Jose Coronado Movies

The principal of a high school situated in a struggling immigrant neighborhood bans together with a newly arrived music teacher to prevent the school from closing and the students from being hopelessly scattered throughout the city. Antonio only wants the best for his students, but his school is about to be shut down and that doesn't bode well for anyone seeking a solid education. Judith is a music instructor who teaches at Antonio's school, and the creator of a group project that she believes will instill a much-needed sense of solidarity amongst her students. From the laid-back Chinese slacker to the criminal-minded Ecuadorian, the physically handicapped Gypsy, and the young Sikh student whose parents are already making plans to marry her off, these students all need the kind of guidance that only the most devoted of teachers can provide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In Manuel Iborra's period-dress comedy La Dama Boba (aka Lady Nitwit, 2006), two 17th century sisters actively flee the patriarchal chauvinism and insensitivity that plagues their era. Each woman opts for a different route to get away from her suitors: one becomes a bibliophile and thus evades social interaction, the other disguises her intelligence by pretending to be the titular nitwit. But soon, two prospective lovers turn their heads, and ignite a feisty, funny competition between the girls that neither woman could have foreseen. In time, the sister widely perceived as ignorant reveals herself as the far more ingenious and cunning of the two siblings. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

In first-time director Inaki Dorronsoro's explosive drama La Distancia (AKA The Distance, 2006), Miguel Angel Silvestre plays Daniel, and up-and-coming pugilist repeatedly on the verge of winning, but never quite able to cross the victory line. The frustrated Daniel commits a robbery that leads to incarceration. In jail, he meets Guillermo, a cop with suppressed gay urges and self-destructive impulses, who cons Daniel into committing a homicide in exchange for release. Daniel then emerges from confinement, ostensibly unscathed but racked and torn apart inside by guilt. He climbs back into the ring, but is horrified to discover that aggression and anger now guide his boxing maneuvers, and, to clear his conscience, decides to seek out the wife of the man he killed, who works as a prostitute in a local club. Meanwhile, a horrified Guillermo learns of Daniel's decision and does everything in his power to stop the young man from continuing down this path. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the experiences of a Spanish secret agent who infiltrated the Basque nationalist/separatist organization Euskadi Ta Askasasuna between 1973 and 1975, Miguel Courtois' tense docudrama stars Eduardo Noriega as Mikel Lejarza, aka El Lobo ("The Wolf"). In the politically turbulent 1970s, the ETA's extreme actions gave the conservative Franco regime all the reason they needed to shut down the democratic process in Spain. By infiltrating the ETA, El Lobo managed to effectively take down approximately one quarter of the terrorist activists within the organization. Not only that, but he also thwarted plans by terrorists to escape from prison and resume their reign of violence on the outside. Later, in order to escape the wrath of the ETA - who plastered posters of his likeness all across the Basque country - El Lobo would be forced to change his identity and vanish without a trace. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Eduard Cortes' La Vida de Nadie (Nobody's Life) is about a man living a lie. Emilio (Jose Coronado) works as an economist at the Bank of Spain. He is happily married to Agatha (Adriana Ozores) and has a son. He meets a college student, Rosana (Marta Etura), who is having financial problems. He offers to help her, and their relationship grows when she keeps visiting him at work. What nobody knows is that Emilio has been living a lie, and the truth eventually comes out and ruins his life. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

The story of the birth of Christ is given a new spin in this family-friendly animated adventure. In the ancient city of Judea, three men are commanded by an unknown voice to follow the North Star in search of a treasure that will be bestowed on a great king, who is soon to be born. Chubby and good-natured Melchor, strong and stalwart Baltasar, and bright and dependable Gaspar all answer the call and set out on their journey; however, the wicked Herod, ruler of Judea, hears of their mission and is determined to stop it with the help of Belial, his second-in-command. Herod and Belial use both practical and magical defenses against the three travelers, but they remain undeterred in their quest, somehow certain something very important lies at the end of their journey. Produced by Spanish and French companies, Los Reyes Magos (aka The Three Wise Men) also features a modern-day framing story in which a troubled youth learns the importance of the nativity story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Enrique Urbizu's thriller La Caja 507 (Box 507) is about two very different men looking for the same thing. Modesto (Antonio Resines) is a banker who loses his daughter Maria (Dafne Fernandez) when she dies after being trapped in a forest fire. After a robbery at the bank in which papers from Box 507 are taken, Modesto discovers documents that reveal the fire was set on purpose. With his wife Angela (Miriam Montilla) in a coma thanks to the robbery, Modesto sets out to even the score. Gangster's henchman Rafael (Jose Coronado), who needs the stolen papers to get back on his boss' good side, is also looking for them. The two men meet in the end when all is revealed. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Carlos Saura, one of the finest and most distinctive filmmakers in the Spanish cinema, wrote and directed this biographical epic concerning one of Spain's greatest artists, the painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. On his deathbed, Goya (Francisco Rabal), attended by his mistress, Leocadia (Eulalia Ramon) and their daughter, Rosario (Dafne Fernandez), is plagued by hallucinations and frequent visions of the beautiful Cayetana (Maribel Verdu) as his mind reels through the events of his life. As a young man, Goya (played in his younger days by Jose Coronado) became the court painter to King Charles and the Royal Family, where he created technically skillful but uninteresting portraits and was invited to a number of royal functions. At one such affair, Goya first met Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba, and he was immediately smitten; they became lovers, and she was both the subject and inspiration of several major works, including "Desnuda" and "La Maja Vestida." Goya's work developed a dark undercurrent after Napoleon invaded Spain and he took up with Leocadia, creating disturbing images that alienated his patrons and frightened his children. In time, the decline of the court and a changing political climate forced Goya to seek exile in France in 1824, where he would die four years later. Goya In Bordeaux was a project that Saura had dreamed of filming for years, and he was ably assisted in recreating the look of Goya's paintings by master cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Drawing its basic story from author Ian Gibson's investigation into the real-life murder of Andalusian poet Federico Garcia Lorca at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War, this English-language thriller begins in 1935 as exiled Spanish journalist Ricardo and his family resettle in Puerto Rico. For most of his life Ricardo has been obsessed with the poet. In 1954, Ricardo returns to Spain to look closely into the circumstances of Garcia Lorca's death. His father advises Ricardo not to go, but the writer, who wants to do a book about the poet, disregards him. Ricardo is also driven by his desire to ease his guilt about a close friend who was shot by the Nationalists. While doing battle with tight-lipped government officials, Ricardo is followed by Centeno, a member of Franco's security team. He is also followed by an amiable taxi driver who has an uncanny knack for showing up when Ricardo needs him most. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide