Solas

Starring:MarÃa Galiana, Ana FernÃ¡ndez, Carlos Ãlvarez-Novoa, Antonio Dechent, Paco De Osca, Juan FernÃ¡ndez (XIII), Miguel AlcÃbar, Pilar SÃ¡nchez (II), Concha GalÃ¡n (II), Paco Tous, Rosario Lara, Pepa Faraco, Estrella TÃ¡vora, JosÃ© Manuel Seda, Magdalena Barrero, SebastiÃ¡n Haro, PrÃ¡xedes Nieto, Manolo Linares, Pilar Romero, Gloria de JesÃºs
Director: Benito Zambrano
Studio: First Look Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Description

An intense thriller in the riveting style of SEVEN from the director of DARKNESS! Five years after her daughter was brutally murdered, Claudia remains mired in despair and can't move on with her life. Then she receives a phone call from a young woman claiming to be that daughter, Angela, asking for help and stating that a nameless "they" only wanted Claudia to think she was dead! With skeptical authorities unwilling to help, it's up to Claudia herself to investigate the shadowy subculture of danger and secrecy that holds the answer to Angela's true fate! Lauded with numerous international movie awards including Best International Film at the Fant-Asia Film Festival, THE NAMELESS will put you on the edge of your seat as the mystery deepens all the way through its pulse-pounding conclusion!

Customer Reviews:

DISAPPOINTING... ALAS.......2006-06-29

This is a kind of film where you are given so much in the beginning you start thinking it can't be a bad movie. But as it often happens the ending ruins it all. In the opening sequence a couple is going to the forensic morgue to identify the body of a girl who is presumably their daughter and who was brutally killed some time ago. Mutilated corpse of a girl in the beginning of a thriller - what can (don't get me wrong) catch our attention better? OK, then we meet the girl's mother 5 years later, now she lives alone. And one day she receives a telephone call from somebody saying it's her daughter and asking for help. WOW! - I thought and drew myself closer to the screen. Fortunately those were not the only intriguing and catchy moments in the movie so I was watching with interest having high expectations about this one. And during all the narration the film kept this tension, dread and macabre feeling about it. Everything was great. What was unfortunate is the ending that killed everything director was building up during these 1 hour 40 minutes. After so many on-screen talks about the essence of evil and somebody trying to commit an act of ultimate malevolence and vice you really wait for something terminally vicious. But you won't get it, that's for sure. It was one of those moments when you stare at the rolling credits and say out loud: "So what?!"
I suggest an interesting thing - watch the first hour and a half of the film and turn it off. You'll be thinking about it for the rest of the month trying to figure out what was happening there - the atmosphere of the "The Nameless" (which in Spanish sounds like "Los sin nombre" implying "them" who have no name) won't leave you. Watch the finale - and it'll ruin the whole impression. But maybe it's just me.
I was hoping this film would be one of the European thrillers that become more and more intense and interesting lately, but it didn't live up to my expectations. Three stars only although it could have had all five. Better watch George Sluizer's "The Vanishing" or recent German "Antikörper" - really talented thrillers from Europe.

A movie that should be called "The pointless".......2006-06-28

The first half of this thriller is pretty arresting. The almost David Fincher-like dark look of the film (with its accents on chilly, decaying colours like black, silver, green and brown, tight framing, claustrophobic degenerated buildings and an overall dark tone) is pretty much arresting.
The fast, almost subliminal crosscutting between the static mise-en-scene and some eerie, blurred home moviestyle imagery, works on more than one level. It's scary, it gives a distinct feeling of unease, and intriguies because in those nightmarish one-second-flashes there might be clues hidden.
But then we start to notice more things we've seen before in classic horror suff.

The gruwesome autopsy scene on a young woman in "The silence of the lambs" is quadrupled here, but the scene is so graphicly disturbing that it breaks the carefully build-up tension and thereby misses the point entirely.
A bunch of policemen start to penetrate the dark with flashlights and we're back in "Se7en" again.
More and more references to a strange cult emerge, a sect that worships pain and torture because it would act like a drug to get into higher regions of extasy. The true horror fanatic knows we're in "Hellraiser"-country now.
Following this is a statue of a saint in a church with bleeding eyes. Outsiders who have to fight against the ignorance of their chiefs who don't want the stubborn employees to investigate any further. Have we seen this before too?
And to make things really corny, at one point the main characters visit a prison to speak with an insane creep, who gives them some important clues through cheesy riddles. While doing this the actor in charge throws all the incarcerated-psycho-clichés he can muster like manic facial expressions, brooding pseudo-fascinating gazes, hissing and howling, and so the whole wornout doctor Lecter-thing starts to sprout its little offspring too.

And all is wrapped up with an ending that is a complete let-down. I won't be giving spoilers, but why do thrillers, who have a terrific suspense all the way from start, have to end with an ordinary shoot-out?
"The Silence of the lambs" had a shoot-out, "Se7en" had, as did "Memento", "Resurrection", "Suspect Zero", "The Stranger within", "Mulholland Dr." and the list of good movies with this textbook final goes on and on.
Apparently filmmakers think there must be some kind of explosion at the end for the audience to release the tension. To give the viewers an easy and rather cheap chance be releaved of anything dark that has settled in their souls while watching the film.

I would suggest all genre filmmakers to read Thomas Ligotti's collections of short stories "Songs of a dead dreamer", "Grimscribe" and "In a foreign town, in a foreign land".
These are perfect examples of eerie, suspensefull storytelling and dark-atmosphere-creating with glimpses of true horror and the perverse, without having a "must have" shoot-out or a obligatory "kill-the-bad-guy-with-his-own-axe" scene.
And believe me, because of this, the effect is all the more horrific.

Don't get me wrong here, Jaune Balagueró is a gifted filmmaker with a talented young film crew and cast of enthusiastic actors under his wings. He just didn't get the right material to work with.

ride the roller coaster off the cliff.......2006-01-10

I read enough reviews to figure I was in for at least a few fistfulls of adequately sleek visuals and perhaps more than the usual smattering of nail-biting tension but that I would -- as is the norm -- grimly watch as the plot deflated like a balloon animal twisted into shape by a pack of lobsters. So I put it way down on my shopping list and waited until I found a copy for $10. I can't help it; I'm a hopeless fan of horror and I'm always on a quest for that perfect flick. "Nameless" isn't perfect, but it's within hiking distance, closer than "Ringu" or "Ju-On" or "The Devil's Backbone," not to mention aggro thunkhead American drivel. And it's by far scarier and more intelligent than the director's more well-known effort, the delinquent and impotent "Darkness." Telling of the mastery behind this "Rosemary's Baby"-ish tale of a young girl stolen from her mother and either killed or enslaved by denizens of the occult are the number of tense, unsettling scenes woven into the framework for which the director is confident enough not to feel the need to slap viewers over the head with an immediate payoff. The cinematography and special effects leave nothing to be desired. And the acting is top notch, unlike the self-aggrandising gesticulations in "Silence of the Lambs," which this matches in squeamishness. The film thankfully holds up like a prize fighter through to its knockout finale. I'm a sucker for mack truck endings that come out of nowhere, drop the payload and roll credits. Bye.

A perfect 10 film.......2005-10-13

Maybe the best and more solid terror films of the last 20 years, period.

The true meaning of horror!.......2005-09-26

Los Sin Nombre is a twisted and dark horror film about a woman who's life is shattered when her young daughter disappears one night. A few days later, her body is found and this simply destroyes the family. Years later, the woman is on her own trying to rebuild her shattered personnal life. But one night after a rough day in the office, she recieves a call that sends a chill down her sign and brings back painful memories. Who or what was this phone call about? To find out you'll have to watch NAMELESS a.k.a. LOS SIN NOMBRE.

Based upon the novel by British horror novelist Rasmey Campbell, the director Jaume Balaguero (DARKNESS) delivers the good once again in this dark horror film that'll have you thinking about the true meaning of horror. Is it real or supernatural? You be the judge!!

Highly recommended!!

The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)

Average customer rating:

The Cuban Masterworks Collection (The Twelve Chairs / The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin / A Successful Man / Celia / Amada)
Starring: César Évora , Raquel Revuelta , Daisy Granados , Jorge Trinchet , and Rubens de Falco
Director: Humberto Solás , Julio García Espinosa , and Tomás Gutiérrez Alea
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000KP62M0
Release Date: 2007-02-20

Amazon.com

Once upon a time, Cuban cinema in America began with I Am Cuba and ended with Buena Vista Social Club. Though stunning, neither film was made by a native Cubano. Cuban Masterworks presents five indigenous works that deserve wider exposure. Based on the 1928 book by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's The Twelve Chairs (1962) plays like a cross between an Ealing comedy (dark, yet loopy) and early Godard (he incorporates animation, inter-titles, and a jaunty score). In the prologue, a wealthy aristocrat dies before she can reveal which of twelve parlor chairs conceals her jewels. Together, her son-in-law, Hipólito (Enrique Santiesteban), representing the old Cuba, and his nephew, Oscar (Reinaldo Miravalles), representing the new, set out to recover the nationalized loot. Mel Brooks remade the satire in 1970, while Alea went on to direct the Oscar-nominated Strawberry and Chocolate (1994). Also in black and white, Julio García Espinosa's rousing multi-genre piece The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin (1967) makes use of physical comedy, thought balloons, and other forms of "tomfoolery." Adapted from Samuel Feijóo's 1964 novel, the narrative revolves around the restless Juan (Júlio Martínez), bullfighter, circus performer, and revolutionary. The trusty Jachero (Erdwin Fernández) is Sancho Panza to his Don Quixote, Teresa (Adelaida Raymat) is his leading lady, and Der Feind (Enrique Santiesteban) is his shape-shifting nemesis.

The collection is completed by three from Humberto Solás. Cecilia (1981), inspired by Cirilo Villaverde's 1882 classic Cecilia Valdés, looks at race relations in the 1830s. Starring Daisy Granados (A Successful Man) as a woman of mixed race, the operatic tragedy was nominated for the Palme d'Or. Set in 1914, Amada (1982) takes Miguel de Carrión's La Esfinge as source material. Amada (Eslinda Nuñéz, Cecilia), a woman of privilege, longs for more than a loveless marriage. A Successful Man (1986) traces the paths of brothers Javier (Amada's César Évora), a playboy, and Darío (Jorge Trinchet), a communist, in the pre-revolutionary era. As impressive as these melodramas may be, the absence of Lucia (1968), the director's masterpiece, is unfortunate. Of the extras, the highlight is The First Time (1967), which documents a rural community's introduction to the movies. Aside from The Twelve Chairs, the other four selections are exclusive to this long overdue introduction to Cuban cinema. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Description

Now finally available in North America are five masterworks from revolutionary Cuba.Beautifully restored and directed by three legendary filmmakers, they reveal a unique perspective of their country - one which Americans are unaccustomed to seeing. Each film is a worthy addition to the canon of great world cinema, and rare bonus films and materials further enhance our understanding of the rich historical and cultural heritage from which they emerged. THE TWELVE CHAIRS A film by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea On her deathbed, a wealthy woman reveals the hiding place of a fortune in jewels: inside one of twelve identical parlor chairs, newly confiscated by revolutionary authorities. From the director of Death of a Bureaucrat and the Oscar nominated Strawberry & Chocolate.Approx. 90 minutes, b/w, 1962, In Spanish with English subtitles AVAILABLE INDIVIDUALLY & AS PART OF BOX SET CECILIA A film by Humberto Solás Cuba, 1830. A rich slave owner's son falls for a beautiful light-skinned courtesan. But his brutal father wants to force him into marrying a woman from his own social standing. Nominated for the Golden Palm - Cannes Festival.Approx. 127 minutes, color, 1981, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET AMADA A film by Humberto SolásIn 1914 Havana, the daughter of a recently deceased wealthy slave trader feels bound to her philandering husband, despite her passion for her cousin, an idealistic journalist. Featuring Cuban Screen Legend Eslinda Núñez.Approx. 105 minutes, color, 1982, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN QUIN QUINA film by Julio García Espinosa A `crazy' comedy with a touch of sex, devastating satire and revolutionary élan! Juan Quin Quin, a poor but shrewd farmer, lives on his wits in pre-revolutionary Cuba - as a church functionary, a circus performer, a bullfighter, a coffee planter, even playing the part of Christ with a traveling theatre company. Then he joins the Revolution...Approx. 104 minutes, b/w, 1967, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET A SUCCESSFUL MANA film by Humberto SolásCuba's history before the Revolution is chronicled through the story of two brothers, one a revolutionary man of action, the other a scrupulous politician trying to steer a treacherous middle path between opposing political ideas. Winner - Grand Prize - Havana Film Festival.Approx. 103 minutes, color, 1986, In Spanish with English subtitles ONLY AVAILABLE AS PART OF BOX SET

Average customer rating:

love and compassion for others can be the source of one's emotional strength
Truly a classic
"Don't give me your life as an example."
Solas
The story is a tragic one, but told wonderfully.

Solas
Starring: María Galiana , Ana Fernández , Carlos Álvarez-Novoa , Antonio Dechent , and Paco De Osca
Director: Benito Zambrano
Manufacturer: First Look Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Mondays in the Sun
Flores De Otro Mundo: Flowers From Another World
La Vida Que Te Espera
Butterfly
El Bola

ASIN: B00009XN66
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Description

A powerful and touching story of love and redemption, Solas is a drama of Spanish women whose emotional life is as rich as their surroundings are poor. Maria is a beautiful but troubled woman adrift in a nameless city in southern Spain. She drinks, smokes and steals, desperate for oblivion and angry at the entire world. Emotional rescue comes in the form of her own mother, who comes to stay with her daughter when Maria's father needs surgery at the hospital in town. The mother cooks, crochets and befriends the gentlemanly neighbor downstairs while patiently trying to reach out to her daughter, whose bitterness is no match for her mother's love and devotion.

Customer Reviews:

love and compassion for others can be the source of one's emotional strength.......2007-01-03

Ana Fernandez played the role of a daughter who was embittered by unhappy relationships with her parents. Living alone in a city, she found herself unhappy and desperate. Trapped in poverty, excessive drinkings, a failing relationship, and employment difficulties, she grew indignant at everything around her. During one of her mother's brief visit, she saw how the love, care, and compassion towards others in her mother could be the source of emotional strength. The discovery allowed her to seek redemptions and find a path towards positive life.

The story-telling isn't perfect, nonetheless it is a realistic, emotionally rich, and highly satisfying movie with superb performances turned in by all the actors. It makes me want to learn more about the director Benito Zambrano, in particular his thoughts and comments on making this movie. Unfortunately this version of the DVD does not provide any extra material, I long for a version that does.

Truly a classic.......2006-08-23

This movie is truly a gem. Of all the best Spanish movies that I've seen this one tops my list. It's a wonderful character study of individuals in desperate situations and how each one confronts them. I found particularly moving the saintly mother. I'd highly recommend this movie to those who also enjoy Mike Leigh's 'Secrets and Lies'.

"Don't give me your life as an example.".......2006-08-17

Maria (Ana Fernandez) lives alone in a depressing, sparsely furnished apartment in an Andalusian city. Her quiet, unobtrusive mother (Maria Galiana) comes to stay while Maria's nasty father (Paco De Osca) is in the hospital--they've traveled from their home in the country in order to access a hospital. The two banes of Maria's existence are poverty and macho men--she left home because she couldn't stand her father's beatings any longer, and when the film begins, Maria is embroiled in a relationship with Juan (Juan Fernandez). Juan wants to keep his sexual relationship with Maria, but he doesn't want anything else--and that includes the baby she's now pregnant with.

Most of "Solas" depicts Maria's messy life--she drinks far too much--even stealing bottles of whisky from a local bar owner who'd like to be more than just a friend. Maria works as a cleaner, and while the other working-class girls gain some sort of strength from the commonality of their often-humiliating experiences, Maria is different. She loathes the humiliation of eating the leftovers of the rich--even if she's hungry, and she explodes when she's treated as less-than-human. Maria states: "people should be born twice--once rich and once poor. So the rich will know poverty and the poor can enjoy life."

While Maria struggles with the idea of whether or not to keep her baby, Maria's mother quietly drifts back and forth to the hospital to visit her appallingly sour husband. His abusive tirades only seem to be echoed by Maria's abrupt reactions to her mother's perceived passivity. Maria's mother, for example, sweetly buys plants to help liven up Maria's drab life, but Maria is impatient with her mother and abruptly dismisses any attempts at piercing the hard, emotional armor she's developed. Her impatience barely masks a deep contempt she holds for her mother, and Maria doesn't grasp the fact that in many ways she's just as abusive to her mother as her father is. In her quiet moments, Maria's mother befriends an elderly neighbour (Carlos Alvarez-Novoa) and his dog. In his loneliness, he's grateful for Maria's mother's company, and he's quite possibly the nicest man she's ever known.

"Solas" is at its strongest when exploring the complicated relationship between mother and daughter, and the distances we often establish between those who love us the most. The film is its weakest (and most cliched) when Maria mulls over whether or not to keep her baby. "Solas" has a different 'feel' from most Spanish films--and this must be due to the fact that it's set in Andalusia. From director Benito Zambrano, "Solas" is in Spanish with English subtitles--displacedhuman

Solas.......2006-07-05

I have not been able to see this movie becasue the CD is defective.

The story is a tragic one, but told wonderfully. .......2006-03-30

Unfortunately rather overlooked as this film came out the same year as Almodóvar's `Todo Sobre mi Madre' (All about my Mother) this went on to reach fame and glory. However, if you liked Almodóvar's excellent drama you will also like `Solas'. The two films have certain similarities inasmuch that also in `Solas' the accent is very much on strong characterization, profound human feelings, though perhaps a little less intense here than in Almodóvar's film.

"Solas" spends its 100 minute run digging deep into the character of Ana Fernández (Maria), who is magnificent, playing just right the rather confused, unlucky thirty-five year old young woman a bit given to alcohol, not overplaying her part; that bears the scars of childhood abuse at the hands of her father, drinks too much, and works as a janitor. María Galiana as her mother shows even at her age that she has come from good theatre, as no less does Carlos Álvarez-Novoa as the lonely neighbor.

Benito Zembrano - as Almodóver - , not only directs his film but is also responsible for the script, which is truly magnificent, especially taking into account certain Andalucian styles of speech. The Andalucian accent may at times cause a bit of a problem if you know Spanish a fair amount and watch this film without any subtitles. Try it, anyway: it is well worth the effort. An excellent piece of drama which certainly deserves more recognition than it has got. An award winning film hailed by the critics and an exemplar for American Indie makers, "Solas" will appeal most to more mature audiences.
Curiously both films end with a remarkably similar dedication at the end: `A mi madre; a todas las madres' - To my mother; To all mothers.

Average customer rating:

unforced sentimentality
Good film despite flair for the melodramatic
Well done!
Worst Cuban Film Ever (I'd give it zero stars)
A Tender and Moving Cuban Road Movie

Honey for Oshun
Starring: Isabel Santos , Jorge Perugorria , Saturnino Garcia , and Mario Limonta
Director: Humberto Solas
Manufacturer: Maverick
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001BKAJE
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Customer Reviews:

unforced sentimentality.......2007-01-21

I love this movie for what is, a sentimental journey, a coming to terms with one's longing. The movie itself was film sparingly, straight forward no fancy effects. Jorge Perugorria is right on in portraying the 41 yr old, Latin Literature teacher from Maimi in search of the mother who he's always thought abandoned him. When he first finds out that he was literary ripped out of his mother's arms in contrary to what his now deceased father has always told him, that his mother didn't care about going with him to America, he started to loath the lies his dead father has told him. But like everything else, he discovers that everyone has also suffered, that his own suffering equals everyone else's. And this dicovery had brought a certain measure of peace within him. I love looking at the movie physically because you get to see a little bit of Cuba. The old classic buildings are dilapidated but beautiful, the people are colourful and you can see how everyone is trying to get by with so little. I also like Isabel Santos, who plays the tour guide cousin. She's quite intense and reminds one of Ingrid Bergman. I enjoyed this movie a lot and I cried at the end. Life can be so sad sometimes and this movie conveys it well.

Good film despite flair for the melodramatic.......2006-07-23

I enjoyed this film about a son who returns to Cuba in search of his mother, whom he's been separated from for over thirty years. Although the film is at times overly dramatic and plays like a soap opera, you still find yourself absorbed in the search. This is a road film and, as such, takes us on a journey. The shots of the Cuban villages and countryside are reason enough to watch.

The ending is predictable, but that's okay because we like this kind of predictability. My only criticism is that the director could have handled it better. Basically, it was abrupt and lacked the required intimacy. Otherwise, a warm, heart-felt film with an incredible performance by Isabel Santos. Her performance is evocative of Lena Olin's in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being."

Well done!.......2004-12-12

Being a Cuban American who left Cuba at 15 years of age and having gone back with my husband and children 30+ years later, this was a VERY emotional movie for me! I found the movie to be very realistic in depicting the pain and sorrow which every Cuban-American feels in being away from our homeland, as well as the bitter-sweet experience of going back.
Marina
Pembroke Pines, Florida

Worst Cuban Film Ever (I'd give it zero stars).......2004-12-08

Poor directing, terrible acting, dismal filming (hand-held camera resulting in jittery scenes) unconvincing characters and a disguised political agenda make this the worst Cuban film I've had the agony of sitting through. Jorge Perugorría was great in "Strawberry and Chocolate" but his performance is dismal in this film. His character is simply not believable as a Cuban American returning to his country of birth as a man looking for his mother after being "abducted" by his father as a child, and raised in Miami.

Jorge Perugorría's character Roberto, with the aid of his cousin Pilar (played by Isabel Santos) and taxi driver Antonio (Mario Limonta) undertake a road trip across Cuba to find his long lost mother. With little to go on, except some old photographs and the revelations of a "santera" who tells him that his mother can be found where Ochún, (correct spelling) orisha of rivers whose offerings include honey, meets Yemayá, orisha of the ocean, Roberto's determination to find his mother is put to the test.

Although very few pro-government billboards with pictures of Castro and Ché are shown, (they are ubiquitous in Cuba) this movie is just another pro-Castro political statement aimed at Cubans inside the island desperate to leave the country. The film makes a poor attempt to sell the idea that no matter how bad the internal situation is, and no matter how hopeless life may seem, it is better to stay and live under these hardships rather than break up the family by emigrating.

Don't waste your time or money on this movie. In my opinion it's not worth the celluloid it was printed on.

A Tender and Moving Cuban Road Movie.......2004-03-13

MIEL PARA OSHUN (Honey for Oshun) is an absorbingly rich and rewarding story about the search for familial roots. As a child, Roberto was sent to Miami with his father when the Revolution took over. Though he longed to return to Cuba for a visit, his father denied that request. Now, after his father's death, Roberto flies to Cuba, looks up his cousin Pilar, learns that his mother did NOT desert him by sending him on the boat to Miami, but indeed loved him and is still alive somewhere in Cuba. With Pilar's support and the good graces of a friendly cab driver (Antonio) the three set off on a seemingly fruitless journey to find Carmen, Roberto's long lost mother. The road trip is far from easy, emotionally and physically, with many barricades along the way, both comic and sad. Eventually, through the help of a Spiritual Woman the three discover the truth about Carmen, about each other, and about life in a country that makes existence a fragile entity. The three actors who dominate the film are excellent and the story line is always driven with forward momentum, never drowning in self-pity or condemning either the Cubans who live on the island or the Cuban Americans who come to visit. The picture is truly three-dimensional. The only problems with the movie (and which keep it from 5 stars) are technical ones: the background noise is so loud that it covers the dialogue (where is the sound editor and his Dolby filter?) and the quality of color is washed out to almost white. In some ways these flaws enhance this beautiful film, as it seems it is made with the scant resources afforded the arts in Cuba. MIEL PARA OSHUN is very worthwhile, gives insights into an Island that remains a mystery to most of us, and celebrates the importance of family - both biological and extended. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

No frills production and great music
A Real Tribute to the Old Solas Crew
Fine musicians but the production is quite weak
The Best
Irish Energy

Solas - Live

Manufacturer: SHANACHIE
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

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Danu - One Night Stand
Reunion: A Decade of Solas
Dervish - Live At Johnny Fox's
Kate Rusby - Live from Leeds
In Play

