Cuba, an island with a complicated history, but overflowing with people rich in pride, dreams, and love, is the setting for this romantic comedy that also takes a look at the current economic and political landscape. With all the laughs Habana Eva brings, it’s easy for viewers to overlook the serious social situations it attempts to present, and...

In what is a salute to ‘70s exploitation action films comes a black comedy thriller that’s 50 percent James Bond, 30 percent Jason Bourne, and 20 percent every other spy film from the past decade. The film is Mandrill, a story about Chile’s smooth talking top assassin for hire who knows his way around guns and kung fu. Cue the cheesey funky score...

Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu outdid himself. He presents us not a typical Hollywood blockbuster, but instead, a gloomy depiction of how immigrants surviving in the ghettos of Barcelona are exploited each day. One of those who are suffering is Uxbal (Javier Bardem), a man whose life is a series of agony. It’s a tearjerker, but...

Director Angel Vasquez’s Chronic Faces is one of those films that tries too hard to get at the heart of a problem, but is never clear on the message. Aside from not having a concise point, Chronic Faces also suffers from lack of likability. None of the characters, including a menacing drug dealer and a dirty cop, are ever believable. Not only does...

In this Latin comedy, Cristiano De La Secreta offers laughs after laughs by poking fun at untouchable subjects considered sacred in religious-heavy Dominican Republic. But while there’s little to be offended by, Cristiano De La Secreta, which was screened at this year's Dominican Film Festival in New York City, has a quirky way of delivering its...

Filmmakers worry if their work will translate well with international audiences. Adios Mundo Cruel (Goodbye Cruel World), a Mexican entry from this year’s New York International Latino Film Festival, definitely attracts American audiences with ease. A black comedy with a hidden, inner statement on the effects of the worldwide recession, Adios...

Before gentrification, 9/11, Bloomberg policies, and Metrocards, New York City in the late ‘60s to early ‘80s was faced with a crumbling economic system that propelled the five boroughs into chaos. With no viable prospects, no hope, or future, many of the barrio kids took to the streets, forming their own world where the law of the land was dealt...