Tag Archives: Cinco De Mayo

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Cinco De Mayo Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all of our readers!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Great Mexican Films

Simon of the Desert (1965, dir by Luis Bunuel, DP: Gabriel Figueroa)

Like Water For Chocolate (1992, dir by Alfonso Arau, DP: Emmanuel Lubezki)

Cronos (1993, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarra)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Cinco De Mayo Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Happy Cinco De Mayo to all of our readers!  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Mexican Films

Los Olvidados (1950, dir by Luis Bunuel, DP: Gabriel Figuero)

Like Water For Chocolate (1992, dir by Alfonso Arau, DP: Emmanuel Luzbeki)

Cronos (1993, dir by Guillermo Del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, dir. by Guillermo Del Toro, DP: Guillermo Nava)

Happy Cinco de Mayo from The Shattered Lens!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

¡Feliz cinco de mayo!

When it comes to the U.S.A., is Cinco de Mayo a big deal outside of the Southwest?  I honestly don’t know and, to be honest, I can’t say for sure that I really want to know.  All that really matters, to me, is that it’s a pretty big day where I come from.  It’s always been one of my favorite holidays and the idea of celebrating this day in lock-down, shelter-in-place quarantine really, really sucks.  Cinco de Mayo is a time when people should be gathered together and not forcibly separated.  It’s also one of the few times that I ever drink.  That’s how much I love Cinco de Mayo!

(My fondest Cinco de Mayo memory comes from a 2006 party that I attended in Denton, Texas.  Everyone gathered on the roof of a house and celebrated.  There are a lot of stories from that night.)

Oh well.  This year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration will be different from previous years but still, I look forward to celebrating the day.  I may just end up celebrating it by just watching a lot of movies and writing a lot of reviews but that’s just the way of the world right now.  As I wrote to a friend of mine yesterday, quarantine sucks but at least I’m getting to watch a lot of movies.  Plus, my friend and TSL collaborator, Case Wright, was wonderful enough to send me an audible of Lonesome Dove being read by western actor Lee Horsley.  I just got started listening to it but I’m enjoying it so far!

As well, Dillon Francis is doing an online benefit concert so I’ll definitely check that out.  Erin makes the best margaritas.  And, of course, I can always watch the Cinco de Mayo episode of King of the Hill.  That one is a Texas classic.

No, today will not be a typical holiday but that won’t keep us from celebrating!

Anyway, my apologies for this rambling post.  This is not exactly a typical TSL article, is it?  But sometimes it’s good to just be able to vent a little.  We’re staying safe here at TSL and we hope you are too.  Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you.

Lisa Marie

P.S. Today is not Mexican Independence Day, despite what many people seem to believe.  Instead, today commemorates the Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla.

4 Shots From 4 Films: The Violin, El Infierno, Miss Bala, Heli

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Despite what many people seem to believe, Cinco De Mayo is not the same thing as Mexican Independence Day (that’s celebrated on September 16th).  Instead, Cinco De Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla.  That battle was fought on May 5th, 1862.  That was a 157 years ago, today.

Cinco De Mayo is a pretty big deal down here in Texas and some of my fondest (and, in some cases, haziest) memories are related to this date.  I especially like to remember May 5th, 2007, in which I spent several hours with a group of my closest and dearest friends, sitting out on the roof of a friend’s house, watching fireworks explode over our heads.  That was a wonderful night, even if someone did eventually end up falling off the roof.  (Don’t worry, he not only survived but he’s now got a pretty good job in D.C. and he’ll probably be your congressman someday.)

In honor of the day, here are four shots from four of my favorite Mexican films….

4 Shots From 4 Films

The Violin (2005, dir by Francisco Vargas)

El Infierno (2010, dir by Luis Estrada)

Miss Bala (2011, dir by Gerardo Naranjo)

Heli (2013, dir by Amat Escalante)

Song of the Day: Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (performed by Santa Esmeralda)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Okay, two quick confessions.  First off, I really wanted to write this post in Spanish because it’s Cinco De Mayo but unfortunately, other than a few phrases I picked up from my mom, I don’t speak Spanish.  Secondly, I’ve done some research and I’ve discovered that the band featured here (Santa Esmeralda) is actually a French group.  So, despite the fact that Santa Esmeralda’s cover of Don’t Let Me Misunderstood is obviously influenced by Latin music, it’s still not exactly ideal for Cinco De Mayo.

But you know what?  When I first heard this song on the soundtrack for Kill Bill Volume One, I immediately fell in love with it and I forced my mom to listen to all 10 minutes of it and she loved it too.  And unlike me, my mom grew up speaking Spanish and actually had a very pretty singing voice.  She was also very proud of her heritage.  So, if this song was good enough for her, it’s good enough for me.

I have to admit, as well, that when I first heard Santa Esmeralda’s version, I assumed that the cover had been recorded specifically for the Kill Bill soundtrack.  Well, turns out I was not only wrong, I was way wrong.  This cover version was actually recorded way back in 1977.

I also thought, before I started writing this post, that the song was originally performed by the Animals.  Wrong again.  The song was first written in 1964 by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, and Sol Marcus and it was originally performed by Nina Simone.  Then, in 1965, the Animals did their famous cover.  The Animals’ version of the song is the one that got stuck in my head when I was dating this guy who worked at Mervyn’s because, oh my God, it was playing all the freaking time in that store!

But the Santa Esmeralda version is my favorite and it is today’s song of the day.