Motorcycle Diaries

Pros: A story that is worth telling.
Cons: A tiny bit preachy in parts, but still worth it.

We've all dreamed about it. Hop on the motorcycle, get in the car, take a plane -- and just see where the journey takes us. In our overstressed, overworked world, it becomes a more enticing dream every day, at least for this reviewer. In this ...

Pros: breathtaking cinematography, natural performances, storytelling that absorbs us in what we don't know
Cons: subtitles, an R-rating earned by frequent use of the F-word, faithfully subtitled everywhere

We're living in a season of prequels, where the real question isn't "What's next?" but "How did we get here in the first place?" It isn't just Darth Vader who's getting psychoanalyzed. A few years ago, it was Hitler (Max). Not that long ago, it was ...

Pros: Cinematography; Graphic, vivid scenes of discrimination
Cons: Political message won't agree with everyone

South America is a continent full of adventure, with towering mountain peaks, vast deserts, colorful rain forests, and festive people. Traveling to South America nowadays usually involves a jumbo jet and a rental car, along with a possible tour bus to ...

Pros: Salles' Direction, Script, Cinematography, Score, Look, & the Performances of Bernal & de la Serna.
Cons: None.

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, known to the world as revolutionary leader Che Guevara is considered an icon for his radical theories and tactics on guerilla warfare. Beloved by many, he also had many enemies, including the U.S. government who found his ...

Pros: wonderful cinematography
Cons: nada

I admit it. I am a novice and no absolutely nothing about Che Guevara. I do know as I sat in the darkened theater and watched a film titled Motorcycle Diaries. I pondered the truth behind the flickering frames of history. It will take a little ...

Pros: Strong themes; excellent lead performances; superlative direction
Cons: Limited dramatic punch

You might want to whip out your old "Che!" or "Che Lives!" T-shirt before settling down to watch this stellar film. You'll feel hip and righteous, though it might prove sobering when you realize that Che Guevara would most likely have preferred to shoot ...

Pros: Sense of humor, humanism.
Cons: It never ends...

warning: profanity in review "Yo, fucking shit, man!" "Yah, man, what the fucking fuck!" "I don't fucking know, bitch-ass motherfucker!" This is pretty typical of most of the language ...

Pros: Superb cinematography, brilliantly acted and directed, entertaining, engaging and thought-provoking
Cons: Some viewers may find it long.

Director: Walter Salles Cast Gael Garcia Bernal - Ernesto Guevara de la Serna Rodrigo De la Serna - Alberto Granado Mia Maestro - Chichina Ferreyra Mercedes Moran - Celia de la Serna Jean Pierre Noher - Ernesto Guevara Lynch ...

Pros: Great reminder to think about others...
Cons: Although I don't admit it in the review, the movie does hero-ize the Che somewhat...

Before The Movie… Here’s some semi-pertinent information related to this review. A) I’m a bit of a tig htwad. B) For some reason I get easily ann oyed at the movie ...

Pros: Breathtaking shots of Latin America. The irresistible charisma of Gael Garcia Bernal.
Cons: Excessively reverential, this film portrays Che as a veritable saint. Predictable and preachy.

Going into The Motorcycle Diaries,which offers a stunningly visual interpretation of a twenty-something Ernesto "Che" Guevara's written account of his first major trek across Latin America, I had lofty expectations. I hoped for a ...

Pros: beautiful, evocative and atmospheric historical drama-travelogue
Cons: a little heavy-handed in parts

At the beginning of 1952, 29-year-old Alberto Granado and 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara “Fuser” de la Serna set out on a planned Odyssey the length and breadth of Latin America, starting in their beloved Argentina and taking in Chile, Peru and Colombia ...

Pros: Excellent pacing, atmosphere, good acting in the leading roles
Cons: Two-dimensional secondary characters, but could be intentional

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Gael Garcia Bernal) was almost done with medical school. Ernesto had one semester left before he would graduate as a full-fledged doctor and follow the path his family had planned out for him. But first, he wanted to do ...

Pros: Direction, acting, story-line: basically, "Everything."
Cons: Nothing.

Whatever one's take on the eventual outcome of the Cuban Revolution back some 45 years ago, there is no denying the lasting reverence millions of Latin Americans (and others) continue to have for Che Guevera. Whether or not the manner in which the Cuban ...

Pros: Beautifully adapted, wonderful acting, all that great scenery, and a big shot of politics
Cons: Verging on the pastoral (sort of)

Before finishing medical school and becoming a doctor of the people, "Che" goes on a massive road trip with his libidinous friend Alberto. The goal? To see the Latin America, to have an adventure to carry with them into their old age, and to perhaps ...

Pros: If I were to give it a letter grade, it would pass.
Cons: The letter grade that I would give it would be a C+.

Even if you didn't come of age in the 1960s, the name Che Guevara remains singular in its saintly potency. The famous pop poster of Che was like a rendering of the Marxist messiah, that star on his beret as bright as a halo. Other Communist ...