2011. Dir: Pedro Almodóvar. Starring: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Marisa Paredes and Blanca Suárez. ●●●●○
What is horror? Random House Dictionary defines it as "an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear", and that rigid explanation helps to conjure up the typical horror film audience, spellbound, dumbstruck, petrified in their seats. Desperate to dry out and defend the lonely teenager however transfixed by the seductive power of the knife-wielding, supernatural maniac.
The rules of the genre, as typified in the self-parodying chatter of the Scream franchise, are deceptively simple; open to reinterpretation, sure, but constant in their structure. It's therefore surprising that more established auteurish directors don't dip their toes, turning to genre exercises to stretch their skills in the way that Pedro Almodóvar does with The Skin I Live In.
Perhaps it's just a snobbish contempt for the form, after all many low-budget indies use tired horror cliches and over-egged metaphors and any idiot with a jump-cut can effectively startle an audience. Personally I expect it's more complex, there's a fear of making horror endemic in cinematic circles, there's a sweat inducing terror because making an effective chiller is a Herculean task. In our post-Gorno world where every sick fantasy imaginable has been seen audiences seem to need something extra to bring them to the edges of their seat (of course in reality it's the slow creep of dread that's always worked best for scaring crowds and that has nothing to do with the buckets of blood). It's a shame as Pedro here proves there's plenty of life in horror yet.
It's true to say Almodóvar has created a horror movie, with snatches of obsession, guilt and Stockholm syndrome, as well as drawing on modern body horror and the Frankenstein legend, it's equally true the film doesn't overplay the graphic sexualisation of violence - that is not to say there is no blood just that it feels like a natural conclusion to the action not the point of it - and could therefore be watched by even the most squeamish of genre avoiders.
Explaining the plot is a tough nut to crack, you may have notice I've been putting it off, mainly because it's a dense tale full of the melodramatic familial connections and soap-style revelations that we've come to expect from Almodóvar. There are also twists upon twists and to say much will spoil the feelings you get from the movie as it washes over you (not that the twists are especially shocking, they even feel natural and obvious in the moment, but to let the cat out of the bag before will deny you the opportunity to find out the delicious truth at the right time). Suffice to say the movie opens in a large isolated Spanish mansion housing an obsessive skin doctor (Antonio Banderas), his over protective housekeeper (Marisa Paredes) and a mysterious catsuit-wearing patient, practising yoga in a locked room (Elena Anaya). You can see the Frankenstein connection already. Why is Banderas have an enormous TV screen in his bedroom just to watch Anaya sleep? Why does Anaya relate to the sculpture of Louise Bourgeois? Who is the tiger at the gate? Is Banderas more obsessed about his wife that cheated on him, his daughter who was raped or the connected suicides of them both?
Some, but not all, of these questions will be answered satisfactorily. Others will come and go, getting lost in the ridiculous lines "I have madness in my entrails" and lost subplots (the artificial skin Banderas has been perfecting for Anaya seems like just an excuse to let him interact with other scientists). That said both Banderas and Anaya do fantastic work, as does Jan Cornet in a minor role I won't spoil, there's a moment we laugh out loud at his predicament yet when a tear roles down his cheek the entire audience went silent.
Of course I found problems with this movie, Almodóvar can't help being himself. The frame is gorgeously vibrant and exciting, the action perfectly paced and gripping, but full of melodramatic meanderings that could have come from any number of his other pictures. Some of which aid the story, others have no business being there.
Overall I would highly recommend this picture to horror geeks and non-fans alike for the genre busting and interesting departures Almodóvar makes. But remember it is Almodóvar making those departures.
Showing posts with label Skin I Live in. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Skin I Live in. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
The Skin I Live In
Friday, 26 August 2011
How deep is Beauty? (Out this week - 26/08/11)
How can one week look so interesting and yet so weak at the same time. On one end of the scale we have a couple of utter flops that are fighting for the teen audience, whilst at the other there's a (not totally successful) chick-lit adaptation and a Spanish melohorror which are both appealing to me. Of course it's Almodovar who wins out so the runs like a gay film of the week is The Skin I Live In.
The Skin I Live In
Marking their sixth collaboration together, and the first since 1990's Tie me Up, Tie me Down, we have Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas genre-bending in this mad scientist picture. Reviews from Cannes and since have emphasised the high camp that harkens back to the Universal monster heyday.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
One Day
It's disgustingly widely read, even I felt the need to turn the pages of David Nicholls' addictive novel, so was always going to face the wrath of the fans on it's release and early reviews have not been kind. That said I didn't like the book so I expect I will like the film!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Conan the Barbarian
From what I hear this muscle-bound remake really helps you to appreciate the simplicity and strong plotting of Arnie's original. Jason Momoa gets to wear very little as the titular hero, and amazingly they hired Morgan Freeman to narrate!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Kill the Irishman
Ultra limited release for this surprisingly starry biopic of longshoreman and gangster Danny Greene who wanted a cut of the Cleveland crime scene without paying respects to the Mafia. Look out for Vincent D'Onoforio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken in supporting roles.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
R: Hit First, Hit Hardest
Danish prison drama that does what it says on the tin, expect brutal inmate on inmate violence and maybe some messing with the screws. By way of a twist the central story recounts the friendship between two inmates of radically different racial and religious upbringings.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
As Blood Runs Deep
Another one of those heavy casts of good looking young Americans, a selection of wannabes and nearly were's whose career's hover a step above direct to video. There's been a murder in a close knit community and whilst they appear to be trying to work with the police I smell a conspiracy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Final Destination 5
Yet another instalment for this utterly preposterous horror franchise with DEATH chasing at the heels of a horde of survivors from a special effects heavy bridge collapse. As ever the most fun will be trying to work out what everyday object holds the key to the characters demise.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Powder
Oddly this dark comedy about the British indie music scene, with all it's ups, downs and general depravity is an American film, which does make you wonder about the state of the British film industry - probably more than you worry about the music at least.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Tuesday Trailers - The Skin I Live In
One of the combinations of film-maker and genre that I probably wouldn't have automatically put together is Pedro Almodovar and horror, however that seems to be the case in this pastiche of style with Antonio Banderas camping it up as a mad plastic surgeon. Enjoyed but not feted at Cannes this should still be well worth catching.
The Skin I live In is released on 26 August 2011.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Film News (08/05/2010)
I can't say that I spent much of this week looking at the news, what with the election on my mind I have been somewhat preoccupied. These four stories did jump out at me though.
Peace, Love and Misunderstanding
When Jane Fonda came out of retirement in 2005 we all drew collective breaths in awe of her talent, and looked forward to the fantastic projects she would have needed to bring her out. Unfortunately she made the funny enough Monster-in-Law followed by the very pedestrian Georgia Rule. Hopefully her next film will be an improvement, even if it is a Georgia in reverse as workaholic conservative Catherine Keener goes back to her mother tree-hugging Fonda to recover from a messy divorce. Admittedly this synopsis sound like utter garbage - it goes on to say they find love in extraordinary places - but that sort of combined talent can't be ignored.
Read on for twitching, ghost stories and an extraordinary horse.
The Big Year
When this birdwatching comedy first came to my attention (through production news in March) I clearly stated that it may have one of the least interesting casts of all time with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson as competitive twichers. However since then there have been some developments with a supporting cast now in place including Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, Rosamund Pike and Tim Blake Nelson. All of which is beginning to turn me. Still one to look out for. Like the guys on the left are doing.
The Skin I live in
Pedro Almodovar has annouced his next project, and it reunited him with his Tie Me Up, Tie me Down star Antonio Banderas. Strangely though, it's said to be a kind of horror movie, with Banderas playing a plastic surgeon who enacts a terrible revenge on his daughter's rapists - a more continental version of the Last House on the Left, if you will. Can't wait to see what Almovar does with a torture scene!
War Horse
You are fully entitled to take this story with a big pinch of salt, but apparently Steven Spielberg has decided his next film to direct will be the big screen adaptation of War Horse. (Not Interstellar or Pirates Latitude or Indiana Jones 5 or 39 Clues or Harvey or Matt Helm or the biopics of Abraham Lincoln or George Gershwin or Martin Luther King.) Adapted from the original children's story by Michael Morpurgo and not the hit play version which has a puppet horse (see below) the tale revolves around a pit pony that's sent to the front during the First World War. Expect Spielberg to try to make you cry.
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