May 11, 2016 - "Living is Easy with Eyes Closed" (2015)

Living is Easy with Eyes Closed, 2015
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Stanley Coulter Hall, Room 239

Director: David Trueba
Origin: Spain
Language: Spanish
Running time: 108 min

Setting off to meet rock colossus John Lennon after learning that he's making a movie in Almeria, superfan Antonio picks up a pair of disaffected young hitchhikers en route, giving rise to an unlikely friendship. (from Netflix.com)

U.S. box office: $11,600
Watch the trailer on YouTube.

April 9, 2014 - "Blancanieves" (2012)

Blancanieves, 2012
Director: Pablo Berger
Origin: Spain | France | Belgium
Language: Spanish
Running time: 104 min

Shot in black and white and without dialogue, this unusual take on "Snow White" follows the young daughter of a matador who finds fame after escaping the clutches of her evil stepmother to join a band of bullfighting dwarves. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated PG-13 for some violent content and sexuality
U.S. box office: $218,845
Watch the trailer on IMDB.

October 10, 2012 - "Cria Cuervos" (1976)

Cria Cuervos, 1976
This week only -- we will be in Beering Hall, 1-245 (park in University Parking Garage)
Director: Carlos Saura
Origin: Spain
Language: Spanish
Running time: 110 min

Director Carlos Saura's haunting tale -- part psychological drama and part political parable -- features a mesmerizing turn by Ana Torrent. After watching her mother (Geraldine Chaplin) succumb to cancer, 9-year-old Ana (Torrent) blames the death on her womanizing father (Héctor Alterio) and tries to poison him. When he dies of a heart attack while in bed with a lover, Ana mistakenly assumes she's responsible for his demise. (from Netflix.com)

Watch the trailer on YouTube.

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Review of last week's film (Pariah, 3.5 stars)Steven says: This is a film based in reality. It's not just about a teenager's sexual identity. It places that coming-of-age conflict in a larger context of growing up in an African-American home in a major city. All of these qualifiers add depth to the story and to the outcome. It's a lesson in families, too. Who do you symphatize with, empathize with? The ending scenes are powerful, including a wonderful poem about "Breaking Open." The soundtrack deserves some recognition, too, for showcasing unknown (to me) artists while elevating the story line.

May 30, 2012 - "The Skin I Live In" (2011)

The Skin I Live In, 2011
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Origin: Spain
Language: Spanish
Running time: 117 min

Brilliant plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard seeks to overcome the grief of his late wife's disfigurement in a fiery car crash by inventing skin that's impervious to injury. But his experiments on a living woman hasten his descent into madness. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Rated R for disturbing violent content including sexual assault, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, drug use and language
U.S. box office: $3,185,193

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(Review of last week's film: Beginners, 5 stars)
Steven says: A perfect exploration of grief through the eyes of a 38-year-old man who has relationship issues of his own. It feels realistic from beginning to end -- nothing too far-fetched or melodramatic, just day-to-day life that resonates. We are all beginners through several stages of our lives. Sometimes we're forced to start something that we've never tried before. Other times, we choose, finally, to do something differently, creating our own beginnings.

December 7, 2011 - "Biutiful" (2010)

Biutiful, 2010

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Origin: Mexico | Spain
Languages: Spanish | Chinese | Wolof
Running time: 148 minutes

Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, Uxbal (Javier Bardem) -- a divorced father raising two children -- is determined to atone for his life as a black marketeer in this engrossing character study that unfolds in the slums of Barcelona, Spain. Co-starring Maricel Álvarez as Uxbal's estranged wife, director Alejandro González Iñárritu's haunting tale received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: R for Disturbing images, language, some sexual content, nudity and drug use
U.S. box office: $5,100,937

Watch the trailer on IMDB.

October 26, 2011 - "Butterfly" (1999)

Butterfly, 1999
Director: Jose Luis Cuerda
Origin: Spain
Languages: Spanish | Latin
Running time: 96 minutes

At the onset of the Spanish Civil War, a sheltered boy (Manuel Lozano) in rural northern Spain forms an indelible bond with his kindly leftist teacher (Fernando Fernán Gómez), who imparts his love for nature to the young student. Director Jose Luis Cuerda gentle and nostalgic drama, based on the short stories of Manuel Rivas, was nominated for 13 Goya Awards (the Spanish Oscar), winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: R for adult content, adult language, nudity, strong sexual content.
U.S. box office: $2,086,098

Watch the trailer at Netflix.

September 14, 2011 - "Even the Rain" (2010)

Even the Rain, 2010
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Origin: Spain | France | Mexico
Language: Spanish
Running time: 103 minutes

In this provocative film-within-a-film, director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) heads to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to shoot a film about Christopher Columbus's trespasses in the New World, only to find the locals protesting present-day exploitation of the poor. Sebastián is sympathetic to the cause, but realities collide when lead actor Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), cast as a rebel against the Spanish, becomes a key figure in the current demonstrations. (from Netflix.com)

MPAA rating: Not rated
U.S. box office: $558,342