worth watching, and perhaps employing as a means of searching one's own moral position in regard to life and one's reflection in relation to other, and thus unfamiliar human experience.

Captures the Essence of the Account
I don't normally address other reviewers in my reviews, but in this instance I believe the reviewer from Arizona who gave this movie a one star rating to be totally off base. That, and the fact that he posted two one-star reviews to bring the totals down for an international award winning film. I've read de Vaca's account, and it is indeed a great tale, which is why I was so looking forward to this movie's measuring up to the original narrative. I was not disppointed in the slightest, although naturally the movie doesn't portray all the passages from the account.

It's evident from every frame of this film that the filmmakers invested a great deal of love, energy and artistry to their task. Director Echevarria gets the utmost out of his outstanding cast. The Spaniards and the Native Americans are entirely believable, and the film depicts one of the most authentic representaions of Native American cultures I've seen on screen. The only film that comes close is Last of the Mohicans. It's definitely a case of the good, the bad and the ugly. The clash of cultures couldn't be represented any better.

Juan Diego as de Vaca is a revelation. He should have been up for an Oscar for his performance. The dwarfish villager who first vividly menaces and later befriends de Vaca has to be one of the most memorable characters in recent cinema. The same can be said for the village Shaman, also an exceptional performance.

From the credits, it is evident that the Mexican Government had a hand in funding the filming of this movie. It is well that they should have, as this has to be something of a national treasure.

Definitely disregard any negative comments about Cabeza de Vaca. It's a great film about an amazing man, whose courage and fortitude may have been unmatched in the annals of European exploreration of the New World. This is decidedly a must-see.

BEK

A Must See!
Buy it, rent it, borrow it... but watch it. Any bad reviews come from small minds and I am amazed that this movie is not more recognized than it warrants. Absolutely outstanding movie!!!!

Could have been SOOOOO much better...
I agree with the last guy. This movie could've been great. Indeed, it WANTS to be great, what with the cinematics and what all. But it's not great. It's politically-correct history revision. God forbid PC Fascists should ever stay true to the original story and keep a positive picture Christianity in it! Oh no, don't do that. Twist up truth to fit your New Age Fascist needs.

Why i give a low score to a great movie?
I agree whit all the good reviews, is not a good movie, is one of the best movies I have ever see, great in any aspect, but, Yes here comes the problems! The DVD is just a bad copy, whit the subtitles built in, no menues and the worst, Huuuu! This just make me sick! No 16:4 How can that be posible? Is a great movie, So why is not realised like a movie? I just hope this get to the person that is responsible of those mistakes, and even if there is no menu at least take off the subtitles and put it on whide screen the way is sopese to be. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve Wiecking ... Read more

Reviews (37)

