Beauty Break: When Almodóvar met Alcaine

by Cláudio Alves

Starting yesterday, Strange Way of Life is streaming on Netflix. To commemorate the occasion, I thought about diving into the collaboration between Pedro Almodóvar and cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, a recurring creative partner since they filmed Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown back in the late 80s. Even though I had issues with the short film, its lensing wasn't one of them. Indeed, playing with Western iconography and Saint Laurent fashions, Strange Way of Life is as visually enchanting as one would expect from something bearing the Spanish auteur's signature. When everything else fails, Alcaine creates hyper-artificial frames, popping with bright colors and luster…

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Lunchtime Poll: Oscar omissions... the ones that sting?

by Nathaniel R

A lot of people -- including me! -- wanted to see Delroy Lindo nominated

Cláudio will be sounding off on the "almost there" class of 2020 soon but until then, let's get the disappointments out of our system before we concentrate on enjoying the rest of the Oscar race, which has now entered it's second phase. 

Here's to the fallen! Which misses on Oscar nom morning -- our Christmas! -- are the closest things to coals in your stocking? I'll start with the five I (virtually) weep for outside of the acting categories...

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The Human Voice... on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

You already know that we loooooved The Human Voice by way of its NYFF run last year and the Best of 2020 article. It's now one of the ten finalists for Best Live Action Short (a category we'll review as soon as we're able to track down the only two entries we haven't seen). Now we have word about its release plans. The Human Voice, based on the Jean Cocteau "monodrama" will be in theaters starting March 12th in the US, three days before Oscar nominations are due. Will it be nominated? Who knows! Some Academy members might resent a world class auteur infiltrating a category that generally rewards newbies but others, judging on the work alone, might easily go for it. Thirty minute films are generally a hard sell for standard movie ticket prices. So it will be paired with Pedro Almodóvar's international breakthrough feature, the Oscar nominated Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) in theaters. If you've never seen the latter indisputable classic, here's a perfect excuse to rectify that gaping hole in your 80s cinematic knowledge, and get a great new 30 minute Tilda Swinton performance in the process. 

That is IF movie theaters are open where you are by March 12th and you feel comfortable going. 

NYFF: "Isabella"

by Sean Donovan

As part of their series of drive-in events, the New York Film Festival programmed Matías Piñeiro’s latest Shakespeare-influenced drama Isabella alongside Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton’s delicious queer treasure The Human Voice (previously unpacked by Nathaniel). In some ways this choice makes sense: both films relish in vivid expressions of color, the kind of experiences you would want to have in as close to a theatrical environment as we can get right now. But in terms of intensity and impact the films could not be more different, Human Voice’s sledgehammer playfulness is a misplaced introduction to Piñeiro’s foggy and ultimately disappointing drama.    

Isabella is named after the main character of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, one of the bard’s ‘problem plays’ positioned awkwardly between comedy and drama. Isabella displays no proclivities towards the comedic, but it may have internalized the problem play position of being stuck between choices and controlled by doubt...

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NYFF: Pedro & Tilda & "The Human Voice"

by Nathaniel R

Green. Black. And of course, glorious Red. These are just some of the bold colors worn by Tilda, hanging not just from her body in a true fashion parade, but spilling from her tight mouth. Pedro Almodóvar's first English language project, The Human Voice (2020), a swift 30 minute monodrama "freely" based on Jean Cocteau's play, makes perfectly expected use of Tilda's much-celebrated fashion iconicity. More crucially it doesn't forget her acting gift. The actress repays the auteur with primal colors of jealously, nihilism, and fury in her line readings...

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