Antonio Cardenal Movies

A fierce soldier fighting for the Spanish cause in Flanders returns to a drastically different Spain to fulfill the dying wish of a fallen friend, only to find that life isn't what it once was in his decaying homeland in director Agustín Díaz Yanes' adaptation of Arturo Pérez-Reverte's popular series of best-selling books. Compelled to fulfill the final wish of his dying friend, noble warrior Alatriste (Viggo Mortensen) makes his way back to Spain to care for the man's young son, Iñigo (Nacho Perez and Unax Ugalde). Things have taken a sharp turn for the worst back home, however, and as Alatriste does his best to help the boy reach manhood while earning his keep as a hired swordsman, he sees his country crumbling at the feet of a feeble monarch who is failing to grasp the inner workings of his own corrupt court. The impulsive handling of the Spanish Inquisition, coupled with the corrosive influence of the Count-Duke of Olivares (Javier Cámara), has brought a once-powerful nation to its knees as the growing chasm between the deceitful upper class and the miserable life of the commoners has effectively served to polarize the populace. In a time when corruption reigns and honor has faded, Alatriste remains a lone figure who refuses to relinquish his noble spirit as he raises Iñigo and enters into a passionate love affair with actress Maria de Castro (Ariadna Gil). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Spanish dancing sensation Joaquin Cortes plays his first major dramatic role in this story about a musician who is struggling to put personal misfortune behind him. Andres (Cortes) is a flamenco singer who has just gotten out of prison after being falsely convicted of the murder of Romero (Antonio Carmona), a member of his band. As Andres tries to reacclimate himself to freedom, he discovers things have not been going his way while he was up the river; his wife Lucia (Laetitia Casta) is having an affair with another man, while his bullying father Isidoro (Manuel de Blas) is obsessed with getting revenge against Don Manuel, who rules a local crime syndicate known as the Junco Family. Word on the street has it that members of the Junco Family killed Romero while he was defending Andres in a fight; Don Manuel is also the father of Lucia, as well as Lola (Marta Belaustegui), the wife of another of Andres' bandmates, El Peque (Gines Garcia Millan), who wants Andres to put his problems behind him and get back on the road. Andres is eager to get his career going again, but he discovers Chino (Jose Manuel Lorenzo), a cop on the take, has been following him, with record company bigwig Manfredi (Juan Fernandez) paying him to dig up dirt on the flamenco. As well as introducing Joaquin Cortes, Gitano features French supermodel Laetitia Casta in her second acting role; her voice was dubbed into Spanish by actress Ana Fernandez. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A Spanish family's seaside vacation becomes a tense, seriocomic exploration into xenophobia when they stumble across an illegal African immigrant stranded upon the beach after an accident destroyed his raft and left his traveling companion dead. When patriarch Antonio, a somewhat dim-witted taxi driver, sees the miserable Ombasi huddled around a campfire, he is immediately suspicious and frightened for his family. Unfortunately, they lose their car keys and have no choice but to remain with the mysterious foreigner, who speaks no Spanish. At first, the film takes a humorous look at the family's struggle to communicate with the stranger, but then three racist skinheads arrive and the story takes a much darker turn. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this supernatural thriller, Eve is a woman whose nine-year old daughter gives every evidence of having strange occult powers. Within two days of giving birth to her, Eve hit a strange woman while driving, and at the same time lost her husband. Some have asserted that the movie's story bears some relation to the Biblical story of Lilith. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi