WINNERS OF THE 2024 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

"The Room Next Door", Pedro Almodovar's first feature film in the English language, went on to receive the top prize of the Golden Lion at the conclusion of the 81st Venice Film Festival. The Spanish director's latest stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as close friends who drifted apart but are reunited years later due to difficult circumstances.

Actor Brady Corbet’s third feature as a filmmaker, "The Brutalist" won him the Best Director prize. This over three-hour long drama chronicles thirty years in the life of a Hungarian-born Jewish architect (played by Adrien Brody) who survived the Holocaust, later migrating to America for a better life only to endure new challenges.

The runner-up Grand Jury prize went to "Vermiglio", an Italian drama written and directed by Maura Delpero. Set during the second world war in the small mountainous village of Vermiglio, the film follows a large family who are deeply affected by troubling local and global events. A Special Jury Prize went to "April", by Georgian filmmaker, Déa Kulumbegashvili, which tells the story of an obstetrician who helps patients seeking abortions, despite this being illegal, and must defend herself when she is discovered.

The screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega for "I'm Still Here", the first film by the renowned Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles in over ten years, won the top writing prize. Set during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship in 1971, the film follows a family in search of the patriarch, a former Labour Party congressman, who has mysteriously disappeared.

Nicole Kidman received the Best Actress award for her work in the erotic thriller, "Babygirl". She plays high-ranking CEO who begins a forbidden romance with a captivating and much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. The film's director, Halina Rejin received the honor for Kidman due to the unexpected passing of her mother. Vincent Lindon won Best Actor for "Jouer avec le feu (The Quiet Son)" in a film about a father who is estranged from his son over their disagreements on political ideology.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2024 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "The Room Next Door"
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "Vermiglio"
Silver Lion Best Director: Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Special Jury Prize: "აპრილი (April)"
Best Screenplay: Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, "I'm Still Here"
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon, "Jouer avec le feu (The Quiet Son)"
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Paul Kircher, "Leurs enfants après eux (And Their Children After Them)"

2023 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival is set to begin on May 16th through May 27th. With the legendary French actress, Catherine Deneuve featured on this year's promotional poster, using a photo from the set of her 1968 movie, "La Chamade (Heartbeat)", there are nineteen feature films selected to be screened in competition. Most of these new works are by an impressive list of international filmmakers who have previously appeared at Cannes: Karim Ainouz ("Firebrand"), Wes Anderson ("Asteroid City"), Marco Bellocchio ("Rapito (Kidnapped)"), Wang Bing ("Jeunesse"), Catherine Breillat ("L’Eté Dernier"), Nuri Bilge Ceylan ("About Dry Grasses"), Kaouther Ben Hania ("Four Daughters"), Jessica Hausner ("Club Zero"), Todd Hayes ("May, December"), Tran Anh Hung ("La Passion De Dodin Bouffant"), Aki Kaurismaki ("Fallen Leaves"), Hirokazu Kore-eda ("Monster"), Ken Loach ("The Old Oak"), Nanni Moretti ("Il Sol dell’Avvenire (A Brighter Tomorrow)"), Alice Rohrwacher ("La Chimera") and Wim Wenders ("Perfect Days").





And making their first major appearance on the Croisette in the main competition are Justine Triet with her fourth feature, "Anatomie d’Une Chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"; Ramata-Toulaye Sy, the French-Senegalese filmmaker will premiere with her debut feature film, "Banel & Adama" and Jonathan Glazer, the British director behind "Sexy Beast" and "Under The Skin", will appear for the first time in competition with his latest, "The Zone of Interest", based on the novel by Martin Amis.

Ruben Östlund, the two-time Palme d’Or winner whose most recent film, "Triangle of Sadness" became a worldwide success, has been picked to lead the Main Competition jury. The rest of this year's jurors will include Moroccan director Maryam Touzani; French actor Denis Ménochet; British-Zambian filmmaker, Rungano Nyoni: American actress, Brie Larson; American Actor, Paul Dano; Afghan filmmaker, Atiq Rahimi; Argentinian director, Damián Szifrón and French director, Julia Ducournau.

The festival opens with "Jeanne du Barry", the new film by Maïwenn, the French filmmaker and actor who won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2011 for her film, "Polisse", who also stars in the title role. Based on the life of King Louis XV’s last royal mistress at the Court of Versailles, the film reveals how du Barry came from a working-class background and worked her way up the social ladder using her charm and beauty. This bio-pic features Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud and Johnny Depp, making his first return to the screen in three years (and speaking French), as the King.



The Closing Night Film will be the latest animated faeture from Pixar , "Elemental". This film is set in the world of Element City where the elements of earth, fire, water and air live together in harmony. But when fire, Ember and water, Wade grow close, things become complicated for them because they cannot touch. "Elemental" will be released in US theaters on June 16th and in France on June 21st.



Out-of-Competition screenings will include the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon". Based on the non-fiction book by David Grann, Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this story about a series of murders in the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s, committed not long after oil was discovered on tribal land. Harrison Ford returns for the fifth time as his iconic character in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". James Mangold directs this latest adventure with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Mads Mikkelsen co-starring. And the Spanish director, Pedro Almodvar makes his second English language project with another short film, "Strange Way of Life". This western focuses on a cowboy (Pedro Pascal) and a sheriff (Ethan Hawke) who were friendly twenty-five years ago when they worked together as hired gunmen. But the cowboy reveals that this reunion is not about catching up on old times.







Quentin Tarantino will attend Cannes Directors’ Fortnight as a guest of honor on May 25th for a special event that will feature a secret screening and a discussion on his views of cinema history that will expand upon his recent book, "Cinema Speculation". And Michael Douglas will receive the Honorary Palme D'Or this year. The American actor, who has been working for over fifty years and appeared in such films as "Fatal Attraction", "The China Syndrome", "Romancing the Stone", "The War of the Roses" and "Basic Instinct", will receive this honor on opening night with a previously unseen documentary, "Michael Douglas, The Prodigal Son" also being screened.

2021 AFI FILM FESTIVAL

This year's American Film Institute's annual celebration of new cinema will be taking place starting this week on November 10th and through the 14th. This film festival, considerably shortened than previous years, will be a hybrid of virtual and in-person screenings with them being held at the TCL Chinese theatres in Hollywood. All festival-goers will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to attend in person screenings and events.

The Opening Night film will be the world premiere of  "Tick, Tick... Boom!", Lin-Manuel Miranda's cinematic debut as a director with the adaptation of the first musical by Jonathan Larson, the creator of "Rent". This semi-autobiographical story stars Andrew Garfield as an aspiring theatre composer who suffers from a life crisis as he approaches thirty and he hasn't accomplished what he had hoped by this point. "Tick, Tick... Boom!" is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 12th before streaming on Netflix on November 19th.



Other red carpet premieres will include Pedro Almodóvar's latest colorful melodrama, "Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers)" with Penelope Cruz; "Swan Song", a drama by Benjamin Cleary with two-time Oscar winner, Mahershala Ali staring as a man diagnosed with terminal cancer and is offered a radical alterative solution for treatment by his doctor, played by Glenn Close; "Sing 2", the sequel to the 2016 film "Sing", continues the story of Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) with his new cast who have their sights set on putting on a new show at the Crystal Tower Theater in Redshore City. This animinated film also features the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Taron Egerton and Nick Kroll. And there is the world premiere of Halle Berry's first film as director with "Bruised". The Academy Award winner also stars as an aging mixed martial arts fighter who seeks redemption by accepting an offer to fight the top fighter in an unsanctioned bout while also dealing with the unexpected return of the child she gave up for adoption.







And the Closing Night film will be "King Richard". Will Smith plays Richard Williams, a determined father who sets out to help make his young, talented daughters, Venus and Serena, two of the greatest athletes of all-time. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs. "King Richard" will be released theatrically and streaming on HBO Max on November 19th.



The rest of the fest will feature new works of world cinema, documentaries, short film competition, "Meet The Press" film festival which will spotlight compelling short documentaries involving issues facing society and AFI Conservatory Showcase that will feature the short films by recent graduates of AFI.

For the complete list of films and to purchase tickets and passes, please click below:

AFI 2021

WINNERS OF THE 2021 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

Female filmmakers dominated this year's jury prizes of the 78th annual Venice Film Festival. Audrey Diwan’s timely drama, "L’Evénement (Happening)" took the top prize of the Golden Lion. The French film, set in the 1960's, involves a promising young woman about to enter college when she discovers she's pregnant, forcing her to decide on finding a way to terminate. Diwan became the first female director to take Venice’s top prize since Sofia Coppola won for "Somewhere" in 2010.

After not making a feature film in twelve years, Jane Campion won the Silver Lion Best Director Award for her upcoming Netflix film, "The Power of the Dog". Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst star in this neo-western involving a rancher who thrives on instilling fear in those around him and after his brother arrives with a new wife and her son, he has new victims to torment yet their presence changes him.

Maggie Gyllenhaal won the Best Screenplay Award for her debut feature as a writer/director with, "The Lost Daughter", based on Elena Ferrante’s dark examination on motherhood. Penélope Cruz received the Best Actress prize for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s latest melodrama "Parallel Mothers". And Paolo Sorrentino won the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize for "The Hand of God", a coming-of-age story about an awkward Italian teen (played by Filippo Scotti, who won the award for Best Young Actor) struggling to find his place, but finds comfort from his amazing yet complicated family.

Here is the list of winners from the 2021 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion for Best Film: "L’Evénement (Happenings)"
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "È stata la mano di Dio (The Hand of God)"
Silver Lion Best Director: Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
Best Screenplay: Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Penélope Cruz, "Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers)"
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: John Arcilla, "On the Job: The Missing 8"



Special Jury Prize: Michelangelo Frammartino, "Il Buco"
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Filippo Scotti, "È stata la mano di Dio (The Hand of God)"
Luigi De Laurentis Award Best First Feature: Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark, "Imaculat"

Orizzonti (Horizon) Awards:

Best Film: "Pilgrims"
Best Director: Eric Gravel, "Full Time"
Best Screenplay: Ivan Ostrochovský and Peter Kerekes, "107 Mothers"
Best Actress: Laure Calamy, "Full Time"
Best Actor: Piseth Chhun, "White Building"
Special Jury Prize: "El Gran Movimiento"
Best Short Film: "Los Huesos"

2021 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The 2021 Venice Film Festival is set to begin and will be an in-person event. And that means COVID controls will be in place with social distancing inside the theaters and vaccination status verification or a recent negative test will be required for entry in to screenings. The 78th annual international film fest will begin today and will be held until September 11th. This will be the first opportunity to see some of the upcoming films that will be released later this fall and winter.

The latest from Pedro Almodóvar, "Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers)" will open the festival and make it's world premiere. Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit star as two single pregnant women who each have different views on their impending accidental pregnancies and while they wait to give birth, the conversation they share will impact the rest of their lives. "Madres Paralelas" is due to be released in the US on December 24th.



The South Korean director, Bong Joon-ho was selected as this year's Jury President and his fellow jurors, Italian director/writer, Saverio Costanzo; Belgian actress, Virginie Efira; British actress and singer, Cynthia Erivo; Canadian actress, Sarah Gadon; Romanian-German director, Alexander Nanau and Chinese director/writer (and recent Oscar-winner), Chloé Zhao will decide on which films will receive prizes. Some of the films in the main international competition will include new works by Paolo Sorrentino ("È stata la mano di Dio (The Hand of God)"), Ana Lily Amirpour ("Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon"), Paul Schrader ("The Card Counter"), Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog"), Pablo Larraín ("Spencer"), Mario Martone ("Qui rido io") and the directorial debut by actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Lost Daughter").







Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sci-fi adventure, "Dune", that features an impressive all-star cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem, will be screened out of competition and makes it's world premiere at Venice. The film is set to be released in theaters and HBO Max on October 22nd.



Roberto Benigni, the Oscar-winning, Italian actor/filmmaker and actress, Jamie Lee Curtis will each receive an honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Curtis will also be on hand for the world premiere of her latest film, "Halloween Kills" from David Gordon Green. And Ridley Scott will receive this year's Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker award. The eighty-three year old British director of such cinematic classics as "Alien", "Gladiator" and "Blade Runner" will also screen his new work, "The Last Duel", a medieval action-thriller that stars, Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Ben Affleck and the very busy, Adam Driver.

