Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan (1933)

Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel, considered now a master of cinema and one of the greatest artists of surrealism, had quite a troubled career during his first 10 years as a director. Having worked closely with Jean Epstein as assistant director, Buñel debuted in 1929 with the short film "Un chien andalou" ("An Andalusian Dog"). The innovative, surreal short film (written by Buñuel and painter Salvado Dalí) faced great controversy on its release, but that was nothing compared to Buñuel's follow up: "L'Âge d'Or". Funded with the aid of French nobleman Vicomte Charles de Noailles and released in 1930, "L'Âge d'Or" ("The Golden Age") was a fierce and merciless attack to social conventions and the Catholic Church under the guise of an experimental comedy. Not surprisingly, the response against it was even larger, to the point that the Police of Paris effectively banned the film. After this controversy, Buñuel returned to Spain, where anarchist Ramón Acín decided to fund Buñuel's next project. This project turned out to be 1933's "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan".

"Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" (known in English as "Land without Bread") is basically an exploration of the region of Las Hurdes, in Extremadura, Spain. The short documentary depicts the life in this high mountain region, as the crew moves from town to town, showcasing the difficulties the inhabitants face in this hostile region, which get worse due to the state of misery in which they live. Poverty, hunger and disease haunt the villagers, and their only way they have to face those demons are their own set of superstitious beliefs (which sometimes turn up to be remedies of even worse consequences). Buñuel's travelogue moves from one bleak image to another, covering the way the inhabitants of Las Hurdes live, die, work and try to find some solace amidst the darkness. Education, farming and health care in Las Hurdes is showcased as deficient, as the film is actually a harsh attack to the government's policies. While originally a silent film, a narration in French by Abel Jacquin was added afterwards, that describes the events depicted in a very grim and detailed manner.

Given Buñuel's reputation as a master of surrealism and creator of oniric images, the idea of a documentary crafted by him sounds a bit strange; however, in "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan", realism and surrealism collide and result in a powerful hybrid vehicle to deliver Buñuel's message. Written by Buñuel along Rafael Sánchez Ventura and Pierre Unik (who were assistant directors), "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" was inspired by Maurice Legendre's study of the region's inhabitants. This very real ethnographic work served as basis to the surreal vision of misery that is "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan". A bleak world so real that ultimately feels unreal, enhanced by Buñuel's eye becomes surreal. Surrealism in "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" exists, and is present not to create fantasy, but to accentuate reality. To exaggerate it, to mercilessly use the documentary format to make a point because, "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" is anything but objective. Already a true master of visual symbolism, Buñuel uses images the way Soviet filmmakers used montage.

Of course, there is a certain degree of truth in the film, people of Las Hurdes in those years did live in extreme conditions and poverty and disease were the norm; however, Buñuel carefully has selected (or even created) the appropriate images and the necessary words to bring out the emotions in his audience, to transmit that bleak atmosphere of Las Hurdes and, most importantly, to deliver profoundly his arguments. And those arguments are quite harsh: that the people of Las Hurdes are primitive ignorants prone to superstitions and inbreeding (an stereotype as old as Lope de Vega), and that the government does nothing to improve their condition. Pretty strong accusations in the middle of the political turmoil that was prevalent in Spain during the 30s (Civil War would soon begin in 1936). And the way Buñuel delivers it is quite powerful: Eli Lotar's cinematography captures the misery of Las Hurdes with real documentarian eye, and it is Buñuel's editing and narrative what makes those images transcend reality.

The bold decision of making "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" was not without its consequences: the film was banned in Spain since its release until Spanish Civil War began. Ramón Acín, the producer, was killed by fascists in 1936 because of his anarchist activities. Buñuel, like many Spaniard artists and intellectuals of his time, decided to move to America, escaping from the fascist regime of Francisco Franco. Buñuel would not direct a film until 1947. After a brief season in the U.S., Buñuel traveled to Mexico, and it would be in Mexico where Buñuel's talent would bloom again. Visually strong, and highly inventive, "Las Hurdes: Tierra sin pan" is a documentary film ahead of its time, and a movie that shows the growing talent of Luis Buñuel.

8/10

L'Âge d'Or (1930)

In the mid 20s, a young and enthusiast Luis Buñuel was decided to get involved in the French film industry after having been fascinated by the works by Fritz Lang. This determination took him to get a job as a production assistant in Jean Epstein's 1926 film, "Mauprat". Buñuel's dedication soon made him assistant director in later works by Epstein and Mario Naplas, where he would learn the basics of the craft. Finally, Buñuel would debut as a director in 1929 with a 16-minute short film titled "Un chien andalou" (literally, "An Andalusian Dog"). Written by painter Salvador Dalí and Buñuel himself, "Un chien andalou" was an experimental film that followed a surreal storyline composed of a series of allegoric (and often nightmarish) scenes based on dreams that Dalí and Buñuel had written. The innovative short film was a success amongst the French artistic community, and increased interest in the Spaniard filmmaker. French nobleman Vicomte Charles de Noailles and his wife, Marie-Laure de Noailles, decided to produce Buñuel's first feature-length film: "L'Âge d'Or".

Known in English as "The Golden Age", "L'Âge d'Or" opens with images that seem like a fragment from a documentary about scorpions, detailing their nature and habits, making emphasis in their lack of tolerance to others and their poisonous sting. Then the "main storyline" begins properly, which presents the efforts of a man and a woman to love each other despite the forces that conspire against them, namely society, authority and religious organizations. This story unfolds through a series of vignettes tied together without any apparent structure; however, these vignettes in fact represent Buñuel and Dalí's own subversive ideas about society, put together in accordance to the surrealist principles they were familiar, pretty much in a similar way to their previous effort, "Un chien andalou". Nevertheless, while "Un chien andalou" works as a nightmare (or better said, a vision) come to life; "L'Âge d'Or", works more like a graphic representation of the train of thought that these two artists had at the time. Is it a revolution or a joke? Perhaps, "L'Âge d'Or" tried to be a bit of both.

Written by director Luis Buñuel and painter Salvador Dalí (though Buñuel argues that Dalí's collaboration was minimal), the vignettes of "L'Âge d'Or" contain a darkly perverse brand of humor, employing an apparently light-hearted comedy to deliver its sharp, merciless attacks. Nothing escapes from Buñuel's sting, from the Catholic Church to the militia, the happily ignorants and the arrogant intellectuals, the civil authority, the government and of course, at the top of all, the bourgeoisie society. The message being, apparently, that love can't reach its full potential because it suffers under the oppressive moral of society, which represses sexuality while at the same time breeds and propagates vices of worse nature. Violence and its absurdity is also tackled by Buñuel, as violence seem to be the only available escape for the otherwise repressed passions. Violence that goes from the abuse of a little dog to the cold blooded murder of a child. Of course, all this is handled with the same light-hearted tone that Buñuel uses through the film, accentuating its absurdity.

In this his first feature length film, Buñuel certainly showcases his domain of cinema as an artistic expression. "L'Âge d'Or" is a film that oozes symbolism, and practically every vignette was carefully planned to convey a certain, very specific message. Still, while even at this early stage Buñuel's mastery of cinema as a language is out of the question, at the time when "L'Âge d'Or" was made Buñuel was still learning the technique, and it shows in several parts. The disjointed, surreal narrative, while powerful and effective in "Un chien andalou", feels broken and incomplete in "L'Âge d'Or". Buñuel's editing is still abrupt and forced, and some vignettes would benefit of an easier transition (granted, "L'Âge d'Or" was not meant to be a film easy to digest). Albert Duverger's work of cinematography is truly exquisite in certain scenes (the famous scene of the religious statue for example), but there are points in which it feels surprisingly amateurish. Certainly, Buñuel's eye was still developing his very own style, but as a whole, it feels a work a tad amateurish at first glance.

Acting through "L'Âge d'Or" is for the most part effective, considering the goals of the film, as it should be noted that given the nature of the film, the performances tend to be hammy, overacting every emotion and expression. It's after all, a parody of self-righteousness, and a film done in the style of silent cinema. As one of the two protagonists, Lya Lys plays the young girl (the characters lack names), and she basically portrays an archetype of femininity (feminity as understood by Buñuel of course). The young girl is fragile and elegant, yet at the same time full of passion. Gaston Modot, delivering a truly remarkable performance, plays her counterpart, the equally unnamed man (as if was to represent all men). Modot's character is also filled with passion, but as the authorities oppress him, his passion finds an outlet in violence, and begins his struggle to satisfy his love (or is it lust? Both are equally important in "L'Âge d'Or" as purer expressions of humanity). The rest of the cast is effective, for the most part, though nothing particularly surprising.

Certainly, "L'Âge d'Or" is quite an ambitious film, with its cruel yet humorous attacks to social order and its complex symbolism; nevertheless, I personally found it a bit too full of itself for its own good. Some of Buñuel's targets are pretty obvious and, since the attacks are anything but subtle, the film can feel less witty and more childish than what was expected. Of course, the disjointed narrative also becomes a bit of a problem as the movie, being of a higher complexity and longer runtime than "Un chien andalou", tends to lose its point at several parts, and some vignettes do feel forced within the narrative. It's clear that Buñuel had in mind something big with the making of this project but, it seems that it was a project still too big for his creative mind at that moment. Granted, "L'Âge d'Or" was designed to be more symbolic than explicit, more an experience than an entertainment, and definitely more emotional than rational; but the overall experience is one of an unfulfilled mission.

Of course, Luis Buñuel would tackle surrealism later in his career, with the crowing pieces of his surrealist oeuvre being his 70s films, "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie" ("The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie") and "Le Fantôme de la liberté" ("The Phantom of Liberty"), which would earn him the title of master of surrealism. While probably not entirely satisfying, "L'Âge d'Or" was a clear signal of the interests of the young Buñuel and, despite its many flaws, shows that even at this early stage of his career the vision of Buñuel was already developed (His technique would improve and blossom later, during his exile in Mexico). "L'Âge d'Or" or "The Golden Age", is a difficult film to watch (personally, it wouldn't be my first choice for an afternoon), but truly a key one that has to be experienced to discover the origins of Luis Buñuel and the core of surrealist cinema.

7/10
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Watch "L'Âge d'Or" (1930)

W-Cinema's Brief top of 2010

Well, 2010 is over and, while here at W-Cinema things have gone from erratic to barely alive, it's still time to make the classic post about what was good (for W-cinema's standards) in the year. As with every list, you may agree with it, you may disagree with it, or you may perhaps send a good anthrax-filled letter to our door for not giving enough praise to González Iñárritu; all I can say is that this list reflects only the few 2010 releases I managed to see through the year, and that it also reflects W-cinema's taste in films. As expected, the list follows our somewhat established belief in genres and auteurism, including nice incursions in science fiction, heist films, fantasy, a meditation on superheroes and two nice case studies on the classic way of making a thriller. Two (ok, three) of W-cinema's all-time favourite directors do appear in it, two Mexican directors make the cut, and one Portuguese film made by the oldest living director. I know it's nothing but a small glimpse of what 2010 had to offer, but what the hell, here's W-Cinema's Top 10 of 2010 (and some certain honorific mentions).

10) O Estranho Caso de Angélica (2010, Manoel de Oliveira)

After 79 years of active career, Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira has seen a lot of the world, and that includes, a lot of cinema. In "O Estranho Caso de Angélica", known in English as "The Strange Case of Angelica", Manoel de Oliveira tells a simple fantasy of a man in love with a ghost, but behind the romance theme, it's also the tale a man in love with the past. And while the film takes place in modern times, Oliveira's style is also in love with the past. Perhaps, in love with his past. Classy and restrained, "The Strange Case of Angelica" feels like a window to a style that, like Angelica, can not remain dead but is in fact, very alive.

9) Kick-Ass (2010, Matthew Vaughn)
Comic book artists Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. hooked up with scriptwriters Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman, and conceived the story of a teenager who becomes a superhero out of his love for comic books and a comics-influenced sense of justice. The result was a comic book published by Marvel, and an independently financed film directed by Matthew Vaughn. Flashy and hip, "Kick-Ass" looks like another cheap superhero parody, but it's actually a nice, fun analysis to the themes of idealism and the masked vigilante. Classic comic book concepts and motifs are viewed with a darkly humorous eye (and a taste for good gratuitous violence) that may put off someone expecting a David Zucker parody.

8) El Infierno (2010, Luis Estrada)
In Mexico, the open war against the drug cartels that the government has started has taken the violence to the civilians; and while the results of the Mexican Drug War are still to be seen (and we won't get into politics), the open acts of violence has turned towns and cities into branches of hell. Or that's what filmmaker Luis Estrada states in "El Infierno" (literally, "The Hell). Telling the story of a naive man whom gets deeply involved with the drug cartel that rules his town, only to discover the crude hell behind all the riches and fortunes; Luis Estrada brings back the raw aesthetics of the classic Mexican low budget action films with Mario Almada (who even has a cameo) and adds his brand of acid, satirical humor to make harsh criticism of the drug culture, the Mexican government, and everything in-between.

7) Biutiful (2010, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
Mexico again, but this time only via its director, Alejandro González Iñárritu, as "Biutiful" locates us in Spain, specifically in Barcelona, where Javier Bardem offers a tour de force in terms of acting as the film's tragic hero, Uxbal, a man who knows he is going to die. Living in poor conditions, working in the underworld and with a terminal illness over him, Uxbal begins to walk his last road, looking for redemption and attempting to ensure a slightly better future for the family he'll leave behind: his two kids. While I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, it is truly a great achievement, and also, probably González Iñárritu's most human film.


6) Hereafter (2010, Clint Eastwood)
Death and what comes after is what director Clint Eastwood explores in his 2010 film, "Hereafter", narrating three stories of people touched by death in some way, the legendary filmmaker makes a warm, subtle and classy meditation on the after life. A French reporter with a near-death experience, a real psychic who considers his gift as a curse, and a young boy desperately trying to find a message from the dead, all collide with an elegance that brings back memories from an older style of crafting drama films. And Eastwood opens his film with a quite powerful scene.


5) The Ghost Writer (2010, Roman Polanski)
Like Eastwood, Roman Polanski is a favourite here at W-Cinema, and fortunately, Polanski's adaptation of Robert Harris' novel of the same name, is quite a thrilling ride. Ewan McGregor and a terrific Pierce Brosnan star in this story of politics, lies and books; in which Polanksi once again demonstrates a talent for creating interesting tales of conspiracy. Sure, "The Ghost Writer" is far from being a reinvention of the political thriller genre, but the classy way the mystery unfolds makes this a truly enjoyable experience. Slow and subtle, the film begins with a certain tranquility that only begins the construction of a strong sense of urgency and paranoia in a way that Polanski knows very well.

4) The Social Network (2010, David Fincher)
Showcasing a great talent as a storyteller, David Fincher tackles on the story about the early years of Facebook. While it may or may not be an entirely accurate description of Mark Zuckerberg's life, it is an extremely well crafted story that manages to capture the essence of a generation. Fincher makes captivating this tale of young entrepreneurs breaking the rules and then breaking themselves. In the end, seeing it as an artistic expression, I guess it doesn't matter if it's a sensationalizing or not (although who knows how the real Mark Zuckerberg must have felt), it is a great story, told masterfully with great care and powerful talent.

3) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010, Edgar Wright)
Talking about films that capture the spirit of a generation, Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" takes pop culture by the horns and fully captures the aesthetics of video games better than any video game movie. Based on the comic books (ok, graphic novels) series by Bryan Lee O'Malley, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is a surreal fantasy where indie rock, martial arts and 8-bits video games collide in a pastiche that's not only a flashy spectacle beautiful to look at, but also a fine example of a fun yet thought-provoking coming of age film. Along "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", this movie consolidates Wright as a master storyteller for this generation.

2) Shutter Island (2010, Martin Scorsese)
Haunting, dark and atmospheric, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of "Shutter Island" feels like a throwback to the days of Val Lewton's somber horror-noirs of the 40s. In a mystery involving memories, paranoia and insanity, Martin Scorsese doesn't attempt to reinvent the genre, just toys with its elements building a thriller in the most classic sense. Now, this doesn't mean that Scorsese plays it safe, it's more a conscious recreation of a style of filmmaking that, while probably out of fashion now, still works effectively. Slow in its pace, and ominous in its atmosphere, "Shutter Island" is a thriller that goes back to the roots in gothic horror and Film Noir's emphasis in suspense; delivering a haunting tale of madness with a classy touch.

1) Inception (2010, Christopher Nolan)
Amongst the most recent breed of filmmakers, Christopher Nolan stands out as a director being able of churning out big Hollywood productions without losing his very own trademark style (in the same lines, only Del Toro and Fincher come to mind). After reinvigorating the "Batman" franchise, Nolan earned the chance of making his own film and the result is "Inception". A heist film for the 21st century, "Inception" shows Leonardo DiCaprio gathering a team of specialists to make a heist inside a man's mind. The mission? To enter the subconscious mind of a dreaming state, to implant an idea, and return alive to tell the tale. With this concept in mind, Nolan plays the rules of heist films, bending them to his will, resulting in a quite entertaining and though-provoking thriller. It's certainly not without its flaws, but certainly, "Inception" ended up being the most interesting film of the year.

And now, some honorific mentions:
- Piranha (2010, Alexandre Aja)
With great knowledge of the genre he loves, Alexandre Aja unleashes a powerful non-stop roller-coaster of nudity, blood and gore in a glorious old school style. Almost as if it had been made in the late 70s or early 80s.
- TRON: Legacy (2010, Joseph Kosinski)
While showing a good deal of respect to the original film, Kosinski's sequel fails to reach full circle and leaves one with the desire of revisiting the original. Still, it's quite a ride and the music (by Daft Punk) is perfect.
- La Pantera Negra (2010, Iyari Wertta)
Inventive, quirky, and fun (despite having a severely disjointed storyline), this walking tribute to film noir, Bergman and Mexican wrestling films shows a promising future for director Iyari Wertta.

Well, that would be all for 2010 (so far), at least, what W-Cinema could watch through the year (as always, I won't be able of watching some important releases, such as Aronofsky's "Black Swan", for a while). We'll see what does 2011 will have to offer, certain films do call my attention, like "Cowboys and Aliens", and I must admit to have a certain interest in Aronofsky's take on the "X-Men" films (as the last couple have not been entirely of my liking). As usual, the same annual promise of writing more in this place and bring back a constant flux of ideas. Until then, good night, and good luck!

House of Usher (1960)

The wonderful reference book Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies, edited by Aaron Christensen, contains an essay on "House of Usher" written by yours truly, going in further detail about the film, its making, and my personal experience in discovering this wonderful masterpiece of Gothic horror. Be sure to check it out!
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By the end of the decade of the 50s, producer and director Roger Corman had been enjoying a relatively successful career with his many low-budget horror films that filled the drive-ins of the time with memorable titles such as "It Conquered the World" (1956), "Attack of the Crab Monsters " (1957) or "The Wasp Woman" (1959). While not always memorable, his work was effective, cheap and most of the times very entertaining, earning him a ; however, Corman decided that it was time for a change. Instead of making two low-budget black and white films, he decided to make one color feature film with better production values. The result of this risky bet ended up being one of his most successful films and probably among the best horror films ever done: the fantastic adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Gothic novel "The Fall of the House of Usher". Titled simply as "House of Usher", this film would begin a series of movies based on Edgar Allan Poe stories, most of them starring legendary actor Vincent Price in roles that would make him a horror icon.

"House of Usher" film tells the story of Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon), a young man from Boston who arrives to the desolate Usher mansion looking for his fiancée Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey), as she left him in Boston shortly after being affianced with him. Looking for answers, he discovers that both Madeline and her brother Roderick (Vincent Price) seem to be affected by a mysterious malady. While she has become catatonic, Roderick has developed an extreme sensitivity in his audition, making noise extremely painful to him. Roderick explains that this is only the beginning of the ancient Curse of the Usher family, that states that every member of the family will spread evil and suffer from insanity until death. It is because of this belief that Roderick forbids the marriage between Madeline and Philip, as he has decided to end the Usher bloodline and curse once and for all. Philip doesn't believe in Rodericks' words, but in the murky swamps that surround the House of Usher, he'll discover that behind every legend there is a little bit of truth.

Written by Richard Matheson (whom also penned the classic horror novel "I Am legend"), the film does a great work at mixing several of the most representative elements from Poe's short stories in order to create an entertaining and frightening film. While not a strictly faithful adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story, Matheson captures in his screenplay the main Gothic themes of the Poe's writing. The added angle of romance does not undermine the horror atmosphere of dread that the film has, and actually suits well the Gothic tragedy of the Usher clan despite being a tad simplistic. While it could be argued that moving the focus from Roderick to Madeline could betray Poe's intentions, Matheson keeps Roderick an interesting figure on his own right, and not simply a horror villain. Since the plot revolves around the characters, Matheson spends enough time to develop each one of them, slowly setting the stage for the terrific finale where they'll face each other in a superb climax. Although the story takes its time to unfold, the slow pace is rightfully justified by its very rewarding ending.

When one thinks of Roger Corman, its inevitable to think about the many low-budget films of average quality he has done through his long career; however, 5 seconds into the film and one begins to wonder if they are really the same person. This film is so beautifully shot and so carefully crafted that it really shows how much Corman cared for this particular project. While still with a budget considerably lower than the big studios' productions, Corman shows that he actually knows more about the filmmaking craft than just how to save costs, and with real artistry creates a series of set-pieces that are both haunting and attractive at the same time. Seasoned cinematographer Floyd Crosby creates images of great beauty in brilliant widescreen color, making the most out of Daniel Haller's lavish sets without sacrificing the Gothic atmosphere of the story. "House of Usher" perfectly captures the melancholy, the fears and the madness of the short story and creates a frightening Gothic tale of horror in film. It was a risky bet indeed, but one that was worth every cent.

After a long career starring in low-budget films or having mere supporting roles in bigger productions, Vincent Price appears at his finest portraying Roderick Usher with tremendous power, chewing the scene with his great presence and charming personality. His overtly dramatic performance fits perfectly in the movie and it made him a horror icon forever. Certainly his performance could be labeled as overacting, but Price adds a lot of personality to the role of Roderick, giving him a mix of classy subtlety and eccentric antics that enhances the atmosphere of abnormality and madness that surrounds the House of Usher. With this, Price makes Roderick our guide to the insanity. While nowhere as great as Price, Mark Damon and Myrna Fahey make very effective co-stars and actually manage to add a lot to the film. Damon is quite good as the lead character, determined and heroic in his tragic quest; and while Fahey's melodrama is a bit over the top (even more than Price), she puts up a fine performance that's up to the challenge.

Despite its low budget, "House of Usher" has an astounding visual design that definitely proves that Corman was more than just a maker of cheap B-movies. Crossing the line that separates the artisan from the artist, Corman crafts a haunting tale of Gothic horror pretty much in the vein that the British company Hammer began to do in the late 50s. However, there are differences between both styles: Corman's take on Poe (perhaps in part because of its source material) has a greater focus on the surreal imagery of madness than on the wild sensuality of the monster (which is one of the key elements that made Hammer horror to stand out). Essentially, while Hammer focus on the monster, Corman's Poe films focus on the atmosphere of horror and dread. if the film has any taint, I think that it would be the fact that even for the standards of its time, the movie is a bit too slow as it takes its time to present the story. Also, it is definitely not a graphic scare fest, so perhaps someone expecting the opposite may find the film a bit dull or boring.

"House of Usher" is a remarkable Gothic film that relays more in its characters, as well as in the atmosphere and suspense rather than in graphic scares and thrills. A key film in the revival of Gothic horror that took place in the late 50s and early 60s, "House of Usher" showcases a brilliant work of cinematography and one of Vincent Price's finest moments. However, I guess that the most important thing about "House of Usher" is not only that it's a beautifully done film, but the fact that it's probably one of the movies where it's more apparent that filmmaker Roger Corman deserves more credit as an artist than what he usually receives.

9/10
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Seres: Génesis (2010)

Almost since its humble beginnings, Mexican science fiction films have been a territory populated by the exploits of mad scientists, sexy space invaders, schlocky robots and wrestling monsters of all kind; building up a filmography that has seen movies with definitely more heart than budget, and a naive charm that makes up for its notorious lack of production values. Certainly, films like Rogelio A. González' "La Nave de los Monstruos" or René Cardona's "Las Luchadoras vs el Robot Asesino" were not aiming for hard science fiction but just for an entertaining mix of adventure, comedy and the occasional robot. Of course, there have been serious sci-fi films in Mexican cinema, but unfortunately, most of those attempts tend to be, at best, exercises of involuntary humor (there are exceptions of course, such as 1958's "El hombre que logró ser invisible"). In the year 2007, Mexican filmmaker Ángel Mario Huerta decided to make another attempt at serious sci-fi with "Seres: Génesis" and finally, three years later, the final result of that attempt is released.

In "Seres: Génesis", Gonzalo Vega plays professor Owen, recognized scientist and head of Owal Technologies, a leading industry in the development of technology, which has been collaborating with the United States government in a secret project. This project involves archaeological research in the Mayan region of Mexico and is being coordinated by Section B, which is Owal Technologies' secret division. Graco (Manuel Balbi) is the archaeologist in charge of the investigation, but his efforts are interrupted when a series of strange paranormal phenomena begin to take place in the city, forcing him to stop the work and return to Owal, where he'll be reunited with his old flame, Mariel (Alejandra Barros), whom is now Section B's Director. At the headquarters, professor Owen informs Section B about the situation, the presence of extraterrestrial beings on Earth, and presents the new member of the team: seasoned hunter Vega (Arturo Delgado). Now, Graco will join Vega, mathematician Martin (Humberto Busto) and biologist Emma (Liz Gallardo) in their hunt for the extraterrestrial beings.

Written by Armando Guajardo and director Ángel Mario Huerta himself, "Seres: Génesis" is a tale of mystery, adventure and science fiction pretty much in the vein of "The X-Files". Taking as basis the popular concept of ancient civilizations being visited by extraterrestrial beings, Huerta and Guajardo chronicle the efforts of Section B for uncovering the secret behind a recent increase of alien abductions and UFO sightings. Unfortunately, what seemed to be a good chance to explore classic themes such as conspiracy theories, alien invasions or close encounters; ends up being a half-baked mix of those elements that feels unpolished as it doesn't seem to go anywhere with them. while there could had been room for mystery and suspense within the story, any chance for that gets wasted as things are solved easily with scenes of poorly written dialogs. One big part of the problem is that there is barely any character development at all (some characters, such as Emma, are even irrelevant), so it becomes difficult to get involved with the adventures of Section B.

At the helm of "Seres: Génesis", director Ángel Mario Huerta feels focused more on displaying the special effects of the film instead of building up a consistent narrative. The problems in the screenplay are carried out to the film's narrative and the movie ends up having an inconstant rhythm that goes from frantically quick to dully slow and back. Huerta's handling of the cast also feels really lacking, as the performances vary from good to downright bad; although it must be said that his action set pieces, while unfortunately scarce, are quite well done. Cinematographer Alejandro Cantú's work is appropriate, but nothing really spectacular, though he makes good use of the digital technology. Nevertheless, praise must go to the visual effects team that, for the most part, do make the most out of the budget and create some of the best effects seen in Mexican cinema. Probably Huerta lacks in narrative style and the directing of his cast, but the director truly made good use of the special effects for the film.

As written above, the performances in "Seres: Génesis" are pretty much sub-par, with two notable exceptions. Experienced actor Gonzalo Vega as professor Owen truly captures the sober image of dignity and power that the intellectual character requires. With talent Gonzalo Vega manages to make a clichéd ridden father figure into a believable, realistic character. Young Humberto Busto is the other exception in the film, playing mathematician and passionate ufologist Martin. With a very natural delivery and charming attitude, Busto truly gives life to the eccentric mathematician, despite the poorly written dialogs his character recites through the film. Certainly, one of the highlights of the film. The rest of the main cast is pretty much average, with Manuel Balbi and Arturo Delgado fitting the roles of action heroes without great impact. Alejandra Barros and specially Liz Gallardo have little to do, given their poorly developed characters that barely appear.

While a highly ambitious project done probably with very good intentions, "Seres: Génesis" suffers of a major problem that prevents it from being the science fiction it aims to be: its lack of an engaging storyline. While director Ángel Mario Huerta does achieve for brief moments that magic of capturing the imagination, for the most part the film feels tiring and even boring. The interesting concept of ancient civilizations making contact with extraterrestrials feels shallowly explored. Being the beginning of a trilogy, it would be expected that "Seres: Génesis" wouldn't show everything in the first installment, but Huerta went completely to the other extreme and the movie ends with the feeling of it being incomplete. Not with the desire of wanting to know more, but with the void of having seen something edited or unfinished. Ultimately, "Seres: Génesis" commits the sin of failing to properly introduce this universe, to captivate with it, or making it interesting. This could prove to be problematic for the next installments in the story. Perhaps a little more care in the development of the screenplay would had saved the film from feeling lost without direction.

Aiming to capture the look and style of Hollywood's big budget science fiction, "Seres: Génesis" also captured the worst of Hollywood's flaws, specifically the related to the storyline, as it clearly favors the display of its amazing visual effects over any try at character development. Since "Seres: Génesis" has more dialog than action scenes, this flaw is even more noticeable. With the release of "Seres: Génesis", Francisco Laresgoiti's "2033" and other Mexican sci-fi projects, year 2010 seems to be the year where science fiction once again attempts to rise in a national filmography that historically has neglected it and relegate it to low budgets and precarious production conditions. Nevertheless, the lack of heart in both "2033" and "Seres: Génesis" makes one wonder if those schlocky contraptions, seductive aliens and cardboard monsters of old Mexican films may have had more soul than their modern counterparts.

5/10
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Nos Miran (2002) @ Cult Reviews!

It's been a while since I wrote somehting, and that's quite unfortunate because, while life has taken me to different and ejoyable activities lately, I kin do fmiss writing about cinema. Fortunately, this month I could finish a piece for that cool website that allows me to write from time to time: yes, I'm talking once again about Cult Reviews. On this ocassion I wrote about "Nos Miran" (2002), one of the generation of Spaniard horror films that came during the last decade (and that fortunately, still is alive and kicking). Written by the remarkable Jorge Guerricaechevarria and directed by newcomer Norberto López Amado, Nos Miran" is a mix of horror and film noir about an obessesed detective looking for dissapeared people. Naturally, his dark past comes again to haunt him. Classy and tastefully Gothic in that sober vein that Spain's modern horror handles so well, this is a nice film to watch on a rainy night. You'll find more detail on the review at Cult Reviews of course.

Things may seem slow nowadays at Cult Reviews, but there's always somehtig there to discover. I must rcomend Perfesser Deviant's review of the 70s flick "Blood Stalkers" in his quite particular style. Also, Mr. Vomitron writes about one of my favourite modern films, "Harry, Un Ami Qui Vous Veut Du Bien", a beautifully done French thriller on the most Hitchcocknian style. Truly a superb work of art, and Mr. Vomitron's arguments seem to go on that way too. Check out his review. Finally, Coventry writes about a 2010's movie, "Srpski Film" ("A Serbian Film"), an extreme horror film that could literally be described as that hideous label Americans like to use: "torture porn". But well, according to good ol' Coventry, if "Hostel" is torture porn, then a new label must be created for "A Serbian Film", which seems to be extreme just for the sake of it. Coventry gets in more detail in his review. Finally, the full length movie available right now is the 1959's version of "The Bat", directed by Crane Wilbur. Personally, I prefer the silent version, but it's still worth to check it out.

So, keep supporting Cult Reviews!



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Un Chien Andalou (1929)

One of the most famous short films in the world is definitely Luis Buñuel's debut, "Un Chien Andalou" (literally, "An Andalusian Dog"), and not without a reason, as this 16 minute film's influence extents beyond the cinema and is considered a milestone of the surrealist movement of the late 20s. After watching Fritz Lang's "Der müde Tod" in 1921), Buñuel became fascinated with cinema, and decided to learn as much as possible about it. He became acquainted with filmmaker Jean Epstein and began to work with him as an assistant in Epstein's "Mauprat", and also looked for work in every production he could. Through this experiences, Buñuel not only learned the technique of filmmaking, but also met some of the cast and crew that would help him in his first experiment. 1929 saw the release of the brainchild of director Luis Buñuel and painter Salvador Dalí, "Un Chien Andalou", which has become an enormously influential work of art, necessary to understand the work of these two masters of surrealist art.

Conceived as a series of scenes without an apparent order, the film has no explicit plot and instead it follows a dream logic where the "dreams" share only actors, characters, themes or motifs, without being explicitly "connected". This logic (or lack of logic) makes the film very much akin to Freudian free association, as while there is no apparent link between the scenes, a subliminal bond exists between them, making "Un Chien Andalou" an visual experiment that expresses the dreams that its creators had. The surreal scenes include the famous scene where a woman's eye is slit by a razor blade, an androgynous woman poking at a severed hand in the street with her cane and ants emerging from a man's hand. It's definitely a pure and raw form of surrealism that attempts to provoke feelings and emotions with its images rather than with its storytelling. It is not that he film lacks any meaning, but that such meaning is expressed in symbols, not with words. It is because of this domain of image and symbology over any traditional plotline that "Un Chien Andalou" has been labeled as a precursor of modern music videos.

Due to its nature, the film depends on the visual impact of its images, and Buñuel manages to make the most of his resources giving the scenes a haunting beauty and a powerful impact to its meaning. It was not only a surrealist statement, "Un Chien Andalou" was also Buñuel's experimenting with film and learning a lot in the process. Cinematographer Albert Duverger, whom first met Buñuel on Epstein's film "Mauprat", employs a quite dynamic technique for its time; and with clever use of lighting, creates an unsettling atmosphere that conveys that aura of mystery and fantasy that exists in dreams. Following the film's dream logic, one could say that Duverger and Buñuel achieve to make the movie flow from dream to nightmare and viceversa. Rich in symbols (that may or may no thave any real meaning) and full of haunting images, "Un Chien Andalou" is certainly one of the movies in which the visuals carry the sense of story in its most extreme form. While unsettling at times and definitely aggressive, the movie is a joy to watch even when the experience is more akin to watch moving canvas rather than a movie the way we are used to it.

The film is hard to understand, and ambiguous enough to the point that probably only Buñuel and Dalí knew exactly what it was supposed to mean. However, that's probably the point of it, to create emotions rather than to simply transmit them. As he states in his autobiography ("My Last Sigh", 1983), the film was made with the intentions that "no idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted". In the way that Dalí made his paints, Buñuel crafted his entrance to the artform that would become his life. While one could nitpick the production values of the film (or the acting, which at times is a bit awkward), the whole artistic meaning of "Un Chien Andalou" minimize those problems to the point of making them irrelevant. The whole dreamlike imagery that Buñuel and Dalí have created in this short film trascended the normal way of storytelling, and finished to create the surrealist cinema. It's not a movie easy to like, but it's certainly one impossible to forget,

"Un Chien Andalou" is definitely one of Buñuel's most important films, not only viewing it globally, as a landmark of the surrealist movement; but also on a personal way, as the many things Buñuel himself learned during the process of making it had an enormous influence over his career. While both Buñuel and Dalí feared a bad response from the public, "Un Chien Andlou" became quite popular, and became the beginning of Buñuel's promising career (a career that was unfortunately put temporarily on stand by because of the Spanish Civil War). Original, thought-provoking and enormosuly ambiguous, this short film is a must-see not only for Buñuel fans, but also for everyone interested in film as an art form.

9/10

District 9 (2009)

Since the year 2007, rumors began about a movie adaptation of the popular video game, "Halo". It soon became official that Peter Jackson would produce the film, and that a South African newcomer named Neill Blomkamp would be at the helm of the project. Despite not having experience in feature-length films, Blomkamp had already established himself as the most appropriate director for the movie after his "Landfall" trilogy of short films based on "Halo" gave him critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the "Halo" project couldn't be launched and the movie version of the popular video game collapsed during preproduction. However, producer Peter Jackson still wanted to give Blomkamp a chance, and decided to produce an adaptation of one of Blomkamp's earlier short films, the sci-fi mock documentary "Alive in Joburg" (a six minute short film about stranded aliens facing xenophobia). Expanding the themes and style of "Alive in Joburg", the end result was one of the most original science fiction films of the last years: "District 9".

In "District 9", a major event has changed the history of South Africa: in 1982, a large alien spaceship became stranded above the city of Johannesburg. Inside the spaceship was found a large group of members of an extraterrestrial species who are given asylum on Earth. Years go by and things in Johannesburg get complicated as the aliens enter the already convoluted social situation of the country. Ostrasized and hated (and derogatorily referred to as "prawns"), the aliens live in poverty and engage in criminal activities. After human protests, the aliens are confined to a government camp inside Johannesburg, called District 9, which despite massive police presence, soon turns into a slum. More than 20 years after the aliens' arrival, a private military corporation named Multinational United (MNU) takes the task of relocating the 1.8 million aliens to a new camp, District 10; and field operative Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is the man in charge of the mission. And literally, it'll be a mission that will change his life.

Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, "District 9" uses comedy and science fiction to explore themes such as xenophobia with a sharp and intelligent humor. Given its setting, it's obviously a commentary on the Apartheid era, the forced evictions and the segregation that was lived in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. "District 9" begins following the style of Blomkamp's original short film, "Alive in Joburg", as it opens as a documentary about the relocation of the aliens and the mysterious fate of Wikus van de Merwe. As the story unfolds it moves back and forth from the documentary to the actual events of the relocation, uncovering what exactly happened to Wikus van de Merwe during the mission. With the perfect mix of humor and intelligence, Blomkamp and Tatchell built up a story that transcends science fiction and becomes a powerful character study filled with interesting twists and surprisingly, a lot of heart. If there's anything to criticize, it probably would be that the film certainly lacks subtlety when it comes to showcase it's political message.

As written above, "District 9" moves from the documentary about the eviction, to the actual development of the events, so the film is presented in two different, yet complementary styles. The documentary side is given a very realist look, akin to Blomkamp's "Alive in Joburg", complete with footage from MNU's operation and interviews with those involved. The actual story of the film receives a more traditional treatment, yet Blomkamp keeps the realism by employing mainly a hand-held technique, very much on the "cinéma vérité" school of thought, as it's all done to transport the audience to the story, as if it was truly, news footage. It's certainly a risky decision, but Blomkamp makes it work with the instrumental aide of cinematographer Trent Opaloch, whom employs digital cinema to achieve this realism in a fantastical tale about extraterrestrials. Julian Clarke's work of editing is worthy of praise, as it keeps the movement from the documentary style to the action film at a quite dynamic and natural rhythm.

Acting through the film is quite good, with Sharlto Copley (whom produced and starred Blomkamp's "Alive in Joburg") delivering a terrific performance as Wikus, the model officer whom gets involved in the amazing events that take place during the eviction of District 9. Copley makes Wikus a very human character, and even when it's certainly difficult to like him initially (as Wikus is written as a flawed human being, not the typical hero), Copley's charm and presence truly makes it work. The way the character grows and is developed, while a tad clichéd, doesn't feel as forced as could had been. Another face from "Alive in Joburg", Jason Cope, appears not only as Grey Bradnam, but also as Christian, the alien. Cope's job as the extraterrestrial creature is noteworthy, as while the visual effects alone are already amazing, his performance is truly the icing of the cake and give the creature a heart. Finally, David James makes a great turn as Koobus Venter, the chief mercenary sent to hunt extraterrestrials at District 9. As the main villain, James is certainly extraordinary.

Perhaps "District 9"'s greatest asset is just how fresh it feels amidst most of the recent sci-fi films released by major studios. With a relatively low budget, Jackson and Blomkamp take the genre back to its roots and use it to offer insight about a particular situation of the human condition. While it has the subtlety of a hammer, "District 9"'s exploration of xenophobia and segregation in South Africa (and the world) makes for an interesting discussion; and the way Blomkamp employs comedy to make his statement is cleverly unusual and fun. In a way, a film like "District 9" (which has a political agenda, an anti-hero as main character, and a visual style that moves back and forth from documentary to action film) is not exactly an easy story to sell, and even less simple to make properly; but with creativity and talent, Neill Blomkamp and his team managed to create this little gem with a modest budget and without sacrificing its edge. Subtle or not, with an agenda or not, "District 9" exists entirely as its makers wanted it to be, and it's one hell of a ride, in terms of entertainment.

