Elena Anaya
Occupation
Actor
Wonder Woman Review
Excellent
Boldly optimistic, this action-packed adventure breathes fresh life into the DC universe with a welcome balance of comedy, flirtation and a sense of righteous justice. And at the centre, Gal Gadot is a hugely engaging hero with a refreshing moral clarity to her actions. So even if the movie dissolves into the usual murky digital mayhem in its final act, there's a bright light at the centre that holds us in its grip.
While the Great War rages in Europe, life carries on as usual on the secret island home of the Amazons, where Diana (Gadot) has been raised by her mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and trained by her aunt General Antiope (Robin Wright). When American spy Steve (Chris Pine) crash-lands there, Diana quickly agrees to return with him to war-torn Europe, track down God of War Aries and put an end to the fighting for good. Awed by her fighting prowess and skimpy outfit, Steve agrees to take her. They return to London to confront a smug politician (David Thewlis) and assemble a team so they can return to the front on a mission to take down the nefarious German General Ludendorff (Danny Huston) and his chemical weapons scientist Maru (Elena Anaya). But Diana is still looking for Aries.
Director Patty Jenkins tells this story like an old-fashioned war epic, following a rag-tag group of good guys as they go through a series of battles on their way to the big confrontation. Along the way, there's plenty of comedy banter, dark emotion and even some lusty romance. Putting a woman at the centre of the action gives the movie a strongly resonant slant, especially because she's surrounded by men who always underestimate her.
Continue reading: Wonder Woman Review
Wonder Woman Trailer
Diana Prince is one of the Amazon warriors of Themyscira, a tribe of women with extraordinary power. There is no-one quite as extraordinary, however, as Diana herself. After being shown the noble Sword of Athena as a young girl, our heroine becomes determined to be the one who wields it, training in all areas of combat. When her incredible powers start to shine through, her mother Hippolyta does not want to tell her the truth about her creation. As oblivious as she is to the secrets of her birthright, she becomes determined to save the world after rescuing a marooned military pilot named Steve Trevor. When he informs her of the danger that her kind faces, she insists on going with him to win the war and save the world. Of course, London is hardly the place she wants to be, but she finds new friendships in Steve and his quirky secretary Etta Candy.
Continue: Wonder Woman Trailer
Wonder Woman Trailer
Diana is a princess and one of the best fighters on the island she was raised on. Her homeland was very different to what we know, it's a beautiful paradise inhabited only by women and Diana herself was brought to like by the mighty god Zeus. When a body washes up on the shore of the island, Diana cannot believe what she sees, a man has somehow found his way to their land and is in need of help.
Nursing the his back to help, the two bond and Diana learns that the man, an American pilot by the name of Steve Trevor was flying a plane when he crashed and found himself at her mercy. Steve regales many tail about the outside world and tells Diana of a catastrophic world war that's currently happening.
Moved by the pilot's stories, much to the dismay of the queen, Diana decides to leave her homeland and help fight with the Allies. The new outer world is a completely different place for Diana and she soon sees that life is very different for women outside of her normal environment. Demonstrating her fierce fighting method and lasso and sword skills, the superhero learns that her abilities are needed to protect the humans and must only be used for the greater good.
Continue: Wonder Woman Trailer
The Skin I Live In Trailer
Twelve years ago, plastic surgeon Dr Robert Ledgard's wife was burnt to death in a car crash. Since then he has been trying to recreate a skin that will be virtually indestructible against any assault and damage, a practice that his fellow surgeons have called unethical.
Continue: The Skin I Live In Trailer
Sex & Lucia Review
Good
"I'm sorry for everything I said when I left," a pretty young waitress whispers into a pay phone at the back of her restaurant in the opening scene of "Sex and Lucia." Regret and apprehension resonate in her voice. Her body is both tense and tired, not from too little sleep (although that's probably a part of it) but from the fatigue of having strain she can't resolve in a relationship that has been the most important thing in her life.
All of this is evident within seconds of this girl's presence on screen, so it's no wonder the composed yet sensual and expressive Paz Vega won a Goya (Spain's Oscar) for this performance. She goes on to cover a remarkable range of emotion, strength and vulnerability as the lovely Lucia, who by the end of that phone call has sensed desperate despondency in her already deeply-troubled lover. She dashes home to find a disturbing farewell note just as the phone rings with a call from the police expressing regret about an horrible automobile accident....
Lucia hangs up in the middle of the call, hastily packs a backpack and runs away to the only place she can think of that might put her heart at rest -- an island off the coast that Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa), her lover, had always talked about but never taken her to visit.
Continue reading: Sex & Lucia Review