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Writer/director Pedro Almod??var's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning "All About My Mother", and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic ?Ångel (Gael Garc??a Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, ?Ångel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memo! ries-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almod??var the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. "--Steve Wiecking"Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning
All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ãngel (Gael GarcÃa Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ãngel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruell! y intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefu! lly unfu rls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told.
--Steve WieckingWriter/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning
All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ãngel (Gael GarcÃa Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ãngel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love! he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told.
--Steve WieckingWriter/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning
All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ãngel (Gael GarcÃa Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice ac! tor, Ãngel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in whic! h he's d etermined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told.
--Steve WieckingWomen on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Pedro Almodovar broke into the art-house mainstream with this wild, manic comedy about a gaggle of women and their various problems with men, be they married lovers, cheating husbands, fiancés, or terrorists. Almodovar's long-time leading lady, Carmen Maura, stars as an actress (famed for her laundry detergent commercial as the mother of a slo! ppy serial killer) who's just been dumped by her married lover. In the midst of trying to track him down for a face-to-face confrontation, she crosses paths with her lover's son (Antonio Banderas), his unbalanced wife (Julieta Serrano), and his new girlfriend (Kiti Manver). Adding more fuel to the fire is the hapless friend (Maria Barranco) who got involved with a Shiite terrorist and is now being hunted by the police. Almodovar, a master of farcical screwball comedy, manages to keep all these balls in the air in dizzy, hilarious style without once losing his momentum. Chock full of the director's over-the-top stylization, in terms of both story and sets, the film is a hilarious yet heartfelt marriage of kitsch and drama, verging on parody but never going entirely over the top. Maura is absolutely breathtaking as the unhinged lover, dispensing wise advice to others while trying to keep a semblance of sanity, and the supporting cast is quintessential Almodovar, including a b! rief but memorable turn by Banderas in what could have been a ! bland, g o-nowhere role. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989. --
Mark Englehart
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All About My Mother After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About M! y Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. ----Bret Fetzer
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Talk to Her
Writer-director Pedro Almodóvar makes another masterpiece with Talk to Her, his first film since the wonderful All About My Mother. Marco (Dario Grandinetti) is in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno (Javier Camara), a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia (Leonor Watling). From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time. The rich human empathy! of Almodóvar's recent films is passionate, heartbreaking, intoxicating--there aren't enough adjectives to praise this remarkable filmmaker, who is at the height of his powers. Talk to Her is superb, with outstanding performances from all involved. --Bret Fetzer
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The Flower of My Secret
Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and auth! or are one and the same. Almodóvar ( Law of Desire) ha! s the st art of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. -- Tom Keogh
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Bad Education
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic ! Ãngel (Gael GarcÃa Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ãngel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. -- Steve Wiecking
Mo! re Still s from Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection(click for larger image)
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Songs of Almodóvar CD |
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The Films of Pedro Almodóvar |
A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child. First she finds her friend, Agrado, also a transvestite; through him she meets Rosa, a young nun bound for El Salvador, and by happenstance becomes the personal assistant of Huma Rojo, the actress her son admired. She helps Huma manage Nina, the co-star and Huma's lover, and she becomes Rosa's caretaker during a dicey pregnancy. With echoes of Lorca, All About ! Eve, and A Streetcar Named Desire, the mothers (and! fathers and actors) live out grief, love, and friendship.After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. All About My Mother traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors All About My Mother with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces a! ll human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, All About My Mother approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. --Bret FetzerWriter/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning All About My Mother, and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ãngel (Gael GarcÃa Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice ac! tor, Ãngel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in whic! h he's d etermined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --Steve WieckingVOLVER - DVD MovieSpanish for "Coming Back," Volver is a return to the all-female format of All About My Mother. Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorou! s vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's Bellissima, which shows up on Sole's television one night (thu! s confirming the link). If Almodóvar’s 16th feature lacks t! he emoti onal punch of the more audacious Talk to Her, it's less heavy-handed than Bad Education and Cruz is a revelation. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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- Condition: New
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“With a terrific cast led by Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga and a splendid James Caan,
Henry's Crime is a fun comedy with irresistible heist and heart.†(Boxoffice Magazine) Reeves stars as Henry Torne, a wrongly accused man who winds up behind bars for a bank robbery he didn’t commit. After befriending a charismatic lifer (Caan) in prison, Henry finds his purpose â€" having done the time, he decides he may as well do the crime. But his outlandish plan to rob the very same bank spins wildly out of control, as he finds himself performing in a stage play and falling in love with the production’s seductive leading lady (Farmiga).Henry (Keanu Reeves), the Buffalo toll collector-turned-criminal mastermind at the heart of this offbeat drama, lives a quiet life with his wife, Debbie ! (Judy Greer), until high school acquaintance Eddie (Fisher Stevens) tricks him into driving a getaway car, which leads to a three-year stretch for armed robbery. A new Henry emerges after his cellmate, Max (James Caan, having the time of his life), encourages him to live a little, reasoning "You've done the time, you may as well do the crime." Then, before he gets out, Debbie leaves him for another man (Danny Hoch, who plays Eddie's partner). Fortunately, Henry soon crashes--literally--into Julie (Vera Farmiga), a brittle actress with a soft center, and joins her in a production of Chekhov's
The Cherry Orchard that takes place in a theater connected to the fateful bank by means of a Prohibition-era tunnel, which the newly sprung Max helps him to excavate. But when Eddie muscles in on the action--things get complicated. Written by Sacha Gervasi (
Anvil! The Story of Anvil),
Henry's Crime benefits from the light touch of Malcolm Venville (
44 Inch Chest). If the pieces--screwball comedy and film noir--don't alw! ays fit together the way they should, the movie evokes one of those Michael Caine capers from the 1960s, even if Reeves lacks the same degree of savoir-faire. Sprightly support from Bill Duke, as a security guard, and Peter Stormare, as a director, plus retro-soul selections from Daptone Records help the existential ennui go down easy. --Kathleen C. FennessyReleased from prison for a crime he didnt commit an ex-con targets the same bank he was sent away for robbing. Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 08/23/2011 Starring: James Caan Judy Greer Rating: R Director: Malcolm VenvilleHenry (Keanu Reeves), the Buffalo toll collector-turned-criminal mastermind at the heart of this offbeat drama, lives a quiet life with his wife, Debbie (Judy Greer), until high school acquaintance Eddie (Fisher Stevens) tricks him into driving a getaway car, which leads to a three-year stretch for armed robbery. A new Henry emerges after his cellmate, Max (James Caan, having the time of his life), encou! rages him to live a little, reasoning "You've done the time, you may as well do the crime." Then, before he gets out, Debbie leaves him for another man (Danny Hoch, who plays Eddie's partner). Fortunately, Henry soon crashes--literally--into Julie (Vera Farmiga), a brittle actress with a soft center, and joins her in a production of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard that takes place in a theater connected to the fateful bank by means of a Prohibition-era tunnel, which the newly sprung Max helps him to excavate. But when Eddie muscles in on the action--things get complicated. Written by Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! The Story of Anvil), Henry's Crime benefits from the light touch of Malcolm Venville (44 Inch Chest). If the pieces--screwball comedy and film noir--don't always fit together the way they should, the movie evokes one of those Michael Caine capers from the 1960s, even if Reeves lacks the same degree of savoir-faire. Sprightly support from Bill Duke,! as a security guard, and Peter Stormare, as a director, plus ! retro-so ul selections from Daptone Records help the existential ennui go down easy. --Kathleen C. Fennessy“This is a nasty, terse slice of noir, and Yu is a fellow whose adventures should be worth following.â€â€"The Washington Post Book World
“For readers who relish noir suspense, it doesn't get much better than this stunning novel."â€"The Boston Globe
“It is an evocative, often bleak, but fascinating view of being at ‘cross-cultural odds’ that fuels Chinatown Beat, the successful debut by New York author Henry Chang.â€â€"South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Chinatown Beat is a classic noir, filled with longing, violence, and that uniquely urban melancholy, but it also brings something new to the table, a loving specificity of a people and place, the multicultures of New York’s Chinatown, that has rarely if ever been encountered in fiction before. A real discovery.â€â€"Richard Price, author of Freedomlan! d and Clockers
“An auspicious beginning.â€â€"Richmond Times-Dispatch
NYPD Detective Jack Yu was raised in Chinatown. Some of his old friends are criminals now; some are dead.
Recently transferred to his old neighborhood, where 99 percent of the cops are white, Jack is confronted with a serial rapist who preys on young Chinese girls. Then Uncle Four, an elderly leader of the charitable Hip Ching Society and member of the Hong Kong-based Red Circle Triad, is gunned down. To solve these crimes, Jack turns to both modern police methods and an ancient fortuneteller.
