I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for Spanish comedies – Spanish as in Spain, that is.  Their very particular use of the language is unique and funny, even if a joke is not involved. The situation increases exponentially if the movie is a comedy and the name Francisco Franco — the Generalísimo — is thrown into the mix. “Locos por el oro,” which is also known as “El Oro de Moscú,” is a case in point.  It is one hilarious film, spiked with the typical Spanish touch.

The film starts on a dark, rainy night near Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War, when some troops were transporting some gold to Russia, as payment for some weapons.  Chaos takes over, and we don’t really know what’s going on, or what happened. From there, we are taken to the Madrid of the present days, when one of the survivors of that episode – a dying patient — gives a watch to Iñigo (Santiago Segura), a nurse at a hospital. He tells Iñigo that the gold never reached Russia and gives him clues on how to find it, the watch being one of them. Iñigo goes to the newspaper to sell them his “exclusive,” but meets Papeles (Jesus Bonilla, who also directed) on the way, and tells him about his plans. Papeles stops him, and decides that they should not share such information, and that they could find the gold by themselves.  Iñigo reluctantly accepts, and off they go to what they believe is going to be an easy task.  They are, of course, in for a surprise.

More on Locos por el Oro (Venevision)

“The Dragon Painter” is another treasure from the silent films era that has been fortunate to have been rescued from oblivion. The movie was released in 1919 by the Haworth Studios, which was based in Hollywood. Haworth did a total of 22 films, “The Dragon Painter” being number nine. The studios were created by Japanese actor / director Sessue Hayakawa, and it was his interest that his films someway change the opinion or stereotypes that the people in the United States had about the Japanese culture. His approach was very subtle and poetic, and it is greatly represented in the fascinating “The Dragon Painter.”

It all begins in the Hamake Mountains, in Japan, where we find Tatsu (Sessue Hamakaya), a local painter “who seeks an enchanted princess, whom the spirits took from him.” Tatsu paints inspired by his missing love, claiming that the spirits changed his fiancée into a dragon. The world doesn’t know about his talents – that is, until Uchida (Toyo Fujita), a land surveyor, discovers him. In the meantime, Kano Indara (Edward Peil, Sr.), a renowned painter who is the descendant of a respected family of painters, is preoccupied because he doesn’t have an inheritor to continue his work. For his good fortune, Uchida brings Tatsu to him. Indara is fascinated by his work and realizes that he is the adequate person to follow his family’s tradition. However, Tatsu is not all convinced that he will find his fiancée in that environment. Indara, fearful that he will loose Tatsu, convinces his daughter, Ume-Ko (Tsuru Aoki), to impersonate Tatsu’s lost love. Tatsu falls into the trap, but the long-term results of this action will be dramatic.

More on The Dragon Painter - Milestone

Nobody can take it away from the Coen brothers. Like Woody Allen, they have been making movies on their own terms and conditions, much of the time following their own instincts and tastes, instead of people-pleasing-formulas. Adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel, "No Country for Old Men" successfully follows that tradition, yielding a smart and absorbing film. Needless to say, it won the 2007 Academy Award for best picture.

While hunting in rural Texas, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) comes across a horrifying scene, of what appears to be a drug deal gone wrong. He finds several vehicles, dead bodies, drugs, and two million dollars. He decides to take the money and run — a bad move that would trigger a series of unfortunate events. A vicious hitman, Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), who kills his victims with a cattle gun, is hired to find Llewelyn and get the money back. To accomplish this, he will systematically assassinate anybody and everybody that gets on his way. It is Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who perhaps provides a moral compass to the film while trying to figure out what is going on, and the meaning of his involvement in this case, at the twilight of his career.

Ethan and Joel Coen directed the film leaving many questions unanswered, which have made many viewers uncomfortable. But "No Country for Old Men," I believe, is a film that not just examines violence, but also society itself, in such a desolate area as the Texan landscape, in which justice at times takes a different meaning.

More on No Country for Old Men Miramax

The Disney Studios are keeping themselves busy in releasing their invaluable catalog. Their magnificent DVDs are really collector’s items, not only because of the movie itself, but also for the generous amount of extras that they include. Following that fine tradition, we now have the charming and precious “101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition,”the latest animated Disney to be released from the archives, before it is sent back to the vault.

It all begins when Pongo, a beautiful and proud Dalmatian, decides that his owner, Roger, a talented musician, needs a girlfriend. He succeeds in setting Roger up with Anita, whom Roger eventually marries. Pongo also wins in the transaction, because he gets beautiful Perdita, Anita’s Dalmatian. They all settle down in a modest home in London, and live happy for a while. However, Perdita gets pregnant and gives birth to fifteen puppies at once. This event makes everybody in the family happy — that is, until the appearance of Cruella De Vil, one of Disney’s most famous villains. Cruella wants all the puppies, and Roger tells her that she can’t have them. Cruella, of course, has plans for the little guys, and won’t rest until she gets the puppies. It’s up to Roger and Perdita, as well as a loyal network of friends, to find their children and impede Cruella’s plan.

More on 101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition - Disney

Veteran actor Sean Penn is slowly building an amazing legacy as a film director. He has been responsible for such critical successes as "The Indian Runner" (1991), "The Crossing Guard" (1995), and "The Pledge" (2001). It seems that it takes some time for him to get a new project going, but, once he gets involved, he magnificently delivers. "Into the Wild," his most recent and exquisite film, is a case in point. This is one mesmerizing and unforgettable journey.

The film takes a look at the life of Christopher Johnson McCandless (Emile Hirsch) after he completes his studies at Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia. Apparently dissatisfied with his parents, as well as the materialistic aspect of our society, he decides to leave civilization and make a journey to nature, in which he feels he will find happiness. For this purpose, he gives away his life savings, claiming that he didn’t need the money, because it "makes people cautious." He also disposes of his car and credit cards. He then proceeds to hike alone, into the wild, beginning in Lake Mead, Arizona, on July 1990, and Northern California on August of the same year. During that time, he also goes to South Dakota and the Sea of Cortez. In addition, he spends some time on Skid Row, in Downtown Los Angeles, where he tried to coexist with the homeless, finding out in the process that he preferred the wild. 

More on Into the Wild (Paramount)