Antonio Valero Movies

The troubled career of blacklisted director Herbert Biberman, who endured a considerable struggle to make the 1954 pro-Labor film Salt of the Earth, provides the centerpiece for this historical drama. The film opens at the 1937 Academy Awards, where Biberman's wife, Gale Sondergaard (Greta Scacchi), wins the first ever "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar. Although the anti-Fascist sentiment in her acceptance speech gets her labeled a "commie" by some observers, she and Biberman (played here by Jeff Goldblum) are placed under contract at Warner Bros. Ten years later, with Cold War paranoia growing, a group of predominantly Jewish Hollywood directors -- Biberman, Sondergaard, Danny Kaye, and Dalton Trumbo among them -- are labeled Communists and questioned before Congress. Refusing to name names, Biberman is thrown in prison for six months; his wife's similar refusal to testify severely threatened her career as well. After his release from prison, Biberman, no longer able to work in Hollywood, strikes out on his own with other blacklistees, producer Paul Jarrico (John Sessions) and writer Michael Wilson (Geraint Wyn Davies), to make Salt of the Earth. Biberman's production is far from easy, however, as it comes under attack from both the FBI and redneck vigilantes. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Though her son is doing his best to force her out of the beloved country house, the stubborn and feisty Lola refuses to leave as she and Clementina (her niece) are trying to adopt a Bosnian war orphan. Opportunistic runaway Bartolome needs a few meals and so convinces the grandmother that he is the refugee they are awaiting. Later Clementina finds a gradual friendship developing between herself and Lola's lawyer. When aging fisherman Colo finds a raft of drugs floating in the ocean, he figures that all he has to do is sell the stuff and then use the money to save Lola's home. Unbeknownst to him, the smugglers who lost the drugs are eager to get them back. Though their lives are interconnected, each main character has his or her distinct storyline. A deceptively simple piece that manages to be as gritty as it is lyrical, El Color de las Nubes is one of Spanish director Mario Camus' best films. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this drama, a dying man makes a final, desperate bid to steal his ex-wife away from her new spouse. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Policemen everywhere are sometimes lampooned for their self-importance and pomposity, and it is not unusual for a particularly impudent thief to become a national hero. However, Spain's Guardia Civil in the 1960s were an unusually self-righteous lot, and the otherwise not particularly edifying real-life exploits of the young thief Eleuterio Sanchez, nicknamed "El Lute," thrilled the nation. This crime adventure drama retells his story. After being arrested for a robbery gone bad, the young thief refuses to finger his partners in crime even under torture. Despite this, they are rounded up and executed for the murder they committed while robbing a jewelry store. El Lute received a commutation from General Franco, and was on his way to prison when he escaped, eluding a nationwide manhunt for several weeks despite having a broken arm. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi