The guide begins with Banderas’ Certified Fresh films, including Pain and Glory and The Skin I Live In, just two of eight of his collaborations with Pedro Almodovar, where Banderas frequently is the masculine figure in Almodovar’s women-driven films. Other Certified Fresh Banderas films include The Mask of Zorro, his American swashbuckling breakthrough, Shrek 2 and his lead voicing role in spinoff Puss in Boots.
Desperado, Banderas’ international calling card is among his Fresh films, and the first of several works with Robert Rodriguez, including sequel Once Upon a Time in Mexico and every Spy Kid movie.
Critics Consensus: Its premise may resonate most with hardcore film fans, but Official Competition's tight focus and sharp humor have a universal appeal.
Synopsis: Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas star as two egomaniacs commissioned by a millionaire to make a movie together in this... [More]
Critics Consensus:Pain and Glory finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar drawing on his own life to rewarding effect -- and honoring his craft as only a master filmmaker can.
Synopsis: An aging Spanish film director in the middle of a creative crisis revisits memorable events of his past.... [More]
Critics Consensus: It isn't deep or groundbreaking, but what it lacks in profundity, Puss in Boots more than makes up for with an abundance of wit, visual sparkle, and effervescent charm.
Synopsis: Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) -- just named a hero for saving a woman from a... [More]
Critics Consensus: The Skin I Live In lacks Almodovar's famously charged romance, replaced with a wonderfully bizarre and unpredictable detour into arthouse ick.
Synopsis: Ever since his beloved wife was horribly burned in an auto accident, Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), a skilled plastic... [More]
Critics Consensus:The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water won't win over many viewers who aren't fans of the show, but for the converted, it's another colorful burst of manic fun.
Synopsis: Life is dandy in Bikini Bottom for SpongeBob Squarepants (Tom Kenny) and his friends Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), Squidward (Rodger Bumpass),... [More]
Critics Consensus: MMA star and first-time actress Gina Carano displays ample action-movie chops in Haywire, a fast-paced thriller with a top-notch cast and outstanding direction from Steven Soderbergh.
Synopsis: Mallory Kane (Gina Carano) is a highly trained operative for a government security contractor. Her missions take her to the... [More]
Critics Consensus: Cleverly written and wonderfully acted, Ruby Sparks overcomes its occasional lags in pace with an abundance of charm and wit.
Synopsis: Young author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), once a literary darling, is having trouble composing his next novel. Following a therapist's... [More]
Critics Consensus:Philadelphia indulges in some unfortunate clichés in its quest to impart a meaningful message, but its stellar cast and sensitive direction are more than enough to compensate.
Synopsis: Fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) hides his homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful... [More]
Critics Consensus:Law of Desire is kinky fun that's as explosively bright and provocative as ever.
Synopsis: When porn director Pablo (Eusebio Poncela) reluctantly breaks up with his boyfriend, Juan (Miguel Molina), he encourages him to stay... [More]
Critics Consensus: Intertwining murder and seduction, Pedro Almodóvar's Matador is a provocative thriller that will shock even the most adventurous moviegoers.
Synopsis: Forced to retire after a goring, matador Diego Montez (Nacho Martínez) has since become a teacher. Among his students is... [More]
Critics Consensus:Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown finds writer-director Pedro Almodóvar working in a distinctly feminist vein, with richly rewarding results.
Synopsis: When Pepa Marcos' (Carmen Maura) lover Ivan (Fernando Guillén) suddenly leaves her without any explanation, she embarks on a strange... [More]
Critics Consensus:Desperado contains almost too much action and too little story to sustain interest, but Antonio Banderas proves a charismatic lead in Robert Rodriguez's inventive extravaganza.
Synopsis: Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) plunges headfirst into the dark border underworld when he follows a trail of blood to the last... [More]
Critics Consensus:Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! undermines its own effectiveness with an excess of camp, but writer-director Pedro Almodóvar and an attractive cast make it all worth watching.
Synopsis: Newly released from a mental institution, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) heads straight for a reunion with the love of his life,... [More]
Critics Consensus: Violent, pulpy, loopy fun, with Depp stealing the show.
Synopsis: Return of the mythic guitar-slinging hero, El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas), in the final installment of the Mariachi/Desperado trilogy. The saga... [More]
Synopsis: In 1879, a Spanish archaeologist (Antonio Banderas) and his daughter (Allegra Allen) cause worldwide controversy when they discover cave paintings... [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite lacking some of the book's subtler shadings, and suffering from some clumsy casting, Interview with a Vampire benefits from Neil Jordan's atmospheric direction and a surfeit of gothic thrills.
Synopsis: Born as an 18th-century lord, Louis is now a bicentennial vampire, telling his story to an eager biographer. Suicidal after... [More]
Critics Consensus:Evita sometimes strains to convince on a narrative level, but the soundtrack helps this fact-based musical achieve a measure of the epic grandeur to which it aspires.
Synopsis: Eva Duarte Peron rises from poverty to become an Argentinian actress and the wife of powerful President Juan Peron. Through... [More]
Critics Consensus: Campy and proudly absurd, I'm So Excited! Pedro Almodóvar's return to light comedy isn't quite the successful homecoming that filmgoers might wish for.
Synopsis: Neurotic passengers (Antonio de la Torre, Hugo Silva) have weird encounters aboard a malfunctioning plane bound for Mexico.... [More]
Critics Consensus:The 33 offers an appropriately inspirational account of real-life heroism, but its stirring story and solid performances are undermined by a flawed focus and an overreliance on formula.
Synopsis: Disaster strikes on Aug. 5, 2010, as a copper and gold mine collapses in Chile, trapping 33 men underground. With... [More]
Critics Consensus:Knight of Cups finds Terrence Malick delving deeper into the painterly visual milieu he's explored in recent efforts, but even hardcore fans may struggle with the diminishing narrative returns.
Synopsis: A Los Angeles screenwriter (Christian Bale) indulges his wild side with a stripper (Teresa Palmer), a model (Freida Pinto) and... [More]
Critics Consensus: It's sporadically amusing, and typically well-cast, but You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger isn't one of Woody Allen's more inspired late-period efforts.
Synopsis: Two married couples find only trouble and heartache as their complicated lives unfold. After 40 years of marriage, Alfie leaves... [More]
Critics Consensus: The movie will be found wanting if one is not taken in by the 3-D visuals.
Synopsis: Pint-sized kid spy Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) faces his biggest challenge yet when he confronts the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone), a... [More]
Critics Consensus: Promisingly cast but misleadingly titled, Uncharted mines its bestselling source material to produce a disappointing echo of superior adventure films.
Synopsis: Street-smart thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) to recover a... [More]
Critics Consensus:Shrek the Third has pop culture potshots galore, but at the expense of the heart, charm, and wit that made the first two Shreks classics.
Synopsis: When King Harold suddenly croaks, Shrek (Mike Myers) learns he will have to rule the land of Far, Far Away,... [More]
Critics Consensus:The Laundromat misuses its incredible cast by taking a disappointingly blunt and unfocused approach to dramatizing the real-life events that inspired it.
Synopsis: When her idyllic vacation takes an unthinkable turn, Ellen Martin begins investigating a fake insurance policy.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Like its predecessors, Expendables 3 offers a modicum of all-star thrills for old-school action thriller aficionados -- but given all the talent assembled, it should have been a lot more fun.
Synopsis: Years ago, Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) co-founded the Expendables with Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson). After Stonebanks became an arms dealer,... [More]
Critics Consensus: An enviable collection of sterling actors are all woefully miscast in The House of the Spirits, a plodding saga of magical realism that lacks much magic or realism.
Synopsis: A rancher (Jeremy Irons), his clairvoyant wife (Meryl Streep) and their family face turbulent years in South America.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Beautiful to look at but narratively hollow, Autómata short-circuits its handful of intriguing ideas with an overload of sci-fi clichés.
Synopsis: During a routine investigation involving robot manipulation, an insurance agent (Antonio Banderas) at a robotics company makes a discovery that... [More]
Synopsis: During Argentina's 1970s military dictatorship, journalist Cecilia (Emma Thompson) is concerned about the kidnappings that have been taking place in... [More]
Critics Consensus: While possessed with the same schlocky lunacy as its far superior predecessor, Machete Kills loses the first installment's spark in a less deftly assembled sequel.
Synopsis: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal... [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite the charms of its ensemble, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard fails to protect the audience from repetitive and tired genre tropes.
Synopsis: The world's most lethal odd couple -- bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) --... [More]
Critics Consensus: Burdened by a rote plot and unfunny scatological humor, All the Time in the World suggests that the Spy Kids franchise has run its course.
Synopsis: Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) is a retired spy who keeps that identity hidden from her clueless husband and whip-smart... [More]
Synopsis: The search for a boxer's missing girlfriend and diamond fortune leads a detective (Antonio Banderas) to a reclusive billionaire and... [More]
Critics Consensus:Dolittle may be enough to entertain very young viewers, but they deserve better than this rote adaptation's jumbled story and stale humor.
Synopsis: Dr. John Dolittle lives in solitude behind the high walls of his lush manor in 19th-century England. His only companionship... [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite the best efforts of a talented cast, The Other Man is talky, witless, and tension-free.
Synopsis: When his shoe-designer wife, Lisa (Laura Linney), disappears while on one of her frequent business trips, computer executive Peter (Liam... [More]
Critics Consensus:Never Talk to Strangers -- and never make the mistake of believing this silly stalker mystery is the best available viewing option.
Synopsis: Police psychologist Dr. Sarah Taylor (Rebecca De Mornay) guards herself from emotional attachment, but uncharacteristically succumbs to the smooth advances... [More]
Synopsis: An unscrupulous con man, Art Dodge (Antonio Banderas) runs an ongoing scam that involves deceiving grieving widows. While working on... [More]
Critics Consensus: A mawkish melodrama that means less the more it tries to say, Life Itself suggests writer-director Dan Fogelman's talents are best suited to television.
Synopsis: College sweethearts Will and Abby fall in love, get married and prepare to bring their first child into the world.... [More]
Critics Consensus:Four Rooms comes stocked with a ton of talent on both sides of the camera, yet only manages to add up to a particularly uneven -- and dismayingly uninspired -- anthology effort.
Synopsis: Working New Year's Eve at a hotel in Hollywood, Calif., the new bellhop, Ted (Tim Roth), has no idea what's... [More]
Critics Consensus: Flat characters and uninspired comedy yield forgettable results.
Synopsis: Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas star as best friends and professional boxing rivals Vince Boudreau and Caesar Dominguez, both of... [More]
Critics Consensus: A startlingly inept film, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever offers overblown, wall-to-wall action without a hint of wit, coherence, style, or originality.
Synopsis: Haunted by the mysterious death of his wife, Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) has become a recluse, but the former FBI... [More]
Synopsis: Caleb (Antonio Banderas), a former government assassin in hiding, resurfaces when his protégé, the equally deadly killer known as Banshee... [More]
