Category: Spanish

  • Lima Film Festival: Gigante

    Gigante PosterGigante (2009)
    Genre: Subtle Drama with Romantic Comedy Moments
    Starring: Horacio Camandule & Leonor Svarcas
    Directed by: Adrian Biniez

    Gigante (Giant – literal translation) tells the story of Jara, a big security guard that works night shifts at a supermarket, who begins having feelings – maybe a bit of stalkery feelings – for the pretty floor cleaner.

    This is the thing about films, your characters can do anything and you can feel whatever you want~ In the real world, having someone secretly following you around would totally freak you out, but it doesn’t happen in Gigante.

    Jara sees the floor cleaner through the security cameras, and as days go by he checks on her without her ever knowing. One day he decides to see where she goes when she’s not working only to find out she goes to the Internet cabins, after that he sort of makes a habit out of following her and “watching out” for her, in the process knowing about her likes. He even saves her a couple of times at work, and even defends her honor when some cab driver shouts obscenities/pick-up lines at her – It’s cute in the film, but I don’t recommend anyone trying his moves in the real world. Moreover, I don’t know~ I didn’t feel her. Especially at work, she was absent-minded, and a bit clumsy… actually she exasperated me a bit during her supermarket scenes.

    The film has its good moments, even though I saw people sleeping, don’t get me wrong. However, if I wanted to feel good about stalking someone, I’d watch Faye Wong on Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express stalking Tony Leung. LOL – 3/5

  • Lima Film Festival: Huacho

    Huacho PosterHuacho (2009)

    Genre: Drama
    Starring: Manuel Hernandez, Alejandra Yañez,
    Clemira Aguayo & Cornelio Villagran
    Directed by: Alejandro Fernandez Almendras

    Huacho tells the story of a low-income family in central Chile, following the point of view of each member – grandparents Clemira and Cornelio, daughter Alejandra, and her pre-teenager boy Manuel – for a period of 24 hours, as they deal with the overlap of modern and rural life.

    The film starts off early one morning, as everyone gets ready for a new day, and have breakfast, when suddenly the lights go out. Manuel checks if the fuses blew off, but they didn’t, so Clemira asks her daughter if she remembered to pay the electricity bill – Alejandra says she did, but of course she didn’t.

    The story breaks off as Clemira leaves for work selling cheese on the side of the highway, Alejandra goes to work at a touristic hacienda, Manuel goes to school, and Cornelio goes to the field he is fencing. It all paints a realistic description of a family that is trapped between a modern society where you need to pay your bills, but still find yourself getting a new dress or wanting a brand new video game, and a rural lifestyle where you struggle for the price of milk to make your own cheese to make ends meet.

    The film has a lot of scenes that are devoid from any dialog, and has characters wandering around or just standing there, which either makes you wonder what they’re thinking or gets you to feel gloomy. My favorite segment was probably grandmother Clemira’s as she struggles to sell the fresh cheese she’s made, and all her seller “friends” begin leaving one by one. In the end, Clemira is at the bus stop alone waiting for Manuel to pick her up.

    No big climactic big bang booms, Huacho will slowly show you a seemingly average day of a normal family trying to cope with the changing times. It actually reminded me of some slow-paced Japanese films, and those pawn! – 3.75/5

  • Lima Film Festival: Excursiones + Feliz Natal

    This will be a double-review post. The Lima Film Festival begins this Friday, and I will be reviewing a couple of films this week… and maybe even next week.

    On this post, we will review the Argentinean film Excursiones (Hikes – literal translation) released this past March (Buenos Aires Film Festival), and the Brasilean film Feliz Natal (December, or literally Merry Christmas) released October last year (Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival).

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  • Feliz 28 Playlist!

    More than half the day gone by, but still time!

    Feliz 28~ xD

    I made a YouTube playlist for everyone, with a sort of international flavor. ^^
    I hope you listen to all of the tracks, because… well,
    that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right?

    Also… don’t mind the actual music videos, just focus on the music. LOL
    trust me.

    [iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLF1FD4B5D155873C4&hl=en_US” ]

    What’s so awesome about this 10-track list?
    It’s got 3 different renditions of the famous El Condor Pasa,
    lots of international flavor right there!

    1. Miki Gonzales – Tusuy Puquio
    2. 12 Girl Band (女子十二乐坊) – El Condor Pasa
    3. Gianmarco – Hoy
    4. Pedro Suarez Vertiz – Cuando Pienses en Volver
    5. Jean Paul Strauss – Matarina y Mambo de Machaguay
    6. PAPA SARA (パパ・サラ)- CONDORU wa Tondeiku (コンドルは飛んで行く)
    7. Gianmarco – Volvere
    8. Eva Ayllon – Y se Llama Peru/Contigo Peru/Esta es mi Tierra
    9. CantoAndino – El Condor Pasa
    10. Los Nosequien y los Nosecuantos – Tributo al Rock Peruano

  • Amy’s July Thoughts

    Almost the end of the month.

    and almost July 28th.

    First~ Many people who said are collaborating on this issue of YAM have taken forever to either contact me with their updates, or are avoiding my emails. Just a few days to hand in stuff!

    Then, I just spent all day talking to my father about event planning, and Asian music. Totally uncharted territory here, and no one seems to care. I care. I want to make it happen! Asian is way to ignored on this side of the world…

    I’m also scared shitless about talking to a group of 200 people. In Spanish! I could probably deal in English, but in Spanish is just way to awkward. The only good thing would be that I get to talk about animation, with the risk of getting crushed with fanatics. I’ll just keep in mind to capture the mind of the people who are truly passionate about animation.

    I hope it turns out right.

    I feel I’ve got no direction in life at the moment. I want to do events, I want to be here but also there~~~ Hopefully, there will be something to combine all of it into one.

    *EDIT*

    btw, Happy Bday, Bibi!!! xD
    She’s 24! :O

  • And the June Music…

    Plus some July xD

    See… when I listen to more music, I watch less films… and when I do these things, I don’t read at all. I’m ashamed of how much I read now… LOL – and just so you can make fun of me, I’ve only been reading Buffy (season 8 comic) xD

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  • June and Mid-July Films~

    Am bored. Also remembered I haven’t done this in a while…

    Plus, it’s Twenty 2009 films!! Only 28 more LOL!

    (more…)

  • So what’s up?

    xD

    I don’t normally go out on Sunday, but I went to the ballet performance of Sleeping Beauty. Meh, I don’t think I’m a ballet person… though it was kinda funny. xD – Many of the dancers had familiar faces xD

    Sleeping Beauty… I mean, Aurora was the tinier version of Elizabeth Berkley. then the main fairy was a taller version of Amy Adams xD Then the kitty cat (don’t ask) reminded me of Mena Suvari LOL – let’s see what else… the prince was a whiter version of Ichabod Crane (the Disney version, LOL), and one of the random dancers looked like a guy that works at the family’s restaurant… only skinnier and way younger. Ha!

    Then wanted to go for sandwiches, but place was closed so ended up at a restaurant/bistro and had sirloin (? Is that Lomo? Loin? Fillet steak?) with Fungi and Gnocchi~ – Iced tea was crap though. LOL’

    Then I’ve been checking my computer for virus (none!) – but I’m too lazy for backups. Ugh! Backups!! I should buy extra harddisk space instead… I asked a few weeks back about a terabyte storage system, but they said they were out. (?) – right. In the meantime, I’m filling it up even more with two Bibi (zhou bichang) films xD. Saw some clips of one of them, and almost died myself laughing. Will tell you how they were…

    I also saw Public Enemies. Watch it! Now! Marion and Johnny!?! *swoon!*

  • Harry Potter and the Case of Paranoia

    Though I sweared to myself that I wouldn’t dish money to watch HP6 for obvious shipping reasons, and my not enjoying Hp6 and HP7. UMPH! – I’ve been tempted, I must admit… these past few days to actually go and check it out. Anyway!

    I have made up my mind! – thanks to this –

    I ain’t going… I ain’t dishing my money. Maybe my time…
    who knows~ depends on the time LOL
    maybe soon, maybe on cable…

    Obviously press get press screenings, so they can review it and properly fuzz about the film. It’s usually an invitation, you go to a certain time and place to watch it, maybe discuss it… enjoy it, and write about it telling everyone to go watch it, or just dismiss it.

    It’s commonly known that you’re not to bring your cameras… or camera cellphones (?? what for, can you really record decent footage long enough in a cellphone?) – whatever. It’s just insulting to know that you’re invited somewhere but BEWARE, you will be arrested if you’re seen breaking the rules. ARRESTED! Doesn’t the police force have other things to do????

    Why bother then to invite someone if you are already thinking he/she will be ripping your movie off? Are we in the assumption that all guests are there to record your movie?

    In any case, I doubt CAM film versions come out of Peru, so not much need to fuzz over it at the moment. They are usually fromo outside… and I doubt CAMs are press screening made. And even then, maybe a nice “this is a screener” text would suffice.

  • Almodovar’s Broken Embraces Trailer

    Los Abrazos Rotos!
    Me wants to watch…

    [iframe width=”560″ height=”349″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/bN0SlBE8yGQ?rel=0″]

    I’m not much of an Almodovar watcher, but something about the project interested me. I’m thinking it’s the title of the film, it has a nice ring to it. xD – Plus, I’ve learned that Spanish Penelope PAWNS.