Robert here, with my series on great contemporary directors. This will be my last entry on a specific director, so I thought I'd go out with a bang. Next week I'll wrap things up in a more general sense.
Maestro: Pedro Almodóvar Known For: colorful, often kinky films about love and obsession. Influences: Billy Wilder,Hitchcock, Sirk, Fassbinder, Fellini
Masterpieces: All About My Mother and Talk to Her Disasters: I'm not sure if he's capable of making a disaster. Some of his films are minor efforts but they're all so wonderfully Almodóvar.
Better than you remember:They've all gotten a pretty fair run, unless you're The Academy in which case Volver is much better than you seem to think. Box Office: Volver with over 12 mil.
Back in the glory days of cinema, there were foreign film artists who the cinema-going public knew and patronized en masse. There was Bergman and Fellini and Kurosawa, all of whom broke into the mainstream and developed reputations that sustain them to this day. Pedro Almodóvar is the closest we have to this now. While he may not have achieved as much popularity as those men (in today's industry no one could), he's one of the few foreign film directors with name recognition who can count on his films opening reasonably wide in the U.S. as a given, and occasional award attention. We can thank this on a style of filmmaking that Almodovar has developed that is fresh, exciting and unequalled.
Passion. Love. Obsession. These are the elements of Almodóvar's fancy. They are timeless yet modern. After all passion, love, and obsession have always driven the actions of mankind and still do. Which explains why we can so easily relate, even when the impassioned characters are somewhat less than sympathetic. Consider Talk to Her's Benigno, a man whose love/lust toward his comatose patient results in some pretty abhorrent behavior. So why aren't we abhorred? Because in the world of Almodóvar he's a victim of his own passions. Contrasted with Paco (the father from Volver) who we do abhor because we know he's a victim of his own carnality. Almodóvar knows that line, and he knows how to exploit it. And it's how he exploits it that sets him apart. Most directors who deal in passions and obsessions delve into the dark depths of humanity. Yet Almodóvar celebrates these things. Please don't get me wrong, he doesn't paint a happy picture for those victims of their obsessions, but his films, awash in bright colors, glorious melodrama and naked flesh, present these things in the way they make us feel alive, energized, aroused, and fully human. There is a love of life to be found in Almodóvar's work. It's not sentimentalized. It's honest. It's a celebration of all humanity, the whole messy thing.
Further pushing the dramatic line, Almodóvar explores how these passions come to form our identity and vice-versa. After all, what we obsess over, what we love for and cry for is a direct result of what we define ourselves as, whether that be motherless or childless, man or woman, gay or straight. Almodóvar's characters are often forced to confront their identities as they come to realize they were never what they thought they were to begin with, and the passions they've developed so unconsciously that have become so personal, may have been based entirely on non truths. These moments at the core of Almodóvar's films make for great melodramas that don't feel the slightest bit artificial. Yet another true contradiction of a talented filmmaker.
Pedro Almodóvar is hard at work on his next film, a revenge thriller that may be a bit of a departure from his recent work, but no doubt will challenge his viewers and his own characters, and be rooted and impassioned humanity. The film will pair him with Antonio Banderas, an actor with whom he hasn't worked recently but who can thank Almodóvar for much of his exposure. The Internet Movie Database lists yet another upcoming film for the director (though these things are often subject to change) about Italian singer Mina, a great subject for a great melodrama. The promise of two Almodóvar films in two years seems too good to be true. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed, those of us who are passionate (if not obsessed) with Pedro Almodóvar. *
Stale Popcorn Glenn surveys the 19 eligible films for the Australian Oscars. I Need My Fix Jane Lynch gets a wax figure. Glee has now officially taken over the world. Watch it take over the Emmys next. Hot Blog in depth Sissy Spacek interview. Goes all the way back to the early years.
I didn't work until I was 20. I just looked like I was 13.
HKMDB Daily Stills from the Chinese remake of What Women Want with superstars Gong Li & Andy Lau Towleroad Jennifer Aniston as Barbra Streisand? People...
Scanners looks at how the reviews of Salt deal with Angelina Jolie's super-sized star persona Box Office Mojo some release date shifts for Disney and two cancellations. Is the Beauty & The Beast 3D death another sign that 3D is over? If so, YAY! B&tB is perfect as is thankyouverymuch. His Eyes Were Watching MoviesVolver collects another fan. I honestly think that movie will continue to do so until it's regarded as one of Almodóvar's very best. Because it so is. That Obscure Object old paparazzi photos sometimes freak me out. This is the Thelma & Louise stars: Susan, Geena and Brad. Ah, sweet bird of 1991 youth. Empire when I read the capsule header or this article about Dolphin Tale starring Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr and Morgan Freeman -- that cast! -- I actually thought I had clicked on the wrong link and gone back to an article from the 1990s. True story, I did. Low Resolution Have you read Joe's entertaining & thought provoking personal Emmy ballots? You should.
must read contemporary post of the day Op-Ed Maureen Dowd and Sam Wasson, the author of that Breakfast at Tiffany's book discuss the sorry wrist-slitting state of the romantic comedy. They name names. Wonderful discussion. I just may read it again and buy Wasson's book.
must read retrospective post of the day Nick's Flick Picks reviews James Cameron's The Abyss (1989). As per usual his insights are totally invigorating. He always makes me want to see movies again. You can miss so much. I love this bit on Ed Harris
Harris, whose charisma, gaze, and body were like a periodic table of virile emotion during this period in his career, is tremendously moving throughout this key sequence, and really throughout the movie.
"A periodic table of virile emotion"...god, what a gorgeous distillation of Ed Harris. When is his honorary Oscar coming (since the real thing seems ever out of reach)?
For this next group installment of the countdown we start in beautiful France and have a lot of trouble leaving it! It even pulls us back in the end.
30 Beau Travail dir. Claire Denis (1999, released in 2000) It's okay that I haven't seen it in so long that it feels like a dream now. It always did. And that "Rhythm of the Night" ending. My oh my oh my. Denis has cast her unique spell many times since, but never quite like this.
29 Caché (Hidden) dir Michael Haneke (2005) A boon to patient moviegoers... and a bane. But who tortures audiences with as much control, mystery and depth of meaning? It's easy to make an audience jump with loud jarring sound cues and shock cuts. But I've never seen anyone make an audience leap and gasp as loudly, like one collective frightened hive, without the aid of music or editing. Haneke is a master.
28 Marie Antoinette dir. Sofia Coppola (2006) My most controversial "favorite" all decade long. So many people were outright angered by Sofia Coppola's third dream of a movie. Imagine making a historical epic about a frivolous young woman from her point of view. And without the violence! "How DARE she!?! Only men (of any age and temperament) deserve historical epics from their own points of view!" [/sarcasm] Coppola is three for three now, making her one of the most important cinematic voices of our time. Picture number four is on its way. Can't wait.
27 Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) &Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) Some people think Tarantino's most purely cinematic double (DP Robert Richardson sure is gifted behind a camera, isn't he?) is disposable entertainment, all style no substance. But it might well be my favorite from his filmography, give or take Pulp Fiction. And though I found/find Vol. 2 a more traditionally talky Tarantino effort and therefore a slight letdown after the surprisingly visceral visual punch of Vol. 1... there's no beating its amazon vs. amazon showdown in a crowded trailer. "Bitch, you don't have a future."
26 Dogville dir. Lars von Trier (2003, released in 2004) Lars von Trier's audacious parable was 178 gripping minutes of cinema... despite and also because it takes place on a bare stage. One of the most violent pictures I've ever seen. And there's not a drop of blood.
25 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring dir. Kim Ki Duk (2003, released in 2004) Simplicity and wonder... a peaceful profound tonic dropped in an ocean of violent pictures.
24 I ♥ Huckabees dir. David O. Russell (2004) My favorite existential comedy of the decade. Unless you count Eternal Sunshineof the Spotless Mind. So... yes, maybe the rebirth of the musical isn't the story of the movie decade but the creation of the existential comedy? Or has that been around since The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Or am I stretching the definition? 'The interconnection thing is definitely for real!'
23 The Wrestler dir. Darren Aronofsky (2008) He made three pictures this decade and they're all on the list. Does that make him my favorite? It puts him up there at any rate. Even when people think he's down for the count (The Fountain) he gets back up for more. Rather like "Randy the Ram" albeit without the pathos. Aronofsky is only 40 years old. Many filmmakers start strong and fade. I hope he's just warming up.
