Two Words, One Answer.
Penelope Cruz
 Don't Move $19.95 We've not been fair to Penelope Cruz, nor have some filmmakers, for that matter. Along her career in her native Spain, she has shown a fair amount of promise, whether in comedy, as early on in Fernando Trueba's 'Belle Epoque' (1992) or in drama, (Alejandro Amenabar's 'Open Your Eyes,' 1998, to Pedro Almodvar's 'Volver,' 2006). Said promise has been less nurtured in too many English-language dramas (in Ted Demme's 'Blow,' 2001, or in Cameron Crowe's 'Vanilla Sky,' 2002 - the 'Open Your Eyes' remake) and in comedy, likable and lovely, but forgettable (in Fina Torres' 'Woman on Top,' 2003) or less than exceptional (in Woody Allen's 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona,' 2008). It stands to reason that a professional such as Ms. Cruz would have become interested in the transfigurative role of 'Italia' in director Castellitto's 'Don't Move.' Shades of Sophia Loren's in Vittorio de Sica's 'Two Women' (1961), or of Florinda Bolkan in De Sica's 'A Brief Vacation' (1973). Ms. Cruz is remarkable here. Awards such as the Spanish 'Goya' for her performance were well earned. Reviewers took little, if any, notice of her in this movie (Leonard Maltin: "...an almost unrecognizable Cruz...delivers...an effective portrayal..."). Lovely to look at as she can be, often through 'Don't Move' I anticipated eagerly for her unglamorous character to return on-screen, many times in scenes where she is given few lines. Claudia Gerini (reminds one of Greta Scacchi) makes good with her own character, but Italia's life and circumstances make the movie, which some would otherwise dismiss as mysoginistic, which in turn might account for the Academy, having ignored Cruz's 'Italia,' made amends in 2009 by awarding her the Oscar for her part in Woody Allen's 'VCB'.  Volver $14.94 This is a movie about women. Men rarely appear and when they do are usually loutish and brutish. The women seem completely self-sufficient, mutually supportive, brave and resourceful. The memorable opening scene makes the point. Women from a village in the Spanish plains are busy polishing and cleaning their husbands' headstones and tombs. The camera widens and we see scores and scores of women. Penelope Cruz gives a wonderful performance. Her presence lights up the screen even when she is seen weeping bitterly. At such moments, she looks almost haggard but her inner beauty shines through. Cruz is at the fulcrum of this movie. I don't want to disclose any surprises so I'll simply say the story concerns three generations of women, all of whom have to overcome the trauma of ill-treatment by men. They do so by painfully uniting. The photography is frequently arresting and the story engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  Benditio Infierno $9.98 This movie isn't bad. It's much better than an average 3 star rating but not a 5 star work of perfection either. Some things were a bit annoying to me. For example, I don't know why we had to switch from Spanish, to French to English and back again. It should have been completely in Spanish. So far I can't see the value of using three different languages, it's just an unnecessary complication. I eventually understood that Heaven was a place for black and white 40's/50's glamor. However, for a moment I was a bit confused in the beginning. Things unfold as the movie carries along so if you're confused just stick with it and it starts to unfold and you'll understand as you go along.  Don't Tempt Me $9.98 Heaven and hell are battling over gaining the one soul that will finally tip the balance of humanity in their favor. Each side sends agents to earth (Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz) to persuade an aging boxer (Demian Bichir) to small acts of kindness. Though this plot has been done to death in Hollywood, Don't Tempt Me is anything but hackneyed. It's funny, the characters are developed, and the ideas about good and evil are original-even blasphemous. By the end of the film, no one is free from sin or virtue. Angels contemplate crimes for an ultimate good. Hell's minions cross the line to keep the balance in the universe. God is curiously absent from the mix. Humans and angels seek justice through earthly channels-souls are argued for by horse wigged barristers in courts, the virtuous are sexually seduced and even loved by the devil's henchmen, and problems are solved with guns. Writer/director Augustin Diaz Yanes' script has some nice touches. Hell's director is the author of The Catcher in the Rye. Paris is heaven. And the head of the International Monetary Fund is hell's bean cruncher. I'm a big Penelope Cruz fan and wouldn't miss one of her pictures, but Don't Tempt Me has merit independent of Cruz. Recommended. |
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