Coming attractions
Wow, after what seemed like a long cinematic drought, there are suddenly lots of movies I want to see. I caught Volver on my last day of vacation; though I wouldn’t quite put it among my all-time favorite Almodóvar films (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Bad Education), I still liked it quite a bit. It’s got family drama galore, a ghost who may or may not be a ghost, a mystery that gets resolved at the end, Carmen Maura (it was so good to see her again), weirdly beautiful village landscapes, an inconvenient corpse, and Penelope Cruz showing her acting chops. Also a really gorgeous song, which is where the title of the movie comes from.
Also on the to-see list: Pan’s Labyrinth (which I thought was here already, but is still listed as "coming soon"), Children of Men, The History Boys, and possibly Notes on a Scandal. Plus I’ve been hearing lots of good things about Dreamgirls. What’s on your to-see lists?
Volver is still on my list!
I saw History Boys last night, and was quite charmed by it — though it does have a bit of the gooey custard filling. I think it’s good anyway.
I saw a preview for Notes on a Scandal, which looks appealing, based on Blanchett and Dench, but also looks terrifying, because I’m not sure I’ve seen that sort of storyline performed by people so adept.
Volver is definitely worth seeing. I know what you mean about Notes on a Scandal: it looks like a weird hybrid of ripped-from-the-headlines melodrama and The Children’s Hour, or something. But still: Blanchett and Dench I’d watch in anything.
I’m sort of in the mood for a little gooey custard in between grim future dystopias and crazed stalker schoolmarms, so perhaps The History Boys will be next.
I want to see that one new David Lynch film that he shot with digital camcorders. I also wouldn’t mind seeing A Scanner Darkly, but only after I’ve read it.
Hmmm…I thought the history boys was utterly terrific, not only as a reflection on education and history, but also for its string of atypical, unrequited romances. I’d be interested in hearing what you think. Having read the novel, I’m looking forward to Notes on a Scandal, certainly for Blanchett and Dench. It hasn’t made it to Charlottesville yet though. Also I’d never seen a James Bond before, but I enjoyed seeing Casino Royale with my family over Christmas.
I quite liked The History Boys (and now I can’t get “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” out of my head — that was one of my favorite scenes). At times I thought it would wobble into sentiment, or brittleness, but every time it threatened to go in one of those directions it seemed to turn around and go another way. I’m not quite convinced that unrequited longing is the engine that drives good pedagogy, but it reminded me of all my own wrestlings with teaching, in a good way.
And I liked Casino Royale, too. Daniel Craig totally won me over.