Jorge Martinez de Hoyos Movies

This surreal variant on the classic vampire tale is the directorial debut of Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who garnered international acclaim and several awards. The film tells the story of elderly antique dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi, in a role originally written for Max Von Sydow) who, with his eight-year-old granddaughter Aurora (Tamara Shanath), discovers an ancient artifact secreted within a statue obtained from the estate of a 16th-century alchemist. Unbeknownst to Gris, the device -- which resembles an ornate, gilded mechanical beetle -- houses an immortal parasite which will grant eternal life to its host. Naturally, there is a terrible price for this gift, which Gris is doomed to discover after the object anchors itself to his body. He begins to develop an extreme aversion to daylight, as well as an agonizing thirst for human blood. To compound matters, dying millionaire Dieter de la Guardia (Claudio Brook) has learned of the device's existence -- thanks to an occult tome obtained from its inventor -- and wishes to obtain it for his own use. To this end he employs his vain, brutish nephew Angel (Ron Perlman) to retrieve it for him. Angel's techniques are less than subtle, and he inevitably winds up killing Gris in his futile search for the artifact... but death is not permanent for the host of the Cronos, and he rises from the mortuary slab to reunite with the long-suffering Aurora. Together they confront de la Guardia and his nephew one last time, hoping to find a way to reverse the horrible process before Gris suffers the same monstrous fate as the device's creator. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this cautionary tale, based on a novel by Luis Spota, the travails of four "wetbacks" are told. These men have left their homes throughout Mexico in order to sell their labor north of the Border in the U.S. Along the way, one dies while crossing the Rio Grande, another is deported, a third is killed, and the remaining one suffers horribly while working in the U.S. Indeed, such illegal Mexican immigrants are routinely abused and roughed-up, in addition to being poorly paid for back-breaking labor. However, in this movie at least, the lead characters are not particularly admirable people, as they are prepared to rob the only person who shows them kindness. This is clearly a movie with one simple, overriding theme for its intended viewers: no matter what, stay at home in Mexico. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

Despite the fact that most of the westerns made at this time (early '70s) were "deconstructionist" westerns, which either spoofed or subverted the themes of this genre, occasionally a traditional western got filmed. The Revengers is a traditional western. John Benedict (William Holden) returns to his ranch, only to find all his cattle stolen and his family murdered. He vows to exact revenge on Tarp (Warren Vanders), the varmint who did this to him. He recruits a treacherous gang of convicts, bribing the warden for their release, and makes his move. When the attack fails, the convicts aren't interested in making another try. Instead, they shoot him and, leaving him for dead, head off to follow their own concerns. On her way to a new landholding, Elizabeth (Susan Hayward) stumbles upon the injured man, and nurses him back to some semblance of health. She begs him to drop his revenge plan, but he resumes his quest, receiving unexpected help along the way from Hoop (Ernest Borgnine), one of the renegade ex-convicts. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Gale (Charles Robinson) is an idealistic and naive young hunter who ignores warnings that no one can survive for long in the jungles of Mexico except the native Indians. He tries to hunt crocodiles but becomes delirious, disoriented and nears death. Sleigh (John Huston) is a veteran hunter living among the natives who rescues Gale just in time. As he recovers in the Indian village, Gale listens to Sleigh's denunciation of the evils of modern society (ie. money, greed and oil). Later on, a former native of the village returns from the oil fields of Texas and presents his young brother with a pair of cowboy boots. Proudly wearing his new boots, the boy falls off the wooden bridge into the river and drowns as the boots, symbolic shackles of civilization, fill up with water and pull him beneath the surface. Sleigh and Gale observe the Indians as they recover the body and stage an elaborate funeral for the dead boy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Three vicious criminals ram the countryside committing acts of terrorism and senseless violence. The film tries to explain that the men are victims of a society that has failed to provide for their needs, turning them into criminals. This metaphorical feature portrays the men as the exact opposites of the three wise men depicted in the Bible. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this touching western horse story, a wandering cowboy and rodeo rider finds a beautiful wild stallion, captures him, and trains him into a fine horse. Unfortunately, the cowboy's wicked brother trades the horse so he can pay off some debts. Just as he is trying to take Smoky from his pen, something goes wrong and the horse ends up killing him. Later the horse and his beloved rider are separated after the cowboy joins the service. Smoky ends up on the rodeo circuit and is very nearly killed. When the cowboy at last is reunited with his equine friend, he is appalled to discover that Smoky has become a broken down cart horse. He ends up saving him. This is the third screen version of Will James' popular horse story. It contains the following songs: "Smoky" (Ernie Sheldon, Leith Stevens, sung by Hank Thompson), "Five Dollar Bill," "Smile As You Go By," "Trouble and Misery," "Queen of the Rockin' R" (Hoyt Axton, sung by Axton). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this ironic drama set in a Mexican peasant village, the parish priest admonishes and chastises his congregation for not being generous, but then later catches a desperate father stealing a pearl from a statue so he can pay for the medicine his sick boy needs. After being caught, the fellow loses the pearl, which is later found in a pile of pig manure. Fortunately, the man's neighbors rally to his aide and he is freed. Later his wife finds the pearl and surreptitiously returns it to the statue causing the other locals to believe a miracle has occurred. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai (1954) is westernized as The Magnificent Seven. Yul Brynner plays Chris, a mercenary hired to protect a Mexican farming village from its annual invasion by bandit Calvera (Eli Wallach). As Elmer Bernstein's unforgettable theme music (later immortalized as the "Marlboro Man" leitmotif) blasts away in the background, Chris rounds up six fellow soldiers of fortune to help him form a united front against the bandits. The remaining "magnificent six" are played by Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, and (the one that everybody forgets) Brad Dexter. Though jam-packed with action, William Roberts's screenplay pauses long enough to flesh out each of its characters, allowing the audience to pick their own favorites. The Magnificent Seven was followed by three sequels, not to mention dozens of imitations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Los Amantes (The Lovers) ran into censorship problems in Mexico because one of the minor characters is a prostitute, played (believe it or not) by an actress named Cleopatra Walkup! The bulk of the story concerns hero Carlos Baena, who can't make up his mind between his virtuous fiancee Sonia Furio and his sexier paramour Yolanda Varela. He opts for the latter, moving in with the girl and her mother (Elisa De Leon). Eventually, however, Baena realizes that Varela's fast-and-loose lifestyle is not for him. The American distribution of Los Amantes was hampered as much by the picture's substandard technical quality as by its "racy" theme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide