Kiti Manver Movies

Fugitives director Miguel Hermoso explores the life of celebrated flamenco artist Lola Flores in this biopic that follows the mercurial dancer from her working-class roots in Jerez, Spain through her turbulent relationship with singer Manolo Caracol and eventual rise to nationwide stardom. As a child Fores knew exactly what she wanted from life, and an early encounter with Caracol found her dreams coming true when she was still just a young girl. Over the years Flores and Caracol would struggle to maintain their personal and professional relationships, though after years of flings with other men she would eventually settle down with guitarist Antonio Gonzalez. Though Flores may be gone, her legacy lives on in the form of three talented daughters who went on to establish successful careers in the music industry. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The infamous man from La Mancha and his devoted sidekick embark on a new quest in this slightly off-kilter version of author Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote, as envisioned by director and screenwriter Manuel Gutierrez Aragon in his 2002 adaptation entitled Don Quixote, Knight Errant. Around the year 1615, Don Quixote (Juan Luis Galiardo) and Sancho Panza (Carlos Iglesias) enjoy the lives of celebrities, as the public was made well aware of their exploits thanks to the writings of De Cervantes. Now well into the twilight of his life, the eccentric nobleman gets the notion that a horde of angry Turks are about to launch a naval attack and Quixote decides it is once again time to suit up in the name of honor. As Quixote and Panza head out to meet their "foes," the anachronistic duo draws the attention and derision of their fellow countrymen. But no matter, Panza is perfectly content to let Quixote do his own thing -- even going so far as to instigate the knight's sense of daring-do, as the men head out to for what may be their final adventure together. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

A man gets an unexpected chance to be the cowboy he's always wanted to be in this drama. Jaime (Aitor Merino) is a young man whose Uncle Boni (Sancho Gracia) was once a film director, making low-budget Westerns in Spain. While Jaime has a job working as a railway clerk, he takes after his uncle in his fascination with the heroic ways of the cowboy. When Jaime's boss Ibarra (Ramon Langa) threatens to close down the railroad office after oil is discovered near the line, Jaime uncovers some dirty dealings on Ibarra's part. Soon he has the opportunity to make like a white-Stetsoned hero as he tries to keep the office open, for the sake of himself and Doro (Ana Alvarez), a co-worker with whom he's become infatuated. A Galope Tendido was the first feature film from director Julio Suarez. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A fifteen-year old boy schemes to get out of his family vacation so that he may set about seducing his married, thirty-five-year old physical therapist neighbor in this inter-generational coming of age sex comedy starring Antonio Horelando and Maria Barranco. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When the forces of Gen. Francisco Franco overthrow the duly elected (but leftist) Republican government, soldiers loyal to the government head for the hills in northern Spain. The soldiers survive by making raids for food and by committing robbery and the kidnapping of a wealthy local. They spend years after the conflict in hiding, but their number soon dwindles to one when the rest are captured or shot. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, the Luis Buñuel of the 1980s, cooks up another perversely funny descent into urban hell in What Have I Done to Deserve This? Carmen Maura plays a middle-class housewife hemmed in by her wildly eccentric relatives. Her principal purpose in life is a balancing act: to keep her head fastened on securely while all others are losing theirs. Film buffs will have a field day toting up Almodóvar's visual and verbal allusions to the works of Buñuel, Brian De Palma, Billy Wilder, John Waters, and even Andy Warhol. What Have I Done to Deserve This? was originally titled ¿Que He Hecho Yo Para Merecer Esto? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Directed by Fernando (Belle Epoque) Trueba, the Spanish/ French Opera Prima stars Oscar Ladiore as a young divorced employee at a news agency. Outside the subway one evening, Ladione chances to meet his beautiful cousin, played by Paula Molina (sister of actress Angela Molina). The two commence an affair, then drift apart. Molina, an aspiring musician, falls under the spell of her pretentious tutor. On the verge of leaving the country with her teacher, she is "rescued" at the airport by Ladiore. The title's significance can be explained by its literal translation, "First Effort" (it is the first romance for Ladione after his marital breakup), and by the fact that "Opera" and "Prima" are slang terms for "Subway" and "Cousin," respectively. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A college student in the late 1950s has a huge crush on movie star Kim Novak in this sentimental drama. Pictures of the actress are hung everywhere in his room at the local boarding house. When he sees a young woman at a party who looks like Novak, the young man is too shy and must overcome his reticence to approach her. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this non-narrative film, a salesgirl becomes embroiled in a lengthy discussion with a soldier and a film director. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A follow-up to Spanish enfant terrible Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 arthouse sensation Volver, Los Abrazos Rotos finds the filmmaker re-teaming with actress Penélope Cruz and working on a canvas much broader than those of his previous outings, in terms of genres covered, narrative scope, and duration. Lluís Homar stars as the former Mateo Blanco, a screenwriter and ex-director who changed his name to Harry Caine after losing his sight in an automobile accident. A past scandal suddenly resurfaces when the news arrives that the producer of one of Harry's old movies ("Girls and Suitcases"), a corrupt stockbroker named Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez), has died. For mysterious reasons, this makes Harry's ex-production manager Judit (Blanca Portillo) nervous; then Ernesto's son, Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano), turns up and asks Harry to help him write a vindictive script to get back at his vile father. The film subsequently flashes back to the early '90s, when Martel became involved with his secretary, Lena (Cruz), but Mateo also began to develop feelings for her, and auditioned her for "Girls and Suitcases." In response to Mateo's interest in Lena (and her burgeoning interest in him), the jealous Martel commissioned Ray to make a documentary about the making of "Girls and Suitcases" as an excuse to spy on the director and star. This enabled him to watch Mateo spiriting off with Lena right under his nose, and set the stage for the wily producer's elaborate revenge against Mateo. As this synopsis suggests, Almodóvar uses a tricky structure laden with flashbacks to both comment on and explain the events of the present; he also interweaves a noirish sensibility throughout the picture that marks something of a first for this director. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Though the kinky characters and aberrant social behavior common to the works of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar are very evident in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the film is at heart a door-slamming farce in the grand tradition. The tiny apartment of pregnant actress Carmen Maura is the "Grand Central Station" setpiece for this dizzying tale. Distraught over her recent breakup with her lover, Carmen prepares to overdose on sleeping pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they'll go down easier. She is diverted from her suicide by her best friend Maria Barranco, a fugitive from justice (her boy friend is a Shi'Ite terrorist) who needs a place to stay. Later, when Carmen's apartment is empty, her ex-lover's grown son (Antonio Banderas) comes to the apartment with his fiance (Rossy de Palma) in answer to Carmen's "room to let" newspaper ad. The wife inadvertently ingests Carmen's "pill sauce," and as she blissfully snoozes, the husband inaugurates an affair with Carmen's friend Barranco. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi