I know it's difficult to choose, but I would like to know which are your favorite Spanish films. Do you know other films apart from Almodovar's?
I choose
comedies:
Amanece que no es poco
La vaquilla
El bosque animado

dramas:
Los santos inocentes
El sur

from the last two years : Solas

I saw a very good film from spain recently called "butterfly". I believe it recieved and award from the cannes film festival. Check it out and tell me what you think of it.

I really liked "El arte de morir" which was in the theaters in Spain last spring. It is a thriller that really makes you think. Stars the same guy as another cool thriller, "Abre los ojos."

Big thumbs down to one called "Jamón jamón" which I rented last week.

My all time fav is Amantes, from about 7 years ago. It starred Victoria Abril and
Maribel Verdu. Has anyone seen it ?
More recently, the Butterfly and Grandfather are both on a "must see" list.

My all-time favourite is Martin (H), about a teenager living in ARgentina who is sent to live with his Dad in Madrid when he accidentally overdoses and his family thinks he was trying to kill himself. I also love Belle Epoque.

I also loved Belle Epoque and just rerented it a month ago after not seeing for a few years. Does anyone know who directed it?

Cartas de Alou was really good although sad. I don't know who directed that either. It was about African immigrants and their barriers to making a life in Spain.

I also like Belle Epoque. Fernando Trueba was the director, I believe.

Here I have some suggestions,

Modern Comedy:
- Airbag
- Perdona Bonita pero Lucas me quería a mi
- Porqué lo llaman amor cuando quieren decir sexo
- Torrente I, (this one is not a politically correct movie)
- El perro del Hortelano, an excelent movie from the 16th century clasical theater play. 100%faithful to the original play, with otp scenarios.

Drama
- Tesis
- Abre los Ojos. Script was bought by Tom Cruise, to become "Vanilla Sky" in its american remake

my favourite spanish films are, Almodovar aside, by Bigas Lunas.

"Jamón Jamón" is by far the funniest and most interesting - great performance by Javier Bardem and the soon-to-be-huge Penelope Cruz, and of course, Pablito the pig.

The other films "Huevos de oro" (Golden Balls) and "La teta y la luna" (the Tit and the Moon) are not so energetic as "Jamón Jamón", but are still great films.

matt

[ 05-09-2001: Message edited by: Antonio ]

I haven't seen any modern Spanish films so I guess I'd have to say my favorite is Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's "Un Chien Andalou"

Surreal!

Just rented "Butterfly" last weekend. Excellent, but it made me so sad!

I ordered THREE Pedro Almodóvar movies through Amazon.com a couple weeks ago: All About My Mother, Tie Me Up/Tie Me Down, & High Heels and have finally finished watching them all. I'd seen the first two before and like them, but had never seen High Heels. My ladyfriend (una madrileña) said it wasn't one of the better Almodóvar movies, but I liked it just fine. With Victoria Abril, how CAN'T it at least be an "okay" movie? As with many Almodóvar movies, it had it's very sad moments along with its UNUSUAL moments, but that makes it all the more entertaining.

Majesty318, I agree, Butterfly is very sad and at least for me had an unexpected ending. I wasn't sure if the little boy REALLY meant what he was shouting at the teacher or not. AND WAIT!!!!! I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING!!! Without researching/knowing his name, the TEACHER in "Butterfly" was Penélope Cruz's father in (a small part) "All About My Mother"!!!

Aahhh.. fun with movies from Spain. I love 'em!

Saludos, MadridMan

Have you guys been ordering these movies in English or Spanish? I really want to get some movies like that in Spanish, but I guess I can't get them while I'm in Spain, because they wouldn't be in VHS format. Does anyone have any suggestions?

The ones I get are in Spanish with English subtitles. I put a piece of paper over the subtitles so that I don't look at them -- I've found that if I can see the subtitles, regardless of how much I understand from listening, I'll still look at them, so I take away the temptation!

expressdance,

You may not have any trouble in viewing a video from Spain in the US, it depends on how old your video player is.

We recently bought the cheapest one from Currys in UK and it plays both our kind and US kind of videos. It didn't advertise the fact that it does, but it does.

I have therefore been lucky enough to view MM's Madrid and Sevilla videos here in the UK with no problem.

Reading back through this posting, I'm not sure if I've made myself at all clear!

Jo-Anne

No one's mentioned Almodovar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", I love that movie!! I rented it so many times that I finally bought it off of Amazon.com too. I recently saw the Grandfather, and I have to add that to my list of favorites now too!

Does anyone know if we can find (reasonably priced) VCR's in the US which play both European & American systems? That would make it so much easier to buy tapes over there!

I will second 'Airbag,' it's very good, however the language will be difficult for foriegners. There's another one, a 'thriller', called 'Thesis' which is worth seeing. Also 'Solas' which is popular.

Torrente 2, by the way, is funny but is not as good as the first one.

Regarding VCRs in the US to watch tapes from Spain. The US VHS standard is NTSC, the standard in Spain (and most of Europe) is PAL. They are not compatible, as everyone knows, but you can get a multi-format VCR here (USA) that will playback both system's tapes on any NTSC (US) moniter. Both Samsung and Aiwa make the 'consumer' models which are around $500.

Leche

I love Carlos Saura's Carmen, although I don't think I can forgive him for Cria! *shudder*
But thanks for this list, I just finished my last final and I'm off to the video store!