YNOT at the Movies

I didn't enjoy Pedro Almodóva's another early film "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" (¡Átame!) as much as I enjoy "Live Flesh."

Antonio Banderas again plays the lead character in "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" After he is released from a mental hospital, he goes to search for his love, a porn star, and asks her to be his wife. When she refuses, he kidnaps her and ties her up so they can spend some time together, so he thinks that she will begin to love him.

Sounds bizarre? Well, like many of Pedro Almodóva's films, the story is never ordinary. But this one goes a little bit too far, and it's like a badly written TV drama. Even the lines are sometimes wittily funny and the sex scenes are also scorching, but the movie overall is just not reaching up to the level of Almodóva's other films. I didn't buy the story.

My rating: 5 out 10.

I watched "Live Flesh" (Carne trémula). I love it!

The story is surrounding the young Victor who was born on a bus to a prostitute. After he grows up, one night, he goes back to a girl who he had sex with for a second date. But the girl doesn't acknowledge the dating promise. The argument leads him into jail. After he gets out, he doesn't give up on the girl and those who put him in jail. He comes back to these people as close as he can.

From the first scene of Victor is born on a bus, I am hooked with this film. I loved how the camera moves and tells us a story in a very personal way. The film is also wickedly funny and sexy. If Pedro Almodóva were making a porn flick, I would be the first one to buy, because he knows how to shoot a sex scene so erotic and so exciting and so compelling, even it's a straight sex scene.

I am so glad that this is part of the re-release of "Viva Pedro." "Live Flesh" deserves to be seen on a big screen with a new print.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Today I went to another screening of "Viva Pedro." Today's film is "Matador."

I like this movie much better, and I was totally fascinated by its mysterious characters.

Diego teaches young bullfighters at his school. But behind the closed doors, he is obsessed by killing and death. One of his student Angel, played by Antonio Banderas again, is under murder investigations after he raped his neighbor Eva to prove that he is not gay, while Eva is madly in love with Diego. Then things get even more complicated when Angel's lawyer appears.

This movie is very dark and I giggled with its black humor. I don't want to give the plot away, but the film reminds me of that German guy who killed another man, who answered his internet ad and wanted to be killed.

Are these characters in the film strange? Definitely they are not like friends I hang out with. Well, I hope not. But they are interesting and never boring. The film gives us the opportunity to get into their heads to understand why they behave in a certain way.

I love the new print of this film, in very high quality and really pretty. They don't even talk as fast as the those in "Law of Desire" (La Ley Del Deseo) I saw on Wednesday. I can't wait to see Pedro Almodóvar's new film "Volve."

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Today, I went to a press screening of the new documentary "My Country, My Country."

I was prepared that this is gonna be a depressing film. Indeed, with the incredible moving soundtrack, this film gives us a first hand look what it's like to live in Iraq under the US occupation.

Dr Riyadh works at a free clinic for Iraq people in Bagdad. He doesn't hide his opposition of the US occupation and encourages people to vote in the first election in Iraq. The film focus on the events surrounded Dr. Riyadh during this election.

It's remarkable for the filmmaker to quietly observe the devastated daily lives in Iraq after the US invasion. There is no single voice over commentary in the movie. The film uses its images and its subjects to give us the compelling point of view.

Can the US install democracy by rolling tanks into the streets of Iraq? I don't think so. Just look at Iraq now, years after the "mission accomplished." Very sad.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

I went to the screening of Pedro Almodóvar's 1987 film "Law of Desire" (La Ley Del Deseo). I wasn't impressed. I definitely like his recent films better.

The film is about this gay play writer Pablo who loves a young man named Juan. But Juan doesn't reply his letter or love him back. Later, Pablo meets Antonio, played by Antonio Banderas, as a sexual encounter. But Antonio becomes obsessed with Pablo and couldn't stand the fact that Pablo still loves Juan.

Sounds dramatic? Yes, and very campy. Mr. Almodóvar always wants to have a transsexual character in his film. It reaches to a point in this film that I suspect every women might be a transvestite, besides Pablo's sister.

I think this film will be a great crowd pleaser at the Castro Theatre, it actually won the Audience Award at the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. But I got bored after half an hour into the film. Besides, they talk really really fast. I can barely follow the subtitle flashing on the screen. Why does Spanish so fast? What's the hurry?

My rating: 5 out of 10.

I know a lot Americans guys travel to Thailand for young girls, and a lot German guys travel to Hungry for young boys. But I never know that sex tourism also include middle aged white women going to Haiti in the 70s for young black guys. That's a story a new film "Heading South" (Vers le sud) is telling.

Three mid-aged North American women (two Americans and one Canadian) went to Haiti for summer vacation in the 70s, soaking in the sun and their desire for beautiful young Haitian boys. They have what those boys don't have: money and social status. The boys have what the ladies don't have: their youth and bodies. When two of the three ladies want the same handsome 18 years old Legba, the vacation is over.

This is an excellent film. I love this film for its brutal honesty, its originality, its thought provoking subject, and its terrific performance. Money liberates these ladies' sexuality, but can money buy love that they really desire for? Isn't it interesting that these ladies wouldn't lay their eyes on a black guy back home, but they are lusting after these young men in the poorest country? What made the connection between them here in Haiti?

I always love Charlotte Rampling's work. She is just as brilliant as always. Karen Young looked so familiar to me, but sitting in the theatre, I couldn't remember what movie she was in. Now I realize that she was in "Torch Song Trilogy," one of my favorite film. And Ménothy Cesar won an award at Venice Film Festival playing Legba. Oh, what a nice body he has!

My rating: 9 out of 10.

I missed "Paradise Now" (الجنة الآن‎) during its theatrical run. It's not really a film I am looking forward to watch either. I feel I am so exhausted and completely despaired by the Israel and Arabic (not only Palestine) conflict.

Tonight, I finally finished "Paradise Now" (الجنة الآن‎). Indeed, it's not some light entertainment.

In the movie, two Palestinians Said and Khaled are sent to Tel-Aviv to below themselves up. But things didn't go as planned (I didn't get why). What to do next? While Said is determined to carry out the mission and Khaled started to have second thought.

The film did pretty well to get into Said's mind to show us why he wants to be a suicide bomber, but I have no idea why Khaled changed his mind. I am glad that film didn't portrait Said as a religious fanatic, however, I don't buy his logic for being a suicide bomber either.

I give the film some credits that it's dealing with a very difficult subject, but the truth is that I am not impressed by this film.

My rating: 6 out of 10.

Will and I went to the opening of an indie film "The Dogwalker."

In "The Dogwalker," Ellie escaped her abusive boyfriend to LA struggling to survive. She met a not-so-friendly dog walker Betsy and found to be connected with Betsy and became a dog walker herself.

I am disappointed by this film, not because that this is not a feel good movie. The lead character Ellie didn't smile once (ok, maybe once) in the entire film, but the movie didn't convince me why I should feel sympathy to this battered sad faced woman. On the other hand, the Betsy character, fantastically played by Pamela Gordon, is way more interesting and in depth. If the film is focused on Betsy, it could have been a better film even Betsy is equally sad and depressing and full of anger.

After the film, the director and the lead role actor held a Q&A session. Sadly, I learned that Pamela Gordon passed away due to cancer. That makes me appreciate her last work in this film even more.

My rating: 5 out of 10.

I went to Metreon to see the comedy "Little Miss Sunshine."

It's not a bad film, I was expecting it to be funnier though. The little girl Olive wanted to be a contestant in a beauty pageant in California. Her dysfunctional but sane family tried everything they could to drive across the country in an old old yellow bus so she could compete.

Although some of the humors were well written, but they might be funnier on paper than on the big screen. I just feel that I am not completely satisfied after the jokes. I did laugh here and there but just not as much as I thought I would.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Finally, I watched the much anticipated Korean film "The King and the Clown" (왕의 남자) in its entirety. The film is set to the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Two clowns, the macho Jang-sang and the cross-dressing Gong-gil are chosen by the King to live in the palace as entertainers against the advises from the King's officials. The King's lust after Gong-gil jeopardizes the bond between Jang-sang and Gong-gil.

This film reminds me so much of my beloved "Farewell My Concubine (霸王別姬)." There are very similar relationships between the main characters. However, in exploring these relationships, this film shows its inferior compared to "Farewell My Concubine."

I thoroughly enjoyed the traditional Korean folk dance performance and the costumes in the film are splendid. I love the subtlety of the film when it tells the story and display the affections among the characters. It's very Asian.

I don't know why the media characterized this film as the Korean version of the "Brokeback Mountain." I find they are very little in common. And I like "The King and the Clown" (왕의 남자) much better.

The next morning when I woke up, my mind was still completely filled with the characters in the film, especially Gong-gil, played by the pretty Lee Joon-ki (이준기). If I were the King, I would order him to be my personal entertainer as well. No wonder this film has been the blockbuster hit in Korean history. I think the Koreans like Lee Joon-ki as much as I do.

My rating: 8 out of 10.