MOVIE REVIEW: SAVING PRIVATE PEREZ

ON DVD / STREAMING ON NETFLIX

SAVING PRIVATE PEREZ



A Mexican crime lord sets out to locate his missing brother at the behest of their frantic mother, only to realize his mission will be far more difficult than he ever could have suspected in this adventure comedy from director Beto Gómez (El Agujero, El Sueno del Caiman). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Beto Gomez

Cast: Miguel Rodarte, Adal Ramones, Jaime Camil, Jésus Ochoa, Gerardo Taracena

Release Date: Sep 02, 2011

Rated PG-13 for Brief Strong Language and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Art House/Foreign

Review:

Saving Private Perez is an interesting mix of Mexican grindhouse with comedy. It’s never overly serious or terribly realistic but it’s does keep a smile on your face throughout. Director Beto Gomez delivers some interesting visuals that provide enough humor to keep the film afloat. He does achieve a few inspired sequences but finds a hard time sustaining the energy through his film. There are noticeable lags through out even though his cast is fully committed. Miguel Rodarte makes for a fine lead and he handles the subtle comedy with a steady hand while bring some heart to his character. Rodarte does benefit from having the most time dedicated, via flashbacks, to fleshing out his character and motivations. The supporting characters are introduced with well rounded back stories but they are mostly ignored after that, a real shame since they could have added a lot to film had they been involved more. Sadly, it feels like the filmmakers had their heart in the right place but the execution was off by a tad.

C+

Movie Reviews: APOCALYPTO

Sunday, December 10, 2006
Movie Reviews: APOCALYPTO
In theaters

APOCALYPTO



Mel Gibson's historical epic follows the decline of the Mayan civilization 600 years ago, just before Spanish invaders conquered Central America. The story revolves around one native who fights to save his culture from the outsiders.

Cast Mayra Serbulo, Gerardo Taracena, Raoul Trujillo, Dalia Hernandez (more)

Director(s) Mel Gibson

Writer(s) Mel Gibson, Farhad Safinia

Status In theaters (wide)

Genre(s) Action/Adventure

Release Date Dec. 8, 2006

MPAA Rating R - for sequences of graphic violence and disturbing images.

Review:

Mel Gibson's Apocalypto is a violent frenetic historical epic that immerses the audience in the past in a way that very few films have done previously. This movie starts with a bloody gory hunting trip and it only gives you the slightest tease of what is too come. This is a visually stunning film that is a joy to watch. Gibson's displays the jungle as a beautiful yet dangerous home and provider. As the film moves to the Mayan city, Gibson uses wonderful subtle visual cues to represent the decaying status of the society. Its one of the few things in this film that is subtle, the violence and action are very in your face and brutal. The movie is entirely in a Mayan dialect and it fits perfectly for the subject matter and gives the film a much more authentic feel that I wish more historical epics would employ. The 2nd half of the film becomes a chase film that plays like a Pre-Columbian Fugitive, there even a waterfall dive. There is enough gore and violence to placate any Roman coliseum audience. Rudy Youngblood as Jaguars Paw does and excellent job of portraying fear, sadness and rage that his character experience. His performance is a real strong point of the film and makes his journey all the more riveting. As a whole this film is an excellent action epic but be warned that the violence here is turned up to 11.

A