Alex Angulo Movies
- 2009
This zany, Spanish-language teen sex comedy concerns a group of young social outcasts and misfits, including a blind boy, a wheelchair-confined metalhead and a shy, backward type who decide to "crash" Oxford University in England to win over a gorgeous girl. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Casas, Alberto Amarilla, (more)
- 2009
Inspired by the visually stylish Italian giallos of the 1970s, first time writer/director Stefano Bessoni's Imago Mortis follows a young film student on his quest to unmask a killer who projects his victims' last visions for the entire world to see. Bruno (Alberto Amarilla) is a student at the F.W. Murnau Institute, an international film school where aspiring filmmakers ply their trade. After discovering a bizarre helmet that immediately goes missing, Bruno is troubled to see his classmates start dropping like flies. There's a killer on the loose, a madman who taunts his prey by using a camera obscura to project the final image seen by his previous victims before moving in for the kill. His gruesome technique is based on the theory of "Thanatography," in which the final image a person sees before death is permanently imprinted on their retina. By removing his victims' eyes after the murder has been committed, the killer not only collects the ultimate trophy, but has a morbid means of taunting future victims as well. But Bruno suffers from terrible nightmares, and his waking reality becomes ever more twisted, identifying the killer becomes an impossible task. After all, it could be anyone from former director of photography Astolfi (Francesco Carnelutti), whose son was once killed while working on a film directed by Professor Olinski (Alex Angulo), to Prof. Olinski himself or even school proprietor Countess Orsini (Geraldine Chaplin), whom Bruno suspects to be the leader of a collegiate cabal that may wield more power than either he, or the rest of the student body, actually realizes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto Amarilla, Francesco Carnelutti, (more)
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the phantasmagorical cinema that defined such early fare as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone with this haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and detailing the strange journeys of an imaginative young girl who may be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), recently remarried to sadistic army captain Vidal (Sergi López) and soon to bear the cruel military man's child, shy young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to entertain herself as her recently-formed family settles into their new home nestled deep in the Spanish countryside. As Ofelia's bed-ridden mother lies immobilized in anticipation of her forthcoming child and her high-ranking stepfather remains determined to fulfill the orders of General Francisco Franco to crush a nearby guerilla uprising, the young girl soon ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by the mythical faun Pan (Doug Jones). Convinced by Pan that she is the lost princess of legend and that in order to return to her underground home she must complete a trio of life-threatening tasks, Ofelia sets out to reclaim her kingdom and return to her grieving father as Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) and doctor (Alex Angulo) plot secretly on the surface to keep the revolution alive. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, (more)
First-time 31-year-old director Koldo Serra's thriller The Backwoods (AKA El bosque de las sombras, 2006) re-charts thematic territory covered, in years prior, by such well-worn classics as Deliverance and Southern Comfort, and such B-grade horror pictures as Savage Island (2004). With their nuptials crumbling, a married couple from London in their early thirties, Norman (Paddy Considine) and Lucy (sensual Virginie Ledoyen of The Beach) opt to take some time out with a sojourn to northern Spain's Basque region, in the Pyrenees. They arrive at a renovated farmhouse run by Paul (Gary Oldman) and Isabel (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) and are initially able to enjoy themselves, but the trip takes a decidedly ugly turn when Paul and Norman head out on a hunting expedition and discover a malformed, feral girl (an 'enfant sauvage') in a local cabin, apparently completely neglected. They transport her from the building in a sincere and honest attempt to help her, but only succeed in drawing forth the wrath of the savage and inbred local townspeople, who quake with rage at the thought of someone absconding with one of their own. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paddy Considine, Virginie Ledoyen, (more)
- 2005
A divorced schoolteacher's life begins to unravel as her young daughter watches in horror. Alicia (Cecilia Roth) lives with her daughter Vega (Nadia de Santiago), and just can't seem to get her act together. Not only is she drinking too much, but her insomnia often finds her up at night and browsing internet chatrooms, where she strikes up a sexually charged relationship with seventeen year old Zak (Nacho Aldeguer). On the internet Alicia is uninhibited, but upon meeting Zak in person she immediately calls their relationship off. Later, Zak bursts into Alicia's classroom and threatens to kill himself unless she agrees to see him again. Meanwhile, Alicia's relationship with her Alzheimer's-stricken father is slowly deteriorating, and Vega does her best to console a close friend who has recently been disgnosed with cancer. Later, after Zak makes good on his grim promise, his grieving father Luis (Antonio Resines) struggles for answers. But fate works in mysterious ways, and before long Alicia and Luis' paths will cross under the most unusual of circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecilia Roth, Antonio Resines, (more)
The debut film from the filmmaking team of Daniela Fejerman and Inés París, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres is a racy comedy starring Rosa María Sardà as Sofía. Divorced for years, Sofía gathers her three daughters, Sol (Silvia Abascal), Gimena (María Pujalte), and Elvira (Leonor Watling), together to celebrate her birthday and to make an announcement. It seems Elvira has fallen in love, which excites the girls until she reveals that it is a woman that she's been seeing. The title, A Mi Madre le Gustan las Mujeres, is Spanish for My Mother Likes Women. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonor Watling, Rosa María Sardà, (more)
Actor Jordi Mollà made his directorial debut with this satiric drama, which casts a jaundiced eye on the world of television. Salva (Mollà) and his best friend, Angel (Juan Carlos Vellido), are a pair of homeless men who scrape together a living begging in a train station. After the men are implicated in the killing of a priest, Salva and Angel are put behind bars, where they are spotted by the producer of "Harsh Treatment," a reality television show in which the viewing audience is asked to judge if the contestants are innocent or guilty of the crimes of which they are accused. With his long hair and kind eyes, Salva looks a bit like Jesus, and Bigardo (Daniel Giménez Cacho), the creator of the show, decided to play the resemblance for all it's worth; the home audience not only acquits Salva, but he's given a new job as a TV preacher. Disillusioned, Angel goes back to the gutter, while Salva, who is uncertainly navigating the ladder of success, becomes deeply infatuated with Espe (Candela Peña), Bigardo's significant other. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The healing power of the sexual act is the focus of this magic-realist entry, shot in Mexico and produced in Spain by writer-director Laura Mana. Evoking films as disparate as Wings of Desire, Like Water for Chocolate, and Breaking the Waves, Sexo Por Compasion switches from black and white to color as it relays the tale of Dolores (Elisabeth Margoni), a woman who begins a series of affairs after her husband walks out on her. She begins her trysts "out of compassion," as it were, for men who have been wronged by their women. As word of her carnal benevolence spreads, Dolores notices her small village changing: the invalid Leocadia (Leticia Huijada) is suddenly able to walk; a feuding couple makes amends; and Dolores' suitors donate money to the local church. Everything goes well until the local prostitutes accuse Dolores of noodling in on their business. Sexo world-premiered at the 2000 Malaga Film Festival before moving to festivals in Canada and the U.S. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Margoni, Alex Angulo, (more)
Show business legend is full of stories about comedy teams who don't get along offstage, but Muertos De Risa/Dying Of Laughter takes this notion to new heights in this story about two comedians who hate each other so much that it leads to attempted murder. In the early 1970's, Nino (Santiago Segura) is a nightclub singer whose career is going nowhere, and Bruno (El Gran Wyoming) is a comic who isn't doing any better. A talent agent, Julian (Alex Angulo), teams them up for a sketch on a popular TV show, and when Nino is suddenly stricken with stage fright on camera and can't speak, Bruno impulsively slaps him. The audience finds this hilarious, and their career as a duo is off and running -- while their personal relationship starts at a low point and keeps getting worse. Over time, Bruno steals Nino's girlfriend, Nino gets arrested for dealing drugs, the act periodically breaks up and reunites, and in the midst of a New Year's Eve broadcast in 1992, the two exchange gunfire on live TV. Starring two of Spain's most popular comedians, Muertos De Risa/Dying Of Laughter was massively popular in its initial release, and boasts exacting recreations of the look and mood of each decade presented, as well as witty references to Spain's contemporary political and social history. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Santiago Segura, El Gran Wyoming, (more)
- 1997
This Pedro Almodóvar melodrama examines how several lives are changed by a single gunshot. Adapting the novel Live Flesh by British mystery author Ruth Rendell, Almodóvar has given the material a Spanish makeover with added political thrust. Beginning in 1970 in Franco's Madrid, when a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) gives birth to a son, Victor, the story leaps forward to contemporary Madrid. Wealthy diplomat's daughter Elena (Francesca Neri) is watching Luis Buñuel's The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de La Cruz (1955) while waiting for the arrival of her heroin dealer, and she buzzes Victor (Liberto Rabal) (with whom she made a date, then forgot about him) into the building. In the confusion that follows, two cops, David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho) arrive, and a gun goes off. The story then makes another leap to four years later: Victor is in prison, while Elena, no longer on drugs, runs a disadvantaged children's shelter and is married to wheelchair-bound David. After his release, Victor visits his mother's grave and spots David and Elena at the cemetery -- where David meets philandering wife Clara (Angela Molina). Fate interweaves the tangled interrelationships of all into a complex tapestry of destiny and guilt. Shown at 1997 London and New York film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, (more)
- 1995
- R
Spanish filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia followed his outlandish sci-fi/horror debut, Accion Mutante, with this colorful apocalypse fantasy about Father Angel (Alex Angulo), a scholarly priest whose intensive research into cabalistic "Bible Code" prophecies leads to a horrific discovery: the exact birthdate of the Antichrist. Convinced that Satan's spawn will be born somewhere in Madrid on Christmas Day, Father Angel embarks on a bizarre journey down the path of sin, committing the foulest possible acts against God and humanity in order to worm his way into the Devil's inner circle and face the ultimate foe on his own turf. Comprised of equal parts high-concept horror and scathing social satire (in the mode of the director's peer and former collaborator Pedro Almodovar), this ambitious horror film has garnered a sizable cult following. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Two young women leave their old-fashioned Spanish villages in search of wealth and adventure in this gentle drama. Both La Nina and Trini are in their early 20s. After spending time working in a resort filled with aged touristas the two end up in Madrid meeting with Marilo, La Nina's mother. Marilo and her daughter do not get along well, but the mother and Trini become fast friends. Marilo dreams of running a bar along the beach and together with La Nina, Trini, and her lover little Pepe, they all head off to the beach. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Waging war against all things glamorous and beautiful, crippled terrorists Accion Mutante plot a series of attacks on society's elite, gaining a fearsome reputation before their activities are stalled with the jailing of their leader and mastermind, Ramon. Soon reunited with their newly released leader, Accion Mutante plots the elaborate wedding reception kidnapping of Patricia, a wealthy socialite. Though many die in the botched kidnapping, the gang gets away with Patricia and jumps aboard their spaceship, destined for a distant planet and a healthy ransom. Celebration is short-lived as greed kicks in and Ramon plants the seeds of distrust among his fellow mutants shortly after take-off. With all of the mutants gone sans a vengeful Siamese twin (or at least half of him), Ramon takes his cash cow to the pay-off site, though a curious case of the Stockholm syndrome has thrown an unexpected wrench into Ramon's devious plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Resines, Frederique Feder, (more)
- 1990
In this comedy, Yon (Jorge de Juan) is one of four college students, friends, who are not above using extraordinary means to pass their exams. For instance, not long ago one of them pretended to have a head wound so that he could conceal a radio transmitter in the bandages and give his pals a detailed preview of the exam he was taking. So it's only natural that such hardworking boys would be upset when one of their number learns that he has flunked his final exams. Yon's response was to write a very strongly worded anonymous letter of protest to his professor and post it in a bright yellow mailbox. Afterwards, he realizes with panic that he has inadvertently included the letter from the school informing him of his results in the exam, giving his identity away. Enlisting the help of his friends, they steal the offending mailbox in order to recover the letter. Unfortunately, their girlfriends aren't in on the game, and don't understand what they're up to, posing several delicious obstacles to a quick resolution of Yon's difficulties. It also doesn't help that a drug dealer has been using that same mailbox for drop shipments, and has been keeping an eye on it. When he sees the boys steal it, he doesn't immediately assume that anything good is happening. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miguel Molina, Jorge De Juan, (more)
