Films

santeria

Director: Benny Mathews

Screenwriter: Benny Mathews

Genre: Horror

In 2004, after receiving a phantom Eucharist, nine-year-old Ricky Banda, his cousin Sara and his aunt Leti become trapped in their house, held hostage and terrorized by a phantom force. At the end of the ordeal, only one remained....

Review

What a treat from the “don’t judge it by its box art” department. Santeria is a blast; very well produced, intelligently conceived, completely engrossing from start to finish and really, really creepy. It is so rewarding to see filmmakers relying on that so often overlooked creative tool known as the brain. While the film is certainly impressive visually and demonstrates technical mastery of cinematic technique, the real star here is the psychological powers that went into creating such an effective, haunting piece. This is that rare thing in horror films of late, a character driven story where many the chills come from the experience of watching people dealing with internal issues rather than Jason Vorhees or Freddy Krueger types. A complicated plot involves supernatural and/or religious elements that ultimately lead to at least one mysterious death and an even more puzzling disappearance. It is this confusion about what might or might not be going on with these characters and their various approaches to the situation that makes Santeria so entertaining on both the visceral horror movie level and that more intellectual place where audiences will have to figure out not only what is happening in the story, but how to avoid having it happen to them. So, put aside all notions of going to Exorcist or Omen territory, dust off the old thinking cap and sit down to enjoy a true gem, both provocative and scary.

-- David Greenberg

where's the party Yaar

Review: ‘Where’s the Party Yaar?’

Scott Foundas

Chief Film Critic@foundasonfilm

SEPTEMBER 7, 2003 | 07:38PM PT

Abroad ethnic comedy, is the most affable and endearing of the recent wave of films about Indian immigrants assimilating in the West. Filmmakers show real affection for the characters; they're not just pawns in the clash between traditional Indian and Western cultural values.

Abroad ethnic comedy, “Where’s the Party Yaar?” is the most affable and endearing of the recent wave of films about Indian immigrants assimilating in the West. Filmmakers show real affection for the characters; they’re not just pawns in the clash between traditional Indian and Western cultural values. Opening Sept. 5 in a half-dozen major markets, with expansion scheduled over subsequent weeks, pic will struggle for anything beyond a niche audience in crowded fall marketplace. Niche recognition, however, should be high: Producer Sunil Thakkar is also the impresario behind a popular South Asian radio program widely broadcast in the U.S.

Hari Patel (Sunil Malhotra) arrives in the suburbs of Houston, where he is to stay with family friends while attending grad school at a local university. Before leaving India, Hari was told by a revered guru that, in America, he will meet the girl of his dreams, she will literally fall into his arms, and her name will begin with the letter P.

But before that can happen, Hari, with his horrendous clothes and greasy comb-over hairdo, will need to learn a thing or two. And he’ll learn quickly if his fast-talking, ultra-American and way-too-cool-for-school “cousin” (actually, the son of his hosts) Mohan, played by Kal Penn, has his way.

Geeta in Paradise

Director: Benny Mathews

Screenwriter: Benny Mathews

Genre: comedy

Geeta in Paradise is a comic meditation about Bollywood and the effect Indian cinema has on one particularly lonely and bored Waxahachie housewife name Geeta. When her muse (and fantasy lover), Karan Mohair – the hottest and most successful Indian Director in creation – comes to town, Geeta feels it is their destiny to be together. But, because of Karan’s rather snobby attitude towards his admirers, Geeta is forced to kidnap the unsuspecting and super-cute visionary just to get his attention. She decides to hold him prisoner in her garage until he realizes how much he loves and needs her. Karan, obviously, is not thrilled with the sudden (slightly Bollywood) turn of events. Strapped to a lawnmower and forced to pee into a bottle, Karan is determined to prevent Geeta from getting into his head –in spite of how passionate she feels about his movies.

Geeta is a feverish celebration of 80’s camp-nostalgia, the elegant film oeuvre of the beautiful Salma Agaha, bad taste, demented song and dance numbers, and the desire within regular people to have their own faces on movie posters. Geeta’s cast of bizarre dreamers, caught up in their own delirious desire for self-fulfillment, despite the hefty cost, will make audiences laugh uncontrollably, cry buckets, and afraid to go to their homes without a police escort. In the end, the viewers are left shocked and wondering; are some wishes are better left un-granted?

Thanks for a Lovely Dinner