WINNERS OF THE 2019 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho took the top prize of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival for his well-received dark family farce, "Parasite". The director has shown at the fest before, with "Mother", "The Host" and "Okja", and this is his first time taking a major award. Mati Diop, an actress and writer-director in France, returned to her home country of Senegal to make her first feature film, "Atlantiques (Atlantics)" and won the runner-up prize of Grand Prix. This drama tells the story of a young woman in the Senegalese capital of Dakar, whose lover disappears while seeking better opportunities in Europe and Diop made history as the first black female filmmaker to compete in Cannes' main competition.

Antonio Banderas, who has worked with Pedro Almodovar eight times previously, received the Best Actor award for his work in the Spanish director's latest, "Dolor y Gloria (Pain and Glory)". The actor plays a sort-of-alter ego to Almodovar in this film about a long-time director who is in physical and emotional decline. Emily Beecham won Best Actress for her performance in "Little Joe", a British sci-fi drama about a scientist who creates a genetically-engineered flower that causes strange changes in living creatures. And Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the Belgian film making brothers who have won many prizes at Cannes (including the Palme d'Or twice for "Rosetta" and "L'Enfant") received the Best Director prize for the first time with "Le Jeune Ahmed (Young Ahmed)". This disturbing yet timely film revolves around a young Belgian boy who plots to murder his teacher in the name of his religion.

Here is the list of winners of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival:

Palme d’Or: "Parasite"



Grand Prix: "Atlantics"
Jury Prize (Tie): "Les Misérables" and "Bacurau"



Special Mention: "It Must Be Heaven"
Best Director: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, "Young Ahmed"
Best Screenplay: Céline Sciamma, "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire"
Best Actress: Emily Beecham, "Little Joe"



Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, "Pain And Glory"
Camera d’Or: "Our Mothers"
Short Film Palme d’Or: "The Distance Between Us And The Sky"
Special Mention: "Monster God"
Fipresci Director's Fortnight-Critic's Week Prize: "The Lighthouse"
Fipresci Un Certain Regard: "Beanpole"
Fipresci Competition Prize: "It Must Be Heaven"

2019 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The image of the late French filmmaker Agnès Varda, who passed away in March, was selected for the poster of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It is taken from her at work while filming her 1955 debut, "La Pointe Courte" which played at Cannes that year. The seventy-second edition of the fest will begin on May 14th and run through May 25th.

The Opening Night Film will be the latest from American indie director, Jim Jarmusch with "The Dead Don't Die". This dark comedy is about flesh-eating zombies who begin to terrorize a small town. The amazing cast will feature Adam Driver, Bill Murray, Selena Gomez, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, RZA, Tilda Swinton, Tom Waits, Danny Glover, Rosie Perez and Carol Kane.



Some of the films in the Official Selection for Competition will be the latest works from acclaimed filmmakers from across the globe which includes Pedro Almódovar ("Pain & Glory"), Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite"), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne ("Young Ahmed"), Xavier Dolan ("Matthias And Maxime"), Arnaud Desplechin ("Oh Mercy"), Ken Loach ("Sorry We Missed You"), Céline Sciamma ("Portrait Of A Lady On Fire"), Ira Sachs ("Frankie"), Terrence Malick ("A Hidden Life") and the late addition of Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time In Hollywood") .





Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu has been selected as president for this year's jury who will decide on the winners of the prestigious prizes. The Oscar-winning Mexican director will have an impressive International line-up on his panel; American actress Elle Fanning; actress and director, Maimouna N’Diaye from Burkina Faso; American director, Kelly Reichardt; Italian filmmaker, Alice Rohrwacher; French author Enki Bilal; French filmmaker, Robin Campillo, Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos and Polish filmmaker, Paweł Pawlikowski.

Special Screenings at the fest will feature Werner Herzog's latest, "Family Romance LLC" which is about a man hired to impersonate the missing father of a twelve year old girl, "Tommaso" from director, Abel Ferrara and stars Willem Dafoe and the Elton John biopic, "Rocketman" that will make its global debut at Cannes in a special Out of Competition Gala screening on May 16th, two weeks before it's released in the U.S.

And French movie legend, Alain Delon with receive an honorary Palme d’Or in tribute to his career. The now eighty-three year old sex symbol made over eighty feature films and some highlights includes "The Leopard, (which won the Palme d’Or in 1963), "Rocco And His Brothers", "Plein Soleil (Purple Noon)", "L'Eclisse (The Eclipse)", "The Samurai", "The Swimming Pool" and "Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle)".

I'M SO EXCITED (LOS AMANTES PASAJEROS) (2013)

Written & Directed By Pedro Almodóvar


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA. July 1, 2013 1:45PM


After a number of well-received, dark melodramas that earned him new-found respect as a filmmaker (as well as a few Oscars), Pedro Almodóvar is back with a new comedy, "I'm So Excited". At first, it appears to be a return to form of his delightfully frothy sex comedies that helped put this Spanish director on the world's radar. However, this film is very far from his best work, in fact, it's so bad that I came incredibly close to walking out in the middle of this mess. On the surface, it feels very much like a classic Almodóvar film, a Technicolor fantasia laced with his trademark absurdist humor but here it's far too heavy-handed and inconsistent, lacking his usual graceful style and finesse.

On Peninsula Airlines, a flight from Madrid bound for Mexico City seems to have run in to a serious problem. A mechanical issue with the plane means that they need to make an emergency landing in Toledo (Spain, not Ohio which is thankfully cleared up in the film). The head pilot (Antonio de la Torre) has advised his first-class stewards to handle this matter discretely and delicately. Unfortunately, he's got the wrong crew to try and keep calm in the cabin. These three wildly flamboyant men each fit a specific type; one is overly dramatic, the other high-strung and of course, there has to be one that is preoccupied with sex. The drama queen, Joserra (Javier Cámara) explains that after a tragic situation, he can no longer ever tell a lie. That makes his current situation particularly difficult, not to mention trying to keep secret the special relationship he has with the married captain. Fajas (Carlos Areces) is the most low-key of the group (which isn't saying much) who obsessively prays for other people's sins while he proceeds to gossip about their evil-doings. Finally, Ulloa (Raúl Arévalo) struggles to keep his strong carnal desires in check, most especially with the handsome, sexually-ambiguous co-pilot (Hugo Silva) on board.

The stewards have come up with the ideal solution to deal with this life-threatening crisis; to get themselves as drunk as possible. Another thing this foolhardy bunch agreed upon is that the passengers in economy class shouldn't have to endure the stress of this potential disaster, so they've all been knocked-out with a cocktail of sedatives. However, the first-class cabin is wide awake, noticed that the plane is flying in circles and now demanding some answers. These wealthy passengers are a difficult and very challenging bunch with some of Almodóvar regulars including Cecilia Roth ("All About My Mother") and Lola Dueñas ("Volver") filling in these roles.  With their lives hanging in the balance, they slowly reveal the secrets of their mysterious lives and complicated passions publicly. These events make them feel so liberated that it even leads a few to become members of the Mile High Club.

The film appears inspired by the light romantic comedies of the 1960's except it's very much of the moment where you can now get away with a not-so-subtle visual sight-gag involving semen. Even Doris Day wouldn't want to be involved with "I'm So Excited" and not necessarily due to the more raunchy elements but because this lacks any of the breezy charm and comic wit of the movies of her generation. Almodóvar has built his career on this type of campy farce so, it's quite surprising how dated and uninspired this turned out. Even with what is supposed to be the film's most outrageous moment, that features our trio lip-syncing while dancing manically to the song that inspired the film's English-language title by The Pointer Sisters, it will leave you utterly bewildered and unamused much like the passengers on the plane. While the choreography is cute but it all goes on for far too long. Besides, everybody knows that if you're going to have guys miming along to female singers, they really should be wearing wigs and high-heels. That's part of fun.

Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz make cameo appearances at the begining of the film as part of the baggage crew. It's sad to say that the brief prescence of these two glittering Almodóvar veterans is actually the highlight of the film. "I'm So Excited" fails to capture the madcap spirit and wacky banter that we love about this filmmaker. It ends up feeling nothing more than some inferior filmmaker trying to make their version of an Almodóvar extravaganza.

THE SKIN I LIVE IN (LA PIAL QUE HABITO) (2011)

Written & Directed by Pedro Almodvar


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA.  October 16, 2011 7:00PM


Pedro Almodovar, the Spanish writer/director best known for his stylish, technicolor melodramas laced with a kinky sexuality, has returned with his latest, "The Skin I Live In" and while all of these components are still very much in place but this time he has added a new twist, or rather, twisted, dark and disturbing element to his new feature that comes across as very extreme, even for Almodovar.

Based on the novel, "Tarantula" by Thierry Jonquet, Antonio Banderas plays Dr. Robert Ledgard, a plastic surgeon who has announced to his colleagues that he has just developed in the lab human flesh that cannot burn. However, what the doctor neglected to tell them is that he wasn't testing the skin on lab animals but on an actual human, a young woman he is holding captive in his home.

Imprisoned for the last six years while still looking quite healthy, sexy and vibrant, Vera (Elena Anaya) has remained in a room in Ledgard's tastefully decorated mansion wearing only a flesh-colored bodysuit as she reads, practices yoga and tries to hang on to her sanity. Vera is constantly watched by cameras installed in the room to survey her every move while she is cared for by Marilia (Marisa Paredes), Ledgard's long-time housekeeper who never questions the idea of housing a prisoner.

An unexpected visitor arrives at the house, a man in a tiger costume. Zeca (Roberto Alamo) is Marilia's estranged son who is dressed this way because he is wanted for an armed robbery and since it is carnival, this is the only chance he can move around undetected. He sees Vera on the camera and thinking that she is someone that he knows, demands that his mother take him to her. After Marilia refuses, Zeca ties her up, then searching each room until he finds Vera where he proceeds to ravish her. The doctor arrives home finding Zeca on top of Vera and shoots him to death.

It's impossible to describe the film much further without giving away too much but I can say that there is a mysterious connection between Zeca, the doctor and his deceased wife who perished in a fiery car crash as well as with Vera who is imprisoned because of her tragic relationship with the doctor's mentally, unbalanced daughter and none of this is in any way you could ever possibly imagine.

Mr. Almodovar is in full control as his take on a horror film is done in the only way he knows; "The Skin I Live In" is boldly perverse, opulently creepy, and extravagantly disturbing but the final results end up being too grave to be much fun and a touch too frivolous to be taken seriously.

The screenplay is both overheated and undercooked for it is complicated, wildly over-the-top but still feels slight..While there are drops of  tiny clues throughout, the characters still have go through lengthy, detailed explanations to help figure it all out. There are hints of Almodovar's trademark quirky humor throughout but there isn't nearly enough to offset some of the absurdities of the plot..

Banderas, who hadn't appeared in an Almodovar film since 1990's, "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!", gives one of his best performances in a long time. He manages to appear somewhat reasonable yet wildly deranged at the same time. Ms Anaya, a stunning beauty, is a magnetic presence who doesn't say much but her expressive face displays her steely determination to survive her ordeal.

While "The Skin I Live In" is far from my favorite from Mr. Almodovar but let's face it--it's still Almodovar. Cinema is in desperate need right now for a film maker who offers his delightful style of wit, charm, and camp and (like how I feel about Woody Allen) even the lesser works by Pedro Almodovar are still more fascinating, watchable and enjoyable than many films out there.

BROKEN EMBRACES (LOS ABRAZOS ROTOS) (2009)

Written & Directed by Pedro Almodovar



Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA, December 11, 2009 7:35PM



Harry Caine is a blind writer currently living in Madrid but he is also Mateo Blanco who, years ago, was a major film director in Spain. We discover how this happened in the latest film by Pedro Almodovar, "Broken Embraces" which mixes film noir, high drama, outrageous humor and classic Hollywood to create another one of his beautifully unique cinematic visions.

We meet Harry (Lluis Homar) who has just finished seducing a beautiful young lady, when his long time agent and friend, Judit (Blanca Portillo) comes in to the apartment to check on him. After the girl departs, Judit's son, Diego (Tamar Novas) arrives. Diego assists Harry in writing his movie scripts. While working, Harry hears from the television that wealthy businessman, Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez) has died. The name brings back memories to Harry and we are taken back to 1992. Lena Rivas, (Penelope Cruz) is Mr. Martel's secretary. Her father is dying of cancer and she cannot afford the care he needs. She calls a madam that sets up jobs for her as a prostitute when she is in desperate need of cash.

