SPANISH

Revised 10-16-08 SPANISH ** All feature-length movies have English subtitles, unless otherwise noted. ART VIDEOS Frida Kahlo, (West Germany, 1983), 62 min OC, (SAN Lib.) --Profiles Frida Kahlo's work, her interest in politics and her tempestuous relationship with husband Diego Rivera, leader of the Mexican muralist movement. Subjects: Kahlo, Frida, 1910-1954, Rivera, Diego, 1886-1957, Women artists Mexico, modern art in the 20th century. VHS format Note: This movie is in English. Picasso, (Spain, 1985) 82 min. OC, (SAN Lib.) --Centered on the opening of the Musee Picasso in Paris, this film takes the opportunity to examine the collection created by Picasso, the work he felt to be his personal legacy to the world. The powerful spirit of the artist is echoed in the dramatic theater of Corrida, the ring of the bullfight, and in the images of regional Spain - Gosol, Malaga, Barcelona. VHS format Note: This movie is in English Rivera, Portrait of an Artist (Mexico, 1986), 35 min. OC, SAN --Explores Rivera's evolution as an artist, his use of the fresco technique, and his politics. Looks at the murals Rivera created for public buildings in the U.S. and Mexico; they unite themes of nature and revolution, drawing a parallel between the evolution of life and the struggle for human dignity. VHS format both campuses Note: This movie is in English The Definite Dali: A Lifetime Retrospective, (Spain, 1958) 75 min. SAN --A comprehensive video about the Spanish surrealist painter and his bizarre world. This documentary is a fascinating depiction of the life of the artist and celebrity Salvador Dali. It is successful at capturing the most eccentric and endearing aspects of Dali's personality, while not leaving out some of his darker emotions as well. VHS format Note: This movie is in English 1 Revised 10-16-08 EDUCATIONAL/TEXTBOOK VIDEOS Arriba: Communication y cultura --To accompany the textbook. VHS format Conexiones: Comunicación y cultura Chapters 1-12 --To accompany the textbook. VHS format OC OC (2) Destinos (25 min. per episode) OC, SAN --A Spanish soap opera (52 episodes) for beginning and intermediate students. --NOTE: comprehension questions for the first 20 episodes are available in Cathy House's MCC web page. Note: OC has episodes 1-32; SAN has 1-52 (not 13-16). VHS format La Catrina (1996), 30 min per episode --Soap opera for intermediate students. VHS format Note: SAN has episodes 3-12; OC has episodes 1-14 SAN, OC La Dinastía Del Amor (Mexico, 1989), 117 min. OC --A series of educational telenovelas that a family watches and discuses in the setting of the family’s living room. VHS format Note: In Spanish without subtitles Medicine (Spanish vocabulary video) --vol. XV of the Children's Video Encyclopedia VHS format Note: In Spanish language SAN Mundo (2001), each lesson has various lengths of time. OC (2) --For intermediate Spanish; this educational video provides a rich and exciting opportunity to develop listening skills and cultural awareness. VHS format Puntos de Partida (2001) 6 --To accompany the text. VHS format Revista leccion 1 (2004) --To accompany the text. VHS format OC OC 2 Revised 10-16-08 Tu Diras 2nd edition --Beginning Spanish VHS format OC (2) Documentarias Celia Cruz (Cuba, 2003) OC -- This compelling documentary traces the Queen of Salsa's remarkable 50-year career, from her humble beginnings with Cuba's Sonora Matancera, to bonafide international superstardom with the Fania All-Stars, to her untimely death in July, 2003. Featuring exclusive interviews and astonishing archival live performances covering her rise to fame, her courage in the face of tragedy and her inspirational life, The Eternal Voice of Celia Cruz is a very special tribute to a very special woman. DVD format Cocalero (Bolivia, Argentina, 2006) 94 mins OC, SAN -- Filmmaker Alejandro Landes traces the campaign for the presidency of Bolivia undertaken by the socialist Morales, who pins his electoral hopes on the support of the country’s coca farmers and their belief in his anti-American agenda. The movie works as a political documentary and human-interest drama, with its focus on the machinations of the divisive Morales campaign and chronicling of the plight of the country’s poor rural populace. DVD format both campuses Not Rated La Sierra (Colombia, Medellín, Antioquia, 2005) 84 min. OC, SAN -- This film is an intimate, meditative exploration of violence, youth, and community. In a small neighborhood in Medellin Colombia, the barrio of La Sierra is ruled by a gang of young men, mostly teenagers, affiliated with Colombia's illegal paramilitary armies. Over the course of a year, the documentary unflinchingly follows the lives of three young people and their searing experiences of war, death, and love. ~ Matthew Bristow DVD format both campuses Not rated 3 Revised 10-16-08 Lesbians of Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Federal District, 2004), 82 min. -- Tracing the stories of three lesbians going about their daily lives, this insightful documentary explores the ramifications of "coming out," yearning for motherhood and lesbian love in a city immersed with machismo and Catholic tradition. A soccer coach, an activist and mother, and a woman whose unfortunate past fuels her work – three vivacious women share their first fantasies, confront hostility and never compromise their sexuality. DVD format Not rated OC The Bronze Screen (2002), 88 min. OC, SAN --HBO documentary that deals with silent movies and urban gang films. DVD format both campuses, OC has VHS Note: In English The Border --A KPBS documentary about the US Mexican border. Note: In English VHS format both campuses The Devil’s Miner (Bolivia, 2005) 84 min. OC, SAN --There's no magic realism to be found in the hard lives of 14-yearold Basilio Vargas and his 12-year-old brother, Bernadino. The two are among the estimated 800 children who work alongside thousands of adults in the treacherous Cerro Rico silver mines of Potosi, Bolivia - 400-year-old tunnels spread out inside a mountain maze of danger at an average altitude of some 15,000 feet. There is, though, artistic magic at work in this breathtaking documentary which is a stunning portrait of the Vargas brothers, their world, and the spiritual beliefs that shape their lives. ~ Lisa Schwarzbaum DVD format both campuses Not rated SAN, OC 4 Revised 10-16-08 MUSIC VIDEOS Al Ojo Vivo (2002) 50 min. SAN --A music DVD that has such music artists as Guzman, Jumbo Julieta Venegas. DVD format Buena Música Garantizada (2003) --Contains 10 songs, including: ―Amame,‖ ―Cuando Calienta el Sol‖ DVD format both campuses OC, SAN Buena Vista Social Club (New York, Havana, 1999) 105 min OC, SAN -- A group of legendary Cuban musicians, some as old as their nineties, were brought together by Ry Cooder to record a CD. In this film, we see and hear some of the songs being recorded in Havana. There is also footage from concerts in Amsterdam and New York City's Carnegie Hall. In addition, many of the individual musicians talk about their lives in Cuba and about how they got started in music. ~ George Davis VHS format both campuses Calle 54 (Latin America, 1999) OC, SAN -- This is both a wonderful introduction and a loving tribute to Latin jazz and some of the giants of the form: Tito Puente, Eliane Elias, Michel Camilo, Chucho Valdes, Paquito D'Rivera, Cachao, and others. "...a magnificent film...dazzling performances" ~Wall Street Journal VHS format OC, DVD SAN Rated G El Cantante (Puerto Rico, the Bronx, New York, 2006) 116 min SAN, OC --This is an excellent movie about the life of Hector Lavoe (El Cantante de Los Cantantes). In the early 70’s, salsa was a hit in the Puerto Rican community of New York. The subtitles that translate some of the songs are helpful for students who enjoy learning Spanish by listening to music. Those of us who have had the pleasure of living through 1970’s and 1980’s, and who are fortunate to remember those turbulent and heart breaking times, will appreciate this movie. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R for drug use, sex, and language. Note: A mixture of English and Spanish Gloria Estefan/Everlasting Gloria! (1995) 95 min. --Contains 15 songs, including "Mi Tierra" and "Abriendo puertas" Note: In English VHS format SAN 5 Revised 10-16-08 Rock en español (1992) 45 min. OC, SAN --Hormiga Rock, Grupo Mana and Gerardo are just three of the artists featured in This collection of 12 of the hottest Latin rock videos. Tracks include "Rico Suave" (Gerardo), "Rayando el Sol" (Grupo Mana), "Chica Electrica" (Hormiga Rock), "Abuelita de Batman" (Botellita de Jerez), "El Lugan Lugar" (Duncan Dhu), "Veneno" (Yordano), "Moda" (Fahed), "Lo Poer de Todo" (Rio), "Yo No Quiero Que Te Vayas" (S.O.S.) and more. Note: In Spanish without subtitles VHS format both campuses Salsa y tropical, 45 min. OC, SAN --The exotic, hip-moving sounds of salsa are the focus of this dynamite Collection of music videos. VHS format both campuses Not Rated Note: In Spanish without subtitles Tex-Mex Music, 50 min. --A mix of Mexican and American cultures from the Rio Grande. VHS format Note: In English OC VIDEOS ABOUT HISPANIC COUNTRIES Bienvenidos a Costa Rica, 12 min. VHS format Costa Rica: Pura vida, 31 min. VHS format OC OC El espejo enterrado (1992) OC, SAN --Series of 5 cultural and historical videos about Spain and Latin America; Narrated by Carlos Fuentes. NOTE: in Spanish (no subtitles). Appropriate for advanced students. VHS format both campuses Mexico: from the Aztecs to the Mexican-American War (2 VHS) --Part 1: From the Aztecs to the 19th Century (The Mexican American War) Part 2: Battle for North America (19th-20th Century). VHS format OC 6 Revised 10-16-08 Soul of Spain 60 min OC --A National Geographic educational film about Spain, its culture, history and religion. VHS format Peru, 53 min. SAN --Includes: colonial Cuzco and Machu Picchu ruins in the Andes, Lima, Iquitos (city of the rubber barons in the Amazon jungle), and more. VHS format Note: This film is in English. U.S. - Mexican War, 120 min. 2 --Excellent (but somewhat lengthy) PBS documentary. OC FEATURE MOVIES ** All feature-length movies have English subtitles, unless otherwise noted. A mi Madre le gustan las mujeres (Spain, Czech Republic, 2002), 94 min. OC -- This film is a charming comedy combining the best of stylized Spanish cinematography with that typical Castilian humor which has helped to make new Spanish films more popular than ever. A long time divorcee, who becomes a lesbian, introduces her new lover to her sisters who in turn devise to break up the love affair. This movie is a highly enjoyable and entertaining film which will appeal to a wide audience regardless of their sexual preference. VHS format Warning: Rated R Note: In Spanish without subtitles All Night Bodega (Brazil, 2004), 91 min. OC --Fifteen year old Venus Castro is a smart young girl born in unfortunate circumstances to an abusive addict, living in a Dominican neighborhood in New York City. In hopes of improving her life, Venus leaves home to chance her fate on the streets, where she finds the going is a lot tougher than she imagined. DVD format Warning: Rated R for violence, sexuality Al Otro Lado (Zirahuen, Michoacán, Mexico, 2004), 90 mins. OC, SAN -- The movie follows three children in Mexico, Cuba, and Morocco whose fathers have crossed borders in search of a better life. Left behind with their mothers and siblings, these young ones struggle to understand why their parent must live so far away, where they are and when they’re coming home. Rather than focus on the fathers’ sojourns, the film studies the emotional struggles of those who remain waiting for them to return. ~ Lisa Delao DVD format both campuses PG-13 7 Revised 10-16-08 All about My Mother (Spain, 1999), 102 min. OC (2), SAN --An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, writer-director Pedro Almodovar's compassionate tribute to women examines the life of a woman who leaves Madrid for Barcelona shortly after she witnesses her son's accidental death. She reunites with an old friend who is a pre-op transsexual prostitute, who introduces her to Rosa, a pregnant nun. Their fast friendship binds them through many struggles. --―Sin duda la mejor película del mejor director español de hoy, Pedro Almodóvar; AAMM es una muy bien lograda obra de madurez” (opinión de Francisco). DVD format OC VHS format SAN, OC Warning: Rated R sexuality, adult situations. Alsino y el Cóndor (Nicaragua, 1983), 90 min. OC --A fantastic and lyrical tale of a boy "flying above the madness around him". This movie was the first production to be filmed in Nicaragua after the Sandinista revolution and the overthrow of Somoza. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide VHS format Warning: Rated R Amanecio de Golpe (Coup at Daybreak) (Venezuela, 2003), OC, SAN -- Carlos Azpurua's drama, Coup at Daybreak, takes place during the military coup that saw the overthrow of the Venezuelan government in 1992. A number of the Caracas' wealthiest citizens attempt to figure out their status when soldiers march into town and they are unable to trust reports from radio and television. The film follows-up on how a variety of these people deal with the new reality they face. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide DVD format both campuses WARNING: rated for strong language, violence, and nudity. American Visa (Bolivia, 2005), 90 min OC -- In post-9/11 Bolivia harsh new laws let authorities assume that all visa applicants want to immigrate to the US. That is exactly the hurdle that Mario Alvarez faces at the beginning of the film. He plans on traveling to Miami to reunite with his son and start a new life in the US, but first he must secure a visa. Mario soon finds out that this is no small task, and he may have to resort to slightly unorthodox methods to get what he needs. Further complicating matters is Blanca, a charming young woman who is looking for change in her life. She envisions leaving her job at a local strip club, and perhaps building a relationship with Mario in Bolivia. DVD format Warning: Rated R 8 Revised 10-16-08 Amores perros (Mexico, 2001) 153 min. OC (& OC Lib.), SAN -- Set in Mexico City, ("Love's a Bitch") is Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's first film. In a metropolis where 21 million people share urban space with roughly one million homeless dogs, it's inevitable for the two to meet. This movie is about relationships; whether between people and dogs, lovers, brothers, family members, economic or political. A brutal car crash intertwines the stories of three sets of people and their dogs, all trying to survive their own solitude. In the end, acts of kindness and acts of brutality can both have unexpected consequences. VHS format both campuses Warning: Rated R for violence and sexuality. Apasionados (Spain, Argentina, 2002), 100 min. OC -- Uma lives in the city of Buenos Aires with her friend Roberto, who happens to be gay. She works as a flight attendant, and her jobs let her travel all around the world and live an independent life without commitments. But she has a dream to fulfill: being a mother. Since she can't find the perfect man, thanks to her job, she decides to look for a sperm donor in different parts of the world, searching for something that can't be found in sperm banks. DVD format Not rated Ana Y Los Otros (Argentina, 2003), 80 min. OC --This film subtly alludes to Argentina's economic disaster as its smart young characters wander, seemingly aimless, desperate for a past that can never be recovered and trying to find a place for them in a future that is not at all what they had imagined it would be. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide DVD format Not Rated Angelito Mío (Puerto Rico, 1999), 102 min. OC --Disillusioned because heaven is no longer a paradise, the girl angel, Mary of the Stars, descends to Earth to look for heaven’s Top Boss. Once there she encounters new adventures, problems, and unexpected solutions in her quest to rescue heaven and save earth. VHS format Not rated Angel de Fuego (México, 1992), 90 min. OC --Thirteen year-old Alma ekes out a living as trapeze artist and fire-breather in a circus on the outskirts of Mexico City. When she gets pregnant, she is fired from her job. She becomes homeless, but finds hope and seeks redemption in a group of traveling, religious puppeteers. DVD format Not rated 9 Revised 10-16-08 Apariencias (Argentina, 2000), 94 min. OC -- Carmello, who is 30-years old and extremely shy, finds it difficult to reveal his innermost feelings to Verónica, his coworker. Carmelo's world collapses when he finds out that she intends to get married soon. Accidentally, she spots him demonstrating in a gay rally where he becomes a leader of that cause. Of course, Verónica assumes that Carmelo is gay, and he takes advantage of this misunderstanding to overcome his shyness and play a game of lies that will lead them to a most unpredictable ending. ~ ElianaM DVD format Not rated Aventurera (Mexico, 1950), 101 min. OC -- One of the most popular Mexican films ever made, the cult sensation Aventurera is a famous example of a cabareteras, a curious film noir and musical hybrid wildly popular in Mexico in the '40s and '50s. Starring the immortal Ninon Sevilla, who Variety called "a cross between Rita Hayworth and Carmen Miranda," the film follows the melodramatic rise and fall of a popular nightclub star with a dark past. DVD format Not rated Ay, Carmela! (Spain, 1991), 105 min. SAN --Left leaning, though somewhat apolitical, cabaret artists Carmela and Paulino agree to entertain the Republican troops at the Argon front during the Spanish Civil War. With them is Gustavete, an adolescent boy they rescued from a bombing attack earlier in the war. They are captured on their way to Valencia by the Fascists. When Gustavete, who now forms part of their act, mistakenly tells the Nationalists that they were coming from a town controlled by the Communists, they are imprisoned. Certain to be shot, they are given a chance to live when a former theater director, now a Lieutenant with the Italian troops fighting along with the Germans in support of Franco, asks them to put on a show glorifying Mussolini and Hitler. VHS format PG-13 Back and Forth (Mexico, 2000), 90 min. OC, SAN --Filiberto has been working in the United States for three years. Now, he returns across the border to his home in Mexico and attempts to raise awareness of the struggle that the migrant workers in the United States must endure. Speaking out only brings Filiberto more rejection and further alienates him. This social tragedy of the working classes uses Filiberto as a symbol of many disenfranchised, exploited workers who face difficulties from employers every day. VHS format both campuses Not rated 10 Revised 10-16-08 Barras Bravas (Chile, 2004), 85 min. OC -- Internationally renowned soccer star, Ivan Zamorano, headlines this blockbuster full of romance, drama, and action that highlights true soccer fanaticism and the consequences therein. In a world of turmoil, two soccer teams and two rival gangs clash in order to keep two opposing members from realizing their truly Shakespearian love. In the passionate and violent world of soccer, Barras Bravas tells of the hardships endured by Azul, and Paloma, the fugitive couple who must fight the status quo to be together. Their intense love for one another must overcome and break down the adopted fanatic mindsets, for a change that is necessary to open the eyes of all those who live life ready to blindly die for their favorite team. DVD format Not Rated Báilame El Agua (Fill me with Life) (Madrid, 2000), 106 min. OC --David is an urban poet and drug dealer in the making, a young man so fed up with convention that one day he decides to live in the street, getting by any which way he can. Then he discovers María. Together they seek independence, but are soon trapped in an abyss of drugs and prostitution that eventually devours them. DVD format Warning: Adult themes, language, drug use and brief nudity. Besos Para Todos (Kisses for Everyone) (Spain, 2001) 96 min. SAN, OC -- In 1965, medical students Ramon, Alfonso and Nicolas are sent south to Cadiz to study for exams. Ignoring their schoolwork, the young men fall in with hookers Vicky, Marian, Perla and Chon. Soon after they’ve met, they all move in together, as the women give the young men a lesson in growing up. DVD format both campuses Not rated Beyond Desire (Spain, 2002), 106 min OC --A period drama set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. Watling plays Elvira, a young woman living in Madrid, who is consumed by rage over the killing of her father and the imprisonment of her husband Julio--a political activist. Desperation forces Elvira to accept a job as a maid to a secretive man named Pablo. The longer Elvira works for Pablo, the more she discovers that threatens to destroy her own relationship with her mother-in-law, and her newly free husband. DVD format Not rated 11 Revised 10-16-08 Belle Epoque (The Age of Beauty) (Portugal, 1992), 109 min. SAN --Spain, 1931. The monarchy is ending, and the army and church reign supreme over Spanish life. In this tumultuous world, Fernando, a young soldier, decides to desert the army in hopes of finding a more pleasant way to live. He takes refuge with Manolo, a farmer, and when the farmer's four beautiful daughters arrive, each uses her own unique charms to seduce the willing--though exhausted-soldier. ~ Fernando Trueba VHS format Warning: Rated R Bitter Sugar/Azucar Amarga (Cuba, 1996), 102 min. OC, SAN --An idealistic pro-Castro Cuban student experiences simultaneous political and sexual awakenings after falling in love with a beautiful, talented, and intelligent dancer whose desperate circumstances require her to sell her cultivated body to sleazy foreign tourists. ―This is a film that tells us volumes about modern Cuba, how the nightmare of Castro still hangs on, about the lives of the U.S.’s too often ignored neighbors, and the many ways people hope to make their hopes and dreams possible.‖ ~ Nicholas Sheffo VHS format both campuses Not rated Bolivar Soy Yo (Colombia, 2001), 93 min. OC -- This multi-award winning comedy from Colombian director Jorge Ali Triana is a delirious and razor-sharp satire of Latin American politics and contemporary media. DVD Format Warning: Rated R Bolivia (Argentina, 2005), 75 min. OC -- Café society, Argentine-style: a simmering mix of drugs, debts and racism. Freddy is a Bolivian immigrant without a work permit. Shot in grainy black and white, spanning 60 hours or so, and only thrice venturing outside the café bounds, this gritty little number sketches with matter of fact realism the vagaries and desolation of the urban uprooted and marginalized, with flashes of human connection jostling with random intimidation. Wonderfully (under)played by the cast. ~ Time Out Film Guide DVD Format Not rated 12 Revised 10-16-08 Boricua’s Bond (USA, 2000), 105 min. OC --Tommy Rivera is a gifted young painter fighting to escape the violence and squalor of the South Bronx. But his dreams may be derailed by the lure of a life of partying and petty crime. When an outsider, Allen moves into the neighborhood, he opens Tommy’s eyes to new possibilities. VHS format Warning: Rated R Note: In Spanish without subtitles Bread & Roses (USA, 2000), 110 mins OC, SAN --In this gripping story, a group of immigrant workers from Los Angeles take a stand against the corporations that employ them. VHS format both campuses Warning: Rated R language, nudity. Butterfly (Spain, 1999), 94 mins. SAN -- A shy young boy finds friendship with his aging teacher and begins to find out about himself and his country as the Spanish Civil War intensifies. Nominated for 13 Goya Awards, the film won the honor for Best Screenplay. DVD format Warning: rated R language, nudity. Caribe (Costa Rica, 2004), 90 min OC -- Torn between two women... Tortured by two worlds! This tantalizing tale of passion and betrayal created a sensation when it was first released. While Vicente experiences a passion like none he has ever before experienced, his life hangs in the balance as an American oil company threatens to destroy him unless he betrays the country he loves. DVD format Warning: Contains nudity and sexuality Caballos Salvajes (Wild Horses) (Argentina, 1995), 122 min OC -- Lively-yet-poignant, Argentine crime caper about a fugitive aging anarchist becoming media darling after a botched robbery. Caballos Salvajes was the debut feature from Argentinean director Marcelo Pineyro, who became one of the most acclaimed young directors in South America on the basis of this and his second film, Cenizas Del Paraiso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide DVD format Not rated. 13 Revised 10-16-08 Cabeza de Vaca (México, 1993), 108 min. OC, SAN --An expiatory historical epic based on the journal of the Spanish conquistador Cabeza de Vaca. Shipwrecked with his crew in what is now Florida in 1528, de Vaca came in contact with indigenous cultures. It's a spectacular, beautifully shot, anti-imperialist bloodbath of a movie. ~ WH VHS format both campuses Warning: Rated R. Cachimba (Valparaiso, Chile, 2004), 127 mins SAN -- Using an ironic and wickedly funny form of comedy, this film tells the story of the only important moment in the life of Marcos; an insignificant, middle-aged bank clerk. Marcos persuades his loved one to accompany him for a weekend break at a solitary seaside resort in mid-winter. But there, high up on the hillside facing the sea, he discovers something that injects a sense of meaning into his life for the first time. Inside a large, ramshackle house on the verge of collapsing, he stumbles across a collection of paintings of dubious artistic value; supposedly by an unknown Chilean painter who had been relatively successful in Paris during the thirties. DVD format Not rated Carreteras Secundarias (Back Roads) (Spain, 1997), 105 min. OC --Towards the end of the Franco dictatorship in 1974, an impoverished father and his rebellious teenage son abandon their normal lives and set out on a road trip down the Spanish coast. They settle in a small village at the south of Spain, where a beautiful woman captures the duo's attention. DVD format PG-13 Casi Casi (San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2006), 93 min SAN -- Emilio is a normal teenager who somehow finds himself being sent to the principal's office every other week. He has a crush on Jacklynne, the most popular girl in school, so he decides to run for Student Council President in order to impress her. After announcing his candidacy, Emilio discovers, to his horror, that Jacklynne herself will be running for office against him. Emotions fly high as campaign fever intensifies. Not wanting to lose his chance to win her heart, Emilio devises a risky plan that could come to a disastrous end if the tyrannous school principal gets wind of his scheme. ~ Tony and Jaime Vallés DVD format PG-13 14 Revised 10-16-08 Cautiva (Buenos Aires, 2005), 109 mins. OC has Two Copies SAN, OC (2) -- The film tells the story of Cristina, a typical Argentine teenager. Her life is suddenly uprooted when she is plucked out of class at the summons of a judge and the couple she knows as her parents is revealed to not be so. In the early 80s, her biological parents were "disappeared" for criticizing the military junta which had taken power in a coup. Surviving relatives of her biological parents, including Cristina's grandmother, have spent years trying to track down the child. Ordered to now live with her biological family since her adoption – or appropriation, as it is chillingly called – had no legal basis, Cristina begins an investigation of her own in order to find out the truth. Played with an extraordinary gravity by the luminous Bárbara Lombardo in her film debut, the young girl meets others like herself and discovers the real-life horrors of Argentina's relatively recent history and the nightmare that claimed tens of thousands of lives during the country's “dirty war.” DVD format both campuses Not rated Cenizas del paraíso / Ashes from Paradise (Argentina, 1997), 120 min. OC, SAN --A judge dies when falling mysteriously from the top of the Court building, setting off an investigation that will bring forth revelations, lies, betrayal, and misplaced loyalty; directed by Marcelo Piñeyro, one of Argentina’s top directors. VHS format, both campuses Warning: Rated R violence, sexuality Celos/Jealousy (España, 1999), 105 min. OC, SAN --Director Vicente Aranda presents a vivid portrait of jealousy and obsession. Planning for their wedding, Carmen and Antonio appear to enjoy a strong relationship. But an old photo of Carmen with a former lover changes Antonio’s entire outlook on the woman he loves. VHS format both campuses Not rated Cha-Cha-Cha (España, 1999), 105 min. OC --This appealing romantic comedy from Spain features an attractive young cast and beautiful photography. Lucia and Maria are two attractive 20-somethings who have been best friends since they were little girls. Lucia has always been secretly in love with Pablo, Maria's boyfriend. One night, Lucia shares a passionate night with Pablo, but he stays with Maria. Lucia devises a plan to make her best friend's man her own. DVD format Not rated 15 Revised 10-16-08 Cilantro y Perejil- Recipes to Stay Together (México, 1997), 90 min. OC, SAN --A comedy which portrays three couples of different generations and shows the conflicts of contemporary urban middle class love life; being a couple is not so easy, happiness in love is beyond human capabilities. DVD format both campuses Not rated City of m (Peru, 1997), 90 min. OC --M dreams of a better life in a city full of contrasting elements. He believes that the only solution to his problems is earning a decent living; yet he can't find a job. Totally desperate, he is persuaded by his neighbor to take some cocaine to Miami. However, the deal goes sour. M's fate brings him to an unpredictable end in the city streets. ~ ElianaG VHS format Not Rated Ciudad Del sol/Sun City (Argentina, 2003), 101 min. OC -- Carlos Galettini's mystery probes the ripple effect that a mother's suicide has on her distraught daughter. When Manuela meets an enigmatic friend of her mother's, she is initially hesitant to reveal her identity. But as their relationship deepens, Manuela turns to the man for answers about her mother's troubled and secretive life. DVD format Not Rated Como agua para chocolate (México, 1991), 105 OC (2), SAN (2) --"La historia apasionante de un amor prohibido." Tita and Pedro are passionately in love. But their love is forbidden by an ancient family tradition. To be near Tita, Pedro marries her sister. In Tita’s kitchen (who is also the family cook) ordinary spices become a recipe for passion, also available at both MCC libraries. VHS format both campuses. Note: OC and SAN have copies with and without subtitles. Warning: Rated R Como Voy A Olvidarte (Ecuador, 2004) 74 min. SAN, OC -- This film is produced within the beautiful, plush landscapes of Ecuador. It is a movie that has it all - intrigue, family discord, laughter, Latin American politics, loyalty and love. The New York Times calls it "a little masterpiece of love and loss, politics and passion" DVD destiny in the arms of the popular singer Segundo Rosero. DVD Format both campuses 16 Revised 10-16-08 Common Ground (Argentina, 2003), 112 min SAN, OC -- A respected university professor, Fernando, and his wife have lived in Buenos Aires for many years. Without warning, they find their comfortable world threatened when Fernando is forced to early retirement, and they have to move to the countryside. DVD format both campuses Not rated Common Wealth (Madrid, Spain, 2000), 110 min SAN -- The story follows middle-aged estate agent Julia as she stumbles across 300 million pesetas worth of lottery winnings in the filthy flat of a dead old man. At first it looks as if she's set for life. But as Julia tries to smuggle the cash out of the block it becomes apparent that the man's neighbors have been waiting for years to get their hands on the loot, and have no intention of giving it up. This movie is a highly enjoyable and playfully macabre Spanish thriller that blends comedy, suspense, horror and action. ~ Jon Fortgang DVD format Warning: Rated R, violence, language, sexuality. Conejo en la Luna (Mexico, 2004), 113 min. OC, SAN -- Though around them a criminal world seethes, Julie and Antonio are a young and loving couple with a new baby and a solid, white-collar sense of stability. But when a loose social connection suddenly ties them to a major political assassination, the two become innocents desperately trying to adapt to a world of murderous politicians and police that, moment to moment, threatens their lives. ~Maggie Mackay DVD format both campuses Not rated Coronation (Chile, 2000), 140 min OC -- Glum, middle-aged bachelor Don Andres hires Estela, a 17-year old country girl, to care for his wealthy and abusive grandmother. As time passes, he grows increasingly obsessed with her, blinding himself to the threats around him and to his own mental breakdown. DVD format Not rated Corsarios Del Chip (Spain, 1999), 95 min. OC --Andres, who is sixteen years old, has become an instant sensation on a very popular TV game show as a result of his apparently abundant resource knowledge. VHS format Not rated 17 Revised 10-16-08 Cronos (México, 1992), 92 min. OC, SAN --Faced with his own mortality, an alchemist tried to perfect an invention which would provide him with the key to eternal life. Now (400 years later), an elderly antique dealer has found the Cronos device and has become obsessed with its incredible powers. VHS format both campuses Not rated. Cuentos de Hadas para dormir cocodrilos (Mexico, 2002), 100 min. OC -- A man faces an old family curse in this dramatic fantasy from Mexico. Upon returning to his hometown, the man discovers that for generations his ancestors have been plagued by a mystical spell originally placed on his great-grandfather. Intending to prevent his son from having to live with this same haunting fate, the man attempts to put an end to the curse once and for all. ~ Matthew Tobey DVD format Not rated Cuando Vuelvas a mi Lado (Spain, 1999), 97 min. OC, SAN --Three estranged sisters meet up again at the funeral of their eccentric mother. Obliged to follow her last wishes to divide her ashes and give them to three different people, the sisters embark on an emotional journey of discovery and reconciliation. The journey becomes the key which will open up old family secrets. DVD format both campuses Not rated Danzón (México, 1992), 103 min. OC, SAN --Julia, a Mexican telephone operator has a tame, predictable life, enlivened only by the ballroom dancing she enjoys each week. When her dance partner, Carmelo, suddenly disappears Julia stuns her friends by impulsively following his trail to Veracruz. VHS format both campuses PG-13 Demasiado Amor / To Love to Much (Spain, 2003), 97 min. OC --Beatriz and her sister Laura have a dream: to go to another country, set up a boarding house and live off their income. They have been planning it for years and, finally, one day they decide that one of them must leave and get the project started. In her loneliness, Beatriz begins to live three different lives and three different dreams. VHS format Warning: Adult situations, nudity 18 Revised 10-16-08 De la calle / Streeters (México, 2001), 86 min. OC, SAN --Rufino is 15 and lives on the streets of Mexico City. One day, driven by circumstances, he steals money from a drug dealer, unleashing his persecution and harassment- winner of 11 Mexican Academy awards. VHS SAN, DVD format OC Warning: Rated R for strong language, adult situations, and nudity. Dejala Correr (Argentina, 2001), 86 min. SAN --Diego fancies Monica, and invites her to a party at his place. However, she turns up with a boyfriend. During the evening Diego records events on his video camera, and later finds that he can rewind and change what happened. DVD format Not rated Diaro de Una Pasante (Spain, 2003), 100 min. OC -- The irrepressibly witty Ana and a bunch of other recent graduates begin work as interns at a Spanish radio station, where they're driven half crazy by awful bosses and relieve stress off the job by partying and dating in this lively comedy. DVD format Not Rated Dias de Santiago (Peru, 2004), 83 min. OC --Twenty-three-year old Santiago returns home from the Peruvian army illprepared to cope with the realties of life. Haunted by his violent military past, he is conflicted by his desire for education and his temptation to join his comrades in a decadent life of crime. DVD format Not Rated Diástole y sístole: los movimientos del corazón (Colombia, 2000), 89 min. SAN --A romantic comedy about the rhythm of the heart: a couple’s up and downs, happy moments and misfortunes, the games that men and women play are all explored in 35 scenes. VHS format Not Rated Dile a Laura Que La Quiero / Tell Laura I Love Her (Argentina, 1997), 93min. SAN --The relationship between Jorge and Laura as a married couple works perfectly well till she finds him with another woman. Then Laura leaves the flat they share and goes to live with a girlfriend. Realizing his wrong deeds Jorge decides to gain back his marriage using all tricks available. DVD format Not Rated 19 Revised 10-16-08 Doble Juego (Peru, 2004), 90min. SAN -- "The Con Game" or "Doble Juego" is a smart, fast paced, engaging film that explores the depths of deception and blind trust. The intricate web of lies perpetrated by a Spaniard posing as a major executive of a telephone company in Peru tie in the lives of local struggling Peruvians of every social level. DVD format Not Rated Doble o Nada (Argentina, 2003), 90 min. SAN --The life of small time struggling tango singer Renzo takes a twist when he meets Juanita, the beautiful and seductive girlfriend of a guitarist of the band in which he sings. VHS format WARNING: Strong language, adult situations. Don Juan, My Love (Spain, 1990), 96 min. SAN --Comedy. Don Juan, who has been lying in purgatory and trying to repent for his sins, is given one more chance to perform a good deed to free himself from a phantom existence. VHS format Not rated Don Quijote, 30 min. --Spain's most famous tale in animated form. VHS format Note: In Spanish without subtitles SAN Don’t Tempt Me (Spain, 2001), 108 min. OC, SAN -- A boxer named Manny, battling a potentially life-threatening brain injury, finds his soul to be the object of a metaphysical fight. Two different supernatural agents are sent to win over his soul to their side: one is an angel from a curious version of Heaven, that looks just like a beatific Paris, and in it everyone speaks French; and the other agent is a waitress from Hell, sent to seduce him to spend his eternity in a red-tinted prison where everyone speaks English. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R; sex, violence 20 Revised 10-16-08 Doña Herlinda and her Son (Mexico, 1985), 90 min. OC -- In this sly Mexican sex comedy, a manipulative mama deftly manages the life of her homosexual son so that he can have his cake and eat it too. A woman of means, she does this by allowing her son, a doctor, to rendezvous in her home with his lover. Putting her son's happiness above all else, she then arranges a marriage of convenience to a woman. When the marriage is consummated, the young male lover gets terribly jealous and this creates problems until the irrepressible Doña Herlinda again gets involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide VHS format Not Rated Dracula (USA, 1992), 1 hr. 44 min. SAN --Different, but yet the same story as the English version of this modern classic. Fluid camera work and complex depth of focus create a menacing atmosphere. VHS format Not rated Duck Season (Temporada de Patos) (Mexico City, 2005), 90 min OC, SAN -- This is a movie about the antics of two teenaged boys left home alone while their mother is at work. The establishing shots of the movie give us a quick exterior tour of the Ninos Heroes building of the vast Nonoalco Tlatelolco housing development in Mexico City. "Ninos Heroes" is a common name for streets and buildings throughout the country, and this particular housing development was the site of the Tlateloco Massacre of 1968, in which several hundred student protesters were shot and killed by police.~ Leah Churner. Note: Filmed in black and white. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R; language and some drug content Dust to Dust / Por La Libre (México, 2004), 96 min. OC, SAN --A movie that explores one family's conflicted history. Rodrigo and Rocco are cousins who must put aside their own personal differences if they want to keep their family together. After the passing of their beloved grandfather, the family has become embroiled in a battle over his inheritance. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R; sexuality El Amor Brujo (Spain, 1986), 100 min. OC -- Carlos Saura's last part of his trilogy interpreting famous Spanish works in flamenco. Saura was inspired by the work of Manuel de Falla, with Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos and Laura Del Sol delivering stunning flamenco performances in this sizzling story of two ill-fated lovers. VHS format Rated PG 21 Revised 10-16-08 El anzuelo / The Come-On (Mexico, 2003) OC --When the daughter of a middle-class family decides to marry, her parents try to ensure a spectacular wedding. Just as the event seems to be a success, a person finds that the musician's wages are missing. This incident leads to an unexpected surprise ending. DVD format Not rated El Arte de Morir / The Art of Dying (Spain, 2000), 95 min. OC, SAN --Four years after a young man is declared missing, the past returns to haunt his six friends who were involved in his disappearance. DVD format SAN, VHS format OC Not rated El Color de las Nubes (Spain, 2004), 109 min. OC --An old carpenter and furtive fisherman find smuggled drugs, a young girl who sells environmental products, a lawyer who falls in the girl’s snares, a Spanish boy who pretends he is from Bosnia, and a drug trafficking gang… what seems like several unrelated stories within this quaint town in reality reveal themselves as an intertwined series of adventures. DVD format Not rated El Conejo Bugs (1993), 30 min. --A cartoon in Spanish. VHS format Note: In Spanish without subtitles SAN El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba (México, 2003), 118 min. OC -- Based on the novel de Gabriel García Márquez; this touching movie reflects the social financial situation of most elderly people in third world countries. DVD format PG-13 El efecto Mariposa (London, 1995) 110 min. SAN -- When young Luis decides to go to London to finish his studies, his mother, Noelia, asked her sister Olivia, who is living there, to find him a place to stay. When Noelia and Luis arrive, the mother is horrified by where her son will have to stay, but since she receives an urgent phone call to return home because her husband has been involved in a financial scandal, she leaves. DVD format Not Rated 22 Revised 10-16-08 El Faro (Argentina, 1998), 109 min. OC, SAN -- There is an accident in a desert highway between a truck and a car. Among the twisted car metal pieces are the motionless bodies of a family: the father, the mother, a small boy and two bodies of a seventeen year old girl and her sister of eight. From here on, both of them, only having each other, will have to face the uncertain destiny that awaits them. DVD format both campuses PG-13 El Imperio de la Fortuna (México, 2002), 130 min. OC --This movie tells the story of Dionosio Pinzon, a Mexican peasant living with his mother. Born with a deformed hand, and living a very meager life, Dionosio's luck turns around when he is given a losing gamecock which he nurses back to health. He trains the bird for fighting, begins to make money, and begins a relationship with a gold-digging singer. DVD format Not rated El laberinto griego (Spain, 1998), 106 min. OC --Two Frenchmen arrive in Barcelona and hire detective Bardon to find Alekos, the woman’s former lover. Bardon manages to find him, but the next day the police accuse him of a murder cover-up. DVD format. Not rated El Juego de Arcibel (Argentina, 2002), 115 min. OC, SAN --A gripping story about Arcibel, a chess columnist for a newspaper, who is imprisoned after one of his articles, is mistakenly seen as a subversive attack on the dictatorial government in the fictional country of Miranda. DVD format, both campuses Not rated El Mar de Lucas (Argentina, 1999), 90 min. OC -- Estranged father Juan Denevi gets the surprise of his life on his fiftieth birthday when he finds out that he's become a grandfather. Juan hasn't seen his son Facundo in many years, and in the interim, Facundo has married and had a son. Facundo's wife and son find Juan at his birthday party and beg him to come help Facundo with a family crisis. The resulting story touches on love, dreams, and the nature of family. DVD format Not Rated 23 Revised 10-16-08 El Mariachi (USA, 1993), 51 min SAN --Acclaimed low-budget but highly-entertaining debut from director Robert Rodriguez. A young mariachi musician wanders into a turf war over drugs and revenge. VHS format WARNING: contains violence. El Mariachi, Desperado- Especial edición (USA, 1993), 51 min. --Double feature. He came back to settle the score with someone, anyone! DVD format OC El Muerto (Argentina, 1975), 103 min. OC --A story about life in 19th-century Buenos Aires based on a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina's best known modern writer. VHS format Not rated El Norte (USA, 1983), 141 min. OC --Two Guatemalans flee their country, go north, and face multiple struggles as they try to assimilate into American society. VHS format Warning: Rated R REVIEW: Esta cinta es un poco larga pero excelente. ~ FA El Palo / the Hold-up (España, 2000), 92 min. OC, SAN --The story of a robbery done by the most unlikely group of bank robbers: the cleaning lady, a well-off lady facing hard times, a pregnant hairdresser and a punk with no future. VHS format both campuses Not rated El Regalo de Silvia (Spain, Chile, Portugal, 2002), 103 min. --The lives of three very different individuals are forever transformed by the unselfish gift of one young girl. DVD format Not Rated OC 24 Revised 10-16-08 El Ultimo Tren / the Last Train (Uruguay, 2003), 94 min. OC --A group of Hollywood film producers go to Uruguay to buy an antique locomotive train. In the small town where the train is stationed, some locals are thrilled by news of the purchase. Members of the Friends of the Railroad Association, however, are so mad that they devise a plan to block the locomotive's sale by seizing the train and setting out for a countryside trip that causes a police pursuit. DVD format Not Rated En el País de no pasa nada (Mexico, 2000), 91 min. SAN, OC -- This film inspired endless laugh out loud moments although you can't help hesitate with unease at the truth underpinning much of what the film spoofs. This film is a satirical farce about corruption, greed and social inequality in modern day Mexico. It is a punch in the face of big business and its leaders and the corruption that power spawns. ~ E Houston. VHS format SAN, DVD OC Not Rated En un Clar Oscuro de la Luna (México, 2003), 108 min. OC --This romance tells of two people who fall in love against the backdrop of a world in turmoil. Told across both the countries of Mexico and Russia, we follow a Mexican ecologist concerned with pollution caused by oil production in his native land, and a Russian immigrant who, along with his recently widowed daughter, has recently moved back to his homeland. DVD format Not Rated El Sueno Del Caiman (México, 2002), 102 min. OC --A petty thief tries desperately to make good in this bittersweet comedy from Mexico. Following the death of his partner in crime, Inaki tries to stay on the straight and narrow by holing up in a hostel run by a flamboyant drag queen. Before long, Inaki has fallen head-over-heels for the proprietress's niece, and must pull one final job to finance their life together. ~Village Voice DVD format Not Rated 25 Revised 10-16-08 Escape (Madrid, Spain, 2003), 92 min. SAN -- As a result of a car accident, three second-rate delinquents - a retired, one armed, pickpocket; a poor man, who was born in a prison and has never seen a single day of freedom; and an unlucky youngster whose aspiration in life is to open his own mechanic’s garage, manage to escape from the police van that is taking them to prison. DVD format Not Rated Escrito en el Destino (Mexico, 2005), 106 min. SAN -- A sensual story of passion, love, and the limits of loyalty. When a young doctor is put in jail for his political involvement, his beautiful wife Marisa must do all she can to rescue him. DVD format Not Rated Escuela De Vagabundos (Mexico, 1955), 95 min. OC -- Escuela de Vagabundos" is hilarious, with the kind of sharp, clever wit that is a thing of the past, joyous slapstick, sweet romance, and gorgeous music. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud, and this film will make you laugh until it hurts, guaranteed. When we first meet Jose Alberto Medina, his car has gone up in smoke and down a ravine, and his bucket has a hole in it; he wanders to the nearest residence, a mansion where the Senora of the house, Emilia, gushes over him, thinking he is the latest in her "vagabundos." It seems that Emilia feels so blessed to have all she has, that she takes in wandering hobos, to feed them and educate them, and though Medina just wants to use the telephone, he gets embroiled in this wonderful but crazy family, and ends up being their "chauffeur," and so much more. DVD format Not rated Esmeralda Comes by Night (Mexico, 1998), 103 min. OC --A whimsical comedy about Esmeralda, a nurse who is happily married… to five husbands. As she is about to marry number six, she is charged with bigamy. VHS format Warning: Rated R 26 Revised 10-16-08 Eva Perón (Argentina, 1996), 120 min. OC, SAN --A look at perhaps the most extraordinary woman Latin America has ever produced. Born in poverty in 1919, she rose to stardom as a radio and cinema actress and became the wife of General Peron, the most powerful man in Argentina. When General Peron became president she became a political leader in her own right and is still worshipped by millions of her countrymen. Blonde and beautiful, she died in her early thirties of cancer, but still managed to transform radically the lot of women in a predominantly male society. ~ The Biography Channel VHS format Warning: Contains adult language and adult themes. Fausto 5.0 (Spain, 2001), 90 min. SAN --A provocative drama that explores the dark side of seduction. On his way to a medical convention, Dr. Fausto meets a mysterious former patient, Santos Vella. Insisting that he is in Fausto’s debt because the doctor saved his life, Vello claims he will grant Fausto his every wish. Although at first Fausto resists and doesn’t believe the man, eventually, his wanton desire takes over. But, he finds that along with his playful, sexual wishes coming true, his more sinister thoughts also manifest into reality. DVD format Not Rated Felicidades (Argentina, 2000), 100 min. OC, SAN -- On a hot and muggy Christmas Eve in Buenos Aires, everyone is hectically preparing for the holidays. In a series of wry coincidences, an overworked standup comic, a successful writer, a young father and a handsome doctor cross paths as they try to make it through a night of most peculiar circumstances. VHS format San, DVD OC Not rated Feliz Christmas/Merry Navidad (2003), 94 min. SAN -- Filled with faith, magic, and adventures, dreams come true or 3 extraordinary children whom, despite of their different backgrounds, languages, and cultures, come together and discover a genuine friendship that will last a lifetime. DVD format PG-13 27 Revised 10-16-08 Flores De Otro Mundo (Spain, 1999), 100 min. SAN -- Patricia, a woman from Dominican Republic, needs a home and an economic security that her illegal status in Madrid does not provide her. Milady, twenty, born in Havana and dying to travel the world. Marirosi has a job, a home, and the most complete solitude... just like Alfonso, Damián and Carmelo, men from the St. Eulalia, a village lacking both marrying women and future. A bachelors' party forces the encounter between them and the beginning of this bittersweet story of sharing a living. ~ Santiago Garcia de Leaniz DVD format Not Rated For Love or Country; the Arturo Sandoval Story (Costa Rica, Miami, 2000), 120 OC -- Arturo Sandoval has garnered a significant amount of success since his arrival in the United States in 1990, and he's become one of the most popular trumpet players in the world. For Love or Country: the Arturo Sandoval Story presents a touching look at the struggles he faced to make the music he loves and reach the pinnacle of his profession. With a poignant and energetic performance by Andy Garcia, Sandoval's story is told in excellent fashion. Whether you're a fan of his music or just looking for a good story, this disc is definitely worth a viewing. I had a much better understanding of the politics of Cuba after Batista when I saw this movie. DVD format Not rated Note: This movie is in English. Francisca (Mexico, 2002), 88 min. OC, SAN --A former informant for the secret police of East Germany lands in Mexico under a false identity. He falls madly in love with Adela, a young activist, and faces a dilemma when he is asked to execute Adela’s leader. VHS format, SAN. DVD OC Warning: Adult situations and violence Frida (Mexico, 2002), 108 min. OC --A movie about the life of Frida Kahlo shared unflinchingly and openly with Diego Rivera, as the young couple took the art world by storm. From her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband to her illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to her provocative and romantic entanglements with women, Frida Kahlo lived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary. DVD format Warning: Rated R 28 Revised 10-16-08 General Santa Ana (2000), 112 min. OC --A historical drama of the last days of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Despite defeating the Texans of the Alamo, he lost the war of Texas Independence and gave away half of Mexico. Exiled from his homeland, he is allowed to return only a few years before dying in 1876. DVD format Not rated Goya in Bordeaux (Spain, 2000), 105 min. OC (2), SAN --Set in the early 1800s, this powerful film presents the turbulent life of brilliant painter Francisco de Goya- Directed by Carlos Saura. DVD format both campuses, VHS OC WARNING: rated R for strong violence, language and some sexuality/nudity. Green Wall (Peru, 1970), 110 min. OC (2) --It is so rare to find a movie that people reach out to and embrace, a movie that makes you feel cleaner and more alive. "The Green Wall" is inspired, to some degree, by Robles Godoy's life experience. It is about an office worker who sickens of the big-city chaos of Lima and enlists himself and his family in a government program to colonize the forest. ~ Roger Ebert VHS format Note: In Spanish without subtitles Herencia (2004), 94 min. OC, SAN --This is a movie about two people who find each other after suffering a life of loneliness and pain. The movie takes place in Argentina after the World War Two. DVD format both campuses Not rated Heroes y Demonios (Argentina, 1999), 102 min. SAN -- Three friends who know each other in a Psychiatric Hospital promise fighting for a better future for forgotten people by the society. Out of the Hospital, each one works according to that first objective making fulfill the premise "The rights do not negotiate". Everything finishes in a dangerous obsession with possible deaths, even the president will be in danger. DVD format Not rated Honey for Oshun / Miel para Oshún (Cuba, 2001), 125 min. OC, SAN --A Cuban exile returns to his homeland to find his mother, who abandoned him and his father when they moved to America three decades earlier. Joined by an eccentric cousin, he searches Cuba for her and learns the truth behind his past in the process. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R, language 29 Revised 10-16-08 Hormigas en la Boca (Cuba, Spain, 2004), 95 min. OC -- Released from prison after serving a 10-year stretch for anti-government activities, Martin attempts to regain contact with his band of former collaborators. His quest takes him into a shadowy netherworld of governmental corruption, wellkept secrets, and sudden, brutal violence. Set in 1950s Havana, in the turbulent months before Castro's revolution, this stylish crime thriller has a brooding power, style to burn, and narrative twists galore. DVD format Not Rated How to be a woman and not Die in the Attempt (1999), 96 min. SAN -- Carmen Maura, the star of several films by Pedro Almodovar (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, What Have I Done To Deserve This?), as well as Carlos Saura's Ay, Carmela, stars in this comedy about a reporter who tries to juggle her career and kids, even as her music producer husband indulges in extra-marital affairs. VHS format Not rated Huelepega (1999), 110 min OC --This is the story of Oliver, a child thrown out of his home by an alcoholic stepfather and a scared mother. Without a family and without school, just like many others, he learns from the law of the streets, the drugs, hunger and misery, surviving in any possible way and living on the edge of death. DVD format Warning: Recommended for mature audiences Insomnio / Sleepless in Madrid (1997), 100 min. OC --Sleeping isn’t easy in the big city in this side splitting comedy, where we find Adrian and Eva who quickly race in the middle of the night as Eva is about to give birth. Her charming baby will prevent them from getting any sleep for several weeks. DVD format Not Rated Intacto (Spain, 2001), 109 min OC --A group of gamblers with the power to steal the luck from others recruit a young thief named Tomas, the survivor of a disastrous plane crash. The gang brings Tomas into their bizarre world and subjects him to a series of tests to see if he has the skills to overthrow a powerful rival. DVD format Warning: Rated R 30 Revised 10-16-08 In the City (Spain, 2005), 110 min. SAN -- A web of romantic entanglements covers a growing circle of friends in this romantic comedy drama from Spain. Tomás is a college instructor who has been secretly dating one of his students, Ana. Making the matter more complicated is the fact that Ana's uncle is Mario, one of Tomás' best friends. DVD format Not Rated Intimate Stories (Argentina, 2002), 94 min. SAN, OC -- This gentle portrait unfolds as three ordinary yet compelling individuals leave from the small village of Fitz Roy in Argentina's Southern Patagonia to travel a day's distance to achieve their dreams. DVD format both campuses Not rated, Adult Situations Johnny 100 Pesos (Chile, 1993), 95 mins OC --Based on a true story that enthralled an entire country, Johnny 100 Pesos is an explosive thriller that tells the story of a misguided teenager who commits his first armed robbery with four small-time criminals. DVD format Not Rated Knocks at My Door (Venezuela. 1993), 105 min. OC --A man hunted by military police takes refuge in a home shared by two Catholic nuns. A powerful depiction of the moral dilemmas brought about by politics and human rights in Latin America. VHS format Not rated. Laberinto de pasión (Spain, 1983), 100 min. OC --Directed by Pedro Almodóvar, this film is a scandalous look at love and sex in early 1980s Madrid which throws off the shackles of good taste and proudly celebrates excess and the alternative ways of life, which at the time were condemned and despised by the country’s conservative majority.~ James Mudge VHS format Not rated 31 Revised 10-16-08 La Boca Del lobo / The Lion's Den (Peru, 1988), 111 min. OC --The study of a bloody encounter between the Peruvian Army and the Maoist revolutionary group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). Vittin Luna, a young soldier from Lima, must choose between blind obedience and his own conscience. VHS format Not rated La Banda Del Carro Rojo (México, 1978), 90 min. OC -- Two brothers, Rodrigo and Lino, come from a poverty-stricken family and are saddled by debts. Along with two of their friends, they decide to enter the lucrative but dangerous drug trade, becoming known as The Red Car Band: filmed on location in Texas. Note: This movie is in Spanish without subtitles. DVD format Not rated La Cienaga (Argentina, 2001), 103 min. OC -- In her highly accomplished debut film, Argentine director Lucrecia Martel skewers the decadence of the bourgeoisie with an effectiveness rarely seen since Bunuel. As an unbearably hot and sticky summer winds on, a wealthy family and their lower-class relatives come together to try to make the most of a bad situation. Filmed in a probing, expressionist style with a vivid and masterful sound design, "there's a real energy in the way that La Cienaga takes nothing for granted -- except your attention and your intelligence" ~ Chris Vognar DVD format Not rated La Ciudad de los Prodigos (2005), 117 min. SAN --Young and ambitious Onofre Bouvila arrives in Barcelona in search of fortune at the end of the 19th century, a time when Spain is plagued by disease and poverty. He soon meets Delfina, his landlord’s anarchist daughter, who introduces Onofre to the city’s political scene. Onofre is lured into the dark world of organized crime where he must compromise his morals to find monetary success. DVD format Not rated 32 Revised 10-16-08 La Madrastra (Mexico City, 2001), Varies, each episode~20 mins long OC -- La Madrastra is a series of scenes from the Mexican soap opera. There is a character that plays a deaf woman and she uses many gestures that could be helpful for a student who is learning Spanish. The soap opera represents the coming of age of Mexico, its people, and a triumph for Mexican television. Victoria Ruffo and Cesar Evora, the two main characters of this soap opera gave a wonderful performance and truly made the viewer fall in love with their characters, demonstrating the type of love we all yearn to have. DVD format Not rated La Tragedia de Macario (San Antonio, Texas, 2005), 71 min. SAN, OC --Inspired by the true events of immigrants from Mexico, exhausting every effort to find a better life in the United States, and paying the ultimate price as they attempt to cross the borders into a new world, nineteen "workers" were suffocated to death in the Hell of a trailer in Victoria, Texas on May 14, 2003. This movie tells their story. ~ Pablo Veliz DVD format both campuses Not rated Las Abandonadas, Bugambilia (Mexico, 1945), 208 min. OC -- Bugambilia; Actress Dolores del Rio teams up with one of her frequent directors, Emilio Fernández, for the melodrama Bugambilia. She stars as the spoiled-rotten daughter of a local miner, who falls blindly into a self-destructive romance with a local gentleman (Pedro Armendariz - little realizing that involvement with him will entail certain death. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide Las Abandonadas; Mexican helmer Emilio Fernandez's unusual period drama Las Abandonadas (The Abandoned) unfurls in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century, where a young bride-to-be is suddenly jilted by her chauvinistic fiancé. Bereft of a partner, she must support herself and her son and take on the difficulties of single motherhood. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide DVD format Not Rated Las Horas del Dia (2003), 102 min. SAN, OC -- Abel lives with his mother in a small town just outside of Barcelona. His mundane life centers on the same few locations day after day--the dress shop where he works with his mother, his home, his girlfriend's apartment, and a few restaurants. As the repetition of his seemingly small, insignificant life wears him down psychologically, he is driven to murder. DVD format both campuses Not rated 33 Revised 10-16-08 Letters from the Park/ Cartas Del Parque (1988), 85 min. OC, SAN (2) th --Romantic story set in 19 century Cuba based on a short story by Gabriel García Márquez. VHS format both campuses Not rated Letters From Alou/Las Cartas de Alou (Spain, 1990), 100 min. --The story of Alou, an African immigrant, who works his way to Barcelona, where he is due to meet with a friend. Though he faces exploitation and discrimination, his life in Spain never seems bleak. VHS format Not rated OC Let’s Go With Poncho Villa (2005), 92 min. OC --From Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema comes this rediscovered classic by director Femando de Fuentes. This movie follows the adventures of six young men who leave their rural homes to join Poncho Villa’s army. Together the men endure hardship and tragedy – all for the cause of the Mexican Revolution. DVD format Not rated Life Is To Whistle / La vida es Silber (Cuba, 1998), 106 min. OC --Combining surrealism, humor, intriguing visuals and powerful music, this film follows the romantic mishaps of three troubled people: Mariana, a young ballerina; Elpidio, a musician who steals the hearts and wallets of visiting tourists; and Julia, a sensitive social worker. As director Fernando Pérez notes: ―LITW is a film about the theme of happiness in an absurd code. It is also a film about my city, La Habana, at the end of this century, in which the absurd and the marvelous form part of daily life.‖ DVD format Not rated Life Kills/Vivir Mata (Mexico City, 2002), 92 min. SAN -- In Nicolas Echevarria's romantic comedy Vivir Mata (Living Kills), radio personality Silvia meets starving artist Diego. She believes he is a famous author and, because she is so attractive, he continues the deception. DVD format Not rated 34 Revised 10-16-08 Live Flesh (Carne trémula) (Spain, 1988), 101 min. OC, SAN --In this melodrama set in Madrid, Víctor (a pizza delivery boy) gets entangled in a shooting that leaves David (a cop) paralyzed. Four years later, Victor is released from prison and their destinies begin to cross again. VHS format both campuses WARNING: This film contains nudity and sexually explicit scenes. Lista De Espera (Cuba, 2000), 105 min. OC -- A desperate group of people wait at a rundown Cuban transit station for the next bus to arrive. The problem is it never shows up. While a number of busses pass by the station, and others that are either full or at the end of the line stop by, it soon becomes obvious that the bus everyone was waiting for has left them high and dry. VHS format Not Rated Note: In Spanish without subtitles Lisboa (Lisbon, 1999), 99 min. SAN --Lisboa is a road movie and thriller. A Portuguese traveling salesman, peddling video and audio tapes in the highway bars of Iberia meets an attractive woman who crosses his path and asks him for a ride to Lisbon. Unable to refuse this wondrous apparition, the salesman agrees, only to find that his boring route is now paved with danger. DVD format Not rated Living it Up: a Gran Vida (2001), 130 min. SAN, OC -- Salma Hayek tops the cast of this sexy, screwball comedy from Spain. A dispirited man, having decided to end it all, takes a $1 million loan from the mob for a final celebration. When he meets a beautiful waitress, his outlook on life changes dramatically, but now that life is worth living, the mob loan sharks may make that task impossible VHS format both campuses Warning: Rated R language, sexuality Note: The SAN Elijo version is in English with English subtitles Los amantes del círculo polar / Lovers of the Artic Circle (Spain, 1998) OC --Two lovers who meet as youths are separated as adults, but the power of their romance comes close to reuniting them many times as their existences converge on a circular path over the years. VHS format Not Rated Note: In Spanish without subtitles 35 Revised 10-16-08 Los niños invisibles (Colombia, 2001), 92 min. OC (2), SAN --In this magical adventure for children and adults set in a small town during the 1950s, seven-year-old Rafael is madly in love with Martha Cecilia. He wants to see her up close without being noticed by her and fantasizes that he is invisible. Holding a scapular of the Virgin of Carmen and following the instructions of a magic brochure he discovers that he indeed is invisible to people--but especially to Martha Cecilia. VHS format both campuses, DVD OC Not rated Los Anos Bárbaros (Spain, 1998), 120 min. OC -- Spanish comedy-drama about two leftist philosophy students arrested in 1947 by Francoists and sent away to a Madrid prison for eight years. After their friend goes to Paris to enlist the aid of a man, noted for his ability to free political prisoners, his girlfriend and her actress friend are enlisted to assist. They mount mules to make their escape and meet up with the others at a monastery, where romance takes flight, followed by darker events once the group moves on to Barcelona. DVD format Not rated Los Muertos (Corrientes, Argentina, 2004) 82 min OC, SAN -- Vargas, a 54 year old man, gets out of jail in the province of Corrientes, Argentina. Once released, he wants to find his now adult daughter, who lives in a swampy and remote area. To get there, he must cross great distances in a small boat on the rivers, scoring deep into the jungle. Vargas is a quiet and selfcontained man. He possesses the restraint of those living close to nature. A deep mystery surrounds him, the people he encounters and the places he goes through, all that taking in the unalterable world he finds almost unchanged after his long years of incarceration. DVD format both campuses Not rated Los Pajarracos (Tijuana, Mexico City, 2006) 91 min SAN -- When Miguel ―Cachondo‖ Sanabria, a womanizing, playboy wrestler, impregnates the daughter of the town’s most powerful and ruthless drug dealer, he finds himself involved in the most chilling – and hilarious – adventure of his life: an adventure that takes him from Mexico to Los Angeles in search of freedom and his dreams. DVD, VHS format OC Warning: Rated R, sexual content, language, violence 36 Revised 10-16-08 Lost Embrace (Argentina, 2003), 100 min. OC -- Lost Embrace, is set in the funky Buenos Aires district known as El Once ("The Eleventh"), a dense—if dwindling—conglomeration of dry-goods emporiums, sewing factories, and dairy restaurants that, still populated by immigrant Jews and their children. Confining the action to a few blocks and using a nervous camera to crowd in on his subjects, Burman creates the illusion of an urban village that's at once entropic and teeming with energy. DVD format Not rated Lolo (Mexico, 1992), 88 min. OC --Lolo is an outcast boy who lives in the suburbs of Mexico City. After losing his factory job, everything seems to spiral down. As one critic put it, this movie ―manages to recreate, with a smart vision, the social isolation and violence that takes place in Mexican youth.‖ DVD format Not rated Lucia, Lucia (México, 2003), 108 min. OC, SAN --A woman’s search for her missing husband ignites a dangerous and unexpectedly romantic adventure. It’s a wild ride through the mysterious territory or identity, as Lucia finds herself in a triangle of love and friendship with a reawakened passion for life. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R sexuality Luna Llena/ Full Moon (2004), 108 min SAN --This nerve wracking thriller describes a crime in a small provincial city, where a young girl’s body is found brutally murdered in the woods. This movie was nominated for five Goya awards. DVD format Not rated Machuca (Santiago, Chile, 2004) 115min OC, SAN -- Fueled by revolutionary fervor in 1973 Chile, a local headmaster seeks to dismantle the class divisions of Santiago by allowing children from the illegal shantytowns to attend his elite private school. An unlikely friendship forms between eleven-year-olds Pedro Machuca, who comes from a poverty-stricken family, and Gonzalo Infante, who lives in a wealthy neighborhood. But as the boys learn to respect each other despite their different backgrounds, the dream of integration is challenged by practical difficulties and the social confrontation taking place in Chilean society. DVD format both campuses Not rated 37 Revised 10-16-08 Maestros (Spain, 2000), 100 min SAN -- We meet the five old timers at the center of the story as they are to be released from prison for having committed a bank heist years ago. Life outside prison turns to be now what these men expected. Their love for bullfighting brings them back together. DVD format Not Rated Manuela Sáenz (Venezuela, 2000), 102 min. OC (2), SAN -- Born in 1797 as the illegitimate daughter of a Spanish aristocrat in Quito, Ecuador, Manuela Saenz grew up in a Catholic convent. Her father forced her to marry an English businessman whom she despised and later left. During her marriage, she became Bolivar’s lover. They spent the last eight years of Bolivar’s life together; far longer than any of his other lovers. Bolivar was only 19 when his wife of eight months died, and he swore he would never marry again. Saenz challenged some of Bolivar's ideas and served as his eyes and ears to detect rebellion in the army. When mutinous officers rushed through the presidential palace in Bogota, Colombia, one night in 1828, she helped him to escape through a window. Bolivar dubbed her "The Liberator of the Liberator."~Los Angeles Times. September 16, 1998 VHS format SAN, DVD, VHS format OC Not rated Mararia. (Spain, 1998), 109 min. SAN --Mararia is a tragic tale of the destructive power of love and obsession set amid the volcanic splendor of the island of Lanzarote. VHS format Not Rated Maria Full of Grace (Equator, Bogota Columbia, 2004) 101min OC,SAN -- Although the first part of the film is set in Colombia, it was actually filmed in Ecuador. This movie tells the stories of three mules (drug smugglers), who travel from Colombia to New York with more than fifty pellets of cocaine in their bellies. It's a brilliant motion picture, not only because of the meticulous detail used in presenting the process from start to finish, but because of the clarity with which the director develops the characters. The individuals populating Maria Full of Grace are three-dimensional, with understandable motives. They do not seem like constructs whose actions are determined by the needs of a screenplay. ~ James Berardinelli DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R 38 Revised 10-16-08 Marasmo (2004), 86 min. OC --Luz Angelica, a young woman on a bus ride to Barranquilla discovers Ismael, a handsome police sergeant, traveling undercover on a contract to hunt a guerrilla that has killed the wife of a small drug lord. Hours later when the bus is ambushed by the guerrilla and Ismael’s real identity as a paramilitary is revealed, a series of event begin to unfold that dramatically lead to Ismael’s own demise. DVD format Not Rated Matando Cabos (Mexico, 2004), 99 min. OC, SAN -- Fans of man-eating midgets, incompetent criminals, and violent ex-luchadors will find plenty to cheer about in director Alejandro Lozano's vibrant and comedic thriller that was awarded "Favorite Movie," "Favorite Actor," and "Most Bizarre Sex Scene" at Mexico's 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Oscar Cabos is a wealthy entrepreneur who is well known for his violent temper. When two men kidnap the unconscious Oscar as another team of criminals embark on their own quest to capture the despised millionaire, the chaos that erupts leads all involved on a wild chase through the streets of Mexico City. Highly stylized and endlessly energetic, Lozano's non-stop joy ride is certain to appeal to Quentin Tarantino fans and lovers of extreme international cinema alike. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R, language, sex, and violence Memorias de un mojado / A Wetback's Story (México, 1989) OC --A series of vignettes provide a comic take on the immigration issue by wellknown Mexican comedian, Enrique Cuenca "El Polivoz". VHS format Not rated NOTE: in Spanish, no subtitles. Men With Guns (USA, 1998), 128 mins OC (2), SAN --Dr. Fuentes is a man in search of his legacy –seven medical students he trained to work in impoverished native villages in his Central American country. But early in his journey he begins to suspect that ―men with guns‖ got there first, and with every step he is confronted by bloody realities he had long ignored. VHS format both campuses, DVD OC Warning: Rated R 39 Revised 10-16-08 Mi Casa es Tu casa (Spain, 2002), 92 min. SAN -- Luis, a successful writer in his thirties, travels to Begur with the intention of finishing his last book. When he asks his ex wife for the keys, he finds out that she has sold the house. Knowing that the new owner is away from Spain on a trip, Jorge moves in to what used to be his house determined to finish his work. However, Elena, the new owner's daughter, decides to spend a few days in Begur. From this point on confusing situations bring the main characters closer and further away from each other. ~ Tesela P.C. DVD format Not rated Mondays in the Sun / Los Lunes al sol (Spain, 2002), 109 min. OC, SAN -- Set in the Spanish port city of Vigo, this moving, award-winning film looks at six friends living in the wake of a shipyard closure that has crippled the city and their lives. Middle-aged and unemployed, the group spends their days at a local bar where they reminisce, philosophize, and commiserate about their current state of affairs. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R for language Nadie Conoce a Nadie (Spain, 1999), 104 min. OC --Simon, a young writer who earns living by designing crossword puzzles for a newspaper in beautiful Seville, Spain, receives a threatening message stating that he must include the word ―adversary‖ in the crossword puzzle to be published closes to palm Sunday. Simon gives into the blackmail. This action unleashes a series of terrible attempts shortly before holy week. DVD format Not rated Nine Queens/Las Nueve Reinas (Argentina, 2000), 115 min. OC (2), SAN --The rules of the con game unexpectedly change when two small-time crooks try to pull off a big-time score involving a set of valuable counterfeit stamps known as the Nine Queens. VHS format SAN, OC has DVD and VHS Warning: Rated R language. 40 Revised 10-16-08 No Sabe No Contesta (Argentina, 2002), 90. Min OC -- As Joaquin attempts to woo shop girl Laura, his buddies cause trouble for him with problems of their own. Amongst other things, one friend borrows Joaquin's car for the weekend, and his effort to move a piano into his house ends up a disaster. DVD format Not rated Nosotros Los Pobres (Mexico, 1947), 128 min. OC -- This neorealist melodrama, the first in a trilogy of films, was an enormous box office success and is one of the most exhibited movies on Mexican TV. The humble and widowed Pepe "El Toro", the village carpenter, is the father of Chachita, fiancé of Celia "La Chorreada", and brother of a sick prostitute. Tragedy seems to follow "El Toro" as the rich lawyer Montes, who wants Celia, has Pepe falsely accused of the murder of a money lender and sent to prison. VHS format Not rate Note: In Spanish without subtitles Novia Que te Vea / Like a Bride (Mexico, 1993), 115 min. SAN, OC --A delightful depiction of the adventures, sufferings, love affairs and difficulties of two Mexican Jewish girls in the early 1960s. This insightful portrait of the conflicts between tradition and the complexities of modern Mexican society follows Oshinika and Refke as they defy family and societal expectations in pursuit of happiness. DVD format both campuses Not Rated Nueba Yol (Dominican Rep., 1996), 105 min. OC --This film broke all box office records in the Dominican Republic. When Balbuena moves from Santo Domingo to New York hoping to make a fortune, he is in for a harsh disappointment, but finds the inner resources to succeed in "Nueba Yol". VHS format Not rated Nueba Yol 111 (Dominican Rep., 1996), 105 min. SAN --Balbuena, the central character of the surprise hit movie ―Nueba Yol 1,‖ runs afoul of the new US immigration laws. The result is a new adventure filled with comedy. VHS format Not rated 41 Revised 10-16-08 Nueba Yol 1 and 3(Dominican Rep., 1996), 105 min. OC -- This two-pack includes the highest grossing film in Dominican history and its charming sequel. Nueba Yol (Angel Muniz, 1995, 105 mins.) is a sweet-natured tale of triumph, disappointment, and the American dream. DVD format Not rated Nueces para el Amor (Spain/Argentina, 2000) 108 min. OC --A man and a woman struggle through an on-again, off-again love affair amidst some of the most memorable events of Argentina's recent cultural history in this romantic drama. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide DVD format Not rated Oedipus Mayor (Columbia, 1996), 100 min. OC, SAN -- Set in contemporary Colombia, this film beautifully captures Gabriel García Márquez’s reinterpretation of Oedipus Rex. García Márquez, has acknowledged that the Greek tragedy had an impact on his literary career since he first read it in his early twenties. Here, the government has sent a mayor named Edipo (Oedipus) to a remote Andean town in a final attempt to forge to an agreement with guerrilla groups in the area. During his journey, the passengers of a mysterious car attack Edipo; he returns fire but barely escapes death. Upon arriving in the town, he learns of the death of Layo, the local strongman. Edipo, subject to his fate, gets romantically involved with Yocasta and faces the wrath of her brother, Creonte. The film is a sociological portrait that explores the tragedy of a pointless war and hints at the drug traffickers’ influence on guerillas. ~Rafael Ocasio, Agnes Scott Col DVD format both campuses Not rated Ojos Que No Ven (Peru, 2003), 150 min. SAN, OC --This movie captures the widespread situations and the devastating consequences of a government dominated by manipulation and corruption. DVD format both campuses Not Rated Old Gringo (Mexico, 1989), 120 min. OC -- From the director of The Official Story comes a tale of romance and revolution set in Mexico during the time of Poncho Villa, based on Carlos Fuentes' monumental novel. Jane Fonda stars as an American spinster who takes a job as a private tutor with a wealthy Mexican family. She meets a handsome rebel general and the famous American writer Ambrose Bierce and plays a part in guiding their destinies. VHS format Not Rated 42 Revised 10-16-08 Open Your Eyes/Abre los Ojos (Spain, 1997), 117 min. OC --The line between reality and fantasy is hopelessly blurred in this psychological thriller that was later remade as Vanilla Sky. César tries to make sense of his life after a car crash leaves his once-handsome face grotesquely disfigured. VHS format Not Rated Optic Fiber/Fibra optica (México, 1997), 105 min. OC, SAN -- The murder of a prominent union leader pulls a young journalist and the chief suspect's lawyer into a growing web of deception and murder. VHS format both campuses Warning: Not rated but contains violence and sex Our Lady of the Assassins (Colombia/France, 2001), 101 min. OC, SAN --World-weary author Fernando has returned to his native Medellín to live out his days in peace. But his once-quiet town has become a hotbed of drug production and gang warfare. On the brink of despair, Fernando meets Alexis, a hardened street kid who lives by the rule of the gun. VHS format both campuses WARNING: Rated R violence, sexuality Paloma de Papel/Paper Dove (Peru, 2003), 93 min. OC --Juan is an adolescent trying to survive in the poverty-ridden Andean countryside while beginning to discover the adult world. But he soon learns about the dark side of that world when a group of paramilitary revolutionaries enter his town and recruit him for their army, which involves a period of soul-crushing political indoctrination. But Juan's desire to survive through the conflict and to live his own life leads him to rebel against the paramilitaries. DVD format Not rated Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain, 2006), 120 min OC has two copies SAN, OC (2) -- Dark, dreamlike and dangerous, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a fairytale every bit as scary and moving as they were always meant to be. In both the real world - civil war-driven Spain - and the fantasy underworld she discovers, our heroine Ofelia must battle against the most twisted, nightmarish evils to survive. Transcendent, passionate, full of beauty and endlessly affecting, this is without question the movie of the year. ~ Jonathan Trout. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R for graphic violence Note: The audio commentary on the first disc, given by the director/writer Guillermo del Toro, is excellent because he explains the meaning of scenes in the movie as we watch certain clips that he wants to comment on. This is an exceptional source of information for those students that wish to write a report on the movie. 43 Revised 10-16-08 Peligrosa Obsesión (Argentina, 2004), 126 min SAN -- An Argentine truck driver is apparently on a routine trip through Rio de Janeiro when he meets a mysterious countryman, with opposite personality traits. They ultimately travel back to Argentina together, meeting a beautiful Brazilian journalist on the way. ~ A Verdade DVD format Not Rated Penalti (Spain, 2005), 111 min OC -- This raucous comedy unfolds in a local soccer square-off between two Spanish teams. A goalkeeper is injured, another defense man is brought in as a substitute, and a last-minute crowd interference due to the player substitution causes a week-long delay in the wrap-up of the match. The gawky and geeky alternate player, Fernando, finds himself riding the crest of popularity in his town over the course of that week, which includes dating Cecilia, the paramour of the injured defense man, and becomes the unlikeliest hero in the town while the game is suspended, with royal treatment from the rest of the locals. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide DVD format Not Rated Perder es Cuestion de Metodo/The art of Losing (Spain, Columbia, 2003), 93 min OC -- Daniel Giminez Cacho stars as a reporter who uncovers some disturbing truths about the Bogota underworld while investigating a gruesome slaying. With help from a savvy prostitute, the newspaperman discovers that the death could be part of a broader conspiracy. The movie includes music from Los Aterciopelados. DVD format Not Rated Popeye (1993), 30 min. -- This is a children’s cartoon in Spanish. VHS format Note: In Spanish without subtitles. SAN Portrait of Teresa (Cuba, 1979), 115 min. OC --The film focuses on the stubborn survival of deeply ingrained traditions of machismo and sexism in post-revolutionary Cuban society. Teresa, a housewife, incurs the displeasure of her husband because of her involvement in political and cultural groups. VHS format Not rated 44 Revised 10-16-08 Quien Diablos es Juliette? (Cuba, LA, Mexico, New York, 1997), 90 min. OC, SAN -- Juliet, a defiant Cuban teenager, meets Fabiola, a soulful Mexican model and actress, on a video shoot in Havana. Both have big dreams. Each is haunted by an absent father. But where the actress has the world before her, Juliet is bound to her grand, beautiful, melancholy homeland. Or is she? Flirting with the camera, giving bad advice to her little brother, sharing her checkered sexual history, or -- again and again -- contradicting her director, Juliet is incandescent, a walking wound with star quality.~ Scott Heller VHS format both campuses Not rated Note: In Spanish without subtitles, SAN has the VHS with subtitles. Quinceañera (LA. California, 2006), 90 min. SAN, OC -- Magdalena is the daughter of a Mexican-American family who runs a storefront church in Echo Park, Los Angeles. With her fifteenth-birthday approaching, all she can think about is her boyfriend, her Quinceanera dress, and the Hummer Limo she hopes will carry her on her special day. But a few months before the celebration, Magdalena falls pregnant. As the elaborate preparations for her Quinceanera proceed, it is only a matter of time before her religious father finds out and rejects her. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R Ratas, ratones, rateros (Ecuador, 1999), 107 min. OC, SAN --Salvador, a young petty thief, sees his life of minor delinquency transformed into a violent nightmare when his ex-con cousin comes into his life. VHS format SAN, DVD format OC Not rated. Real Women Have Curves (USA, 2002), 86 min. OC -- There are not enough minorities represented in film today. Of the few that make it on screen, there are fewer portrayed in a non-stereotypical manner. For Latinos, this means that usually they are maids, migrant workers, or gang members. This is why a movie like Real Women Have Curves is so interesting. It portrays a Latino family in a rich, vibrant manner with three-dimensional, fully developed characters and true-to-life situations. At its heart, Real Women Have Curves is about two interconnected things, teenage rebellion and a generational culture clash, and familial expectations. DVD format. PG-13 Note: In English and Spanish 45 Revised 10-16-08 Rito Terminal (Oaxaca, 2000), 110 min. OC -- A young photographer is in a strange land in the south of Mexico, making a documentary. He witnesses mysterious rituals and dances by the local people. He falls in love of an Indian girl, and is fascinated with her beauty. However, the photographer will suffer an evil spell made by an old witch, which causes him to lose his shadow and, subsequently, his spirit. ~ Alejandro Frias VHS format Not Rated Note: Subtitled in Spanish and Nahuatl. This film is suitable for advanced students. Rodrigo D: No Future (Colombia, 1990), 92 min. OC, SAN --A shockingly accurate portrayal of the reckless existence of youths in one of the most exciting and dangerous cities in Latin America, if not the world. The film's actors are essentially local teenagers playing themselves. VHS format SAN, DVD OC Not Rated Santo vs. La hija de Frankenstein (Mexico, 2003), 90 min OC -- Frankenstein's daughter wants to get Santo's blood to use in her serum for a fountain of youth formula. The most fun I've had with a Santo picture since "Santo Contra Las Mujeres Vampiros" (a.k.a. "Samson Vs. The Vampire Women"). This one's delightfully loopy... DVD format Not rated Santo En La Verganza de la Momia (Mexico, 2003), 90 min OC --The hero El Santo takes an expedition to explore the ancient ruins the native Apache Indians and finds a mummy instead. DVD format Not rated Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein (Mexico, 2003), 90 min SAN -- 'Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dr. Frankenstein' is one of the most enjoyable entries in the utterly bizarre Santo series. For those who don't know Santo is a Mexican silver masked wrestler crime fighter. He and his long time pal Blue Demon are recruited by the local police to help in a perplexing investigation into a series of unusual murders. DVD format Not rated. 46 Revised 10-16-08 Santo en el Tesoro de Drácula (Mexico, 2006), 90 min OC -- After the successful invention of a time machine, El Santo and his friend, Dr. Sepulveda, must prove to their colleagues that the time machine really works in Treasure of Dracula. They will attempt this by searching for Dracula's treasure. Dr. Sepulveda's daughter Luisa, volunteers to step into the time machine and take a trip back to the 19th century. Luisa returns with two bite marks on her neck and under Dracula's dangerous spell. Dracula is back with a vengeance! El Santo and friends must now match wits with Dracula and fight to the death. DVD format Not rated Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (Mexico, 2003), 90 min SAN -- Santo and the Blue Demon etc... is a surprisingly inventive movie from 1973. While you laugh there are a few chills as the story unfolds. It looks vaguely like a Hammer Studios Dracula film, with some nice color, and the two girls whom Dracula would like to make a part of his army of darkness dressed in each scene in cute miniskirts as they walk off into the night to heed his call. DVD format Not rated. Salvajes / Savages (Spain, 2001), 97 min. OC, SAN --A dramatic and romantic tale that is set within the surroundings of immigrant smuggling and criminal activity. In the port of Valencia, a beautiful, docile nurse falls for the affections of a new police inspector who usually soaks problems created by his illness in alcohol. The strange relationship is interrupted by the criminal activities of the nurse's niece and two nephews. VHS format SAN, DVD OC Warning: Language, violence and sex. Samy Y Yo. (Argentina, 2004), 86 min. SAN --Samy is a neurotic writer who gets paid to cram all of his trials and tribulations into scripts for his weekly Argentinean television show, though his true aim is to write a novel. Nearing 40, though, he feels as if he will never realize his dreams. Just when Samy thinks his self-esteem cannot stoop any lower, he meets Mary, a bombshell with a tornado like personality, who change Samy’s life. DVD format Not Rated 47 Revised 10-16-08 Santitos (Mexico, 1998), 101 min. OC, SAN --After Esperanza Diaz loses her 12-year-old daughter, Blanca, to a rare virus following a tonsillectomy, she searches her faith for an explanation. When St. Jude appears in the smudged window of Esperanza's oven and tells her that Blanca is still alive, the woman is convinced that her daughter was kidnapped from the hospital and sold as a sex slave. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R language Secrets of the Heart (Spain, 1997), 108 min. SAN, OC --A tale of the mysterious and magical adult world as seen through the eyes of Javi, a nine-year old boy growing up in a small Spanish town in the 1960s. DVD format both campuses Not Rated Secuestro Express (Venezuela, 2005), 86 min OC -- In a night pregnant with a strange mix of tension and dizzy abandon, lovers Carla and Martin prowl clubs before drunkenly wandering back to his car. While he comes across as crass nouveau riche, she appears more liberal. Their conspicuous affluence, however, makes them ideal targets for kidnappers. DVD format Warning: Rated R Selena (USA, 1997), 130 min. OC, SAN --Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos star in this movie adaptation of Selena's (no doubt Tejano music's brightest star) life story. VHS format SAN, DVD OC Not Rated Note: Not subtitled, in English and Spanish 7 mujeres 1 homosexual y Carlos (México, 2004), 93 min. SAN -- A young newlywed faces temptation at every turn in this romantic comedy from first-time director Rene Bueno. This movie focuses on the travails of the title character, whose recent marriage is suddenly thrust into question when he starts a new job. DVD format Not rated 48 Revised 10-16-08 7 Dias (Monterrey, Mexico, 2005), 95 min OC, SAN -- The film tells the story of Claudio Caballero, a young man in Northern Mexico who dreams of becoming a major concert promoter like his late older brother Federico. To that end, he cooks up a scheme to bring U2 to his town—all he needs is the money he hopes to win in a bet with a local gangster. Unfortunately, Claudio loses his bet and doesn't have the money to pay his debt; the gangster is about to kill Claudio when his son Tony reveals that he worships U2 and convinces his father to give Claudio a chance. The would-be promoter has a week to bring U2 to town; otherwise he's a dead man. ~ Jim Hemphill DVD format both campuses PG 13 Sex, Shame and Tears (Mexico, 1999), 108 min. OC, SAN --A comedy with some very meaningful undertones set in the upper-class echelons of Mexico's well-to-do, Sex, Shame, and Tears is a mannered portrayal of two couples whose financial success has not made up for the dissatisfaction of their personal lives. Carlos and Ana have lamentably divergent tastes, his toward the New Age- and the spiritual, while she pursues the pleasures of the flesh. DVD both campuses Warning: Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some drug use Shanghai Spell (Spain, 2002), 93 min. SAN -- This historical epic paints a lush yet realistic version of Barcelona in the 1940s. It follows the story of Dani, a young boy whose father was killed in the brutal violence of the Spanish Civil War. DVD format Not rated Silencio roto / Broken Silence (Spain, 2001), 110 min. OC, SAN -- An exploration of life and love in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Lucia returns to her small mountain village to live with her parents, where she falls in love with a young blacksmith who supports the anti-Franco guerillas. When her new love decides to join the rebels, Lucia experiences the harsh realities of love during wartime. DVD format both campuses Not Rated Solas (Spain, 1999), 98 min. SAN, OC -- The moving story of a mother and daughter's struggles to break away from a domineering patriarch and find themselves. The daughter has moved to the city to escape her father's cruel ways, only to end up abandoned and pregnant by her boyfriend. Her mother comes to stay with her when her husband winds up in the hospital and the women try to face the immense changes in their lives. VHS both campuses, DVD OC, SAN Warning: Rated R Note: The OC VHS is not subtitled 49 Revised 10-16-08 Son of the Bride (Argentina, 2001), 98 min OC -- A middle-aged restaurateur’s anxiety and stress levels skyrocket when his elderly father decides to give his Alzheimer's disease-afflicted wife the wedding she had always wanted after 44 years of marriage. Arranging the ceremony turns out to be a chaotic, yet heart-warming experience that brings the entire family together. DVD format Warning: Rated R language Stand and Deliver (USA, 1988), 103 min. OC, (SAN Lib.) --At Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, a dedicated and creative math teacher sets out to prepare a group of students for the highly competitive AP exams in Calculus. VHS format PG Note: In Spanish without subtitles Strawberries and Chocolate/Fresas y chocolate (Cuba, 1994), 104 min. OC, SAN --A gripping tale of friendship, politics, love and revolution by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuba's foremost film director. David, a naive student in contemporary Havana, learns things not taught in school when he befriends social 'outcasts' like Diego and Nancy. VHS format both campuses WARNING: contains nudity. REVIEW: Francisco le da un "10+". Subterra (Chile, 2004), 108 min. SAN --The town of Lota, Chile, 1897 is the setting that reflects a history of human and social changes. In the depths of the biggest coal mine in the world, a grand rebellion develops in the heart of a man. While the aristocratic family of Cousiño Goyenechea dreams of progress, the coal miners awaken in their search for dignity. DVD format SAN Warning: Language, violence and sex Sudor Amargo/Bitter Sweet (Puerto Rico, 2003), 120 min. OC -- Women working in a Puerto Rican fish-cleaning factory face overwhelming odds in the flight for better working conditions. DVD format Not rated 50 Revised 10-16-08 Suddenly (Argentina, 2002), 94 min. OC -- This refreshingly offbeat film from Argentina follows a few days in the life of Marcia, an overweight girl working in a Buenos Aires lingerie shop, who’s goingnowhere life is interrupted by a pair of sullen, lesbian wanderers nick-named Mao and Lenin. DVD format Not rated Note: This movie is in Black and white. Sueño (México, LA, 2005), 108 min. OC --A young musician from Mexico, pursuing his dream of becoming a singer in Los Angeles is consistently thwarted by constant rejection, he's about to give up when his manager, El Zorro, an eclectic and a colorful radio personality, convinces him to enter a local radio sponsored Latino singing competition. The vibrant on-screen musical performances incorporate the eclectic vibes of Rock En Español, Latin Electronica, Punk and Rap with the smooth sounds of old school Bolero. The film has no traditional score, but rather utilizes the original works of over 20 different bands and musicians DVD format PG-13 Sueño de Luces (México, 2000), 94 min. OC -- Convinced that their economic situation is the cause of his parent’s sadness, twelve-year-old Julian Lopez decides to run away from home and become a bullfighter in order to earn money and make his parents happy again. He solves his parent’s problems, but when he triumphs at The Monumental, Mexico's famous bull fighting ring, Julian realizes what has been a wonderful dream is quite different from reality. DVD format Not rated Swindled (Spain, 2004), 110 min. OC -- In a flashback, Ernesto, a young con man, tells us how he got to the edge of a big score: childhood in an orphanage, youthful smash-and-grab burglaries until his partner is caught, then tutelage from Lefty, an aging swindler. After some years of success, they're joined by Federico, the best, a true artist. Things go well until Pilar, a woman from Federico's past, re-enters his life with a proposal to con a golden goose - a swindle that will put them all on easy street DVD format Not rated 51 Revised 10-16-08 Talk to Her / Hable con Ella (Spain, 2002), 114 min. OC, SAN --Two men meet in a private clinic, as they wage vigil over the women they love. The story unfolds in typical Almodóvar fashion as the lives of the four are further entwined. DVD format SAN, VHS OC Warning: Rated R nudity, sex, language Te Busco (Columbia, 2002), 92 min OC --As a precocious five-year-old boy, William lived with his wildly imaginative uncle Gustavo. Te Busco reconstructs William's memories of the time when he becomes an accomplice in Gustavo's intricate mission to seduce Jazmín, a gorgeous singer that performs in a shopping mall in Bogotá. DVD format Not Rated Tango (Argentina, 1998), 115 min. --In an interview with Carlos Saura he stated, ―The main character of "Tango" mirrors me, as a director following the same paths in trying to tell the story of tango. And in this story, there are some terrible aspects, like the military's record of bestial repression -- it's still a very conflicted matter; a lot of Argentines don't want to talk about it. And many of the repressors hold public office. VHS format OC PG-13 OC The Blue Diner / La fonda azul (USA, 2000), 100 min. OC, SAN --The story of a Puerto Rican mother and daughter living together in Boston and the difficulties they face when the daughter, Elena, mysteriously loses her ability to speak Spanish, her first language. VHS format both campuses PG-13 Note: Part of the movie is in English. The City of no Limits (Spain, 2002), 125 min. OC, SAN --This movie is centered on a dying patriarch. On his deathbed in Paris, Max begins to speak of Rancel, a man from his past. His wife, Marie, is unable to make sense of Max's hysterical, yet indecipherable, musings. But when his son, Victor arrives, the pieces to the puzzle begin to connect. Hernandez's film is an affecting, moody thriller. DVD format both campuses Not Rated 52 Revised 10-16-08 The Crime of Padre Amaro (México, 2002), 119 min. OC (2), SAN --In this provocative film that stirred up controversy in Mexico, a recently ordained priest is sent to a small parish church in rural Mexico. Upon arriving at his new post, he meets a beautiful young woman with a religious passion that borders on obsession. DVD format SAN, VHS and DVD format OC Warning: Rated R sex, language The Dancer Upstairs (Spain, 2003), 135 min. OC -- Actor John Malkovich's directorial debut is a taut political thriller set in a Latin American country in the throws of a revolution. Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls) plays a detective who encounters opposition from both sides of the law while tracking the leader of a terrorist organization. DVD format Warning: Rated R The Devil’s Backbone (Spain, 2001), 110 min. OC, SAN --Carlos, a 12-year-old orphan, gradually uncovers the dark ties that bind the inhabitants of an orphanage in this stylish and unpredictable thriller set in the last days of the Spanish Civil War: hidden riches, sexual intrigue and the restless ghost of a murdered student. VHS format SAN, DVD format OC Warning: Rated R Violence, language and sex The Girl of Your Dreams / La niña de tus ojos (Spain, 1998), 120 min. OC, SAN --In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, Germany invites a selected group of filmmakers to Berlin. Calamity ensues for the troupe when one of its own helps a prisoner escape. DVD format SAN, VHS format OC Warning: Rated R language, sex. The Goalkeeper / El portero (2000), 84 min. OC --In a time of violence and political struggle a stranger arrives in the small village of Austrias. He is Ramiro Forteza, a goalkeeper in the Premiere league who has been reduced from playing in stadiums to demonstrating his talent in small villages. A decisive challenge on the seashore will ultimately determine the fate of Ramiro. DVD format Warning: Rated R one scene of sex 53 Revised 10-16-08 The Good Life (1996), 108 min. OC -- A young boy passionate about growing up and writing his biography has his life changed drastically when his parents die in a plane crash while on vacation. He then must move in with his grandparents and change schools, where he falls in love for the first time and is no longer able to keep intact his childish snobberies and notions of self-importance. DVD format Not Rated Note: In Castilian The Grandfather / El Abuelo (Spain, 1999), 146 min SAN --A tale of love, honor, and integrity. A grandfather returns home to Spain, where he seeks to discover the truth about who is his legitimate heir. VHS format PG The Holy Girl/La Nina Santa (2005), 104 min SAN --The film poignantly captures the lives of two teenage girls, Amalia, the hotel owner’s daughter, and her best friend Josefina, as they adjust to their growing sexuality and religious passion. DVD format Warning: Rated R The Lost City (Cuba, 2005), 143 min SAN, OC -- Andy Garcia (Modigliani) stars and makes his directorial debut in a passionate and historical tribute to his native Cuba. Havana in 1958 is a place of pleasure for many, but others are not happy under the rule of Dictator Fulgencio Batista. Fico Fellove (Garcia) struggles to hold together his family and the love of a woman. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R Note: This movie is in English, Subtitles in Spanish The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentina, 2004), 128 min OC, SAN -- This is the true story of a 23-year-old medical student from Argentina, Che Guevara, who traveled across South America on a motorcycle with his friend Alberto Granado in 1951-1952, in a personal odyssey which would ultimately inspire him to become a revolutionary who had a profound impact on the history of several nations. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R language 54 Revised 10-16-08 The Sea Inside (2004), 125 min OC, SAN --The Sea inside is about Spaniard Ramón Sampedro, who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The story also explores Ramón’s relationships with two women and his ability to inspire them through his gift of love. DVD format both campuses PG-13 The Orphanage (Spain, 2007), 105 min OC, SAN -- The movie centers on Laura, who as a young girl was raised in the orphanage before being taken away one day and adopted. Now in her 30s, she has returned with her husband Carlos and their young son Simon to buy the orphanage and run it as a home for sick or disabled children. She has memories here, most of them happy, she believes, but as images begin to swim into her mind and even her vision, she has horrifying notions about what might have happened to the playmates she left behind on the summer day 30 years ago. The film, a Spanish production directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Guillermo del Toro ("The Devil's Backbone," "Pan's Labyrinth"), … lingers to create atmosphere, a sense of place, a sympathy with the characters, instead of rushing into cheap thrills. ~ Roger Ebert DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R disturbing content The Official Story (Argentina, 1995), 110 min. SAN (2), OC --This is the story of a middle class Latin American family who becomes involved in a search for their adopted daughter's missing parents; a definitive statement on the South American political system. VHS, DVD Format SAN, DVD format OC Not Rated The Spirit of the Beehive (Spain, 1973), 95 min. OC --A lonely little village girl who sees Boris Karloff's "Frankenstein," becomes entranced by the monster. The girl's sister convinces her that the monster is still alive and she treks off into the countryside to find him. VHS format Not rated 55 Revised 10-16-08 The Stilts (Spain, 1984), 95 min. OC --Terese and her boyfriend, Alberto (Antonio Banderas), both in their late twenties, have moved to the country to get away from the crowds and noise of Madrid. Angel, a literature professor in his sixties, goes to his country house to recover from the death of his wife. Teresa saves Angel as he attempts suicide. This movie comments on the generation gap in Spanish art and culture; Angel is from the old Spain, he reads the melancholy verses of Quevedo to Terese, but she prefers the fun of doing plays on stilts. VHS format Not Rated The Stone Raft. (Spain, 2002), 117 min. OC -- George Sluizer's (The Vanishing) enchanting fantasy begins when an earthquake causes a fissure along the border between Spain and France. As the Iberian Peninsula rockets away from continental Europe, a group of five individuals are drawn together by a series of supernatural occurrences. Recast as Old Testament prophets in a modern mold, the group searches for answers while preparing for what seems to be an impending apocalypse. DVD format Not rated The Uninvited Guest (Barcelona, Spain, 2004), 109 min. OC -- A young, thorough architect separates from his girlfriend and finds himself alone in a huge house. What could happen if an unknown man, after asking for using your phone at night, vanished from your living room while you were politely waiting in the kitchen? This is a rather unclassifiable movie. Between drama and thriller (and even a bit of disturbing comedy), it does look lushly filmed -Variety words-, well paced and definitely different from most first movies shot in Spain. Although the film suffers from a few hesitating moves and it is not for lazy, easy-going audiences, its well worth watching and contains some really bright, new ideas. One more turn of the screw around loneliness, voyeurism and affections - but a really interesting one. ~ Ana Figueres DVD format Warning: Rated R 56 Revised 10-16-08 The Violin (Rancho San Isidro, Ixtapaluca, Mexico, 2005), 98 min. OC, SAN -- Stunning and powerful, we are invited into the lives of people that are forced from their homes to live in exile. The photography is in exquisite black and white and depicts the faces of a strong and proud people who are willing to go to any lengths to fight for their rights. Although the beginning is disturbing, it is essential. I came to the realization that the violence I saw in the film is not as bad as the violence that I anticipated throughout the movie. In an interview given by Michael Guillen, Francisco Vargas, (the director),comments on the first scene, ―The first thing I could say is that it is not an explicitly violent scene. One never actually sees what's happening, one only imagines it, or knows, but never really sees it. During the whole film you never see blood, bullets, confrontations or gore or anything. The narrative rule always was absence as the absolute presence. And I think that the intention works; that's why some people feel that scene is so tough, or feel a silent violence during the entire film; but it's not visible.‖ ~ Barbara DVD format both campuses. Not rated The Virgin of Juarez (Texas, Mexico, Ca. 2002), 90 min. OC -- Since 1993, the raped and mutilated bodies of nearly 400 women have been found around the area of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, near the border of the United States near El Paso, Texas. Amnesty International documents this in their report, "Intolerable Killings: 10 years of abductions and murders of women in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua." These unsolved murders cry out for justice, and continue to occur to this day. "The Virgin of Juarez" attempts to "shine a light on evil" -- in the words of director/co-writer Kevin James Dobson -- in dramatizing these events. ~ Paul Shultz DVD format PG 13 Note: In English with Spanish subtitles Tinta roja / Red Ink (Peru, 2000), 115 min. OC, SAN --An aspiring writer who has just graduated from college lands a job in the daily crime section of a Lima newspaper. Director Francisco J. Lombardi presents realistic look at the tainted world of yellow journalism (journalism that exploits, distorts, exaggerates the news to create sensations and attract readers), the world where feelings, passions and death often intersect. DVD format both campuses Not Rated 57 Revised 10-16-08 3 Noches (Venezuela, 2001), 105 min OC --When the body of infamous mobster Miguel "El Chino" Sanabria suspiciously appears somewhere on the outskirts of Latin America, Detective Ferran suspects that there may be more to the supposed crime of passion than the evidence suggests. VHS format Not rated Tizoc (México, 1956) OC --Pedro Infante and María Félix star in this story about an Indian from Oaxaca who falls in love with a beautiful woman from the capital city. VHS format Not rated NOTE: in Spanish, without subtitles. Appropriate for advanced students Todo el poder (Mexico, 1999), 110 min. OC (2), SAN --Inspired by director Fernando Sarinana's personal experiences, this black comedy looks at Mexico's corrupt police system through the eyes of a filmmaker, Gabriel. Having spent years being robbed and assaulted in the streets of Mexico in pursuit of his art, Gabriel turns his camera on the corruption that enables the lawlessness. DVD format SAN, DVD VHS format OC Warning: Rated R Note: OC VHS copy is in Spanish without subtitles. Todas Las Azafatas Van al Cielo (Spain/Argentina, 2002), 93 min. SAN -- Distraught over the unexpected suicide of his flight-attendant wife, portly dentist Julian makes the decision to travel to the Falkland Islands in a despondent bid to end his own life by freezing to death. It seems that fate has other things in store for Julian however, when suicidal air-hostess Teresa appears at the same place and the same time revealing similar intentions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide DVD format Not Rated Tu Que Harias Por Amor. (Madrid, Spain, 2003), 90 min. OC --The seamy underside of drug dealing in Spain is explored in this Spanish drama. Thirteen-year-old Milio and his older brother Luis run drugs in Madrid for wholesaler Don Vicente. While their mother disapproves of their business, Luis tries to watch out for his little brother and shield him from the most dangerous side of the dope traffic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide DVD format Warning: Adult situations, violence, language 58 Revised 10-16-08 Una Pasion Singular (Spain, 2002), 104 min. OC -- This controversial political film shows the brutal reality that several families had to deal with in Andalucía during the first three decades of the 20th century prior to the Spanish Civil War. Blas Infante (known as father of Andalucía), tried fighting for other people’s rights towards a better life, sacrificed his own freedom and his own life. Despite this adversity, the film depicts the brilliance of a series of scenes of meticulous expressiveness, free from the slavery imposed by time and space and also free from the brutal separation between reality and the imaginary. DVD format Not rated Under the Moon / La Misma Luna (Mexico, 2007) 110 min OC, SAN --The screenwriter, Ligiah Villalobos, stated in an interview that she gave to Dan Lybarger, that ― the theme of this movie is not illegal immigration, it is abandonment. And I think that every single person on this earth has experienced that emotion one way or another, whether it is through divorce or a broken relationship or the death of a loved one. Whatever your experience might be, that’s what you’re connecting to in the film.‖ Under the Same Moon‖ follows a 9-year-old boy from Juarez, Mexico, named Carlitos. After his grandmother dies, Carlitos crosses the U.S. border in the hope of finding his mother, Rosario, who has been working in Los Angeles. DVD format both campuses. Rated PG Ustedes los ricos (México, 1948) AND Los hijos de María Morales (1952) OC --Pedro Infante is featured in these melodramas from Mexico's golden age of cinema. VHS format Not rated NOTE: in Spanish, without subtitles. Appropriate for advanced students. Un Dulce Olor a Muerte (México, 1999), 98 min. SAN -- Ramon finds the body of his secret crush murdered in a field. The only witness blames an outsider, a gypsy for the crime, and leads to a mob mentality in the town. But the gypsy is innocent, and has her own reasons for hiding what she was doing that night. Ramon must discover the true killer and learn some lessons in personal responsibility in the process. DVD format Not rated 59 Revised 10-16-08 Vengo (Andalucia, Spain, 2002), 90 min. OC -- The passionate, compelling "Vengo," the latest film of veteran Gypsy writerdirector Tony Gatlif, takes us into the proud and dangerous world of rival Spanish Gypsy clans whose obsession with vengeance is reflected in flamenco, their intoxicating music and dance. This highly stylized film, set in present-day Andalusia, might as well be set in antiquity, so consumed are its people with dying for their honor. ~ Kevin Thomas DVD format Not rated Verónico Cruz (Argentina, 1988), 106 min. OC --The story of an Indian boy from his birth in the most remote parts of Argentina to his death during the Falklands/Malvinas War. VHS format Not rated Vivir Mata (Mexico City, World Trade Center, 2002), 128 min. OC -- A tale of mistaken identity and missed connections set in the populous Mexico City. A misunderstanding leads two lovers to believe that one is a famous author, and he uses this to his advantage in order to seduce her. The two spend a passionate night together as he maintains his false identity, but in the morning when Silvia discovers the truth she is furious and storms out. Both are haunted by the possibility that they have missed out on true love, however, and wonder what they might have missed out on, both are inspired to work at giving their romance another shot. VHS format Not rated Note: In Spanish without subtitles. Volver (Spain, 2006), 121 min OC, SAN -- Three generations of women survive easterly wind, fire, madness, superstition and even death through goodness, lies and an unlimited vitality. The living and the dead live together without problems, but provoking hilarious situations and others full of deep and genuine emotion.‖ Volver is a movie about the culture of death in my native region, La Mancha. My folks there live in astonishing simplicity. The way in which the dead are still present in their lives, the richness and humanity of their rites makes it possible for the dead to never really die.‖ ~ Pedro Almodovar. DVD format both campuses Warning: Rated R 60 Revised 10-16-08 Warriors (Spain, 2002), 96 min. OC -- This drama focuses on one of the great tragedies at the turn of the 20th Century: the war in Kosovo. Centered on a platoon of Spanish soldiers, the film follows the innocent young men as they step into a hell that no training could have prepared them for. DVD format Not rated Washington Heights (New York City, 2003), 85 min. OC --"Washington Heights" tells the story of Carlos Ramirez, a young illustrator burning to escape the Latino neighborhood of the same name to make a splash in New York City's commercial downtown comic book scene. When his father, who owns a bodega in the Heights, is shot in a burglary attempt, Carlos is forced to put his dream on hold and run the store. In the process, he comes to understand that if he is to make it as a comic artist, he must engage with the community he comes from, take that experience back out into the world, and put it in his work. DVD format Warning: Rated R for language sexuality, brief violence and drug use Without a Trace/ Sin Dejar Huella. (Mexico, 2001), 110 min OC, SAN --In this unlikely road movie, Aurelia hits the road with her kids and her drugtrafficking boyfriend’s stash of goods. Along the way, she hooks up with Ana, another woman running from a dangerous man. DVD format both campuses Not Rated Whisky (Uruguay, 2004), 94 min. SAN --The deadpan style of Jim Jaramusch meets Aki Karismaki’s wry sensibility in this perversely funny story set. DVD format Not Rated Who the Hell Is Juliette? (Cuba, LA, Mexico, New York, 1997), 91 min. SAN -- Juliet, a defiant Cuban teenager, meets Fabiola, a soulful Mexican model and actress, on a video shoot in Havana. Both have big dreams. Each is haunted by an absent father. But where the actress has the world before her, Juliet is bound to her grand, beautiful, melancholy homeland. Or is she? Flirting with the camera, giving bad advice to her little brother, sharing her checkered sexual history, or -- again and again -- contradicting her director, Juliet is incandescent, a walking wound with star quality.~ Scott Heller VHS format Not rated Note: OC has the Spanish version, without subtitles. 61 Revised 10-16-08 Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spain, 1988), 98 min. OC (2), SAN --Pepa, a popular Spanish actress, is driven to distraction when her lover leaves her for another woman. This comedy of errors involves a drugged pitcher of gazpacho, Shiite terrorists, and a mental patient who left the asylum too soon. VHS format both campuses Warning: Rated R Zurdo (Mexico, 2003), 110 min. OC -- Young Lefty is something of a folk hero: his incredible skills at playing marbles have made him a local celebrity. When a corrupt cop named Romeo challenges him to a showdown, however, Lefty knows that he may be in for quite a match if he wants to outwit Romeo's cheating ways. With the entire village coming out to support Lefty, will he manage to beat Romeo and give his community hope? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide DVD format Not rated Portuguese City of God (Brazil, 2002), 130 min OC -- Fernando Merielles directed this stunning look at three decades of violence and unrest in the slums of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. A fast-paced, visual wonder, City of God flies around in time as it follows a group of youths into adulthood amidst Rio's street gangs. "Breathtaking and terrifying" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). DVD format Warning: Rated R Black Orpheus (Brazil, 1958), 103 min. OC -- Marcel Camus' quintessential love story based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is set against the vivid backdrop of carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus, the streetcar conductor, falls hopelessly in love with Eurydice. VHS format Not Rated Central Station (Brazil, 1998), 106 min. OC -- Fernanda Montenegro delivered a universally acclaimed performance in this tender and moving drama about a lonely, hardened woman who is befriended by an orphan boy at Rio de Janeiro's central train station. VHS format Warning: Rated R 62 Revised 10-16-08 Me You Them (Brazil, 2000), 107 min. OC -- A poor, peasant woman accepts a marriage of convenience but continues to accept other lovers, even having children by two of them. When another man comes into her life--one she feels more passionate about--her unusual family unit is threatened. VHS format PG-13 63