Henry Chang was born and raised in New York City’s Chinatown, where he now lives. He is a graduate of the Pratt Institute and The City College of New York and is currently a security director in Manhattan.“Here’s a dark slice of New York’s Chinatown that most of us...have probably never seen. Henry Chang takes us on an unforgettable guided tour of! its lower depths. In a field awash with pallid noir thrillers! , this o ne is the real thing. A genuine winner.â€â€"Herbert H. Lieberman, author of City of the Dead and Shadow Dancers
“A dramatic evocation of the exotic. . . . More rewarding than a trip to Chinatown.â€â€"Qin Xiaolong, author of Death of a Red Herione
Detective Jack Yu grew up in Chinatown. Some of his friends are criminals now; some are dead. Jack has just been transferred to his old neighborhood, where 99 percent of the cops are white. Unlike the others, confused by the residents who speak another language even when they’re speaking English, Jack knows what’s going on.
He is confronted with a serial rapist who preys on young Chinese girls. Then Uncle Four, an elderly and respected leader of the charitable Hip Ching Society and member of the Hong Kong-based Red Circle Triad, is gunned down. Jack learns that benevolent Uncle Four had a gorgeous young mistress imported from Hong Kong. And she is missing.
To solve these crimes, Jack turns to an elderly fortune teller, an old friend of his, in addition to employing modern police methods. This debut mystery power-fully conveys the sights, sounds, and smells of Chinatown, as well as the attitudes of its inhabitants.
From the Hardcover edition.“Here’s a dark slice of New York’s Chinatown that most of us...have probably never seen. Henry Chang takes us on an unforgettable guided tour of its lower depths. In a field awash with pallid noir thrillers, this one is the real thing. A genuine winner.â€â€"Herbert H. Lieberman, author of City of the Dead and Shadow Dancers
“A dramatic evocation of the exotic. . . . More rewarding than a trip to Chinatown.â€â€"Qin Xiaolong, author of Death of a Red Herione
Detective Jack Yu grew up in Chinatown. Some of his friends are criminals now; some are dead. Jack has just been transferred to his old neighborhood, wh! ere 99 percent of the cops are white. Unlike the others, confu! sed by t he residents who speak another language even when they’re speaking English, Jack knows what’s going on.
He is confronted with a serial rapist who preys on young Chinese girls. Then Uncle Four, an elderly and respected leader of the charitable Hip Ching Society and member of the Hong Kong-based Red Circle Triad, is gunned down. Jack learns that benevolent Uncle Four had a gorgeous young mistress imported from Hong Kong. And she is missing.
To solve these crimes, Jack turns to an elderly fortune teller, an old friend of his, in addition to employing modern police methods. This debut mystery power-fully conveys the sights, sounds, and smells of Chinatown, as well as the attitudes of its inhabitants.
From the Hardcover edition.Ensemble sound was more important than virtuosic, emotive soloing in the West Coast style known as "cool" jazz. Henry Mancini took a number of his cues from that mellow '50s sound when he scored the tel! evision crime-drama series, Peter Gunn. This soundtrack CD is full of memorable themes, lush textures, and succinct solos played by big band veterans. Vibraphonist Victor Feldman is heavily featured and his instrument's soft, ringing tone plays a key role here. Occasionally Mancini slips into turning out indistinctive, generic pieces, and soundtrack-composer-to-be John Williams's piano playing can be plinky and stiff. But other than that, this is top-notch TV soundtrack fare, highlighted by the irresistible, proto-surf-rock theme song. Instead of just filling up digital space, the bonus tracks really are a valuable addition. A growling trombone solo on "Walkin' Bass" and Shelly Manne's swinging drum work are just a couple of the reasons why. --Fred CisternaThe inspiration for Quentin Tarantino s early films, Fernando Di Leo is the master of garish, intricately plotted, ultra-violent stories about pimps and petty gangsters who perfects the genre with an uncann! y accuracy. For the first time digitally restored from the ori! ginal 35 mm negative and remastered in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival, 4 of Fernando Di Leo s masterpieces in one box set which includes: Caliber 9 (Milano Calibro 9, 1972), The Italian Connection (La Mala Ordina, 1972), The Boss (Il Boss, 1973), Rulers Of The City (Padroni della citta, 1976) Now available for the first time on Blu-Ray.Henry (Christian Slater) is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with his wife, kids, dog, and a minivan. Edward (Slater) is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill. The one thing Henry and Edward have in common is they share the same body. But when the carefully constructed wall between them breaks down, these polar opposites are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element. Also starring Alfre Woodard (Desperate Housewives), Mike O’Malley (Yes Dear), Mädchen Amick (Gossip Girl) and Taylor Lautner (Twilight), plus powerfu! l guest stars such as James Cromwell (LA Confidential).
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