Volver

Volver is another excellent film choice. Honestly, I didn't want to watch this film because I absolutely had no clue what it was about. I was contemplating on what film to see the night of and didn't know exactly what to do. What I really wanted to watch was The Curse of the Golden Flower with Chow Yun Fat. I read some reviews on it and people gave it okay reviews, but then I stumbled upon Volver and it got good ratings. I then find out that Penelope Cruz is in the film. I'm not a big fan of hers. The only movie I really ever enjoyed with her in it is Woman on Top. It's not an Oscar winning film but it's a very fun type movie, with a great soundtrack. Check it out people. So, my movie crew (sister and brother) headed out to check it out! I ended up really liking the film. It's pretty cool. It is a comedy and tragedy combo that works. The story is pretty deep, so I'll do my best to explain the main plot.

Volver, or Coming Back, is a story about death. Well not totally about death but damn does it occur often in the film. The main characters are the two sisters, Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) and Sole (Lola Dueñas) and Raimunda's daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). Raimunda lives in Madrid where she works as a custodian. Her husband is always drunk at home and is a dead beat. Her sister Sole is a hairstylist who lives alone after her husband left her. The film opens up with the two sisters and Raimunda's daughter tending to their mothers gravestone. After the cleaning, they go to La Mancha, their hometown, to visit their Aunt Paula who is still speaking to their dead mother, Irene, as if she never died. Then Aunt Paula dies and more mystery and suspense endure. But this film isn't a ghost or horror movie. It's a comedy and drama. So yeah that’s the back drop. There’s all this mystery and shit that goes down in the film. I don't want to spoil it so, I'll leave it there. Yeah, sorry my reviews are kind of weak.

Overall, it is an awesome movie for real. It's funny and sad. Oh and there’s this scene where Penélope Cruz lip sings this flamenco song. So cool. I'm a fan of flamenco music. Film didn't seem too long even though it was 2 hours. Go check your local listings, most places won't show this indie film even though I think it kicks most of whatever’s out there's ass!

Favorite quote "With your tits and my drinks, we can make a fortune" (well, it goes something like that. I don't know it exactly, but you'll see it).




edited January 10, 2007


This is the song by Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) in Volver. The actual artist who sings the song is Estrella Morente. Oscar winning performance by Cruz and great singing by Morente. Enjoy

El Laberinto del Fauno

A couple months back I saw this trailer on the Apple movies site. Immediately after watching the trailer, I knew that I had to see this film when it came out. During the Christmas holiday, I was able to find one theatre that was showing this film. My sibs and I went to go check it out and man was I right. I loved it. So here goes the review. The film title actually didn't make much sense to me because the actual foreign title translated would be The Faun's Labyrinth. Who the hell is Pan? The film is set during WW2, 1944 rural Spain to be exact. The main character, Ofelia (she's rad), and her mother are sent to live with her step father in the woods. We then are introduced to this adoptive father who's a military captain tasked with destroying the rebels. Man is this guy a dick and boy is he evil. Also, Ofelia's mother is pregnant with Captain JACK-OFF's kid (his acting is too good really, he makes me hate him). They arrive to the house which is also a fortification where they meet the rest of the characters in the film. Because of the mother's pregnancy and illness, Ofelia is often on her own. In her loneliness, she creates a world filled with fantastical creatures and imaginative destinations. That's basically what the film is about. But it's not totally fantasy. I'd say the film is more 25% fantasy and 75% realism. I’d go deeper into the plot but I don’t want to spoil anything.

Oh, there’s side story that I wanted to share. I went to the theatre during matinee to watch the film. Upon purchase, I asked for 3 tickets. The lady looked at me and asked if she could see my ID. I was like," oh crap, we get a student discount?" She then said, "No, the film is rated R. Can I see some ID?" I was shocked! Shocked! I'm 25 years old. And if you think about it, I'd have to look younger then 17 to be not eligible to watch the film. That lady was dumb. She must have been blind.

So yes, ladies and gentlemen, the film is rated R. You must be wondering why this film is rated R when it's clearly a fantasy film? Boy, are you in for a surprise. This movie is pretty damn gruesome. The characters are cool as hell, but they are pretty creepy looking. But the war scenes are pretty jacked up. People get blown up and stuff and you see it. Cooool! I give the film 2 thumbs way up. Check it out. My favorite scene in the film is task #2 with the retrieval of the dagger. Damn, so cool. Enjoy!