'¡Eh!' '¡Despierta!'
This film is incredible. I'm relatively fluent in Spanish and had to make do without subtitles which always tend to detract from the full experience of a film. It took me a couple a viewings to fully understand everything that was said but when I finally twigged, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
We start off with Enrique, an up and coming movie producer. He's on the look out for a good story and one comes walking right through his door. Turns out his old school friend, Ignacio, who now wants to be known adamantly as Angel, has the perfect solution. He's written a screen play depicting certain points of their lives with added fiction, naturally, and hopes Enrique will consider producing it, with him staring as the principle character Zahra, a transvestite. Sound unusual? We haven't even scratched the surface. When Ignacio and Enrique were boys, they attended a strict catholic boarding school. The two of them were in love, much to the distress of El Padre Manolo, who wanted Ignacio all to himself. One poignant scene is during a field trip. We see the school boys frolicking happily in a lake while hearing a beautiful coir boy rendition of `Moon River'. All of a sudden the song is cut short with Ignacio running out from behind a bush with El Padre in pursuit. Ignacio falls, a rock cutting his forehead. As the blood slides down the centre of his face, we here him remark `I knew that ever since that moment, my life would for ever be divided in two'. After a little mis-hap in the boys bathroom after lights out, El padre Manolo expels Enrique and continues his advances on Ignacio, which is left to the viewers' imagination. The years go by, and they never meet again, until now, back to the present day. Enrique is delighted to have been reunited with his lost love but Ignacio or `Angel' is behaving rather strangely. Not remembering their favourite song from their school days and indeed turning a rather horny Enrique down in a risqué pool sequence (¡calienta poyas!), something's definitely not right. Angel leaves in a huff and forgets his lighter which conveniently has his hometown address on the side. Enrique journeys to Valencia only to find that *his* Ignacio died 4 years ago and his brother Juan, Stage name Angel, took it quite hard. Part devastated part intrigued, Enrique decides to play along, giving Angel the part and taking him as a lover, all in the desire to find out what makes Juan tick, he's an impenetrable mystery. The story, aptly named `La Visita' has its ending rewritten and as the final dramatic shoot comes to an end Enrique is still at a loss, that is, until he receives a visit of his own!
I'll leave the rest to you; this movie has many intricate threads woven in. A story within a story as they say. The actors are spectacular and Gael García Bernal manages to come off as childish, sensual, innocent, conniving and in the end quite chilling, he also makes a stunning drag queen. I recommend this move to anyone that likes a good mystery. I'm on the hunt for the soundtrack. ¡Cómpralo ya!

Intense & Provocative but not how you'd think
This exceptional film is entirely unique in its intensity and depth, but not how I expected. The priestly molestation is rather matter-of-fact, and not dramatized to the extreme as so many movies have done of late. The sex & nudity is very carefully placed, not at all gratuitous (unfortunately-more would have been welcomed albeit unnecessary for the story). In fact I can not tell why this version is NC-17, have Americans really become That Victorian?
Much has been written about the story, what I didn't know prior to viewing was the intensity of plot twists and turns. I won't spoil any secrets here, but suffice it to say that it isn't even the secrets that are so intense, it is the masterful way in which things are revealed. This is really a film about sex as power, and all of the power plays which don't make anyone happy.
Almodovar's direction and cinematography are stunning, erotic, and intensley emotional. He tells so much of the story visually without dialogue. What a treat.
The film ends on a realistic note. There are no firey car crashes, no earth-shattering explosions, no full-frontal nudity, none of the usual supects, but this film sneaks up on you, shakes you to your being, and as you are drawn in by the sensuality and drama, the film demonstrates that life isn't fair, kind, or even very pretty sometimes.

all stars
After watching many of Almodovar's films in a Spanish cinema class at UNC-Chapel Hill, I must say this one is the most accessible so far.Gael Garcia Bernal does one of the best acting jobs I've ever seen in a film- ever.If you can stomach the subject matter it's worth watching.

Almodovar's attention to detail is amazing, just watch Sr. Serrano cut stories out of the newspaper and you'll see what I mean... Amazing.And Almodovar messes with your mind by the way he does the casting.. don't want to spoil it for anyone, just see for yourself.

Almodóvar Illustrates the Aftermath of Bad Education...
To see is to believe, some say, yet what one sees in Bad Education should not be trusted, as everything has a sinister characteristic.All of the characters are ominously sleazy, even the protagonist of the film offers an element of darkness around him, which seems to stem from a criminal background.This dark theme suggests that the story offers a film noir experience.However, even the concept of film noir does not give this film justice, as it goes beyond the known borders of this genre while venturing into a new territory.Pedro Almodóvar creates a refreshing cinematic experience that takes sudden turns when least expected while traveling into a dubious world.Many of Almodóvar's previous films offer laughter and contemplation, yet most of them deal with a dubious theme, as does Bad Education. His personal insignia with colorful photography still leaves traces throughout the film, even though it is slightly subdued.

