Jorge Fegan Movies
- 1994
This Mexican film, loosely based on Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz's 1940's book, traces the slow and painful collapse of a Mexican family after the sudden death of the father. Much of the film focuses upon the outcomes of two disparate brothers. Following his death, the formerly middle-class Botero family is left destitute. To pay their debts, the mother Ignacia throws the oldest son Guama who does not pull his weight at home, out into the street where he becomes a full-time drug addict, pimp, and bouncer. Guama is doomed right from the start. Ignacia then forces Nicolas and sister, Mireya to give up their bright futures in favor of brother, Gabriel, Ignacia's favorite. The selfish Gabriel is a law student and Ignacia has placed all the family's hopes upon him. Nicolas must leave school and take a peon's job. Mireya works at a sweat-shop and eventually becomes a hooker. Gabriel gets himself into a situation that jeopardizes his potential career. To protect it he cons one of siblings into covering for him. That sibling commits suicide. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ernesto Laguardia, Julieta Egurrola, (more)
- 1993
Mario (Diego Abatantuono) is a gentle soul living in a big Italian city. He works as a bank teller. When his bank is robbed for the umpteenth time, and he sees yet another policeman killed, he throws in the towel on city life, and attempts to get away from it all by fleeing to a small town in Mexico. In this comedy, instead of getting away from the complications of big city life by moving to a backwater, he finds himself even more deeply embroiled in them. Things come to a head when he cop-killer he saw in Italy also winds up in Mexico. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diego Abatantuono, Valeria Golino, (more)
- 1993
Lorenzo O'Brien wrote this scathing black comedy about a naive Mexican highway patrolman who is irresistibly drawn into corruption and violence. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roberto Sosa, Bruno Bichir, (more)
The owner of an aircraft salvage company (Viggo Mortensen) is reported killed in a crash. However, his wife (Andie MacDowell) knows better, and she decides to find him and his secret bank accounts. She travels around the world, and winding up in Cairo, she meets Liam Neeson, who helps her uncover her husband's smuggling scheme. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andie MacDowell, Liam Neeson, (more)
- 1991
Even with careful handling, this sordid story based on a tale by the famed French writer Guy de Maupassant might repel would-be viewers, but add in scatology and high-blown philosophical maunderings by the lead characters, and you have a recipe for a cinematic disaster. In the story, a sailor has grown tired of his oceangoing life, so he leaves his ship on the sly and beds down in a local Mexican whorehouse. He is startled to discover that his own mother is the house's madam, and that his sister is one of the girls. However, after his sister turns a trick or two with him, he begins to fall in love with her. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Reyes Spindola, Alejandro Parodi, (more)
Set entirely in the city residence of a of a notable, but not ruling-class family of Mexico, this drama explores what happened during a 1968 student uprising, which was brutally suppressed by the government. In the story, the family's two college-aged boys are ardent advocates of change. Despite the vigorous warnings of their parents, the boys have left to attend a street meeting. The family looks out onto the streets as the dramatic events of that time unfold. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- María Rojo, Demián Bichir, (more)
- 1987
This light entertainment from Mexico is a quasi-biographical account of the (current) life of the very popular and handsome blond singer Oscar Athie, who plays himself. In the story, he begins his career in low-life nightspots and eventually becomes a big national star. At the same time, the career of the love of his life (and singing partner) Laura Flores also flourishes. The two lovebirds croon to one another adoringly through much of the movie while the rest of the world cheers their beauty, love and success. Only a former love of the singer is unhappy at all this, and she has the good grace to go completely insane. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Flores
When the daughter of a prominent politician becomes a kidnap victim, her cousins try to retrieve her and seek vengeance. The two heroes take action separate from the police operation to free the hostage in this routine crime drama. The shootout scene surprisingly lacks cinematic firepower. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergio Goyri, Edgardo Gazcon, (more)
- 1986
A police chief becomes tangled in a web of corruption which also ensnares his family. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rodolfo De Anda, Ricardo Deloera, (more)
- 1986
"The Narc" (Leonel Gonzalez) is a washed-up, burnt-out, alcoholic former drug agent whose daughter drowned and whose wife is mentally incapacitated. When his old buddy Frank (Victor Junco) approaches him to help extinguish a mean-spirited drug cartel, salvation dawns. The former agent has a cause again and starts muscling up with he-man workouts. In the meantime, an assassin with a crossbow threatens any official who plans on stopping the drug traffic between the Mexican-U.S. border; he has already killed one political candidate, and now the pumped-up, rejuvenated "Narc" is at the top of the killer's hit list. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonel Gonzalez, Victor Junco, (more)
- 1983
- NR
This tantalizing blend of eroticism and mysticism was adapted from a novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Erendira (Claudia Ohana) has a strange and wondrous vision; shortly afterward, her grandmother's house burns down. The grandmother (Irene Papas) gets her revenge by forcing Erendira to become a prostitute. As the "johns" become increasingly prosperous (along with grandma), Erendira keeps her wits about her by experiencing even more bizarre visions. Veteran European character actor Michel Lonsdale has an effective cameo as a hypocritical senator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Papas, Claudia Ohana, (more)
- 1980
In this somewhat belabored drama about a burned-out soap-opera star (Juan Ferrara) who ceases to draw the normal line between his make-believe life on the small screen and his real life at home, the edge between fantasy and reality blurs -- again and again. Director Marcela Fernández) received several Ariels (Mexico's equivalent to the Oscars) for this film in 1982. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juan Ferrara, Victor Junco, (more)
- 1968
One of four low-rent Mexican horror productions from the 1960s which featured an ailing Boris Karloff in supporting roles (and released after his death), this sci-fi/horror quickie features Karloff as a 19th-century scientist who invents a powerful energy device capable of rendering any weapon useless. Although we're led to believe that military forces will soon step in to nab the device, the scientist's laboratory is suddenly invaded by aliens -- who consider the raygun too dangerous to be allowed to fall into human hands. To achieve their ends, the invaders take over the bodies of the scientist and his assistant, who also happens to be responsible for a series of sex-killings in the surrounding village. Several confusing plot twists later, Karloff regains control of his senses and sets the machine to self-destruct before it can fall into evil hands. The filmmakers barely had enough talent to adhere to the simplest of storylines, much less this hodgepodge of cut-rate H.G. Wells posturing and sleazy exploitation. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
