Bless Me, Ultima

Bless Me, Ultima

A look into of a Curandera and a young boy.

    

Ultima's Familar

Bless Me, Ultima is a movie that's been long over due in a sense that it has brought another aspect of magick and witchcraft into film world and with an interesting storyline at that. It's based off the book by Rudolfo A. Anaya. The movie is a narration and it focuses around a young boy named Antonio Márez (Luke Ganalon), who's six years old. He spies on his parents who talk about an elderly woman named Ultima (Miriam Colon) who's coming to live with them. Though he doesn't know who she is he's somewhat excited of the idea of Ultima staying with them.

After a strange dream, Antonio soon discovers that Ultima was his mother's Midwife and that she's a Curandera. Okay I'm going to stop here and give you a explanation of (Curanderismo is the practice of folk medicine, a healing art heavily influenced by the knowledge and ancient religions of indigenous peoples. Curanderismo is associated with the treatment of both physical and supernatural illnesses. When Spanish Catholics arrived in the New World, they regarded curanderismo as a form of witchcraft and often killed those who practiced it. However, over the course of time, the intermixing between Spaniards and native people produced a mixed religious culture. ) (Spark Notes) Okay carrying on. Antonio who's fortunate to have a large loving family and parents tries to live up to both is Mother's dreams of being a Priest by studying the bible and being a farmer like his father. Though deep down Antonio wants to be a Curandero just like Ultima. Antonio is fascinated by Ultima's kindness and craft.

The story continues as Antonio goes to school and meets his blond hair friend named Florence (an Atheist), goes to Sunday School, and helps his family with the farm. Something bad soon happens with another villager's son and becomes gravely ill. Ultima soon travels out to comfort and cure him. She soon discovers that the young man had wondered around at night to search for a few missing cows and walked into three young women, the daughters of Tenorio (Castulo Guerra) performing dark witchcraft, in another nearby town in El Puerto. Soon after the young man became ill. Ultima prepares herself to cure the young man and gives a warning to Tenorio to tell his daughters to release the curse or they will regret it. Insulted by this request Tenorio laughs it off and threatens if anything happens to his daughters that he will come and kill Ultima himself. Ultima soon returns to the young man and cures him and buries the strange black thing the young man coughed up at the site the daughters had did the spell. A while after the father who had thanked her for saving his sons life soon shuns Ultima as if she had nothing for him. Antonio soon realizes that the church and most of his village Las Pasturas and El Puerto frown upon Ultima's craft. Meanwhile Ultima makes three wax dolls and binds the young women so they can longer harm anyone again. However a few days after one of the wax dolls melts and Antonio and Ultima become worried.

Bless Me, Ultima is one of those films that has a lot to offer and makes the viewer think and question life as we see through the eyes of a young, wise, and intelligent you boy. With great acting, great scenery, and

great authenticity of WWII time period and Hispanic culture in the US. This movie is not like any other movies about witchcraft. There is no special effects in it. It's one of the realest interpretation of how magick and superstition works. I highly recommend people to watch and give it a shot. It might be a little harder to connect or understand some scenes if your do know something about Spanish nor the culture. Though all in all the movie is well done and fresh.

Title: Bless Me, Ultima

Length: 106 min

Ratings:PG-13

Year: 2013

Director: Carl Franklin

Starring: Luke Ganalon, Miriam Colon, Castulo Guerra, Joaquín Cosio

Over All Score: A+ Refreshing and Accurately Cultural.

Entertaining: B+ It's a bit high considering the film is mostly a drama. Viewers of the Hispanic or Latino culture will enjoy and understand the movie more.

Cinematography: A Has outstanding scenery of New Mexico's landscape.

Storyline: A+ Original and well thought out has a bit of everything in the story to balance the darker side of the drama out. Another magical flick without crazy special effects.

Acting: A The choice of casting down to their acting were down pact. The only thing is that there Spanish is very clear.

Music: C There was nothing special about the music. The score was decent though since this is a drama no musical soundtrack is available. 

Charmed (Season 1)

Charmed

Seasoned One (1998)

The famous Charmed ones. I decided to finally do a TV show as I did promise to review TV shows. First off I'm sure most people have seen at least a few episodes of Charmed. I admit I would watch it every now and then when it's on but as a person who really never watched TV made difficult to figure out when it was on. So here I go I will be the first to admit that this is my personal opinion of this famous and popular show and that if you're one of the die hard serious fans who can't take an differing opinion or critique sorry to offend you it's a my review and personally I'm not a harsh critic.

Okay first off we get these three girl who live in this nice homely house that any witch would love to own, charming, cute, big. Okay enough about my property obsession. You get three sisters who are not the closest of friends but do deeply care for each other. This is one of the most enduring and favorite aspect of this show. Okay you got the eldest Prue Halliwell (Shannen Doherty) who's the most reserve of the three sisters. Who has a nice gig as an antique authenticator. She also has a detective who also an old childhood friend and past love interest who watches out for her. Andy Trudeau (T.W. King). The middle child Piper Halliwell (Holly Marie Combs) who manages a restaurant called Quake. She's also quite a chef. Piper is the most down to earth and maybe a bit more motherly of the three. The youngest of the three Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano) who's the rebellious one and can't seem to keep a job. Phoebe is the most optimistic and probably tries the hardest to keep them together of the three.

Okay you get the picture these sisters live in a big house and soon discover their mother was a witch and their grandmother as well. The charmed ones come from a line of famous witches. So the premesis of the plot isn't origional now days as it first came out so what okay, moving on. These sisters soon discover or awaken their powers. Prue with telkenesis, Piper with freezing items/beings in time, and Phoebe who can see into the future. Coolness who doesn't want powers like that well it's a tv show after all and thus the premis of the show is truely revealed. These women have to battle and protect innocents (exactly what you think it means, witches, muggles, I mean normal folks, anyone who's getting bothered by anything evil and didn't deserve it.) It blows being an innocent or any other witch in this series it seems. Well so far they battle warlocks hell bent on taking the charmed ones powers no matter who they have to kill to get to them. Demons who of course just likes killing in general, werewolves and other mythical creatures, that most are in their book of shadows. Well here comes the nit picking of the show. First off I think honestly 90% of this season if not more are male oriented villains. I mean seriously where are all the normal male witches out there, or not so evil warlocks. Even the demons are mostly male. Okay well the villain list isn't the best thought of.

The story line flow of the show is pretty decent. Long a bit repetitive at times but good. Each episode

is interesting and fresh enough to keep me watching it till the end. Which is come on kudos considering television now days. You see how the relationship grows with each sister, their flaws and personalties start to shine and expand. Now I love the magic feel through out the show it's not everywhere or used sporadically, it's seen on every episode and in common sense type of scenarios and moments. And it's not all powers, there's some chanting, and potion work in there too. Oooh variety. I do have a bit of beef about the religion aspect. They're suppose to be Wiccan but I don't see how as the show doesn't show anything much of Wiccan religion. I think it's merely excuse to be witches in acceptable manner so that Christian religious people won't boycott the show off the air. Okay I can accept that it's a television show after all and too much religious views is one easy way to turn off and offend viewers. Over all the show is about good vs evil and these sisters believe and try use their powers for good. So in the end Charmed Season one took me quite a while to see as I'm a busy person but sometimes felt a bit iffy or slow on some episodes. It's a very Hollywood take on three witches who use magic to defeat evil. Over all the show is entertaining and I can see how their fans enjoy the show. Will I'll be popping out a review for other seasons of Charmed any time soon? Probably not as I as a person have a short attention span. I may watch a season or two and write a review on it later but I'm not making any promises here.

Title: Charmed

Length: 42 Mins 

Ratings: TV 14

Year: 1998

Creator: Constance M. Burge

Starring: Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty, Ted King

Over All Score: B +

Entertaining: A- Every episode is something different every episode there's a magical feeling even though it's very Hollywood.

Cinematography: B+  Nice views of San Fransisco special effects are mediocre some of the times or quite the opposite. 

Storyline: B - Not too original now days but has a lot of interesting ideas when it comes to spell work and villainy.

Acting: B + All the main characters and villains did an outstanding jobs. 

Music: A every episode there is a fresh new song. Also the special effects and mood music isn't overdone.

The Witches of Eastwick

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Something wicked this way comes...

Sorry Bad Quality, Bad Screen Shot

The Withces of Eastwick starts out in a homely little town with three very different women, living three different very lives. As composer John Williams identifies this town with a memorable tune we soon zoom into a school and old fashioned one at that. A school band horrendously plays America the Beautiful along with not so talented vocals of Felicia Alden (Veronica Cartwright) who will see plenty of later in the movie. The school principle starts to sprout out this long boring speech that practically no one in the town is listening to though he's so persistent to finish it that even a freak storm can't shut him up.

It's nightfall and it's still raining when a truck pulls up and head out towards the waterfront home of Alexandra (Cher). Alexandra and her friends Jane (Susan Sarandon) and Sukie (Michelle Pfeiffer) all go in and have themselves a small party of three. They talk about their day and how their love lives stink. All three girls agree that they all need a man with characteristics they all agreed on. As if he was practically summoned, the next day a mysterious stranger comes strolling into Eastwick and he's loaded. He buys the Lenox Mansion which is a huge historic house and buys all of Alexandra's figurines, and sleeps right through Jane's string quartet performance. Yet for some mysterious reason no can remember his name.

The movie carries on and they all soon meet this mysterious stranger named Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson). Now Daryl Van Horne is not the best looking of men. He doesn't have the most charming and polite of personalities and truthfully comes off quite vulgar and offensive. Though those traits aside, Daryl has a silvery tongue. He made these ladies felt, empowered, smart, beautiful, talented, wanted, he made them all shine individually and is probably the reason why all three women slept with him. The story progresses and all three woman are attracted to this man to the point of almost being enamored that they start fighting over him. All the while realizing that  they inherited strange and unusual powers. Powers that when all three are together become stronger. They soon realize that their powers are a gift and a gift from a very unwelcome source (Hint: Who else is popular for having horns). These women realize well if they got them might as well use them.

The Witches of Eastwick is a movie even though set in the late 80's isn't time stamped. Old fashioned little towns always stay charming no matter what era you're in. Of course you get the fashion time stamp but really it's not that bad either. I love how all three women are different people with different flaws and talents. Yet when challenged with something come together and do something about it. The movie does go a bit over the top in the end and loses that ah so quaint charm. This movie is scattered with Feminism undertones and sometimes just right out feminism. I'm not sure males would enjoy the movies as much as females. There are some scenes of well Anti-Feminsim... if I could say that, one of the sex scenes, but over all not nearly as much as the other. The ways these women are attracted and fight over him are so ridiculous it's comedic but hey all women love a man with confidence and this movie proves it. It seems with the right amount of arrogance, precise wording, and daring remind men that they can get a beautiful women. Well I guess a lot of money and supernatural powers couldn't help either.

Title: The Witches of Eastwick

Length: 118 min

Ratings: R

Year: 1987

Director: George Miller 

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Veronica Cartwright

Over All Score: A- Slow to start but gathers quickly, very interesting plot and storyline. That magic feeling is scattered lightly through out but picks ups the more movie progresses.

Entertaining: A- Entertaining and well paced. Love the comradery of these three friends.

Cinematography: B+ Nothing wrong, nothing dramatic. Eastwick is a cute town. Special Effects are on par with it's time.

Storyline: A memorable and easy to follow storyline. Not much to discover but what makes this movie attractive is they blatant outright dialogue about feminism.

Acting: All three actors did an outstanding job. Nothing here is cheesy and badly done.

Music: B the theme is memorable and sometimes a bit cheesy but done right.