Paz Vega Movies

Set in five neighborhoods of Los Angeles, director Christopher Landon's ensemble comedy drama Burning Palms follows a small group of protagonists as they shatter taboos and strive for success. When a lonely woman meets a handsome single father (Dylan McDermott), she thinks she's found the perfect mate. She begins to have second thoughts, however, upon witnessing his unusual interactions with his overly flirtatious adolescent daughter (Emily Meade). Meanwhile, a woman (Jamie Chung) seeking to please her sexually deviant boyfriend finds that the price of submission may be more than she's willing to pay, and a gay couple (Peter Macdissi and Anson Mount) begin to have second thoughts about adoption after welcoming an African child into their home. Things only get more absurd when a depressed woman (Zoe Saldana) makes a bizarre proposal to a man (Nick Stahl) who recently attacked her, and a mischievous boy engages his brothers in a series of increasingly twisted challenges. Rosamund Pike and Lake Bell co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man bearing the unseen scars of war struggles to recover amidst a family in chaos in this drama from writer and director Danis Tanovic. Mark Walsh (Colin Farrell) is a photojournalist who has earned a reputation for working in some of the most unforgiving locations on Earth, so when his editor Amy (Juliet Stevenson) asks him to cover the fighting in Kurdistan, Mark takes the assignment and thinks little of it, though his wife Elena (Paz Vega) is considerably more concerned. Mark and his friend and fellow photographer David (Jamie Sives) head off to the war full of confidence, but when Mark comes home alone after being separated from David, he seems like a different person, gaunt and unable to relax. Elena can't get Mark to talk about what he saw that left him so traumatized, so she invites her father Joaquin (Christopher Lee), a veteran psychoanalyst with military experience, for a visit to see if he can help. But as Joaquin struggles to get Mark to open up, the father's presence ignites an old conflict between him and Elena; the doctor was a supporter of Franco during the Spanish Civil War and served under the dictator's regime, and Elena has never been able to forgive him for his actions against the Spanish loyalists. Triage was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Jack Bishop (Simon Baker) draws on the powers of La Santa Muerte to find his missing daughter, Toby. His life was perfect until his dark past returned with a vengeance. Now the thing that Jack loves most has been taken away. With the help of a sheriff and two FBI agents, Jack searches the seedy underbelly of Mexico City for his daughter and discovers that there's no escape from the grip of La Santa Muerte. Paz Vega and Simon Baker star in a supernatural thriller directed by Basic co-producer Dror Soref. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A resurrected cop does battle with a villain whose quest for immortality threatens an entire metropolis in Sin City creator Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's acclaimed graphic novel. When a rookie cop is brutally killed and mysteriously brought back to life, he assumes the guise of The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) -- a masked crime fighter who prowls the shadows of Central City on a supernatural mission to keep the urban landscape safe. Upon discovering that his arch nemesis, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), is determined to live forever even if it means wiping out the entire population of Central City, The Spirit must race to stop the diabolical villain from achieving his cold-blooded plan. But even with his unique powers, the brave masked crusader will face a series of deadly challenges as a bevy of treacherous beauties including deceptively sweet girl next door Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), spitfire secretary Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), wraithlike siren Lorelei (Jaime King), seductive policewoman Morgenstern (Stana Katic), and French black widow Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega) set out to seduce or consume him at every turn; even The Spirit's one true love, a volatile jewel thief named Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), could ultimately destroy our hero before he accomplishes his mission of saving Central City. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The daughter of a 16th Century Spanish nobleman strives to transcend her role as a woman in society and achieve something truly profound in this period drama starring Paz Vega and Geraldine Chaplin. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada (Vega) knows well what is expected of her as a woman existing in a man's world, but she refuses to accept it. Convinced that she is capable of accomplishing much more than being a loyal wife and loving mother, Teresa enters a convent intent on writing, reading, learning, and living a full, richly textured life. Much to Teresa's dismay, the same vapid materialism and frivolity that seemed to have consumed the outside world have somehow found their way into the hallowed halls of this convent as well. In protest, Teresa embarks on a crusade of prayer and sacrifice that initially finds her branded a lunatic by those in power. But over the course of time something truly profound happens: a woman once considered mentally unstable gradually evolves to become a celebrated leader and, ultimately, a true saint of the highest order. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The story of Spain's most infamous family is brought to the screen with surprising subtlety in this historical drama. Near the end of the 15th century, the Borgias are one of the most wealthy families in Europe, with their numbers divided between Spain and Italy, and when Rodrigo Borgia (Lluis Homar) is elected as Pope, his three sons -- Cesar (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), Juan (Sergio Muniz), and Jofre (Eloy Azorin) -- find themselves raised to positions of power as their father arranges politically advantageous marriages for them. Rodrigo's daughter Lucrecia (Maria Valverde) is also used as a bargaining chip when he persuades her to wed Giovanni Sforza, the favored son of a family often in opposition to the Borgias. While Rodrigo benefits from these alliances, his children do not -- Cesar's dreams of serving in the military are dashed when he is made to join his father in the church, Juan's time in the Army is full of unhappy consequences, Jofre's marriage to Sancha of Aragon (Linda Batista) is not fated to be a happy one, and murder stains the lives of most of the family. Originally shot as a mini-series for television, The Borgias (aka Los Borgia) was reedited for theatrical release in Spain, where it became a success at the box office. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A Hispanic woman and her young daughter are thrown into the middle of a well-to-do but remarkably dysfunctional family in this comedy drama from writer and director James L. Brooks. Flor (Paz Vega) is a single mother who has struggled to support her daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) working as a domestic in Mexico. Hoping to give her daughter greater financial security, Flor packs up their belongings and moves the family to California, but Flor refuses to surrender her Latino identity and opts not to learn English; meanwhile, Cristina quickly learns to speak the language fluently. Flor lands a high-paying job working as a housekeeper for Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni); Deborah doesn't speak a word of Spanish, but this is hardly the most curious thing about their working relationship. A deeply troubled neurotic who has spent time in a mental hospital, Deborah is at once obsessed with her duties as a wife and mother and utterly clueless to her family's needs, and when she learns that Flor has a daughter, she insists that the girl move in with the Claskys. Flor, however, isn't so sure she wants Deborah Americanizing Cristina, especially when Deborah begins doting on the girl at the expense of her relationship with her own daughter, Bernice (Sarah Steele). Deborah's husband, John (Adam Sandler), is an oasis of loving calm and understanding in the midst of his chaotic family, and Flor becomes attracted to this man who shows no signs of the arrogant machismo she's accustomed to. But John's career as a chef is turned upside down when The New York Times gives his restaurant a four-star review, suddenly turning his small eatery into the "in" spot in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Flor reaches the end of her patience when Deborah enrolls Cristina into an exclusive private school which Flor is certain will turn her into a typical American child and drive a wedge between Cristina and her mother. Spanglish also stars Cloris Leachman as Deborah's sharp-tongued mother. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Directed by veteran Spanish helmer Vicente Aranda, Carmen revolves around a complex cast of characters, including Merimee (Jay Benedict), a writer and archeologist whose research in southern Spain circa 1830 brings him into contact with Jose (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a bandit. When Merimee meets the beautiful Carmen (Paz Vega) in a cathedral, Jose bursts in and orders Merimee to leave unless he wanted to be killed. Eventually, Jose reveals how he had met Carmen -- breaking up a fight between her and a co-worker who believed her to be a witch, and subsequently letting her off the hook rather than taking her to prison. When they next met, Carmen was working as a prostitute, which made Jose jealous enough to murder one of her clients. Afterwards, he dedicated his entire life to being with her, not caring who he killed along the way. The film also features Antonio Dechent, Joan Crosas, and Joe Mackay. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

The nature of love and memory and how the two sensations interrelate are explored in Jean-Pierre Limosin's 2002 film Novo. Office worker Graham (Eduardo Noriega) suffered a head injury that destroyed his ability to maintain long-term memories. Falling in love with the forgetful Graham, temporary office secretary Irene (Anna Mouglalis) takes the opportunity to engage Graham in a sexual relationship that feels like the beginning of a hot romance -- with plenty of adventurous sexual encounters along the way. While Irene insists that she'll maintain the memories for both of them until Graham recovers, she begins to wonder if their romance will endure without his being able to remember any of the hot details from their short history. Novo was a chosen for inclusion into the 2002 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

The feature debut of writer/director Javier Balaguer, Sólo Mía opens on a scene of a relationship gone terribly awry. Some type of violence is occurring off-camera. Soon we see that Angela (Paz Vega of Sex and Lucia) has Joaquín (Sergi López of Dirty Pretty Things) bound and gagged. "Have you ever tried, just once, to see my side?" she asks him. The film jumps back in time, showing us the history of their tumultuous relationship. On the first day of her job as a receptionist at an ad agency, Angela meets Joaquín, who turns out to be her boss. He charms her, and after a whirlwind courtship, they get married. Angela quickly gets pregnant, and Joaquín insists that she quit smoking and quit her job. He wants to control her; she will not be controlled. Their arguments grow more heated. One day, when he finds a pack of cigarettes she's hidden away, he smacks her. He quickly apologizes, and she eventually forgives him, but things just get worse. He gets a promotion at work, where he works with Alejandro (Alberto Jiménez of El Bola). Joaquín gets more and more stressed out about what's going on at the office. One night, after their anniversary party, while their baby girl is at Angela's mother's (María José Alfonso), Joaquín drunkenly assaults Angela. Andrea (Elvira Mínguez), Alejandro's wife, eventually persuades Angela to leave Joaquín, but Joaquín is not ready to give up on their relationship, or give up his daughter. With the legal system unresponsive to her concerns, Angela is forced to take bold action to protect herself. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Mateo Gil, screenwriter of the acclaimed Spanish work Open Your Eyes (1997) directs this flashy, bizarre psychological thriller set during the stunning spectacle of Seville's Holy Week. Fledging novelist Simon (Eduardo Noriega) makes a living by writing crossword puzzles for the local newspaper and lives with spoiled rich kid weirdo Sapo (Jordi Molla). One day, Simon gets an ominous phone call informing him that if he does not include the word "adversary" in his next crossword there will be hell to pay. Meanwhile, a local leading figure is mysteriously killed when poison gas is released from a Virgin Mary statue. From there, the film spirals into a dazzling parade of nightmarish images such as a naked priest cozying up to another Virgin Mary and a legion of hooded penitents shooting toy guns at trapped and frightened Simon. Noted Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar provides the music. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi