The Heiresses (Las herederas)

We are all just shadows of ourselves.

(2018) Drama (Distrib) Ana Brun, Margarita Irun, Ana Ivanova, Nilda Gonzalez, Maria Martins, Alicia Guerra, Raul Chamarro, Ines Guerrico, Chili Yegros, Lucy Yegros, Yvera, Regina Duarte, Javier Villamayor, Ana Banks, Rossana Bellasai, Antonella Zaldivar, Marisa Manutti, Clotilda Cabral, Patty Gadea, Mecha Armele, Beto Barsotti, Norma Codas, Natalia Calcena. Directed by Marcelo Martinessi

 

Some movies are loud and brazen – the films of Michael Bay are an example of these. Others are quiet and subdued in tone, sometimes because they really don’t have much to say. However, others say much with their silences.

Chela (Brun) and Chiquita (Irun) are a pair of aging lesbians who have lived together for 30 years in a posh section of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. They have been living off of their dual inheritances but they have hit hard financial times, mainly because Chiquita – a social butterfly – has been living and spending well beyond their means. They have been forced to sell their things in an effort to pay her debts – an unsuccessful effort as it turns out. Her debts have become so massive that the Paraguayan courts have finally convicted her of fraud and sent her to prison.

Chela, the more introspective of the two, finds herself trapped in the fading prison of their home. Outlines where paintings once hung dot the walls and strangers come into their home to paw their things. This is absolutely anathema to Chela who wants nothing more but to live a quiet life but it has grown necessarily silent without Chiquita in the house to liven things up. As a parting gift, Chiquita got Chela a maid (Gonzalez) to serve the somewhat rigid Chela who freaks out if the handle of her coffee cup on her breakfast tray faces the wrong direction.

Chela, who can drive but has no license, gives a friend a ride to her weekly card game; her friend Pituca (Martins) insists on paying for it. Soon, Chela is driving friends and friends of friends in the ancient Mercedes her father left her that doesn’t always start right away. Chela though begins to develop a sense of freedom and confidence that has been lacking in her life, to the point where she even attempts to drive the motorway, something she has been unwilling to do up until now.

Part of the reason is Angela (Ivanova), the daughter of a friend of Pituca. Angela is younger, lively and sexy, willing to discuss her libidinous past with Chela. Chela for her part has discovered a bit of a crush on Angela. Still, Chiquita won’t remain in prison forever and can Chela return to the life she was leading then?

It is amazing to note that this is the debut feature film for Marcelo Martinessi and he handles it with a remarkably self-assured hand. For a very quiet film, there is an awful lot going on particularly in subtext. Martinessi lets you discover these things for yourself rather than spelling things out particularly for you, which is entirely respectful of his audience, something a lot of directors could learn.

One of his smartest moves was casting Ana Brun as Chela. Brun is not a professional actress but she is an expressive one. Much of the subtext comes from her body language, the expressions on her face and in her eyes. She doesn’t have a ton of dialogue to deliver but every word sounds natural coming from her mouth.

This is definitely a movie that is going to appeal to older women, particularly those of Latin descent. All of the main parts here are female and there are virtually no speaking parts for men; that’s not a bad thing by any means but it feels surprisingly, particularly coming from a Latin American film and a male director in particular. It’s refreshing to see a film about a fairly underserved audience and hopefully it will find a niche audience.

This isn’t a movie with a whole lot of dramatic tension and some might have an issue with that. However, if you are attuned to it, the movie is actually quite delightful in places despite the often-depressing milieu. It’s out now on home video and should be one discerning cinema buffs should be seeking out.

REASONS TO SEE: You never know where the film is going to take you. Has a definite Latin flavor.
REASONS TO AVOID: May appeal to a fairly narrow audience.
FAMILY VALUES: There is a bit of profanity, much smoking, adult themes and some sexuality.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: This was Paraguay’s official submission for the 2019 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
BEYOND THE THEATERS: Amazon, Fandango Now, Google Play, iTunes, YouTube
CRITICAL MASS: As of 8/31/19: Rotten Tomatoes: 97% positive reviews: Metacritic: 77/100.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: ROMA
FINAL RATING: 7.5/10
NEXT: A Faithful Man

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We Are the Heat (Somos Calentura)

Harvey doesn’t just feel the heat; he IS the heat!

(2018) Drama (Epic) Duván Arizala, Heidy Carolina Mina, Jarlin Javier Martinez, Josė Luis Preciado, Ana Lorena Renteria, Manuel Riascos Mena, Julio Valencia, Ariel Nuňez, Sebastián D’Angelo, Miguel Angel Banguela, Baudilio Guama Renteria, Yelson Chaverra, Nayron Pėrez Reyes, Rosa Esther Mosquera Aramburo. Directed by Jorge Navas

 

Over the decades, hip-hop has done something I don’t think most of its most ardent early followers thought that it could; it has become a universal art form. That isn’t so surprising given that the environment that spawned it isn’t unique to American inner cities; poverty is universal. So is institutional racism. So is anger. So is corruption. So is macho pride.

In port city Buenaventura, Colombia, all of those elements exist in spades. Harvey (Arizala), Freddy (Preciado) and Steven (Banguela) know them all too well. All three are struggling to survive in a town riddled with crime and despair. Harvey is doing his best to support his baby and his baby mama Luz Mar (A. Renteria) but like the others, he is deeply in debt and at a loss to repay it. He takes a job as a boat mechanic for a local crimelord to keep an ancient and falling apart boat running in order to move drugs in and out of the city. Steven has been fingered by a white corrupt cop (Nuňez) to steal a truck full of sporting clothes, as much as Steven wants nothing to do with it. Finally, hot-tempered Freddy still carries a torch for his ex Lindsay (Mina) who is now the object of lust for Ribok (Valencia), the second-in-command for the crime boss currently employing Harvey.

The three men get their solace as a talented dance crew that performs in the local dance hall at night in a variety of dance contests leading up to the big dance-off with a massive prize purse that could solve all of their problems. Their crew, Buenaventura Mon Amur, has a real good shot at the title too – with only the Royal Niggas standing in their way. That crew is led by Ribok, who is a talented dancer as well as a ruthless killer. The collision between Ribok and the BMA is inevitable as much as it is likely to be tragic.

This movie owes as much to the Step Up series of films as it does to urban crime dramas like Boyz ‘N the Hood and New Jack City only with an Afro-Caribe influence. Much of the music here could very well be American hip-hop in Spanish; the music that really spoke to me more deeply was the music that incorporates traditional Colombian rhythms, instruments and styles. One of the earliest sequences has BMA and their younger friend Baby Alex (Mena) recording his grandfather (B. Renteria) playing a traditional Colombia rhythm on the marimba. The obvious joy the two men have in modernizing a part of their heritage bridges generations and unites the two in their love for music and each other. It also reminds us of the importance of family in Latin culture regardless of economic station.

The dance sequences are frenetic and at times amazingly choreographed. The African roots of the dance styles are clearly apparent, although in all honesty I’m not much of a judge of dance moves, particularly urban ones. Some may be more impressed than I was; others may be less so. I’m just saying I’m not really qualified to judge well. The moves are certainly athletic.

The largely local cast is adequate for the most part although some of the line readings are a bit stiff. The most egregious problem here is that the script is a bit disjointed, bouncing from subplot to subplot sometimes with little warning or explanation. However, that is more of a problem in the first act of the film; as the movie progresses this particular flaw becomes less noticeable and the story does become compelling.

Even though the story is told in Spanish with English subtitles, I think a large chunk of American moviegoers will be able to relate to the circumstances of the lead characters. All those universal elements I remarked on at the beginning of the review are pretty prevalent in the inner cities of America, after all. The movie is rough around the edges and the acting isn’t always convincing but this is definitely cinema that comes straight from the heart. If urban dance moves you, this is a must-see.

REASONS TO SEE: The film demonstrates the universal nature of hip-hop.
REASONS TO AVOID: The story is disjointed particularly in the beginning.
FAMILY VALUES: There is a ton of profanity, some violence and some sexual content.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Although the movie opened theatrically this past weekend in Miami and Los Angeles, it will be available on iTunes starting Tuesday the 26^th.
BEYOND THE THEATERS: iTunes
CRITICAL MASS: As of 2/24/19: Rotten Tomatoes: No score yet: Metacritic: No score yet.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: Bodied
FINAL RATING: 6.5/10
NEXT: Broken Ghost

The Raid 2 (The Raid 2: Berandal)

Talk about Hell’s Kitchen…

(2014) Action (Sony Classics/Stage 6) Iwo Uwais, Julie Estelle, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Yayan Ruhian, Donny Alamsyah, Alex Abbad, Tio Pakusodewo, Cecep Arif Rahman, Ken’ichi Endo, Ryuhei Matsuda, Very Tri Yulisman, Marsha Timothy, Kazuki Kitamura, Epy Kusnandar, Cok Simbara, Roy Marten, Fikha Effendi, Hecky Solaiman, Zack Lee. Directed by Gareth Evans

Action movies have evolved over the years because we have changed over the years. Bombarded by videogames and the frenetic martial arts movies from the Far East, the old Hollywood action films have become more and more dinosaur-like particularly as our action heroes have aged.

The Raid: Redemption, filmed with Indonesian actors by Welsh director Gareth Evans, sought to set that evolution spinning into something new and proceeded to do just that. While some decried the lack of character development (legit) and sneered at the non-stop barrage of bloody fight scenes and action sequences (not so legit), the movie has had an effect on action films the world over and is in line to be remade Hollywood style.

The sequel has now hit American shores and is it more of the same? Yes and no. Rama (Uwais), the rookie cop from the first Raid is pulled aside by Andi (Alamsyah), the leader of a small underground task force and warned that he and his family will now be targets of those above the vicious gang lord of the first film. He will be willing to protect Rama’s family – provided that Rama goes undercover in one of the major gangs in Jakarta. In order to get in, Rama will have to go to jail and make friends with Uco (Putra), the pretty boy son of Bangun (Pakusodewo), the aging crime lord. Rama winds up spending two years in prison, but manages to save Uco’s life during a muddy prison riot which was meant to be a diversion so that inmates could assassinate Uco.

Upon release a grateful Bangun offers Rama a position as a goon, complete with new clothes and a new small but expensive apartment. Rama will be assigned to Uco but under the watchful eye of Eka (Antara), the second-in-command in the organization. Uco is eager to take over the family business but has a bit of a temper problem so Bangun deems his son unready, further chapping Uco’s posterior. Bangun has kept the peace with Japanese Yakuza leader Goto (Endo) but the two rivals are always a heartbeat from war. Ambitious new player Bejo (Abbad) looks to play one side against the other with Rama caught in the middle.

There is a little more plot and character development here, but oddly none of it regarding Rama who we discover little more of than we knew from the first film. Instead, the movie tends to put more personality in the side players, including flashing killers like Hammer Girl (Estelle) whose talents are self-explanatory, Baseball Bat Man (Yulisman) whose talents are likewise self-explanatory and martial arts expert Prakoso (Ruhian) who just wants to bond with his estranged daughter.

Some of the stunts and fights here are epic – a lengthy car chase is one of the best on film since Bullitt and The French Connection  and the fight between Rama and the Assassin (Rahman) in a restaurant kitchen is the very best in either film. However, the movie suffers from a martial arts film cliche – solo fight syndrome. Other than one scene in the prison, every fight has a group of bad guys take on Rama one by one and of course he kicks the ass of each thug in turn. And of course there is the other lapse in logic, a complaint I have not just with this film but other martial arts films in general. To wit; these are all gangsters. You would expect them to have access to guns. So why do none of them carry any? One well-placed gunshot is going to trump anybody, no matter how skilled a fighter they may be.

The movie does slow down somewhat during the expository scenes, but Evans seems to be taking cues from Scorsese in setting up his gangs which is a good thing. Uwais, a mixed martial arts pro, also makes for a charismatic action hero but his acting skills are somewhat limited, although he is much better here than he was in the first film. I can see him becoming a legitimate action star a la Jet Li and Jackie Chan with some further experience.

At nearly two and a half hours, the movie is a little bit on the long side and fills up much of the time with fight scenes that seem more forced and repetitive of the others in the film  – Rama encounters a group of goons and then beats them up as they attack. One. By. One. Still, if you don’t mind sitting through a few redundant action vignettes, you’ll be rewarded by the last third of the film which is well worth sitting through the first hour and a half for. While I don’t know that this is necessarily better than the first film which added a claustrophobic element that is missing here, in the final accounting the good outweighs the not-so-good here and for those who love martial arts and gangster movies with plenty of action, this is manna from heaven.

REASONS TO GO: Some breathtaking action sequences and stunts. Compelling storyline that has some elements of Scorsese in it. Uwais a legitimate action star.

REASONS TO STAY: Too many repetitive and unnecessary fight scenes. Too many gangster film cliches.

FAMILY VALUES:  A ton of violence and bloodshed, some of it extreme. There’s also some foul language and brief sensuality.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The movie was actually written before the preceding The Raid: Redemption but the Malaysian producers thought it would be too expensive to make, so it was shelved in favor of the lower budgeted one. When that became a massive hit, the script was rewritten slightly to insert the main character of The Raid: Redemption in as the main character here.

CRITICAL MASS: As of 4/19/14: Rotten Tomatoes: 80% positive reviews. Metacritic: 71/100.

COMPARISON SHOPPING: Dredd

FINAL RATING: 6/10

NEXT: Mission Congo