Carmen del Valle Movies
The Mexican western Dos Gallos de Guanajuato concerns a family feud that erupts after a financially powerful clan buys a different family's famous rooster business. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
A boy from an abusive home finds a new lease on life through friendship in this drama from Spain. Pablo (Juan Jose Ballesta) is a 12-year-old boy growing up in an underprivileged neighborhood in Madrid. Pablo doesn't have many friends, and his home life is not happy -- his father Mariano (Manuel Maron) often beats him, and his mother Aurora (Golria Munoz) doesn't know what to do about it. Alfredo (Pablo Galan) is a new boy in town who has just enrolled in Pablo's class at school; Pablo and Alfredo strike up an immediate friendship, and Pablo feels comfortable with Alfredo's family, particularly his father Jose (Alberto Gimenez), who draws tattoos for a living, and his mother Marisa (Nieve de Medina). Alfredo's godfather has been hospitalized with AIDS-related illnesses, and when Alfredo goes to visit him, Pablo tags along, which angers Mariano and leads to another violent episode. Alfredo notices Pablo's bruises and tells his parents, and Jose enlists a social worker, Laura (Ana Wagener), to help find a safer environment for the boy. El Bola was produced in association with UNICEF. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Actor Jorge Cervera made his directorial debut with this Mexican drama, which might be described as Oliver Twist meets Whistle Down the Wind (1962). Casting professional adult actors with non-pro kids, Cervera filmed in Veracruz where the dying mother of eight-year-old Julio (Eduardo Saul Martinez) promises she will locate an angel to protect him. Instead, Julio is relegated to a harsh life at a slave-labor institution where young child workers get decent food and showers once a month -- when government inspectors arrive. To find his "angel," Julio escapes, but Señora Zapata (Carmen del Valle), worried that Julio will inform officials of her illegal operations, sends henchman Pablo (Guillermo Victor Carpinteiro) after the boy. After joining a group of homeless street kids, Julio believes he has found his angel when he's befriended by Angel Lopez (Cervera). The two scavenge the town dump and help a priest build an orphanage, while Pablo continues to track Julio. Shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo Saul Martinez, Jorge Cervera, Jr., (more)
- 1987
In this drama, a doctor helps wounded rebels. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Alfredo Gurrola's 1985 Spanish-language thriller El Rojo's Escape (La Fuga del Rojo) concerns the title character (Mario Almada), a rogue mercenary approached by a group of fighters in desperate need of guns and ammunition. The men enlist El Rojo's services, and he undertakes a dangerous mission smuggling arms across the border - for a price. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Almada, Carmen del Valle, (more)
Monica (Isela Vega) is a showgirl who is kidnapped by her uncle who heads the Texas mob in this routine comedy. A trio of drunks from Mexico City sneak across the border to rescue Monica, who is being held because she know too much about her uncle's activities. Rafael Inclan, Roberto (Flaco) Guzman, and Polo Ortin play the comic trio who fool the mob and inept immigration officials. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isela Vega, Rafael Inclán, (more)
- 1978
Picardia Mexicana tells the tale of a teacher who helps turn two classmates who hate each other into very good friends. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
This film presents excerpts from the lives of two Mexican-American families who have resided in Los Angeles for over 10 years and suddenly find their stability threatened by the "Simpson-Rodino" act. The film pays special attention to the irony of their position, as both families work so hard to contribute to their communities and country and receive so little in return. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
When a group of lowlife criminals threaten to take over Pueblo Viejo, it is up to one man to stop them. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
