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If any of the above-mentioned were Spanish, this might have been their movie, but as it is, this is a Spanish imitation (let's call it "homage") A Hard Day's Night (1964) The story of a band from the sixties who wants to succeed in a world so thoroughly invaded by British that when a battle of bands is conducted on a stage decorated with larger-than-life photos of John, Paul, George and Ringo and their immortal lyrics "YEH YEH YEH!!!!!!!" (sic) rendered in Spanish, one fairly expects a competition of Beatles cover bands. For the girls there is also a rather trite love story whose minor difficulties are rather quickly resolved in time for the under 90 minute run, so it doesn't take much time away from the music. Obviously no great cinematic feat, but delivers what it promises: a megaton of enthusiastic, energetic "yeh yeh", in the Spanish style.

With a title that translates to "This Truly is Love", you might expect an Italian Hallmark movie, and that's what you'd get: A terminally ill, perpetually hospitalized upper class kid escapes with his streetwise scrappy pal on a once in a lifetime Christmas Eve adventure, finding wonder in aspects of everyday life (discovery of something as basic as fire, etc.) lost on those that live it everyday. They end up at his parents that night, where, after a tearful parting with his bud, he performs a Christmas "miracle", reconciling his parents in their troubled marriage. The rest is ...SPOILER. But you may guess from my title, or if not, just by knowing the premise as it is the basis of countless such holiday movies. Competent (I actually somewhat liked the kid's scrappy sidekick--in a role that can so easily slide into cliche' his spunky delivery came off more naturally than most), but so treacly as to give you a Christmas tummy ache.

Horror anthology about a cursed small town, beset by multiple grotesque murders over its history. The first is one of the best: A lovelorn elderly man charged with his equally elderly sister, who suffers from dementia. In clumsy pursuit of a to-die-for coworker, he, instead, turns the tables and kills her, with wild repercussions I won't reveal, other than it involves a Cousin-of-Chucky doll. Most impressive is the motif of the old man picking at a block of ice for his sister's bath, hacking it over and over, every stab expressing an ever growing, never-ending sense of frustration, futility and disgust. The second is a Hammeresque Freak Show, hosting a rogue's gallery of characters straight out of Todd Browning. All do their parts very well, but the Gypsy Queen Directress--She Who Will Be Obeyed--reigned Supreme for me. And there is a splatter-lovers' fest that will make said lovers festive! Third is about a man who has found the secret to eternal life through voodoo A gift that is his to have and his to give, for good or evil, and for the crook on the lam he took in, and who then betrayed him, the gift was a long life of tortured horror.. The final being almost a movie unto itself about how war breaks down all social conventions and the most fundamental human values, set in a settlement of Confederate orphan children, all adults having been casualties of war, who band together in a version of "Lord of the Flies" social order. Despite word that the war was over, a group of renegade Union soldiers still want to rape and pillage wantonly, in pursuit of which they stumble upon the children's settlement, and are immediately set upon by the not-so-innocent babes, who subject the men to such gruesome tortures, I'm sure, if they could think through the excruciating pain and horror, they'd wish they had gone home at the armistice. This sequence in particular, so much lit so beautifully by ritualistic firelight, effectively contrasted with the drab, grey monotony of smoky, feeble daylight, but art direction, cinematography, stellar throughout. Hosted by Vincent Price in his typically revered avuncular elder role.