Carmen Salinas Movies

The debut feature from director Patricia Riggen, this drama centers on a young boy's journey across the U.S./Mexico border to be reunited with his mother. Adrian Alonso stars as Carlitos, a Mexican adolescent living with his grandmother while his mother works as a maid in the U.S., hoping someday to send for her child. But when the grandmother dies unexpectedly, Carlitos must sneak across the border and seek out his mother. Featuring a supporting performance by America Ferrera of ABC's Ugly Betty, Under the Same Moon premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

A pair of e-mailing lovers discover romance is more difficult in the real world than in cyberspace, especially when a highly unexpected rivalry comes into the picture in this understated comedy drama. Norman (Noël Burton) is a middle-aged college professor from Montreal who, through an on-line dating service, has been corresponding with Gladys (Vanessa Bauche), an attractive younger woman from Mexico. Emboldened by the dating service's prediction that their relationship has a 61 percent chance of lasting, Norman flies to Mexico to ask for Gladys' hand in marriage. Gladys accepts, but only under the condition that her mother, Fernanda (Susana Salazar), can join them in Canada. Norman agrees, but it isn't long before both Norman and Gladys discover the chemistry they enjoyed through the mail doesn't work nearly as well in person. Gladys wonders aloud if Norman actually wrote his own letters, and Norman starts to suspect his new bride is more interested in a green card than in him. Matters become all the more difficult when Norman finds himself becoming infatuated with Fernanda, who is not much older than he is and quite attractive for her age. A Silent Love was the first feature film from director Federico Hidalgo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paulina Robles, his spouse. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Directed by Fernando Sariñana, Todo el poder centers around the politics and corruption that shroud the Mexican police system. Featuring Demián Bichir as Gabriel, a filmmaker whose career has left him assaulted and robbed in broad daylight more times than he cares to remember, the film itself was inspired by Sariñana's personal experience with urban crime oftentimes perpetrated by the police themselves. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

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

This earnest and well-intentioned message drama tells the cautionary tale of three teenagers who died due to involvement with drugs and gangs. The narrator of the story is a doctor who is moved by their story and warns that "we are all to blame" for their plight. Each boy's story is told with the help of performances by various luminaries of the Mexican media. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Pancho Medrano (Alfonso Zayas) is an attorney married to an overweight wife (Carmen Salinas), who along with their children constantly depress him. When his friend Marcelo (Armando Silvestre) announces his wedding plans, Pancho and his friend throw a bachelor party complete with booze and loose women. Sight gags, sexual innuendo, and tasteless humor abound. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

For anyone wondering why the Mexican government has permitted Mexico City to become the most populous city in the world when it can barely support even one half its population decently, this film and films like it provide the welcome news that the government has been doing what little it can to discourage the emigration of poor rural people to the high-altitude, swampy city that suffers from catastrophic air pollution and the ever-present possibility of even more catastrophic volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. In the story, even a respectably middle-class man and his family can only barely get by in the brutal city. Dr. Antonio Arenas, a widowed doctor, has moved with his family to the crowded city after gaining a position at a large and prestigious hospital. Once there, he discovers that he is supposed to keep his position by turning a blind eye to all sorts of illegal and unscrupulous schemes or -- worse -- becoming actively involved in them. One infuriating and difficult situation after another arises, until he suffers a terrible tragedy. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This comedy is a hilarious look at the unique foibles inherent in Mexico's bureaucracy and government, and in the ordinary person's vision of life as well. Already an award-winning screenplay, Mexicano, Tu Puedes might be translated as "Go For It" in U.S. parlance -- and a fed-up mother living in a poor tenement decides to do just that. She sees a very fake ad on television advertising some rich, verdant land open for housing development and, against all reason, cons her reluctant family into building a new home there. Of course the land is one small step away from being an infertile desert, but the woman persists. The results are riotous excursions through the Mexican bureaucracy and the never-say-die soul of a determined mother.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Adeptly manipulating images and scenes, director Claudio Isaac has fashioned an existential story about the aspirations of Pablo Rueda (Humberto Zurita), born on the day that Pedro Infante died. (Infante was a popular, well-loved Mexican singer and actor who died in a 1957 plane crash.) Rueda's birth on that day, as a mythical star went out, was symbolic in itself but in that same year, the angel of the Independence Monument also fell down during an earthquake. As Rueda reaches adulthood, he is dedicated to drawing and writing and in his relationships with friends, relatives, lovers, and editors, the full scope of his vision of the world and himself is revealed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide