Frida

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: POSITIVE ELEMENT: "Frida" was filled with lush color that appropriately complemented the "painter" theme. For example, the scene after the bus accident where she is laying on the floor covered with shimmering gold dust was very well presented.

NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
NUDITY- There was plenty of nudity in this film, which was distastefully approached.
LANGUAGE- The script was poorly composed. There was plenty of bad language and much of what was said was self contradicting. For example, in the movie, Diego states that he cannot promise to be faithful to Frida but he will be loyal. Also, when Diego cheats on Frida, Frida states that its her fault.
SEXUAL CONTENT- Much of the film contained sex scenes. It seemed as though when one finished another began. These scenes shown were not tastefully portrayed, rather, they were poorly presented. The scene where Frida is intimate with another woman was absolutely unnecessary. If the producers wanted to show that Frida was bisexual, then they should have insinuated it rather than display such a sinful act.
OTHER: It seems as though the negative qualities of the heroine of the film were concentrated on more so than the positive. Although her paintings were majestically shown, her character was of a drinker,an atheist, an adultress, and a bisexual.

OVERALL: Although the vibrant color and still scenes of Frida were well presented, the negative elements far outweigh the positive. When I went to see this film, a few people actually left the theatre during the film when the distasteful sex scenes were shown. As I left the theatre, many were remarking on their disappointment towards the film. Their disappointment, as well as mine, was largely due to the distasteful manner in which the film was presented.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE!
Review: This is such a GREAT MOVIE! Do not pay attention to Mexican reviewers with bad intentions, It is incredible how envious is the Mexican people; they can't bear the fact that an actress from their own country succeeded in a great project of her own... shame on you Mexico. The movie is just incredible, the visual concept, the costumes, the performances, the music, the whole movie is full with passion! I highly recommend it. I'm not fond of Frida's paintings, but this is a movie, a great one, and I was so amazed when I first saw it. It's the product of so much hard work from Salma and her team. I specially enjoyed the part of the little skeleton doctors, animated by stop-motion at the hospital scene. Those are typical handcrafts in Mexico, and it was a very interesting detail on the movie. By the way, I'm Mexican.

Rating:
Summary: A Hispanic girl
Review: I know some poeple might be shocked to know that a girl my age would see a R-rated movie like Frida, but let me just say that it was probably the best movie I have seen this year. When my mother saw this movie, she really liked it, and I got interested and read a biography on Frida. I got really interested after that and begged my skeptical mom to let me see it. She finally agreed, and like I said before, I saw one of my favorite movies ever. She was an amazing women, and overcame so much pain to become a great artist. She was one of the most original women ever. Some of the parts were a little weird, but the special effects were phenomenal. Salma Hayek was stunning as Frida, and deserved to win Best Actress at the Oscars. To the person who said that they saw Salma play Salma, not Salma playing Frida: I saw Frida being portrayed by an supurb actress who played the role better than any other(Madonna wanted to play Frida!). One last thing: Alfred Molina deserved an Oscar nomination for his performance and the whole movie deserved a best picture nomination, though of course those who are racists wouldn't stand for that. All in all, a great Hispanic movie. To Frida!

Rating:
Summary: A good introduction to Frida Kahlo, her life and her work
Review: Frida is a movie my wife wanted to see, she spent 10 years in Mexico and admires the work of Kahlo. I was a bit reluctant to see it, but last night we finally saw it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the life and work of an artist portraited in Frida. Her life, her work, Mexico, all got the attention needed to give a feeling for who Frida Kahlo must have been. The movie allows you to have a little more understanding of the work of Frida Kahlo. Through the use of sparse FX and some very fine photography the imagination, experiences and vision of Frida Kahlo are shown transformed into her paintings.

Salma Hayek and Molina are the couple Kahlo/Rivera that go through the ups and downs of their relationship.

If you like to see a good movie about life, both suffering and joy, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and just a first impression of Mexico, go see this movie.

Rating:
Summary: As expected: Great DVD features from Julie Taymor!
Review: When I saw all the features of this 2-DVD set I got so excited about getting this movie! I own Julie Taymor's TITUS and the DVD (also 2-DVD) is wonderful to watch, and I mean, not only the movie but all of the extras. She's really genius when it comes to elaborate a set and a scene; one gets to feel a balance of elements united by dialogue. FRIDA is no exception, I was happy to learn.
The movie is a great visual journey and its plot is decisively an intense love story. I don't think this movie needed to make a political statement about what Mexico was like 5 or 6 decades ago, as many critics in Mexico have complained. It's the kind of movie that invites you to enjoy beauty and relate to love in all the ways it moves us.
I'm so sad that so many Mexicans have demonized Salma Hayek and her movie when it's really a great example of what perseverance and discipline can achieve. (Two things I'm sure these people lack of)
I can't wait to see the interviews with Chavela Vargas (Salma's girlfriend, as they playfully call eachother) and with Julie Taymor. This DVD will absolutely be part of my collection as soon as it is available!

Rating:
Summary: As a Mexican I'm mad
Review: This is an awful movie of the life of one of the best painters of Mexico. This is because Salma is playing Salma not Frida. If you really want to see a really good movie about this painter watch "Frida, Naturaleza viva" with Ofelia Medina it's in spanish but you can find it with english subtitles.

Rating:
Summary: Salma Hayek becomes a real actress in this fantastic film!!!
Review: Salma Hayek recieved a well deserved academy award nomination for her fierce performance as the artist Frida Kahlo. It took her many years to get this film made and it was worth the wait. Frida Kahlo had a bus accident that shattered her entire life and would continue to pain her throughout her life. She then met and married Diego Rivera, a fellow artist. She felt she could change his cheating ways, but in the end couldn't, and when she realized this she went into a downward spiral. Then, towards the end of her life she realized that painting was her one true love in life and she becomes a sensation. Of coarse Diego comes back to her because they were meant for each other. The music is fantastic and the costumes are to die for. Alfred Molina deserved an Oscar nomination, but didn't get one. The rest of the supporting cast is brilliant, especially Valeria Golina and Ashley Judd. Salma Hayek and Julie Taymor [director] are at their personal best. It's a shame Salma never recieved a single award for her performance. She has recieved my award though. She was just flat out amazing. I have to admit before I saw this film I didn't think she could really act, but then I saw this film and she just exploded on the screen. Keep up the good work Salma.
WINNER OF 2 ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST MAKEUP, BEST SCORE
NOMINATED FOR 4 MORE OSCARS: BEST SONG "BURN IT BLUE", BEST COSTUME DESIGN, BEST ART DIRECTION-SET DECORATION AND
BEST ACTRESS-MISS. SALMA HAYEK [SHOULD HAVE WON]

Rating:
Summary: Frida..Full of courage, depth and passion
Review: This movie was absolutely breathtaking. It is very worthwile seeing Salma Hayek potray such a heartfelt story. I felt all of her emotions so deeply. Frida's highs and lows were so vivid with Salma's performance. It made me relive my passion for Art.I fully recommend it. It is very apparent why this movie was Oscar nominated.

Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: NOT A GOOD MOVIE
Review: Me as a Mexican it's awful to see how a mediocre mexican actrees tries to represent the lofe of one of the greatest painters in Mexico. When I saw the movie I saw Salma playing Salma not Salma playing Frida. Also the story it's awful, I saw some comments comming from Diegos daighter and she says that she hates this movie because it's not the true.
Don't watse your time and money buying this DVD, if you want search for "Frida, Naturaleza viva" or " Frida, lived life" with Ofelia Medina that's a great movie and a real one.

Rating:
Summary: a passionate women, lover, wife, artist, cripple, radical
Review: From the top it is a love story, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
We meet Frida as a high school student just before a tragic and life-changing bus accident which leaves her in constant pain for the rest of her life.
Diego is perhaps 20 years her senior, is already a successful mural painter. divorced and bedding anyone with big breasts.

But what makes it a extraordinary movie is that the director tries to capture the essence of Frida and her art with the movie itself. Pieces are animated and sequences built around her particular paintings. The technic draws the watcher into the artisitic world far better than a strict narrative. Nicely done and effective, somehow he communicates to me, an absolute anti-art idiot, through the media some of the essential Frida.

The movie is a riot of color, everywhere, from the changing colors of her dresses, the walls of her home (his is red, hers is blue?, with a skybridge joining them), to the colors of the scarves she braids into her hair. Like color the move is full of sex, straight sex, lesbian sex, sex with models, sexy dances, breasts in murals, naked models, Frida as pain wracked in a body cast but sexy.... Then we have politics, Trotsky, Mexican revolutionaries, comrades singing late into the night, protest parades.
And passionate drinking, and dancing, and flower gardens. lust all the way down....

But this is all secondary to PASSION. sex, hungry pushy grabby horny sex but not so much as animal lust followed by exhaustion but sex as symptomatic, as pointing to; the real passion for life, despite the pain, despite a unfaithful husband ("you were never a husband to me") who knew only loyalty to his painting. That is what the movie is about. The passion of a women- Frida Kahlo- in love with life as few people ever are. Most of us are blobs, pieces of animated meat, seldom rising above the level of sentience to trackle the big questions. That is the theme of the movie, to communicate this passion for life that effected everyone around her. Certainly built around her relationship with Diego, with storm and tears, tender late life hugging to temper tantrums galore, always colored by her (and his) art. Walls full of art, from a picture of a young Mao to a mural destroyed because of Lenin's face within it.

The big questions: relationship of art to real life, Mexican unjustice and unequal distribution of wealth and therefore opportunities, the right to sensual pleasure free of constraints, the relationship of one woman to one man. This are touched on, but peripherally, even with the affair with Trotsky, it is her passion that draws people to her bed, figuratively and literally.

Art communicates differently than does science. Art doesn't use words the same way as prose; straightforward, literal, linear, logical. Rather Art is like poetry; confused, non linear, non verbal, expressive, colorful, sexy, progressive, emotional. The movie, like the woman, is artist(ic). It hits you in a different place than does thinking about something, for it is about identifying with someone, understanding them. I could read a biography of Frida, i might even be able to page through a book of her paintings, but i don't think i would have the same feelings afterwards as i have now having seen the movie. Logic and reason are not the only ways of knowledge, words and books are not the only way to transmit information, this movie shows another way: emotional, raw, images, feeling for someone. Certainly i know these things are manipulated to create a movie, but underneath the need to sell tickets, for the director to get his next movie and his next paycheck, is a bigger, more important issue of what it means to be human. what it means to let out the things inside, to express the creatively, the desire, the needs, the passion inside. And that is the genius of this movie, true to Frida's real personality or not, it shows, and better yet, allows us to experience one special woman's life. Thanks.

Go see the movie. it's a good one.