Miguel Bose Movies

Two Latin singing stars pool their talents on this concert film. AnaTorroja and Miguel Bose perform two-dozen songs over the course of the show including "Amante Bandido," "Nada particular," "Dulce pesadilla," "Como suenan las sirenas," and "Un ano mas." The DVD release of the show includes interviews with and biographies of the artists. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In this French comedy, a man discovers that he has something unexpected in common with his wife -- they're both involved with another woman. Loli (Victoria Abril) is a woman of Spanish blood married to a French businessman, Laurent (Alain Chabat). Loli is not especially happy as a housewife, though she'd likely be even less happy if she knew that her husband is chronically unfaithful and has had a string of mistresses. Laurent, on the other hand, is convinced that his wife isn't the type who would never have an affair, and what she doesn't know won't hurt her. One day, a truck breaks down in front of Loli's home, and Marijo (Josiane Balasko) asks to use their phone. Marijo is a gruff-looking lesbian who works as a plumber; as it happens, Loli has a stopped-up sink, so in exchange for using the phone, Marijo gets Loli's drain back in working order. Soon Loli and Marijo are getting to know each other a bit better, and Loli discovers that she's powerfully attracted to her new visitor. Marijo becomes Loli's bedmate and a permanent guest at the house, which is more than a bit perplexing to Laurent, but after he accidentally reveals his infidelities to Loli, he's not in much of a position to pass judgement. Josiane Balasko, who plays Marijo, is also the film's director and co-screenwriter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The historical novel by Alexandre Dumas was adapted for the screen with this lavish French epic, winner of 5 Césars and a pair of awards at the Cannes Film Festival. Isabelle Adjani stars as Marguerite de Valois, better known as Margot, daughter of scheming Catholic power player Catherine de Medici (Virna Lisi). Margot is an heiress to the throne during the late 16th century reign of the neurotic, hypochondriac King Charles IX (Jean-Hugues Anglade), a time when Protestants and Catholics are vying for political control of France. Catherine decides to make an overture of good will by offering up Margot in marriage to prominent Protestant Huguenot Henri of Navarre (Daniel Auteuil), although she also schemes to bring about the notorious St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, when tens of thousands of Protestants are slaughtered. The marriage goes forward but Margot doesn't love Henri and takes a lover, the soldier La Mole (Vincent Perez), also a Protestant from a well-to-do family. Murders by poisoning follow, as court intrigues multiply and Catherine's villainous plotting to place her son Anjou (Pascal Greggory) on the throne threatens the lives of La Mole, Margot and Henri. The American release version was cut to 145 minutes. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Due to there being an excess of girls in her family, the seventh daughter (Amina) is given a boy's name (Ahmed) and is treated that way by everyone including her father. However, when she grows to an age where she tries to shave and grow a mustache, contemplating taking a wife, these palpable impossibilities clue the family into the fact that she isn't, perhaps, entirely sane. On his deathbed, her father (Francois Chattot) attempts to rectify things by renaming her with a girl's name (Zahra) and telling her to go out and live as a woman. Still pretending to be a man, and moving freely in that manner, she travels across Morocco to find a situation in the house of a blind Consul (Miguel Boss) and she runs afoul of his romantically possessive sister. There, the contradictions in her present and past come home to roost in the most tragic possible way. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Since Moliere's plays are national classics of France, an air of reverence surrounds them. However, they are for the most part comedies based on older commedia del'arte storylines and acting conventions (which most closely resemble the broad humor of the American vaudeville or the British music halls). Moliere's big innovation was to give the stock characters from these ancient themes an actual script to follow, rather than leaving them to improvise their own lines. His lines were usually much, much wittier. Otherwise, these tales are every bit as farcical (and sometimes slapstick) as anything from The Three Stooges or, for that matter, the classical farces of Plautus. However, when the actors ham it up in their parts too much, eyebrows are raised. This multinational production of Moliere's classic L'Avare, or The Miser is an excellent case in point. The lead role of Arpagone, the miser, is played exhuberantly by Alberto Sordi, who for years has traded (on and off the stage) on his pinched, miserly appearance and his romantic skittishness - somewhat akin to the shtik perfected by Jack Benny in the U.S. These characteristics also fit the role to a "T." In the story, the miserly widower is trying to arrange things for the maximum safety of his funds and to prevent his children from doing something stupid, like marrying poor people. In the meantime, his well-known wealth has made him the target of sinister matrimonial designs by the murderous sister of a powerful cardinal. He decides to find a suitable bride for himself to stave off this unhappy prospect, and at the same time arrange good marriages for his son and daughter (who have other people in mind). A triple wedding will cost little more than a single one, and will save him lots of money. Needless to say, everything goes wrong (and finally goes right) in this romantic farce. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This routine, dark melodrama features the downward slide of Daniel (Antonio Canto), a respectable young man who is transformed by his single-minded, blind pursuit of Helena, an attractive older woman (Amparo Munoz). After Daniel breaks his jaw in an accident (and therefore cannot speak much), he is partially cut off from those around him. Whether for that reason or another, he turns his back on his daily life to chase after Helena once they have met. His neurotic pursuit of the woman takes him into a demi-monde of profligates and decadence, a downward spiral that seems destined to end in tragedy unless he can pull himself out in time. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A group of idealistic and free-spirited Spanish youngsters occupy an abandoned house and set up a "commune" there, occupying their time with free love, putting on plays for neighborhood residents, and running a free nursery. Eventually, an unidentified group of bullies drives them away from their new lives. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Set in Sicily in the 1920's, this movie follows the activities of a love-struck young man who is slightly involved with the local fascist party. The area in which he is living is experiencing considerable political unrest, as the communists, socialists and fascists of the area (among others) vie for control. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi