Matador on the Road (2011) User Reviews (2)

An old bullfighter , magnetically played by Juan Diego , finds his last surprise in his life on road to Las Vegas

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 6 August 2015]

Morante of Bahía , an notorious Matador (Juan Diego) of Spanish bulls retired for 20 years , receives a proposal from Gael , the new promoter of bloodless bullfights to be held in Las Vegas , to return to the arena . On the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas , riding in a convertible pink Cadillac travels the following people : Morante De La Bahía , his assistant Gitanito of Jerez (Miguel Angel Gonzalez) , an actress who dresses in Flamenco clothes named Estela (Tamara Arias) , and the promoter of the ¨Bloodless bullfight¨ , Gael (Fernando Aldaz) . They are all dressed in gala because they participate at a ring spectacle that is about to begin in Las Vegas . But on that road, in the middle of the desert, in the middle of nowhere , suddenly an event that will force them to stop suddenly . This triggers a new situation that nobody expected and that will change their lives forever . Because in Las Vegas he awaits ¨Glory¨ ... but sometimes the glory is on the way .

Interesting Short film dealing with an old matador in his last stand . As he is a tired bullfighter who finds his last chance when the car crashes a bull . The animal results wounded , and the question is if the matador whether must kill it or leave it alive . It is an enjoyable Short filmed on location in California and Andalucia, including colorful cinematography and catching musical score . Furthermore , attractive songs by Enrique Bunbury who composes a lively original theme . The ¨Short¨ pays tribute to a great actor , Juan Diego , who gives a terrific acting as a veteran bullfighter who has killed more than three hundred bulls . Juan Diego is a prestigious Spanish actor who was born (1942) in Seville , Andalucía . He is an great actor and producer , playing from the sixties . As he played all kinds of genres , being his speciality the dramas , as he played in ¨Cabeza De Vaca¨ , ¨Yerma¨, ¨La Noche Mas Larga¨, ¨Golfo Vizcaya¨, ¨Jarrapellejos¨, ¨Hermano Bastardo De Dios¨, ¨Dragon Rapide¨¨and several others . Last times he plays secondaries , displaying unforgettable interpretations such as ¨Todo Es Silencio¨ , ¨23 F¨ ,¨Torremolinos 73¨, ¨Lope¨ , ¨7º Dia¨, ¨Camino De Ingleses¨, ¨La Vida Te Espera¨, ¨Jamon , Jamon¨ and many others . Being his greatest performance in ¨Los Santos Inocentes¨ as Señorito Ivan .

The film was well directed by Alexis Morante , and it is dedicated to his grumpy grandpa . Alex is an expert filmmaker of shorts such as Voltereta , Sangre Española , Seventy , Buscando Un Respiro , Tic Tac , among others . ¨Matador on the road¨ has gotten several prizes such as Winner in Malaga Festival , Winner Mecal Barcelona , Juan Diego best actor Almeria Festival , Winner RTV Award , Winner Corto Canal Plus , Winner San Roque Festival , Winner Kuala Lumpur and Official Selection Los Angeles , Official Selection New York , San Diego , among others .

Poetry

[cuchocat · 4/10 · 15 March 2015]

The short has a good plot, but it never reaches a climax, the film remains flat all along the process. It could be better, but still is quite acceptable. I had greater expectations about it, maybe that was my problem. The characters were a bit absurd, however the Matador itself was well performed, anyhow, I would have expect a more coherent behavior. The photography was another aspect that could have been better. Music is one of the key aspects which had failed. Finally, I would recommend this short-film to anyone interested in Spanish culture, and how it could be mixed with the American approach of Business.