Ostomedo2 Reviews

Sábado (2003)

A very good idea

[7/10 · 7 April 2005]

This film was a bit unnoticed when was released in theaters in Chile, but it's a good funny movie. The kind of ideas you say "why didn't I think about it first?". Despite the all-time hand-held camera, the film doesn't have a chaotic pace, and the images haven't the banality of typical domestic videos. The simple and good idea is greatly supported by good performances of the main characters. And, this is the best aspect of this movie, the speeches are well done. Usually Chilean cinema fails in dialogs due to over-literary lines or, in the other hand, bad use of the language. But in "Sábado", the speeches are clever, funny and never loose the natural mood.

Manhunter (1986)

The real Red Dragon

[10 June 2003]

I dont comment non-Chilean movies but this deserves an exception. No big budget productions, no oscars awarded for saying "Mister Lecter-Mister Lecter" by the phone, no offenses to audience's intelligence. Precise acting, nice cinematography and a very good story. If the plot of Red Dragon would be real, would be like Manhunter. Have you ever seen a criminal all in white, standing in the middle of the cage or speaking with a bass voice? I dont care about the 80s look of this film, as I dont care about the 60s look of Hitchcock movies. I've seen this movie a million times and I dont understand why people prefer Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon (the movie).

Letters from Marusia (1975)

The life and death of saltpetre Chilean workers.

[9 June 2003]

This is only film who shows how terrible was life during "The saltpetre age" (1880-1929) for working class in Chile. All the attempts to create worker unions were crushed by violence. Maybe the script show too bad the baddies and too good the good guys, but all these terrible carnages actually took place in some mines. Recommended for those who want to learn about a dark side of our History.

Lunes 1, domingo 7 (1968)

Love in the Chilean 60's

[7/10 · 26 July 2002]

A funny and tender comedy about a seven-day love story between two youngs. Shot in a very conflictive period, this movie reflects all the problems of the time but in a funny and light way. The scene where the couple are dancing a-go-go and talking about politics is just brilliant and I think it was very shocking for the politically-engaged people of the 60's. The images of Santiago of these times are very nostalgic to us. The main characters (Jorge Guerra and Patricia Guzmán) are very good.

La dama de las camelias (1947)

A funny adaptation, a nice movie

[6/10 · 25 July 2002]

"La Dama de las Camelias" is a nice comedy vaguely based on Dumas' novel. Here the story is about the shooting of a movie about the book, the search for a female star and the suffering of the director, all in the comedy genre. Ana González' performance is just brilliant, and some scenes shows us the way people made cinema in Chile in the late 40's. The humour is sometimes physical action, or dialogues but in some moments is surreal (example: the scene when José Bohr goes to a bar to get drunk with milk and his motorcycle flies). This movie wasn't regarded as a classic and his director never was well respected, but I think is a very nice comedy, and -I say it again- one of the reasons you must watch this movie is the great performance of Ana González.

Hay algo allá afuera (1990)

Into the dark and mysterious Santiago

[4/10 · 25 July 2002]

A strange journey lived by someone (Luis Gnecco) who is like an third-world Deckard (Blade Runner). Is an interesting movie showing us the dark side of Santiago, specially in the years this movie was made.

The atmosphere is the most interesting part of this movie, but the story is weak. Worth a look to see a different part of Chilean (and South American) cinematography.

Ya no basta con rezar (1972)

Where heaven meets the earth

[7/10 · 25 July 2002]

A good social movie of the early 70's. It shows us the life of a man from Valparaíso, and how his religious beliefs are in conflict with his environment. Finally he discovers catholicism not always are in opposition with social issues. As usual in Aldo Francia's movies, there are some documental scenes showing us the problems of poverty in his beloved Valparaíso. I think the last scene (where the protagonist sees the policial repression to a social meeting and suddenly gets a rock and throw it to the cops) was shot in a real demonstration. The actings are very natural and good, and Francia portrayed some typical people from the port (as "Cristo'e palo" and "Gitano" Rodríguez). The documental look and cinematography are very good in relation with the movie.

Valparaíso, mi amor (1969)

The reality of a city seen from inside

[8/10 · 25 July 2002]

If one movie captures the soul of a city, this is the one. Dealing with the social problems, telling the story of three brothers, sometimes tender, sometimes raw, Aldo Francia made a masterpiece showing us a Chilean neorealism movie. The dark and natural cinematography goes very well with this feature. The bitter story of a family with a father in jail, a mother and three brothers fighting against poverty and an unfair society, who rejects them even between another rejected people. Francia makes this bitter story with no weeping scenes or political speeches: is very real, very beautiful and very shocking.

A Cab for Three (2001)

A bitter comedy of real world

[15 November 2001]

Taxi para 3 (Taxi for 3) is about the sad life of many people in Chile. But is not a sad movie or a politic one. The curious and sometimes funny relation between two thieves and a cab driver shows all the moral misery in Chile nowadays. The three leading roles are just brilliant, and the script is very smart and well written. The line: "¿Volante o maleta?" (Wheel or trunk?) when the thieves are kidnapping the cab driver, is one of the most powerful in modern Chilean cinema, and resumes the world that Orlando Lubbert shows us. The only weak point is the photography, but doesn't bother watching this good movie with a good story, good acting and a good soundtrack.