José Moreno Movies

This suspenseful drama from Mexican director Gilberto Gazcon stars Glenn Ford as Reuben, a doctor who has accepted a job at a construction site south of the border following the death of his wife during childbirth. Devastated by grief, the widower is also drowning his sorrows in booze. Then a man comes stumbling out of the desert, dying from rabies, and Reuben is bitten by the same rabid dog. After delivering a baby for Pancho (David Reynoso), Reuben takes off on a mad dash across the desert to find medical aid before the rabies kills him in 2-3 days. Accompanied by the grateful Pancho and the beautiful prostitute Perla (Stella Stevens), Reuben suddenly finds himself fighting to live as time runs out. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Railroad workers struggle with the temperature extremes in an unforgiving desert in this Mexican western. From searing heat to freezing cold, the workers also contend with sudden storms that are called the "black wind." The campsite is the scene of loving, fighting, gunplay, and a train wreck. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

When an unconventional priest assumes his new post in a conservative small town, the skeptical citizens find that adjusting to the oddball clergyman's strange little quirks may take a little more getting used to than they first expected. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Hampered by a low budget, this otherwise well-acted and excellently directed drama (Gilberto Gazcon is at the helm) takes an understanding look at a group of people living on the fringe of Mexico City in their own squatters' community. They are street entertainers who go out during the day and perform at many of the touristy spots, their glamorous backdrops belying the way they really live. Their group leader, of sorts, is young Beto (Joaquin Cordero) who huffs and bluffs his way along until one day an older man, Don Tencho (José Elias Moreno) shows up and joins the community. Although he does not let on, he is really Beto's grandfather. Don Tencho subtly begins to instill the performers and the pickpockets among them, with bits and pieces of dignity and integrity. The results are not really surprising, but they are engaging and include a few twists and turns of fate. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Only a few off-beat musical moments interrupt the flow of this melodrama about a schoolteacher who loses his sight. Aptly directed by Emilio Gómez-Muriel, José Elias Moreno plays the teacher who suddenly faces the loss of his job when the state refuses to keep a blind instructor on the payroll. Meanwhile, the teacher's students are a tough lot who do their best to be as obnoxious as possible, never giving him a moment's peace with their practical jokes. When it finally dawns on the kids that their teacher is about to lose his job, they start re-evaluating their actions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Yet another oddball Mexican fantasy brought to American audiences by cut-rate exploitation titan K. Gordon Murray, this seasonal tale concerns Santa Claus (Jose Elias Moreno), who we discover doesn't work out of the North Pole after all. Instead, Santa and his friend and associate Merlin the Magician have a base of operations in a castle orbiting the Earth on a small satellite, upon which they observe the activities of children both good and bad through an elaborate surveillance system. While kids all over the globe (most of whom apparently wear stereotypical native costumes at all times) are trying to be good, the Devil wants to increase youthful misbehavior. With this in mind, he sends his emissary Pitch (Cesareo Quezadas, aka Pulgarcito), a demon with a digestive problem, to Earth and Pitch starts his reign of terror by attempting to goad a little girl from a poor family into stealing the doll that she wants. Eventually, Santa and Merlin catch up with Pitch for a final battle of Good vs. Evil. Santa Claus also offers new insight into St. Nick's weight, eating habits, and mode of transportation; the film played the kiddie matinee circuit for years, and later was analyzed by Mike Nelson and his robot pals on Mystery Science Theater 3000. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Tom Thumb (Cesareo Quezadas) convinces an ogre (Jose Elias Moreno) and his family to refrain from eating children and encourages them to bathe regularly in this children's fairy tale from 1958. Tom gets help from the ever-present fairy princess (Maria Elena Marques) whenever his troubles loom too large. The ogre is changed into a vegetarian gentlemen and his seven dingy daughters become ladies with the help of the fairy's magic wand. A new version poorly dubbed in English was released in 1967. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

A roving gang of bandits takes over a small Mexican town, only to find their lawless hierarchy crumbling due to the arrival of a smoldering chanteuse. Jacinto is a prisoner desperate to regain his freedom. After Jacinto and six of his fellow inmates escape from jail in a deadly hail or gunpowder and bullets, they begin the arduous trek across the harsh Mexican desert. Along the way, Jacinto kills a member of the group who had planned on betraying the others. Eventually, Jacinto and his men arrive at a semi-abandoned town, and waste no time establishing themselves as the local authority: Jacinto elects himself as judge, while the rest of the escapees assume the roles of treasurer, mayor, secretary of state, and police chief. The role of ambassador goes to Jacinto's own brother. After cementing their rule, the entire gang sets about terrorizing the local countryside and freeing all the prisoners in the region. For the time it seems as if there's nothing that can loosen their lawless grip on the territory, but when a pretty singer named Chabela comes wandering into town it all starts to fall apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fernando Mendez's 1953 Spanish-language melodrama El Lunar de la Familia unfurls against the backdrop of a deceptively innocent-sounding family reunion. Two freewheeling, party-happy young men, Luis and his buddy Antonio, catch the train in to San Miguel, on a visit to Luis's grandmother, Doña Luisa, and his sister Esther. Unfortunately for the visitors, Luisa's goddaughter Rosita, is sitting near them in the same train car. She soon catches wind of the boys' wild tendencies, and makes a point of telling Luisa. Furious, the crotchety old woman decides to teach the bad boys a lesson by beating them senseless with her cane and forcing Luis to seek out a proper mate for Esther. Unfortunately, Esther has already fallen in love with Antonio - who could care less. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi