Semana Santa (2015)

Dali (Anajosé Aldrete Echevarria) and her 8 year old son Pepe take a beach vacation with Dali's boyfriend, Chavez.

I like how this film starts off with a promising family trip, but slowly disintegrates. I grew up with a single mother, so I could relate somewhat to the boy character, who often wants to do his own thing and meet other people his age instead of spending time with mom all the time. The mother really smothers her boy, which made me cringe.

Chavez is eventually tempted (unfortunately) to go off and spend a night with two single women looking for some fun on another beach, spoiling Dali's vacation.

Meanwhile the boy goes off and does his own thing; he's a confused kid. In one scene he finds a wallet filled with money and uses it to buy horse rides and candy, and hides the rest of the money.

I also liked the scene where Dali meets a charming American man (David Thornton) who treats her better than Chavez.

Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)

This movie has grown to become a favorite of mine. I first saw it when it was released to art house theaters in early 2002, and loved it because I saw it as a movie that spoke to me personally, as it is very frank and realistic depiction of young male relationships and sex drives. I loved the performances of the two male leads, Gael García Bernal (Julio) and Diego Luna (Tenoch), who went on to do more movies, and the female lead, Maribel Verdu (Luisa), who hasn't been in much lately to my knowledge. I thought her performances should have received more acclaim and awards.

I love the road trip theme of this movie, and the sense of adventure they all set out on. The movie also features a narrator who talks about each of their lives in detail, as a book or novel would about a character, and over the years I have found myself watching it multiple times to catch things I have missed previously.

On my latest viewing, I paid closer attention to find hints of bisexuality in the beginning, but could not find them. I paid attention to the fighting between Tenoch and Julio after Julio sees him in bed with Luisa; after that, everything changed. I suspect that they both might have been lying to each other, but Tenoch seemed genuinely remorseful. Also by the end of the movie, everything was fine between them again until the night, when everything falls apart. I'm not surprised that they never spoke again after meeting in the diner; sometimes you just want to put the past behind.

Coco (2017)

Dia de Los Muertos is Spanish for Day of the Dead, and always is celebrated in the two days after Halloween. Originating in Mexico and celebrated around the world today, it is a multi-day commemoration to celebrate the multitude of ways the living and dead can connect --

•     by telling stories about loved ones in our lives that are no longer with us
•     by displaying their photos on an "ofrenda" (elaborately decorated altars with flowers and candles and cherished family mementos)
•     by celebrating life with delicious food, brightly colored decorations, and festive gatherings.

Examples of food that are enjoyed include "pan de muertos" (bread of the dead), which is a tasty baked sweet roll, and atole, a hot drink of masa, water, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.

Coco is a fantastic movie that captures of the essence of why people celebrate Day of the Dead. It's an animated music-filled comedy adventure, which takes place on Dia de Los Muertos in a town in Mexico. The story focuses on young, aspiring musician Miguel who manages to "cross over" into the land of the dead; he also meets his ancestors who he knows about from the photos on his family's ofrenda and from the stories that have been passed from generation to generation. His oldest living relative is his great-grandmother Coco.

I first watched this on DVD in 2018, and now enjoy watching this movie every year or so because it not only helps me understand why families celebrate Dia De Los Muertos but also reminds me of my own relatives and loved ones that have passed away and that I miss. 

It stirs my imagination and makes me think of what the afterlife could be like. It also gives me some encouragement that injustices that aren't settled on Earth can be worked out in the afterlife, and subsequently resolved on Earth. I'm referring to the character of De La Cruz the world-beloved singer that has evil secrets that should be exposed. 

I highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it. (Available on Disney+, DVD/Blu-Ray, and may be available from your local library). 

Surrender to the Void blog here

A Slate Article here "A Gringo’s Guide to Coco"

An article from Mental Floss blog here - "11 Facts About Día de los Muertos "

Another post from Order of the Good Death here - "Your Guide to the Movie Coco"

Viva Zapata! (1952)

OK movie about  Mexican Emiliano Zapata who led the fight to restore land taken from the people during the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz during the period between 1909 and 1919.

Starring Marlon Brando as Zapata, Jean Peters and Anthony Quinn (Oscar Winner - Best Supporting Actor). Directed by Elia Kazan.

I wish I could say this is a memorable film.

Sicario (2015)

Sicario is an excellent new crime thriller currently in theaters. The main star is Emily Blunt, I enjoyed her performance in last year's Edge of Tomorrow. She plays an FBI agent who teams with Josh Brolin and Benecio del Torio to take down a Mexican drug lord. The scenes on the streets and on the roads in Juarez Mexico are very realistic and impressed me. I was reminded of the time years ago when I was in El Paso and crossed the border into Juarez; I didn't come across anything as dangerous as what was shown in the movie but certainly it could have happened. I love how the film is edited and shot by cinematography Roger Deakins; he creates so many great compositions that I want to see the movie again just to watch the photography. There is a great deal of mystery behind an apparent family man, who appears only from behind at the beginning of the film, but may be a dirty cop -- or someone else we're not expecting him to be.

Treasure of The Sierra Madre (1948)

One of my favorite movies ever. Greed and obsession with gold. A classic starring Humphrey Bogart as a gold digger in the mountains of Tampico, Mexico. The movie starts off explaining how he starts on his mission for gold, and meets up with Tim Holt and Walter Huston who become his partners.

Based on a book by B. Traven, a writer who lived in Mexico. I've heard some great things about some of his other stories and want to read more of his work one day.

Read Ed's review from his blog, Decisions at Sundown: A Blog About Westerns.

Read Rod's review from his blog, This Island Rod.

Read an interesting post from Projections.

Another great post from Confessions of a Film Philistine.