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2010, 04-02:
Review of film: "VALENTINO" = Report # 02 on LATINO Film Festival's Opening Day
April 1st marked the official start of the 27th annual LATINO FILM FESTIVAL in Chicago...
While some people were attending the special Opening Nite party at the AMC River East 21 for the Argentine film "NO RETURN", I went to the LANDMARK CENTURY CENTRE to see the beginning of screenings there...
... As you can see in the photos below, the balconies were festooned with flags from various of the Latino nations represented at the Festival...
... The Festival was happy to have a number of VOLUNTEERS helping out at the theater, such as CARLOS, NATHANIEL & IVETTE (shown below)...
... They passed out "Audience Choice" voting ballots, which also gave people the chance to win tickets on American Airlines (one of the "Platinum" sponsors of the Fest) to any point they serve in the continental U.S., the Caribbean or Mexico...
... Also helping out at the "Box Office" table were volunteers and some employees from the Latino Cultural Center organization (including Carol, Johnny & Deborah, as pictured below)...
... The first movie I saw was the only ANIMATED feature at this year's Festival, a Peruvian film [from 2007] named "VALENTINO" ...
... It was preceded by a 5-minute animated short film from Venezuela called "THE DUEL" / "EL DUELO" by JESÚS BARRIOS. In a "politically incorrect" fashion, it featured an "Old West" type of main street "GUN FIGHT" shoot-out between a cow and a pig, + "intervention" by an unexpected "3rd party"... It was decently done...
... Following it was a 1-minute short from Argentina called "AT THE OPERA", by JUAN PABLO ZARAMELLA. It brought some laughs at the way the "audience" in the film kept expressing its emotions by heavy crying, which "flooded" the opera boxes...
... Next came "VALENTINO" (directed by DAVID BISBANO). I never tend to think of Peru as having a very active film industry, much less people who could make an effective animation film-- but, here it was!...
... The story revolves initially around a group of DOGS belonging to what they themselves call the "CAN Clan" (because of how they search for food among garbage cans in the area)...
.... One of the members, "Bones", sees a yellow puppy left by someone in a basket on some railroad tracks, and rushes to SAVE the pup from an oncoming train. Afterwards, he & the others decide to name the pooch "Valentino"...
... Valentino grows up and happily joins the others in scouring the neighborhood for FOOD from various of the vendors around the area... Valentino likes to lounge on an old couch while laying on his back, & doesn't seem very "ambitious" at first...
... But, seeing an ad, he decides he wants to become a MAGICIAN, and strives to do that... Sadly, the other dogs he pals around with are captured by a dog-catcher and taken away at one point...
... Undaunted, Valentino finds some friendly people at a CIRCUS and works to join them... He visits a "Mysterious" man in the forest to get some special abilities to do tricks, and the circus starts to do well (until "competition" arises)... Eventually, the other dogs return to the area...
... The animation is unusually WELL-DONE and colorful, with very definitive "personalities" to the well-drawn & accurately-"moving" dogs and other characters (such as an elephant, a parrot and people)...
... There's even a little sort of "homage" to the classic "LADY & THE TRAMP" film, in the way Valentino and a female dog friend "share" spaghetti & meatballs...
... It's charming, humorous and comparatively "sophisticated" for a "3rd world" animation effort, & I give it 7.5 out of 10 stars...
... The film is scheduled to play once more, at 1:15 PM on Sunday, April 3rd at the LANDMARK CENTURY theatre...
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