Piñero
2001, 94 min
Country: US Studio: Disney/Miramax Cast: Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, Talisa Soto, Nelson Vasquez, Michael Wright, Michael Irby, Jaime Sanchez, Mandy Patinkin, Rita Moreno Director: Leon Ichaso Screenwriter: Leon Ichaso Rating: R Our Rating:
REVIEW
The Puerto Rican poet/playwright Miguel Piñero's (Short Eyes) life was a mess - he started writing as a way out of Sing-Sing prison where he was serving time for robbery and drug possession. He was a life-long junkie, a petty thief, a street hustler and a brilliant writer. Unlike Jean Genet, Piñero didn't clean up after success, he just had more money to buy more drugs with - "writing is half inspiration, half inhalation" is a famous line. Leon Ichaso's (Crossover Dreams) new film bio of Piñero's story is like his life, a fractured free-form jazz poem that wandered all over the place. There are scenes of Piñero's childhood, his intense friendship with Miguel Algarin (Esposito), his thieving and drugging exploits, his love life with prostitute Sugar (Soto), his stormy relationship with Joe Papp (Patinkin) of the Public Theater, his loving relationship with his mother (Moreno) who encouraged his writing - but what's missing are his sexual relationships with men. Filmed on digital video, director Ichaso tries a bit too hard to make it "cinematic," instead of just letting the very able Bratt do his thing. Even with its shortcomings, however, we found this disjointed film to be oddly satisfying and quite fascinating.
PRODUCT FORMAT INFORMATION
DVD :
$13.49 (Director's Cut)
Availability:
In stock and ready to ship
Close Caption: Yes
Region Code: 1
UPC: 786936180930
Studio: Disney/Miramax
Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary), English Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic 1.85
Extras: Trailers
Features:
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