yusufpiskin

They may not have invented cinema, but the fact that Portuguese and Spanish-speaking nations consistently contribute masterpieces, fresh ideas, and bold voices to the art form is beyond debate.

Directed by Jesús Monllaó and starring José Coronado, Julio Manrique, David Solans, and Maria Molins, this 2013 film is an adaptation of Ignacio García-Valiño's novel of the same name. I can't speak to its fidelity to the source material-I haven't read the book, nor had I even heard of it before watching the film. Turkey's distributor, Limon Film, and broadcaster Turkcell TV+ didn't bother to clarify this either.

Whether it's due to Monllaó's rookie directorial status or not, the film suffers from jarring tonal whiplash.

A narrative that begins with the gravity of an Old Testament parable or Greek myth abruptly morphs into a Magnus Carlsen-esque protagonist arc, only to culminate in a finale steeped in Hollywood banality.

Whose idea was it to end an Oedipus-inspired tale like a FoxCrime series finale? I'm genuinely curious if the novel treads this path.

Amid a cast stacked with Spanish cinema heavyweights, David Solans outright steals the show.

But in the end, that's all we're left with...

Seinfeld was a constant presence in our home when I was a child and later as a teenager. Now, as a grown man, it remains the most-watched production in my life, whether on DVD or Netflix. I don't see that changing anytime soon-or ever.

But how is it possible that I never knew Jason Alexander was a director? And not just any director-he helmed a remarkable period piece and coming-of-age story.

Born in New Jersey, Alexander crafts a narrative set within the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn triangle, excelling both in capturing the essence of the 1950s and in directing his actors with precision.

While the cast includes Patti LuPone-an actress I greatly admire-it's Ryan Merriman, chosen for the lead role, who truly carries the film's emotional weight. Even as a child actor, he was remarkably talented.

I must admit, with some regret, that I had never even heard of Fred F. Sears before watching this film. It seems almost absurd that a sci-fi and horror collector like myself could be unfamiliar with a director boasting such a filmography.

Perhaps due to the lingering influence of George Waggner's 1941 film The Wolf Man, three werewolf films were made over the next decade, and this one was the first in that chain.

Transplanting the story from Wales to the American South was a risky choice, but the film manages to pull it off. Even so, it remains in the shadow of the 1941 classic, one of the most significant entries in the Universal Monster Collection. This likely explains its low ratings, negative reviews, and underrated status. Sure, it's not a masterpiece, but it's certainly not as bad as some critics would have you believe.