The theme for Foreign Chops #12 at The LAMB is Mexico. I wanted to choose another theme with a lot of titles available to stream online. I exceeded my expectations with this one. Between Netflix Instant and Hulu Plus, there are well over 50 films on topic that can be streamed before the 5 June deadline for entries. The list is not a judgment of quality or accessibility. Some of these films have bad reviews and some of them do not have English subtitles. It is merely a resource to help you plan your viewings for Foreign Chops #12: Mexico.
If you're a member of The LAMB, you can submit up to 5 posts about films from Mexico. That’s 5 total per site, not 5 per author per site. They can be new or old reviews, features, or retrospectives so long as they focus on Mexican films. Send the links to me at robertjgannon@gmail.com by Midnight EST on 5 June. Include “Foreign Chops” in the subject line of your e-mail. I will send you a confirmation if I receive your message, so don’t be afraid to message me again if you haven’t heard back from me.
On Netflix Instant:
- 2501 Migrants: A Journey, dir. Yolanda Cruz: A documentary about an artist creating 2501 unique statues representing all the people who left his town.
- Abel, dir. Diego Luna: A young boy assumes the responsibilities of his absent father while blurring the lines between fantasy and reality.
- Atrocious, dir. Fernando Barreda Luna: Two teenage siblings face more than they bargained for while investigating an urban legend.
- Los bastardos, dir. Amat Escalante: A crime/thriller about two Mexican day laborers in LA taking on a high-paying job.
- Biutiful, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu: Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. A bleak film about a man guided through life by his terminal cancer diagnosis.
- Chevolution, dir. Luis Lopez, Trisha Ziff: A documentary about the iconography of Che Guevara.
- Circo, dir. Aaron Schock: A documentary about a long-running circus struggling to find success over 100 years after they started performing.
- Cochochi, dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán: Two indigenous children are sent on a long journey to deliver medicine to a remote location.
- Daniel & Ana, dir. Michel Franco: A brother and sister are kidnapped right when their lives seem to be on the perfect path to happiness.
- For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, dir. Dean Wright: A war story about the Cristeros War, where the Mexican people fought against the atheist government.
- El infierno, dir. Luis Estrada: A man deported from the United States gets involved in the narcotics trade.
- Innocent Voices, dir. Luis Mandoki: A young boy attempts to avoid the raging war in 1980s El Savador.
- Labios rojas, dir. Rafa Lara: A man faces problems with his wife after his new job causes him trouble.
- Like Water for Chocolate, dir. Alfonso Arau: Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film; winner of Golden Ariel for Best Picture in Mexico. A love story about a relationship that cannot be through the lens of magical realism.
- The Mexican Suitcase, dir. Trisha Ziff: A documentary about the Mexican Suitcases, three large cases lost during WWII containing photography of the Spanish Civil War.
- Morgana, dir. Ramón Obón: The ghost of a woman who committed suicide in the 19th century causes severe problems in the present day.
- No eres tu, soy yo, dir. Alejandro Springall: A man's new wife leaves him, sending him back into the arms of a string of ex-girlfriends.
- Once Upon a Scoundrel, dir. George Schaefer: A greedy man has a woman's fiance thrown in jail so he can be with her. The fiance hatches a plot to convince the man her fiance's ghost is haunting him until he's freed.
- Parque via, dir. Enrique Rivero: An elderly groundskeeper isolates himself from the world until the sale of the house he works for forces him back into society.
- Pastorela, dir. Emilio Portes: Winner of Golden Ariel for Best Picture in Mexico. A new priest recasts the role of The Devil in the Nativity Play, putting two men in a battle for ownership of the role.
- Perpetuum Mobile, dir. Nicolás Pereda: A truck driver is forced to bond with his mother after they find out his grandmother passed away in her house alone.
- Santa Claus, dir. René Cardona: Santa Claus teams up with Merlin to stop the Devil from destroying Christmas.
- Saving Private Perez, dir. Beto Gómez: A crime lord is sent on a suicide mission by his mother to recover his lost brother.
- Solo con tu pareja, dir. Alfonso Cuarón: A man who believes he is dying thanks to a false diagnosis from an ex-lover finds love and companionship with a woman who also wants to commit suicide.
- This is Not a Movie, dir. Olallo Rubio: A man locks himself in a Las Vegas hotel room for the last 25 hours before the world ends.
- Under the Same Moon, dir. Patricia Riggen: A young boy travels to the United States after his grandmother dies.
- The Violin, dir. Francisco Vargas: An old man in an unnamed Latin American country is forced to give a checkpoint guard violin lessons every day to pass through for work.
Click through for Hulu Plus titles. On Hulu Plus:
- ¡¡A Toda Maquina!!, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A comedy about a drifter who gets a job in the motorcycle unit of the Mexico City police force. He falls in love with the same girl as his commander. Spanish only.
- Alamar, dir. Pedro González-Rubio: A Mayan man takes his son on an oceanic journey before the son leaves to live with his mother in Rome.
- Bajo la sal, dir. Mario Muñoz: A thriller about a police commander investigating a series of murders who begins to suspect a teenager who makes animated horror films is the murderer. Spanish only.
- La bandida, dir. Roberto Rodríguez: A musical about a man and a woman on opposite sides of the Mexican Revolution who discover they both lost their partners when they return home. Spanish only.
- Becloud, dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci: Years after a terrible tragedy tore their town apart, three childhood friends agree to reunite in Mexico City.
- Casi divas, dir. Issa López: Four young women from all over Mexico become national sensations when a producer announces he will cast his next big lead in a nation-wide talent search. Spanish only.
- Cronos, dir. Guillermo del Toro: Winner of Golden Ariel for Best Picture in Mexico. A mysterious gold artifact believed to grant eternal life reemerges after 400 years, causing chaos and destruction.
- Deep Crimson, dir. Arturo Ripstein: A thriller about a murderer who preys on women. He loses control of his life when his new female accomplice takes charge of their relationship.
- Dicen que soy Mujeriego, dir. Roberto Rodriguez: A comedy about a womanizer who can't control his behavior until he falls in love. Spanish only.
- Escandalo de Estrellas, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A young man who wants to be a movie star goes against his father's wishes and assembles his own production team. Spanish only.
- The Exterminating Angel, dir. Luis Buñuel: One of my all time favorite fantasy films, The Exterminating Angel is an absurdist drama about dinner guests who find themselves unable to leave a dinner party.
- Los hermanos mata, dir. René Cardona III: Two neighboring land owners get in a fight over possession of a purebred bull who jumped the fence between their property. Spanish only.
- El hombre de papel, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A deaf and mute man finds a large currency note on the road. The people of the town attempt to con him out of the money. Spanish only.
- Las Islas Marias, dir. Emilio Fernández: A film about the lives and challenges of prisoners in a penal colony. Spanish only.
- Lake Tahoe, dir. Fernando Eimbcke: Winner of Golden Ariel for Best Picture in Mexico. A dark comedy about a teenager who befriends a strange girl who helps him sort through the problem he's been trying to escape.
- Leap Year, dir. Michael Rowe: A woman enters a violent sexual relationship with a man that causes her to slowly reveal her series of past lovers.
- Like Water for Chocolate, dir. Alfonso Arau: Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film; winner of Golden Ariel for Best Picture in Mexico. A love story about a relationship that cannot be through the lens of magical realism.
- ¡¡¡Mátenme porque me muero!!!, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A quack earns $5million on a stolen lottery ticket, putting him in the cross-hairs of a seductress willing to do anything to steal the money. Spanish only.
- La mesa que mas aplauda, dir. Gilberto de Anda: A Las Vegas entertainer arrives in a small town to help three women open a strip club after losing their jobs in a fight with the mayor's son. Spanish only.
- Mexicanos al grito de guerra, dir. Álvaro Gálvez y Fuentes, Ismael Rodríguez: During the French Intervention, a Mexican student (who will eventually write the national anthem) falls in love with a French ambassador's niece. Spanish only.
- El moro de Cumpas, dir. Mario Hernández: A satirical comedy where two champion race horses from two rival towns are prevented from racing each other because of the hostilities between the two towns. Spanish only.
- Las mujeres de mi general, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: During the Mexican Revolution, a newly promoted general tries to settle down with a peasant girl. Spanish only.
- No desearás la mujer de tu hijo, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A satirical melodrama about the traditional rules of respect between the father and the son in a family. Spanish only.
- Nosotros, los pobres, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A poor man who cares for his daughter and paralyzed mother is falsely accused of a crime. Spanish only.
- El ojo de vidrio, dir. René Cardona Jr.: Five one-eyed revolutionaries take revenge on the man who caused their condition. Spanish only.
- Recien cazado, dir. Rene Bueno: A romantic comedy about a party boy who wakes up to find he is married to a beautiful woman. Spanish only.
- Santo contra las momias de Guanajuato, dir. Federico Curiel: Luchador Santo is forced to wrestle Satan once again, only this time he comes with a team of mummies. Spanish only.
- Santo contra las mujeres vampiro, dir. Alfonso Corona Blake: Luchador Santo must protect a professor's daughter from being transformed into a vampire queen. Spanish only.
- Santo y Blue Demon contra las bestias del terror, dir. Alfredo B. Crevenna: Luchadores Santo and Blue Demon are called in to stop an underground crime ring from reviving dead bodies with living blood. Spanish only.
- Santo contra la mafia del vicio, dir. Federico Curiel: Dr. Moon goes on a murderous crime spree in an attempt to reclaim a stolen drug shipment. Only luchador Santo can stop him. Spanish only.
- El Seminarista, dir. Roberto Rodríguez: A romantic comedy about a young seminary student whose faith is tested by a beautiful young woman. Spanish only.
- Simon of the Desert, dir. Luis Buñuel: In the 4th century, a deeply religious man believes he needs to do penance to be closer to God. He vows to live atop a pillar in the desert, but the devil keeps trying to tempt him down.
- El Tigre Negro, dir. Benito Alazraki: A comedy where two brothers attempt to frame the famous bandit El Tigre Negro. Spanish only.
- Ustedes, los ricos, dir. Ismael Rodríguez: A poor man makes an enemy of a rich and powerful man who sets out to destroy him. Spanish only.
- The Violin, dir. Francisco Vargas: An old man in an unnamed Latin American country is forced to give a checkpoint guard violin lessons every day to pass through for work.