Title: Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Released: 2001
Genre: Drama / Romance / War
Runtime: 131 min
Country: UK / France / USA
Language: English / Greek / German / Italian

Plot Summary: In 1941, Italy allies with Germany and ruthlessly conquers the much weaker country of Greece. On a remote Greek island, an Italian artillery garrison is established to maintain order. One Italian officer, Captain Corelli, adopts an attitude of mutual co-existence with the Greeks and engages in such activities as music festivals and courting the daughter of a local doctor. In 1943, however, after Italy surrenders to the Allies and changes sides in the war, Captain Corelli must defend the Greek island against a German invasion.

Comments: Excellent. The performance of Nicholas Page, Penelope Cruz, John Hurt and Christian were superb. I think it could have had a more appealing title, there did not appear to be too much focus on the Mandolin playing. The special effects were outstanding, the massacre of the Italian prisoners and the earthquake and also seeing that famous Greek actress, Irene Pappas.The story itself kept you glued to the TV set, the effect of the war on a small Greek village, the romance of a German Officer with a Greek village girl that ended in the execution of the girl for collaborating. This movie could be seen over and over.

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Scene Description: Penélope Cruz laying on her back with her breasts exposed in a love scene with Nicolas Cage.

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Title: Vanilla Sky
Released: 2001
Genre: Drama / Romance / Sci-Fi / Thriller / Mystery
Runtime: 135 min
Country: USA
Language: English / Spanish

Tagline: Forget everything you know, and open your eyes.

Plot Summary: David Aames takes all he has for granted; his wealth, his inherited publishing company, his good looks - his relationships. Especially his relationships. It catches up to him when a friend/sometimes sex-partner can't see their relationship the way he sees it. From that point, the movie takes a Lynchian twist that ultimately and literally pulls us into Aames' tortured psyche.

Comments: Awesome movie, very interesting and deep! One of my all time favorites. Acting, directing, screenplay, soundtrack, everything outstanding. Definitely must watch several times to get it all and understand it, that's what makes it so special, it makes you think and wonder. Love the mind journey it provides, New York is fascinating backdrop. The Lucid Dream concept and how his subconscious interfered with what could have been a wonderful "dream" life, all fascinating. Cruise was terrific. Russell's character McCabe, the imaginary psychologist was interesting too. I think a lot of people will not like this because they're too shallow to understand it and it's simply beyond them.

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Scene Description: Penélope Cruz showing us her nice breasts as she lays topless on a couch with Tom Cruise and they fool around.

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Title: Open Your Eyes
... aka Abre los ojos
Released: 1997
Genre: Drama / Romance / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Runtime: 117 min
Country: Spain / France / Italy
Language: Spanish

Plot Summary: Set in Madrid, the story defies description, but this much can be revealed: young, handsome Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) is vain, rich, charming, and--following a botched suicide-murder scheme by a jilted lover--horribly disfigured. He'd fallen in love with Sofia (Penélope Cruz) but is now an embittered husk of his former self, stuck in a "psychiatric penitentiary" on a murder charge and hiding behind an expressionless mask. His reality has crumbled, but as the film's agenda is gradually revealed, we realize that there are other factors in play. Exposing that agenda would be a criminal offense against those who haven't seen the film; suffice it to say that Open Your Eyes takes you into the twilight zone and beyond, and does so cleverly enough to prompt Tom Cruise to produce and star in an English-language remake, Vanilla Sky. The 2001 remake, directed by Cameron Crowe, costars Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz, who reprises her original role.

Comments: One of the best films of 1997. The thing I like most about this movie is the romance. The loving feeling Cesar has towards Sofia come across so well on screen. I don't want to give away to much of the film so I will just take about their relationship. The scene when Cesar goes to the park and just watches Sofia, in the midst of her mime performance. It starts to rain and her makeup runs, but I think she is crying. She was put in an awkward position and it shows. Of course, since Cesar went off with Nuria after spending some time with Sofia, she shouldn't have gotten involved with Cesar. Anyway, this film has drama and romance mixed beautifully into a journey that has one of the best endings ever. 9/10

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Scene Description: Penélope Cruz showing us her great breasts as we see her on top of a guy, riding him during a sex scene.

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Title: Jamón, jamón
... aka Tale of Ham and Passion, A
Released: 1997
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Runtime: 95 min
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish

Plot Summary: Jose Luis is an executive at his parents underwear factory where his girlfriend Sylvia works on the shop floor. When Sylvia falls pregnant, Jose Luis promises her that he will marry her, most likely against the wishes of his parents. Jose Luis' mother is determined to break her son's engagement to a girl from a lower-class family, and hires Raul, a potential underwear model and would-be bullfighter to seduce Sylvia.

Comments: I liked it. The movie is different from lifeless american movies of last decade with their happyendings, superheroes and villans(and i'm not talking about DareDevil). I didn't find it a little bit funny but tragic. Of course, 'fighting with ham' sounds funny for americans (bizzare for everyone else in the world) but it isn't in this movie. 'Naked bullfighting' sceen is light and artfull and serves it's purpose of breaking the straight line of the story. The whole atmosphear of 'Jamon, Jamon' and its tragic ending reminded me of the 'Capitaes de Areia' that I've seen when I was a kid.

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Scene Description: Penélope Cruz having a guy pull down her top to suck on her great breasts as the camera zooms in close.

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