Julio Fernández Movies
- 2004
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
- Starring:
- Eduardo Noriega, Silvia Abascal, (more)
A bloody trail of mutilated corpses leaves a remote village frozen with fear in this full moon tale of terror starring Julian Sands and directed by El Segundo Nombre's Francisco Plaza. When authorities discover a number of bodies bearing wounds of surgical precision mixed with savage gashes deep within the nearby forest, the citizens of Allariz vow never again to set foot in the dreaded woods. Though a wandering soap vendor named Manuel Romasanta has confessed to the crimes claiming that he used the fat of the victims as the foundation for his deep cleansing skin care products, a deeper investigation reveals that Romasanta may in fact be suffering from the curse of lycanthropy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julian Sands, Elsa Pataky, (more)
Cujo's got nothing on this fearsome canine as beast fuses with metal to create the ultimate killing machine in this tale survival from genre specialist Brian Yuzna. An innocent man imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Dante's (William Miller) future looks increasingly grim until an unexpected window of opportunity allows him the chance to flee the confines of his bleak prison cell. Upon realizing that Dante has escaped, the corrupt authorities unleash their ultimate weapon -- an unstoppable, bone-crunching hybrid of canine and machine with a taste for flesh and metal scissors for jaws. In a battle that goes beyond man-versus-machine, the stage is set for the ultimate game of survival. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Fantastic Factory presents another spooky Spanish horror tale with The Nun, a pseudo-slasher ghost story that finds an evil water-nymph nun seeking vengeance against her murderers from years before. Before her disappearance, Sister Úrsula was highly feared in her boarding school. Often tormenting her students with her own brand of extreme religious zealotry, this nightmarish nun was deathly strict with her code of ethics. When one of her 15-year-old pupils is found to be pregnant, the nun forces her into a dangerous spiritual cleansing that ends in tragedy when the girl's five classmates break up the torture session and inadvertently kill Úrsula in the process. Upon the reopening of the school almost 20 years later, two of the group's survivors end up dead, which forces the rest of the old friends to face their own demons over what happened that fateful night. With the help of the now-teenaged daughter of the original student, the group confronts the very thing that haunts their dreams and forever links them together in hushed silence. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anita Briem, Belen Blanco, (more)
Laura Mana's psychological thriller Killing Words concerns a test of words and wills between a serial killer and the woman he is keeping as his prisoner. Laura is tied up in the killer's basement, but he agrees to release her if she can beat him at a word game. However, if she loses, she will never leave his private dungeon. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darío Grandinetti, Goya Toledo, (more)
Brad Anderson directs the psychological thriller The Machinist, a production of Spain's Filmax company. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a factory lathe operator who has developed a serious case of insomnia. Lack of sleep has already started to wear down on his brain and his body. When he's involved in an accident at work, his co-workers turn against him. He starts to find strange notes in his apartment and see people that apparently aren't there. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as call girl Stevie. The Machinist premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
Once again tampering with mother nature to disastrous results, Dr. Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) continues his research in director Brian Yuzna's second sequel to the 1985 splatter classic Re-Animator. Currently serving time in a maximum security prison for his previous exploits, West's limited prison-cell experiments are suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Howard Phillips (Jason Barry), the new prison doctor and the brother of the girl who suffered from West's experiments 13 years earlier. Knowledgeable of West's previous experiments and eager to assist the mad doctor in continuing his studies, the naive Phillips discovers that West's continued studies have revealed a more effective means of bringing back the dead -- the removal of an individual's Neuroplasm, or soul, and the injection of it into a newly reanimated corpse. An electrical phenomenon discharged at the moment of death, with the discovery of the Neuroplasm West may have finally discovered the missing link to effectively bringing life to death. Or not. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, (more)
Directed by Jaume Balagueró, Darkness follows father and husband Mark (Iain Glen), his wife (Lena Olin), and their two children (Anna Paquin and Stephan Enquist) on their move to an outwardly quaint country home. Though the initial housewarming party is widely celebrated by neighbors, their houseguests become steadily fewer as a series of creepy happenings indicate that the house is home to more than their family. Sure enough, the lights begin to flicker incessantly on and off, while Mark's Huntington's disease makes a comeback after a ten-year dormancy. Regina (Paquin) expects that the problem stems from the house itself, but no one believes her. Determined to prove her case (particularly after mysterious noose marks begin to appear on her brother's neck), Regina decides to pay a visit to the man (Fermi Rexach) who built the house to begin with. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Paquin, Lena Olin, (more)
- 2002
Desperate to find out why her life seems to be falling apart at the seams, twenty-five-year-old Daniella Logan (Erica Prior) begins an investigation into her father's mysterious suicide. A loving father who dedicated his existence to ensuring his daughter's well being, Daniella's inquiries slowly reveal a man she never knew existed - a terrifying man capable of evil beyond her comprehension. Edging towards madness as the facade of her innocent life begins to crumble with each new revelation, Danielle's struggle to claim her own destiny finds her pitted against a sinister religious plot and a tangled web of venomous lies and shattering deceit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erica Prior, Denis Refter, (more)
The nightmares of Paul Marsh (Ezra Godden), a successful businessman, are haunted by a mermaid that neither he nor his beautiful girlfriend, Barbara (Raquel Merono), can figure out. While on a boating vacation off the Spanish shore, a sudden storm sends their sailboat crashing into the rocks, causing Paul and Barbara to paddle to the nearby fishing village for help. But the village is inhabited by a race of people who are half-human/half-fish, and the time has come for them to sacrifice humans to their monstrous leader, Dagon. Not only that, but Paul's nightmares become horrifying reality when he encounters beautiful and passionate Uxia (Macarena Gomez), the mermaid of his visions, and boy does she have a surprise for him besides the double tentacles under her skirt. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ezra Godden, Francisco Rabal, (more)
- 2001
Noted Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura follows up on his 1999 opus Goya with this wild and woolly reimagining of a 1930s adventure serial from the mind of a surrealist master. The film opens in the present with an aged Luis Buñuel listening to a script pitch about the search for a magical table smuggled from the Ottoman empire to Spain several centuries ago. As the spiel plods on, Buñuel's mind drifts, imagining himself during his prime with his buddies Salvador Dali and Garcia Lorca. The trio search for the missing item of furniture through the winding alleys and sewers of Toledo. Along the way, the actors playing Buñuel, Dali, and Lorca reflect on playing the parts of great artists while engaging in witty banter with one another. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- El Gran Wyoming, Pere Arquillue, (more)
A man goes to hell and back to avenge the death of the woman he loves in this over-the-top horror story. Troubled artist Jaspers (Mark Frost) is depressed and considering suicide after his girlfriend, an illegal alien, is killed by thugs. Before he can go through with it, Jaspers is visited by a mysterious man calling himself M (Andrew Divoff). M, which is short for Mephistopheles, is an earthly emissary of the Devil, and along with sexy Claire (Monica Van Campen) and devious Dr. Yanamoto (Junix Inocian), he leads a Satanic cult called the Hand. M and his companions persuade Jaspers to join the Hand, and soon Jaspers and other members of the Hand wreak vengeance by staging a mass murder against the men responsible for the death of Jaspers' lover. But Jaspers finds he quite likes ritual murder, and his enthusiasm leads to sloppiness that gets him arrested; he also becomes involved with Claire, which makes him very unpopular with M. As police detective Margolies (Jeffrey Combs) and psychiatrist Jade de Camp (Isabel Brook) try to get some answers about Jaspers' strange and deadly behavior, Jaspers begins to transform himself into a demonic beast in a desperate battle to defeat M before M can kill him. Faust, Love of the Damned was the first feature from the production company Fantastic Factory, formed by American filmmaker Brian Yunza and Spanish financier Julio Fernandez; the film was shot in Spain with an English-speaking cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Frost, Isabel Brooke, (more)
A plucky pilot searching for a missing relative gets bugged by a island controlled by giant spiders in this horror opus. Mercer (Alex Reid) is a pretty but all-business female pilot whose brother is a novice flyer. When a small plane he's flying crashes on a small island in the South Pacific, Mercer immediately assembles a crew and sets out on a rescue mission to find her brother. Joining Mercer in the search for her brother are Valentine (Chris Potter), a mercenary handy with a gun; Dr. Leon (Pepe Sancho), a tough-talking physician; Capri (Ravil Isyanov), a scientist investigating a strange disease that's been traced back to the island; and Susana (Neus Asensi), a good friend who is bright and resourceful. When Mercer and her associates arrive on the island, they believe they're ready for anything, but they're not prepared for what they find -- a breed of huge and deadly spiders, who are ready and willing to defend their territory and begin picking off Mercer's crew one by one. While shot in Mexico by a Spanish production company, Arachnid was co-produced by American producer Brian Yunza (through his multi-national Fantastic Factory production house), and helmed by American director Jack Shoulder. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Reid, Chris Potter, (more)
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)
- 1999
- Add No Respires ... El Amor Esta en el Aire to QueueAdd No Respires ... El Amor Esta en el Aire to top of Queue
Spanish director Juan Potau debuts with this wacky screwball romantic comedy. Tomas (Oscar Ladoire), an embittered, middle-aged publisher of romantic novels, resolves one day to kill himself. Instead, he ends up saving fellow would-be suicide Tito (Carlos Fuentes). In gratitude, Tito brings Tomas into his bizarre family, including his aging beauty queen mother, his wizened father, and his two sisters. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oscar Ladoire, Carlos Fuentes, (more)
One of the finest filmmakers of Spain, Mario Camus turns his lens to a joyful and sad period of Spanish history in this historical drama about one man's struggle for a better life towards the end of the 18th century. Onofre Bouvila (Olivier Martinez) is a young man who has not had much luck in his short life. His father abandoned the family to make his fortune in Cuba and the boy grew up in misery with his suffering mother. Now grown up, he decides to make it in the big city and arrives in Barcelona on the eve of the Universal Exposition of 1888. He is immediately attracted to his landlord's beautiful daughter, Delfina (Emma Suarez), who has other plans for him. While the city is drowning in poverty and disease, the criminal gangs are having a field day. Onofre's attempts at finding a job fail. He is thrown out of his lodgings for lack of money to pay the rent. Just at that moment, Delfina appears with an answer to the problem. She puts him to work distributing revolutionary pamphlets for her anarchist organization to the workers at the Exposition. The relationship between the two young people soon turns into a passionate one, but a violent encounter with the police brings back unpleasant memories of the domestic misery Onofre left behind. He realizes that politics will not help him in his quest for fortune, which was the reason he came to Barcelona in the first place. The only thing standing in the way of social climber Onofre is his deep love for Delfina, and he is caught between ambition and love. La Ciudad de los Prodigios (The City of Marvels), which is based on Eduardo Mendoza's best-selling novel, was in competition at the 1999 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Martinez, Emma Suarez, (more)
A boy goes on a vacation with his father and ends up taking the ride of his life in the comedy Manolito Gafotas. Manolito (David Sanchez del Rey) is a cheerful but accident-prone child who doesn't see his father very often. Dad is a truck driver usually out on a long haul, leaving Manolito at home with his mother (Adriana Ozores), grandfather (Antonio Gamero), and little brother. Hoping to make up for the time they spend apart, Dad offers to take Manolito along on his next trip and show him the ocean. Manolito eagerly agrees, but gets his father in trouble when he mentions to Mom via telephone that Dad was chatting up a waitress at a roadside diner. After their meal, Manolito hops on board a truck and heads out down the road -- but he doesn't realize he's in the wrong truck until it's too late. Manolito Gafotas was adapted from a comic strip popular in Spain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Sanchez del Rey, Adriana Ozores, (more)
Spanish director Jaime Balaguero brings us this jet-black horror thriller. Claudia (Emma Vilarasau) and Marc's beloved six-year-old daughter Angela dies under mysterious circumstances. Flash forward five years, and Marc has left while Claudia wiles away her time watching family videos of happier times. Angela suddenly inexplicably calls saying, "They wanted you to believe I was dead." Claudia immediately calls an ex-cop, Massera (Karra Elejalde), to investigate the matter. To make matters worse, Claudia finds herself stalked by psychotic ex-boyfriend Toni, who simply radiates evil. As the movie progresses, Massera and Quiroga (Tristan Ulloa), a journalist who works for a magazine specializing in the occult, uncover a bizarre sadistic cult that sacrifices children. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Vilarasau, Karra Elejalde, (more)
Veteran filmmaker Josep Maria Forn directed this Spanish thriller about sexual harassment. When feminist attorney Elena (Silvia Munt) tells stockbroker Sergi (Abel Folk) she's wants a child, he responds by informing her that he had a vasectomy. With the support of her friend Cati (Pepa Lopez), Elena takes on the case of Paula (Iciar Bollain), a woman who says she was sexually harassed by her ex-boss. As the case becomes a major news story, Sergi discovers that the accused is one of his biggest clients, mayoral candidate Andreu (Jordi Dauder), who is advised by his lawyer Pau (Josep Maria Pou). A knotty twist develops when it becomes evident to Elena that she will be put in the awkward position of cross-examining her own lover about his affair with Paula. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvia Munt, Abel Folk, (more)
- 1998
Argentine director Alejando Agresti directed this surreal, allegorical Argentine-French-Dutch- Spanish comedy-drama. Winner of the "Golden Shell Grand Prize" at the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival, the absurdist tale is set during the '70s. Young Buenos Aires cabdriver Soledad (Vera Fogwill), tired of fending off molesting passengers and dealing with her exploitative boss, keeps driving her cab straight out of the city and into the mountains, arriving at a remote and dusty Patagonian village, Rio Pico. The town's only contact with the outside world is a cinema which shows film reels out of sequence or upside-down -- as referenced in the title's reversal of Gone With the Wind. This has impacted on local inhabitants, causing them to speak in non sequiturs. Soledad checks into an inn run by Doña Maria (Angela Molina), and when locals find out she was a journalism student, they ask her to host their newsreels about life in Rio Pico. Her new job as news anchor leads to a romance with film critic Pedro (Fabian Vena). Doña Marie finds love blossoming when faded French film star Edgar Wexley (Jean Rochefort) arrives in town as a result of massive amounts of fan mail. Village scientist Antonio (Ulises Dumont) makes regular jaunts to Buenos Aires with his discoveries (such as the theory of relativity), only to be told these were previously discovered in earlier decades. Change comes to Rio Pico when electricity and television arrive, and the town's magical, idiosyncratic appeal begins to fade. Also shown at the 1998 Chicago Film Festival. Spanish and French dialogue. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Fogwill, Ángela Molina, (more)
Michael Bray directed this British romantic comedy in which arrogant banker Rupert (Sean Chapman) doesn't know that his girlfriend Alison (Maryam D'Abo) is pregnant. Rupert promises to return on the same day from a Barcelona business trip, but the plane is re-routed to Madrid, where he's forced to share a room with a working-class chap, Charles (Ray Winstone). It's a tense twosome since he chose to chew out Charles on the plane. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maryam D'Abo, Sean Chapman, (more)
- 1996
This is a quirky drama/fantasy about a deeply twisted young woman, Azucena (Mercedes Ortega), and her progress from religious mania to a relationship with a peculiar young man who is as seriously warped by his own past as she is by hers. Azucena grew up watching her mother, a prostitute, having sex with her customers. Now grown, she finds the idea of sex intensely repulsive and is an extremely devout Catholic. After escaping a rape attempt by one of her few male friends, Cesar (Miguel Alonso), she has a vision of the Virgin, who tells her to go to a certain nightclub. There she meets Narciso (Gustavo Salmeron), a muscular, handsome transvestite. Narciso's parents, among other things, require him to wear women's underwear. Azucena and Narciso get along quite well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
