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Movie Reviews and Ratings

Inkheart
Jack Rico
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2009/01/20 at 12:00am

Reviews

Inkheart

01.20.2009 | By |

Rated: PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.
Release Date: 2009-01-23
Starring: David Lindsay-Abaire
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Official Website: http://www.inkheartmovie.com/

Go to our film page

Inkheart

Brendan Fraser’s new family adventure film ‘Inkheart’ has no heart at all, just ink on 120 pages of a script. The concept and premise are alluring, but it never delivers more than a basic and elemental movie experience. Instead of engaging the senses, the film only provides apathy. In addition, the film targets infant and juvenile audiences, but makes no excuses in its exclusion of adults. Parents beware, you are going to have a hard time maintaining any interest after the first 15 minutes.

The story focuses on a young girl (Eliza Hope Bennett) who discovers that her father (Brendan Fraser) has an amazing talent to bring literature characters to life and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt (Helen Mirren), and a storybook’s hero (Paul Bettany).

The acting is neither uproarious nor dreadful, just bland. Fraser gives you the ol’ nice guy acting he consistently does well, young newcomer Bennett shows potential and Mirren and Bettany are too good for the film – and it is noticeable.

The demise of ‘Inkheart’ comes at the misuse of its premise, the director Iain Softley could have trounced us with creativity, it also manipulated the laws of storytelling to suit the story’s shortcomings and the it had the inconsistencies of a stale and uninspired script.

It’s interesting to note, the movie’s message is to have us indulge in the journey of our imagination, but all it achieves is to be lifeless and forgettable.

Early Review: ‘Inkheart’
Jack Rico
0

By

2009/01/20 at 12:00am

Movies

Early Review: ‘Inkheart’

01.20.2009 | By |

Early Review: 'Inkheart'

Brendan Fraser’s new family adventure film ‘Inkheart’ has no heart at all, just ink on 120 pages of a script. The concept and premise are alluring, but it never delivers more than a basic and elemental movie experience. Instead of engaging the senses, the film only provides apathy. In addition, the film targets infant and juvenile audiences, but makes no excuses of including adults. Parents beware, you are going to have a hard time maintaining any interest after the first 15 minutes.

The story focuses on a young girl (Eliza Hope Bennett) who discovers that her father (Brendan Fraser) has an amazing talent to bring literature characters to life and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt (Helen Mirren), and a storybook’s hero (Paul Bettany).

The acting is neither uproarious nor dreadful, just bland. Fraser gives you the ol’ nice guy acting he consistently does well, young newcomer Bennett shows potential and Mirren and Bettany are too good for the film – and it is noticeable.

The demise of ‘Inkheart’ comes at the misuse of its premise – the director Iain Softley could have trounced us with creativity – the deliberate manipulation of the laws of storytelling to suit the story’s shortcomings and the inconsistencies of a stale and uninspired script.

It’s interesting to note, the movie’s message is to have us indulge in the journey of our imagination, but all it achieves is to be lifeless and forgettable.

‘Paul Blart’ tops at box office!
Pau Brunet
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2009/01/19 at 12:00am

Movies

‘Paul Blart’ tops at box office!

01.19.2009 | By |

'Paul Blart' tops at box office!

Sony’s Kevin James laffer “Paul Blart Mall Cop” debuted to an estimated $33.8 million from 3,144 runs in another boom session at the domestic B.O. that saw unexpectedly strong results across the board.

The Martin Luther King. Jr. holiday weekend was up a whopping 31% over last year, and that was only for Friday through Sunday. Studios can look forward to more good business on Monday.

Like “Mall Cop,” Lionsgate’s horror pic “My Bloody Valentine 3-D” and Fox release “Notorious” overperformed in their openings

“Valentine” — the widest 3-D release to date — grossed an estimated $21.9 million from 1,033 3-D locations and 1,501 conventional runs to narrowly beat “Notorious” for third place, according to Rentrak.

“Notorious,” a biopic of slain rap artist Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G., grossed an estimated $21.5 million from 1,638 theaters to post the best per-location average — $13,126 — of the weekend. Film was distributed by Fox but produced and marketed by Fox Searchlight. Opening is the biggest ever for the specialty unit.

Warner Bros.’ holdover sleeper hit “Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, gunned past “Valentine” and “Notorious” to come in second. Film declined a mere 25% to an estimated $22.2 million in its second weekend in wide release for a cume of $73.2 million.

The other new wide release was Paramount’s family comedy “Hotel for Dogs,” which also came in ahead of expectations with an estimated $17.7 million from 3,271 to place No. 5. Pic was produced by DreamWorks.

Paramount prexy of distribution Jim Tharp said “Hotel for Dogs” could ultimately do three or four times its opening number thanks to the long holiday weekend. Same applies to the other new releases.

“Certainly, ‘Hotel for Dogs’ came in at the top end of anyone’s expectations,” Tharp said.

On the specialty side, Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” enjoyed a noticeable bump from its Golden Globe wins.

The year-earlier sesh wasn’t weak: Par’s high-profile “Cloverfield” debuted to $40.1 million for the three days and Fox’s “27 Dresses” opened at $23 million. Rather, more films this year did more biz.

Even titles with overlapping auds managed to find their groove. “Mall Cop” and “Hotel for Dogs” both vied for families, although “Mall Cop” generally played to older kids.

“Ultimately, we got everybody,” Sony worldwide prexy of distribution Rory Bruer said.

“Mall Cop” is a victory for James, as it’s the first feature he’s toplined. Comedy was produced by Adam Sandler’s production shingle Happy Madison and cost $26 million to produce. Sony believes the film could hit $40 million by midnight on Monday.

Produced for under $15 million, “Valentine” should bring strong returns for Lionsgate. Most 3-D fare has been family or teen fare, such as “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour.”

Lionsgate said 3-D runs turned in revenues four times greater than conventional runs, thanks to higher ticket prices.

“This is the first time horror fans have gotten something in 3-D,” Lionsgate prexy of distribution Steve Rothenberg said, speaking of the digital iteration of the format. “Notorious,” produced for under $20 million and starring Jamal Woolard as Wallace, crossed over beyond its key demo, according to Fox. Film played slightly more to men.

Fox said the big surprise was that 40% of the audience was under age 25, even though Wallace — also known as Biggie Smalls — was killed more than a decade ago.

“He is a cultural icon that has touched a nerve and resonated with younger auds, proving the impact he’s had on the landscape,” Chris Aronson said.

Among the producers of “Notorious” is Sean Combs.

Elsewhere on the top 10 chart, Fox’s femme comedy “Bride Wars” declined only 44% in its second frame to an estimated $11.8 million from 3,228. Cume is $37.6 million in the pic’s 10th day in release.

Universal/Rogue Picture’s horror title “The Unborn” dipped a respectable 50% in its second weekend to an estimated $9.8 million from 2,359 for a cume of $33.1 million.

Ed Zwick’s drama “Defiance,” a Paramount Vantage release, placed No. 8 as it went wide. Film grossed an estimated $9.2 million from 1,789; cume is $9.5 million.

Christmas hit “Marley and Me,” from Fox, grossed an estimated $6.3 million from 2,952 runs for a cume of $132.7 million in its fourth sesh.

Exclusive! ‘Cantinflas’ producer Jay Weisleder talks cast, premise and a 2010 release
Jack Rico
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By

2009/01/19 at 12:00am

Movies

Exclusive! ‘Cantinflas’ producer Jay Weisleder talks cast, premise and a 2010 release

01.19.2009 | By |

Exclusive! 'Cantinflas’ producer Jay Weisleder talks cast, premise and a 2010 release

Just last week, Variety announced that NBC Chairman and President Ben Silverman was going to executive produce the biopic of ‘Cantinflas,’ the most famous comedian in Mexico’s history. Since not much was said, we had to get in contact with Jay Weisleder, a 34 year old Costa Rican Jewish producer and brainchild behind bringing the comedian’s life to the big screen, to expand on the details of the project.

We called him on his cell phone while he was in Los Angeles and here’s what we were able to obtain and print on record:

– The lead for the film is unknown and they will not be looking for potential lead actors until Alejandro Monteverde, the co-writer and director, finishes developing the script. Four years ago they had in mind Diego Luna, Wilmer Valderrama, John Leguizamo and Gael Garcia Bernal to play the role. When we probed Weisleder about Leguizamo, he said he saw ‘Paraiso Travel’ and enjoyed his performance in it and that he would love to sit with him and other potential candidates in the near future. His criteria, though not strict, has him nailing down a Mexican actor which is why we think he is leaning towards Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. Since Gael is the stronger actor of the two, we’ll assume he’s their #1 desired candidate. On the female front, Natalie Portman, Rachel McAdams, Scarlett Johansson are being thought of as possible co-stars.

 

– The synopsis has been a kept secret from the press due to the delicate, sensitive nature of the script. We were conveyed the whole plot line, but were asked, off the record, to not print any verbiage of it. What we can tell you is that most of the story will be focused around two characters and a possible third one, a female. It will also explore self discovery, responsibility, a coming of age theme and an intense family transgression. As soon as we get the ok, we will posting up more info about the film in the upcoming weeks.

– The movie will be spoken in Spanish with some scenes in English and they’ll be shooting for a 2010 Mexican/US production release under, perhaps, a Universal Pictures distribution.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cantinflas’ work, here’s a snippet of his acting from ‘Around the World in 80 Days’

We want to get more of your feedback on the casting process and see if you have better ideas on who should be playing Cantinflas. Stay webbed!

Saw V
Jack Rico
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By

2009/01/19 at 12:00am

DVD ReviewsReviews

Saw V

01.19.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, language and brief nudity.
Release Date: 2008-10-24
Starring: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.saw5.com/site/index.html

 Go to our film page

 

SAW V is the worst film in the franchise’s history, yet it’s disturbing, gory, parody of itself maintains an appeal like no other in its ilk. Bad acting, a ‘horror’ of a script dialogue, all add to the mystique of why we as a collective mass of movie goers flock to films of this nature.

Jigsaw is dead and Detective Strahm is trying to get to the bottom of who is continuing his deranged games.

SAW movies are no longer frightening, they are just living off of their reputation from the first two. Director David Hackl reduces the bloodshed compared to it’s previous incarnations and in this fifth installment he delivers more of a character driven feature, leaving us more time to be engaged by the actor’s skills – why would you put us through such a thing!?

Nevertheless, the inventiveness of how to kill people is amped in this sequel; from homemade nail bombs to guillotine contraptions.

If you’re looking for a fright, save your money on SAW 5 and rent The Strangers on DVD. That has more of what you’re looking for. It was created to scare the skin off of you through a slow build of suspense that keeps you screaming to the very end.

Finally! Watchmen will be seen in March
Jack Rico
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By

2009/01/16 at 12:00am

Movies

Finally! Watchmen will be seen in March

01.16.2009 | By |

Finally! Watchmen will be seen in March

Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over “Watchmen,” with the studios scheduled to present a settlement to Judge Gary Feess this morning and request that the case be dismissed.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the deal is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film’s boxoffice grosses; Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it co-own the “Watchmen” property, but it will share in revenue derived from it. The studios released a joint statement last night.

“Warner Bros. acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography,” the statement read. “Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith defending against those claims.”

Fox sued Warners in February, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure proper rights to “Watchmen” from Fox before shopping the project and setting it up at Warners.

Feess’ decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.

Gordon is not a party to the case, but Warners is said to be after the producer and his attorneys to reimburse the studio for costs of the settlement. During the litigation, Gordon’s then-attorney admitted that he negotiated the producer’s 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a 1991 agreement on which Fox based its lawsuit.

The showdown between studios became particularly nasty during recent weeks, with Gordon and the film’s other producer, Lloyd Levin,  lashing out at Fox for making a claim on the film.

But with the dispute settled, the statement took a positive tone: “Warner Bros. and Fox, like all ‘Watchmen’ fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film’s March 6 release in theaters.”

Steve McQueen film in the works
Mack Chico
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By

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Steve McQueen film in the works

01.15.2009 | By |

Steve McQueen film in the works

Producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters are bringing a Steve McQueen biopic to the bigscreen.

The pair have acquired the rights to Marshall Terrill’s biography “Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel.” Project will likely land at Paramount, where Cerenzie-Peters Prods. has a first-look deal.

Project will primarily chronicle McQueen’s Hollywood career, which began in 1956 when the Indiana native got his break in the pic “Somebody Up There Likes Me.”

Cerenzie and Peters are producing alongside Brian Oliver and Chuck Rock of Arthaus Prods.

Tome, which was published in paperback in October, also delves into McQueen’s offscreen penchant for motorcycles, fast cars and drugs. Project will examine his three marriages, including his stormy relationship with Ali McGraw, as well as his battle against lung cancer.

Cerenzie has secured the cooperation of McQueen’s widow, Barbara Minty.

Cerenzie and Peters are close to attaching a director to the project.

Cerenzie, who most recently produced the Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” has several films set up with Peters including the crime drama “Black Mass,” which is also being produced by Arthaus.

Peters (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”) is producing “The Friday Night Knitting Club” at Universal with Julia Roberts attached to star.

Official BAFTA nominations list
Mack Chico
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By

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Official BAFTA nominations list

01.15.2009 | By |

Official BAFTA nominations list

This is Bafta’s best year by far, and there isn’t a major studio in the world that doesn’t know it. The British are creating the best independent films in the world, and for the first time in its long history of pure envy the British Academy can cock a snook at its far more glamorous American counterpart. You don’t need to be Barry Norman to work out that the big films fighting for the top honours at the Bafta awards on February 8 will also be walking up the aisle two weeks later in Los Angeles.

Penelope Cruz was nominated again, making her chances to be nominated at the Oscar’s even better. I did scour the internet and got the complete list of BAFTA nominees. Here you go:

 

 

 

 

BEST FILM

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTOR

  • Clint Eastwood, Changeling
  • David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
  • Stephen Daldry, The Reader
  • Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Joel and Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading
  • J. Michael Straczynski, Changeling
  • Philippe Claudel, I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
  • Dustin Lance Black, Milk

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
  • David Hare, The Reader
  • Justin Haythe, Revolutionary Road
  • Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

LEADING ACTOR

  • Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
  • Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Sean Penn, Milk
  • Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

LEADING ACTRESS

  • Angelina Jolie, Changeling
  • Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Meryl Streep, Doubt
  • Kate Winslet, The Reader
  • Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
  • Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
  • Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
  • Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Amy Adams, Doubt
  • Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
  • Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading
  • Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

MUSIC

  • Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, The Dark Knight
  • Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Mamma Mia!
  • A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Thomas Newman, Wall-E

CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

EDITING

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Frost/Nixon
  • In Bruges
  • Slumdog Millionaire

PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Revolutionary Road
  • Slumdog Millionaire

COSTUME DESIGN

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Duchess
  • Revolutionary Road

SOUND

  • Changeling
  • The Dark Knight
  • Quantum of Solace
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Wall-E

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • Iron Man
  • Quantum of Solace

MAKE UP & HAIR

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Duchess
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

  • Hunger
  • In Bruges
  • Mamma Mia!
  • Man on Wire
  • Slumdog Millionaire

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

  • The Baader Meinhof Complex
  • Gomorrah
  • I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Persepolis
  • Waltz With Bashir

ANIMATED FILM

  • Persepolis
  • WALL-E
  • Waltz With Bashir

SHORT ANIMATION

  • Codswallop
  • Varmints
  • Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
(For special achievement by a British director, writer or producer for their first feature film.)

  • Simon Chinn, producer; Man on Wire
  • Judy Craymer, producer; Mamma Mia!
  • Garth Jennings, writer; Son of Rambow
  • Steve McQueen, director/writer; Hunger
  • Solon Papadopoulos, Roy Boulter, producers; Of Time and the City

SHORT FILM

  • Kingsland #1 The Dreamer
  • Love You More
  • Ralph
  • September
  • Voyages D’affaires (The Business Trip)

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

  • Michael Cera
  • Noel Clarke
  • Michael Fassbender
  • Rebecca Hall
  • Toby Kebbell
Shalim Ortiz’s new movie is #1 on TV
Jack Rico
0

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

Movies

Shalim Ortiz’s new movie is #1 on TV

01.14.2009 | By |

Shalim Ortiz's new movie is #1 on TV

“Sssshhhhhhh…” Shalim Ortiz, an international star, and one of the bright young stars of the hit TV show, ‘Heroes’ in Season 2, was recently given some good news this week: his new TV movie “Expecting a Miracle” on the Hallmark Channel on January 10th, ranked as the #1 cable program of the night, #1 cable movie of the week, and boosted the family-friendly network to rank #1 in Prime Time for the day. As we understand it, it will air 2 more times on Friday Jan. 16 and Thursday Jan. 22 on the Hallmark Channel at 9pm.

If you want to know what Shalim is up to, check out his website:

http://www.shalim.net/

We extend our congrats to Shalim and his big ratings success!

 

 

Also, check out the cool pics form the movie:

 

IFC’s ‘Che’ hits a small screen near you!
Mack Chico
0

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

Movies

IFC’s ‘Che’ hits a small screen near you!

01.14.2009 | By |

IFC's 'Che' hits a small screen near you!

Our friends over at IFC have definitely lined up 4 good movies to check out in theaters and on TV simultaneously. They are: WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES, PERRO COME PERRO, LOS APARECIDOS and on January 21st CHE at home via their remote controls at the exact same time as the film is showing theatrically in New York and Los Angeles.
 
Films from IFC IN THEATERS and IFC FESTIVAL DIRECT are available nationwide for 90 days on cable systems and satellite TV providers such as Bright House, Cablevision, Cox, Charter, Time Warner, Comcast and Direct TV which together represent more than 50 million households.  The films can be found in a special IFC IN THEATERS or IFC FESTIVAL DIRECT-branded section within each cable company’s on demand platform.

Here’s the scoop on the line-up:

WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES, a wonderful new holiday-themed film which stars John Leguizamo in an exceptional performance.  Directed by Salvatore Stabile, the film is both a richly moving family drama and a testament to the difficulties faced by working class Americans during these tough economic times. Cast includes: John Leguizamo, Leonor Varela, David Castro, Samantha Rose, Dave Salerno, Jerry Ferrara, Adriane Lenox and Manny Perez.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
PERRO COME PERRO (Dog Eat Dog), a tale of double-crosses and retribution and Colombia’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film. This is the first feature from Carlos Moreno, an award-winning television and video director whose work has been featured at festivals around the world. Cast includes: Eusebio Benítez, Óscar Borda, Blas Jaramillo, Marlon Moreno, Víctor Peñarandas, Paulina Rivas y Álvaro Rodríguez.

LOS APARECIDOS (The Appeared), a road movie of terror and a trip to the dark side of the human soul. Cast includes: Ruth Díaz, Javier Pereira, Leonora Balcarce, Héctor Bidonde, Paco Cabezas, Luciano Cáceres and Pablo Cedrón.

CHE, Steven Soderbergh’s two-part film epic about the life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Argentinean blue blood guerrilla leader. Cast includes: Benicio Del Toro, Santiago Santoro, Demain Bichir, Catalina sandino Moreno and Santiago Cabrera. The very talented Del Toro has already been awarded the Best Actor award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Synopsis:
CHE – PART 1
On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro – to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. the argentine tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.
 
CHE – PART 2
After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

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