Malena Doria Movies
- 1992
In this supernatural thriller, an American painter has been living in Mexico and has an affair with a witch's daughter while there. However, when he hears that his former girlfriend is pregnant, he returns to the States to be with her. The jilted young woman, a witch herself, sends him ever more potent evidences of her displeasure, and he is hard-pressed to survive and maintain his sanity. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mayra Serbulo, Thom Vernon, (more)
When he's not in his store working with his sharp-tongued, disagreeable sister, Benjamin, who never married, hangs out with his cronies. However, whenever the lovely and virginal teenager Natividad walks by, a hush falls over his group. Benjamin's gaze, in particular, remains fixed on her departing figure. The lads have noticed this and teasingly suggest that the overweight, fiftyish bachelor should kidnap her. One day, he actually does this. However, once he has her in his rooms he is much too shy to do anything with her. On the other hand, the far-from-innocent Natividad considers him to be a much better catch than anyone else she has seen in town (including her current boyfriend), and he appears to be someone who can be easily manipulated, so she refuses to leave. Instead, she quickly makes herself the dominant figure in his household. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eduardo Lopez Rojas, Arcelia Ramirez, (more)
- 1991
- PG
This wacky buddy comedy was the fifth in a series of Hollywood remakes of films by French director Francis Veber, none of which were box office successes. Sheila Kelley is Valerie Highsmith, an heiress who, despite her family's wealth, suffers from horribly bad luck. On a vacation to Mexico, she takes a fall, causing amnesia, then is mugged and kidnapped for ransom. When her father (Sam Wanamaker) becomes frustrated with the failed attempts of a detective, Ray Campanella (Danny Glover) to find his daughter, he teams a very reluctant Ray with Eugene Proctor (Martin Short), an accountant whose bumbling bad luck is even worse than Valerie's. The theory is that perhaps two such incredibly unlucky people will act like magnets, with Eugene leading Ray to Valerie's location. Although Ray finds Eugene irritating, the unlikely partners eventually begin making surprising progress in the case, despite Eugene's never-ending screw-ups and pratfalls. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Short, Danny Glover, (more)
- 1985
- R
In a weakly-limned story that starts off on one foot and then quickly jumps to another, Margot Kidder plays Margo, a stripper out looking for her long-lost father (Burt Lancaster) in a remote area of Mexico. After she arrives, Eugene (Ted Danson), an American settled in Mexico for the duration, offers her some help in her mission. Although Margo and her father eventually find each other, their reunion fades into the distance as Eugene and Margo chase after some stolen money. Along the way, Margo is propositioned by wealthy Norman Kane (Joseph Hacker) to perform for one of his pool parties -- further stripping the plot of credibility. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margot Kidder, Ted Danson, (more)
This social-themed drama is set in 1950's Mexico, where three sisters known as the "Poquianchis" run a prostitution ring protected by the municpal and state authorities. In 1964, the discovery of several young people who had been assassinated and buried on the sisters' order led to a scrutiny surrounding the corruption involved in the controversial Mexican justice system. Las Poquianchis is directed by Felipe Cazals.
~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Bracho, Jorge Martinez de Hoyos, (more)
This 1976 Mexican feature is based on a reportedly real incident which took place in 1968. When a group of hikers happen upon a village governed by a paranoid and fanatical priest, they are labelled as communists and desecrators and are lynched by the bespelled townspeople. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ernesto Gómez Cruz
- 1975
The factory workers in the border towns on the U.S./Mexico border in this movie have fallen between the cracks of the guidelines which apply to either nation concerning worker safety. In this story, a group of young workers attempt to organize for better conditions. They are opposed by duplicitous workers who have accepted American "dirty" money. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Yniguez, Ernesto Gómez Cruz, (more)
