MONTE ©

Spain’s Precious Jewels: Penélope

Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar
 FROM the Founder
November is here! I just cannot believe how fast the
time is going. Are you ready for Thanksgiving and
Christmas? You know, the holidays are just around the
corner. November’s issue is very important to me
because recently I had discovered the many heritages
that I was not aware of. I found out through my
research that I am from Mexican, Spanish, British,
Italian, and Yaqui ancestries. So, this month’s issue is
the focus of my Spanish heritage. The next issue, I will
have several choices of films from Mexico, so on.

Overall, I am enjoying and loving life. I have been watching more films lately, which often
does not happen. The Golden Globes® and the Academy Awards® are approaching within
months and I simply cannot wait. I look forward to writing more issues, this February will
mark the second anniversary of Monte Pictures. I would like to dedicate this issue to the
Caballero, Vasquez, Meza and Cole family for their support, guidance, and encouragements
as I pursue my two life long goals: to obtain a Ph.D and to make films. I conclude by saying:
Great health to you and your family.

A quotation:

"Man's greatest actions are performed in minor struggles. Life, misfortune, isolation,
abandonment and poverty are battlefields which have their heroes - obscure heroes who
are at times greater than illustrious heroes."

- Victor Hugo Javier Serrano

Monte Pictures© was founded by Javier Abraham Serrano in San Diego,

California in the year 2007. In his quest to pursue a career in
filmmaking, Javier composed a monthly newsletter to express visually
his passion for cinema to all variety of audiences. In his non-published
autobiography, “What a Life,” he writes, “If I could achieve this dream
and goal of mine to open a film production – Monte Pictures, then it
would be obviously possible for anyone to achieve their dreams.”
 WINER

Volver
Grade: A+

“Volver is without doubt the best Spanish film to date”

Penélope Cruz defines beauty, grace, and brilliant acting in Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver,
which won her the coveted Best Ensemble Cast at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. I have
to admit this is by far one of Spain’s best films ever produced; luckily, it was written and
directed by Almodóvar. The film opens in a cemetery full of women cleaning to their
families’ gravestones. Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Lola Dueñas) and Raimunda’s
daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo) are tending the grave of their parents who died in a tragic
fire.

After Raimunda and Sole’s Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) dies, Sole returns to the village
for the funeral skeptical of the rumors indicate that her mother’s spirit roams
around Aunt Paula’s home. Raimunda and her daughter Paula do not attend the funeral
only to bury her husband’s body caused by Paula stabbing her father because of sexual
assault. Aunt Paula’s neighbor Agustina (Blanca Portillo), whose mother had disappeared
without a trace, tells Sole that she has heard the aunt talking with Sole’s departed mother,
Irene (Carmen Maura).
 Black Book
Grade: A

WINNER

I fell in love with this movie. In my mind, this is without doubt one of the best films on the subject of
Nazism ever made. The film opens up in the 1950s in Israel after the war. A husband and wife depart from
the tour bus roaming around the gorgeous environment of Israel. Ronnie, the wife, leaves her husband’s
sight for a brief moment becoming lured to the sounds of children singing. Ronnie recognizes the teacher
inside the classroom; she helped her escape from The Netherlands under Nazi regime. Rachel Stein
(Carice Van Houten) is flabbergasted and stunned from Ronnie’s visit. The film flashes back to 1944, where
the story begins. Rachel, a very popular opera singer in the Netherlands before the war, is hunted by the
Gestapo because of her Jewish ancestry.

She is separated from her family, and her hiding place has been destroyed and the Nazi air force. She visits a
lawyer named Smaal (Dold de Vries), who provides her with some of her father’s money so she can flee.
Rachel is united with her family and tries to flee by boat with other Jews. However, they are ambushed on
the river by German SS. Rachel is the only one to survive the brutal massacre, but does not manage to escape
from occupied territory. She becomes involved with a resistance group, where her first duty is to become
blend in with the other German women and must seduce the General.
 Baby Mama
Grade: B

I was first introduced to this film by a dear colleague of mine named Linda Olea. When I
found this film at my local Blockbuster®, I so needed to get this film because of her highly
recommendation of the film.

Tina Fey plays Kate Holbrook, a successful single businesswoman from Philadelphia. At the
age of 37, she has finally decided to have a child of her own, but her chance of becoming
pregnant is slim. She has been denied by adoption agencies in the city; Kate is desperate and
hires an immature, humorous surrogate mother named Angie (Amy Poehler). When Angie
becomes pregnant, Kate begins preparing for motherhood until her surrogate shows up at
the door in the middle of the night with no place to go.

Their relationship is strained when their conflict personalities put them at odds as Kate learns
and prepares herself in the balance of motherhood while catering to Angie. Kate is promoted
as Vice President of Development; she has to the task to renovate an ancient building in a
growing neighborhood of small businesses. Kate befriends and soon dates Rob (Greg Kinnear),
a local owner of a blended juice café. Through the lies, betrayal and forgiveness; Kate and
Angie become the Tom and Jerry episodes of real life.
 Pedro
Almodóvar

Filmography*
Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other
Girls on the Heap (1980)
Labyrinth of Passions (1982)
Women on the Verge of a
Nervous Breakdown (1988)
The Flower of My Secret
(1995)
All About My Mother (1999)
P edro Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and
internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation.
What I find most intriguing about the style of Almodóvar is
the use of elements of culture, popular songs, humor and
strong color that defines his work of genius. Nearly three
decades, Almodóvar has written, produced, and directed
such films like Labyrinth of Passions and Women on the Verge
of a Nervous Breakdown, where he was cited as a “woman’s
director;” The Flower of My Secret, All About My Mother,
which won him his first Academy Award as a producer for
Best Foreign Film; Talk to Her, which he became the first
person to win an Oscar for a script that was written in Spanish;
and my most favorite film: Volver.

Talk to Her (2002) Every film has captivated the audiences alike and I have to
cite Pedro Almodóvar has my top four favorite directors of all
Bad Education (2004) time, along side Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), Alfred
Hitchcock (Psycho) and William Wyler (Ben-Hur). Even
Volver (2006) though, I am no where near his craftsmanship of perfection
In filmmaking I do hope that I may be compared to his
Broken Hugs (2009) direction of style that illuminates women’s role brilliantly
in the motion pictures.
* Missing a few of his films on this list.
 Garden State
Grade: A -

WINNER

Think Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, Zach Braff shares comparison to Good Will
Hunting but the only thing that sets these two actors apart: one, Matt Damon won an
Oscar for his writing for his film. Secondly, Zach Braff was able to direct his film and won
a Grammy for Outstanding Movie Soundtrack. Garden State written and directed by Zach
Braff who is truly gifted filmmaker.

Andrew Largeman (Braff) awakes from a bizarre nightmare in which he is on a crashing

plane. He is awakened from the nightmare by a telephone message from his father,
informing Andrew that his needs to return home because his mother has just passed.
The struggling actor leaves his Los Angeles apartment and returns to the state of New
Jersey to attend his mother’s funeral. At the funeral, he recognizes both gravediggers as
his old friends from high school, and they invite Andrew to a party that very night.

The morning after the party, Andrew visits his father’s doctor because of constant
headaches. While filling out the forms, he meets a girl named Sam (Natalie Portman).
The doctor soon discovers that Andrew has stopped taking his medication of lithium and
other mood stabilizers and anti-depressants pills. The friendship between Sam and
Andrew soon escalate into a love affair of four days of passion. One rainy night next to
the fireplace Andrew informs Sam of his entire past and the reason why his mother was
permanently placed in a wheelchair.