Angelina Pelaez Movies

A spiritual journey takes a strange and disturbing turn in this drama from Mexican filmmaker Rodrigo Pla. In 1928, Mexico is in a state of political overthrow, with government forces reacting with savage violence against anyone they imagine may harbor revolutionary sympathies. After Elias (Mario Zaragoza) and his wife become parents of a baby boy, their attempt to travel into town to have the child baptized is mistaken for the advance of rebel troops, and soon their village is raised by military police. As Elias and his family run for their lives, he is visited by a vision of the Lord, who condemns him for putting his children and neighbors in harm's way, and Elias is convinced he must atone. Elias leads his family into the desert and he begins building a church, convinced this is the only way he can redeem his family in the eyes of God. But it soon becomes obvious Elias's children do not share his convictions, and the father's devotion begins to resemble madness. Desierto Adentro (aka The Desert Within) was an official selection at the 2008 Guadalajara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A handful of desperate characters sort out the loose ends of their lives in a place as run down as their lives in this drama from Mexico. Parian is a dingy town forgotten by progress, where locals who are down on their luck drown their sorrows at the village tavern. One of the regulars is Laura (Ana Graham), who has been trying to finds out what's become of her child and spouse who've mysteriously disappeared. Another steady customer, Ismael (Ricardo Blume) shot a young man five decades earlier, and has come to town hoping to mend fences with the victim's still-grieving brother. Antonio (Dagoberto Gama) tries to drink away the memory of the wife who abandoned him and has left him lonely and without a child to carry his name. As the barkeep doles out liquor and sinks deeper into the collective depression around her, a powerful rainstorm strands the customers in the bar, where emotions soon rise to a fever pitch. Mezcal received its world premiere at the 2006 Karlovy Very Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A man whose ideals have been shattered for the last time is out for violent justice in this thriller. Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a former United State intelligence agent-turned-mercenary who has seen too much of the violence and corruption in the world and has become jaded and withdrawn. Creasy is hired to act as a bodyguard for Lupita (nicknamed "Pita", played by (Dakota Fanning), a ten-year-old girl whose wealthy family (a Mexican father and American mother) currently lives in Mexico City, where kidnapping has become a near epidemic. While watching over Pita, Creasy becomes fond of the girl, and finds himself regaining some of his faith in humanity. But things take an ugly turn when Pita is abducted by gunmen who shoot Creasy and leave him to die in the streets. Enraged beyond reason, Creasy recovers and sets out to find the men responsible for kidnapping Pita, no matter who he has to kill along the way. Man on Fire is based on a novel by A.J. Quinnell, which was previously filmed in 1987 with Scott Glenn as Creasy. Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, and Mickey Rourke highlight the supporting cast for this remake. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A genuine original, Juan Pablo Villasenor's award-winning debut feature (international and Mexican jury prize at the 1997 Guadalajara Film Festival) offers a deft blend of humor and sentiment as it chronicles the road adventures of a group of elderly musicians who escape from a Mexico City nursing home and play in numerous clubs on the way to Tijuana where their leader hopes to fulfill his lover's dying wish. For over a decade, bandleader Bruno has endured condescending and authoritarian treatment at the hands of the nursing home staff and management. His lover Rosita finds her situation there so depressing that she finally commits suicide, but not before asking Bruno to see that her ashes are returned to Tijuana, her hometown. After the cremation, Bruno steals her ashes and hits the road to search for Rosita's niece Margarita. Unfortunately, she is a seedy character who cares nothing for her aunt's desires. While Bruno wrangles with Margarita over the ashes, his four cohorts back at the home find his courage and daring an inspiration. To this end, they too escape after a performance at another nursing home. By the time they find Bruno, he has begun falling for the troubled, much younger Margarita who still mourns for a lost love. To make matters more complicated, Margarita's elderly neighbor Diana makes passes at Bruno and his band's lead singer Oscar. The band's real adventure begins when the sleazy club owner they have been working for sends them packing to Tijuana with instrument cases filled with illegal drugs. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi