A review: "Volver a morir" [2011 Colombia]

Miguel Urrutia's directorial début "Volver a morir" [Eng. Title: Wake Up and Die] is a horror-thriller centred on a woman having a 'Groundhog Day' type experience, with which she learns to survive a maniac after many failed attempts.

Camila wakes up in a ruffled bed next to a man she doesn't recognise. She remembers having a drink at a bar while waiting for female friends who don't turn up. Finding herself in the stranger's bedroom - his name is Dario, she fears she might have been drugged and brought here, and becomes more suspicious after noticing the bedroom door locked. Dario however smooth-talks his way into convincing Camila for another session of sex, during which he strangles and kills her, only for her to wake up next to him again. This goes on for a number of times until she eventually learns how to avoid getting killed.

Granted that there is merit in the plot - and even if I'm not the greatest fan of the genre, I can see its potential. But the film unfortunately makes a hash of it with not only a nondescript screenplay, but also poor direction and messy post-production - it's not as if they didn't make an effort, but perhaps too much. Quite probably, it's the poor production, particularly the shoddy camera work and lazy lighting that prompted the overcooking. Neither a horror nor an erotic thriller, it is possibly my worst film viewing experience of the year (so far), and I hope the director had dusted himself and carried on regardless of this mishap. But for those who usually don't give a hoot for my opinion, here's the DVD link to the 'uncut' version.

Amazon.de DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Andrea Montenegro and Luis Fernando Bohórquez
If I have to dig deep to find a reason to recommend the film - it would be the prospect of watching Andrea Montenegro in the buff, and she obliges by staying nude or barely covered for most of the film's runtime. But I'm afraid you'd yet be disappointed, as we never actually catch a satisfactory glimpse of the 40-something Peruvian-born bombshell, even though she's isn't exactly the shy type in front of camera. Fernando Bohórquez doesn't have as many nude duties, but he's shown full-frontal in a scene that doesn't even require it - possibly to keep the other section of the crowd engaged, I suppose.



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Martina García & Clara Lago in "La Cara Oculta" [2011 Colombia, Spain]

Andrés Baiz (credited Andi Baiz) has used a minimal cast to create his fine thriller, "La Cara Oculta" [Eng. Title: The Hidden Face] in this Spanish-Colombian co-production.

Storyline:
Adrián and girlfriend Belén move to Colombia from Spain, so that he could pursue his career as conductor in the Colombian philharmonic orchestra - Belén works from home as a fashion designer. She soon suspects Adrián might be having an affair with one of the musicians in the orchestra, and after some thought, hatches a plan - she would leave him a message that she's leaving, and instead move into a secret bunker originally built by the house landlord to see his reaction. The bunker is soundproof, bullet proof, and is hidden right next to the master bedroom and bath, with a secret entrance through one of the mirrors which one can see through from the inside, but is just a plain mirror when viewed from outside. After recording her message she moves all her belongings into the bunker to give the impression that she'd indeed moved away and shuts herself in. The only problem is it could be opened only through a key to get out, the key which she'd forgetfully left on top of the bed before locking herself in. She realises her mistake only when she decides to end the act and come out to console Adrián who finds it hard to cope with her leaving. But one day Adrián meets and brings home waitress Fabiana, only to be watched helplessly by Belén from inside the bunker. The rest of the film is of her bearing witness to goings on in the bedroom while desperately trying to let herself out to freedom.

I wasn't expecting too much from the film when it started off predictably and full of clichés. But soon realised it to be one of those original films that get better as the plot thickens. The best part of the film for me though was creating situations where events are simultaneously viewed and experienced from two different viewpoints - the drama contained there in is very well executed. It is also constructed like an old fashioned thriller a la early Claude Chabrol. I'm glad films like these still do get made, and I find myself in renewed appreciation of Baiz's work. The cinematography and editing is top notch, as is the direction and performances by the three key characters. But the best of the three performances undoubtedly belongs to the beautiful, incredibly sexy and talented Spanish actress Clara Lago who plays Belén. This is a neat little film with some original ideas, and therefore, Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link




Compilation: Martina García and Clara Lago
I mixed the sequence of some scenes and even omitted some additional nude footage so as to not give too much of the plot away. This film is definitely worth checking out if you like well built thrillers.



Scene Guide:

• Adrián invites waitress Fabiana home after a bit of getting to know each other - he's desperate to move on after Belén had 'left' him - only Belén is an unintentional captive in a hidden bunker and forced to witness goings on she's unable to control. Sometimes being a voyeur can mean absolute torture. Fabiana is played by possibly one of the most ravishing Colombianas ever - Martina García.
• While in the bath, Fabiana begins to wonder if the mansion Adrián lives in is haunted. Hmmm, perhaps...
• Police suspect that Belén who disappeared off the face of the earth may even be murdered. When they discover a (not so) disfigured body, they ask Adrián to identify her. He categorically states that it is not Belén. The corpse is played by an uncredited actress, totally naked - come on guys, I'm only cataloguing the nude scenes here..! :)
• We see snapshots of happier times between Adrián and Belén when they first moved into the house. Belén of course is played by the talented, guapa Clara Lago - it's only a matter of time before she's gonna bag a Goya.
• Brief scene of Belén cleansing herself in the bunker.

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Joselin Waleska in “Ladies Mafia” [2011 Colombia, Mexico]

Colombian director Oscar González's film, "Ladies Mafia" is a comedy drama about three girls who unwittingly find themselves in possession of a stash of cocaine, and who against common sense decide to make themselves rich by selling it to a trafficker directly. They're helped by another female friend - a street smart kick boxer.

I'm not going to elaborate on this nonsense of a plot - let's just say it was made for an undemanding audience. Almost every aspect of the film is average or less, but at least they managed to author it decently on disc. Of course, we on the other hand sit through these for their exotic chicas, nothing more, nothing less..! ;)




Scene: Joselin Waleska
One of them takes her kit off briefly - exotic newcomer Joselin Waleska, who plays Tori - a college student making ends meet by stripping at a club (shame they should've put her in a scene plying her trade - they merely talk about it). The scene is mildly funny as she picks up a guy at a shopping mall and brings him home - the bloke dies of a heart attack upon orgasm - she'll know soon enough that's he's a drug trafficker when she escapes with his suitcase, identical to her's. "Damn, and he was so good in bed..!", she mutters to her cute friends at the end.





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Katherine Porto in "El Jefe" [2011, Colombia, Argentina]

Jaime Escallon-Buraglia's feature film debut "El Jefe" la película [Eng. Title: The Boss] is a dark comedy about a HR Manager going through mid-life crisis. While the film is mildly entertaining, it is also merely treading down a path well-worn by more illustrious names. Buraglia had tried to keep it 'family-friendly' by sticking to established commercial film norms. It is overall a pretty average film that couldn't have looked out of place even 30 years ago - if you catch my drift.

Ricardo Osario is one disgruntled and despicable man - he hates his job, his co-workers, his family chores, and is desperately seeking excitement. When he's told off by his wife for bringing home the wrong milk for the baby, he heads back in pouring rain to get it exchanged. His wife's close friend Ángela who'd come visiting jumps into his car for a lift, and lo and behold, they end up in bed at a motel. The more he compares the already married Ángela to his wife, the more he falls for her, and they embark on a full-blown affair, to the extent that they even decide to elope. But things obviously don't go according to plan, and Ricardo also gets caught in office intrigue, as scheming employees try desperately to put him on the dock.




Compilation: Katherine Porto
Some of the more interesting scenes of Ricardo's shenanigans with Ángela, played by chica caliente colombianas Katherine Porto.



Scene Guide:

• Ángela appears to have decided to seduce her friend's husband Ricardo with all her "come hither" signals in the car - we'll get to know the reason towards the end of the film.
• Date no: 2 - at the same motel.
• Ángela even starts to drop by during office hours - they're interrupted by Ricardo's staff who introduce an act for the forthcoming company anniversary celebrations. But Ángela simply couldn't keep her hands off the 'irresistible' Ricardo.
• More fun in the motel - Ángela obviously doesn't like wearing a bra - but makes sure she always wears a white top - just in case she gets caught in the rain again..!

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Ángela Carrizosa Aparicio in "Karen Llora en un Bus" [2011 Colombia]

Gabriel Rojas Vera's brilliant debut feature, "Karen Llora en un Bus" [Eng. Title: Karen Cries in a Bus] is a simple yet beautiful study of a modern woman making her choices in life. The film is set in Bogota, but it could be any swiftly urbanising part of the world.

Karen decides to leave her well-to-do husband of ten years, she feels life's passing her by, her aspirations and interests are but a fading memory after immersing into her role as home-maker. The film starts with a tearful Karen sitting in a bus with just her suitcase and handbag - she had already left home. She gets herself a room downtown and soon enough finds life very different to what she's used to, from the Spartan amenities and furniture, to the difficulty in landing a job with no work experience to show. However, she doesn't give up and refuses to seek help even during trying circumstances, after what little she had gets stolen. Karen, in her own words, has decided to repaint her life.

The refreshing part about the film is that Karen isn't depicted as some kind of superwoman or martyr - she reacts and behaves just as anyone else from her social background might under the circumstances. But there is a virtue in her endeavour, even if she's unsure of her purpose in life owing to low self-esteem. For a debut film, the script, also by Gabriel Rojas Vera, is pretty well written. We see some exceptionally talented young directors emerging from Latin America, and Colombia too seems to have its fair share. The cinematography is excellent, and the team seem to have made the best use of what little budget they had. Even the acting is convincing and well performed, especially the talented actress playing the protagonist, Ángela Carrizosa Aparicio. I'd be surprised if the film doesn't pick up a few accolades along the way. There may not be any clever story to tell or cunning twists in the plot, but for me, this is without doubt the best Colombian film I've seen this year, and needless to say, Recommended Viewing.




Compilation: Ángela Carrizosa Aparicio
The film also contains some brief nude scenes involving Karen. First is when she's with a person she's recently met - common interests drew them together. Having made love only to her husband so far, she's now too conscious in letting her modest breasts be seen by the new lover. Later we see Karen a little more at ease with herself.





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Scenes from "Satanás" [2007 Colombia, Mexico]

You'd be forgiven for assuming that any Latin American film titled "Satanás" must be a nunsploitation flick from a bygone age. As it turns out, this 2007 drama is a recreation of a shocking 1986 massacre in Colombia when a Vietnam vet killed 29 people including his own mother, before turning the gun on himself. For a feature-length directorial debut, Andréz Baiz had constructed a brilliant crime drama indeed. He makes us follow not just the protagonist but some of the victims before the they find themselves at the restaurant where the final act happens.

When I bought the film, I thought it was a psychological thriller, that this was a crime drama inspired by true events was a revelation. Damián Alcázar gives a restrained performance as the soft spoken Eliseo, an English professor and former soldier in the US Army, getting lonelier and depressed by the day, until he finally snaps. The screenplay is particularly well written - we see some of the victims even interact innocently with Eliseo days earlier, and that is not all - some background stories not directly related to the massacre, but may have contributed to the victims being in the wrong place at the wrong time were also conjured up to give us a bigger picture. It is cinema of high calibre along the lines of early Gaspar Noé works, and I'm surprised that so little is known about this film outside Spanish-speaking countries. The direction, dialogues, editing, cinematography and set design are all of high quality, including the performances by all the main characters. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!




Compilation 1: Patricia Castañeda, Isabel Gaona, and Marcela Valencia



Scene Guide:

• Eliseo visits a brothel and picks Valeria, played by Patricia Castañeda. But he quickly changes his mind and leaves in a hurry.
• Priest Ernesto is having an illicit relationship with his maid Irene. After torturing himself for having 'sinned', he decides to quit priesthood in order to live with her. Irene is played by señorita caliente Isabel Gaona - can't help commenting on that awesome ass of hers - muy impresionante..!
• Alicia is serving time for murdering her three children - she just couldn't afford to feed them. When the priest visits her in prison, she tries to seduce him, claiming to be possessed by the devil. We are later shown a bizarre scene of her urinating while reading the bible, and tearing one of the pages to clean herself afterwards. Alicia is played by Marcela Valencia.

Compilation 2: Marcela Mar
This compilation contains only brief nudity and includes an unpleasant rape scene, the reason why I compiled these separately. Paola is a con-artist working for a gang. One night, she herself becomes the target of another gang, who upon finding no money on her person, decide to rape her for all their trouble. I've also added Paola's retribution towards the end to balance things.
Paola is played by the talented Colombian actress Marcela Mar.





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Isabel Cristina Cadavidad & Linda Lucía Callejas in "Sin Tetas no Hay Paraiso" [2010 Colombia]

Colombian writer/director Gustavo Bolívar remade his earlier TV series "Sin Tetas no Hay Paraìso" [Eng. Trans: No Paradise Without Tits], for the big screen in 2010, and apparently it was a huge success.

It chronicles the completely misguided life of a low-in-self-esteem fourteen year old girl, and the extraordinary lengths she goes to, to get what she thinks is necessary - in her case, bigger breasts equates to greater success. In the DVD extras, Gustavo Bolívar also explains the reason behind his making of the film that had already had a successful run on TV earlier - so that he could follow the original novel more faithfully, where an adolescent Catalina enthusiastically turns to prostitution in order to earn the money required for her breast implant - apparently in the TV series, the story was adapted to portray an older woman.




About the Making of the Film:
The film does have a rather interesting background. Bolívar wanted to find a young lady really wanting to undergo surgery for his film, so that the actual procedure could also be filmed. Twenty one year old Isabel Cristina Cadavidad was consulting with renowned plastic surgeon Alan Gonzalez (who acts as himself in the film too) when she was informed of the opportunity to star in a film. Even though she was 21, she looked 15-16, which was more or less the character's age, and she agreed to play Catalina.




About the film:
Any story dealing with under-age prostitution is shocking to say the least, but the director forces us to look beyond what Catalina ends up doing, in order to explore the motivating and mitigating factors that leads her down the path. The film is therefore very earthy, in a naturally Latin American way, and well made with some interesting screenplay, which switches from melodramatic soap-opera to gritty drama of gang-culture, from teenage romance to erotic drama. The acting is also pretty good, especially from Isabel Cristina Cadavidad, who had never acted before.  The direction and editing are professional, and the sound track is excellent using Cumbia, Pop Latino, and Hip hop and Reggaeton beats - it's as if the entire musical talent from Cali and Bogota have been used for the film. It's all good fun, never boring, of course not when the screen's filled with sexy girls from start to finish. Needless to say, Recommeded Viewing.

It was an uphill task editing bits for this compilation, and I don't want to be making too many graphics for this post, so these have to be larger than usual, but it should give you a general idea about the film, and hopefully you'll want to own your own DVD.




Compilation 1: Isabel Cristina Cadavidad



Scene Guide:

• No nudity but sexy cameltoe from Isabel Cristina Cadavidad when Catalina is advised by her brother Byron not to mix with the girls on the street, as they're sluts and a bad influence.
• We have a quick flash from one of Catalina's 'school friends'. If you really need to know the actress name, it is Caroll Parra. Catalaina is later consoled by her friend after she's rejected by a gangster for her small tits - she's now desperate to sell her virginity, the only thing she thinks she has of value, to anyone willing to pay for her breast enhancement.
• A bodyguard approaches Catalina after his boss at a private party picks another girl with bigger tits. He promises her the money and has rough sex with her without even knowing until later that she was a virgin he just deflowered. Some awesome nudity from Isabel in this darkly lit scene, with even a hint of her clitoris if you care to watch it studiously.
• A girl pops out of a cake in the nude at a gangster's birthday shindig - actress name uncredited. Assorted sexy 'Reinas' in the scene appear.
• Catalina with her first 'proper' customer, a gangster who gets addicted to her just after a night's work, but even then he's unwilling to fork up the 5 Million Pesos for her surgery.
• More 'Reinas' in the pool, followed by a bizarre scene of a topless girl overseeing a police officer being tortured (actress uncredited).

Compilation 2: Linda Lucía Callejas, Isabel Cristina Cadavidad



Scene Guide:

• No nudity but sexy. When Catalina is late from school, again, her boyfriend Albeiro comes looking for her at her home. Catalina's mum Doña Hilda opens the door and offers to make him some coffee while he waits. Hilda is a lonely widow, but sure must be the sexiest mum in town. He later watches her while she's asleep.
• Catalina leaves for Bogota, and Albeiro comes visiting to enquire about her whereabouts. Doña Hilda has just come out of the shower. And then things happen, predictably.
• This also had to happen sooner or later - Catalina's brother Byron catches his mum and Albeiro in bed together. What ensues is a bizarre passage of play where he first threatens, then turns philosophical and asks whether he should address Albeiro as a brother-in-law or step-dad, and behaves in a manner bordering on Oedipus complex. Byron by the way makes a living as a hired assassin, unbeknown to his poor mother. Doña Hilda is played by muy sexy señorita Linda Lucía Callejas.
• Catalina's just turned fifteen, and gives Albeiro what she had promised earlier, even pretending to him that she's still a virgin. And the hapless Hilda could do nothing about her lover having sex with her daughter.
• Catalina getting ready for her operation, after which they show Isabel Cristina Cadavidad actually getting the surgery done, but I haven't included it here.
• Catalina showing off her newly acquired breasts to a guy who spurned her earlier, he's eager now but is interrupted by his girlfriend.
• Catalina visits Albeiro to show them off too, and they make love.
• A heartbroken Catalina feeling suicidal - with some flashbacks.

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Martina García in "Rabia" [2009 Mexico, Colombia, Spain]

Sebastián Cordero's 2009 film, "Rabia" [Eng. Title: Rage] is an unusual and original melodramatic thriller. At times it's slow moving even by my own standards, but it is pretty well made, considering most of the film happens inside a mansion. I hate giving away the plot of thrillers, so I'll just give a brief outline of what the film's about.

José and Rosa are lovers, both immigrants, working in Spain doing the kind of work usually set aside for immigrants - he's a construction worker, and she's a live-in domestic servant for an elderly couple. When José gets fired for getting into an altercation with his boss' friend, an argument with his boss ensues, and José accidentally kills the bugger. Wanted for murder, he hides in the mansion where Rosa works, unbeknown to her or anyone else. His logic - he doesn't want the Police to pester Rosa, and the less she knows of his whereabouts, the safer for her. During this time Rosa also discovers that she's pregnant. Rosa is played by the very cute Martina García - keep an eye as there's more to come from this beautiful Mexicana in this blog.

In the only nude scene in the film, Rosa is worried she may have lost her baby, after noticing some bleeding while taking a shower. It's only a brief scene but someone's got to record it, right..? :)



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Cristina Umaña in "Malamor" [2003 Colombia]

Colombian director Jorge Echeverri's 2003 drama, "Malamor" [Eng. Title: Bad Love] is one intensely freaky film. We use the expression "madly in love" casually these days - but this film literally depicts such a scenario.

Impressionable teenager Lisa disrupts her studies and life as she falls in love with her mother's lover. Coming from a broken home with an indifferent father and indulgent mother, Lisa sees a soulmate in her mother's lover - who happpens to be a hard drug addict. This inevitably leads her into experimenting with drugs, and after an overdose ends up at the very hospital where her dad works. Her mother's lover refuses Lisa's advances for the sake of propriety, but harbours similar feelings towards her. Things get more complicated when she had to run away from home - after shooting her father. The cute Cirstina Umaña gives a fine performance as the hopelessly infatuated Lisa. Even though the film is decently cinematographed, the quality of the DVD transfer isn't the best, but I improved it as much as I could while compiling these scenes.





Scene Guide:

Scene 1: Exchanging messages the old fashioned way - Lisa shows she has a sense of humour when we know she named her pigeon 'Cellular' - who needs texting anyway..!

Scene 2: Lisa increasingly retreats into her own world, talking to inanimate objects, and of course, her 'Cellular'...

Scene 3: Having run away from home, she now lives like a nomadic hunter in the wild.

Scene 4: Lisa entices her mother's lover to join her in the woods - and she lays out an elaborate welcoming ceremony, but is disappointed after learning he merely came to persuade her to return.

Scene 5: Lisa refuses to accompany her mother's lover back home. After seeing him off by the highway, she takes out her frustrations on a stranger by inviting him for sex, and then scaring the hell out of him.




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