Bajo Aguas Tranquilas - Beneath Still Waters

Bajo Aguas Tranquilas - Beneath Still Waters
Spain (2005)
Starring:  Michael McKell, Raquel Merono, Charlotte Salt

Beneath still waters was...

There were some parts where you could tell some great imagination came into play during the script writing.  There were some parts that were kind of, semi, maybe partially a little creepy.  That's about it.  By the time this movie was over with I felt like it was a complete waste of time.  If you are snowed in with no alcohol, no internet, a pen, a dvd player, and a TV that get's no network channels, and this DVD - take the pen and use the DVD as a surface for some artistic outlet and doodle on it.

La Herencia Valdemar - The Valdemar Legacy

La Herencia Valdemar - The Valdemar Legacy
Spain
2010
Starring:  Daniele Liotti, Oscar Jaenada, Silvia Abscal, and Laia Marull

The Valdemar Legacy was a decent horror movie.  There's a twist or two that I didn't expect.  The dark style Spanish movies are known for is also present, Jose Aleman uses contrast between shadow and light well throughout the movie as a means to help create the scene and convey the story.

La Herencia Valdemar begins with a well respected property appraiser being given the opportunity to appraise an old remote estate, the Valdemar mansion.  What she finds there will change her life.  When she is out of contact for a few days her boss hires Nicolas to locate her and ensure that she completes her appraisal.  Nicolas soon discovers the legend of the Valdemar properties.  Through the movie there is a story within a story that is very well placed and played out.  There are also appearances by at least two of history's infamously evil figures.  

In this movie the cinematography is pretty good, the acting is alright, the plot is somewhat unique, and the flow of the story is well enough to keep you watching.  The Valdemar Legacy is just part one of a story.  Part two, La Sombra Prohibida, should be releasing on DVD some time in the next few months.

The Haunting - No-Do

The Haunting (aka No-Do)
Spain
2009
Starring:  Ana Torrent, Francisco Boira, and Hector Colome

No-Do is a horror movie from Spain.  In its own rights it is unique.  There are some heavily borrowed parts of this movie, but it did still contain some originality.  I found the beginning a little hard to follow, yet towards the end it all fell into place.

This movie wasn't overly gory, but did of course contain some gore.  It also had a number of spirit hauntings and one bad ass demon.  The church is featured heavily throughout the movie and plays a multi-sided stereotypical role.  Who else is going to try and expel your demons though?

All in all it wasn't a horrible movie, not terribly scary either.  There were times when the level of fright portrayed by the actors wasn't quite in line with the story, but I think that's where many horror movies go wrong anyway. It did have that famous Spanish dark overtone that you'll find in movies like Pan's Labyrinth or The Orphanage.


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La Hora Fria - The Cold Hour

La Hora Fria - The Cold Hour (AKA The Dark Hour)
Spain
2006
Starring:  Silke, Omar Munoz, and Pepo Oliva

La Hora Fria is dubbed a horror, mystery, sci-fi movie.  It fits the sci-fi category; works with the mystery category; yet, I wouldn't call it a horror.

I keep an eye out and continue to look for new sci-fi and horror movies from Spain because there is something just a little different about them that I like.  Maybe I'll figure it out in the next 5 or 10 of them that I come across.  It could be that I understand about 85% of Spanish movies in their native language so a little less is lost in translation.

La Hora Fria is no exception.  The movie followed suite with a post apocalyptic theme, a little creepiness, and a plot that I couldn't figure out till the movie was over.  Then this one kept me pondering the situations presented throughout the plot.  The movie twists all the way through the plot and has an ending that I didn't guess or predict.  I recommend this move for anyone that enjoy's  slower moving sci-fi and mystery movies that keep you wondering all the way through.

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Mr. Nobody

Mr. Nobody
2009
Starring:  Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, and Diane Kruger

Mr. Nobody has a misleading title.  For a while the title sounded kind of depressing, but don't let that scare you off; the movie is phenomenal in its own rights.

The movie continuously uses Schroedinger's Cat theory as a base for a temporal exposition that left me in awe.  I am a fan of the movie on two parts.  The first is because of a foundation of physics used through the movie and the second is the story itself.  This in essence is another movie on life, but it portrays it in a very entertaining and easy to follow manner.


About all I can tell you without spoiling the movie is that it begins in the year 2092 and Nemo is the last mortal on earth.

Mr. Nobody received awards at the Catalonian, Stockholm, and Venice film festivals.

Quote: "Nothing is real, everything is possible."

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