Pedro Presse

email this story
read comments (6)
post a comment

Beginning of 11 am press conference for Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces, which screened this morning at 8:30. A romantic noir about writing, directing, damage and healing, it's easily the most fully realized, thematically satisfying, self-assured and purely entertaining film of the festival so far. Not as fully emotional as Almodovar's best films, but on a very high station in the second tier. Way in front of anything I've seen so far. The only thing that could knock it off is the Tarantino.

Etapes<< previous | next >>Shavers

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 19, 2009 at 3:06 AM

comment #1

p.Vice says ...

I love reading this review every year... the film that gets all the critics congratulating themselves with warm and fuzzies. Ah, how nice to enjoy something familiar and safe, instead of having to pay attention to all those snooty fuckin' art films that keep my head a-scratchin'.

I don't understand how the Tarantino is the only thing that could knock it off, considering your take on Inglorious Basterds to this point has been sarcastically fixed on the diminished returns over the last ten years. Now it's mankind's last hope?

Oh, wait. That's right. It's the only remotely Hollywood movie left in the bunch.

Posted by p.Vice at May 19, 2009 4:27 AM

comment #2

Chase Kahn says ...

Has Jeff not seen "A Prophet" ? I didn't hear anything about it from him.

And I believe he means, "the Tarantino is the only thing that could knock it off" as -- of the remaining films, that's the only one that he could see that would rival, based on his praise of the script.

Posted by Chase Kahn at May 19, 2009 8:23 AM

comment #3

lazarus says ...

pVice, it's disingenuous to throw that Hollywood tag at Jeff--if there's been a bigger cheerleader for Three Monkeys, for example, I haven't seen him/her.

Posted by lazarus at May 19, 2009 8:49 AM

comment #4

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Tarantino? Not going to happen. Not with that jury. Not with that film.

Maybe he will finally win the best director, but that's it.

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at May 19, 2009 10:23 AM

comment #5

p.Vice says ...

laz - When I was 13 or 14 I used to drink beer with my dad. We'd get a six-pack of something imported, have a couple, and then go back to the Miller High Life. High Life tasted like an oasis in the Sahara after downing a couple of thick, heavy, hoppy beers.

It's just like that at film festivals -- after days of porters and pale ales, Jeff's poor brain is crying out for the soothing refreshment of something familiar and domestic. That's why Tarantino is now the last best hope even though he just mentioned a day or two ago he was catching the Haneke before departure.

Posted by p.Vice at May 19, 2009 10:42 AM

comment #6