Spanish films to recommend

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Most of these are by my favourite director Pedro Almodóvar.

The first one I saw was Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which is hilarious. Also stars a very, very young Antonio Banderas

^A television actress encounters a variety of eccentric characters after embarking on a journey to discover why her lover abruptly left her. This is my absolute favourite Almodóvar film.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!- An unbalanced but alluring former mental patient takes a porn star prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him.

High Heels- A singer returns after 15 years abroad to perform in Madrid and finds her 27 y.o. daughter married to one of her mom's ex-lovers.

The Flower of My Secret- Leo writes trashy romance novels under a pseudonym but as she struggles in her relationship with her husband, she finds her output becoming darker. This is one of my favourites.

Live Flesh- After leaving jail, Víctor is still in love with Elena, but she's married to the former cop -now basketball player- who became paralysed by a shot from Víctor's gun... Probably my second favourite, also not as grim as the title sounds.

All About My Mother- about a bereaved mother, and overwrought actress, her jealous lover and a pregnant nun.

Talk to Her- Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.

Not by Almodóvar:

Jamón, Jamón- When a mother disapproves of her son's lover, she hires an underwear model and former bullfighter to seduce her away. It was a long time ago I watched this and I remember it is pretty weird.

Like Water for Chocolate- When tradition prevents her from marrying the man she loves, a young woman discovers she has a unique talent for cooking.

I enjoyed "Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley", and watched all four sequels. I thought they were hilarious. Might not be everyone's cup of tea, though. Eric Baldwin appeared in the last sequel.

I liked Pantaleón y las Visitadoras (1999). For soldiers in the jungle, the army decides to provide prostitutes, to cut down on rape. I know, the premise sounds terrible, but I thought it was pretty good. Plus, the actresses were gorgeous.

Miss Bala (2001) -- about a beauty pageant in a very violent part of Mexico.

For a surrealistic touch, Alejandro Jodorowsky had several movies worth watching, including El Topo and The Holy Mountain.

Lisístrata (2002) - a film version of the ancient Greek play by Aristophanes.

El Mariachi (1992) is quite good.

Mariachi Gringo (2012) is a fun movie.

A mi madre le gustan las mujeres (2002) - sisters deal with their mother coming out as a lesbian.

Oh I like El Mariachi, and the sequel Desperado, did you see that? Stars Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek.

Not yet.

It's really good. It has all the classic elements in it. The sequel to Desperado however, is just grim

Juan of the Dead [2011] is a fun zombie comedy. I'd recommend it.

Cronos [1992] is OK. I guess.

Cronos

The Devil's Backbone

Pan's Labyrinth

El Mariachi

(I'm sure there are more that I like.)

El Orfanato (2007?) "The Orphanage" and The Devil's Backbone (Espinazo del Diablo) were both good. Also, check out Geometria "Geometry", it's a short Guillermo del Toro did in the '80s that is darkly funny; I'm just like the kid in it, interested in the Occult and terrible at Math.

I forgot to mention "Tombs of the Blind Dead" (1972), low budget, but pretty good if you're into vintage horror and Medieval history.

The Exterminating Angel. It's really f*****g brilliant.

I've seen all the Pedro Almodóvar one's listed in the thread.

Aren't they good! Which is your favourite? I didn't like some of his later work though e.g. Bad Education. WTF was that about.

Some of you might like Madrid, 1987

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1760980/

Especially the older gents

If you're partial to movies with a lesbian theme, there is "A Mi Madre Le Gustan Las Mujeres."



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaSeJqxovn4

I will definitely pass the Spanish lesbian film onto people who like that sort of thing, I can think of a few.

Deseo (2013) is a cute Mexican movie

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1236434/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdL1P7D ... sNoSpoiler

A bit of Lesbianism in the movie, too, for those who are partial to Lesbian themes

^ Deseo is something of a remake of La Ronde (1950), a French movie based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play. The 1950 movie was classified by New York film censors as "immoral" and therefore unacceptable for public screenings. Roger Vadim did a remake in 1964, also in French, featuring Jane Fonda. The two French versions put me to sleep. They just weren't "immoral" enough for me. I highly recommend the 2013 Mexican remake.