Piñero

I was eager to see Pinero, liking the actor Benjamin Bratt. I thought it might be similar to other Hispanic themed films, like 'Before Night Falls', or 'The Sea Within' - both films that I enjoyed.Unfortunately, that is not the... Full review

They'd do well to replace the words 'Director's Cut' with 'Director's Slice'. I was fascinated by Miguel Piñero's life, inspired by his poems, and blown away by Benjamin Bratt's performance, but the director and editor conspired to mug an otherwise... Full review

I think Pinero (the film) is a credit to the filmmaker and a testament to Pinero himself. I did not know of him before I saw the film but was quickly drawn in to the world of a man suffering... Full review

The critics generally were not kind to this film, but I submit that in most cases their middle class roots are showing. Anyone with a serious interest in urban America in the '70s should see it. The visual style is... Full review

As well acted as Pinero is I think their is a serious flaw in the film as we really do not find out why Pinero is so self destructive and cannot hold a job. We see in flashbacks that he... Full review

Pinero is, to put it quite simply, a brilliant film. The representation of the poet's tortured life by Leon Ichaso is nothing short of breath-taking. The disjointed chronology, the flashbacks, the constant juxtaposition of black and white and color film... Full review

The film Piñero is poetry in itself. The film's music - the songs, the beat of the tunes, the score - is very much an integral character in the telling of the life and times of Miguel Piñero. It is... Full review

Most movie-going audiences won't know who or what "Pinero" is. "Pinero" is the story of Puerto Rican-born icon Miguel Pinero, who came to fame in the 70s with his cutting edge poetry that many believe was the roots for rap... Full review

Benjamin Bratt shows great courage playing Puerto Rican poet Miguel Piñero with all the dark aspects of his character but managed to convince me with his brighter side as well. The movie is itself a piece of art, almost a... Full review

Pinero definitely makes it to my top five movies of the year 2001. It's one of the best movies I have seen. I completely dived into the story of this multifaceted artist who lived his live with drugs and poems,... Full review

Ichaso is not interested with his inspirations, creating processes, triumphs, emotions, etc. How many times has one seen or heard this story, with the variables changing only to accommodate different forms of drugs or addictions cocaine, heroin, crystal meth, ecstasy, marijuana, et al. and each time it is pounded deeper and deeper into the ground without actually gaining any new ground. ... Full Review

Writer-director Leon Ichaso tries to do something interesting with Piñero and evinces affection for his central character, but the film never quite succeeds. Though bright lights beckon, Piñero prefers to spend his time in dark alleys and seedy bars. ... Full Review

Leon Ichaso's biopic of the troubled artist Piñero is well-meaning, but not much more than a lot of jive-shit. Piñero unspools like a dream-like stage play, and probably could work quite well as such. ... Full Review

Desperate For Motherhood A Review by Rachel Gordon 02/17/2004 When the question of adoption is handled in films, it is often through heavy melodrama that leaves little doubt as to whom would be the better parents, replete with some tear-jerking... ... Full Article

Was it a problem to play someone who is so different from you physically? Unfortunately, the reality of this industry more often than not is to pigeonhole actors based on how they look. ... Full Article

Cuban-born director Leon Ichaso (Miami Vice, Sugar Hill) brings us this biographical film of the life of Miguel Piñero, a latino poet, playwright and actor whose work has been incredibly influential within the minority community (specifically the latino community) in... ... Full Article

"Piñero," Leon Ichaso's movie biography of the late Puerto Rican/American criminal turned successful-but-ultimately-tragic playwright Miguel Piñero, is strikingly similar in style to "Ali," Michael Mann's recent and much bigger-budget biopic of Muhammad Ali. Both films are a non-linear, fly-on-the-wall, stream-of-consciousness ... Full Article