En Espanol, Por Favor

I had originally set out to simply watch four foreign films, with a skew towards the thriller/mystery genre...but then noticed that I had quite a few Spanish flicks in my rental queue. Having taken four years of high school French, I definitely had to flip the subtitles on for these...enjoy.

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Los cronocrimenes (2007)

In English?: Timecrimes

In the Beginning: While relaxing at home one afternoon, Hector receives a mysterious phone call...and things just devolve into strangeness from there. From his backyard, he spies a strange woman in the woods (whom he later finds unconscious and naked), he gets stabbed and chased by a mysterious bandage-faced man, and stumbles upon a mysterious science facility while trying to escape.

The Plot Thickens: Only a minor spoiler here, but while trying to evade the strange, bandaged man, one thing leads to another and Hector finds himself transported an hour into the past...with a chance to dig deeper into what just transpired.

Lessons Learned: 1) Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. 2) Literally. 3) Sometimes three or four times.

Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Time Machine; Scissors; Woods; Car; Binoculars

And I Quote: Clara: "Time flies here..."

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I rented this sci-fi mystery at the recommendation of Chris Hardwick (host of G4's Web Soup and @nerdist on Twitter). I have to say...was pretty damn entertaining. It took a little while to ramp up, but once you get the idea of what's going on, the whole movie turns into a puzzle...with the savvy viewer being able to figure out about 80% of what is happening, while being pleasantly surprised by the remaining 20%. Not a high production value, but you get over that pretty quickly.

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[REC] (2007)

In English?: Well, it kind of is English...the title signifies the "record" button of a video camera.

In the Beginning: A reporter and cameraman for a late-night news program are spending the night in a firehouse, covering a typical night in the lives of a local team of Barcelona firefighters.

The Plot Thickens: Several hours into the news coverage, the firefighters respond to a call at a local apartment complex (with reporter/cameraman in tow). Seems that an elderly woman became trapped in her apartment...likely because zombies have trouble with doorknobs. Oops...spoiler.

Lessons Learned: 1) America doesn't just produce poor remakes of Asian horror films. It also produces poor remakes of Spanish horror films. 2) Not all zombies are slowpokes. Some can frickin' book it. Oh, wait...we already knew that. 3) At some point, put down the damn news camera and RUN.

Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Fire Station; Apartment Building; Police; Self Sacrifice; Violence

And I Quote: Angela [to the news camera]: "It's nearly 2am and we're still sealed in this building that we came to with the firemen earlier this evening to assist an elderly woman who attacked a policeman and a fireman. They're both in critical condition. The police won't let us leave and are giving us no explanations."

Random Trivia: In one scene, a body falls violently into the lobby from one of the stairwell landings above. None of the actors knew this was going to happen, so the reaction you see from those on film was one of genuine surprise and shock.

Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I'd seen the American version of this film (Quarantine) in theaters last year and while that some good moments of shock value, the remake doesn't hold up to this original (although I doubt I'm surprising anyone with that revelation). The strange thing is it looks like the American remake used the EXACT same building...which is strange since no sets were used in this version (only actual buildings). So, I enjoyed this film...but think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't already seen the remake. Plus, I'm a sucker for "first person POV" films, where the audience is told the story through "found footage" of a video camera (e.g. The Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield). So check this out...but it IS a zombie film at its core, so keep in mind you'll also be getting all sorts of baggage that come along with that.

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El metodo (2005)

In English?: The Method

In the Beginning: Seven job candidates find themselves in consideration for a high-level position at a mysterious corporation, and all come in on the same day for the final round of interviews.

The Plot Thickens: The candidates soon learn that this is no ordinary job interview, but rather one that employs The Gronholm Method, wherein the group of candidates is responsible for weeding the group down themselves, eliminating those that they deem unfit for the job. The fact that one of the participants may (or may not?) be an insider already working for the company doesn't do everyone's paranoia much good.

Lessons Learned: 1) Trust no one. 2) Always assume you're being watched. 3) If the previous two rules come into play during a job interview, you might just want to ask yourself if this is REALLY someplace you want to work.

Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Message; Revelation; Eating; Bitterness; Rage

Curt's Take: Must See - I was very pleasantly surprised by this. I had thought this was going to perhaps be more of a suspense/thriller than it was...with the candidates being put through grueling physical tasks, risking bodily harm for themselves and the others in the group...but it was much more of a psychological drama. Much of the movie is filmed with the candidates seated around a table talking to each other...and while this could potentially doom the film to being forgettable, it actually drew me in and held my attention unwaveringly. So if you're looking for a change of pace, give this one a shot.

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El orfanato (2007)

In English?: The Orphanage

In the Beginning: A woman, Laura, moves into a large manor home with her husband and son, hoping to refurbish it and turn it into an orphanage that she would then run. It helps that the manor used to be an orphanage...and that Laura had been an orphan there many, many years ago.

The Plot Thickens: Mysterious events during an open house for the soon-to-open orphanage lead Laura into wondering whether the strange occurrences around the house are more than her imagination.

Lessons Learned: 1) Crosswalks are for crossing...not standing there, motionless. 2) You're never too old for a game of hide-and-seek. 3) Seeing is believing...but sometimes believing is seeing.

Top IMDB Plot Keywords: Orphange; Children; HIV; Adopted Son

Curt's Take: Must See - I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to get from this film, but the few previews I'd seen of it a couple years back made it look like an artistically shot thriller. Plus I knew that Guillermo del Toro was a producer on the film (and I liked Pan's Labyrinth), so I figured this might be something I'd really like...and I wasn't disappointed. This film had me at the opening credits, which were beautifully designed, and kept me straight through to the end...weaving a wonderful story the entire way through. I was expecting it to be scarier than it was, but what I ended up getting was a perfect mix of mystery, suspense and drama. Check this one out.