Movie: María (2023)

(MAR.IA) 
Premiere: June 13, 2024 (Argentina)
Country of origin: Argentina
Directed by: Gabriel Grieco and Nicanor Loreti
Written by: Nicanor Loreti
Distributed by: Black Mandela, Camauer, Crep Films, Lahaye Media
Genre: Horror, Scifi, Thriller
Runtime: 1 h 21 min
Starring: Sofia Gala Castiglione, Malena Sanchez, Sergio Boris

 

Screener version
This sci-fi thriller is, to my surprise, not the first work of art from directors Gabriel Grieco and Nicanor Loreti. They have been directors for quite some time now. What surprised me is that the film does feel cheap. Their ambitions do not feel cheap, however, but the low production value still hurts the film. Here’s the plot.

Maria Black was once one of the world’s most important erotic actors—until the accident that took her life. Years go by. Sound engineer Ali is called to the set of a new erotic film, and everyone is surprised to discover that Maria Black is alive and well! The shoot gets out of hand and turns into a dramatic event involving blood, guns, and curious people wearing devil masks. 
 

As the title suggests, nothing is what it seems with Maria Black. In fact, the film highlights early on that she appears to be some kind of robot. And while the film doesn’t shy away from hinting at the obvious, it certainly takes a long time getting there.

The first problem is the strange ADR. The added dialogue made me wonder if the film is dubbed. It appears the movie was made in Argentina, however, so it doesn’t distract me that much. By the end of the day, I do get used to it—like watching an old kung-fu movie. It adds to the charm.

 The pacing is really off. It’s sad that the film is so slow, and once we get to the action, it has no energy. Whenever Maria shows up as a killer robot, the movie starts to feel even slower, as these scenes never really do anything for me. This is strange, as it should be the main thing I’m looking for here.

The cast is doing a good job, including the actress who plays Maria—Daria Panchenko. They show and give each other the kind of energy this movie needs. It is a wonderfully shot film! The lighting and different color palettes really work for me, and I think that is the film’s strongest point. I could live without the static flicker in the camera once Maria goes in for a kill. It looks distracting and takes me out of the movie.

5/10
All in all, it’s a decent effort, but nothing to write home about. I think the film holds up with a serious tone and a topic that doesn’t lose my interest, but I wasn’t that excited or entertained by the final result.

 

 

Links: 
www.black-mandala.com
IMDB

Article written by: Robin Andersson

 

 

 

 

 

Game: Hollywood Animal (Early Access - 2025)

Release: April 10, 2025 (Early Access)
Full release: N/A
Director: N/A
Developed By: Weappy Studios (Cyprus)
Distributed by: Weappy Studios (Cyprus)

 

 

Do you remember The Movies? A PC game that put you in the shoes of a media mogul running a movie studio. Picture that, but with far more politics. More focus on making alliances, running a profitable business and making sure problems don’t leak to the media and ruin your reputation. Hollywood Animal is what The Movies, sadly, missed out on. It highlights corruption. It highlights the obstacles you have to overcome to reach success. And it makes me feel like a swearing family member straight out of HBO’s hit Succession. I’ve played 10 hours of an early access version and this is my experience so far.

 

 

Hollywood Animal removes the “make your own movie” part of The Movies. Instead, it focuses on how to run a studio in the corrupt world of the 1930s. The “talkies” have just been introduced and you get the chance to take over your own studio. But nothing is simple. Everything must be researched. New buildings take a long time to prepare and then you have to build the darn things! My first mistake was overestimating the fast-forward function. It made me skip months upon months where no movies were written or in production. That means zero income. You never make a profit unless a film is running on the silver screen. And the process to get there is long, so you have to plan ahead and be smart. Because movies cost money! Contracts can expire, costing even more money! And people can lose motivation, which means you’ll have to bribe them. WITH MORE MONEY!

At the start, you’re in luck. An advertising bureau is still around to promote your films for free. But not for long! Soon you’ll need to build your own marketing team to take over. The only problem, as I said before, is that creating such a team takes time. So in other words: be ready for anything! Unexpected police raids can ruin your not-so-legal productions. The mayor might want to talk about his campaign. And a bootlegger might demand to make a statement about alcohol in movies. But do the good people of America really want to see that?

As you can tell, this game is not kind. As much as I like it (and I do), I can’t stop wondering what the finished product will look like. There are still “locked” features in development and I’m curious to see if more will show up in future updates. What I’ve played so far is both interesting and puzzling. Sometimes I back myself into a corner with no plausible way out. But I refuse to give up. It feels like a board game with sharp mechanics and ideas that constantly make you think about how to save another dime or how to make that mafioso really love the movie you’re putting on the big screen.

 Visually, the game is simple! It’s mainly text-based with a few pictures and illustrations. It’s a lot of reading, but very engaging. Everything from angry dogs on set to lawyers ranting about dishonesty in society. And I’m stuck in the middle, trying to use everyone as pawns to achieve my will. Challenging, but never impossible!

7/10. A game worth trying for those who enjoy bringing order out of chaos.

Homepage:
https://weappy-studio.com/hollywood-animal/

 
Article written by: Robin Andersson
https://filmfett.wordpress.com/