ASIN: 6305863261
Release Date: 2000-05-09

Amazon.com

The explosion of interest in Celtic music has trained a bright spotlight on the Irish-American band Solas, whose eclectic menu of songs veers alternately toward American shores and back toward County Kerry. Solas Live, featuring a 1998 performance in Burlington, Vermont, filmed for Vermont Public Television, boasts no tricky camera angles or graphics-enhanced effects, but simply allows Solas's infectious music to take center stage. Vocalist Karan Casey (who later left the band to pursue a solo career) is in top form, spinning yarns to introduce the songs and then breaking into her pure soprano. Fiddler Winifred Horan surely ranks among the finest contemporary Celtic musicians, and her lightning-quick playing is truly breathtaking. Highlights include Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty," the very traditional-sounding "She Is Like the Swallow," and the toe-tapping "Big Reel of Ballynacally." And Seamus Egan's fiery flute on "Patsy Touhey's Set" will stay with you long after the disc is over. --Anne Hurley

Description

Song list:

1. Timmy Cliffords
2. Roger the Miller
3. The Beauty Spot
4. She Is Like the Swallow
5. The Maid on the Shore
6. Crested Hens
7. Big Reel of Ballynacally
8. My Parents Reared Me Tenderly
9. Pastures of Plenty
10. Patsy Touhey's Set
11. The Wind That Shakes the Barley
12. Paddy Taylors
13. The Newry Highwayman

Recorded live March 17, 1998 at the Flynn Theatre, Burlington, Vermont. 90 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

No frills production and great music.......2005-09-03

This is the best DVD of Irish music I've seen.
It stays close to a traditional sound, beautifully played
and is creative without heading towards MTV or Broadway
territory. Can't agree with the reviewer below:
that Solas needs to "expand it's size, play more instruments
and concentrate on it's personality" [Check out the Chieftains
and Leahy on "Gael Force" DVD for that. Most of the rest
of "Gael Force" is not so great, if you like your music
oriented to tradition.] Solas' smaller size allows you to hear
the interaction of instruments better and there is no pandering
to the audience ie. no cheap effects to build up excitement.

A Real Tribute to the Old Solas Crew.......2003-01-15

Do you remember when the cutting edge of Irish Music was the Bothy Band, then the Chieftains, then Altan, then Solas? I do. When no one else was ready to jump into fast and furious reelin' of the reels, there was Solas. I remember when the old world attitude had its nose stuck up against the Newry Highwayman, as the story is about a poor lad "a-robbin'along the King's highway" on the border to Northern Ireland. Perish the thought he could have been a Protestant Brit. Or how about a "wind amongst the barley" promoting Protestant and Catholic late 1700's collaboration in rebellion against England? The only thing Seamus Eagan can't play is all of his instruments ( flute, tenor banjo, octave mandolin) at the same time. He has been for decades and still is a major force within Celtic Music. If you are only playing guitar, hope that you play it like John Doyle. John is among the very best back up, lead and counterpoint guitar players in Traditional Irish Music. If you are only playing fiddle, hope you can play it like Winifred Horan, an all-Ireland Champion. Then you hear the joke about the Irishman who had a hip replacement and had the bone saved for his dog. Times have changed since the lovely Karen Casey has moved on with her own career. The remaining group has had to find itself again. The group has been the main support for Liz Carroll's acclaimed
album "Lost in the Loop" and award winning "Lake Effect." I sincerely hope this continues, as these are excellent albums. I especially like John Doyle and Liz Carroll's collaboration between guitar and fiddle. No matter what the future holds, there is no better tribute to an era of fine Celtic music that can be offered than this DVD of a live performance before long time New England fans. No gimmicks, special effects or lighting. Just the old crew (with the exception of John Shortridge on accordian)up close and personal with both interviews and music. Solas has been a pioneer with the music, and it is fitting that they are among the first to move the music into the DVD format.

Fine musicians but the production is quite weak.......2002-07-13

There are only a few DVDs offering music and/or dance performances in the celtic genre. If you must have them all, get this one too. But, I found the production quality of this one to be rather mediocre. This is a good band that plays well but does not, at least on this offering, seem to have the interaction with the audience that adds the extra energy that make live performances so appealing when compared to studio produced music. As well, the video quality seems fuzzy and the length is too short to really exploit and display the talent of the individual members. Winifred Horan's musical "range" is one delight that captured me. She can play like Eileen Ivers pure energy or change to Martin Fay's (of the Chieftains) more classical style without you sensing that the same fiddler is still on stage. This is the happy surprize of this video. My editoral comment is that SOLAS needs to expand it's size, play more instruments and concentrate on it's "personality" before it's next DVD production.

The Best.......2001-09-04

This is what a music DVD is all about -no fancy lighting, no pyrotechnics -just great musicianship.This is Solas at their peak -from the vocals of departed member Karen Casey to the fantastic guitar playing of John Doyle (now left to pursue other avenues)it is a tour de force in Irish/American music.I don't know how the new line-up will compare -but buy this DVD now and see and hear how a group at it's best sound.

Irish Energy.......2000-06-01

This DVD is a recording of a live concert by Solas, truly one of the most accomplished of the traditional Irish instrumental bands. Energetic reels and jigs are interspersed with tender ballads. Karan Casey's plaintive, heartfelt vocals are a wonderful counterpoint to the viruosity of the rest of the band. I attended this concert, and would highly recommend the DVD/VHS for aficianados of traditional Irish music. Solas is simply great!

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Mala Uva (Spanish)
Starring: Sancho Gracia , Enrique Martínez (III) , Ágata Lys , Fernando Aguilar , and Merçè Llorens
Director: Javier Domingo (II)
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Matando Cabos
Conejo en la Luna
The Aura
The Perfect Crime (El Crimen Perfecto)
Volver

ASIN: B000LPS2RW
Release Date: 2007-03-13

Description

Nothing is what it seems.... This wickedly dark comedy finds content vineyard owner and family man Cesar (Sancho Gracia) forced out of retirement and back into his secret profession as a hit man! Unknown to his family, he's got to do a killer job if they're going to survive. Nada es lo que parece... Esta perversamente sombria comedia nos trae a Cesar (Sancho Gracia), satisfecho propietario de un viedo y padre de familia, que se ve obligado a abandonar su jubilacion y regresar a su profesion secreta como asesino a sueldo. Sin saberlo su familia, el tendra que hacer un trabajo mortifero para que puedan sobrevivir.

Honey for Oshun (Original Spanish with English Subtitles)

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A Tender and Moving Cuban Road Movie
Una historia de la diáspora cubana

Honey for Oshun (Original Spanish with English Subtitles)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Waiting List
Guantanamera
Strawberry & Chocolate
Hormigas en la Boca (Ants in the Mouth)
Life is to Whistle

ASIN: B00027148I

Product Description

When his father dies, a Cuban man who was raised in the United States, learns that he was not abandoned by his mother but illegally taken out of Cuba. He goes back to the island and is helped in his search by a cousin and a taxi driver.

Customer Reviews:

A Tender and Moving Cuban Road Movie.......2006-06-02

MIEL PARA OSHUN (Honey for Oshun) is an absorbingly rich and rewarding story about the search for familial roots. As a child, Roberto was sent to Miami with his father when the Revolution took over. Though he longed to return to Cuba for a visit, his father denied that request. Now, after his father's death, Roberto flies to Cuba, looks up his cousin Pilar, learns that his mother did NOT desert him by sending him on the boat to Miami, but indeed loved him and is still alive somewhere in Cuba. With Pilar's support and the good graces of a friendly cab driver (Antonio) the three set off on a seemingly fruitless journey to find Carmen, Roberto's long lost mother. The road trip is far from easy, emotionally and physically, with many barricades along the way, both comic and sad. Eventually, through the help of a Spiritual Woman the three discover the truth about Carmen, about each other, and about life in a country that makes existence a fragile entity.

The three actors who dominate the film are excellent and the story line is always driven with forward momentum, never drowning in self-pity or condemning either the Cubans who live on the island or the Cuban Americans who come to visit. The picture is truly three-dimensional. The only problems with the movie (and which keep it from 5 stars) are technical ones: the background noise is so loud that it covers the dialogue (where is the sound editor and his Dolby filter?) and the quality of color is washed out to almost white. In some ways these flaws enhance this beautiful film, as it seems it is made with the scant resources afforded the arts in Cuba.

MIEL PARA OSHUN is very worthwhile, gives insights into an Island that remains a mystery to most of us, and celebrates the importance of family - both biological and extended. Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

Una historia de la diáspora cubana.......2006-02-18

Miel para Ochún es una película entretenida (y a veces cómica) de la búsqueda de raíces familiares y las angustias causadas por la separación. Es una película que se centra en las aflicciones del (otro) cubano; es decir, el cubano que por no haber crecido en su país de origen, no lo conoce. El protagonista de esta historia es Roberto Delgado (Jorge Perugorría), un cubano criado en los Estados Unidos. Cuando triunfó la revolución castrista, su padre decidió fugarse del país llevándose a su único hijo, apenas siendo un niño. Como muchos cubanos americanos, Roberto creció con una doble identidad, sintiéndose cubano por su herencia étnica, pero a la vez americano por haberse criado en su nuevo país adoptivo. Éste conflicto que Roberto lleva por dentro no lo deja descansar y después de la muerte de su padre, quien siempre le prohibía regresar a su país natal, Roberto decide volver al país que anhela y buscar la madre que presumiblemente lo abandonó. Con la ayuda de su prima Pilar (Isabel Santos) quien no ve en muchos años y un taxista interesado solamente en ganar dinero, Roberto se embarca en un viaje que lo llevaría a cruzar la isla entera, desde La Habana hasta Baracoa. Desvíos, acontecimientos desdichados y personajes extraños son algunos de los acontecimientos que adelantan la historia de esta película y le dan cierta cualidad encantadora.
El director Humberto Solás también incluye en muchas de las escenas taxistas particulares en carros americanos antiguos, la mezcla racial de la gente que constituye la población cubana, apagones eléctricos y hasta una ceremonia santera. Todas siendo cosas muy ubicuas en la sociedad cubana y cosas que un cubano regresando a su país encontraría.
El problema que le da caso a los que critican la película como obra propagandista, es que, aunque la película se basa en la experiencia de un cubano regresando a su país de origen y las cosas que encuentra, curiosamente en ningún momento se puede ver carteles con la imagen del Che o Castro. Gente de vigilancia, tiendas sin mercancía o las inmensas colas de repartos alimentarios, tampoco se encuentran en ningún instante. El padre que decidió emigrar es secuestrador y mentiroso y los cubanos que se quedaron en la isla, son moralmente más ilustrados. Quizás era la meta de Solás representar el sufrimiento que acompaña la inmigración, sin el elemento político. Pero, allí mismo es donde erró, porque la política es fundamental en lo que se refiere al problema cubano. Hoy en día no hay problema, con respecto a los cubanos, que no tenga algo que ver con la política. La razón por las separaciones familiares, el continuo sufrimiento de la población cubana y la fuente del odio cubano, todos están enraizados en la política. También, el hecho de que muchos cubanos prefieran tirarse a la merced del mar, aunque les pueda costar la vida.
Pero para juzgar esta película justamente, hay que tomar en cuenta las limitaciones económicas y de libertad que existen en Cuba. A causa de semejantes limitaciones, las películas cubanas suelen centrarse más en diálogos que son favorables para el gobierno. Y esta película sigue esa misma tradición. Aparte del protagonista narrando sus reflexiones sentimentales durante gran parte de la película, hay varios diálogos que suceden en lenguaje simple pero a la vez atrayente. También hay más discusiones francas sobre la situación en la isla sin la crítica al gobierno que suelen ocurrir en películas de otros países.
En fin, para el aficionado del cine latino en general y los que están interesados en saber más de la experiencia cubano americana en particular, vale la pena ver esta película. El tema de la situación política cubana y el no conocer nuestras raíces es algo que agita y desespera a mucha gente. Ojalá un día se pueda tener una discusión libre y civilizada sobre la cuestión cubana; pero mientras llega ese día, tal vez películas como ésta ayuden llevarle un poco más de comprensión a los que no la tienen.

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A Successful Man (Un Hombre De Exito)
Director: Humberto Solas
Manufacturer: FIRST RUN FEATURES
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Description

Cuba's history before the Revolution is chronicled through the story of two brothers,one a revolutionary man of action, the other an unscrupulous politician trying to steera treacherous middle path between opposite political ideas. From the acclaimed director of LUCIA (Humbertos Solas),one of the most influential Cuban films of all time. Bonus materials: *Short films: "Nostalgia Cha Cha Cha:The History of Cha Cha Cha in 50's Cuba" Photo Gallery*Director Biography and Filmmography* 103 minutes Color 1986.Spanish w/English subtitles.

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Sin nombre, Los
Starring: Emma Vilarasau , Karra Elejalde , Tristán Ulloa , Toni Sevilla , and Brendan Price
Director: Jaume Balagueró
Manufacturer: Filmax
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

Spain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. Languages: o English (subtitles) o Spanish (subtitles) o English (Dolby Digital 5.1) o Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) Synopsis: Imbued with a convincing sense of impending dread essential to any effective horror-thriller, Jaime Balaguero's adaptation of British horror author Ramsey Campbell's The Nameless only falters while wallowing in a clich revelatory climax that's as predictable as it is unconvincing. Drawing inevitable comparisons to director David Fincher's similarly grim Seven (1995), The Nameless shares a similar tone and look with its American counterpart with its murky cinematography and menacing aura; both films feel as if careening towards some hollow, black abyss, though the characters in Balaguero's film seem arguably more personally driven and human, demanding the viewer's emotional commitment and playing off that investment with sadistic abandon. Balaguero has a keen eye for detail and the ability to let subtle terror seep like molasses from the celluloid instead opting for the typical "shock" scares. Thinking their missing daughter dead after police discover an unrecognizable body with similar features, Claudia and Quirgoa (Emma Vilarasau and Tristan Ulloa) suffer a shattering blow to their marriage that leaves Claudia a cold and distant shell of the loving wife and mother she used to be. When Claudia receives a disturbing telephone call years later from a girl who claims to be her daughter, the viewer senses the raw, crushing pain of past tragedy hitting her like the wave of repressed emotion that it is, making her desperate search for the only person that could truly make her feel love, or any emotion for that matter, all the more urgent and sympathetic. Special Features: o Interactive Menu o Making Of o Music Video o Scene Access o Trailer(s)

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Solas
Starring: Carlos Alvarez
Manufacturer: Libros Sin Fronterras
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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