Mis Peores Amigos (2013)/Promedio Rojo (2004)

Mis Peores Amigos is actually a pretty decent, lighthearted little comedy in which 3 friends reconnect after one falls ill and the others learn he only has weeks to live. The goal is to help him complete a bucket list they made in their teens, which also includes finding a leprechaun and traveling through time. 

 It is a direct sequel (albeit 10 years later) to Primera Roja, the film which first established the main characters and their motivations. In that one, the guys are just trying to survive high school when Roberto, the lead, falls in love with a girl who falls for the handsome bully instead. The same bully who torments him daily.  In between the two films, Roberto, has physically transformed himself from fat nerd to beefy architect and he's purposely left his friends/old life behind, and the reunion in Amigos is understandably frosty.

I didn't know Amores was a sequel until the end, where Netflix hit he with the "you might like these..." and it turned out to be the same story that was narrated and starred the same actors only younger. That was dope and watching these films back to back. I felt more invested in the characters.

This isn't something that's going to sit high on my list, but they are decent at the least. Like Terminator, I didn't know the first one existed until I saw the second,, but I enjoyed both either way.

 

Violence? Happens
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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Quick Hits #12

	Bad Boys (1995) - The original was a great flick. It was good to see Martin Lawrence and Will Smith team up. The action was good and the comedy in between those scenes kept us alert. If you notice, you'll see that Martin Lawrence received top billing...interesting. Out of Ten? 9
	Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) - Two brothers, who are separated when their parents split, find themselves on opposite sides of the law as adults. After a gang murder, they team up and reclaim their birthright. Dragon Tiger Gate is based on a comic book so the more absurd elements of the film are believable. The Fight scenes are okay but when they aren't fighting, the film offers nothing. There's so much drama between the fight scenes that it's waaaay to easy to lose interest. Out of Ten? 5
	Mandrill (2009) - After his parents are brutally killed in front of him, little Mandrill goes to live with his uncle who raises him like a son. When he asks about his father he is told that his father was like chilean action hero John Colt. From that day, little Mandrill grows up and lives his life in that manner. He eventually becomes a one named chilean badass assassin/secret agent on the hunt for revenge. There's no real way to explain the film. I went into this flick expecting nothing. But this movie was surprisingly good. I found it to be something like an exploitation Chilean Bond flick that is self aware of its cheese factor. The soundtrack is good as well. Out of Ten? 7.5
	Knocked Up (2007) - You know, I hadn't actually seen this flick from beginning to end. I decided to watch it the other day. Forgot how funny it is. Well rounded funny cast + Katherine Heigl as the hot chick and out of character celebrity cameos. Very enjoyable but time has shown that the magic of this flick would not be repeated. Out of Ten? 8
	Superbad (2007) - The movie that brought us McLovin, and we're all richer for it. Superbad was hilarious and It seems the cast and crew genuinely had a good time and enjoyed making this flick. That always makes a movie better. I don't think there's anyone who hasn't yet seen it, but if you haven't, go watch it now. Out of Ten? 10

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Mirage Man - 2007

A shy, inconspicuous man named Maco decides to become a self-made superhero when he gains national notoriety for unintentionally rescuing a television reporter from the clutches of two dangerous criminals.

Running along the streets at night, Marco Gutierrez comes across a burglary in progress. Inside of the house, he spots one of the robbers as he prepares to rape a woman. At the top of the movie, we learn that his parents died in a rape n rob so flashing back to that, he uses his pent up anger to destroy the thieves.
After watching and getting inspired by the report of his heroic work, he decides to become a superhero. After finally settling on an outfit, shit gets real and the crimefighting begins. Mirageman is saving the day and dude is fucking cats up along the way.

After his attempt to rescue a girl from a gang of pedophiles goes awry, Mirageman disappears to regroup after the reality of his "work" hits him. (ie shit got a bit too real and he got fucked up.) Out of the game for three weeks, the public's initial dismissal becomes concern. After getting the very public message that his lady was abducted, he returns to the game and wrecks shop as he goes to rescue her. Once his identity is threatened in the process, he receives a helping hand from a man who believes in him and implores him not to quit. Getting back to work, he vows to solve the pedophile case that nearly ruined him earlier. Since this is a gang of pedophiles, and considering his history with them, he's allowed to get a bit more violent and he does. Killing nearly every one them along the way to save the kidnapped girl and save the day and in true superhero fashion, the door is left wide open for a sequel.

Mirageman is a solid flick. Not only did it manage to ground the modern day vigilante mythos, it also managed to find the right balance between the action, comedic and dramatic elements.They even managed to include the "trying on costumes" and "coming up with a good name" part of superhero films. It was kinda like a Chilean Spiderman film and they even make a joke about it at one point.

Marko Zaror. 

Remember this face. If he ever blows up, I want you to say that you heard about him here first.
Out of Ten? 7

Violence? Yes
Explosions? No
Nudity? No

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