Name Rigoberto Castaneda
Born 27 February 1973. Mexico City
Background Castaneda was working as a runner in a production house in Mexico City when he was given a book about Alfred Hitchcock and was inspired to take a course in filmmaking. Having cut his teeth on a couple of short films. he got a break making his feature debut. KM31. an atmospheric ghost story invoking the Mexican legend La llorona.
What’s he up to novn Castaneda's in the UK promoting Kit/l3 t. which. in the wake of smash box office business in Mexico and well received premieres at festivals including London Fright Fest in August. is about to receive its UK- Wide release. The film's domestic success provided Castaneda with his calling card to Hollywood. where he has completed his second feature. Blackout. That's a chiller starring Brit Aidan Gillen and yank Amber Tamblyn in which three people find inconvenience turns into nightmare when they're trapped in an elevator.
What he says about the legend ot La llorona ‘La llorona. the Crying Woman. is a very old and very well known legend in Mexico. It‘s the way grandmothers terrorise their grandchildren into going to bed: They say “La llorona is going to come for you if you don't go to bed!" My grandmother told me about the story for the first time when I was six years old. I was traumatised. It's in every Mexican, this trauma about the ghost. We never said our film was about this ghost. so it wasn't until the end of the film that the Mexican audiences realised it was a story about La llorona. I think that was one reason that the film was so successful in Memo. 80. in a way you could say my grandmother was responsible for KM31.‘
Interesting tact La llorona has appeared in at least five Mexican films since the 1930s 1974‘s La Venganza de la llorona (Vengeance of the Crying Woman) pitted the wailing spirit against El Santo. the legendary masked wrestler who himself appeared in upwards of 60 films until he died of a heart attack in 1984. exactly ten years after meeting La llorona. (Miles Fielder)
I Kit/137 is on selected release from Ffl 7 Dec. See Also Released, page 44.
46 THE LIST 29 Nev—13 Dec 2007
Earth ll") 0.. 90min See Also Released. page 4-1 ('tneiuirlil Reritrevi Street. (ilawrm
Eastern Promises i lsi ooeo (David ('ronenberg. [Ts/Canada. 2002i Viggo Mortensen. Naomi Watts. Vincent (‘assel llllmm (‘ronenberg‘s companion piece to A History of \ioleni e is a
perv ersely entertaining crtrne thriller centred around midwife (Watts) w ho is drawn into the dark criminal underworld after she saves the newborn child of a Russian woman who dies on the operating table. leaving sparse clues as to her identity A fascinating lesson in the Past/West urbart clash that stands as testament to its directors proficiency and intelligence ('ineivorlil Renfreiv Street. (ilavgiiii. ()ileiirt timo- llat/ev. Edinburgh,
Elizabeth: The Golden Age i l2:\) 0.. (Shekhar Kapur. l'K/Hance. 2007) ('ate lilanchett. Jordt Molla. Satnantha Morton. Geoffrey Rush. (‘live ()wen. l 14min. An exploration of the forbidden love between fill/abeth I (Blanchetl) and Sir Walter Raleigh (()w en) as she prepares to go to war to defend her empire. w hile trying to balance her royal duties with her affection for Raleigh. Much of the film's blood and thunder liveliness comes frotn the sheer relish Blanchetl brings to her role. with excellent support from ()w en. The star of this sumptuous pantomime. however. is costume designer Alexandra Byrne whose startling work will leave you gobsmackcd. (ieneral release. Enchanted (PG) (Kevin lama. l'S. 2007) Atny Adams. Patrick Dempsey. James Marsden. l07min. Two fairytale characters struggle to find each other and make it in the ‘real' world in this mix of live and animated action. Preview only. Reviewed next issue. Selet‘terl release.
Evan Almighty (PG) 0 (Tom Shadyac. IS. 2007) Steve (‘arcll. Morgan Freeman. Lauren Grahatn. 95min. ()ne-joke comedy about a humble congressman ((‘arclll who is visited by God (a painfully smug Freeman) and told to build an ark. With animals lining tip two by two. livan is forced to question his maker’s mysterious ways during his conversion from straight- laced suit to mystic sage in this tepid religious farce. ('inevvnrlrl Park/read. (iluxgmi.
Evening ( l2Ai COO (Lajos Koltai. IS. 2007) ('laire l)anes. Toni (‘ollette. Vanessa Redgrave. Meryl Streep. l l7min. (‘ollette and Richardson play the daughters of elderly. dying Ann (Redgrave). whose deathbed murmurs prompt a series of flashbacks to her youth in the 1950s (played by Danes) where we begin to see parallels between Ann's life and those of her daughters. Handsomely mounted and nicely performed. the film feels a bit forced. its lessons a tad obvious. Perhaps a case of too tnuch talent trying too hard. Selected release. Excellent Cadavers ( 18) (Marco Turco. Italy. 2005) Alexander Stille. Liti/ia Battaglia. Guiseppe Ayala. 92min. Documentary based on Alexander Stille‘s book about the Sicilian Mafia and the prosecutors Giovanni Flacon and Paolo Bookselling who brought many criminals to trial during the 80s before they were murdered in 1992. The Mafia‘s omnipresence in Italy is traced. as well as the persistent corruption of the country ‘s politicians. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilaxgmv Film Theatre. (iluxgmi'.
Film Discussion Group Meet up wllh filtn writer Eddie Harrison and lots of other
film buffs to swap opinions and perceptions of
both an home and big blockbuster recent releases. Held on the second Wednesday of every month. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. Firehouse Dog (PG) 0. (Todd Holland. [IS/Canada. 2007) Josh Hutcherson, Mayte Garcia. Bruce Greenwood. l l lmin. Rexxx. the canine star of movies such as Jurassic Bark and Terrier at 20.000 Feel. falls into the life of schoolboy Shane (Hutcherson) when a stunt goes horribly wrong and he gains a more Useful vocation as a mascot at the local fire station. Clumsy Hollywood satire. mismatched stunts and cutesy CGl place this firmly in the poop tray of modem multiplex cinema. Gmsvenor. Glasgow.
For The Boys i 15) cos i.\f.irk Rydell. PS. 1991) Bette Midler. James ('aan. George Segal. Patrick (YNeal
HSmm Part traditional show bi/ biopic. part commentary on the l'S‘ changing perceptions of war. Midlet and ('aan's nostalgic wallow is crammed with dance numbers and emotional highs‘n'lows Rydell's tlttecllon rccapturcs the panache ol yesteryear's Hollywood while the leads. as an entertainment duo wowing the troops over four decades. act their socks off S: lirtile'v ('entre Iii/inlmreh
Fred Claus (PG) 0 (Day id l)obkin. l'S. 200"i Vince Vaughn. Paul Giamattt. Rachel Wetsr. Kathy Bates llfimin See reylew. page 41 (ierteral rt leave Godfather: The Legend Continues (15) 0.. (KS Rav ikumar. Pakistan. 2007') Aiith Kumar. Asin 'l‘hottumkal 158mm Diwali-set drama about petty crime. families and corruption in a small town. all based around the local pil/a parlour The connection to ('oppola's opUs is small hill significant (II/lt’illllltl Rt’ttll't'n Sll't't'l. (Tlll\L’UH
The Golden Compass i l2.-\i 000 t('hrts Weill. l'S/l'ls'. 2007i Nicole Kidman. Dakota Blue Richards. lan Mcls'ellen. Sam lilltot. l05min. See feature. page lfi and review. page 43 (ieneral release.
Good Luck Chuck ( IS) 0 (Mark llelfrich. l'S/(‘anada. 2007) Dane (’ook. Jessica Alba. Dan liogler. 100mm. Helfrtch's directorial debut is a comedic car crash about a .‘fl-sotnething dentist ((‘ookl who discovers that every girl he sleeps with falls in love with the next person she meets (possibly out of sheer relief to be rtd of him). Alba struggles with her part in this crude comedy. as the girl (‘harlie is determined to hold onto. and (‘ook is charmless and repulsive as the romantic lead. saved frorti being the worst thing about this film only by l‘tigler's tnugging performance as his pal Stu. (ieneral release. He Was a Quiet Man f l5) 0.. (Frank A (‘appello. l'S. 2007) (‘hristian Slater. [Elisha (‘uthberL William H Macy. ()Smin. See review. page 42. .S'eleireil release from Fri 7 Dee.
Himalaya (PG) .0. fliric Valli. France/Switlerland/l'K/Nepal. 2000) Thilen l.hondup. Gurgon Kyap. l.hapka Tsalttchoe. Ill-imin. lit the high mountains of the Himalayas. a village prepares for the annual yak caravan to market. However. the young chieftain has been killed and the old clan head refuses to recognise the hot-headed Karma as his successor. A worthy insight into the lives of a hardy people. The landscape is breathtakingly shot. and the attention to local detail feels authentic. The plot has less going for it. being at heart a fairly hackneyed story of an heir to the throne having to prove he is worthy of the crown. (amen. Edinburgh.
A Massacre Foret
www.|ist.co.uk/film
A History of Die deliche Doris i\\olfgang MullerlSurwt-S films by Wolfgang Muller. a founding tnernber of Berlin-based art punk group lite Todlichc l)t‘rl\ ('( Ari. (iiaveim
Hltman 1‘) O. i\ayier (ietts. l-rance l'S. 2007) Timothy (llyphanl. Dougray Scott. ()lga ls'urylenko 02mm See -\l\0 Released. page 4-1 and l'l.l\. page ‘30 (ir'ttt'l'tll It'lt'tiu‘
I Do (Prete-moi ta main) I l<i
0.. il-rtc l at‘tigau. ltance. 2000' Alain (‘habaL (‘harlotte (iainsbourg. Bernadette l.afont 00mm -\ briskly pat ed and entertaining mainstream lttlltdltllv
farce ('ontcnted bachelor l uis i(‘hab.iti panics w hen his mother and sisters det ide it's time for him to tnarry l uis ll.llvlit‘\ a plan to find the perfect woman who will charm his family and pose as his fiancee. then ||ll him at the altar. leaving him free to nurse his apparently broken heart liut his plan doesn't go off qllllt' as he had hoped (amen. lit/llll’llt'g’ll
=11 I Don‘t Want to Sleep Alone i lSi O... (Tsar Ming |.tang.
Malay Slit/(‘litlLl/litlyk an/l'raticc/.-\ustria. Zoom Norman Atttn. l cc ls'ang-sheng. ('hen Shian-chyt ll5mm See Also Released. page ~14 atid exclusive intetv iew at w w w lIst co uk/lilm l'l/"l’ll’llH'. Iftltlihttreh.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ( l2Ai .0. (Dennis l)ugan. l'S. 2007) Adam Sandlet. Kevin James. Jessica liiel. Dan Aykroyd. ll5mm ('huck (Sandler) ts so determined to help his best friend Larry (James) overcome the death of his wife that he agrees to marry him iii order to gain them domestic partner benefits. When the pair find themselves stigmatised because of their perceiv ed homosexuality. they begin to change their attitudes towards gay rights lint/tire ('lvtlehaltk. ('lvtlehank.
The Imam and the Pastoril’oi .0. lAlan ('hanner. l'K. 2006) Jtv'min Documentary about the rivalry between Nigeria's ('hristtan and Islamic communities and two men tan lmam and a pastor) w ho tried to bridge the gulf A moving and hopeful story of grassroots peace building An Interfaith Association presentation. I’ilnihouve. Iztlirthureh
In Memory of Me if) (Sitvcrlt) (‘ostan/o. Italy. 2007) (‘hristo Jtvkov. Filippo Timi. Marco lialiant. l 15min. In the follow-up to Berlin Golden Leopard- winning debut l’riiale. ('onstan/o presents an earnest meditation on faith Handsome young Andrea (Jikov ) is confused by the endless possibilities open to llllll. In his bewilderment he undertakes the nov itate. with the intention of joining the priesthood. Part of the Italian Film Festival Glasgow I‘ll/t1 Theatre. (ilasgovi.
Scottish documentary maker Nick Higgins’ commendable and deeply
disturbing film investigates the murder of 45 people at a prayer meeting in a Mexican village in 1997. The film gets a brief outing in both cities this fortnight. Also showing is Higgins’ earlier short Mentiras. The director will be at both screenings to introduce the films and answer questions
from the audience afterwards.
I GFT. Glasgow (noon) 8 Fi/mhouse. Edinburgh (4.30pm), Sat 8 Dec.