Enrique Goded (Fele Martínez), who some might have seen in the bloodcurdling Thesis (1996), or in the mesmerizing Open Your Eyes (1997), is on the rise in the Spanish world of cinema as he has recently made a successful film.Nonetheless, he is now struggling to come up with an equal or better idea for his next film when Ignacio Rodriguez (Gael García Bernal), from Amores perros (2000), Y tu mamá también (2001), and the recent Motorcycle Diaries (2004), appears from out of the blue.Together Enrique and Ignacio used to attend a private catholic school where sexual and physical abuse was predominantly common while the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco heavily tainted the school regulations.They were close friends, but they also discovered their first love in one another in the unforgiving school run by Catholic priests.Now years later they reunite, as Ignacio offers him a film script that he has written based on their time at the Catholic School.

At first, the film seems to focus on the Catholic School where Ignacio was a victim of severe sexual abuse, which is told through the screenplay.This is a clever curveball that Almodóvar throws at the audience, but it is necessary to understand what happens as the development of the story rests in the past of Ignacio and Enrique.However, this review will not elaborate on the notion of what happens next, as it would skew the initial experience with the film.Nonetheless, the script that Ignacio gives to Enrique portrays a world where Ignacio seeks a way to have an operation to reach what he desires the most - to be a woman.Cleverly, Almodóvar throws out the gender boundaries of film noir, as he exchanges his femme fatale for a man that seeks womanhood through modern technology.This displays Almodóvar's ingenious way of telling a captivating story, as it does not follow the conventional rules that often make films one of dozens.

As mentioned previously, the film does not concentrate on the Catholic Church, but instead the aftermath of Ignacio's education.Through several turns the film illustrates what happen to Ignacio.Much of this goes back to his years when the head priest sought him out for his own pleasure, which continues to trouble Ignacio well into adulthood.This seems to be the reason why Ignacio wrote the script in the first place, as he tried to exorcise his demons while trying to find an existence that fits with his upbringing and education.The story drifts between Enrique reading the script to the present time with occasional flashbacks that provide additional information in regards to the story.Initially, it might seem a little confusing, however, Almodóvar has been nice enough to add a couple of side bars whenever there is a flashback or a scene from the script that Enrique reads.Eventually, the audience will have gone through a very troubling, yet spellbinding tale that makes All About Eve (1950) seem like a Cinderella story.

Excellent acting from Bernal
García Bernal is not only doing one, but three roles in the same movie, and he plays them all convincingly. Seeing dressed in drag is quite an experience. However, the movie is darker than previous Almodovar works, because of the nature of the plot: church, sex and homosexuality. Those are touchy subjects, but Almodovar makes us watch by using a well played game of role reversals and twists. It's and enjoyable film, I recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

beautiful and inteligent
The only thing I can only say is that this movie is one of the best things that could ever had happened to the mexican movie society(I rather call it that, cause there is no such a thing like a movie industry in Mexico), and to the world horror movies.
The script is brilliant, inteligent, and the characters are like normal people, they arent stereotypes(something very intelligent and brave)the gag of perlman wanting to fix his nose its an example of that, that helps the movie a lot to achieve that scary mood.
What is better is that Guillermo dignifies the horror genre, he gives also a quality to the film, that even the so called intellectual people must accept that this is a great movie.
The movie moves forward thanks to the story, and uses sfx only when is needed, doesnt need to rely on sfx to be scary, like many recent horror pictures,that cant even do that.
The movie is full of metaphores, and retoric forms for those who like the stylish movies, actually most of the images are poems in themselves.

To finish, if you are a adult with a young spirit you would like it, and if you are a so called intellectual or sofisticated person you would like it as well.

Congratulations Guillermo, you make us Proud!!!!

Cronos dvd version has been raped !!!
Buyers Warming
five stars for a very interesting and intriguing independent film. Now my complain:
Lions Gate got the rights for the distribution Cronos...but I don't believe that they also got the rights for editing and dubbing the introduction of the film. For those of you that aren't familiar with this flick, this is a Mexican film, there after the original language is spanish. The original movie started with a beautiful monologue in spanish that introduced an old enigmatic and important character. Like I said...the original monologue was in spanish, and now has been dubbed in english!!! then as the monologue finishes, the movie continues in its original spanish language. Can somebody explain me why??? This is completely insulting!!!!
This is my only complaint for the Dvd and the movie.
I won't write a review because everybody else have so it would be repetitive....but this movie is a must see for anymore interested in intelligent, visualistic and thought-provoking horror with unique and diferent twists in the Vampirism genre!

