4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating early effort from Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men"), May 29, 2011
This review is from: Cita con la muerte [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This is a 1989 SOV (shot on video) horror anthology, with four episodes, each around 20 minutes in length, with the rest of the 84-minute running time filled out by the host interstitials.
What makes this obscure effort of note to cineastes is the fact that the first episode 'No estoy jugando' ('I'm Not Playing') was directed by Alfonso Cuaron, director of "Children of Men" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien"! The cinematographer on his episode was his longtime cameraman, Emmanuel Lubezki (Malick's "Tree of Life") and also, way down the credits, under 'Caracterizations y Maquillajes' (effects design and makeup) is none other than...Guillermo Del Toro!
The other episodes - 'Concierto para mano izquierda' ('Concerto for Left Hand'), 'El ultimo metro' ('The Last Metro') and 'Un rincon cerca de la muerte' ('A Corner Near Death') are interesting, too, but Cuaron's really stands out, with an intense performance from Mariagna Prats, top notch camera work and some excellent gore effects (not surprising, given who was responsible for them).
The feature is preceded by trailers for "Los Supersabios" (the 1978 feature adaptation of German Butze Oliver's long-running comic strip) and "La Ley de la Mafia" (1991) with Hugo Stiglitz and Rosenda Bernal.
A south-of-the-border rarity well worth checking out, especially for Del Toro and Cuaron completists.
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