When the client calls Lena to set up an appointment, she realises it is her boss, Mr. Martel. She quickly hangs up on him. The madam informs Lena that he was well aware of her part-time activities and insisted she call him if Lena arranged for any work. Lena decides to use this to her advantage to help her family and becomes Mr. Martel's mistress.

We are back in the present and a strange young man who calls himself, Ray X (Ruben Ochandiano) pays Harry a visit. Ray X is a film maker and wants Harry to write a scandalous screenplay for him based on Ernesto Martel to film. Harry turns him down but he recognizes his voice. Harry has Diego go through some old photos and discovers that Ray X is actually Ernesto Martel, Jr. We also see a photo of Lena.

This takes us back to 1994, when Harry is Mateo and he is in the process of making his new film, "Chicas y Maletas" which just happens to be very similar to Mr. Almodovar's classic film. Mateo is searching for a leading lady and Lena, who has always wanted to be an actress, auditions. She takes the nerdy and flamboyant Ernesto Jr. with her to film her audition. Mateo is captivated by Lena and hires her immediately.

Ernesto Sr. is obsessed with Lena and doesn't want to share her with anyone. He is against the idea of her making the film but Lena insists. He wants to make her happy, so he decides to become a producer on the film. This way he can be close and keep a eye of Lena. He also has his son follow her around and videotape everything she does. Mr. Martel watches the footage later with the help of a lip reader (Lena Duenas) to inform him of every word that is spoken to Lena.

Despite Mr. Martel's erratic behavior, this doesn't stop Mateo and Lena from beginning an intense and passionate affair. They manage to distract Ernesto Jr. long enough so they can have brief moments together but soon Mr. Martel catches the love birds. Lena tells Mr. Martel that she is leaving him and he retaliates by pushing her down the stairs. He rushes her to the hospital and begs her for forgiveness.

Lena still wants to leave Mr. Martel but he threatens to pull the plug on the movie if she does. She decides to stay until the film is complete. Once the film is done, Lena and Mateo run off to the Canary Islands to start a new life. Everything is perfect in a perfect, new location until they discover an advertisement announcing the movie premiere of "Chicas y Maletas" They know this is just a way for Mr. Martel to get them to come back to Madrid. They resist until they read that the film has received many bad reviews. Mateo is furious that Mr. Martel has destroyed all of his hard work, so they reluctantly decide to go back to see if they can salvage the film.

On the way back, they are involved in a terrible car accident that has very tragic results which leads to the end of Mateo Blanco and the beginning of Harry Caine. There are more secrets that are revealed before we reach the dramatic conclusion of this film and Mateo Blanco's film.

There is a lot going on in this film (perhaps a little too much) and it also feels a little long, but Mr. Almodvar has the confidence and the talent to make it all work. He is in control the entire way and he makes sure it all pays off in the end.

The director has created another great part for Ms Cruz to showcase her amazing gifts. By having her play an actress, this gives her an opportunity to show all that she is capable of, which doesn't always happen in the films she makes in Hollywood. The film has plenty of great performances, especially from Mr. Homar and from Mr. Almodovar's cast of reliable supporting players including the welcome reappearance of Rossy de Palma although it was way too brief.

I have to admit that "Broken Embraces" may not one of my favorite films by Mr. Almodovar but it is still a very good film and you should find the time to see this.

COMING SOON

Here is the trailer for "Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)",  the upcoming film by one of my all time favorite film makers, Pedro Almodovar and starring last year's Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress and star of Almodovar's last film, "Volver". Penelope Cruz. I'm not exactly sure what it's going to be about but, no matter. The film looks beautiful and I'm very sure I will be thoroughly entertained.

I will always remember going to a movie theater in Toronto at the impressionable age of 24 and being completely blown away by his film, "Law Of Desire" (1987). I just loved the film's style, it's use of color and the unabashed sexuality. It was just so different from the conventional Hollywood films that I was used to seeing. I also think it was one of the first foreign-language films with sub-titles I had seen. I certainly didn't have access to seeing them in Michigan at that time. I have seen and loved (or liked very much) every one of his films since then.

"Broken Embraces" should be released in the US on December 11, 2009.