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In Calle 54, Madrid-based filmmaker Fernando Trueba explores thewide and wonderful world of Latin jazz: a hybrid genre that fuses the clave, samba, flamenco, merengue, and other rhythmsfrom Africa, the Iberian peninsula, and the Americas. The film's Spanish titletakes its name from Sony Music Studios located on 54th Street in Manhattan, where a who's who of musicians were filmed and recorded. They range fromBrazilian bombshell keyboardist Eliane Elias and enigmatic Argentine tenor saxophonist Gato Barbieri, to the fiery rumba group Puntilla y Nueva Generacion. The music and musicians of Cuba and Puerto Rico dominate this documentary, and the most touching scene is the emotional father-and-son reunionof Cuban pianists Bebo and Chucho Valdés, who were separated by Fidel Castro's revolution. Sadly, the film features the last onscreen appearances by the late composer-arranger Chico O'Farrill and the legendary timbales masterTito Puente. Simply put, Calle 54 is a documentary that dances. --Eugene Holley Jr. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Not just a Latin jazz film, but an awesome jazz movie!
If you are a fan of Latin jazz, or jazz music in general, you're going to have to make this a mandatory DVD to add to your collection. It is not so much a documentary as it is a showcase for the talent and creativity among Latin jazz musicians. The "documentary" portions are limited to quick glimpses of various musicians talking about their music, what it means to them, or why certain places offer so much inspiration.

But then we get to see the music, full-length performances that are beautifully shot and edited. If you enjoy the overall look of the performances on the "Sessions At West 54th" show, you will enjoy this as each of the liver performances were done in the same NYC studio.

There is so much great music to absorb, from Gato Barbieri's big band, to the late Tito Puente showing us why he was always a showmen right up until the end. Chucho Valdes goes to Cuba and talks about his father raising him with the music as a child. Later on, we see his father Bebo perform with a longtime friend. We then see a meeting between Bebo and Chucho, who haven't seen each other in years. When the perform together, you can see a father who loves his son so much, and a son who is very thankful for what his father has given to him. Eliane Elias is here with her trio, but sadly we don't get to hear her sing (or speak for that matter).

The best section of this DVD is where legendary Cuban conga player Patato plays with a group of musicians in front of two dancers, who proceed to tease each other with the music and their interpretive dance. You can sense the tension in the air through the dance, but in time they eventually get what they both want from each other, and everyone is happy.

"Calle 54" is reminiscent of older music films from the 60's, when artists were presented in this manner years before there was ever such a thing as a music video or pay-per-view concerts. The performances are top notch, and it's impossible not to tap your fingers or dance in your seat. This is the side of jazz Ken Burns' sadly overlooked, but one that is very important in jazz's rich history.

A music lover's dream movie
Director Fernando Trueba's eye for composition and passion for music yield a true sonic and visual feast for music fans. The movie features an awesome collection of the very best Latin Jazz musicians--Chucho Valdez, Michel Camilo, Tito Puente QEPD, among many others--each performing a terrific song with a truly outstanding dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The sound is absolutely gorgeous...as close to listening to a live performance as you will ever get. Included is a spellbinding performance by the sultry Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias that swept me off my feet. A must have for any Jazz or Latin music fan.

Incredible!
This is an incredible film. The music is fantastic. Do yourself a favor and get the DVD and not the VHS, or you will miss all the bonus stuff.
As a cuban musician brought up on this music, I highly recommend it!

Awesome - Simply awesome!
Wow. I heard about this when it was released for a short time in New York City, but never got a chance to see it. Now, I'm not the type that normally goes for "Artsy/Documentary films", but Tito Puente was in it, so when it was released on Pay-per-view shortly after my son was born, I figured I'd watch it while feeding my 4 day old son at Oh-dark-thirty in the morning. ;)

Wow. I was glued to the screen. I considered myself a fan of Latin Jazz and latin music in general, but I've never been treated to a dazzling display of talent such as the one that I saw and heard before my eyes. From the wonderful (And my all-time favorite song) Latin Jazz song 'From Within' performed by Michel Camilo, to the tour-de-force by Bebo Valdés, everything was awesome.

Of course, there are problems that I noticed right off the bat. It seems as if the songs were recorded seperately from the actual performances, so you see the artists perform a few things that you don't hear reflected in the sound (Look at Hilton Ruiz using his elbow on the piano that isn't heard in the music during Tito Puente's 'New Arrival' for example), which takes off a star from my rating.

As long as you come in as a music lover, you'll treasure this. If you're looking for a performance DVD, go elsewhere. Plain and simple. =)

This is for Latin JAZZ Lovers. Not for LATIN MUSIC FANS
I liked the DVD but I can't say I'll watch it again, ever!
It's too slow paced, too much narration. (Bein from the Caribean I didn't care for the spaniard's accent). It just lacked Heat! I honestly fell asleep watching it. Some parts I just pressed fastforward because it was just toooooo boooring!!!! Does not come close to Buena Vista's excitement. But if you like Latin JAZZ, then this is for you. The best part was seing the places where the performers grew up, going from streets in NY to Havana.
Maybe I'll watch it again when I'm 50 and suffering from a bad case of insomnia. ... Read more

Description

A Spanish soldier deserts from the army in 1931, only tofind himself arrested by a group oflocal policemen. He is released andsoon befriends a lonely, old man in the local village. Problems arisewhen the old man's daughters come to visit their father and the soldierquickly falls in love with each of them. Stars Penelope Cruz. 1994Academy Award(r)winner for Best Foreign Language Film. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

I love this movie!
Rarely will I view a movie more than once. I've seen this one twice now. Anyone who has been to Spain will see the character and spirit of the Spanish represented by the personalities of the four beautiful sisters, their father, mother, and of course the deserter from the army. The opening scene with the two Civil Guardia definitely makes a statement about the mind-set in Spain of 1931. Trueba brings it all together to give us this wonderfully humorous, sexy, interesting, and altogether pleasing film. Muchas gracias Fernando! Bravo, cinco estrellas!

Lusty & Innocent Fun
This movie is unequivocably recommended. The themes are mature and the subtitles use the most common of language. Fortunately the subtitles don't translate the most common of those words as often as they're said in this delightful Spanish farce. The movie is meaningless, but very funny and very entertaining with lots to recommend it.

The movie has excellent character development, charming and humorous dialogues, lovely cinematography and an overall attractiveness.

The male lead has led an innocent existence in which he spent some time in a seminary, and then has deserted from the army. Now when he meets the four daughters of a libertine aging artist who has befriended him, he wants to make up for lost time. The older three daughters use him for their forbidden pleasures, and don't take the encounters seriously. Being unsophisticated, he falls in love with each until the next one seduces him. He doesn't realize until almost too late, that the youngest actually loves him, although I can't see what qualities he has except for his looks. Oh, that's right, he cooks better than anyone in the family.

The costume celebration and its aftermath is one of the most hilarious I've seen in a movie regardless of language.

I'm sure there were social messages that without knowledge of Spanish customs and history, were not apparent. There seemed to be a strong association with death. The side story of the young man who is infatuated with the second daughter but can't break away from his mother or tradition, until his frustration causes him to falsely renounce everything his mother stands for, probably symbolizes certain hypocrises in Spain at that point in history as it tried to break away from a moonarchy but couldn't make up its mind.

Enjoy!

Little Conan grows up! And gets laid a lot, I see....
OK, I've actually never seen this movie, but I give it 5 stars anyway just for its great reputation and the presence of its star actor, Jorge Sanz.

You see, I'm actually a huge fan of the movie "Conan the Barbarian", which was filmed in Spain, and so had several Spanish and European actors/actresses.

I got to wondering one day about what happened to the cute little boy who played Conan as a small child in that movie. In the fabulous Opening Sequence of "Conan the Barbarian", little Conan gets to see his village wiped out by Thulsa Doom's thugs, and then watches as his mother is beheaded by Thulsa Doom as she holds on tightly to his little hand. Then little Conan is marched off to slavery....

The Commentaries from John Milius and Arnold Schwarzeneggar sparked my interest:

Arnold: Does the kid wear lipstick, or what is that? (commenting on little Conan's red lips)

Milius: Naw! that's just a kid!

Arnold: That's funny

Milius: ....that was a tough kid, I remember that....

Thanks to Amazon.com's thorough website linkages, it took just a couple of mouse clicks to find out what happened to little Conan....

...and so here he is, living it up with four beautiful young women in pre-civil War Spain!!!

S. Maes
This is a wonderfully fun, well-directed and acted film about the antics of a handsome young man and 4 tantalizing seductresses. Although the setting takes place in the 1930's, it is an ageless tale of youth and romance.

Belle Epoque, Beau Film
Belle Epoque is a beautifully rendered film with a good sense of humor and a well-paced plot. Unlike what a previous reviewer wrote, it is actually set in the years PRECEDING the Spanish Civil War, that is, when a republic was established after the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. The debate between Monarchism and Carlism versus Republicanism and Anarchism -a split in Spanish society that would culminate in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936- is made accessible as expressed by the colorful characters in this movie: the pampered mollycoddle Juanito, the irreverent priest, the artist-patriarch (who nevertheless lives like a "scared old bourgeois"). The Civil War of the 1936-39 was only the last of the many civil wars that erupted in Spain during the modern era (e.g. the Carlist Wars of the Nineteenth Century). The movie will throw light on this turbulent time as it affected ordinary people, and for those of you not squeamish about the idea of a man sleeping with four beautiful women in the course of a few days, I recommend this movie highly. "Belle Epoque" is NOT fluff or late-night soft porn; it is only disguising its gravity behind a façade of lightheartedness. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Funny, clever, even possible!
This film was a great surprise for me. I had no idea it existed until I saw it at the local store ("already-viewed" and at a reduced price) and had to buy it. A Spanish theater troupe is invited to Nazi Germany to film a musical in both Spanish and German. You can just imagine what ensues when their expectations are met with the reality of Nazi Germany!