Are you sure the DVD is not subtitled?
That'd be a major mistake.
Anyway, the ONLY scary 'vampire' film I've ever seen and a great
addition to the 'horror' genre.
Ron 'The Hulk' Perlman in a pivotal role as the "...beast?" LOLS!
Truly not to be missed.
Hopefully it will be recognized again now that director Toro has released 'HELLBOY'.
***
(three stars) for the film. If the DVD is w/out subtitles know the stars are for the film only. The original acting shouldn't be ignored. Check the video stores for a subtitled version instead.

Del Toro's Gothic Tale of Love, Compassion and Vampirism!!!
When I first watch Cronos, I was sitting in my comfortable chair placed exactly in front of my TV set surrounded by that security feeling only my house can bring me. That feeling disappeared soon. I couldn't believe what I was being witness of.

I'll have to tell you the context I was in when I watched it, for you to understand. I'm Mexican. When I watched this movie I was 15 yrs. old and the Mexican movie "industry" (if you can call it that way) hadn't a reputation for its excellent horror movies.

Cronos is a movie that was released back in a time in which mexican movies were usually flops because of the lack of support from producers, distributors and audiences alike. The movie was released in 10 movie theaters only and only in Mexico City and it was retired because movie owners considered it a failure!!! (How couldn't it be a failure with only 10 theaters showing it? Hello?)

When the movie went to Cannes and won the Critics Week Award, this event didn't change a lot the movie's fortune. I, being an avid film fan and being from a small town called Coatzacoalcos (I dare you to spell it right!)and having read a lot from it in magazines and newspapers had to wait until it's release on VHS to rent it.

It instantly became one of my all time favorites.

You have to understand... Our mexican HORROR movies were of the likes of Ed Wood movies, until Cronos arrived. Ok, I have to admit that there were three other HORROR movies on the seventies ("Even the Wind is Frightened", "The Stone Book" and "As Black as Night" all from the same director, named Carlos Enrique Taboada), but if you watch them today they have lost their FRIGHT FACTOR.

So in a Mexico with a lot of legends and folklore, the complete abssence of HOORROR movies was a curse broken by Guillermo Del Toro a young, fat man from Guadalajara that was an avid comic reader and makeup artist.

If you could read the script (which you can buy here in Mexico), you could read the pretty images that become poetic and that Guillermo handles in a way no one else can.

Poetry and horror mixed? It may sound odd, but it works...

There's a part in which the lead character looks his reflection in the mirror and asks: How do I look? And the writer (Del Toro) answers him:
Horribly.

A great literary scene that you can only appreciate by reading it and then watching the movie again. I swear you can almost hear the writer answering him on film!

The story follows the life of a Jesús Gris (Translated as Gray Jesus... nice game of words, ain't it?) and his discovering of an odd goldlike aparatus. How will it affect his life? Will it bring joy or misfortune? That is for you to find out.

Now... Let me explain something... A lot of people know Del Toro for movies like "Mimic" and "Blade", which I think he directed brilliantly, and I read that an Amazon client complained because on the DVD case of "The Devil's Backbone" (Another Guillermo Del Toro's preciosist film, just number two after Cronos of course, in my list of his movies)there's written:

"Vastly more stylish and frightening than "The Others""

So, he bought it and was dissapointed, because the movie didn't frighten him as much as "The Others" did!!!

Let me say this:

The HORROR genre is not necessarily a genre that will frighten you. You mean HORROR when a film has something, anything involving the paranormal... So, under this parameter, Ghost is a HORROR film. It doesn't scare you but its main premise touches the paranormal aspect. Get it?

