Manuel Manquina Movies

Like its predecessor -- the 2006 Hairy Tooth Fairy -- this Argentine children's film combines CG-animated characters and live-action human actors. It continues the tale of Perez, the sweet-natured, talking mouse whose nighttime job involves slipping into the bedrooms of young children, collecting the baby teeth under their pillows, and depositing coins in return. But that only represents half of his obligations; during the day, he works on a pearl ship, and the demands of two careers threaten to push him to the brink of exhaustion. Then, one night, Perez risks being found out when he slips into the room of Lucas and discovers that the little boy is both awake and waiting for him. With no other options, Perez waits for Lucas to fall asleep, and dozes off himself; he's then discovered by an attractive female mouse, Lola, who lives in Lucas' residence. The two escape from the bedroom together and forge a fast bond, and Lola teaches Perez salsa and bachata dancing; meanwhile, a vile show business producer named Gil Penkoff devises a crazy scheme that involves capturing Perez, making a spectacle out of him, and turning a profit off of him. To accomplish this goal, Penkoff strikes a deal with Lucas, so eager to catch a glimpse of Perez that he agrees to set a trap for the poor mouse the next time one of his teeth falls out. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Forty-years after a group of frightened villagers convinced authorities to build the dam that would flood the village of Marinbad and drown the evil that lurks therein, a village built next to the reservoir that sits placid over the cursed ground begins to experience a series of mysterious deaths. Decades ago a curse consumed Marinbad, and as the evil threatened to expand into the surrounding land the villagers successfully lobbied to have their once-peaceful hamlet flooded in hopes of keeping the malevolent spirits contained. Two decades have passed since that fateful attempt to wash away the sins of the land, and now something unspeakable has surfaced in the waters that cover Marinbad. When numerous area people go missing and scores of citizens perish under strange circumstances on the fortieth anniversary of the dam, it begins to appear as the one who was left for dead has risen from the depths. Director Brian Yuzna teams with The Fantastic Factory to adapt an original novel by author Matthew Costello. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A heartless killer receives an ominous message after killing his old partner with a car bomb in director José Miguel Juárez's mysterious thriller. Unbeknownst to Miguel Gironza, Remedios and Nemesio have witnessed the violent murder. When the elderly witnesses appear at the funeral with a young girl and tell Gironza that all of his dreams will come true when he sees a black cat with a full moon on its forehead, the confused Gironza ponders the price he will have to pay for such an extravagant fantasy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this downbeat drama, Lena (Marta Larralde) is an 18-year-old who has grown up in a seaside town on the northeast coast of Spain; while fishing was once the backbone of the local economy, the bay no longer produces a good catch, and now the community is largely supported by trade in illegal drugs. Gorrion (Manuel Manquina), Lena's father, works as a runner for a small-time drug cartel, which includes Gypsy (Luis Toser), Gorrion's close friend and Lena's godfather; Milio (Roberto Alvarez), a strong but tight-lipped young man; and Portuguese immigrant Cachero (Vitor Norte). Gorrion has a serious drinking problem and is not considered especially reliable by either Lena or his partners in crime; he is beaten when the crew suspects he's skimming money from the take, and while Lena had a good change of gaining a college scholarship, Gorrion botched it when he failed to submit the proper forms to the financial aid office. Resigned to paying off her father's debt to the mob, Lena offers to work for the local smugglers, and she soon becomes friendly with Milio, who displays the strength and cunning her father lacks. Eventually, Lena throws in her lot with Milio, and they decide to hop a ship to Portugal. Lena was the first feature film for director Gonzalo Tapia, and it also marked the professional acting debut of leading lady Marta Larralde. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Religion has been called the opiate of the people, but one hapless soul finds his spiritual life turned upside down by too much marijuana in this comedy. Mariano (Karra Elejalde) is a traveling salesman who falls asleep while driving late at night, sending his car off the road and into a field -- which turns out to be part of an illicit marijuana farm. When Mariano awakes, he discovers that a team of policemen led by Sgt. Talavera (Manuel Manquina) has found the weed and set the field ablaze. The billows of fragrant smoke have a powerful effect on Mariano, and he imagines he's seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Word of Mariano's "holy vision" travels to evangelist Sister Trini (Gloria Munoz) in a nearby town, and he soon attracts a number of her followers who want to hear about how the Virgin spoke to him (leaving out the drugs, of course). Con man and self-styled spiritual seeker Tony Towers (Fernando Guillen Cuervo) sees a potential gold mine in Mariano, and soon involves him in a scheme to build a "holy shrine" that will help him separate naive country folk from their cash. Karra Elejalde and Fernando Guillen Cuervo wrote and directed Ano Mariano as well as playing the leading roles; the film was a major box-office success in their native Spain. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Acclaimed directing duo Alfonso Alacete and David Menkes's third cinematic effort is an outrageous romantic comedy about a widow and a gay man. Youngish and very pregnant Marga (Emma Suarez) mourns the sudden death of her husband in a car wreck. After having the baby, she casts about looking to reinvent her life when she meets up with the gay Inaki (Juan Diego Botto). The two establish a clear emotional bond, but soon more than mere emotional sparks start to fly. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

The third feature from popular Spanish filmmaker Juanma Bajo Ulloa is a sprawling and complex action comedy with a touch of Almodovar-esque surrealistic absurdity that simultaneously satirizes gangster movies, film noir, and the Catholic Church. Juantxo is the chief protagonist. Coming from a bourgeois family, he has had all the opportunities to fulfill his father's wishes by obtaining a university degree, getting a high-paying job and making a place for himself in high society. The trouble is, Juantxo is a socially awkward idiot and a mamma's boy. He is, however, engaged to a rich and beautiful woman. A few days before his wedding, Juantxo's buddies Konradin and Paco persuade him to go out for a final night of oat-sowing. They are not long at the stag party when Juantxo falls for an exotic prostitute. Unfortunately he loses his fiancee's expensive engagement ring while messing with the hooker. Later, this valuable ring is discovered by Villambrosa, a gangster/pimp/international drug runner. His enemy Souza finds out about the ring and sends his sexy moll Fatima do Espirito Santo, a new age girl who can levitate, to investigate the situation. Meanwhile, Juantxo and friends frantically search for the ring. They have three days to find it and their journey takes them on a riotous road trip that leads them into the depths of the Mafia underworld. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi