I have seen two films recently with the Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and my opinion of her has sky-rocketed! Not that I ever disliked her.....I guess I was just blinded to her talents by her dazzling beauty.
In "Elegy" she plays the lover of an acclaimed writer, Sir Ben Kingsley. It's easy to see why he is bewitched by her.

But the end of the film (which I won't divulge) has Cruz demonstrating the full gamut of emotions...pain, regret, love, vulnerability and fear. It's an incredible performance and she proves herself Kingsley's equal.
In "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Woody Allen's latest film she is a chaotic force of passion that whirls onto the screen and into the characters' lives. There's comedy and pain in her portrayal of an unstable artist who loves excessively and gives too much of herself to relationships. She's a mess of streaky eyeliner and untamed hair, but you can't take your eyes off her.