22 Lost in Translation dir. Sofia Coppola (2003) There is so much inside the movie worth loving: the pink panties, the karaoke, the rare star chemistry, the Cameron Diaz mimicry, the soulful ennui... but what I remember most vividly six years later, on that first encounter, was the afterglow. It was a cool evening and we'd missed the rain. Walking away from the theater, the streets were wet and reflective and I just kept looking around, absorbing the shimmering color and the skyscrapers. It wasn't Tokyo obviously but it felt rather like seeing New York again for the first time, like the movie had recharged my senses: Lance Acord was walking beside me as personal DP, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray were whispering something profound in my ears.
21 No Country For Old Men dir. Coen Bros (2007) The Coen Bros inexorable death march was thrillingly rendered and beautifully acted with Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin all at the peak of their powers. Bonus points for that audience confounding but pitch perfect black out ending. You really can't stop what's coming.
20 Volver dir. Pedro Almodóvar (2006) I once started counting the kisses in this underappreciated wonder because I loved the loud smacking so much. I abandoned the kiss count after 15 minutes and 47 smooches but no matter. For no amount of P.D.A. can properly show my love for Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), her loud sister and their ghostly mother. I could kiss them thousands of times and you still wouldn't know how dear they are to me.
19 Before Sunset dir. Richard Linklater (2004) "Baby, you're gonna miss that plane"
18 WALL•E dir. Andrew Stanton (2008) Calling it the best animated film of the decade is a compliment of high order. There were abundant cartoon treasures all throughout the Aughts... including many that didn't make this list. Maybe that's the cinema story of the decade? I keep looking for one but there are hundreds of stories. I'll take them all. I don't understand people who always want their movies prepackaged in one or two genres. Give me ALL KINDS.
17 Y Tu Mamá También dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2001, released in 2002) One of the greatest road trip movies. One of the greatest romantic triangles. One of the greatest sex comedies. One of the greatest coming of age dramas. One of the greatest. It's as magical as Boca del Cielo "Heaven's Mouth".
16 Entre Les Murs(The Class) dir. Laurent Cantet (2008) The closest we come to a documentary on the list (I didn't include them for purity reasons -- all of these being regular feature films) since this film, reenacted/transferred/adapted (however you want to describe it) by many of its subjects from a book of the same name, feels so damn authentic. Hollywood loves to make films about teachers fighting to reach their students. I've never seen one this good before. It earns its hard won light by allowing for the shadows.
Upon re-watching his brilliant film-noir tribute Bad Education, I couldn't help but notice how many times Pedro actually pays tribute to himself and even gives advanced previews to his own films. Simple enough I suppose when one of the lead characters is based on Pedro himself (in)directly: a queer filmmaker drawn to offbeat character pieces and an explosive exposé on Catholic priests exposing themselves.
Decked out in alter-ego Pedro's production office are posters accentuating these close ties. The two worth special notice are for a film titled La AbuelaFantasma, which translates roughly to "Ghost Grandma." I can only assume this means Almodóvar was tinkering with Volver at the time - his sensational saga of a mother seeking closure beyond her supposed death. Or at the very least he was interested in making a Spanish variation on Ghost Dad.
"She's old, she's bold, and she's back from the beyond! She also has candy in her purse."
Of course Almodóvar already gave us early glimmers of Volver way back in 1995 with The Flower of My Secret, in which he (in)directly tells of a Pedro-like author veiling her potent plotlines behind fake names. The film has our alter-ego author criticized by the angriest of agents for delivering stories that seem too absurd, without any discernible love behind them. One dissed idea is Volver down to a tee:
"A novel about a mother who discovers her daughter's killed her father who had tried to rape her? And so that no one finds out hides the body in a cold-storage room of the neighbor's restaurant?
Glad she's not Pedro's actual agent! Volver would have never seen the light of day. But by that description alone, one can barely imagine Volver's eventual richness and stunning ode to a mother's devotion.
Pedro also taps into his back-catalogue with a second dissed plotline:
"Who'll dream of people living in a seedy slum like the living dead? Who'll identify with a protagonist who works emptying shit out of hospital bedpans, who's got a junkie mother-in-law and faggot son who's into black men?"
Well, pissy agent woman, perhaps fans of What Have I Done to Deserve This? would identify with that... only replace "black men" with "creepy pedophile dentists."
Plus, even if it goes unspoken, a film like Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! certainly takes a knowing thematic leap from Law of Desire, with its "stalkers make the best soulmates" conceit. (A clingy Antonio Banderas is still Antonio Banderas.) Almodóvar's one of the few auteurs whose ideas we've seen visually and vocally gestate throughout his career. The inspired streams of consciousness for his characters eventually become the inspirational threads for his finest films. It's this kind of self-influence that leads to such personal, passionate and effortless touches on his part. It's also I'm sure what leads to his mammoth collection of devoted followers. You know the type: bloggers who make the most of insignificant details in his films.
Adam of Club Silencio here with a look at my favorite actresses and their distinguishing claims to fame.
If for some unjust reason Penélope Cruz should lose the Supporting Actress Oscar, I know she'll handle it well. Throughout her career she's learned to make the best of a bad situation. Not to say it won't take some time...
It wasn't all that long ago that Penélope was an actress lost in translation. Beautiful and effortless in Spanish; beautiful and trying in English. In short time and with the help of some great directors, Penélope's become a sensational bilingual stunner. I'm convinced it's because of that positive attitude. Even as a nun impregnated by an HIV-positive transvestite, or a teenage prostitute giving birth on public transport, Penélope finds such splendid ways to deal with cinema's most dire debacles.
Penélope's character Maria Elena, her nominated role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is on the path of self destruction once her lover takes another. But give her some time and that bitter hatred of the world and Scarlett Johansson magically transitions into artistic inspiration and mutual bisexual lust. Penélope's all about learning and personal growth.
"What did they say in art school? They said I was a genius... I'm not talking about talent. I said genius. Gee-nee-us. Gee-nee-us."
Her fruitful collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar have yielded her greatest tragedies, but also her greatest optimism. Penélope's transcendent turn as Raimunda in Volver pits her against all sorts of obstacles as a mother forced to cover the death of her deadbeat husband, cope with the sexual abuses of her past, and deal with the possibility that her dead mother still wants closure. Trying times indeed, but Raimunda turns that tragedy into triumph. She opens her dream business and manages to heal old wounds. "I felt like I knew women like that, and I love that she refuses to be a victim," says Penélope, "I love the dignity that Pedro gave her in the script, and I just wanted to give her that."
Penélope has already completed work on Almodóvar's latest, Broken Embraces, and prepared for the inevitable misery with that same distracting idealism, "I think every day changes you a little bit and makes you learn something new. Now maybe from the outside that change can be seen like a silent thing, but I think we're constantly moving forward, evolving, changing and learning."
Of course she's right. If you can survive Bandidas, you can survive anything. Just give Penélope some time. And the Oscar.
Every 8 days in 2008 we celebrate the 8th Something of Something. Woot!
Spanish living legend Pedro Almodóvar is known as a world great director but he's also a world great writer. He won a well-deserved Oscar in February 2003 for his screnplay to Talk to Her. Subsequent efforts Bad Education (2004) and Volver(2006) haven't won as many statues but their screenplays are terrifically layered; filled with both abundant dark humor and character detail.
Here's the 8th line of dialogue spoken in...Volver
"Burned to death! That's the worst way to die" -Sole (Lola Dueñas)
Many movies trip all over themselves as they screech to a halt for exposition. Not the films of Almodóvar. Volver collects exposition like bees collect pollen, buzzing quickly from gorgeous flower to gorgeous flower. It's doing a lot of work all the time but it plays beautifully --like you're eavesdropping on casual if stylized conversations. Until, that is, you watch the films a second or third time. It's then you realize how much you already knew but didn't know you knew as the new chapters unfurl. That cemetery sequence in Volver is just great, great stuff.
The 8th line of dialogue in Bad Education isn't as emphatic or expressive, just a quick exchange in a doorway but how about that title sequence that precedes it? It's nearly as enthralling as Volver's end credits... those delicious florals. Here's the 8th cleverly illustrated title card in the previous film.
Almodóvar sure does love the hot mess trannies. If you haven't seen either of these fine pictures, time is a wastin'. Get on that, will you? Before you know it it'll be a year from now and everyone will be talking about the reunion of most of the Volver cast for Los Abrazos Rotos (2009).
previously on "o8th" Costumes in Marie Antoinette, Descriptof for Elizabeth, Carrie's hands, murders in No Country For Old Men, Magic in Harry Potter and more.... *
Pedro Almodovar's filmography offers an abundance of affectionate hooks, but the kissing in Volver is one of his most ingenious. That double cheeked, loud repetitive smacking added so much to the humor and pathos to an already great film. The kissing served up an amusing blend of true intimacy and wary distance-keeping.
Let's take a look...would that this post also had sound! Volver begins in a cemetery where daughters busily clean their mothers' grave. Just as soon as they've packed up their supplies to head home it's suddenly girls gone wild ... with kissing!
The festive smacking is prompted by the entrance of Agustina (Blanca Portillo in green above), a friend to Volver's central family. She is the movie's loudest and most passionate kissing advocate. Agustina gives young Paula four kisses remarking "she's all grown up!", Raimunda (a justly Oscar nominated Penelope Cruz) gets two. Finally Agustina meets her match as she embraces Sole (the wonderful Lola Dueñas in blue). Sole's smooches are the only rivals to Agustina's in enthusiasm and volume. They trade five (five!) noisy smackeroos. It sounds like ten.
This possibly senile old woman is pickier about her cheek-to-cheek time. Raimunda gives her dear Aunt six affectionally received kisses. Aunt Paula then cheerfully trades two with Raimunda's daughter, noticing their shared name. Warily, she accepts two cheek pecks from Sole.
Aunt Paula's instant distrust of this forgotten niece is one of the movies funniest jokes. Immediately following the kiss she proclaims to Raimunda...
That Sole looks like one right sourpuss
A line that's even funnier than its delivery since Sole (pictured, right) almost always has a genuinely good-natured expression plastered on her face.
Aunt Paula remains unconvinced about this Sole character as they all say goodbye. To Raimunda she gives a huge hug complete with six kisses again, two simple kisses go to the younger Paula and, with a rather confused "must I?" expression on her face, the forgetful woman succumbs to two cheek-to-cheeks from the sourpuss.
Raimunda blows her ancient Auntie a kiss and heads out the door. Next stop: Agustina's across the street.
Agustina restrains herself when her friends arrive and lets her lips busy themselves with chatting. She also offers up a doobie. Her first kiss in this scene is actually delivered from lips to fingers to a photo on the wall. The woman in the photo is her long missing and possibly dead mother -- "the only hippie in the village" she proudly notes. Agustina, who is sickly herself, is in some ways the bridge character between the living and the dead in Volver so it's fitting that she kisses them, too.
When the sisters take their leave Agustina's lips attack again. Four kisses each for Raimunda and Paula. And another competitive kiss-a-thon with Sole, six kisses shared.
Will the kissing ever end? We're only 15 minutes into the movie and the kiss counter has reached an incredible...
There's a whole lot of lip smacking in Volver --has there ever been a movie with more kissing? Plant another one on me Pedro, please. *
~if you love this post, please link it or email to friends. Spread the love as freely as Agustina spreads kisses!~ *
The Must See You heard me rave about Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodovar's Volver. You know about the resulting Oscar nomination. If you missed it in theaters, do your movie-loving duty and pick this lovely flower up from the DVD garden. Sorry for the overworked metaphor...but seriously. Her Volver performance is so good it's like a complete memory wipe. Lacuna Inc has nothing on the Spanish goddess. You'll forget you ever hated her as an actress. Sahara, Woman on Top, Vanilla Sky? Sorry. Drawing a blank.
At Last! Twin Peaks' divisive second season is finally out. David Lynch fans will be thrilled to spend more time lost in the nightmare world of red curtains. Many people will scratch their heads wondering how they ever forgot about David Duchovny's tranvestite moment or Heather Graham as a ex-nun, or Sherilyn Fenn in general. On a random note: She had the best television eyebrows ever, didn't she?
Also... Dakota Fanning talks to spiders in Charlotte's Web. Barry Levinson releases a directors cut of the baseball drama The Natural(1984) starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger and Barbara Hershey. Matt Damon internalizes his world in The Good Shepherd.
Every year I tear out my hair trying to decide what I'd vote for if I had an Oscar ballot. I make it more difficult by adding categories. Juggling 100 movies and private delights into something public in 8 pages of awardage and commentary in 40ish categories is not easy. But I hope it's fun to read. Every year I think 'this is insanity -- can't do this no more!' but in the end I guess I think of it as scrapbooking, like a journal of moviegoing. I may not always agree with what I once felt. Hell, I may not agree with a few of these tomorrow. But it's there for time capsules sake and, as always, to further suss out my feelings about the cinema. So maybe it is worth all the work? I hope you get something out of it, too: Rental ideas, entertainment, fodder for discussion.
Volver and Children of Men ended up ahead of the pack with 9 medals in various categories. The Devil Wears Prada, Marie Antoinette, and The Departed were close behind with 8 each in what was essentially a strange year, with no films ever becoming as dominant in my heart as past favorites like Brokeback Mountain, A History of Violence, or Moulin Rouge!.
With my own awards out of the way, only Oscar remains. Up next: 13 more 2007 Movie Previews and the Oscar Symposium. Stay tuned.
I had the opportunity a couple of nights ago to revisit Volver. Susan P of Oscar Watch reportage fame hadn't seen it yet and I thought: but, of course I'll take a second dip. And just...wow. Again.
Everything I thought Pedro Almodóvar was doing right the first time deepened on a second viewing: the intriguing camera work, the surprisingly gentle twists and revelations of its novelistic plot, the sneaky trademark Pedro perversity --I don't want to spoil the plot but if you really stop to consider what's going on and the people you're rooting for...well, it gives you pause. The full earthy performances are outstanding. Cannes gave the women a shared Best Actress award and that was quite the discerning jury decision for there's not a weak link in the big feminine ensemble and they feel so lived-in, these relationships. The cast is even more convincing and entertaining in their evocation of a troubled but loving family full of individual rifts, favoritism and history than the cast of Little Miss Sunshine, and that pretend family got an Oscar nomination for their efforts.
What were the Academy members thinking when they snubbed Volver in so many areas? This is a moving, textured and funny drama. Detractors will tell you that Volver is not on the same level as Pedro's two Oscar winning efforts All About My Mother or Talk To Her and I would agree but in all seriousness, how many films are? This is the same problem Scorsese's Best Picture bid with The Departed is facing. If you're one of the world's greatest filmmakers, people are prone to undervalue whatever your new piece is. It's the ole' "I like your old stuff better than your new stuff" chestnut. Never mind that the old stuff everyone was so fond of was also once new stuff that wasn't as good as the old stuff or was stuff that people didn't "get" at the time. Great filmmakers make films that keep on revealing themselves. They make films that challenge the audience to keep up. They make films that age well.
In the foreign film category, there's no question that Volver deserved a spot in the shortlist. Canada's Water has a lovely humanity to it but Volver has that too and its far more inventive in structure and impressive in its filmmaking. Pan's Labyrinth is hard to beat visually but it's no match for Volver in the emotional complexity department or even in the eventual fusion of parallel stories: both films run on two tracks, though Volver does this in a far less obvious way, finally merging at film's end. The Spanish Oscars (The Goyas) agreed awarding Pan's Labyrinth more statues in total but giving their top prizes to Almodóvar's latest) I'm anxious to see the other three foreign film nominees which are all set to open soon. But if they're all on Volver's level, 2007 will begin stronger than 2006 ended at the movie theater.
Volver's absence from the foreign film list is the most egregious snub the Academy has made in the foreign category in many a year --it should certainly be as disappointing to movielovers as the snubbings of City of God and Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece In the Mood for Love in recent years. Despite Almodóvar's two Oscar wins (foreign film in 1999 for All About My Mother and screenplay in 2002 for Talk To Her) this new snub calls into question previously held notions that the Academy is super fond of him in general. To my knowledge Spain's film industry powers-that-be (who reportedly have a difficult relationship with their most celebrated filmmaker since Luis Buñuel) have only submitted five of his films for Oscar consideration. The chosen ones: Women on the Verge..., High Heels, The Flower of My Secret, All About My Mother and Volver. Only two have made the Oscar shortlist. For comparisons sake, Buñuel himself had three eventual Oscar shortlisters in his lifetime (Tristana, That Obscure Object of Desire, and his winner The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) . Like Pedro he received two Oscar nominations on his own.
As for Penélope Cruz and the Best Actress race, I'll say this: I recently got an email from a reader asking me if he was correct in assuming (based on my own awards) that I preferred Cruz to Helen Mirren's award devouring work in The Queen this year. I assume this question was asked out of sheer disbelief, given the near universal and lavish praise that Mirren has been wearing so well. But my answer was yes. It surprised me too. The Spanish actress knows completely what she's doing in the embodiment of "Raimunda." She accurately and beautifully illuminates the character's particulars: her irritability, her forceful resolve, her quick draw temperament as she rapidly assesses every situation (sometimes too rapidly) and barrels through. In the final act Penélope really proves her mettle. Years of controlled and locked up emotions come flooding back in, completely bewildering her. And then there's that new little girl softness towards films end, that's both touching and a telling actorly touch. People will be loving this performance for years to come.
Back in September, when I was flush with the excitement of seeing Volver for the first time I thought the sky was the limit for its Oscar and box office prospects and I wasn't the only one. Pedro Almodóvar had been building steam with the public and with Oscar voters. I was curious back then at how well Volver would fare financially. Just for updates sake I'll let you know that Volver, closing in on 10 million @ the box office? (and just beginning its expanded post Penélope nomination run) will surpass Talk to Her's total and may even disrupt All About My Mother's top dog status with Pedro inclined ticket-buyers. The public is responding even though the Academy dropped the ball. Good for them.
If you haven't seen Volver yet, run. It's a beauty.
I don't usually go in for box office prognostication (though I'm happy I did call The Devil Wears Prada's big hit status early -despite many naysayers) but I've become curious about how Pedro Almodovar's Volver, starring the Oscar buzzing Penelope Cruz will fare at the box office. It opens in just over a month.
Now, as part of my Foreign Film Oscar Coverage section, I used to keep a chart on how foreign films did at the box office here in the States. I quit this past year because it was too much work for too little reward --plus it was depressing. Who wants to know that an excellent feature like last year's Kings and Queen (TFE top ten list) made in its entire run what The Covenant made yesterday. But last night, while preparing for a Podcast I was guest-starring on (more on that later when it comes out) I got sidetracked looking at Pedro's Box Office history.
Pedro Almodovar is one of the most consistently successful world cinema directors but he has yet to have a film crossover quite to the extent that something like, say, Amelie did, which made $33 million. Assuming my math is correct (and I claim no real talent in that area) Pedro's biggest hit, adjusted for inflation, is All About My Mother (approx $13). To put that into recent perspective that's about the popularity level of an Y Tu Mama Tambien or a Monsoon Wedding and a shade more popular than say, a City of God or a Run Lola Run, all films with substantial urban market popularity but no real mall crowd action.
That Oscar winner is followed closely, very closely, by Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988, approx $12) which functioned as his international breakthrough. Talk to Her is in third with $10ish and, had it managed that best picture nomination it was probably close to getting, I believe it could have finally broken his $13 ceiling. All three of those films were released in November which seems to work for Sony Pictures Classics & Almodovar. So it makes sense that Volver is following suit.
[For those who are way too curious about this (like me) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! and Bad Education complete his American top five (though they're further behind)]
People seem shocked by my VolverBest Picture prediction. I am being a little fanciful but it could happen. If you ignore the 60s and 70s (for which I don't really have numbers and in which foreign films were more widely consumed by Americans) the lowest box office for a foreign language Best Picture nominee comes from, I believe, Il Postino which made about $33 (adjusted for inflation): an Amelie size hit.
So, for Volver to happen in a multiple nomination way, it probably needs to pull in more than the previous Almodovar films. It's not so much the $$ number as making a big enough wave to do so (which is reflected in the money to a degree, you follow). English language films have been nominated with less pre-Oscar nomination box office than Almodovar's previous hits have had but they're operating at an advantage since they're homegrown and get far more media coverage. Capote is the most recent example. After four months in release it had made $15 million. Post nominations it nearly matched that number again.
Any Box-Office inclined readers out there? How well do you think Volver will fare? Will it turn into Pedro's biggest hit yet?
This is my final Almodovar round up from around the web --too many other things vying for my attention at the moment. But I hope my fellow Pedro nuts enjoy.
And more Volver reviews from The Cutting Room (full length) "A-", As Little As Possible (capsule) "good but not great" and Deep Focus (full length) "really cozy and just a little overstuffed"
As promised --more Pedro Almodovar from around the web as the "Viva Pedro!" retrospective marches onward.
