Goya's Ghosts.

House was a rerun this week. I thought I'd check out what movies were on cable instead.

I found one about Francisco Goya (the artist) and the Spanish Inquisition.

It wouldn't have been my first choice but it had film stars Natalie Portman (Ines), Javier Bardem (Brother Lorenzo), and Stellan Skarsgard (Goya) in it.

A Spanish film directed by Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest).

It is filled with beautiful period art and the camera work is such that some scenes and characters look like they are pieces of artwork themselves.

The plot jumped around but it was interesting enough to keep my interest.

Goya is the official court painter to the King and Queen. The Spanish Inquisition is disturbed by some of his works but he seems to escape any direct conflicts.

Portman plays a young model for artist Goya. She is falsely thrown into prison for religious reasons and Brother Lorenzo (who had originally commissioned a painting from Goya) tries to help her out.

I learned a few things about Goya also: he was deaf (later years of his life), his portraits had a disinclination to flatter (see below), and some of his work was really dark. And some reminded me of Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights (which was mentioned and shown in the movie):

From so what the fuss

I liked the comments made on this portrait below (looking closely, Goya certainly didn't flatter any of them):

The Family of Charles IV, 1800. Theophile Gautier described the figures as looking like "the corner baker and his wife after they won the lottery".

From so what the fuss

Link to the movie and reviews at Rotten Tomatoes: Link

.45

(rated R)

.45

I enjoyed it. Violent, sexy, well cast with interesting, mostly believeable characters. It is about 100 minutes of action and character driven performances. For a direct to DVD movie I felt it is better than many that have made their rounds in theaters. Thanks HBO. (Of course, having Milla in it didn't hurt any. )

Kat (Milla) is a beautiful bad girl who has hunger for danger. Kat's boyfriend Big Al (Angus) sell handguns on the streets of New York.

Kat is smart and self-confident but loses that around Big Al. She likes the sex (he is named Big Al for a reason) but also has to endure beatings when he goes off in his jealous rages.

She attempts to strike out on her own. As Kat begins to make her own deals on the street, she finds that Big Al's right-hand man (Stephen Dorff) has deep feelings for her.

And added to this, Reilly (Sara) also wants to be Kat's lover along with Liz (Aisha), the counselor assigned to hers from a battered-women's program.

Kat must try to use her smarts and beauty to get what she ultimately wants, rid of Big Al.

Starring:

Milla Jovovich: I remember in first seeing her in The Fifth Element. She plays kick-ass, tough characters quite well; Leeloo in The Fifth Element, Alice in Resident Evil, Violet in Ultraviolet, Joan of Arc, The Messanger: The Story of Joan of Arc.

Angus MacFadyen: He looks a little like a blend of Russel Crowe and Tom Sizemore to me. He was in Braveheart, as Robert the Bruce. Also he was in Blackbeard, Saw III and Saw IV.


Stephen Dorff : I saw him in Shadowboxer with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Helen Mirren. Strange movie.


Aisha Tyler: She is beautiful. She has appeared in Friends, 24, CSI, Ghost Whisper, and Balls of Fury.

Sara Strange: Love her big eyes. She reminds me a bit of Illeana Douglas. She has been in Stargate SG-1, Men in Trees, and my favorite late Saturday Night Canadian fare, Da Vinci's Inquest.