This film is quite funny, with many ridiculous situations. In addition, if you are a Penélope Cruz fan, you should watch her singing scenes! Nazi Germans are trashed by the Spanish theater troupe. The film director (who also directed the wonderful film "Belle Epoque") cleverly mixes everything up until there is no way back but ... I am not telling you more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Funny, clever, even possible!
This film was a great surprise for me. I had no idea it existed until I saw it at the local store ("already-viewed" and at a reduced price) and had to buy it. A Spanish theater troupe is invited to Nazi Germany to film a musical in both Spanish and German. You can just imagine what ensues when their expectations are met with the reality of Nazi Germany!

This film is quite funny, with many ridiculous situations. In addition, if you are a Penélope Cruz fan, you should watch her singing scenes! Nazi Germans are trashed by the Spanish theater troupe. The film director (who also directed the wonderful film "Belle Epoque") cleverly mixes everything up until there is no way back but ... I am not telling you more. ... Read more

Description

Handsome Antonio Banderas (SPY KIDS I&II) joins seductive stars Melanie Griffith (NOBODY'S FOOL) and Daryl Hannah (GRUMPY OLD MEN) in this sexy screwball comedy! Art Dodge (Banderas) would like to break off his engagement with his fiancee Betty (Griffith) ... only her mob boss ex-husband makes it impossible for him to say no to the wedding! It's then that Art unexpectedly falls in love with Betty's beautiful sister (Hannah) and becomes entangled in an outrageous charade -- he invents his own twin bother so he can date both women at once! The laughs come fast and furious as Art's delirious double life spins hilariously out of control! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

not too much,just right
Listen, I'll make it my point to agree with one particular reviewer who made a good point.So, this movie isn't particularly intelligent or "deep".It's not oscar worthy, and its not gonna offer up any mind blowing performances.It IS however,solid entertainment that'll give you warm fuzzies for the hour and a half it takes up. Just curl up in front of the tv when you have nothing better to do, and watch this film.Sure its lighthearted, but its feel-good, and sometimes thats just what you need.

From the back cover - just the facts (plot) -
Art Dodge (Antonio Banderas) would like to break off his engagement to fiancée Betty (Melanie Griffith), but her mob-boss ex-husband makes it impossible for him to say no to the wedding. Then Art manages to fall in love with Betty's sister (Daryl Hannah) and becomes entangled in an outrageous charade - inventing his own twin brother so he can date both women at once.

Not TOO much, but just enough....
This movie doesn't require a college degree, isn't Oscar material, and won't make you wake up in the middle of the night pondering its 'true meaning', but it will distract you for a couple of hours and provide you with the opportunity to laugh.

Perhaps I find this predicament so humorous because I tried something of the same gambit when I was younger. Not in such detail, not to such depths (altar), and certainly not with such success. But remembering my antics provokes a good laugh and so did this film.

I loved seeing Antonio Banderas (OK, there could be a period right there, but...) in a comedic role. I find him believable in any role and...so easy on the eyes. He makes acting look so easy. What Billy Bob Thornton accomplishes with only a few choice words, Antonio can do with his eyes.

As for what he and Melanie Griffith may have discovered about one another during the filming, I couldn't say. I still don't know what they have in common, I just trust them to know their hearts. But in 'Two Much' the chemistry isn't required between THOSE two on the celluloid, it is instead between Antonio and Daryl Hannah. So if you don't see sparks between Melanie and Antonio, maybe it is due to good acting in their roles as 'lovers' who weren't in love (at least with each other).

Certainly the plot wasn't as deep as the well-utlizied pools and the laughs weren't the kind that get you in the gut (except perhaps for the morning race between bedrooms with an ever-present pool in between). So, maybe I go for cheap laughs. But I also go for entertainment. This movie provided that.

So watch it with a friend and a bowl of popcorn and let yourself be entertained for a rainy afternoon. It will temporarily erase the clouds and lift your spirits.

Actors can't make up for a bad script
Why is it that when they often have a Spanish actor, his parents, or siblings AREN'T Spanish too? Did they just choose Eli Wallach to be Antonio's dad because they liked him in another film?? NOTHING in this film works, and the actors try to hide that with silly over acting which falls flat at every turn. I expected to see some chemistry between Antonio and Melanie, since this is the movie where they met and fell in love, and yet there was ONE scene that was good, the rest was awful. Maybe the empathy came over dinners commiserating on their choosing this script. Save your money OR go buy 'Miami Rhapsody' instead, it actually IS a comedy.

The title's a pun!
Two Much. Get it? There are two women involved and the screenwriter has used his God-given talents to assimilate this tidbit of information with the common phrase "too much" (as in an excess) to arrive at the pun "Two Much." I don't mean to mock, but having watched this movie I feel I can rightly surmise that there must be a village out there somewhere missing an idiot because he was responsible for this. The humor has its moments, but is generally predictable and stale. I really can't make any accurate guesses at the intelligence on the scriptwriters, but their density much be such that light can bend around them. This film is cliche, poorly acted, and just plain bad. There are innumerable things that one can do with two hours and I suggest you partake in one of those things. Just please, do not watch this movie. ... Read more