Like Water for Chocolate

I would like to discuss the Magical realism depicted in the film Like Water for Chocolate. At first I could not really figure out how magical  realism would fit into this movie.  Then after Nacha dies she re-appears to tell Tita how to use the flowers that Pedro gave her to make a dish that is described as 'Nectar of the gods' by Pedro this is the first taste of Magic the viewer gets. Another scene were magical realism is shown is when Tita's love is put into her cooking which causes everyone to become unbearably horny, this happens again at her nieces wedding.  Then towards the end of the movie the mother dies and comes back to haunt Tita. The mother curses her own daughter and the unborn baby that she carries. Later the died mother comes back to haunt Tita again but Tita cast's her off by saying that she hates her. The mother then takes her evil out on Pedro by setting him on fire. The biggest portrayal of magical realism has to be where in the middle of the movie the Doctor talks about how everyone has matches inside them and these matches must be lit one at a time and can get damp and can dry out and blah blah but the main point emphasized was that the matches must never all be lit at one single moment of immense emotion.. but it turns out in the very last scene where Pedro and Tita finally get to have each other, Pedro dies after orgasm, symbolizing that all his matches went up in flame at the same time from having to wait so long for this moment, causing him to die. In an act of passion Tita chews up match ends causing her to burn alive from the inside and dieing along side her true love.
I thought this movie was great. It kept my attention the entire time and at one point i honestly forgot that I was watching a subtitled movie because I was so caught up in each scene.

Diarios de Motocicleta

Scenes that helped shape Ernesto's future include the one where he diagnosed the old man with a tumor on his neck. He could of just wrote it off as nothing since Ernesto knew it was in bad shape but instead he decided to be honest with the man and tell him the truth.  Then there was the sick woman who a young man wanted Ernesto to see. Ernesto realized that this woman was in her last days so he gave her some pills that I assumed would let her pass away more peacefully. He did not have to go see this woman and he did not have to treat her with any medicine but he did. Another scene is when "the mighty one" finally had its last day and broke down. The two men could have ended there journey right there and then and be defeated but instead Ernesto decided to take off on foot.  In a later scene the two men run into a couple in the dessert. The couple has no money or job so Ernesto gives them his American dollars that he was holding on to for another purpose. Then when Ernesto gets to the mine he sees how these people are treated and gets very upset. He tells the guards that the people are thirsty and need water, the guard gives him lip so he throws a rock at the mans truck knowing that he can't really do anything to help those people. In another scene Ernesto tells a Doctor what he really thinks about his new novel. He basically tells the man that it sucks straight out. Then Ernesto goes to San Pablo to help Lepers. This is a very powerful part of the movie and it finally pushes Ernesto to change for good. The entire journey/road trip as a whole changed Ernesto into the man he would become.  All of these scenes and situations showed Ernesto how much injustice there was in his country and he could not stand it. This was his drive to become a politician and make change.

As far as celebrations go, it seems like in South America you are required to dance at the parties. Dancing is the main theme at all of the parties and it is a public event. Everyone is invited and everyone is treated like family.

El Mariachi

There are a few Mexican Stereo types through out the movie. The first seen shows a tiny Mexican prison with only one guard and a few inmates. The scene depicts how easy it supposedly is to get out of a Mexican jail and just pay off the guard no questions asked. The movie made it seem like Mexico has a loose justice system and criminals go in and out as they see fit. Also the characters where typical Mexican stereo type casts with thick mustaches and dark skin. The characters also really seemed to enjoy beer , specifically Corona and they all just happened to own beater pick up trucks. The fact that they could walk out in the middle of the day and start a shoot out in public and just walk around with guns with no one having a care in the world was stereo typical to me.

 I do believe that bandido violence is commonly associated with Mexican culture. There are constant drug wars going on in the country and the movie played into that with basically the whole movie revolving around two drug dealers who had a money issue.
The statement " all he wants is to be a Mariachi" is ironic to me because no matter how hard the guy tried he was always pushed away from becoming a Mariachi. In the end his ability to play a guitar was taken away from him and he was finally forced to give it up for good.
The Mariachi is a man who wants to be like his ancestors and become one of the greatest Mariachi Mexico has ever seen.  The role of music is very important in this film. It not only gives the characters a sense of good and bad but also was the connection between the Mariachi and his family.

"MACHUCA"

These two boys meet through forced circumstances. Gonzalo goes to Saint Patrick's private school for boys and it is unknown where Pedro comes from or even if he went to school before his transfer to Saint Patrick's. Pedro and Gonzalo become friends after Pedro repeatedly sticks up for Gonzalo when a blond haired boy continues to pick on him. I think that because Pedro helped Gonzalo out in this way before they were even friends it really helped define what there relationship would eventually become which was buddies. I do not feel that either boy was hesitant to befriend one another because of the social and economical status difference in the beginning but I do think that they both started to become more aware of it as the film went on and in the end they both realized the different positions they were in. Being kids they both just wanted a pal to hang out with and did not think too much about there family background, skin color and economic status,I believe this is why it hit Gonzalo and Pedro so hard in the end when they realize that it's not as simple to be friends with some one in the upper class when you are lower class and vice versa.
The differences between the rich and the poor in Chile was clearly laid out in the film. The poor lived in huts while the rich lived in stylish apartments. The rich did not have to worry about where their next meal was coming from. The rich did not have as much to lose from the government change as the poor did. The rich had more time for leasure and less worries in general. The rich had a future to look forward to and the poor had no way of knowing if they would live to see the next year.
The main idea of this film was to give viewers an inside look at what went on in Chile during the 70's. It portrayed not only political struggle but also human struggle in regards to friendship and coming of age.  The message I took from it was that it is through struggle where one learns what they are truly capable of.
I enjoyed watching this movie, it was hard to screen the movie because I just wanted to sit back and watch it and actually take it in. I like how this movie looked at the political situation through the eyes of kids because most of the time the kids know right from wrong better then the adults do.