{"id":1853,"date":"2014-01-07T13:46:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-07T13:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=1853"},"modified":"2014-01-08T14:02:02","modified_gmt":"2014-01-08T14:02:02","slug":"7-must-see-mexican-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/7-must-see-mexican-films\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Must See Mexican Films"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1855 alignleft\" alt=\"MexicanMovies2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies2.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Like its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/9-mexican-foods-to-make-your-kids-say-ay-caramba\/\">food<\/a>, Mexican films are hot, spicy, and colourful, and once you have a taste for it, you\u2019ll want to keep going back for more.<\/p>\n<p>The Mexican film industry is a thriving business, with Mexico City the fourth biggest producer of film and TV in North America, behind Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver, it has won more film awards and prestige than any of its Latin American cousins, and many of its stars are internationally renowned and recognised.<\/p>\n<p>Mexican cinema dates back to the 19<sup>th<\/sup> century, but it\u2019s in the past few decades that it has really soared, and that\u2019s thanks largely to three of the world\u2019s best directors: Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n; Guillermo del Toro; and Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu.<\/p>\n<p><b>1. Y Tu Mam\u00e1 Tambi\u00e9n (2001)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Cuar\u00f3n\u2019s road movie about two young men who meet up with an older woman and embark on all sorts of adventures was one of Mexico\u2019s most commercially successful films, and won critical acclaim worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>It also introduced the world to the wonderful Gael Garc\u00eda Bernal \u2013 if you haven\u2019t seen <i>The Motorcycle Diaries<\/i> go and get it now!<\/p>\n<p>Cuar\u00f3n has gone on to make it big in the States, with <i>Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban<\/i>, and 2014\u2019s Academy Award nominated Hollywood blockbuster <i>Gravity.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>2. Pan\u2019s Labyrinth (2006)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Del Toro\u2019s fantasy-adventure-horror film is something magnificent to behold \u2013 but not recommended for the faint hearted.<\/p>\n<p>Set in post-Civil War Spain, the film borders on fairy tale and reality, using CGI, animatronics, and makeup to give the audience an experience they\u2019ll never forget. The latter was awarded an Oscar, as were Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.<\/p>\n<p>Del Toro has gone more mainstream with <i>Blade II<\/i> and the <i>Hellboy<\/i> franchise, and was originally signed on to direct <i>The Hobbit<\/i> but studio issues led to his being replaced by <i>Lord Of The Rings<\/i> trilogy director Peter Jackson, although he was given a writing credit.<\/p>\n<p><b>3. Amores Perres (2000)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In 2006, I\u00f1\u00e1rritu became the only Mexican to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards for <i>Babel<\/i>, but it was <i>Amores Perres<\/i> that really put him on the map.<\/p>\n<p>An anthology film of three interconnecting stories, with characters coping with life, love, and death scenarios, it was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2000 \u2013 and stars the always wonderful Bernal!<\/p>\n<p><b>4. Biutiful (2010)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This 2010 film was a welcome return to Spanish-language films for I\u00f1\u00e1rritu, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and star Javier Bardem became the first Best Actor nominee for a completely Spanish-language performance.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1854 alignright\" alt=\"MexicanMovies\" src=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies.png 413w, https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/MexicanMovies-225x300.png 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>5. Midaq Alley (1995)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The film that launched Salma Hayek\u2019s career, was also highly controversial for much of its sexual content, but went on to win more accolades and plaudits than any other Mexican film.<\/p>\n<p>Directed by Jorge Fons, it is based on the Nobel Literary Prize winning novel by Egypt\u2019s Naguib Mahfouz, but set in downtown Mexico City instead of Cairo.<\/p>\n<p><b>6. Frida (2002)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Salma Hayek\u2019s film company Ventanarosa joined forces with Miramax to make this biopic about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, her struggles with a debilitating injury, and her tempestuous relationship with husband and artist, Diego Rivera.<\/p>\n<p>The film also starred Hayek, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role, and won two Oscars for Best Makeup and Best Original Score.<\/p>\n<p><b>7. El Mariachi (1992)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Director Robert Rodriguez is better known for his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, but it was his first major film that got him noticed in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>Originally shot on a shoe string in North Mexico, with mostly unknown actors, for a local market, El Mariachi was eventually picked up by Colombia studios and promoted to an American audience \u2013 which led to Rodriguez making his Mexican trilogy including Desperado (1995) and Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003).<\/p>\n<p>This is just a short introduction to the wonderful world of Mexican films, which despite having subtitles, you\u2019ll enjoy even more if you\u2019ve got a good grasp on your Spanish \u2013 check out your skill level <a href=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/spanish\/level_test.html\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like its food, Mexican films are hot, spicy, and colourful, and once you have a taste for it, you\u2019ll want to keep going back for more. The Mexican film industry is a thriving business, with Mexico City the fourth biggest producer of film and TV in North America, behind Los Angeles, New York, and Vancouver,(\u2026)<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 text-right\">\n\t \t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-xs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/7-must-see-mexican-films\/\">CONTINUE READING &raquo;<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236,15],"tags":[269,66,278,146,37,44],"class_list":["post-1853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-must-know","category-entertainment","tag-film","tag-language","tag-mexican","tag-movies","tag-spanish","tag-travel"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>7 Must See Mexican Films - Listen &amp; 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