So... All this being said...
Buy it! Sit back! And Enjoy!

Feel the security of yous house being torn to shreds...

Interesting and intriguing take on the vampire genre
Before Guillermo del Toro came to Hollywood to make big budget thrillers such as Mimic and Blade II, he was in Mexico making movies that are truly unique and filled with tension. His directorial debut, Cronos, is a hugely original movie and take on the vampire theme. Guillermo also wrote the screenplay.

The movie opens up with a narrator telling the story of an alchemist who made a metallic, beetle like device (the Cronos) that when placed against skin, has a scorpion like stinger that stabs the person and injects a tiny amount of bloody fluid. The injections cause the alchemist to live for centuries and only dies when he is in line at a bank in Vera Cruz during an earthquake and is crushed by falling debris.

Some time later, an antique dealer, Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), discovers the Cronos device in the base of an old statue he has acquired. After wondering what the device might be for, he inadvertently sets it off and is pricked by it's stinger. The whole process of watching this happen is fascinating, and you are never quite sure if there is some sort of living insect inside the enclosure, thanks to Guillermo's David Lynch like photography and editing of the scene.

Jesus soon discovers that he has more energy and feels more youthful than he has in ages. But unbeknownst to him, there is an evil and rich old man, Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) who has been searching for years for the device. He has tracked it down to Jesus' shop and sends his simple minded nephew, Angel de la Guardia (brilliantly portrayed by Ron Perlman), to get the statue that has stored in it, the Cronos device. When the statue turns up empty, Dieter instructs Angel to get the device at any cost.

In the meantime, Jesus has become addicted to using the device. His young granddaughter has noticed him using it and decides for his own good to hide it from him. After spending time with her he realizes that maybe the sacrifices of the device, such as his wife not feeling as youthful as him, or his greedy and manic need to posses and have control of the device, are not worth the benefits.

The story is not fast paced by any means, but the development of the characters is superb. There are also slow moving scenes with huge amounts of tension, in particular a scene where Jesus is at a party where someone had cut himself and cleaned up in the bathroom. Jesus finds himself drawn to the blood that had dripped on the floor and after slowly considering it and getting his face closer to it, he has his cheek against the floor and extends his tongue and licks up the drops!

I have seen the video a couple times, but it is on DVD in region 2 PAL format only. The video is available in both subtitled and dubbed versions. I highly recalled the subtitles, because much of the dialogue is already in English. Ron Perlmans' character for example does not speak almost any Spanish.

Perhaps now that Guillrmo del Toro is more well known in the US, we will get a region 1 NTSC release on dvd. ... Read more

Description

With humor, pain and love for mankind, the film tells the story of three neighbors whose lives are intertwined. Rutiloio, the family man with homosexual feelings; Susanita, who dreams of getting married but falls prey to a thief; and Alma (Salma Hayek), a virgin who becomes a cocaine snorting prostitute.Interactive Menus, Scene access, Production Credits, Awards, Filmographies ... Read more

Reviews (25)

An excellent production, wonderful acting!
This movie is based on an arabian novel called "Midaq Alley" which is the title for the movie in English. In Mexico (where it was produced), it was called "El Callejon de los Milagros" ("Miracle Alley") which is a real alley in Mexico City's downtown.

It details the lives of several charachters of the movie in a format similar to the one used in GO and somewhat like the one used in Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run). A young Mexico City late teens girl whose mother is a tarot palm reader, an opportunist bartender, a sexually undecided bar owner, and many other charachters that may be seen in any downtown. The story is full of real life situations while adding to it a sufficient dose of laughter, sarcasm and ingenuity.

Though not representative of what all of Mexico is (it mainly represents low income downtown Mexico City charachters), it is a very good option for learning a bit more of the mixed Idiosyncrasies (Spanish, European, Moorish, Sephardic Jew, Nahuatl, Zapotec, Mexica, Maya and Aztec) that conform a lot of the Mexican ethnicity.

