Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone (2021)

Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone (2021). Green Ghost and the Masters of the Stone: Directed by Michael D. Olmos. With Danny Trejo, Sofia Pernas, Elpidia Carrillo, Michelle Lee. In a Texas border town, car salesman Charlie moonlights as masked Lucha libre wrestler "Green Ghost." When assailants arrive seeking an otherworldly emerald, Charlie discovers that he has super powers that he must harness to save humanity.

“Greetings again from the darkness. Next up in this prime era for Superheroes comes u0026quot;Green Ghostu0026quot;, a struggling south Texas car dealer who moonlights as a Lucha Libre wrestler with untapped mystical powers linked to the Mayan Apocalypse! Does that sound preposterous? Sure it does. But really, is it any more ridiculous than Thanosu0026#39; Infinity Gauntlet? With an overall budget that was likely less than that AVENGERS powerful glove prop, writer-director Michael D Olmos and co-writers Charlie Clark and Brian Douglas deliver their version of a gently comical, semi-serious genre film saturated with martial arts moments and finding meaning in life. While certainly no cinematic masterpiece, whatu0026#39;s obvious about the film is that it was a labor of love … a true passion project.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eCharlie Clark stars as Charlie Clark, aka u0026quot;Gringou0026quot;, aka u0026quot;Green Ghostu0026quot; (the latter two make for an easy to decipher play on words). The real Charlie Clark is a car dealer in Brownsville, Texas. Heu0026#39;s also the star, producer, and co-writer of this project, so obviously it is very personal to him. This movie is not meant to be compared to big budget productions. In fact, it feels more like a bucket list item for Mr. Clark, and he was fortunate enough and committed enough to fulfill his own wish of making a movie (very) loosely based on his life. In real life, Clark was raised in the Mexican culture by his Nana … photos are shown over the closing credits. This plays as a tribute to her and his upbringing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn the film, Charlieu0026#39;s dealership is floundering, mostly because heu0026#39;s quick to shirk his duties and head to the latest underground wresting match for his adoptive brother, Marco (Kuno Becker). Charlie supports Marco by donning his Green Ghost spandex costume – one that the crowd loves to jeer, and that causes fellow wrestlers to cringe. At a very high level (and low bar), the story involves a plan by evil forces led by Drake (Marko Zarar), the son of Nanau0026#39;s sister, to obtain the magical and mystical emerald and rule humanity. The defenders of humanity are the trio nicknamed, El Trio de la Luz, and it consists of Marco, his sister Karina (Sofia Pernas), and to his surprise, Charlie. The groupu0026#39;s leader is Nana (Renee Victor, screen veteran Renee Victor, who voiced Abuelita in COCO). To prepare for battle, Nana arranges a training program featuring Master Kane (MMA fighter Cain Velasquez), Master Hung (renowned stunt coordinator Andy Chang, u0026quot;Rush Houru0026quot; films), and, best of all, Master Gin, played by the always great Danny Trejo … who even gets a u0026quot;Macheteu0026quot; punchline. A u0026quot;Rockyu0026quot; montage technique is utilized, replete with a Spanish version of u0026quot;Eye of the Tigeru0026quot; performed by (director) Robert Rodriguezu0026#39;s band.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAn inordinately high percentage of scenes involve martial arts fighting, and some of the stunt work is much better than weu0026#39;d expect. And then there are the moments that are meant to ensure we understand the filmmakers are in on the joke … like the flinging of tortillas, and a protective force field negated by fancy eyewear. We are never really sure how all of the mystical powers fit together, but the issue of corruption by power is pretty obvious, even within a family. The filmu0026#39;s best line is, u0026quot;Every familyu0026#39;s not perfect, Charlie. Sometimes, we just have to make our own.u0026quot; While watching, a few other films came to mind. This includes Tommy Wiseauu0026#39;s THE ROOM, and Jack Blacku0026#39;s NACHO LIBRE. Perhaps that will help you find the right mindset for this one.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAvailable VOD beginning June 28, 2022.”