Margarita Isabel Movies
Filmmaker Antonio Serrano, who made a splash with his first film Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas, returns to the screen with this thriller from Mexico. Lucia (Cecilia Roth) is a woman whose life is thrown into chaos when her husband suddenly disappears without a trace. As Lucia searches for a clue to his whereabouts, she discovers evidence that suggests her husband had a dangerous secret life he never shared with her, and she finds she isn't the only person with an interest in finding him. Lucia, Lucia (originally released under the title La Hija del Canibal) also features Carlos Alvarez-Novoa and Kuno Becker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecilia Roth, Carlos Alvarez-Novoa, (more)
- 2000
This steamy tela-novela stars Lucia Mendez as Silvana Bernal, a sexy fashion designer, wife and mother whose stormy marriage drives her into the arms of another man. Silvana loves her husband Andres but, unfortunately, he is resentful of her intelligence and success, going so far as to sabotage her career. Silvana thinks that the solution could be found with her co-worker and lover, but tangled web of her personal life only becomes more complicated. Passionate romance and heartbreaking betrayal accompany many graphic love scenes, making the erotic soap opera inappropriate for young viewers. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucia Mendez, Salvador Pineda, (more)
- 1995
Four Mexican women set forth on an emancipatory journey to Guadalajara in this upbeat drama. The story begins in the tiny pueblo of Comala. Ema, a bank teller, persuades her three friends Chayo, Isabelle and Clotilde to leave their brutish spouses and accompany her on a trip to Guadalajara to find freedom. Once there Isabelle, worried about her mentally-retarded daughter, goes home. The other three decide to stay and look for work and a place to stay. They find both in the restaurant and nightclub of Rosa 4. While there, Rosa begins falling for Homero, a womanizing drug runner pretending to be a student. Ema is unaware of his true identity. She is also unaware that her husband Felipe has gone looking for her. When Ema learns the truth about Homero, she beats him senseless, flushes his drugs down the toilet, and steals his money. The three women use part of the cash to fly to Los Angeles; the rest of it they use to start up a Mexican Restaurant. Meanwhile Felipe continues his search. At one point he runs into Homero and Felipe is almost killed. Felipe escapes and finally makes it to the restaurant in LA where he begs Ema for a second chance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lourdes Elizarraras, Regina Orozco, (more)
- 1995
Greed and playing into the hand of providence provides the focus of this Mexican comedy adapted from a novel by Jorge Ibarguengoitia. Marcos, an architect, has just returned to the home of his wealthy uncle Ramon after squandering his money in Mexico City and subsequently finding himself falsely accused of a crime. Although he is flat-broke, he conceals this from Ramon, telling him that he has returned home to buy a local gold mine. Marcos finds the lies come easily as begins trying to induce his uncle to fund his endeavor. Irascible Ramon, who likes Marcos for his similar love of drinking and smoking is duped, but Ramon's sons are not fooled by Marcos. To them he is a threat, and they fear he will be placed in the will. Soon all of them are trying to out-manipulate each other. Even Ramon, who is not as innocent as he appears is involved in the mayhem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
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)
- 1993
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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
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, (more)
Spending the bulk of her time working and raising her child alone, Julia's life is filled with mundane grays. The only color in her life comes from her Wednesday night trips to Mexico City where she dances the danzon with her long-time partner Carmelo. But one night, she goes to dance and Carmelo is not there. At first puzzled, and then obsessed, she embarks upon a search that not only solves the mystery of his disappearance, but also leads her down a path of personal discovery and renewal. This drama earned international acclaim and was the first Mexican film to premiere at Cannes in over a decade. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- María Rojo, Carmen Salinas, (more)