Two words: Salma Hayek
Let's face it. This film won 49 awards from Latin American film festivals (including 1995 Ariel award - the Mexican Oscar - for best movie) but never really got a big welcome on the American market, even after being shown at the Washington D.C. International Film Festival. Was it because, when it comes to this kind of romantic drama, American moviegoers had seen a lot better? This film was acclaimed for a good screenplay (based on the novel by an Egyptian Nobel prize winner) and its cast and crew deserved some credit for their efforts, but all for all, it did nothing but reminded me of a fabulous classic, 1959's "Imitation of Life" (with Lana Turner, Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner).... Anyway, now that Salma Hayek has worked her way to stardom, anybody who's interested in her stunning beauty wouldn't want to miss her debut as an actress in "Midaq Alley". That's fair, because she truly carried the film so well. Although Margarita Sanz also won some Best Actress awards, people would definitely tend to remember more of Alma than of Susanita -- or so I think.

El Callejon de los Milagros
The movie itself is a great mexican masterpiece, but avoid this DVD at all cost

It have none extra features, and the worst of all, you can't remove the english subtitles.... the aspect ratio is Full Screen and the audio is 2.0

I recommend this movie in a VHS rather than a DVD

(unfortunatelly the only dvd version of this movie, is this featureless DVD... grrr!)

A well told story
Beginning with a game of dominoes in a Mexico City cantina, we are introduced to the people who frequent this neighborhood bar and then to their families, and the extended family of their poor neighborhood, ironically known as Midaq Alley or Callejon de los Milagros. We watch helplessly as a series of events unfold drawing in other characters and changing their lives forever.

As the film progresses, this same game of dominoes begins again and again. Each time, we see how the same basic sequence of events unfold through the eyes of a different set of characters and and how their lives are changed forever.

It's as though the game of dominoes is a metaphor for life. At some level each life touches another and determines what will happens to the other characters. A decision taken by one character limits and directs the choices of the others.

Not having had the advantage of reading the novel in advance of renting the movie, I did not have a preconceived notion of how the characters should behave, or how they stacked up against the book. Generally the translation of a novel into a movie is sketchy at best. However, taken at face value Midaq Alley works very well on film.

The plot is strong and the characters are well defined. What appears to be a slight nuance in one sequence becomes the obvious catalyst that motivates a character in a later sequence. The whole effect ties the characters together as an extended family, a neighborhood, a nation, and finally as archetypes for the human experience. I recommend Midaq Alley as the best type of "art film" -- one that serves as a catalyst for thought and discussion.

A Soap Opera with a big twist
This movie was good, too soap operish for my taste, but enjoyed the twist, check it out..

3.5 stars... ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Poetic Loving Film Makes a Mockery of Mockumentaries
This 1997 movie, much of it filmed along the sea wall in Havana, is a beautiful, playful, and ultimately deeply moving exploration of two young women, the incredibly vivacious 16-year-old promiscuous Cuban Yuliet Ortega and her green-eyed Mexican model would-be mentor, Fabiola Quiroz. I agree with the San Francisco Chronicle quote that only a poet could have dared so much and succeded so completely. Among the many innovations here are a send-up of the popular "mockumentary" structure-these people are either real or an incredibly undiscovered bevy of the world's most accomplished Latin actors. There are many touching, laugh out loud moments-and the laughter is heartfelt, resulting from the innocent depths of youthful sweetness and naivete that mark these young Cubans' joyful and yet heartbreaking lives. Yuliet's white father has left on a perilous trip across the straits of Florida to settle in the United States; her mother has attempted suicide by immolation (she fails but then succumbs to a heart attack). She is raised by her toothless black grandma, who beats her but clearly loves her, and who talks about the Stanislavsky method and her thanks to Yuliet (Italian for Juliette) for finally allowing her to realize her dream as an actor. The film actually shows what is good about Cuba (Yuliet's presumably lambasting remarks about Castro are muted)-its interracial harmony, the abiding hope and sweetness of its citizens, and its freedom from the poisoning influence of souls sacrificed upon the altar of the dollar. Very innovative, deeply personal and credible (e.g., Yuliet: "I just want to say, to any of you who are still left in the theater, that I never did sleep with the director"), and ultimately a cinematic act of uncompromising love.

Freshest movie in a long time.
Who the hell is Juliette? is a small masterpiece that drips with verve and spontaneity. By turn sexy, funny, sad and raucous, it serves up a gritty and refreshing look at a streetwise Cuban girl's search for identity against the backdrop of contemporary Havana. Yuliet Ortega steals the show with her nubile energy and sensuality. And hats off to director Carlos Marcovich for the beautiful cinematography. Makes me want to visit Cuba one day. Recommended.

Freshest movie I've seen in a long time.
Who the hell is Juliette? is small masterpiece that drips with rawness, verve and spontaneity. By turn sexy, funny, sad and raucous, it serves up a refreshing and absorbing look at the search for identity against the backdrop of modern-day Cuba. Yuliet Ortega steals the show with her nubile energy and senuality. And hats off to director Carlos Marcovich for the beautiful cinematography. Makes me want to visit Cuba one day. Recommended.

Argentinean talent in a Mexican disguise
Carlos Marcovich first film is a must for every film student or film fan. Carlos had been a succesful photography director and video clip director. In one of these video clips he met Juliette, a Cuban prostitute. The film has a mixture of humour and sadness showing the constrasts between the lives of Juliette and Faviola, a Mexican model. It is filmed as if there was no script and if only Marcovich's talent was the driver of the story Well done. It deserves all the prices it received And finally, Marcovich was born in Argentina. Tango music can be heard in the film as a tribute to his home country

Life's full of surprises & this one's inspiringly beautiful!
Starring Yuliet Ortega, Fabiola Quiroz, Victor Ortega, Jorge Quiroz. The best cinematography I've seen for ages, especially the opening credits with an awsome white wave crashing against the rocks and upsettingthe dominant blue of the sky. Very experimental documentary like film, shot in three locations over a period of some three years. Mexican cinematographer & Director Carlos Marcovich won an award for this, his debut film. It's about a girl's journey out of the slums, and the people who interact with her in her extrodinary quest to rid herself of the enveloping hardship of the "barrio". Moving and witty portrayal that can sometimes drain and confuse the viewer by constantly shifting from one character interview to another with no breaks or chance to fully absorb the plot. Originality and cinematography steal the show though, in what is surely to be a film that brings much needed inspiration and relief from the usual Hollywood Commercial Drugery. ... Read more

Description

Based on the true story of the "Lonely Hearts Murders," renowned director Arturo Ripstein’s Deep Crimson (Profundo Carmesí) is an emotionally charged and profoundly original take on serial killing. Nicolas Estrella has made a meager living seducing and then stealing from lonely, often widowed, women he meets through the personal ads in local newspapers. While trying to victimize Coral, a hefty, half-mad nurse obsessed with Estrella’s movie star looks, Nicolas can’t help falling in love with her merciless enthusiasm for his seedy lifestyle. Together, the pair roam the back roads of Mexico looking for lonely women who Nicolas seduces and the insanely jealous Coral then murders. These lovers turned assassins feed on the misery of others with each murder binding them together all the more closely until a pitiful confession from Nicolas prompts the pair’s fitting demise. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Merciless And Brilliant.
"Deep Crimson" is a merciless movie that dwelves into human depravity and murder. It's directed by Arturo Ripstein, Mexico's most respected director who used to work under the wing of Luis Bunuel. In fact,there is a lot of Bunuel style in "Deep Crimson," a movie thatshocks not only in violence, but in the entire story and characterstructure. In it's own way it's visceral and the performances are alwayschillingly convincing. Ripstein and his writer, Paz Alicia Garciadiego arenot afraid to offend the audience and don't hold back, looking at realityunblinkingly. The photography is really rich, gritty and artistic."Deep Crimson" can be seen as a study of human perversion mingledwith lust and depravity. These are characters down on the evolutionaryscale who resort to murder for petty reasons, and the way the murders arecarried out and the way these characters act and the way Ripstein films itwith such realism, is what makes the film effective and disturbing."Deep Crimson" shows how sometimes American cinema can be reallytame, Ripstein obviously isn't and shows his brilliance for realistic andeffective cinema here. Obviously he learned well from Luis Bunuel, whom"Deep Crimson" would make proud.

Much ado about nothing much
The way Roger Ebert and TIME magazine described this movie made me buy it and see it. I was expecting a gruesome masterpiece, something like Buñuel's "Los Olvidados" or any film by Bigas Lunas. Certainly, ArturoRipstein directing is always a good omen, but... alas, it was not to be!

Sure, the story is quite disturbing, but not as shocking as you'd think.Daniel Giménez Cacho and Regina Orozco are O.K. but not in their roles of alifetime. The girl playing the last victim makes the best performance ofthem all, and Almodóvar's favorite Marisa Paredes is thoroughly wasted inthe most dreadful acting I've ever seen. Too bad, really, but worthwatching once.

Remember, it ain't over 'til the fat lady... sinks! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Buenísima/Excellent
El desarrollo de la película permite que uno esté interesado todo el tiempo. Me gustó mucho la integración de los personajes.Una narrativa buenísima y un final deseado. The movie capture our attention inmediately.I like very much the characters. Excellent narrative and a desiderable finale of the story. La recomiendo!!!!! Como la mentira puede unir dos vidas y el veneno de los besos unir dos corazones...How to lie could join 2 lifes and how the poison of the kisses could join 2 hearts...VIVIR MATA!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Word thriller is stretched
This is a psychological thriller that lacks that tingling, excited, edge of your seat feeling because it goes on too long and there is not enough tension. A little physical tension might have helped. Veteran Spanish director Vicente Aranda, tells a tale of jealousy and places the male character Antonio as the focal point. He is nuts, insanely jealous, to the point of obsession. He seeks information about a photograph that has his lady, the lovely Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, who is Carmen, pictured with a group of friends with another man with his arm around her. Oh my God! She had a life before she met him, shame on her! For that she will become part of his obsession as Antonio seeks the mystery man and consequently finding out about her past. Antonio is a truck driver who delivers the oranges from the factory from which Carmen works. It seems that Antonio just has to give a nod of his head when he arrives and she can get relieved from her work on the conveyer belt to get together. Antonio spends alot of time on the road asking everyone about the mystery man. He does enough detective work, including the information gained from a prostitute to track the mystery man down. He eventually finds out what he doesn't really want to know and the ordeal brings Antonio and Carmen closer together for a drawn out climax. The cast is small but another woman's performance is worth watching. Maria Botto Cacho, who is the peg legged Cinta is great. Her performance won her a Goya(Spanish Oscar) and she is super as she tantalizes and teases men and complicates the plot. Not the best nor worst of thrillers, this movie experience is neither heaven nor hell, it is like being in purgatory, not hopeless but left somewhat dissapointed. It is an interesting portrait of a man over the edge, possessed by thoughts and ideas that are usually damaging to all parties involved. It reveals the insanity jealousy can create and ends with a twist of fate.

Pure melodrama, but excellently done and entertaining
A little more of some semblance of a subtext than Amantes de Arandas, but, obviously, less serious than the ultimately harrowing Libertarias. Aitana Sanchez-Gijon (apologies for being lazy and not turning on the proper alphabet) is quite beautiful and a good actress, if not as brilliant as the divine Victoria. Which, inevitably, leads to this review's complaint about absent DVDs. This time, you get two, both with Abril. Libertarias as noted above and, somebody get a grip please, Padre Nuestro. Sorry, back to Celos. Might take 'em a bit of time to get it, and it appears the English market version "Jealousy" (same movie) doesn't even exist, but it IS good and it is worth the wait. ... Read more