Bolivar I Am (2002) {Bolivar Soy Yo}

Director Jorge Ali Triana attacks political corruption and historical accuracy in entertainment in his satirical 2002 film Bolivar Is Me. Actor Santiago Miranda (Robinson Diaz) is cast in a Latin American television miniseries chronicling the legendary revolutionary Simon Bolivar's life. The hyper-sensitive actor -- whose mental well-being was already questionable -- snaps when forced to perform a revisionist version of Santiago's death. As the actor angrily leaves the set, he also takes leave of his senses and believes himself to actually be Bolivar. Furthermore, he assumes Bolivar's mission to unite Latin America -- which shocks his producers and provides a rather unexpected opportunity for the local political leaders. Bolivar Is Me was viewed at the 2002 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 112 mins
Bolivar I Am (2002)

Dust Jacket:
An engaging, hilarious and entertainment delusion ("Bolivar is back, Bolivar is in campaign, Bolivar is crazy"). A satire and humorist film that portrays with great irony the violent and strange world in which all Latin Americans of the 21st century live in. The actor, Santiago Miranda, abandons the production set of the popular soap opera "The Lovers of The Liberator" because he doesn't agree with the script considering is a misunderstanding of history and instead flees toward delusion. Balancing between lucidity and madness , Miranda is also determined to finish Bolivar's dream of creating the "The Great Columbia": a strong and unified state consisting of 5 Latin-American countries and ignite the rebuilding of a region that faced 160 years of internal war.

The first part was really on the boring side and the idea of a film about films often comes across as dull and insipid. The ending did finally pick up some momentum {last 15 minutes of film} and slightly more interesting when the rebels took over the ship.

There is a couple of parts when discussing the motives of the particular real people that each person has a different interpretation of history-and sometimes almost diametrical different.

They do use "America" a few times and wonder if it is a snub at the USA or just trying to make a point, that I readily agree with. "America" has become synonymous with the US and thus the other millions of "Americans" are not included in that definition.

The ending was pretty predictable as the opening scenes had a similar leitmotif. Reset button technique was used but then it becomes hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy. I suppose that that was the technique they were trying for, in the mind of Miranda.

Sin Nombre (2008)

Student Academy Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga makes his feature directorial debut with this epic dramatic thriller following a Honduran teenager who reunites with her long-estranged father and attempts to emigrate to America with him in order to start a new life. Inspired by the director's firsthand experience with Central American immigrants, Sin Nombre opens to find dejected teenager Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) biding her time in Honduras while dreaming of a brighter future. Upon reuniting with the father she hasn't seen in years, Sayra seizes the opportunity to finally make her dreams a reality. Her father has a new family in the United States, and he's preparing to travel with her uncle to Mexico, where they will then cross the border to freedom. Meanwhile, in Mexico, Tapachula teen Casper (aka Casper, played by Edgar Flores), has gotten caught up with the notorious Mara Salvatrucha street gang. He's just delivered a new recruit to the Maras in the form of desperate 12-year-old Smiley (Kristyan Ferrer), and though the youngster's initiation proves particularly rough, she adapts to gang life rather quickly. As involved as Casper is with the Mara, he does his best to keep his relationship with girlfriend Martha Marlene (Diana Garcia) a secret from the gang. Just as Martha encounters ruthless Mara leader Lil' Mago (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) and suffers a grim fate at the hands of the gang, Sayra and her relatives arrive at the Tapachula train yards and prepare to rush a U.S.-bound freight train with a horde of other immigrants. Rather than attempting to gain access to the cars, Sayra and the rest of the immigrants decide to ride atop the train. Little do they realize that their lives are now in danger, because Lil' Mago has recruited Casper and Smiley to rob the immigrants as they make their way to the United States. When dawn comes and Lil' Mago makes his move, Casper finally decides to stand up to the tyrannical gang leader. Now, as the train winds though the Mexican countryside, Sayra's only hope of surviving the journey and making her way to a new beginning is to align herself with Casper as he flees from the most feared gang in Tapachula. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Sin Nombre (2008)

It was an excellent film. Found no reason to fault it even with a tragic ending, which was foretold already in the film. Character development was quite good and although it was strange even for me to see a Spanish young girl to show such attention and affection toward Casper, it worked for me. She was hesitant but also desiring to find someone to help and be helped by. During the film Sayra shown distance from her estranged father and uncle. She said that her father would not have come back for her except that he was deported back to Honduras.

The only aspect that was strange was that Casper did not save at least the gun the gang leader had on himself after killing the gang leader. In one deleted scene he also dismantles Smiley's one bullet pump action gun into the river from atop the train. I knew that it had to come down to a life and death between Casper and Smiley, but the suspense might have been more if Casper had a gun also.

In addition to about 10 minutes of finished production deleted scenes, the DVD contained directors commentator. The director pointed out some important points about how the gang was like a collective in the sense of a commune where everyone shared the resources of the gang-that included the woman-which Casper did not abide with respect to his girlfriend.

Sin Nombre (2009 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia mentions the fact that the last bit of memory of Casper's girlfriend and one of his only assets he gives to the man to help Sayra across the river. Thus sacrificing everything he had to help her get to the USA.

It might be an interesting film to see how Sayra's life is like in the USA.

Nada + (2002)

Juan Carlos Cremata's comic look at how the Cuban government affects its citizens, Nada + (Nothing More), is a film about a female postal worker. Thais Valdes plays the woman who dreams of living with her mother and father in Miami while dealing with her horrible boss (Daisy Granados). She livens up her existence by romantically responding to the correspondence she is supposed to deliver. Nothing More was screened during the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 88 mins
Nada + (2002)

A cute little film that contains a lot of whispering of the letters she writes-supposedly in a romantic mood. Other than than the ridiculous romantic voice the rest is a funny film with a lot of slapstick comedy including one chase scene close to the end. The film is filmed in B&W with a little colorization for select items in the various scenes. Like her yellow pencil or a dress or a cartoon butterfly that flies around in the scenes. Along with the colorization the side characters are a motley crew of misfits of society including one of her supervisors that is cross eyed crazy lady and one that is a mad scientist and is protected by an overzealous subordinate, and of course her immediate supervisor that is filled with rage when she thinks that Carla is somehow stealing.

I was a little surprised at its portrayal of the run-down condition of Cuba. Maybe they think it is fine but even her job is just merely stamping the letters by hand one at a time at a desk. Clearly a job better suited for any simple machine to do. Carla is clearly bored with this meaningless job and ventures into people's lives to live vicariously through their writings. In the opening scene they show an outside phone that almost looked like it needed a crank to start it. Must have been 50 years old or older.

It is funny that she gets postcards from Miami and it is really fat women on the beach. I wonder if it was to portray Americans as fat slobs???

A nude scene in a bath tub which had little to do with the overall message of the film. Most of the bonus features were just text of the history of Cuba {Film in Context}, Director Biography, and a short photo gallery.

Jacket cover texts:

Carla, a postal worker in Havana, fulfills her romantic longings by opening letters and rewriting them into passionate prose before sending them out again to their intended recipients. After her co-worker Cesar catches her, Carla turns her amorous talents on him.

Beautifully filmed in black and white with accents of brilliant color, Cuba's 2003 Oscar entry combines visual humor, poetry, satire of Cuban bureaucracy and lighthearted love story.

Looks like I might have to check out more films with Thais Valdes. Rating: Rating: 4.5 (/5)

Rodrigo D: No Future (1990)

Rodrigo D (Ramiro Meneses) is a Colombian youth who aspires to join a punk-rock band. His musical skills are negligible, but Rodgrigo feels sympatico with the punkers: he's angry, alienated and destructive. A member of a motorcycle gang that robs and pillages neighboring communities (several of the "actors" were actual street kids, six of whom were killed after the movie was completed), Rodrigo ends up a "big man" only through use of brute force. He finally ends up in the notorious city of Medellin, where he finds it impossible to escape the drug-and-violence syndrome that he thought he'd left behind in the slums. Rodrigo D: No Future is of historical interest in that it was the first Colombian film to be entered in the Cannes Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 91 mins
Rodrigo D: No Future (1990)

Part of the plot was hard to follow with cuts to seemingly random events. Ultimately this film proves their is no honor among thieves. In his effort to prove his worth he kills a police officer but his new friends quickly abandon him and ultimately actually kill him themselves.

The film also notes how many of the actors had passed away which tragically is the most interesting aspect of the film. Just like many from South America, I find stories like this as predictable and dull. They may have some social justice quality but those facts are not in dispute.

Mondays in the Sun (2002)

Set in the Spanish port city of Vigo, Fernando León de Aranoa's Mondays in the Sun is a touching drama about a group of working-class men who find themselves suddenly unemployed and unwanted in their middle age. Laid off from the local shipyard, the men spend their days at the town bar, where they reminisce, philosophize, and commiserate about their current state. Gruff Santa (a bearded Javier Bardem) puts up a tough front, refusing to sink into self-pity, and occasionally pricking his friends' hopes. Morose José (Luis Tosar) openly worries about his wife, whom he fears might leave him. That seems to have been the fate of Amador (Celso Bugallo), the oldest of the bunch, who keeps reassuring everyone that his wife will be back any day now from her trip. Meanwhile, Lino (José Ángel Egido) refuses to give up hope of employment, going to interview after interview for jobs being offered to applicants half his age. Presiding over the glum bunch is Rico (Joaquín Climent), the bar owner and the men's co-worker from the shipyard days. Despite its depressing subject and downbeat mood, Mondays in the Sun was a big winner at the 2003 Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Bardem. The film was also Spain's surprise representative for the 2003 Oscars' Foreign Language film category, nabbing the distinction over Pedro Almodóvar's critically lauded Talk to Her. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 113 mins
Mondays in the Sun (2002)

I found it dull, boring and insipid. The characters could have been interesting enough especially Gruff the gruff one but nothing really sticks out as nothing more than losers complaining about how bad they have it. But at least one person seems to have gotten into the movie at: "Full of sympathy for the worker's plight." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz.

Jose's wife Ana (Nieve de Medina) works the night shift of an assembly line at a fish processing plant that pays little and exploits the workers with poor working conditions, but she's the family breadwinner just waiting for the day when she can tell the bosses to go fuck themselves and she can come home without having to deodorize herself from the fish smell. But she seems tired of her husband's despair and low self-esteem, and their marriage is becoming strained as Jose is becoming a shell of a man unable to even communicate with her.

I unfortunately missed that idea about the fish smell when she spent inordinate amounts of time using the spray deodorant.

The scene with the rich parents kids away and the four men hanging out drinking was quite creepy as well as the flirts between Gruff and Nata (Aida Folch) the 15 year old daughter of the bartender. He even does it openly at the bar but ultimately when given a chance for a rendezvous at his apartment he sneaks out. But at other times Nata is distant to Gruff as they meet outside the young boys house to discuss the transaction for babysitting which is just an excuse for the four men to drink at the "man's" house.

Overall not worth the effort to read...

The Mystic Masseur (2001)

Ismail Merchant, best known as the producing half of the successful Merchant-Ivory team, once again steps behind the camera as director for this story of life among Indian expatriates in the 1950s. Ganesh (Aasif Mandvi) is a young man who was born to a community of Indian exiles living in Trinidad. Always bright, Ganesh hopes to hake a career for himself as a writer, but he lacks the money to pursue writing full-time, and his ideas about education clash with those of his employers after he gets a job as a teacher, leaving him with few prospects. Returning to Trinidad after the death of his father, Ganesh is pressured into marrying a local woman named Leela (Ayesha Dharker), whose father, Ramlogan (Om Puri), is a successful merchant. Ganesh and Leela move to a modest home in the hills, where he begins work on a book, but Leela chafes at the Spartan lifestyle dictated by Ganesh's finances, and for a time leaves their home to stay with her parents. In time, Ganesh completes his first book -- a book for lay people on the Hindu faith -- but sales are sluggish until Ganesh and Leela come up with a plan to boost interest in Ganesh's work. Ganesh is promoted as a "Mystic Masseur" with special powers to heal the infirm; Ganesh's routine quickly makes his work very popular with spiritual seekers, and his book becomes a top-seller. However, Ganesh becomes disillusioned with his newfound fame and power, especially after he attempts to take advantage of his celebrity by entering the political arena. The Mystic Masseur was based on a novel by V.S. Naipaul, who won an Nobel prize in the year of this film's release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide


Theatrical Feature Running Time: 118 mins
The Mystic Masseur (2001)

Seems funny that a washed up masseur turns to being a con artist {mystic healer} then decides to peddle books and then after getting notoriety decides to enter politics and ends up being just a mantle piece instead of actually do good. You have to wonder if he took a hard long contemplated look at his life.

But the scenes were nice.

Manda Bala (2007)

Quite an interesting film about the crime problems in Brazil and political corruption, although the kidnapping aspects take up most of the screen time. It almost looked like Ford put on the defensive driving course for bullet proof vehicles. That was also a very interesting segment that including how even the bullet proof windows can not survive multiple shots at close range.

Brazil is a nation where political and economic corruption and violent crime are a way of life for many, and filmmaker Jason Kohn examines some of the more unusual ways they manifest themselves in this documentary. In Manda Bala (Send a Bullet), Kohn's subjects include a plastic surgeon whose practice is dominated by the victims of kidnappers who lost their ears to their captors; a political figure who uses his frog ranch as a cover for illegal business operations which have made him a multi-millionaire; and an auto customizer whose specialty is bullet-proofing luxury cars. Manda Bala (Send A Bullet) won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 85 mins
Manda Bala (2007)

It was amazing how the doctors was able to fix a young woman's ears. They looked nearly perfect maybe even too good. She only complained that the earlobe was stiff since it was built upon the same cartilage that was taken from her chest.

In the USA, I constantly hear about how it is so bad for chipping individuals, but in this film the one man with the bullet proof car wants not one chip implanted but wanted two from two different companies and then he said he would feel safe. Yes being kidnapped and not being sure if you would survive would drive people to do anything, and I can see chipping as a valuable tool for catching criminals.
Special features:
7 Additional Scenes
Commentary with Director and Producers.

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries (2003) was a nice little film about Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara and if I had not read and watched him in action then I would have taken away from this film that he was a mild compassionate individual that wanted to help the people out. But basically this film was an attempt to white-wash his life based on some writings he did as he traveled around South America.

As just a story about a couple of people on an adventure this is a quite an enjoyable film to watch. It does show that again he is willing to take that which does not belong to him if he thinks it is "fair" by his standards.

Brazilian director Walter Salles Jr. follows up the Golden Globe-nominated Behind the Sun with this filmed adaptation of Argentinian-born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journals of the same name. The Motorcycle Diaries stars Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También, Amores Perros) as a young, pre-revolution Guevara, a 23-year-old medical student in 1952 traveling across South America on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna), who co-wrote the source material. As they embark on their journey, both young men come of age and find their individual world views broadened farther than they ever expected. The Motorcycle Diaries premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 127 mins

A couple of videos that the film also contains as extras:
Alberto Granado recuerda a Fuser (Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara)

EL CHE GUEVARA EN MACHUPICCHU

Secuestro (1995)

In this taut action thriller from Mexico, a group of radical extremists have decided to take their actions against the state to the next level. In a bid to raise both money and public attention for their cause, the four revolutionaries kidnap twentysomething Marcia, whose father is a wealthy and powerful business magnate. As the radicals hold Marcia for ransom, the young woman is thrown from her sheltered life into a world of danger, but as she struggles to find a way to free herself, she finds herself becoming infatuated with one of her abductors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 90 mins
Secuestro (1995)

No English subtitles??? Well that seems like a waste of my time...

Secuestro Express (2004)

The current wave of kidnappings in Latin America inspired this tense suspense drama. Martin (Jean Paul Leroux) and Carla (Mía Maestro) are a wealthy young couple who, after a night of club hopping, head back to their car to go home. However, three kidnappers -- Bubu (Pedro Perez), Niga (Carlos Madera), and Trece (Carlos Julio Molina) -- are waiting for them; seeing how free they are with their money, the men figure that Martin and Carla should fetch a decent ransom for their release. The kidnappers demand 20,000 dollars to set Martin and Carla free, and Carla's father (Rubén Blades) struggles to raise the cash, with the criminals insisting upon payment in a mere two hours. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 87 mins
Secuestro Express (2004)

The film ends with the following dialogue:

Half the world is dying of starvation, while the other half is dying of obesity.
There are two options.
Fight the monster, or invite him to dinner,

But the thing is; is that the punks and hoodlums had money and they even said it at one time. Poverty is just an excuse for this lifestyle or drugs and crime. This does not mean that we should not address poverty or the huge disparity of income but when a film like this tries to even hint at that there is an excuse for this is completely ridiculous. The film closes with the above quote as one of the main actors drives away in a non-discrete compact car instead of the SUV in the beginning....

I too would have given up on being pushed around by the punks. Although it did not work out for Martin, I would have done the same thing. I wonder, if he was friends with one of the distribution drug dealers he would not have known the others or the cab driver and would have been smarter than to get into the broken down cab after fleeing from the gang. I almost thought that one of the parents would have taken a hit out on the gang instead of paying ransom. And it really did no good for the money that the father of Carla gave without any guarantee than some gangsters word.

Mía Maestro did an excellent job on this part and played a whole range of emotions and even a little sexy at times. I look forward to seeing more of her.

Special features consisted of a couple of deleted short scenes and a short documentary of making of the film with the actors talking in English and also a longer Spanish version with English subtitles. It also includes a music video.

Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006)

During the embattled final months of Jean-Bertrand Aristide's second term as president of Haiti, Aristide's allies recruited street gangs from the nation's poorest cities to act as strong-arm men, helping to shut down resistance to Aristide and quiet those who opposed him. Called chimères (or "ghosts"), these gang-bangers became a powerful part of Aristide's forces until the president was removed from office by a coup d'etat in 2004. Dutch filmmaker Asger Leth combines mockumentary reenactments with footage shot in the ghettos of Cité Soleil during Aristide's final days in this powerful drama that follows two brothers and chimères, Billy (James Petit Frere) and 2Pac (Winson Jean). Billy dreams of someday leaving behind the gang life and becoming part of Aristide's political machine, while 2Pac has become disillusioned with politics and wants to become a rap star in the manner of his hero and namesake, Tupac Shakur. In a place where political allegiances shift every day and brutal violence is commonplace, Billy and 2Pac's relationship is already a tense one, but matters become even more difficult between them when they both fall in love with the same woman -- Lele (Eleonore Senlis), a French social worker who understands the power these men hold better than they do themselves. Ghosts of Cité Soleil features a musical score by Wyclef Jean of the Fugees, who also appears in the film in a scene in which he discusses music and politics with 2Pac. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 85 mins
Ghosts of Cité Soleil (2006)

This definitely opened my eyes to some things that I heard about Haiti but only in passing notes. The "Agronomist" also noted some dissatisfaction with Aristide. Definitely this film is an inside view of Cité Soleil and the gang problems (Chimères).
Rebels Against Aristide:
THE CANNIBAL ARMY.
Buteur Metayer {Rebel Leader}
Cannibal Army was an offshoot of Aristide's Party (Fanmi Lavalas), before arming against Lavalas.
The Cannibal Army
By John Maxwell
Then Aristide disbanded the army. I am still curious as to why he did that. I know he accused them of human rights abuses, but first you disarm them with loyal troops and then disband the ones that are implicated. Start with a well trained group and then work out and not arm thugs and call that good.

He made us Lavalas kill Macoute and now that the opposition is back, thy're going to kill Lavalas.
...
2Pac make it out of Haiti, July 2004.
When his brother was released from prison 2Pac decided to go back and be with his.
2PAC was shot by Labanye on the 30th of September 2004.
He died in Cite Soleil.
Lele is now living in Paris, France.
Billy has diasappeared and is presumed dead.
The Chimeres are still thriving in Cite Soleil.

Misc. Links:
Wyclef Jean
Cité Soleil
Andy Apaid {Political Opposition} {Chief of Police Cité Soleil-Christine ????}
Charles Baker {Political Opposition} {Aristide's gangs attacks on universities and hospitals.}
Louis Jodel Chamblain {Rebel Commander-in exile 10 years)
Guy Philippe {Police Chief?}
Leon Charles {Chief of Police Haiti} {Talks about Labaney, Maral, Dred Wilmer, 2pac, Bily.}

El Che: Investigating a Legend (1998)

This video is a profile of Latin American guerilla leader Ernesto Guevara, revered by his supporters around the globe as "El Che." Born in 1928 in Argentina, Che Guevara believed that revolution was necessary to free Latin American people from oppression. An ally of Fidel Castro, he served in the Cuban government from 1961 to 1965. He left Cuba to join the cause of revolution in Bolivia, where he was killed by the Bolivian army in 1967. El Che's story is told with archival films and photographs, as well as commentary by historians. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Theatrical Feature Running Time: 150 mins
El Che: Investigating a Legend (1998)

Definitely a pro (propaganda) film about Che with even Castro having a part in the film glorifying Che. On the positive side, it has a lot of stock film of the revolution and footage of Che talking as well as the usual collection of pictures. One that seemed surprising was the attack on the armored trains although it still could have been filmed afterward for propaganda. Just like "Soy Cuba" did.

Che claimed he was not an economist but a communist when he became president of the central bank. He signed (scribbled) his name on Cuban notes as "Che".

Mario Monje Molina (Bolivian Communist Party-Secretary General)
You'll find no written commitment from the Communist Party or from any of its leaders to work with Che's guerrilla,
Not one.
He had to leave Africa and find a way out.
He told himself: "I couldn't go back to Cuba. It was out of the question. I already bid it a solemn farewell." So he had to choose a new place for a come-back and Bolivia seemed to fit the bill, not the least because we were already getting ready and they knew it.
So he said to me: I can't give you the leadership of the revolution: "I can't do it."

Other Links:
The Life & Legacy of Latin American Revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara: Forty Years After His Death{Democracy Now}

Che Guevara
Daughter: Hidita
Judas: Regis Debray & Ciro Bustos
Fuese Che (Furious)
"I Confess, I Live", Book found with Che.

Bordertown (2007)

The celebrated Latino director Gregory Nava (American Family) helmed, scripted, and co-produced (with star Jennifer Lopez) Bordertown - a suspense thriller with an A-list Hispanic cast. Lopez portrays Lauren Adrian, an American correspondent from a Chicago newspaper, who longs to cover the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Instead, Lauren's mentor at the paper, George Morgan (Martin Sheen) reassigns her to Mexico. She is promptly shuttled off to Juarez, a troubled community on the Texas-Mexico border rattled by a series of brutal, unsolved homicides. The victims - all young women, employed in the maquilla plants that manufacture electrical components for exportation to the U.S. - are uniformly found raped and strangled to death. One of those women, Eva, manages to escape her captors (who believe her dead) and flees not to the corrupt police, but to the local newspaper. There, her life intersects with those of Lauren and Lauren's former boyfriend and lover, the reporter Alfonso Diaz (Antonio Banderas). Suddenly, Lauren foresees, in the prospect of reporting Eva's story, an assignment that could bring her closer to Iraq than she ever dreamed possible. Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Maya Zapata and Juan Diego Botto co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 114 mins
Bordertown (2007)

A gripping story about the tragedy of the situation for women in Mexico. My wife was drawn into the story but she did understand that NAFTA has nearly zero to do with the situation for those women.

It clearly is a lack of "rule of law" and not secure Democratic institutions. If we really wanted to look at the history of Mexico then we would look at the grave and horrendous conditions that have and continue to manifest in Mexico City. I am sure similar types of abuses happened in their thousands of shanty towns also.

Just look at the buses themselves, no one is forcing those women on that bus. They are all choosing to board that bus to work. Thus there are no other alternative that is better even if just marginally.

Why pick women? I am sure that yes women may not complain as much and will accept more authoritarianism over their lives. But factories always consider hiring women since their is less alternatives for them to do. Thus this is actually providing these women a choice, no matter how unbecoming the choice is for us. Their choices for many Low Income Countries is getting married or prostitution. We should at least appreciate that now they have an opportunity that is one step above their present situation.

Pure propaganda about NAFTA but a nice story. Give that a 3.5/5

The Agronomist (2002)

The fifth in a series of documentaries revolving around Haiti's struggle for democracy, this piece from director Jonathan Demme revolves around the life of Jean Dominique, a Haitian radio personality who spent his life campaigning for reform within the notoriously oppressed nation. The Agronomist begins just after the 1991 overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, when Dominique and his wife, while at the radio station, came under fire from rebels involved with the coup. Referred to as an agronomist due to his background in agriculture -- which, consequently, brought him into contact with the feudalistic nature of Haiti's farming system -- Dominique's passion for reform landed him in exile. Rather than give up after his release, Dominique initiated a career as a radio communicator, and he allowed Demme access to the station and his personal life during key periods of unrest and political fluctuation. Sadly, the documentary ends with an account of Dominique's assassination in April of 2000. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 91 mins
The Agronomist (2002)

Tonton Macoute
A basic documentary of a man struggling for freedom. Starting out as an "agronomist" and then branched out into radio broadcasting and a promoter of a films. One film he promoted was "Anita". None of the films he mentioned I see from Blockbuster except Night and Fog (1955).

The film has some nudity as some of the Haitians dance in the water and mud topless.

While welcoming the CNG's statement, the Haitian Chamber of Commerce expressed concern today. They are worried that the CNG has overstepped their role by engaging in acts of intimidation that violate human rights. The Chamber of Commerce hopes the rule of law is not jeopardized and is used for very specific goals:
*a society of laws, rights and responsibilities to which we aspire
*providing clear laws, respected by all, obeyed by all, lest our justice system will crumble.[Excerpt from film about the National Council of Government (French: Conseil National de Gouvernement, CNG)]

67% of the Haitian people voted for Aristide and his Lavalas movement.

December 16,1996-Live interview with President Aristide:

Jean Dominique: President, when you came back, you told 10 to 12 of the big, big millionaires in this country what we cal the big oligarchy those big bourgeois you said it's time for Reconciliation! And you began to shower them with gifts. Gifts to the left, gifts to the right. And in return these people have their own people working for the tax offices so they don't have to pay taxes. Their own people are working at the electric company so they don't pay for electricity and so on. Which means they repay your gifts with corruption inside your institutions and often this corruption is accepted by the militants within your Lavalas Party.
Aristide: I agree with some of your points, but not others. One thing I don't agree with--
JD: Reconciliation and gifts?
A: --No gifts--
JD: They were gifts--
A: No, I don't agree with you. Democracy is like a bicycle, One wheel is Reconciliation, the other is Justice. Deprived of one, democracy is not rolling.
JD: The Tevasa contract was a Reconciliation 'gift' but I don't see where the Justice lies!
A: Well now you are--

After that the relationship between JD and A cooled off tremendously.

I am sure that last part is something will never register in liberal minds. Something like a dog whistle to their ears...

For a biographical documentary, this film gave a nice feel for Haiti and Jean without it being a collection of trivial points randomly gathered together. And it did give me another view of Haiti that broadened my understanding of the people and the history.

I Love Miami (2006)

Cuban leader Fidel Castro is humbled when he arrives in Miami and experiences America from the unique perspective of a typical Cuban-American in producer-turned-director Alejandro Gonzalez Padilla's clever culture shock drama. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 95 mins
I Love Miami (2006)

The movie gives Castro to present his positive points about his regime that do not get questioned. Also the anti-Castro side presents their points that do not get challenged. Thus it is almost a perplexing movie of cross talk but no direct dialogue. The presentation is basically one view give and another view but no contrasting points.

The most poignant scene is the end that has the dove that supposedly landed on his shoulder during the revolution. This time the dove shits on him.

I Love Miami (2006)
A story involving the famous Fidel Castro, who ironically arrives at Miami, like so many of his fellow Cubans, and at the same time living through a Cuban- American experience, creates the perfect scenario to watch him become a more humble person; the "Quixote of American Socialism". At the same time two sub- stories will strike the "emotional string" in our interior. The movie does not pretend to make any political statements on the Cuban Revolution or Fidel Castro's biography, however its purpose is to establish the story of the Miami of Today, in which all kinds of Cuban- American characters display their lives, their feelings and intentions relating to Fidel in his temporary and uncomfortable exile. The story shows "the other Cuba" and her two faces; one of the exiled Cubans, seeking the "American dream" and the other of the Cubans who capitalize this dream by camouflaging their political and economic interests, manipulating the dream of the others. Written by Alejandro Gonzalez Padilla

American Visa (2006)

A Bolivian man with dreams of reuniting with his son and starting a new life in the United States is forced to resort to questionable methods due to harsh laws designed to curb immigration in director Juan Carlos Valdivia's thoughtful meditation on the post-9/11 political climate. Mario Alvarez (Demián Bichir) wants nothing more than to travel to Miami, re-connect with his long-lost son, and seek out a new life in a new country. Obtaining a visa in Bolivia is no easy task though, and in order to achieve his goals Mario will be forced to bend the rules nearly to the breaking point. Mario's diligent efforts to escape to the U.S. are soon complicated, however, when a beautiful young dancer named Blanca (Kate del Castillo) voices a desire to quit her job at a seedy strip club and settle down with the desperate dad in Bolivia. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 90 mins
American Visa (2006)

A completely inept man tries to use questionable methods to get money that only ends him up broke and broken as a man. If not for his loved one (Blanca), he would have nothing of value. The most ignorant aspect was when he had the cash in had that was stolen out of a suitcase, he proceeds to carefully count out how much he wants. He could have just taken the briefcase and run off safely.

Amores Perros (2000)

Three stories of life along the margins in Mexico City converge in this inventive thriller. Octavio is sharing an apartment with his brother, which leads to a serious problem when he falls in love with Susanna, his sister-in-law. Octavio and Susanna want to run away together, but Octavio has no money. He does, however, know a man who stages dog fights, and he volunteers his dog Cofi for the next round of fights. Cofi bravely rises to the occasion, but the dog's success in the ring leads to a violent altercation. Elsewhere, Daniel, a successful publishing magnate, leaves his family to take up with a beautiful model, Valeria. Valeria, however, soon loses a leg in an auto accident, and as Daniel tends to her needs, her tiny pet dog gets trapped under the floorboards of their apartment. And finally, El Chivo (Emilio Echeverria) is an elderly homeless man who is trying to contact his daughter, whom he hasn't seen in years. Desperate for money, El Chivo is hired by a businessman to assassinate his partner; however, as he's following his target, he's interrupted by an auto accident, from which Octavio and his injured dog stagger in search of help. Amores Perros (aka Love's a Bitch) was the debut from director Alexandro Gonzalez Inarritu. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 153 mins
Amores Perros (2000)

Another long film but held my attention-maybe it was all the violence in the film. Also with the intertwining stories it brings in plenty of plots that weave together in the right manner without being contrite. Most of the struggles are resolved ultimately even if not ideal situations. Some of the characters learn and grow but the young Octavio never really grows up.

I Am Cuba (1964)

An unabashed exercise in cinema stylistics, I Am Cuba is pro-Castro/anti-Batista rhetoric dressed up in the finest clothes. The film's four dramatic stories take place in the final days of the Batista regime; the first two illustrate the ills that led to the revolution, the third and fourth the call to arms which cut across social and economic lines. A lovely young woman in a nightclub frequented by crass American businessmen takes a customer to her modest seaside shack for a night of pleasure for pay, only to be found out by her street vendor suitor; a tenant farmer is told that his crop has been sold to United Fruit and in frustration burns his fields; a middle-class student rallies his pals and workers in a street demonstration against the regime; a peasant eking out a living in the mountains quickly converts to the cause when Batista bombers strafe his land in search of rebel fighters. At face value, this is all obvious agitprop, but director Mikhail Kalazatov turned his cinematographer, Sergei Urusevsky, loose, and the result is a procession of dazzling black-and-white images, shot with a camera that is almost always moving and soaring over the sugar fields, swooping in and out of urban buildings, following characters down narrow streets. Unreleasable to American theaters during the Cold War, I Am Cuba, through the auspices of filmmakers Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, got a belated U.S. release in 1995 and has proved to be both a time capsule of a fading political movement and a timeless work of cinematic art. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide

For cinematography it was a 10. I loved the long shots scenes that a couple were over 2 minutes in length.
My mother also had a chance to watched this and we both enjoyed it.

There was several propaganda points that missed the mark or did not make sense.
1. The man that burned his sugar cane field show complete ignorance. He sent his two children to town with the last of their money and then burned down the field and the house with all the furnishings and then was overcame with smoke and supposedly died. His reason was supposedly because they had stole his property from him. But the robbers did say he was going to get paid. And no matter what anyone else would say, I would have harvested as much of the cane as possible and sold it as quickly as possible. So instead of that he left his children as orphans and burned up all possessions up in the fire.

2. The prostitute lived in a run down shack with light coming in from the roof but had an elaborate carving on the rocking chair and a pure white bed spread. Also if she was able to work in the touristy areas with Americans then her standard of living would not have indicated that she would have had to live in the most depressed areas of the city. It was a nice set construction of a slum.

Aside from being a complete propaganda piece about "Soy Cuba" (I am Cuba) this was an excellent cinematographic film.

O Caminho das Nuvens (2003)/"The Middle of the World"

A father desperate to improve his family's circumstances takes them on an unusual journey in this drama from Brazil. Romão (Wagner Moura) is a truck driver who has fallen on hard times; illiterate and unable to find work at a living wage, Romão and his wife, Rose (Cláudia Abreu), decide to leave the Northwestern provinces of Brazil and head east for Rio de Janeiro, which is 2,000 miles away. With no vehicle at their disposal, Romão, Rose, and their five children make the journey on bicycles. Along the way, they face physical and emotional hardship and bear witness to the many ways in which the nation they knew is changing. Romão also finds himself coming to a crossroads with his oldest son, Antônio (Ravi Ramos Lacerda), a teenager who has become openly defiant of his parents. O Caminho das Nuvens (aka The Middle of the World) was the first dramatic feature from documentary filmmaker Vincente Amorim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

One interesting part was the father the oldest daughter and the two younger boys were hired as "Native Indian" Dancers. I can understand the father's frustration but I am not sure if it was worse than having his wife beg for money.

They supposedly started out from the The Middle of the World or also known as Mitad del Mundo which is an interesting read of itself.

But I do see this film as a triumph of human will and in this case a family that discovers themselves along the road. The oldest boy grows up and has to make it on his own.

Aristide and the Endless Revolution (2005)

Jean-Bertrand Aristide was the first democratically elected president of Haiti, a nation long marked by political instability and corruption, but while the former Catholic priest was voted in as a friend of the poor and the disadvantaged, staying in office proved to be his greatest challenge. Aristide was first sworn into office on February 7, 1991, but a military coup removed him from office seven months later. Aristide went into exile in Venezuela and later the United States, but after the collapse of the military regime that staged the coup, he returned to Haiti and served as president from 1994 to 1996. Prevented by the law from succeeding himself in office, Aristide was reelected president in 2001, but another coup in 2004 ended his term in office, and the leader went into exile once again, this time in South Africa. Aristide claims that the second coup coincided with his being kidnapped by American intelligence agents, and a number of political analysts and activists, including Noam Chomsky and U.S. congresswoman Maxine Waters, contend that the United States government directly interfered with Aristide's rule in favor of the right-wing military regime. However, others have argued that Aristide's administration fell into widespread corruption, and that he was removed from office for the good of the people. Aristide and the Endless Revolution is a documentary which features extensive interviews with Jean-Bertrand Aristide as he discusses his political career in Haiti, and with others who speak out in support of the leader (Noam Chomsky, Maxine Waters, Danny Glover) as well as those who oppose his rule, including former U.S. Secretary of State Roger Noriega and Timothy Carney, an American ambassador to Haiti during Aristide's administration. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

I am not sure who said this on the film:

This is not about anything but the ideology of the far right wing that now really controls the United States Government, that does not support popular democracy.

Before this and the following quote we get to see Clinton and the Senior Bush mouthing. Huh? Clinton far right, yes maybe to some communist sympathizers. Oh look we have Chomsky-defender of all communist regimes.
Chomsky:

Orders from on high, are that we are to concentrate on this question: just how much was Aristide responsible? But we do not have to follow the orders from on high. And if we are sensible we see that the only question how it would implode.

What a moron. Sorry but to boil down a complex issue to the "only question" is an extreme example of authoritarianism that wants to dictate the discussions as much as any good communist does. If any person on the right said that, he would be held up as an example of what not to say unless they want to be branded a totalitarianist.

And of course he makes some vague reference to some command structure telling us what to believe, but for me his wild ass assumptions do not work on me. I can decide for myself thank you. I do not need Chumsky to tell me what to question and what to think.

...the US was appalled at the outcome.

My word, does he even pay attention to what he says. The USA does not have one voice. You can not say a nation has any single emotion. It would be just as wrong for me to say Cambodia loved death during Pol Pot regime.



Dr. Paul Farmer is mentioned as for his support for Aristide.

Representative Maxine Waters has a few parts in the film. I use to work and live close to her district. Even my roommate knew of her from his security job work.

There is a nice interview of Aristide in the bonus materials worth watching. While he talks a lot about loving everyone, the main film seems to diverge and show not nearly as peaceful person as he talked in the interview. Also he talks a lot about class warfare. I wonder how much the "wealthy" are really wealthy by world wide standards. If I was rich in Haiti I would have left a long time ago, even under the previous dictators.

Farmer mentions that there is no military in the government to protect against a coup. And I do remember that some thought this was a foolish move. It seems that you leave at least leave enough to carry out the threats from any internal struggle.

But a lovely turn around to blame the USA for assisting in dismantling the army and then having an embargo on arms to Haiti.

Danny Glover also has some dialogue. But sorry when there is much "abject poverty" and massive unemployment then raising the minimum wage will not help the poor as a group. Sure some may benefit but others will more than likely stay unemployed.

Clinton returned Aristide to power after the coup. And then he handed over power peacefully in 94. They made a point that Aristide was the only elected President in the history of Haiti???

Aristide claims that what is happening in Haiti is genocide. I see the violence but if Darfur is not genocide I don't see how Haiti can be it. I do see acts of democide though. He just has not shown that it is deliberately against one group or another. Maybe he is considering a it a class struggle genocide in which he only has to imply rich/poor genocide.

Embargo over contested senate seats???
The embargo also was supported by Canada and France-starting in 2000. It seems strange that two very independent countries would side with the USA if there was not more to the story.

Maxine Waters and Jeffrey Sachs (one of the worlds leading economist) say that none of the aid went to the Aristide government. She claims that 850 million went to NGOs. But that is the reasonable approach when another government feels that the money would be diverted and not end up helping the intended beneficiaries or if the government is corrupt and would use it for controlling purposes. As several governments have done to reward loyal members and punish the opposition parties like claimed in Zimbabwe. Whether Haiti deserved this treatment is another question. Anyway, what a condescending authoritarian question by Maxine.

And what says that "you have no money for" project X, Y or Z if you do not get aid. It is a gift and not a requirement.

...drained him of foreign exchange reserves, as he continued to service the debts to the international institutions, the exchange rate collapsed, the inflation rose, and the economy collapsed, and that was the deliberate result of the strangulation of aid.

We could analyze this as a Two Gap Model problem. So in essence if foreign aid dried up on the foreign exchange gap then the savings/investment gap could have changed this around. Also foreign aid is not the only way to increase foreign exchange-trade could have expanded-although I am sure it would have been tough.

Yes that is a bold move to ask for restitutions/reparations back after 200 years. I know it is fun to blame the French but at some time you have to walk on your own two feet as a nation. This is nothing more than welfare mentality. Then Aristide goes on to advertise his demands on TV. I think doing that sort of actions shows that he wants to blame others for his own inability to govern.

Ricot Dupuy does have a good point that you pick your battles and attacking the two most influential countries as with respect to Haiti is pure foolishness.

Jeffrey Sachs was mentioned earlier when Maxine Waters asked him some questions. The most shocking aspect of his stands is that he is supportive of:

In economics, Shock Therapy refers to the sudden release of price and currency controls, withdrawal of state subsidies, and immediate trade liberalization within a country. Prominent economist Jeffrey Sachs was the foremost proponent of shock therapy for several emerging economies.