Fresh, clever and fun, "District 9" is a powerful masterpiece of science fiction that hopefully, will go on in history as one of the genre's first true gems of the 21st century. What Blomkamp and his crew achieved here is worthy of praise, as without a big budget, they have created a terrific work that certainly shows that science fiction can be more than typical space operas and merchandising gold mines, that it still can be used to deliver a message or to state something. Together with Duncan Jones' "Moon", and even Cameron's "Avatar" and Abrams' "Star Trek", Neill Blomkamp's "District 9" points to a resurgence of science fiction with a purpose, with a soul.

9/10
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Alive in Joburg (2005)

During the year of 2009, South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp saw the release of his first feature-length project, the science fiction film "District 9", an interesting mix of mock documentary and action film that narrated the attempt to relocate a race of extraterrestrial creatures stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa. Dealing with themes such as xenophobia and segregation with humor and intelligence, "District 9" was a breath of fresh air for the science fiction genre and launched Blomkamp's career to new heights. The interesting thing is that the origins of "District 9"'s concept go back as far as to 2005, when Blomkamp directed the short film that would make him to get noticed: "Alive in Joburg". Produced by Simon Hansen and Sharlto Copley (whom would later star in "District 9"), "Alive in Joburg" is a six minute short film where Blomkamp first explored the idea of a mock documentary about stranded aliens facing xenophobia. A lot of what "District 9" is can be seen in "Alive in Joburg", as it's the first step in Blomkamp's promising career.

Shot in documentary style, "Alive in Joburg" is set in Johannesburg in 1990, in the middle of the apartheid era. Only that to make things worse, a large group of extraterrestrial refugees have arrived to the city, leaving their large spaceships hovering above the city. Initially welcomed by the humans, the extraterrestrial population soon becomes a social problem in the already conflicted Johannesburg. Whole owners of weaponry and technology superior to humans, the aliens have frequent clashes with the police, and engage in a lot of the city's crime. Like a real documentary, "Alive in Joburg" attempts to explore the aliens' perspective as well, hinting that aliens may have this behavior after being segregated and forced to live in terrible conditions. There are also interviews with the human population of Johannesburg which show how the aliens are seen as a plague, specially since they are in conflict with the already segregated black-population of the city. Tension grows when it is discovered that the ships steal resources from Earth to survive.

As one can easily imagine, "Alive in Joburg" is a commentary on the apartheid era that took place in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, as well as on the social problems that are still relevant in the country. Focused on the humans' reaction to the aliens, the documentary consists mainly on brief interviews with the inhabitants of the city, in which we get a glimpse of the social conflicts that arise between the extraterrestrial refugees and humans. Director Neill Blomkamp never fails to maintain the realist style of his movie, and that's precisely the reason of the success of his satire: the serious tone of the film increases the reality of the story, and since "Alive in Joburg" is mainly a reflection of what happens in South Africa, it's not difficult to imagine that the events that take place in the movie are exactly what would happen if such thing happened in real life. Between the interviews there are "news footage" scenes that depict life in Johannesburg after the extraterrestrial arrival, where their technological advantages can be appreciated.

Showcasing a great work of visual effects (by Blomkamp himself), these scenes are truly amazing, mainly one in which an alien wearing an armor fights two police officers. Considering Blomkamp's background as a professional animator, it could be easy to think that "Alive in Joburg" is an exercise to show off his skills with visual effects, but the short film truly has a value beyond nice visual effects, as Blomkamp's use of the mock documentary genre to offer social cometary is worth mentioning. While perhaps a bit too preachy for its own good, "Alive in Joburg" is still a good example of an intelligent use of comedy and science fiction to carry a message in a short film. Flowing at a nice rhythm, the work of editing done in the film is quite good, and truly captures the feeling of a real informative documentary. The performances in the film are for the most part good, although it's safe to say that "Alive in Joburg" is more an exercise in storytelling for Blomkamp than one about directing actors.

Fresh, original and full of charm, "Alive in Joburg" was the short film that paved the way for Blomkamp, as not only it took him to direct the "Landfall" shorts (three short films done to promote the release of the "Halo 3" video game), but when the "Halo" movie project fell, Blomkamp developed the world of this short film into his feature-length debut, "District 9". Perhaps "Alive in Joburg" is not a perfect film, but considering its ambitions, its limitations and what it ultimately achieved, it's really amazing what producers Simon Hansen and Sharlto Copley, along director Neill Blomkamp managed to do with it. Truly the proof that all that's needed is to have imagination and talent.

8/10

Good bye 2009: A Top 10

Well, 2009 is gone, and as expected, it's time to talk about the good films the year brought with it. At W-Cinema, the focus tends to be on older films, movies released prior to 1970, but during the last year, I tried to watch as many 2009 films as I could. While it wasn't really a good amount of movies, it was an improvement over previous years, and probably this time I have a better idea of how was 2009, in terms of film. Granted, there are many films I have not seen, specially from countries outside the U.S., and some sound so promising that could even enter this list, in the future. I have not see yet "Zombieland", which being a horror film is quite attractive to me. Also, I have not seen Turkey's "Nefes: Vatan sagolsun", a war drama that looks incredibly interesting. The Coens' "A Serious Man", Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox", and Reitman's "Up in the Air" are another three films that are receiving a lot of buzz, and probably will be on the Academy Awards this year. Finally, I also have not seen the documentaries "Home", "The Cove", and "Los Que Se Van".

Anyways, from the few 2009 movies I could catch, here are what I consider the 10 best. It seems that the sci-fi genre has returned and is here to stay.

10) "Inglorious Basterds" (2009, Quentin Tarantino)

9) "Up" (2009, Pete Docter & Bob Peterson)

8) "(500) Days of Summer" (2009, Marc Webb)

7) "El secreto de sus ojos" (2009, Juan José Campanella)

6) "Coraline" (2009, Henry Selick)

5) "Moon" (2009, Duncan Jones)

4) "Mary and Max" (2009, Adam Elliot)

3) "Antichrist" (2009, Lars Von Trier)

2) "District 9" (2009, Neill Blomkamp)

1) "Avatar" (2009, James Cameron)


...and welcome 2010.