Volver

Chris and I finally saw Volver on DVD last night. I really enjoyed it, but Chris thought it was weird, overly melodramatic and not Pedro Almodovar's best (he particularly disliked the long face and rolling eyes of Sole but appreciated Raimunda's cleavage). I'll grant that it wasn't the best of Almodovar (Talk to Her is), and there's no way Penelope Cruz actually did the singing for her role, but it was still good, and better than a lot of films I've seen recently. All the reds and greens were stunningly vibrant, and I loved Raimunda's skirts and tight cardigans, reminding me of aspects of both Amelie and Chocolat.

We also saw March of the Penguins earlier in the week (we're way behind in our movie-watching). How flipping cute were those babies learning to walk on top of their mamas' feet? However, we both enjoyed the bonus DVD feature focusing on the experience of the two French men filming in Antarctica better. Amazing!

Movie Meme

1. Name a movie you've seen more than ten times.
Star Wars, Return of the Jedi, When Harry Met Sally, Amelie, Forrest Gump, Brief Encounter, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music.

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theatre.
The Matrix, The Two Towers, Bridget Jones's Diary, Forrest Gump, French Kiss (the electricity went out in a storm the first time round, so we got our tickets refunded and had to go back to see the conclusion; it wasn't really worth it).

3. Name an actor who would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Christian Bale, George Clooney, Cate Blanchette, Johnny Depp, Ziyi Zhang, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Kate Winslet, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, Ben Stiller.

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to see a movie.
Jackie Chan, Sylvester Stallone, Angelina Jolie, Christian Slater, Jennifer Aniston, Hugh Grant, Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise.

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Swingers, When Harry Met Sally, The Sound of Music.

6. Name a movie musical to which you know all the lyrics to all the songs.
The Sound of Music, Chicago, Newsies (ahem), Mary Poppins, Bye Bye Birdie, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

7. Name a movie you've been known to sing along to.
See #6.

8. Name a movie you would recommend everyone see.
Amelie, It's a Wonderful Life, Rebecca, The Apartment.

9. Name a movie that you own.
Annie Hall.

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who's surprised you with their acting chops.
Mark Wahlberg.

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Unfortunately, no.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
Not in a theatre, no. If ever I wanted to, the boy was too into the movie. However, I have made out to videos/dvds.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but you just haven't gotten around to seeing it?
The Queen, Notes on a Scandal, The Last King of Scotland, Casablanca.

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Yes, Miami Vice last summer.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theatre.
Too many to name, but I thought I'd never stop crying after Dancer in the Dark. (I went to the supermarket to buy my dinner afterwards, sobbing all the while...).

16. Popcorn?
Occasionally, but not often. Usually only if I'm going to miss dinner.

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting or watching at home)?
Not nearly as often as I used to; once a month, if I'm lucky.

18. What's the last movie you saw in the theatre?
Pan's Labyrinth.

19. What's your preferred or favourite genre of movie?
Romance, comedy or anything with magical realism.

20. What's the first movie you remember seeing in the theatre?
Either Snow White or Bambi.

21. What movie do you wish you'd never seen?
Sin City, Event Horizon, Miami Vice.

22. What's the weirdest movie you've ever enjoyed?
Delicatessen, Mon Oncle.

23. What's the scariest movie you've seen?
Event Horizon, Resident Evil, Pan's Labyrinth.

24. What's the funniest movie you've ever seen?
So I Married an Axe Murderer, Little Miss Sunshine, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Meaning of Life, The Life of Brian.

Pan's Labyrinth

We went to see Pan’s Labyrinth at The Cameo last night and I’m struggling to recall the last time I enjoyed a film less.* Undoubtedly, it was well made: the special effects were fantastically creepy, the acting was superb, the little girl was gorgeous and the cinematography was great. However, it just wasn’t what I expected, so it disappointed. I generally enjoy films best when I go in knowing very little about them, so I didn’t read any reviews or anything; I just knew it had won a few Academy Awards and was a bit dark and creepy, but with puppets and animated creatures (so how sinister could it be?). I expected something like The Dark Crystal, or something Tim Burtonesque – it wasn’t. Nothing had prepared me for the extreme violence (particularly not the BBFC 15 certificate). From the first killing (by repeated face stabbing with a broken bottle), I was tense; by the time the Captain painstakingly stitched up his own facial flesh wound and everyone in the cinema groaned, I was in a fetal position. It was a relief when it was finally over.

*I’ve remembered: Chan-wook Park’s film Oldboy (2003), which had also been praised to the heavens and was recommended by a friend who claimed it to be the best movie he’d ever seen.