Leonor Watling in "Lo Mejor de Eva" [2011 Spain]

I'm not very familiar with the work of Mariano Barroso, having seen only one of his films before this, and his latest thriller "Lo Mejor de Eva" [Eng. title: Dark Impulse], although stylish, is not quite in the same league as the earlier film (Éxtasis).

Storyline:
Eva is a dedicated and forthright prosecutor at a Madrid court, and her latest case relates to the murder of a stripper. While the suspect is in custody she is desperate for some hard evidence and witnesses, and the suspect - a powerful man, is intent on digging up some dirt from Eva's past to force her to compromise her integrity. Enter Rocco, a gigolo and friend of the murdered girl, who offers to help in Eva's prosecution. By a turn of events, Rocco gets much closer to Eva than anyone else could imagine, and it now appears he holds the key to unravelling Eva's past...

While there are some strong performances from the lead actors - Leonor Watling as Eva, Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Rocco, and the talented Adriana Ugarte as Eva's sister Marta, my biggest problem with this film is that it lacks credibility, with the screenplay being the main culprit. The cinematography is decent, but nothing special. On the whole, this is an average film that'll struggle to stay in memory after the credits roll.




Compilation: Leonor Watling, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, and Nathalie Poza



Scene Guide:

• Rocco makes his move, and Eva finds it hard to resist. Eva is played by the magnificent Leonor Watling, and Rocco by an athletic Miguel Ángel Silvestre, who kinda reminds you of the Italian actor Raoul Bova.
• This time they spend the night together...
• Rocco gets down and dirty with Eva - her posterior by the way is body-doubled by a largely unsung and anonymous Tharna Tirado Güido.
• Berta, one of the key witnesses for the case is found murdered in the bath - Berta is played by Nathalie Poza (Malas Temporadas).

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Leonor Watling & Paz Vega in "Hable con Ella" [2002 Spain]

I finally managed to get an Almodovar up here. I had reviewed his 2002 classic "Hable con Ella" [Eng. Title: Talk to Her] years ago, but these scenes are freshly edited and recut from DVD.

For people outside Spanish speaking territories, Pedro Almodóvar would have probably been their first introduction to Spanish language cinema. His early underground films were not only groundbreaking in their subject matter, they were cleverly written and refreshingly executed. He is still the most famous name in Spanish cinema, and rightly so.

While some of his recent films have become less edgy, "Hable con Ella" still retains the raw humanity emanating from his earlier works, and as ever, his women are inherently strong characters. In "Hable con Ella", we see Alicia lying in a state of coma for the best part of the film, but still manages to command our respect, she makes us feel ashamed for looking at her nudity, and Almodóvar skillfully creates this special connection between Alicia and the audience. Similarly we have another strong character in Lydia the matador, who also goes into coma after being gored by a bull in the arena. The story and screenplay is excellently constructed, no wonder it won so many major awards including Oscar, BAFTA, Goya and César. If you haven't yet seen this film, you should. This gem can't be recommended enough!

Compilation 1:
I have combined all the scenes involving Alicia, played by the beautiful and wholesome Leonor Watling. Watching her at the ballet school opposite his flat, male nurse Benigno falls headlong in love, even if he is only too aware he's aiming far too high. He visits her home with an excuse of a session with her Psychologist-father. But after an accident, when Alicia goes into coma in the hospital where he works, Benigno begins a ficticious relationship with her, after her father appoints him exclusively to take care of Alicia. There is only one brief nude scene where she is conscious at all - when she comes out of the shower only to see Benigno had been snooping around her room.







Compilation 2:
The bulk of this compilation belongs to the lovely Paz Vega, who plays Amparo in an amusing silent film within the film. Some of you may remember seeing this unforgettable scene, perhaps in bits and pieces. I left the entire film intact because it is worth watching for its own sake. Alicia used to enjoy watching silent films - so Benigno narrates to her the film that he had recently seen. Earlier in the compilation, we see Lydia, played by Rosario Flores ceremoniously getting dressed for the bull fight. We also see a scene of a very scared and very nude Ángela. played by Elena Anaya, running away after seeing a snake in her tent.





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Leonor Watling in "Son de Mar" [2001 Spain]

As far as I can remember, Bigas Luna films have always been on the twisted side - I have seen most of his work since his 1978 'Bilbao'. His 2001 drama however, "Son de Mar" [Eng. Title: Sound of the Sea] is one of his more poetic offerings, but twisted all the same. As ever, he shows no mercy towards his characters, and unapologetically depicts their flaws - warts and all.

This isn't a breezy romance by any measure, even if it starts out as a beautiful idea - doesn't every romance start that way anyway! He liberally borrows from Greek myths here, but made it into his own. Like the male lead character Ulises, a literature teacher who takes up a post mid term at a school in a small seaside village, his passion for sailing, his sudden disappearance, and his equally sudden return after several years when assumed dead by everyone. The film isn't easy to watch, even if the female lead character Martina keeps our interest. Leonor Watling as Martina is at her sensual best here - she plays the village belle, the only daughter of a local restaurateur, the one who falls for the charms of the teacher and his oft quoted verses from Virgil's Aeneid. These lines are repeated so often that it beccomes a precursor and later a prerequisite for Martina, to be sufficiently aroused for the sex act.

The scenes posted here are freshly cut from my DVD, but have to admit my first scene is a bit overcooked - I was still getting to grips with a new filter I've been trying. But I think it is still watchable, so left it as it is.



Scene 1:
I loved the first half hour of the film where Sr. Luna allocates enough time to allow the protagonists' relationship to develop. Martina's first spontaneous 'date' with Ulises in the caves by the sea would induce nostalgia for anyone who has been in love. I've edited several scenes and combined them into one, it works better for the sake of this review - me feels.





Scene 2:
When Martina gets pregnant, Ulises proposes and they get married, even if her parents feel a better match for their daughter would have been Sierra, the real estate tycoon. This scene is during their honeymoon in Valencia.





Scene 3:
Ulises disappears on a fishing trip, leaving his wrecked boat that he named after his wife. He's presumed dead by all, and with a young child to care for, Martina agrees to marry the cash-rich Sierra. Five years pass, her son grows up thinking Sierra is his daddy - and by any measure Martina is living a contented life, when out of the blue a familiar voice calls her one day, quoting a familiar verse from the Aeneid. Confused, Martina is justifiably pensive performing her conjugal duties that night.





Scene 4:
Martina follows the instructions given by the owner of the voice, and ends up at a hotel where a tearful Ulises awaits holding a tuna fish. When an angry Martina asks where the hell he'd been for the past five years, he reveals his affair with a woman in red dress he met at a party. He claims it's all now over, and begs her to have him back. She succumbs to his verse again, and what's more - to continue their 'affair' Martina puts him up in one of her husband's empty block of flats - it's been empty because it hadn't received the necessary planning permission - and visits him every day after hubby leaves for work. But Sierra soon finds out about Ulises' return and decides to finish them off when he realises his wife still loves him. The couple try to escape in Sierra's yacht, named 'Son de Mar', but end up in the morgue after trying to escape from the sinking yacht. I must add I was never a great fan of Jordi Mollâ who plays Ulises, nor his bits that keep hanging out ever so often - I simply bore him for the sake of the impending glimpse of a more alluring Leonor.





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