The Last Elvis

This film surprised me (positively) with its sympathetic character, although as the film went on, I kind of expected how it would end.

The movie is from Argentina and is about an Elvis impersonator Carlos, although he insists on being addressed as Elvis at all times, even by friends and family. His "career" of playing weddings and similar events is pretty dependent on how popular his alter ego of Elvis is with the public. He pretty much lives his life as Elvis, eating peanut butter and banana sandwiches, manicuring his sideburns, rewatching old concerts on videotape. But we see he is living paycheck to paycheck as the agency/union that sets up gigs for various impersonators owes him for several performances. Elvis' persona is realized for us by his mantra that "I invented rock and roll"--implying that the Beatles or whomever may come and go, but Elvis is forever.

Elvis is divorced with a young daughter he has named Lisa Marie. His dayjob is at a factory assembly line. His ex-wife, whom he addresses as Priscilla although that is not her name, is fed up with his absent and impractical parenting and intends to take full custody of Lisa. But she gets into an auto accident and their daughter has to spend a few days with Elvis. Lisa is not very enamored of her father but during the visit he manages to win her over in small ways. She even gifts him an Elvis bobble head doll. We see that although he is usually absent, he is also caring and loving with her.

We also see Elvis seems to be planning for a trip and some kind of final performance. He sells his belongings, quits his dayjob, visits his mother for the last time, leaves a nest egg for Lisa, and trashes the agency office when they refuse to pay him what he is owed. He then spiffs himself up and travels to Graceland, where he celebrates his 42nd birthday alone and makes his final, true-to-life performance as Elvis.

CLFF 2013: From Tuesday to Tuesday

From Tuesday to Tuesday, from Argentina, was the first film I saw at the recent Chicago Latino Film Festival.  It's a dark story that takes place over a week, thus the title. The main character is Juan, a worker in a small clothing factory, who also has a night job as a bouncer. Due to his bouncer job, he works out a lot at a gym to bulk up, but the membership fee and the protein shakes are expensive for his budget. His factory co-workers make fun of his workout efforts and belittle him, because he keeps silent and doesn't fight back. Every day he stops at a convenience store to buy a treat for his daughter. His wife saves their money and hopes to have enough to repair the leaking roof of their home, but Juan instead wants to use the money to buy workout equipment to open his own gym.

These details about Juan's life come into play together when one night he witnesses the convenience store lady being attacked, and uses this encounter to his own advantage. As in several of the Latino films I saw, and probably prevalent in those macho cultures, women's rights and identities are not very well respected. Juan blackmails her attacker for money. Although Juan does not actively hurt the convenience store lady and keeps his involvement secret from her, his actions are shockingly unexpected as to the personality we had seen until then--the meek and silent "gentle giant" is suddenly ruthless in order to fulfill his dream of opening a gym.

Whisky Romeo Zulu

Watch this film, if only for the news footage shown during the end credits.

A pilot, only called "T" in the film, is known for his attention to safety, so much so that he annoys his employers. They tell him to bypass warning alarms, ignore guidelines in the tech manual, and fly with non-working instruments. Other employees are passed to pilot status even though they fail simulation training. As this happens more and more frequently, leading to him being grounded, T gets more and more frustrated.

He hooks up with an old school friend, a girl he had a serious crush on, and who is now a PR contact for the airline. Their relationship is strained when she defends the airline. There are other employees who are too scared to do anything, but ask T to be the whistleblower.

In a separate storyline, an investigator is looking into the airline regarding violations; he gets some pretty serious anonymous threats to back off on his investigation.

These threads converge horribly when there is an accident.

Free event: The Prize

In this film from Mexico, a mother and daughter leave Buenos Aires while it is under military rule. At the daughte's new school, students are asked to write a patriotic essay on those same dictators who may have made her father "disappear."

The Prize
Thursday, December 13, 2012
6:00 p.m.
Chicago Public Library, Lincoln Belmont Public Library
1659 W. Melrose Street

Free: The Secret in Their Eyes

I think I have seen almost everything available here that stars Ricardo Darin, an understated Argentinian actor. He often plays loners that connects with few people, and that is the case here. In this story, he plays a court investigator re-examining an old murder case.

Be sure to keep your eyes on the spectacular chase scene during a soccer match, which I believe is one long shot as well as shot during an actual match.


The Secret in Their Eyes
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
6:00 p.m.
Instituto Cervantes
31 W. Ohio Street

Free event: The Prize

The Chicago Public Library continues with their Global Lens series of films.

This week, playing at the Harold Washington Library Center, is The Prize.  In Buenos Aires, a young girl keeps a secret she doesn't fully understand.

You can find out if The Prize is playing at your local branch or o a later dat, here.

The Prize
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
400 S. State Street

Free event: The Secret in Their Eyes

Oscars month continues at Transistor, the vinyl record store. Their second Oscar selection is one I have seen and can recommend. The Secret in Their Eyes involves an Argentinian investigator trying to solve an old murder. Ricardo Darin plays the lead and I have found I liked almost everything I’ve seen him in.

The Secret in Their Eyes
Monday, March 12 , 2012
8:00 p.m.
Transistor
3819 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

Felicidades

Many Christmas stories deal with loneliness, with characters finding it difficult to come to terms with their life situations. In Felicidades, a film from Argentina, several unrelated people on Christmas Eve try to reach their goals of connecting with certain people in their lives.

CIFF 2010--Asleep in the Sun

Asleep in the Sun is an Argentinian film, with a slightly scifi premise.  It is reminiscent of Cold Souls and maybe even a little Being John Malkovich, which might give you some idea of what this film is about.