Ada Carrasco Movies
Director Elias Jiminez Trachtenberg details the tragic conflict between love and the moral decay of a decadent society in this tale of an auditor whose discovery of corruption threatens to spell his doom. Angel Perez has discovered millionaire deviations of state funds while performing an audit on the Ministry of Internal Inversions. When the Minister himself offers Angel a sizable bribe, the moral conflict experienced by the auditor highlights the link between money and marginality in post-war Guatemala. It is during this crucial juncture that Angel, engaged to be married to the woman of his dreams, meets Caribbean immigrant Kiara. Though her ultimate goal is to reach the United States and begin her life anew, Kiara's dreams are sidelined when she is forced to earn her living by catering to the sexual needs of strangers in a Guatemalan brothel. As difficult issues in his professional and personal life press Angel to a crucial juncture in life, his fateful decision not to contribute to the cycle of corruption that infects modern society threatens dire repercussions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maurice Echeverria, Julliet Cruz, (more)
Based on the best-selling novel by Laura Esquival, this internationally popular romantic fable from Mexico centers on a young woman who discovers that her cooking has magical effects. The tale's heroine, Tita, is the youngest of three daughters in a traditional Mexican family. Bound by tradition to remain unmarried while caring for her aging mother, Tita nevertheless falls in love with a handsome young man named Pedro. Pedro returns her affection, but he cannot overcome her family's disapproval, and he instead marries Tita's elder sister. The lovestruck young woman is brutally disappointed, and her sadness has such force that it infects her cooking: all who eat it her feel her heartbreak with the same intensity. This newly discovered power continues to manifest itself after the wedding, as Tita and Pedro, overcome by their denied love, embark on a secret affair. Director Alfonso Arau, Esquival's husband at the time, presents the acts of love and cooking with the same glossy, sensual sheen. Indeed, despite occasional digressions into a magical realist tone, the film often takes on the gloss of Hollywood romance. This combination of traditional melodrama and exotic fairy tale proved extremely popular with audiences, particularly in the United States, where it became one of the highest grossing foreign language films at the time. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lumi Cavazos, Marco Leonardi, (more)
Those who are familiar with social movements in Mexico in the 1970s may find this simple drama significantly more compelling, as the student movements of that period form the backdrop for the main story. This film celebrates the friendship that developed between two high school girls who have each recently moved to Toluca, a provincial capital city in Mexico. Not only do they manage to retain their friendship despite their both falling in love with the same boy, but they are joined in grief when he dies. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcos Muniz
- 1987
In this romantic drama, popular action hero Valentin Trujillo plays Pedro, a young seminarian who, instead of being ordained directly to the diaconate and priesthood, is sent to his turbulent home to test his vows for a year. In addition to confrontations with local bullies which require him to make use of his fists, Pedro faces temptation in two forms: the conscienceless lust of the ranch boss' new wife, and his tender love for the boss' daughter, a love which the two have shared (chastely) since childhood. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valentin Trujillo, Sasha Montenegro, (more)
Director Budd Boetticher wrote the story upon which this comic Western was based. Clint Eastwood stars as Hogan, a tough cowboy who rescues a woman, Sara (Shirley Maclaine) as she's about to be attacked by a trio of rapists. Surprised to learn that his new traveling companion is a nun, Hogan agrees to escort her to a camp occupied by anti-French revolutionaries. It turns out that neither of this pair is what they claim to be: Hogan is to scout out a French military garrison for a future attack, while Sara is actually a prostitute masquerading as a nun. After Hogan spies Sara smoking cigars and drinking whiskey, he begins to figure out she's not a bride of Christ, and the two team up with the Juaristas to destroy the French fortifications. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Clint Eastwood, (more)
- 1958
Acclaimed director Luis Buñuel displays several of his trademark interests in this drama about a priest who leaves his order. The director's disdain for organized religion and the establishment, as well as his tendency to shock through visual imagery, are both apparent. Nazarin (Francisco Rabal) is the priest who leaves his order and decides to go on a pilgrimage. As he goes along subsisting on alms, he shelters a prostitute wanted by the police for murder. He is released from suspicion and she eventually catches up with him when she escapes imprisonment. Another woman joins the duo and soon the ex-priest is learning more about the human heart and suffering than when he wore robes. As for the shocking scenes, suffice to say the ravages of a plague are also shown. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Marga Lopez, (more)
Brooding Gregory Peck arrives in a small western town to witness the hanging of the men whom he holds responsible for the murder of his wife (they've been arrested for an unrelated crime). Through the help of a duplicitous executioner, the gang escapes--taking Kathleen Gallant as hostage. The vengeful Peck hunts the fugitives down and kills them in cold blood. He is forced to ask himself if he's any better than the criminals when he discovers that the fugitives, though justly convicted of murder, had nothing to do with his wife's death. The Bravados is as grim and compelling as the earlier Henry King/Gregory Peck western The Gunfighter. And yes, that's "Curly" Joe DeRita, of Three Stooges fame, in the role of the menacing hangman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Peck, Joan Collins, (more)
