Proceeds breathlessly and hysterically towards a story that in the end, seems to have hardly left the finish line.
Cronicas (2005)
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Synopsis: The hot and humid village of Babahoyo, Ecuador is besieged by an elusive serial killer. The police have no clues but this mystery has become an obsession for Miami-based tabloid television reporter Manolo Bonilla (John Leguizamo) who is convinced breaking this story will make him a star.... The hot and humid village of Babahoyo, Ecuador is besieged by an elusive serial killer. The police have no clues but this mystery has become an obsession for Miami-based tabloid television reporter Manolo Bonilla (John Leguizamo) who is convinced breaking this story will make him a star. Bonilla has traveled to the remote village with his producer, Marisa (Leonor Watling) and cameraman, Ivan (José Maria Yazpik) to cover the story for the tabloid TV show "One Hour With The Truth". Manolo has dubbed the killer as the "Monster of Babahoyo" on the show and is determined to uncover the killer's true identity. Tension in the town reaches a boiling point when Vinicio Cepeda (Damián Alcázar), a poor traveling salesman, accidentally runs over a child, and an angry mob led by the child's father, Don Lucho (Henry Layana), attacks him in the streets. Both Vinicio and Don Lucho are arrested. Manolo, who happens to be present during the incident, interviews both men inside a jail teeming with violence. Vinicio tells Manolo that he has information about the "Monster," but in exchange for it, he wants Manolo to do a story exposing his unjust arrest to sway public opinion. After checking out Vinicio's information, Manolo immediately suspects that Vinicio himself could be the killer, but chooses not to tell the corrupt local authorities; he'd rather use the information to make a great story for his show. How far will Bonilla go to get his story? Where is the line between a journalist revealing the truth and inventing it? How powerful is the media? Palm Pictures and Anhelo Productions present CRONICAS, written and directed by Sebastián Cordero (RATAS, RATONES, RATEROS) and produced by Alfonso Cuarón (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN) and Jorge Vergara (Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN) and Guillermo del Toro (HELLBOY), Bertha Navarro and Isabel Dávalos. The executive producer is Frida Torresblanco. Cinematography by Enrique Chediak. Music by Antonio Pinto. --© Palm Pictures [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: John Leguizamo, Leonor Watling, Alfred Molina, Damián Alcázar
Screenwriter: Sebastian Cordero
Producer: Alfonso Cuaron, Jorge Vergara, Guillermo Del Toro
Composer: Antonio Pinto
DVD Info
Release:
Aug 11, 2005
DVD Features:
- Region (unknown)
- Keep Case
Audio:
- Surround Sound 5.1 English
Additional Release Material:
- Aleternate Endings
- Director's Commentary
- Featurette
- Trailers
- Deleted Scenes
- Previews
DVD Rom Features:
- Weblinks
Text/Photo Gallery:
- Photo Gallery
Reviews
A blunt instrument of a tale, with considerable emotional impact.
Sebastián Cordero puede respirar tranquilo. Ha seguido su impactante primera película Ratas, Ratones y Rateros con una aún mejor.
A riveting exploration of good and evil where the line between the two is unclear.
Nothing in this would-be thriller grabs you by the throat, never mind reaches down to your guts.
Leguizamo tackles his first Spanish-language role with considerable aplomb.
As good a commentary on our present media age as you're likely to find.
This suspenseful film and its star are as sharp as razors as they delve into the dark corners of life.
[Helmer] Cordero tries to humanize his monster and, as such, takes the wind out of Cronicas’s sails.
Ecuadoran filmmaker Sebastian Cordero certainly has style to burn and has some intriguing opinions on the news media, though he could have left out some of the more melodramatic plot elements.
What should be the movie's strength, the mano-a-mano psychological sparring between Manolo and Vinicio, fizzles out with a dispiriting and easily anticipated ending.
An ambitious social-commentary melodrama that works about half the time -- until it engages in the very behavior it sets out to condemn.
a gritty story about a reporter who gets carried away by his ego while he believes he is pursuing the greater good
Cordero paints his villain with more points to ponder than his protagonist.
We've seen this cautionary tale before, and the outcome, while chilling from an ethical perspective, is almost a foregone conclusion.
The hit-and-run destructiveness of the rapacious media is nothing new, but Cordero gives his cynical take a unique setting and a queasy climax.
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posted by Scott Weinberg November 09, 2005
It played in just over 100 theaters back in July, so you can be forgiven if you haven't heard a whole lot about...


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