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Pinero [DVD]
 
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Pinero [DVD]

DVD ~ Benjamin Bratt
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
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Customers buy this item with Love in the Time of Cholera [DVD] [2007] DVD ~ Javier Bardem

Pinero [DVD] + Love in the Time of Cholera [DVD] [2007]

Product details

  • Actors: Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto
  • Directors: Leon Ichaso
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 18
  • Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
  • DVD Release Date: 28 Feb 2005
  • Run Time: 94 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0006VYECI
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 68,255 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

Reviews

Synopsis

Miguel Pinero was a New York City poet and playwright who wrote what he knew: a world of 'stabbing, shooting and dying'. This gritty, non-linear biographical film presents Pinero's dark charisma and even darker life in all it's angry glory. A junkie, a drug dealer, and a thief, Pinero (played by Benjamin Bratt) spent time in Sing-Sing prison, an experience which was the basis of his most famous play, SHORT EYES, which won the Tony award in 1974. Pinero also pioneered the spoken-word poetry (the forebearer to rap and hip-hop) of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, which he helped found. Mixing digital video in colour with 16mm film in black and white, the film creates a convincingly harsh and lively portrait of life on the mean streets of Lower East Side Manhattan in the 1970s and '80s. There were a number of people in Pinero's life who recognised his genius and tried to save him from self-destruction: his mother (Rita Moreno), theatre impresario Joseph Papp (Mandy Patinkin), and his longtime girlfriend (Talisa Soto). But the allure of crime and drugs won him over, and Pinero finally crashed and burned, dying young in 1988. This film is a passionate tribute to a passionate artist who remains an important Puerto Rican-American icon.

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2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Miguel Piñero, 150614, 14 Feb 2005
By Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   
After his father abandons his family, Miguel Piñero starts a journey that will take him through the lowest and highest points imaginable. Miguel was prayed upon by perverted adults in his childhood, became a drug addict, and ended committing a series of crimes and going to prison (prisoner 150614). During his stay in Sing Sing a visit by his mother urging him to make her proud motivates him to start writing a play about life in prison called Short Eyes, which will be his first step towards stardom.
Life after prison did not change much, he was successful as a poet and writer, but his personality made him return to his bad habits. His belief was that a painful and troubling life results in devotion to the truth, and therefore allowed him to write in such an exceptional way.

The movie shows the particular relationship Piñero had with some of his friends, two of which appear as particularly prominent, Miguel Algarin and Tito Goya; the former a professor at Rutgers, the latter a partner in crime and drugs. This also shows the duality that was present in other aspects of his life. There are several other manifestations on this duality throughout the movie, for example Miguel had a "stable" relationship with Sugar, his girlfriend, but he also had amorous relationships with other men.

The style in which the movie is presented corresponds well with the inner turmoil Piñero experienced. There is an interesting use of alternation between black and white and color scenes and the action keeps moving forward and backward in time without any clear array.

The performance given by Benjamin Bratt is extraordinary. I do not like this actor particularly, but in this case I have to acknowledge he fitted the role perfectly. He also performed extremely well in the parts in which it is required from him to recite poems.

This is an amazing movie and I think everyone should see it. Nevertheless, if you are uncomfortable with non-linear sequence in the action, or are not interested in the least in poetry, it would be better for you to skip it. On the contrary for those of you that have watched and enjoyed the show "Def Poetry" in the past, this movie will be memorable. The poem in the last scene will give you goose bumps and leave you breathless!

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A film to savour, 9 Oct 2006
By Mr. Cc Hayes (Norwich, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Biopics rarely do it for me, they almost always show there characters in a reverential light and are oftan full of cliches. Pinero doesn't follow that tried and tested formula as the subject of the biopic is beyond good and evil and beyond simple conclusions. The cinematography is superb and Leon Ichase creates a masterpiece using the bigraphical elements of his work which are mixed so effortlessly into the script. I hadn't heard of Pinero's work before I saw the fan but since I have gone out of my way to acquire as mach as possible. Benjaman Bratt pulls a performance out of the bag that is not only stunning but also goes a long way to redeem himself for his role in Miss Congeniality. This film is a must for anyone who loves poetry as Pinero was a world class wordsmith but also a must for anyone who wants to understand why self destruction leads to artistic creation.
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