While the following flicks may have nothing actually in common other than the fact that I’ve seen them all recently (and the posters are damn cool), there are extremely strong aspects I’d like to touch on concerning each of them.
Originally panned by most everyone, Bring me The Head of Alfredo Garcia is, in my opinion, Sam Peckinpah’s masterpiece. The only film in his masterful tenure cut as intended by Peckinpah, the story centers around Bennie – played by a driven Warren Oates – who morphs from drunken south-of-the-border pianoman to drunken man of vigilante justice, who, in his bloody pursuit of vengeance knows he is ultimately doomed. Leaving a trail of bodies as he rollercoasters through alternatively losing and regaining the head in his path to the Mexican Don who muttered those now famous words “Traiganme la cabesa de Alfredo Garcia!” for knocking up his daughter, we watch Bennie lose his job, girl, money, sanity and finally his life, but he does it his way, which translates to screen a completely dirty, realistic, funny ride.
Street Fighter & Return of Street Fighter , the dubbed version of the Japanese Gekitotsu! Satsujin Ken & Satsujin Ken 2 by Ozawa Shigehiro & Ozawa Sakae are by far the best martial arts films I’ve ever seen. The story and acting, while generally poor, are powered by Terry Tsurugi’s (Sonny Chiba) amoral street-fighting style (it got an X rating in the US for the emasculation with his hand of a would be 
rapist), a badass mix of karate and Chinese street boxing and his heavy phlegm-breathing. All this alongside a great original score of some of the most stereotypical music to date & constant, hilarious dialogue: (Talking to his sidekick who betrayed him, while eating a banana and before pouring a bottle of white wine all over himself…to gain power?) “All that jiving of yours…No one could trust a girl who jives like that” and, my favorite: “Tell that bitch I’m sorry I won’t be able to be her friend anymore.”
While Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor), from Kimur Bekmambetov, plays out a bit darker, a bit less picaresque character-driven, there is Anton (Konstantin Khabensky). He is a new recruit to the land of the Others, where the battle between the Light & the Dark forces has abated only long enough to find the One who will tip the balance one way or the other. Hence the Night Watch – made up of those of the Light – and the day Watch – made up of those of the Dark, to make sure there is no cheating in swaying the One. But of course there”s cheating. And in this first installment of the trilogy, it looks bad for the Light Ones, but then, doesn’t it always?
I haven’t seen Cockfighter, but apparently it’s one of Warren Oates’ best performances, as a self-imposed mute trying to wend his way between the promise of love and the would be fame his cock could bring him. Sounds great. Also, this comes to me as a coincidence, for my buddy Turbo just started a band called – guess what - Cockfighter. Go look, listen, revel. Etc.
I am a documentary and portrait photographer, specializing in a raw approach to shooting everything under the sun. Though I travel abroad often, I am currently based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and am available for assignments throughout North America and beyond.
Manny Santiago Gear / Credits
Subscribe to entries
Subscribe to comments
All content © 2012 by Manny Santiago Photography