Roberto G. Rivera Movies
A cocaine-addicted thug finds his life spiraling into disaster after killing his grandfather and plotting to steal from his powerful father. Nico gets away with murder because of his father's influence. But as his cocaine addiction grows, so too does the audacity of his crimes. Though his father is willing to help even after Nico's volatility threatens to destroy their family, it all starts to fall apart when, in yet another bout of drug-fueled madness, the young criminal turns against the only person who was ever there for him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The Spanish language melodrama Prisioneras del Desco concerns Sara, a single mother who is having serious financial trouble. In order to make ends meat, she considers turning to prostitution to pay the bills. She must decide if the trouble these actions would bring to herself and her family would be worth the financial positives of such a career move. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mario Almada, Cesar Bono, (more)
The Spanish language thriller El Asesino del Metro concerns the hunt for a serial killer who haunts subways, choosing women as his unsuspecting victims. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Luke, Jorge Reynoso, (more)
- 1989
Macario Rivero's home in Apasco has been overrun by a pair of ruthless brothers, Rosendo and Gabino Mendoza, and he has no intention of letting them get away with it. He gathers a band of willing citizens to rise up against the tyrannous brothers, but things get more complicated when it turns out that Macario's daughter has become involved, and she's having an affair with Gabino. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- 1985
Following on the heels of its popular 1983 precursor, this second installment of "El Milusos" continues the Sad Sack character of the widowed Transito (Hector Suarez) and his losing misadventures in the low-end job market. "El Milusos" is Transito's nickname, meaning a "Jack-of-all-trades" because he tries his hand at anything to get ahead. He leaves his young son and his farm behind him to seek his fortune in a large, run-down barrio of Mexico City where he does everything from selling tacos, to waiting tables, to boxing, and he even tries a stint as an illegal alien in the U.S. His karma is such that he misses out on the breaks that happen to others, yet he does so with a comic style and innocence that can be admired. Although the storyline is uneven and not above lecturing at times, the misadventures of Transito are laced with a steady dose of humor that should entertain most audiences.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Héctor Suárez, Roberto "Flaco" Guzman, (more)
- 1968
While vacationing in Haiti, four innocents stumble onto a voodoo ceremony. The presiding witch doctor places a curse upon the unfortunate tourists. This curse is manifested in the form of four outsized voodoo dolls -- which turn out to be a quartet of malevolent midgets. In its native Mexico, The Curse of the Doll People was originally titled Muñecos Infernales. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
Starring two well-known Mexican actors, the comic Clavillazo and Pulgarcito ("Tom Thumb"), this standard drama about an adoptive father-son relationship features good acting and directing (the latter by René Cardona). When the son of a decent family is bereft of his father he happens to make the acquaintance of a simple street vendor who sells balloons for a living. The vendor has no son of his own, and the son is without a father, and so the two quickly take to each other. Their relationship then becomes the focus of the rest of the tale. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- El Clavillazo, Rodolfo Landa, (more)
- 1961
- Add Frankenstein, the Vampire and Co. to Queue Add Frankenstein, the Vampire and Co. to top of Queue
A thoroughly unfunny Mexican parody of Universal's monster series, Frankenstein, el Vampiro y Compania blatantly plagiarizes the premise and characters of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein for no apparent reason. Manuel "Loco" Valdes (perfectly awful in the Bud Abbott role) and Jose Jasso (as Loco Valdes's mentally-challenged sidekick) play a pair of bumbling delivery boys transporting the remains of Frankenstein's monster to the castle residence of a vampire, who intends to enlist the aid of a scientist (Nora Veryan) in transplanting the sidekick's brain into the creature. One has to wonder why the filmmakers didn't simply make a dubbed version of the original; at least Bud and Lou's physical antics would have remained intact. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
Popular Mexican director Benito Alazraki has put together an effective cinematic version of a drama by Hector Mendoza which involved the participation of the audience. The play was held in a theater-restaurant and the dining ambiance is worked into the storyline. In the film, the setting is a cabaret where a prostitute and a young man fall in love. His intention is to marry her regardless of her past but that simple objective is not necessarily easy to reach. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvira Qintana, Teresa Velazquez, (more)
- 1960
This comedy is another of the quickly-filmed, three-week wonders from Mexico that suffers because of the rush. Star Manuel "El Loco" Valdez crosses over from his zany television appearances to play the lead, while Flor Silvestro, Irma Dorantes, and Olivia Michel portray the three sisters in the Karambazo family. It is indicative of the level of comedy that "Karambazo" can be construed as "caramba" gone wild. As in many films from the land of the mariachi bands and hat dances, songs and music play a role as well. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Manuel Valdés, Flor Silvestre, (more)
- 1958
Mexican filmmaker Alfredo B. Crevenna directed this sci-fi thriller loosely based on the classic H.G. Wells novel. Augusto Benedico stars as Luis, a scientist who gives his new invisibility formula to his jailed brother, Carlos (Arturo de Cordova). Carlos escapes and is reunited with his beloved Beatriz (Ana Luisa Peluffo), but the invisibility potion turns him into an insane megalomaniac who plans to rule the world. The invisible madman murders Luis and begins committing acts of sabotage until Beatriz tricks him into a standoff with police. This overwrought version of the tale makes an interesting contrast with James Whale's 1933 version of the same story, which seems positively subdued by comparison. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- Arturo de Cordova, Ana Luisa Peluffo, (more)
A delivery man sets himself up for a case of mistaken identity in this musical comedy. Victor (Pedro Infante) is an actor whose former friendship with a notorious thief comes back to haunt him when the robber threatens to reveal ugly secrets about Victor's past. Victor decides to contact the police about the extortion attempt, but someone kills Victor while he's speaking with the authorities. The police persuade Raul (also played by Infante), the driver of a bread truck who bears a striking resemblance to Victor, to pose as the murdered thespian as they try to track down the killers. Raul soon finds himself dealing with Victor's unsavory acquaintances, as well as a beautiful woman who had fallen victim to one of his schemes. Escuela de Rateros proved to be the last film featuring the popular Mexican actor and singer Pedro Infante; he died in the crash of an airplane within a year of its release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The Mexican western Duelo en el Dorado was lensed sometime in the late 1960s. Luis Aguilar and Emilio Fernandez (yes, the same Emilio Fernandez who shot and killed a critic who'd carped about one of the films he'd directed) play antagonists who spend the film's running time at each other's throats-literally. One is a white settler, the other a Native American. The bone of contention is a white orphan, whom the Indian wants to adopt into his tribe. Duel en el Dorado is quite violent, but at least has the saving grace of solid story values. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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