TMI (Today’s Movie Info)
February: Director’s Month
PEDRO ALMODOVAR was born, raised and lives in Spain. He was unable to attend Film School because Franco had closed them all during his regime. Instead, he saved his money and bought a Super 8 camera, and taught himself how to direct by making short films. Pedro is known for writing strong, complex female characters for his films and often casts his mother and/or brother in supporting roles. He has admitted that much of his writing comes from personal experiences … though not actually autobiographical in nature. Pedro has become the most influential director from Spain since Luis Bunuel, and he frequently works with his country’s best actors: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Gael Garcia Bernal. His history with Academy Awards is a bit mystifying: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2002, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film), All About my Mother (1999, won for Best Foreign Language Film), Talk to Her (2002, won for Best Screenplay, nominated for Best Director). At least two other Almodovar films probably deserved nominations. On his reasons for making movies he once said “Cinema can fill in the empty spaces of your life and your loneliness.” He recently announced that his next film will be the 2013 comedy, Los amantes pasajeros.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 