Narciso Busquets Movies
- 1987
Juanito Aguilar (Gerardo Vigil) is a private detective who simply cannot wrap his mind around what he has stumbled on, so he misses clues that are right beneath his nose. He is unable to envision a group of thugs so heartless that they will steal children from their families or off the streets and subject them to beatings and sexual abuse in the process of selling them off to the highest bidder. Believe it or not, this is a real problem in the country this film originated from, and this sensationalistic film was funded by the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine) to help raise awareness about it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerardo Vigil, José Carlos Ruiz, (more)
- 1987
The mere fact of a marijuana plantation in the Mexican state of Chihuahua might not be enough to upset many, and many factors contribute to escalating lawlessness of the gangsters who cultivate and sell the drug. The plantation in question was much too large for the Mexican authorities to ignore even if they wanted to, and in 1984 it was raided. What they discovered there was much more chilling than fields of the illegal herb and a bunch of gangsters: nearly five thousand poor persons worked there as slave laborers, after having been lured to the plantation with promises of high wages for picking apples. This is one of two docudramas which were made about the incident. The story concerns a man whose efforts to support his family through working illegally in the U.S. were thwarted by thieves who stole his mail. When he discovers this after being deported, he responds to the promise of high wages for apple-picking and winds up being a slave laborer. In addition to the dramatic reenactment of events, this docudrama also includes footage of the actual raid on the plantation and interviews with survivors, which the actors then comment on. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Almada, Narciso Busquets, (more)
- 1987
Classic comic-book superhero battling evil, done Mexican style. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Twenty years ago, Juan witnessed his father's death in a smuggling operation across the U.S. border and knows that he was obviously lured to his death in a plot concocted by Rojas, his father's partner, in collusion with an American policeman. These days, Juan is a successful gun-runner, and things are fine until he hears that Rojas is still around and is doing better than ever, having moved to Durango. He decides to go to where his father's treacherous partner now lives and even the score a bit. Along the way, he encounters others whose lives have been harmed by Rojas, and they aid him in his efforts. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José Alonso, Blanca Guerra, (more)
- 1986
Suspenseful without emphasizing blood and gore, this crime drama stars Maribel Guardia as Eugenia (The Scorpion), a tough, single-minded detective who is determined to track down a deranged killer that is terrorizing the demimonde of Mexico City. The schizoid murderer is Don Eliseo Mendieta (Carlos Ancira), an antique dealer by day, and a brutal killer at night. His religion-inspired madness drives him to kill each of the people in a porn film in exactly the same way, including his wife. "The Scorpion" travels through the shady, crime-ridden neighborhoods of the city looking for leads that will help her capture the murderer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maribel Guardia, Carlos Ancira, (more)
- 1986
aka: It's my Life -- El Noa Noa 2 This shallow sequel to the 1979 film on the early stages of Alberto Aguilera's musical career continues the story of the singer's mistaken incarceration and glimpses of where his career would go after he is released from jail. As this biographical drama opens, Aguilera (known by his stage name of Juan Gabriel) is framed for a robbery he never committed and is sent to prison. While in prison he entertains the inmates with his music and songs, and the "dreams" he has of his future take up the rest of the time. These sequences introduce excerpts from his successful future and alleviate the time he has to spend in jail. Letters home to mom lie about where he is, since his adoration of his mother would not allow him to tell her the truth about his arrest and conviction, no matter how undeserved. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Aguilera, Narciso Busquets, (more)
In this French-Mexican-Spanish film that hops back and forth between the narration's present and its past, viewers watch Antonieta (Isabelle Adjani) as she is involved in the turbulent Mexican political scene in the first decades of the 20th century -- as she goes to Paris and commits suicide in the Notre Dame cathedral of that city, and then, in a confusing segment of the film, as she is seen with the present-day Parisian author (Hanna Schygulla) who is researching the story of Antonieta's death and who is a witness to her suicide. The film does not follow that chronology exactly, rather introducing the Parisian author first, and taking the author to Mexico for her research where she sees film clips from the political turmoil of the 1910s-1920s and gradually gets to "know" Antonieta -- though in the end, it could be said that no one seems to know Antonieta really well, or why she would want to kill herself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Adjani, Hanna Schygulla, (more)
- 1981
- R
This inept horror film is a rare treat for fans of laughably bad cinema. From the opening flashback, in which a group of hooded cultists chop off a woman's hand and the obviously rubber appendage bounces to the floor, Macabra starts to amuse. By the time the action shifts to present-day Mexico, and the film's heroine (Samantha Eggar) has a discussion with a silver-mine worker as to the sex of a mine and whether silver mines get jealous, it becomes hilarious. The plot concerns the fabled "left hand of power" belonging to Satan, which possesses people's minds, forcing them to chop off their own hands until a priest (Stuart Whitman) turns back the evil. The most unintentionally amusing scenes involve the victims doing everything in their power to chop off their own possessed left hands. They roll around on the floor, put their hands under speeding trains, and force doctors to amputate them at gunpoint. Meanwhile, director Alfredo Zacharias films some explosions and many authentic ruins to promote the idea that Macabra is a professional motion picture. Even in its best moments, however, this film can only approximate a particularly weak episode of Fantasy Island. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samantha Eggar, Roy Jenson, (more)
The gritty Mexican drama Perro Callejero 2 follows the continuing exploits of the lead character, a former orphan who finds life is very difficult on the streets. The film opens with him leaving prison, and beginning work as a drug trafficker. Soon his attempts to get away from the criminal life are thwarted by crooked cops. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valentin Trujillo, Erick del Castillo, (more)
The 97-minute Mexican drama Del Otro Lado Del Puente stars Juan Gabriel, Julio Aleman, Valentin Trujillo and Lucha Villa. The story concerns a Mexican who is attracted by stories of unlimited opportunities in the US. Once he has arrived in the Promised Land, reality slowly sinks in. Down but not out, the hero is determined to succeed in America, on the Americans' terms. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juan Gabriel
- 1979
In this drama, a young woman scandalizes her village when she elopes with a poet. Many years pass and her three sons return to their mother's village and find that the townspeople have still not forgiven her and are therefore, most unfriendly. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
An ex-con struggling to break away from his criminal past is dragged back into a life of crime by a crooked policeman in this 1979 crime drama that won Ariel Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1977
While searching for his father Pedro Parama, a young boy discovers only horror. He comes to a deserted village and begins to unravel a story of love and despair. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Manuel Ojeda, Venetia Vianello, (more)
As violence and chaos sweeps across the Mexican landscape no one is safe from the destruction that threatens to wipe out everything in its path in a nail-biting thriller directed by Vicente Fernandez and starring Patricia Aspillaga. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
This Mexican-made western features Robert Conrad (also the director) as one of three outlaw cowboys who head south of the border after being rescued from the hangman's noose by a Mexican compadre. From their refuge in a Mexican mission, they set out looking for a fortune in buried gold. ~ All Movie Guide
When her husband is taken away by government troops at the time of the Mexican Revolution, La Soldera Sylvia Pinel tries to follow him and takes to the highway. After he dies, she joins up with other women in her situation to fight for the revolution. Reviewers characterized the acting style of the performers, particularly the star, as being highly melodramatic. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvia Pinal, Jaime Fernandez, (more)
Cockfights are an important aspect of Mexican tradition as illustrated in this story of two competitors who gamble everything on a big cockfight. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1945
El Intruse (The Intruder) is the melancholy story of a young crippled boy, spurned by his father in particular and society in general. The fact that the boy is of illegitimate birth serves to exacerbate an already unpleasant situation. Through a series of fantastic but believable plot twists, the father comes to realize the error of his ways and more than makes amends to his long-suffering son. Domingo Soler is the only "star" name in this verbose domestic drama. Though reasonably successful in Mexico, El Intruse had problems attracting audiences elsewhere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Domingo Soler, Narciso Busquets, (more)
- 1944
Mexican child star Evita Munos plays the title character in La Pequena Madracita (The Little Mother). When their mother can no longer care for them, Chachita (Munos) and Pepe (Narciso Busquets) are left in the care of their mom's stepsister. Chachita immediately takes charge of things, acting as surrogate mother for the stepsister's own baby. Things take a lachrymose turn when Chachita's mother dies, but happiness is at hand in the form of the kids' ex-alcoholic father. A charming child's-eye view of the world, La Pequena Madracita could have benefited from a little editorial trimming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- "Chachita" Evita Muñoz, Narciso Busquets, (more)
In this Spanish-language comedy with echoes of a subplot in Chaplin's City Lights, the Mexican comedian Cantinflas stars as a down-and-outer who feigns an identity as the brother of a rich woman. Over time, he takes advantage of the assumed persona to elevate himself first to the maid's beau, then to 'master of the house' status, but the ruse becomes increasingly difficult to sustain over time, resulting in some fairly outrageous complications. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
