Tag: spain
Barcelona
Jaume I of Aragó was one of Barcelona’s many notable figures. Descended from French and Byzantine nobility, his exotic origins were matched by an illustrious childhood spent in the thick of the Occitan struggles.
The thirteenth was the century in Europe that instigated the beginnings of a consolidation of power from which Jaume would personally profit …
La Gloria para El Mejor
Such was the headline at the El Pais website this morning.
There can be little doubt that Spain was consistently the best team on the field in Euro 2008, playing their entertaining brand of fútbol total.
In a thrilling climax to a tournament full of surprises – exciting turns from Russia and Croatia, spectacular deadline management …
Granada and the Alhambra
It’s late morning and we’re climbing a steep street out of the new city. The white buildings of the venerable Albayzín quarter are dazzling in the spring sunlight. These narrow streets are full of silence and long shadows where once there were the sounds of commerce and prayer.
It’s still March and until an hour …
El Torcal
El Torcal is a nature reserve west of the Poniente and above the town of Antequera. It is one of Europe’s most outstanding examples of Karst topography.
There are three trails from which visitors can choose. J and I arrived relatively early on a very busy day. It was actually hard to leave the park with …
Andalusia
Illuminated by the sunlight of southernmost Spain are the last traces of a great state whose grandeur and importance seem disproportionate to its lack of prominence in European history.
Perhaps the footnote status of Al-Andalus is partly due to being sandwiched between Roman civilisation and the discovery of the “New” World. Still more likely is that …
Kika
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Spain, 1993
Déjà vu abounds in Kika, a brief return to the sort of hair-brained frivolity that characterised Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. Parallels might also be drawn with Almodóvar’s ¡átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) (1990), another film in which the director treats a sexual attack on a woman …
Law of Desire (La Ley del Deseo)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Spain, 1987
There’s much to like about the performances in Law of Desire. Eusebio Poncela plays a marvellously ambivalent, sexually ambiguous film director as his insouciance gives way to raw emotion while Carmen Maura takes well to her role as his gold-hearted, rough diamond sister.
But the real turn here is delivered by Antonio Banderas …
High Heels (Tacones Lejanos)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Spain, 1991
The early 90s represent a busy, transitionary period for Almodóvar. And during that period, he takes on multiple muses having apparently fallen out with Carmen Maura. His two key players are Marisa Paredes and the delectable Victoria Abril, both of whom spring up here to lead this oddball of a movie.
Abril is …
La Flor de mi Secreto (the Flower of my Secret)
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Spain, 1995
You get the very distinct sense when watching La Flor that Almodóvar is onto something. And so the maturity and virtuosity of his output has increased with each film ever since.
As a writer of great female parts, he’s blessed here with a strong performance from Marisa Paredes who as the protagonista Leo …
Solas
Director: Benito Zambrano
Spain, 1999
Ten minutes into Solas, I was steeling myself against the grim conclusion to which this film would inevitably descend. But I was wrongfooted by the virtuosity of the characters as they began to discover their own strengths.
Solas presents Spain without the colour of Almodovar, the mystery of Amenábar or the surrealism of …
Elsewhere on MikePadgett.com …
Little Miss Sunshine
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris United States, 2006 Whereas the Tenenbaums prickle with fairytale dysfunction, with the awkward realism of Little Miss Sunshine’s family we never reach the safety and comfort of caricature. So …
- Originally published: 6 Feb 2007 in Film
Easter in Munich
J and I visited Munich over the Easter break. The sun was out and the beer was flowing. The seat of Bavarian power in centuries past, Munich has been the home of Ibsen, …
- Originally published: 12 Apr 2007 in Europe
Relocating to Brussels: the final haul
I’ve come to believe that the most important thing when relocating for work is to buy some time. Most of the important decisions could only be properly informed by our experience of …
- Originally published: 14 Jul 2008 in Relocation
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring
Director: Kim Ki Duk Korea / Germany, 2003 A tale of loss of innocence and redemption, a film with its own sense of inner peace. Director Kim appears to ‘atone’ for the fatalism and violence …
- Originally published: 31 Jul 2006 in Film
New city, new job
Today I can confirm that, after a bit more of this lovely sunshine (hopefully), I will be starting a new job in August 2008. I am joining my new employer Unisys to work …
- Originally published: 24 Jun 2008 in Personalia
Who is that guy?
Hello you. I'm Mike Padgett and I work in the technology sector as an Information Designer.
I also enjoy travel, concerts, films and walking.
I'm based in Brussels, Belgium. My current favourite Belgian beer is St Feuillien Brune.