The Wit of the Staircase Beautiful! It's a look at Juan Gatti's evocative colorful film titles. La Dolce Musto Michael Musto on Penelope Cruz' best 'Sophia Loren' in Volver The Other Andrew He learned five things from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Certifiably Creative pays tribute to Almodovar as an artistic influence. Slant Blog Has Pedro lost his subversive edge?
"Viva Pedro!" is in its second week here in Manhattan and they're still showing Women on the Verge... I'm a little confused about this retrospective. I thought it would be a different movie each week. But I'll keep on rounding up the Pedro Almodovar links of interest for you to enjoy or ignore.
LA Times Kenneth Turan looks back with Almodovar at his brilliant career. Hindustan Times congratulates Penelope Cruz for Volvering back to Pedro. Nicks Flick Picks accidentally started a whole Pedro conversation. Go over there right now and tell him why he should love Almodovar like the rest of us. Sic' em! Amandas MsAdventures This isn't about Almodovar but it does reference him briefly in a fun way. It's a story about insomnia and living in Manhattan. Tom Fosgard considers Women on the Verge... a favorite and urges newbies to start with All About My Mother
In other Pedro gossip, reader Antonio tells us over at the ongoing Pedro Muse poll that the reason that Carmen Maura and Pedro Almodovar had the falling out in 1989 (Volver is her first movie with him since then) is that Pedro didn't take her to the Oscars that year.
Since I've been loving Pedro long time (since 1989 --yes, like many Americans, Women on the Verge... was my first taste) and since I'm currently polling you about his actress proclivities I'll periodically round up other Almodovar lovin' on the web as "Viva Pedro!" rolls out. (if you see something, say something)
PW #1 Auteur Lust a Volver review (NEW) Monster of Mud has a cool quote from Pedro and poses an interesting question. Pajiba "Un Maricon Brillante" --capsules on the whole filmography. Not just 8 films. Contact Music Almodovar wants to make a musical. Queer Beacon can't wait for Volver but makes do with the trailer. Lone Star Verve on the "Greatest Hits" package. (NEW) Guardian Unlimited An interview with the man himself.
Coming Soon But Not Soon Enough #8Volver (Sony Pictures Classics. Arriving in June. Now playing in Spain.)
I still vividly recall my introduction to the colorful, supremely cinematic world of Pedro Almodovar. It was a one two punch in short succession. I rented Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown out of sheer curiousity (based on the title) and found myself both disoriented and highly amused. Then a friend of a friend of a friend begged me to sit down with Law of Desire. I was a devotee from then on. I never saw that acquaintance again but damned if I don't owe him a loudly uttered "thank you."
For the past six years Pedro has been enjoying a beautiful creative renaissance. All About My Mother renewed Almodovar fever in 1999 (and won him the Foreign Film Oscar). Improbably Talk To Her didn't suffer by comparison and was considered another instant classic (He won a second Oscar and neared the top of my top ten list). And two years ago Bad Education's "fag noir" provided more thrills for adventurous filmgoers. Put simply: Almodovar is the most consistently thrilling auteur that's regularly working.
His latest feature Volver reunites him at long last with the star of his first Carmen Maura, arguably his greatest muse. Spanish beauty and blight on Hollywood films Penelope Cruz also stars. But I don't mind. Almodovar knows just how to use her talent. Maura plays the ghost of Cruz's mother.
Now if Pedro would only invite Victoria Abril back in the mix...
My trinity of favorites Law of Desire (1986), All About My Mother (1999), Talk to Her (2002) Most underappreciated ¡Átame! (1990) Performances I love the most Carmen Maura in Law of Desire(1986), Victoria Abril in both Kika(1994) and ¡Átame!(1990), and Gael Garcia Bernal in Bad Education(2004) My least favorite Matador (1987) Haven't seen [embarrassed] Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980), The Flower of My Secret (1995)
Further pushing the dramatic line, Almodóvar explores how these passions come to form our identity and vice-versa. After all, what we obsess over, what we love for and cry for is a direct result of what we define ourselves as, whether that be motherless or childless, man or woman, gay or straight. Almodóvar's characters are often forced to confront their identities as they come to realize they were never what they thought they were to begin with, and the passions they've developed so unconsciously that have become so personal, may have been based entirely on non truths. These moments at the core of Almodóvar's films make for great melodramas that don't feel the slightest bit artificial. Yet another true contradiction of a talented filmmaker.
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