Julián Mateos Movies

Also known as The Moon Child, El Niño de la Luna stars Enrique Saldana as a peculiarly gifted young boy. The youngster's supernatural skills bring him to the attention of a group of occult researchers. Whisked away to a research center, the boy is held prisoner while the scientists scheme to harness his talents for their own purposes. Saldana manages to escape with two other "moon children" and head to Africa, with their captors in hot, potentially homicidal pursuit. Director Agustin Villaronga doubled as screenwriter for El Nino de la Luna. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Meant to reflect the harsh realities of segments of society in 1960s, Franco-era Spain, this slow-moving, drawn-out story is about a struggling, impoverished family who work on the estate of a wealthy aristocrat. Paco (Alfredo Landa) is the head of his small family who constantly tries to placate his irascible overlords and also teaches them how to hunt birds. His wife Régula (Terele Pávez) is as subservient as Paco. The family is rounded out by a mute, crippled daughter, a son away at military service, and Azarias (Francisco Rabal), an uncle whose mental stability is in question. These individuals are contrasted with Señor Iván (Juan Diego) who rules over them with a detached incomprehension that brands the family as not much different than the animals he hunts. The señor has no compunction about shooting Azarias's pet bird, or forcing Paco to continue with a bird hunt even though he has fallen and broken his leg. Given the insane behavior of the aristocratic Iván, the half-crazy Azarias might be the only one to get through to him on his own level. The 1984 Cannes Film Festival awarded Alfredo Landa and Francisco Rabal a shared "Best Actor" Award for their roles in this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Spanish horror director Amando De Ossorio (creator of the Blind Dead trilogy) helmed this derivative but fairly creepy variant on The Exorcist. The story begins with a deranged hag attempting to kidnap an infant for a Satanic sacrificial rite, then committing suicide after being captured by the police. The woman's evil spirit then takes possession of the police inspector's ten-year-old daughter, who launches into the standard collection of demon-possession symptoms (profanity, levitation, head-spinning, etc.) before physically transforming into a miniature version of the deceased witch. As people begin dying all around her in horrific ways, the demonic brat attempts to steal another child and complete the sacrificial rite -- until a priest steps in to stop her reign of terror. Atmospheric but uncomfortably grim and violent, this film has a particularly pessimistic ending which lends to the overall sense of doom. Released to video as The Possessed. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Based on a novel by Louis L'Amour, this comedic western tells of a thieving man who tries to get his hands on two million dollars of government cash while trying to avoid his friend--who happens to be a lawman. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi

In this western, a Mexican desperado tries to flee his partner, a determined girl friend, and a US Marshal. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Frustrating both to those who view this X-rated movie seeking a simple sex-flick, and those looking for an art-piece, this movie is a bit of a spoof on both. The story concerns the Yugoslavian holiday of two toothsome Swedish girls. One of the girls, played by Maria Liljedahl, is (metaphorically speaking) a world-champion in the promiscuity sweepstakes, bedding men (and women) in great profusion. Somehow, the movie also manages to be about film reviewers and film directors. Variety) commented "...the film's inherently good visual and physical qualities are themselves dissipated in [the director's] cynicism, ennui, and involuted intellectual mirror tricks." ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Long before Shakespeare was revolutionizing English theater, great Spanish playwrights like Fernando de Rojas were writing popular, fully-scripted plays like La Celestina (1499). This international production is based on that play and concerns the tribulations of two star-crossed lovers who must rely on the arch-conniver Celestina to even manage to see one another briefly. However, one after another of them is betrayed in this grandmother of all subsequent tragicomedies of the modern age. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The first of two sequels to The Magnificent Seven (1960), this bloody western featured only Yul Brynner from the original picture's all-star cast. Once again, the residents of a pastoral Mexican village become enslaved by a maniacal brute, this time the insane rancher Lorca (Emilio Fernandez), who has corralled a small army of 50 gunmen to intimidate the citizenry into building a church in memory of his son. Chico (now played by Julian Mateos), an original member of the seven gunslingers from the first film, hears of the villagers' plight and sends for Chris Adams (Brynner), who rounds up another lucky seven shootists from various places of ill-repute (including prison). The new bunch, which now includes Warren Oates and Claude Akins, storms the storm, intending to restore order. This film was, in turn, followed by a pair of further sequels, Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969) and The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

This sentimental Spanish drama is a character study of four different people. When Alphonso (Augustin Gonzales) fails his law exam for the fourth time, his fiancee (Julia Gutierrez) tries to comfort him. By this time, Alphonso has lost interest in the woman. Lina Canale plays a young woman who fights off the seductive advances of a rich wealthy youth. The wife of a young doctor complains about wanting more money until she sees her husband (Carlos Estrada) helping the impoverished and not charging them for his services. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Nothing seems to go right for the young trio who form the nexus of this drama about the effects of criminal behavior. The white-collar son of a lawyer is anxious to form a gang to rebel against what he considers to be the mistakes of the current establishment. He soon gets the son of a factory worker involved in his mission, and one other fellow, a petty criminal, also joins up. When the sister of one of the men has a harrowing encounter with white slavers the impromptu gang wreaks revenge on the culprits, but then the police get into the act and tragedy is the result. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this crime melodrama, the son of a police commissioner falls in love with a girl who entices men to join rigged card games. She falls for the young man too, and tells him the truth about her employer. As a result, she is killed. Unfortunately, the young fellow is blamed for the crime until an investigation is launched. He eventually clears his name and the crooks are brought to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi