Iberian Peninsula Challenge - Official; May 2020

[peeptoad]

I was hoping to hit 40. Not sure that is going to happen...

38. Tristana (Spain, 1970) 8

já visto

1. Operation Felix (Gibraltar, 2008) 6
2. El bosque del lobo (Spain, 1970) The Ancines Woods 7
3. O Sangue (Portugal, 1989) Blood 9
4. Los ojos de Julia (Spain, 2010) Julia's Eyes 6
5. Pastel de Sangre (Spain, 1971) Blood Pie 4
6. Nick (Andorra, 2016) 3
7. The Territory (Portugal, 1981) 8*
8. ...ere erera baleibu izik subua aruaren... (Spain, 1970) 6
9. El aullido del diablo (Spain, 1988) Howl of the Devil 6
10. el techo de cristal (Spain,1971) The Glass Ceiling 9
11. El espanto surge de la tumba (Spain, 1973) Horror Rises from the Tomb 6
12. À Flor do Mar (Portugal, 1986) Hovering Over the Water 8+
13. Extramuros (Spain, 1985) Beyond the Walls 6
14. Viridiana (Spain, 1961) 7
15. Count Dracula (Spain, 1970) 6
16. Coisa Ruim (Portugal, 2006) Blood Curse 7
17. Omnívoros (Spain, 2013) Omnivores 4
18. El cuerpo (Spain, 2012) The Body 7
19. A Floresta das Almas Perdidas (Portugal, 2017) The Forest of Lost Souls 5
20. Os verdes anos (Portugal, 1963) The Green Years 6
21. La visita del vicio (Spain, 1978) The Coming of Sin 7
22. La mansión de la niebla (Spain, 1972) Murder Mansion 5
23. Una libélula para cada muerto (Spain, 1975) A Dragonfly for Each Corpse 6
24. El extraño caso del doctor Fausto (Spain, 1969) The Strange Case of Dr Fausto 8
25. La encadenada (Spain, 1975) A Diary of a Murderess 6
26. Recordações da Casa Amarela (Portugal, 1989) Recollections of the Yellow House 7
27. Contratiempo (Spain, 2016)The Invisible Guest 7
28. Año Mariano (Portugal, 2000) The Year of Maria 4
29. Bajo la piel de lobo (Spain, 2017) The Skin of the Wolf 6
30. Nocturno 29 (Spain, 1968) 7
31. Mar adentro (Spain, 2004) The Sea Inside 8
32. Acción mutante (Spain, 1993) 7
33. Ossos (Portugal, 1997) 8
34. No Quarto da Vanda (Portugal, 2000) In Vanda's Room 9
35. El Bar (Spain, 2017) 6+
36. Juventude em Marcha (Portugal, 2006) Colossal Youth 7
37. La muerte llama a las 10 (Spain, 1974) The Killer Wore Gloves 6

*rewatch

[peeptoad]

6. Nick (Jose Pozo, 2016) ANDORRA / SPAIN

Godawful, completely amateurish production …

...AVOID!!!

That does seem to be the consensus on this one around here...
I've got Fata/Morgana on the slate for next month; that one seems right up my alley based on your review.

[sol]

I was hoping to hit 40. Not sure that is going to happen...

38. Tristana (Spain, 1970) 8

Same. Don't know if I will even make it to 39. This month has been so exhausting, over-indulging in doubles and triples.

[flavo5000]

I was hoping to hit 40. Not sure that is going to happen...

38. Tristana (Spain, 1970) 8

Same. Don't know if I will even make it to 39. This month has been so exhausting, over-indulging in doubles and triples.

Yea, I try to avoid too many doubles/triples due to the burnout. Western comedies especially seem like the kind of thing that'd get old pretty quickly.

[sol]

I was hoping to hit 40. Not sure that is going to happen...

38. Tristana (Spain, 1970) 8

Same. Don't know if I will even make it to 39. This month has been so exhausting, over-indulging in doubles and triples.

Yea, I try to avoid too many doubles/triples due to the burnout.

Oh yeah, burnout indeed. This month has almost driven me to quit participating in the Challenge series altogether but I know that it's not always like this. I think that's a good idea, to diversify rather than narrow one's focus. Have to remember that next month.

Western comedies especially seem like the kind of thing that'd get old pretty quickly.

I'm actually a big comedy fan in general; the problem with the B western comedies that I have been watching this month is that they have not been pure comedies. They are generally more crime/action films with some pronounced comic relief here and there. I have come to really like Al St. John for instance this month, but none of his films give him more than 50% screen time, and when he is on screen, a lot of it is tagging along with the nominal hero rather than getting up to such mischief as bicycle stunts, headbutting baddies, pratfalls, being scared of his own hat and so on.

[peeptoad]

Oh yeah, burnout indeed. This month has almost driven me to quit participating in the Challenge series altogether...

Yikes. I've never been that burned out on films... yet. Reading your and flavo's reasoning makes me glad that I don't triple up and rarely double up.
Now, blueboybob on the other hand... you have some stamina, dude!!!!

[blocho]

6. Nick (Jose Pozo, 2016) ANDORRA / SPAIN

Godawful, completely amateurish production …

...AVOID!!!

That does seem to be the consensus on this one around here...

It's terrible, but I wouldn't say avoid. I think it's shitty enough and weird enough in its shittiness that it might just be worth watching.

[peeptoad]

6. Nick (Jose Pozo, 2016) ANDORRA / SPAIN

Godawful, completely amateurish production …

...AVOID!!!

That does seem to be the consensus on this one around here...

It's terrible, but I wouldn't say avoid. I think it's shitty enough and weird enough in its shittiness that it might just be worth watching.

fair enough... though "shitty-weird" is something I normally would avoid if possible, whereas "gross-weird", "surreally-weird", and "off-the-cuff-weird" hold far more intrigue for my time.

[sol]

Last viewing of this challenge for me. Managed to squeeze in an elusive 39th film by going for something that was not a western, not a comedy and was less than 90 minutes long.

I'll update the leaderboard some time tomorrow but will refrain from touching it for now since I want to give peeps the chance to catch up, watch a 39th film too and tie with me for third place. Of course, she could always overtake me, or somebody else could overtake us both (haven't heard from funky in a while?). It will be interesting to see how the next 24 hours or so play out here.

For those who like to procrastinate, a fair warning that I plan to post the final leaderboard update in around 48 hours for now (at that point, it will have June for more than a whole day everywhere around the world). I'll post a final pie chart then too; maybe also some individual stats of how we fared per country. Take note that this is your last chance to watch The Territory. Even with my awesome OP screenshot, has only peeps taken the plunge so far?

It's been really cool catching up with some Euro-horror this month and podcasting about it no less. And on a note semi-related to that, my final watch of this challenge ended up being:

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the... drain?

1. The Invisible Guest (2016) Spain
2. The Fury of a Patient Man (2016) Spain
3. The House That Screamed (1969) Spain
4. Twisted Obsession (1989) Spain
5. In a Glass Cage (1986) Spain
6. Bell from Hell (1973) Spain
7. Paradise Hills (2019) Spain
8. Pieles / Skins (2017) Spain
9. The Platform (2019) Spain
10. Retribution (2015) Spain
11. Julia's Eyes (2010) Spain
12. Autómata (2014) Spain
13. El bar (2017) Spain
14. Klaus (2019) Spain
15. Jefe (2018) Spain
16. Toro (2016) Spain
17. The Awful Dr Orlof (1962) Spain
18. When Angels Sleep (2018) Spain
19. Low-Flying Aircraft (2002) Portugal
20. [REC]2 (2009) Spain
21. Mirage (2018) Spain
22. Volver (2006) Spain
23. Toc Toc (2017) Spain
24. Yucatán (2018) Spain
25. Verónica (2017) Spain
26. Spy Time (2015) Spain
27. Superlópez (2018) Spain
28. Rottweiler (2004) Spain
29. Errementari (2017) Spain
30. Talk To Her (2002) Spain REVISION
31. Cría Cuervos (1976) Spain REVISION
32. Getaway Plan (2016) Spain
33. The Next Skin (2016) Spain
34. No Man's Land (2012) Portugal
35. I'm So Excited! (2013) Spain
36. Pain and Glory (2019) Spain
37. Nightmare City (1980) Spain
38. Mindscape / Anna (2013) Spain

39. Cuadecuc, vampir (1971) Spain



Filmed in high contrast black and white with audio effects and music in lieu of sound, this is daringly different as far as observational documentaries go. The subject is a vampire movie being shot and with no audible dialogue, the film cleverly blurs the line between what is being shot/acted and what is the actors merely talking and moving about the sets. Some of the more romantic music choices fall flat, but this is a generally solid fact/fiction blur.

[Mario Gaborović]

Lots of bad music for the end. I'd never guess there could be choreography more degrading than that of Bucks Fizz.


26. Los Del Rio Featuring the Bayside Boys: Macarena (1996) + Alumbramiento (2002) + Las Ketchup: Kusha Las Payas (2002) + Las Ketchup: The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) (2002) + Las Ketchup: The Ketchup Song (Aserejé) - Version 2 (2002) + Las Ketchup: Un Blodymary (2006) + Un novio de mierda (2010) + Anónimos (2011) + Don Pepe Popi (2012) + Pipas (2013) - Spain

Spoiler

01. Andorra la República más pequeña del mundo (1935) + The Albius Incident (1992) + Persefone: Mind as Universe (China Tour Documentary) (2013) + Persefone: Spiritual Migration (2013) + Nami: Bless of Faintness (2015) - Andorra
02. Operation Felix (2008) - Gibraltar
03. Socotra, la isla de los genios (2016) - Spain
04. El día de la bestia (1995) - Spain
05. La ley del deseo (1987) - Spain
06. Operation Tracer (2013) - Gibraltar
07. Entre tinieblas (1983) - Spain
08. Carne trémula (1997) - Spain
09. Nick (2016) - Andorra
10. El ladrón de los guantes blancos (1926) - Spain
11. Laberinto de pasiones (1982) - Spain
12. El hoyo (2019) - Spain
13. Encierro de toros (1899) + Los héroes del sitio de Zaragoza (1903) + El ciego de la aldea (1907) + Amor que mata (1908) + Barcelona en tranvía + Don Juan Tenorio (1908) + Benitez quiere ser torero (1910) + Don Pedro el Cruel (1911) - Spain
14. Volver (2006) - Spain
15. Julieta (2016) - Spain
16. Los amantes pasajeros (2013) - Spain
17. Dolor y gloria (2019) - Spain
18. Salomé (1978) + Tráiler para amantes de lo prohibido (1985) + Pastas Ardilla (1996) + Dentro (2002) + Juan con miedo (2010) + Por activa y por pasiva (2013) + De una isla (2019) - Spain
19. Lisboa, crónica anedótica (1930) - Portugal
20. Maria do Mar (1930) - Portugal
21. Uma Abelha na Chuva (1972) - Portugal
22. Aberration (2015) - Gibraltar + Famalicão (1941) - Portugal + Los apuros de Octavio (1926) - Spain
23. Capitães de Abril (2000) - Portugal
24. La caza (1966) - Spain
25. A Volta ao Mundo Quando Tinhas 30 Anos (2018) - Portugal

[morrison-dylan-fan]

Finally finished the GDT set!

FTV:12:Pan's Labyrinth (2006) (Spain.) 10.



Returning to Spain after five years to conjure up a “Sister” film to The Devil’s Backbone (2001-also reviewed) writer/directing auteur Guillermo Del Toro (GDT) reunites with cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and turns the clockwork of a pocket watch to a continuation of the recurring themes and motifs across his works. Stating in the audio commentary that he “Never wanted the camera to be settled” and also to continue from Backbone in setting the title largely in a single location, so it can act “As a microcosm to this stage of the Spanish Civil War.” GDT crosses the line between fantasy and reality with highly stylised wipes moving in synch to drifting panning shots, which along with creating a page-turning sheen,also spins a fittingly unsettled atmosphere, as Ofelia drifts to follow the demands of the Faun, whilst also drifting out of sight from Captain Vidal.

Enchanting with a death and rebirth bookend shots,GDT continues to build on the amber colours of Backbone, with the brooding amber lights emphasising the harsh, colourless reality Ofelia is in under the rule of General Franco,which is sharply contrasting by the lush, green magical realism unveiled in Ofelia’s encounter with the Faun, which GDT subtly casts out to the republican rebels coming out of saturated green lands to fight for freedom. Reuniting with GDT, Doug Jones gives wonderful performances as Fauno / Pale Man,with GDT wisely deciding to stick to practical effects rather than CGI, giving Jones the chance to keep the creatures between the enticingly mythical, and the monstrously aggressive. Haunting all in the real world,Sergi Lopez gives a excellent turn as Vidal, whose Fascist viciousness Lopez keeps burning as Vidal inflicts horror on all he sees, with a chilling disregard for any life which is not his.

Entering the labyrinth GDT (who gave up his entire salary,so the film could be made) has built, Ivana Baquero gives a magical performance as Ofelia. Discussed by GDT in the audio commentary that “Choices and consequences” is the main theme he wanted to explore, Basquero superbly expresses the subject in Ofelia’s initial wide-eyed excitement at making the choice to enter the fantasy, a choice that leads Ofelia maturing and saying no to the evils of the real and fantasy world, aware of the consequences she will face in finding her own exit from the labyrinth.

[Straka]

13. Vulnerables (ESP, 2012)
14. Viaje al corazón de la tortura (ESP, 2003)
15. Los condenados (ESP, 2009)

Antes

1. Legado en los huesos (ESP, 2019)
2. Mientras dure la guerra (ESP, 2019)
3. Boi (ESP, 2019)
4. La trinchera infinita (ESP, 2019)
5. Recluta con niño (ESP, 1956)
6. Ópera prima (ESP, 1980)
7. Sicarivs: La noche y el silencio (ESP, 2015)
8. La punta del iceberg (ESP, 2016)
9. Te quiero, imbécil (ESP, 2020)
10. Caronte - Temporada 1 (ESP, 2020)
11. La caza de brujas (ESP, 1967)/Aftermath (ESP, 1994) (shorts)
12. Intemperie (ESP, 2019)

[blocho]

4. Al Este del Oeste (Spain, 1984)

[allisoncm]

Spoiler

1. Três Irmãos (1994, Portugal) 6/10
2. Brandos Costumes (1975, Portugal) 5/10
3. Vai~E~Vem/Come and Go (2003, Portugal) 2/10
4. O Leão da Estrela (1947, Portugal) 6/10
5. El hoyo (2019, Spain) 6/10

6. El bar (2017, Spain) 6/10

[morrison-dylan-fan]

FTV:11:The Coming of Sin (1978) Spain. 9.

Glad you liked The Coming of Sin, mdf... great review!

I've got to thank you Peep, seeing you bring up The Coming of Sin on here,finally got me round to buying a Blu player, (had tried play the disc on PS3,no luck at all.) After seeing Sin I checked Larraz's credits, and found that despite him being pretty well known, there is sadly no sign of a print for El fin de la inocencia (1977),and whilst it has Letterboxd reviews, no IMDb reviews for his Luto riguroso (1977). Hopefully this Challenge has encouraged someone to fill one of those gaps

[morrison-dylan-fan]

Thanks for hosting this awesome challenge Sol,which gave me the kick to finally get a Blu-Ray player,and to buy a book which has been on my "Must Buy list for years!



FTV:13: Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980) (Spain.)7.




Detailing in the Archives book dedicated to his credits by Paul Duncan that the project originally started as a planned Photo-Story for La Vibora magazine until Carmen Maura (who he was appearing on stage with at the time) said it should be turned it a film instead,leading to the first 40 minutes being shot in June 1979,and the rest not being filmed until May and June 1980! Despite the stop-start process of the production, the early stages of the future recurring themes and motifs in writer/directing auteur Pedro Almodovar credits are drawn on the film.

Inspired by the American underground cinema of the era, Almodovar & cinematographer Paco Femenia play a wonderfully brash Punk Rock atmosphere, going into the real underground of Punk and Drag Queen shows, where the murky venues the events are held in,get lit up by Almodovar gloriously kitsch fashion design for the three female friends. Retaining the Photo-Book roots with Comic-Panel inserts breaking the movie into chapters, Almodovar snaps outrageous subversive Comedy on the Melodramatic trio and Pop media such as adverts in jagged tracking shots filmed on the dusty side streets of the city.

Stating later in the book that the low budget meant he was "Forced to relinquish some scenes and also meant that I couldn't replace fragments of the material shot at the beginning, with sequences, that a year later, seemed more appropriate." The fragmented way the screenplay by Almodovar came together, actually works with the Punk sensibilities of the movie, thanks to the intimate relationship between the three women, ( Almodovar displaying a early interest in women- led films.) fluctuating between sudden gross-out Comedy and hanging out at Punk Rock gigs, on a memorable weekend with Pepi, Luci and Bom.

FTV:14: (José Ramón Larraz's) Luto riguroso (1977) (Spain.)

[cinephage]

10. Todos a la carcel, by Luis García Berlanga (1993) 7,5/10 - Spain

I wish I'd seen a french movie with as aggressive a content as this one. The social and policital satire is quite something,really. As a film, the beginning is confusing and rather slow, but the build-up works well, and the last 30 minutes are quite hilarious.

11. Escalofrio, by Carlos Puerto (1978) 7/10 - Spain

A horrific film, patched with major plotholes, but it still works well as far as the scary and satanic atmosphere is concerned...

Spoiler

01. As Mil e Uma Noites: Volume 2, O Desolado, by Miguel Gomes (2015) 7/10 - Portugal
02. La Communidad, by Alex de la Iglesia (2000) 8/10 - Spain
03. As Mil e Uma Noites: Volume 3, O Encantado, by Miguel Gomes (2015) 8/10 - Portugal
04. Pa negre, by Agustí Villaronga (2010) 7/10 - Spain
05. La Residencia, by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (1969) 8,5/10 - Spain
06. Nocturno 29, by Pere Portobella (1968) 7/10 - Spain
07. No habrá paz para los malvados, by Enrique Urbizu (2011) 7,5/10 - Spain
08. El Sur, by Victor Erice (1983) 9/10 - Spain
09. Oro, by Agustín Díaz Yanes (2017) 6,5/10 - Spain

[peeptoad]

FTV:11:The Coming of Sin (1978) Spain. 9.

Glad you liked The Coming of Sin, mdf... great review!

I've got to thank you Peep, seeing you bring up The Coming of Sin on here,finally got me round to buying a Blu player, (had tried play the disc on PS3,no luck at all.) After seeing Sin I checked Larraz's credits, and found that despite him being pretty well known, there is sadly no sign of a print for El fin de la inocencia (1977),and whilst it has Letterboxd reviews, no IMDb reviews for his Luto riguroso (1977). Hopefully this Challenge has encouraged someone to fill one of those gaps

It's a worthy blu-ray to break in the new player with... I'm glad you got to see it and loved it. I agree on filling in the gaps for some of his other films too; for example, I'd love to see a follow up set from Arrow, even if it wasn't a collection dedicated to Larraz himself, include a film or two of his.

[peeptoad]

I'll update the leaderboard some time tomorrow but will refrain from touching it for now since I want to give peeps the chance to catch up, watch a 39th film too and tie with me for third place.

Done! Thanks for hosting, sol!

39. El Tesoro (Spain, 2008) 5

já visto

1. Operation Felix (Gibraltar, 2008) 6
2. El bosque del lobo (Spain, 1970) The Ancines Woods 7
3. O Sangue (Portugal, 1989) Blood 9
4. Los ojos de Julia (Spain, 2010) Julia's Eyes 6
5. Pastel de Sangre (Spain, 1971) Blood Pie 4
6. Nick (Andorra, 2016) 3
7. The Territory (Portugal, 1981) 8*
8. ...ere erera baleibu izik subua aruaren... (Spain, 1970) 6
9. El aullido del diablo (Spain, 1988) Howl of the Devil 6
10. el techo de cristal (Spain,1971) The Glass Ceiling 9
11. El espanto surge de la tumba (Spain, 1973) Horror Rises from the Tomb 6
12. À Flor do Mar (Portugal, 1986) Hovering Over the Water 8+
13. Extramuros (Spain, 1985) Beyond the Walls 6
14. Viridiana (Spain, 1961) 7
15. Count Dracula (Spain, 1970) 6
16. Coisa Ruim (Portugal, 2006) Blood Curse 7
17. Omnívoros (Spain, 2013) Omnivores 4
18. El cuerpo (Spain, 2012) The Body 7
19. A Floresta das Almas Perdidas (Portugal, 2017) The Forest of Lost Souls 5
20. Os verdes anos (Portugal, 1963) The Green Years 6
21. La visita del vicio (Spain, 1978) The Coming of Sin 7
22. La mansión de la niebla (Spain, 1972) Murder Mansion 5
23. Una libélula para cada muerto (Spain, 1975) A Dragonfly for Each Corpse 6
24. El extraño caso del doctor Fausto (Spain, 1969) The Strange Case of Dr Fausto 8
25. La encadenada (Spain, 1975) A Diary of a Murderess 6
26. Recordações da Casa Amarela (Portugal, 1989) Recollections of the Yellow House 7
27. Contratiempo (Spain, 2016)The Invisible Guest 7
28. Año Mariano (Portugal, 2000) The Year of Maria 4
29. Bajo la piel de lobo (Spain, 2017) The Skin of the Wolf 6
30. Nocturno 29 (Spain, 1968) 7
31. Mar adentro (Spain, 2004) The Sea Inside 8
32. Acción mutante (Spain, 1993) 7
33. Ossos (Portugal, 1997) 8
34. No Quarto da Vanda (Portugal, 2000) In Vanda's Room 9
35. El Bar (Spain, 2017) 6+
36. Juventude em Marcha (Portugal, 2006) Colossal Youth 7
37. La muerte llama a las 10 (Spain, 1974) The Killer Wore Gloves 6
38. Tristana (Spain, 1970) 8

*rewatch

[sol]

I'll update the leaderboard some time tomorrow but will refrain from touching it for now since I want to give peeps the chance to catch up, watch a 39th film too and tie with me for third place.

Done!

It is now June everywhere in the world I have just done a leaderboard update. I have decided that I will postpone presenting another pie chart until I announce the final results.

On that note, I plan to post the final results for the Challenge in around 26.5 hours from now. That gives you all more than a whole day to make any final submissions or adjustments. Now would also be a good time to double check that I have you listed in the leaderboard correctly.

[flavo5000]

Glad you liked The Coming of Sin, mdf... great review!

I've got to thank you Peep, seeing you bring up The Coming of Sin on here,finally got me round to buying a Blu player, (had tried play the disc on PS3,no luck at all.) After seeing Sin I checked Larraz's credits, and found that despite him being pretty well known, there is sadly no sign of a print for El fin de la inocencia (1977),and whilst it has Letterboxd reviews, no IMDb reviews for his Luto riguroso (1977). Hopefully this Challenge has encouraged someone to fill one of those gaps

It's a worthy blu-ray to break in the new player with... I'm glad you got to see it and loved it. I agree on filling in the gaps for some of his other films too; for example, I'd love to see a follow up set from Arrow, even if it wasn't a collection dedicated to Larraz himself, include a film or two of his.

I think Larraz is starting to get more appreciation. The Mondo Macabro blu-ray of Symptoms is great (and is IMO Larraz' best film probably). There's also a lesser known Larraz blu-ray 2-pack from Dorado with Emma Puertas Oscuras and Estigma, a Code Red blu-ray of Black Candles, a Dark Force blu-ray of The House That Vanished and then Arrow's releases of Edge of the Axe and Deadly Manor. I predict we'll be getting more Larraz sooner rather than later too.

[flavo5000]

It's been really cool catching up with some Euro-horror this month and podcasting about it no less. And on a note semi-related to that, my final watch of this challenge ended up being:

Podcast, you say?

[OldAle1]

porto y paella

1. Al este del oeste (Mariano Ozores, 1984) SPAIN

2. SHORTS 11 + 20 + 16 + 23 = 70 m
a) Ascensor (Tomás Muñoz, 1978) SPAIN
b) Douro, Faina Fluvia / Working on the Douro River (Manoel de Oliveira, 1931) PORTUGAL
c) Painéis de São Vicente de Fora - Visão Poética (Manoel de Oliveira, 2010) PORTUGAL
d) O nosso Homem (Pedro Costa, 2010) PORTUGAL

3. Operation Felix (Martin Nuza, 2008) GIBRALTAR
4. Condenados a vivir / Cut-Throats Nine (Joaquín Luis Romero Marchent, 1972) SPAIN
5. Fata/Morgana (Vicente Aranda, 1966) SPAIN
6. Nick (Jose Pozo, 2016) ANDORRA / SPAIN
7. Aniki Bóbó (Manoel de Oliveira, 1942) PORTUGAL

8. Laberinto de pasiones / Labyrinth of Passion (Pedro Almodóvar, 1982) SPAIN

The director's second commercial feature feels like a bridge between the really scattershot and largely plotless Pepi, Luci, Bom and his later work - more plot, the beginnings of some of the melodramatic (especially medical) elements that would become strong tropes in his later work, a star role for Cecilia Roth and his first collaboration with Antonio Banderas, in a supporting role here. It's also got a bit more visual beauty than Pepi, though it's still quite low-budget and the director's trademark bold use of color is only intermittently on display here. The plot, such as it is, involves Riza, a gay Prince from a fictional Middle Eastern country who falls in love with Sexilia (Roth) a nympho pop star, and various attempts by multiple groups of people to find the incognito Riza to...kill him, kidnap him, take him back to safety, etc. And there are about two dozen other characters, and several little subplots that don't really go anywhere. Amusing enough but I prefer the more structured later Almodóvar for the most part.

and now for some more sex...

9. Putas Marcianas / Martian Whores (José João Silva, 2011) PORTUGAL

I don't know where I got this; as to why, I suppose it looked hot & sexy or something, and it was short (just under 45 minutes), and something vaguely SF-fantasy-like. So why not? Well, maybe I'd better be a little more selective when this kind of stuff comes my way... like Nick, above, this feels like a totally amateur production, done on pretty low-grade digital equipment, ugly and cheap, much of it handheld but not for any artistic reason, just because the filmmakers couldn't afford proper equipment. Anyway this guy meets this girl on the beach and ends up going home with her, and she claims she's from some other planet, and then when something happens to her she tells him to go find her spacesuit. In between there's some not very exciting or competently shot softcore sex and boring conversation, and dinner at what I thought was supposed to be a restaurant, but it's just people sitting at a plastic table surrounded by cardboard boxes. This was so lazy, stupid and worthless it made me angry.

10. Habitación en Roma / Room in Rome (Julio Medem, 2010) SPAIN

I had some worries that this would be just softcore lesbian erotica/exploitation, and following the last bit of dreck I was worried that I was going to have two disasters in a row, but thankfully I was largely mistaken, though it's hardly a great film. Once again a part of my desire to see this certainly was prurient, have to admit that, but I'd also seen one previous film from the director (Los amantes del círculo polar) which I like a lot, and it seems that most of his films are heavily sexual in nature. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just that for my money features that focus predominantly or significantly on sex are rarely all that good, so if I'm honest as to why I'm watching them, it's not usually for great dialogue or really meaningful commentary on the state of the world. And this, well, I think I'd have to say that the main reason to see this is indeed to watch two really beautiful actresses, Elena Anaya and Natasha Yarovenko, frolic around naked for most of two hours. Beautifully shot, great color balance - very warm and earthy tones - in a lovely Roman hotel room (really a studio set I'm sure), so that might be enough for some. Thankfully it does have more to it, as the two characters - a Spanish engineer and a Russian actress, or is it tennis player, or art historian (the film is full of story-telling, and much of it is lies and exaggerations) get to know each other and try to make sense of this possibly quite foolish one-night stand (one of them is in a long-term relationship with a woman, the other is to be married to a man soon). So ultimately it's a film about people talking about why they're doing what they're doing, what brought them to this place, and it's fairly interesting at times for that. But I have to say there's no question in my mind that this wouldn't have gotten made or seen without all the nudity and (very soft-core) sex, and while that certainly doesn't take away from it, it gets a bit boring eventually; had this been 75-80 minutes it might have had more intensity and been something more special, as it is, I dunno, it's just too languorous and feels very slght.

That's it for me, thanks for hosting sol!

[sol]

It's been really cool catching up with some Euro-horror this month and podcasting about it no less. And on a note semi-related to that, my final watch of this challenge ended up being:

Podcast, you say?

Oops, maybe Gloede was trying to keep it a secret but here you go: viewtopic.php?p=641362#p641362

*

For anybody else reading this, you have approx 3.5 hours to add any more viewings here before I post the final results. Don't miss the deadline!

[peeptoad]

I've got to thank you Peep, seeing you bring up The Coming of Sin on here,finally got me round to buying a Blu player, (had tried play the disc on PS3,no luck at all.) After seeing Sin I checked Larraz's credits, and found that despite him being pretty well known, there is sadly no sign of a print for El fin de la inocencia (1977),and whilst it has Letterboxd reviews, no IMDb reviews for his Luto riguroso (1977). Hopefully this Challenge has encouraged someone to fill one of those gaps

It's a worthy blu-ray to break in the new player with... I'm glad you got to see it and loved it. I agree on filling in the gaps for some of his other films too; for example, I'd love to see a follow up set from Arrow, even if it wasn't a collection dedicated to Larraz himself, include a film or two of his.

I think Larraz is starting to get more appreciation. The Mondo Macabro blu-ray of Symptoms is great (and is IMO Larraz' best film probably). There's also a lesser known Larraz blu-ray 2-pack from Dorado with Emma Puertas Oscuras and Estigma, a Code Red blu-ray of Black Candles, a Dark Force blu-ray of The House That Vanished and then Arrow's releases of Edge of the Axe and Deadly Manor. I predict we'll be getting more Larraz sooner rather than later too.

Edge of the axe is actually one of his I have left to see... didn't even know about that arrow blu. Looks like it was released in January.

[sol]

Iberian Challenge - Final Results
Well done to our top 10 finishers! Full results are now available in the OP.

Participants

Rank	Participant	Count	Territory?	xSpainx	Portugal	Andorra	Gibraltar	Undeclared
1	blueboybob	123	-	90	33	-	-	-
2	jdidaco	50	-	25	25	-	-	-
3	peeptoad	39		26	11	1	1	-
3	sol	39	-	37	2	-	-	-
5	Mario Gaborović	26	-	15.2	4.3	2	2.5	-
6	flavo5000	23	-	20	2	0.5	0.5	-
7	jeroeno	19	-	15	4	-	-	-
8	funkybusiness	16	-	-	16	-	-	-
9	Straka	15	-	15	-	-	-	-
10	morrison-dylan-fan	14	-	14	-	-	-	-

But what if... what if...

Just stick with me for the moment...

This was Spain-Only Challenge?

This would be our top 10 participants:

Participants - Spain Only Game Variation

Rank	Participant	Count	Territory?	xSpainx	Portugal	Andorra	Gibraltar	Undeclared
1	blueboybob	123	-	90	33	-	-	-
2	sol	39	-	37	2	-	-	-
3	peeptoad	39		26	11	1	1	-
4	jdidaco	50	-	25	25	-	-	-
5	flavo5000	23	-	20	2	0.5	0.5	-
6	Mario Gaborović	26	-	15.2	4.3	2	2.5	-
7	jeroeno	19	-	15	4	-	-	-
7	Straka	15	-	15	-	-	-	-
9	morrison-dylan-fan	14	-	14	-	-	-	-
10	jal90	12	-	9	3	-	-	-
10	cinephage	11	-	9	2	-	-	-

Or if this was a NON-Spain Challenge? Might have to limit this to a top 5.

Participants - Non-Spain Game Variation

Rank	Participant	Not Spain	Territory?	xSpainx	Portugal	Andorra	Gibraltar	Undeclared
1	blueboybob	33	-	90	33	-	-	-
2	jdidaco	25	-	25	25	-	-	-
3	funkybusiness	16	-	-	16	-	-	-
4	peeptoad	13		26	11	1	1	-
5	Mario Gaborović	8.8	-	15.2	4.3	2	2.5	-

Oh, but it's not over yet.

AWARDS TIME!

The Top of the Lot Award

This is proudly awarded to blueboybob for watching the most films in this Challenge.

The Even Stevens Award

This is proudly awarded to jdidaco for watching exactly the same number of films from Spain and Portugal. Including shorts.

The Spanish Prisoner Award

This is proudly awarded to sol for watching the highest number of Spanish films outside of blueboybob.

The Mysteries of Lisbon Award

This is proudly awarded to funkybusiness for watching the highest number of Portuguese films outside of blueboybob and jdidaco.

The Rock of Gibraltar Award

This is proudly awarded to Mario Gaborović for watching the most films from Gibraltar. Andorra too.

The Territory Award

This is proudly awarded to peeptoad for being the only participant to dare to watch The Territory after sol scared everybody off with his breathtaking OP image.

The Spread Yourself Award

This is proudly awarded to flavo5000 for watching over 20 films in this Challenge while still managing to clock over 180 watches in another Challenge during the same month.

The Portu-Who? Award

This is proudly awarded to Straka for watching the largest number of Spanish films without a single film from Portugal in the mix.

The Miniseries Award

This is proudly awarded to ororama for watching the largest number of miniseries episodes despite sol's annoying rule that only an entire season of a miniseries can equal one point. Sorry blueboybob; ororama actually spent more time watching Iberian stuff this month, only I wouldn't let the points add up.

The 'I Like To Watch' Award

This is proudly awarded to jeroeno for pacing himself at more than film per day for the first half at the month, while sitting back and relaxing for the second half of the month as he looked at everybody else trying to catch up.

The 'I Like To Write' Award

This is proudly awarded to morrison-dylan-fan for providing the longest, most insightful and in-depth reviews of the challenge while also providing commentary on his choice of Blu-ray players.

The Invisible Man Award

This is proudly awarded to OldeAle1 for making the largest first contribution in the final week of the Challenge. Which was only 10 points, mind you, so not that bad, but still somebody has to get this award. Sorry, Ale. You can always donate your award to charity if you don't want it.

Forget-Me-Not Award

This is proudly awarded to jal90 and cinephage so they are not the only top 12 participants to walk away empty-handed. Congrats.

Apologies if you didn't end up winning an award for me. You are all champs for playing and giving this a go.

Oh and...

If you enjoyed catching up with Spanish horror films this month, be sure to check out the icmforum podcast on the subject, hosted by Gloede and produced by AdamH and jvv.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qbUWbKEbsiuCO7xt70AhO

Thanks for playing!

[OldAle1]

Pretty amusing rundown sol. It's that kind of thing that helps to keep me interested actually.

[sol]

Pretty amusing rundown sol. It's that kind of thing that helps to keep me interested actually.

Thanks. It's the first time I have tried to do individual awards (I want to try that again next time that I host). I think I have done the individual countries thing before. Maybe not for Korean Peninsula, but I think I did for Benelux? Nice to know that people are curious in these sorts of side-stats.

[OldAle1]

I really never go for the bonus challenges myself and have given up on trying to win or even come in very high in any challenge - and this month I didn't even make it to the top 10 in anything - but I like looking at it and I like seeing the hosts make the effort. For those of us who can't possibly compete there has to be some compensation

[sol]

I really never go for the bonus challenges myself and have given up on trying to win or even come in very high in any challenge - and this month I didn't even make it to the top 10 in anything - but I like looking at it and I like seeing the hosts make the effort. For those of us who can't possibly compete there has to be some compensation

Oh yeah - quite interesting that you are only one of four participants to watch films from each Iberian country. I didn't even try myself.

By the way, I'm sure everybody is sick and tired of these now, but he's the final pie chart that I promised but forgot to deliver:

[OldAle1]

One thing I've never really made an effort on is to see films from every country - was the same when I was seriously into beer tasting; so Egypt has one beer, and it's probably terrible - why should I make an effort? If somebody brings it to a tasting, sure, but I'm not going to go out of my way when there are 1000 Belgian beers that could actually be good. Same thing here and the only reason I watched the Gibraltar and Andorra films is because people mentioned them and they were easy to find - and the Gibraltar one was only an hour. I may put more effort into that sort of thing someday but just getting that one new country check for a country that maybe hasn't made more than a handful of films, and none of them great, just isn't any kind of priority for me.

[Mario Gaborović]

I really never go for the bonus challenges myself and have given up on trying to win or even come in very high in any challenge - and this month I didn't even make it to the top 10 in anything - but I like looking at it and I like seeing the hosts make the effort. For those of us who can't possibly compete there has to be some compensation

Oh yeah - quite interesting that you are only one of four participants to watch films from each Iberian country. I didn't even try myself.

By the way, I'm sure everybody is sick and tired of these now, but he's the final pie chart that I promised but forgot to deliver:

You gave me the Rock of Gibraltar award, but not the Catalan Bishop award? That's not nice because I've conquered Andorra best of all competitors.

[sol]

You gave me the Rock of Gibraltar award, but not the Catalan Bishop award? That's not nice because I've conquered Andorra best of all competitors.

Sorry, but I limited the awards to one per participant. I did mention your Andorra achievement though, and at least you have the prettiest award:

[cinephage]

Wow, a forget me not reward, I'm so surprised, I didn't plan this, I don't have a speech...

Well, here we are, anyway. What great flowers forget-me-not are, really, beautiful and colored like a James Cameron movie...

First, I would like to thank our host, sol, who made all of this possible, and of course my parents. Thanks mom and dad !!

I also need to say working on the Iberian Peninsula Challenge was really made easier by such great artists as Narco Ibanez Serrador, and Victor Erice. I am sitting on the shoulders of giants. Thanks guys, you make it worth it.

Forget me not everybody !!!

Spoiler