DVDpedia : Library : Title : V

Theatrical: 2006

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 132

Summary: "Remember, remember the fifth of November," for on this day, in 2020, the minds of the masses shall be set free. So says code-name V (Hugo Weaving), a man on a mission to shake society out of its blank complacent stares in the film "V for Vendetta". His tactics, however, are a bit revolutionary, to say the least. The world in which V lives is very similar to Orwell's totalitarian dystopia in 1984: after years of various wars, England is now under "big brother" Chancellor Adam Sutler (played by John Hurt, who played Winston Smith in the movie "1984"), whose party uses force and fear to run the nation. After they gained power, minorities and political dissenters were rounded up and removed; artistic and unacceptable religious works were confiscated. Cameras and microphones are littered throughout the land, and the people are perpetually sedated through the governmentally controlled media. Taking inspiration from Guy Fawkes, the 17th century co-conspirator of a failed attempt to blow up Parliament on November 5, 1605, V dons a Fawkes mask and costume and sets off to wake the masses by destroying the symbols of their oppressors, literally and figuratively. At the beginning of his vendetta, V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from a group of police officers and has her live with him in his underworld lair. It is through their relationship where we learn how V became V, the extremities of the party's corruption, the problems of an oppressive government, V's revenge plot, and his philosophy on how to induce change.
Based on the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore, "V for Vendetta"'s screenplay was written by the Wachowski Brothers (of "The Matrix" fame) and directed by their protégé, James McTeigue. Controversy and criticism followed the film since its inception, from the hyper-stylized use of anarchistic terrorism to overthrow a corrupt government and the blatant jabs at the current U.S. political arena, to graphic novel fans complaining about the reconstruction of Alan Moore's original vision (Moore himself has dismissed the film). Many are valid critiques and opinions, but there's no hiding the message the film is trying to express: Radical and drastic events often need to occur in order to shake people out of their state of indifference in order to bring about real change. Unfortunately, the movie only offers a means with no ends, and those looking for answers may find the film stylish, but a bit empty. "--Rob Bracco"
On the DVDs
On disc 1 is a 16-minute documentary "Freedom! Forever!: Making "V for Vendetta"" with discussions on the movie's origin and themes by the principal cast and crew (no Alan Moore or Wachowskis, to no one's surprise, but the graphic novel's illustrator David Lloyd is on hand to call the movie "a very good version"). On disc 2 is a 17-minute production featurette, a 10-minute history of Guy Fawkes, and the 15-minute "England Prevails: "V for Vendetta" and the New Wave in Comics." Lloyd and others from the comics industry such as Paul Levitz and Bill Sienkiwicz talk about the graphic novel and how it appealed to a different, older audience. The second menu of the second disc also has an easy-to-find Easter egg of a rapping and swearing Natalie Portman on "Saturday Night Live". "--David Horiuchi"

Beyond the Film
The graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
More by Alan Moore
From Graphic Novel to Big Screen
More by Natalie Portman
More by Hugo Weaving
More by the Wachowski Brothers

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Horror

Duration: 85

Summary: David and Amy Fox find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere when their car breaks down. Luckily, they come across a motel with a TV to entertain them during their overnight stay. However, there's something very strange and familiar about the Grade-Z slasher movies that the motel broadcasts for its guests' enjoyment. They all appear to be filmed in the very same room they occupy! Realizing that they are trapped in their room with hidden cameras now aimed at them filming their every move, David and Amy desperately find a means of escape through locked doors, crawlspaces and underground tunnels before they too become the newest stars of the mystery filmmaker's next cult classic!

Theatrical: 2001

Studio: KOCH VISION

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 75

Summary: In addition to boasting one of the quirkiest titles in movie history, "Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise" is a riotous showcase for the formidable talent of Timothy Spall. One of the finest character actors to emerge from England in the 1980s and '90s, Spall gave great performances in "Life Is Sweet", "Secrets and Lies", and "Topsy-Turvy" (all for director Mike Leigh), and made memorable appearances in "Vanilla Sky", "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", and many others. Here he plays Tommy Rag, a vile, uncouth salesman, determined to win "The Golden Vac" award as England's best door-to-door peddler of vacuum cleaners, unaware that his disapproving boss has sabotaged his chances of winning the coveted prize. Filmed on digital video, this over-the-top BBC-TV comedy was director Danny Boyle's rough-edged rehearsal for "28 Days Later", and its ragged visuals are entirely appropriate for Jim Cartwright's screenplay, which probes the desperate economy of England while plumbing the depths of Tommy's maniacal motivation. There's rich social satire to be found in this delirious mess, but the main pleasure comes from Spall, playing an ethically challenged lout on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Think Willy Loman with apoplectic road rage, and you've got the right idea. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1983

Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)

Genre: Comedy

Duration: 99

Summary: "Valley Girl" is, like--Omigod!--one of the most "tubular" teen comedies of the early 1980s. This movie launched Nicolas Cage's career, and it's easy to see why: Following his tiny role in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", Cage is perfectly cast as a Hollywood punk who instantly falls for Julie (the irresistible Deborah Foreman), a San Fernando "Valley Girl"--a brighter variant of the stereotype immortalized in Moon Unit Zappa's 1982 novelty song--who must choose between wild-boy Nic and her preening jock boyfriend (Mark Bowen). Fortunately, Julie knows what's right for her (even if her "Val" friends don't), and in refreshing defiance of teen-flick tradition, her post-hippie parents (Frederic Forrest, Colleen Camp) are supportively cool. With sincere humor, a lively soundtrack of '80s hits, and a time-capsule cruise of Hollywood landmarks, "Valley Girl" is both timeless and nostalgic, owing much of its lasting appeal to Martha Coolidge's sensitive direction. Fer sure, y'know, it definitely "won't" gag you with a spoon. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Universal Studios

Genre: Action & Adventure

Duration: 132

Summary: Ignore the naysayers here and watch this movie on a big screen, with a good surround sound system cranked up nice and loud. This is a full-on modern cinematic rollercoaster ride, made purely for fun, and it delivers in spades.

Essentially a melange of Dracula, Frankenstein, and James Bond, with occasional soupcons of various and sundry genre touches, Van Helsing is a feast for the eyes and ears, and damn funny to boot. I came in expecting nothing, and was well and truly blown away. The effects are flawless, the story quite hilarious, and the overall tone suggests Raiders of the Lost Ark of Transylvania. Jackman and Beckinsale are tailor-made and work well together. Roxburgh gives one of the most hilarious villain performances in screen history, perfectly over the top; his moments alone are worth seeing the film for. I rarely watch recent movies more than once; I've seen this four times in a year and it keeps getting more impressive with each viewing.

This is a superb piece of craftsmanship that never takes itself too seriously, and delivers massive doses of fun and many thrilling moments. A better flick for a cold and snowy Saturday's eve would be hard to find.

Give it some time; Van Helsing will be a cult classic yet.

Theatrical: 1998

Studio: Miramax

Genre: Drama

Duration: 119

Summary: Todd Haynes, ever unpredictable, follows up his experimental trilogy "Poison" and his restrained "Safe" with this flamboyant study in glam rock through the kaleidoscopic lens of "Citizen Kane". Christian Bale plays Arthur Stuart, a reporter sent to investigate the legend of rock legend and bisexual pop icon Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as a not-so-thinly veiled David Bowie), who disappeared a decade ago after staging his own mock assassination. But Arthur is flooded with memories of his own adolescence as he interviews Slade's friends and business associates, peeling back the layer of makeup and spangles that was the model of rebellion for a generation of middle-class British kids and discovering a hollow center. Ewan McGregor almost steals the film as the punk pioneer Curt Wild (equal parts Iggy Pop and Kurt Cobain), the genuine article to Slade's calculated, coifed image of glitter stardom. Haynes's film lacks nothing in capturing the flamboyance and spectacle of the era with flashy filmmaking and kitschy costumes, and if the plot seems lost in the preening and visual fireworks, perhaps that's the point: behind the façades and manufactured fronts is nothing but glitter, energy, and a beat. "--Sean Axmaker"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Turner Home Ent

Genre: Television

Duration: 291

Summary: If Jonny, Haji, Race Bannon, and the rest of the "Jonny Quest" gang were idiots, their animated adventures might play out like "The Venture Bros.", a consistently funny spoof on '60s adventure cartoons from the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming. The premise should be immediately familiar and nostalgic for any Saturday morning TV aficionado who grew up in the '60s and '70s: Dr. Venture (James Urbaniak from "Henry Fool") is an inventor, while sons Hank and Dean's insatiably curiosity lands them in hot water with supervillains, robots, magicians, and the like. Brock Sampson (voiced by the very funny Patrick Warburton of "The Tick") is the good doctor's right-hand man, who rescues the boys with good old-fashioned manpower. The twist in "The Venture Bros." is that every single character, down to the supervillains' henchmen, are complete and utter dolts, and their adventures are inspired more by foolishness, personal obsessions (for Brock, it's sex and violence, and for Dr. V, it's diet pills and a daddy fixation), or just plain cosmic weirdness than any sense of post-Kennedy-era adventure and derring-do. The result is subversive and occasionally shocking insanity (Dr. V loses his kidneys in the series opener "Dia de Los Dangerous"; Dean suffers an unmentionable personal injury in "Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean"; the boys believe that Dr. Venture's stomach tumor is actually a pregnancy in "Return to Spider Island"), but with enough flashes of surreal brilliance to make this a must-have for modern animation fans. The "Season One" two-disc set contains all 13 episodes, as well as two bonus episodes--the show's original pilot, "The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay" (for Hank and Dean, the secret is something decidedly salacious), and "A Very Venture Christmas," as well as a handful of deleted scenes. Commentary by the show's creators and cast can be heard on five episodes, including "Turtle Bay," and the extras are rounded out by "Behind the Scenes of the Live-Action Movie," a 20-minute mockumentary that features much of the voice-over talent dressed in some ridiculous costumes. "--Paul Gaita"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Warner Home Video

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 133

Summary: Both epic and intimate, "A Very Long Engagement" reunites Audrey Tautou and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the star and director of the hugely popular "Amelie". A young woman named Mathilde (Tautou, "Happenstance")separated from her lover by World War I refuses to believe he's been killed and launches an investigation into his fate--an investigation that spins in all directions, creating dozens of miniature stories (including that of an Italian prostitute avenging the death of her own lover by elaborate means) that shift to and fro in time. The dazzling curlicues of narrative put brutality and tenderness back to back, shifting between crushing inevitabilities and miraculous rescues with deft storytelling skill and the lush visual style of the director of "Delicatessen" and "The City of Lost Children". Through it all, Tautou--fierce and luminous--anchors the movie effortlessly. She's among the most emotionally engaging actresses in cinema, with the kind of expressive beauty that transcends language. A gorgeous, far-reaching film; the huge cast also includes Jodie Foster ("The Silence of the Lambs"), Gaspard Ulliel ("Strayed"), and Dominique Pinon ("Alien: Resurrection"). "--Bret Fetzer"

Theatrical: 2004

Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone

Genre: Mystery & Suspense

Duration: 108

Summary: Even when his trademark twist-ending formula wears worrisomely thin as it does in "The Village", M. Night Shyamalan is a true showman who knows how to serve up a spookfest. He's derailed this time by a howler of a "surprise" lifted almost directly from "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim," an episode of "The Twilight Zone" starring Cliff Robertson that originally aired in 1961. Even if you're unfamiliar with that Rod Serling scenario, you'll have a good chance of guessing the surprise, which ranks well below "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs" on Shyamalan's shock-o-meter. That leaves you to appreciate Shyamalan's proven strengths, including a sharp eye for fear-laden compositions, a general sense of unease, delicate handling of fine actors (alas, most of them wasted here, save for Bryce Dallas Howard in a promising debut), and the cautious concealment of his ruse, which in this case involves a 19th-century village that maintains an anxious truce with dreadful creatures that live in the forbidden woods nearby. Will any of this take anyone by genuine surprise? That seems unlikely, since Emperor Shyamalan has clearly lost his clothes in "The Village", but it's nice to have him around to scare us, even if he doesn't always succeed. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1999

Studio: Paramount

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 96

Summary: Previously criticized for her marginal acting skills, Sofia Coppola made her directorial debut with "The Virgin Suicides" and silenced her detractors. No amount of coaching from her director father (Francis Coppola) or husband (Spike Jonze) could have guaranteed a film this assured, and in adapting Jeffrey Eugenides's novel, Coppola demonstrates the sensitivity and emotional depth that this material demands. Surely the pain of youth and public criticism found its way into her directorial voice; in the story of four sisters who self-destruct under the steady erosion of their youthful ideals, one can clearly sense Coppola's intimate connection to the inner lives of her characters.
Played in a delicate minor key, the film is heartbreaking, mysterious, and soulfully funny, set in a Michigan suburb of the mid-1970s but timeless and universal to anyone who's been a teenager. The four surviving Lisbon sisters lost a sibling to suicide, and as its title suggests, the film will chart their mutual course to oblivion under the vigilance of repressive parents (Kathleen Turner and James Woods, perfectly cast). But "The Virgin Suicides" is more concerned with "life" in that precious interlude of adolescence, when the Lisbon girls are worshipped by the neighborhood boys, their notion of perfection epitomized by Lux (Kirsten Dunst) and her storybook love for high-school stud Trip (Josh Hartnett). Unfolding at the cusp of innocence and sexual awakening, and recalled as a memory, "The Virgin Suicides" is, ultimately, about the "preservation" of the Lisbon sisters by their own deaths--suspended in time, polished to perfection, and forever untainted by adulthood. "--Jeff Shannon"

Theatrical: 1988

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Art House & International

Summary: "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown " Pedro Almodovar broke into the art-house mainstream with this wild, manic comedy about a gaggle of women and their various problems with men, be they married lovers, cheating husbands, fiancés, or terrorists. Almodovar's long-time leading lady, Carmen Maura, stars as an actress (famed for her laundry detergent commercial as the mother of a sloppy serial killer) who's just been dumped by her married lover. In the midst of trying to track him down for a face-to-face confrontation, she crosses paths with her lover's son (Antonio Banderas), his unbalanced wife (Julieta Serrano), and his new girlfriend (Kiti Manver). Adding more fuel to the fire is the hapless friend (Maria Barranco) who got involved with a Shiite terrorist and is now being hunted by the police. Almodovar, a master of farcical screwball comedy, manages to keep all these balls in the air in dizzy, hilarious style without once losing his momentum. Chock full of the director's over-the-top stylization, in terms of both story and sets, the film is a hilarious yet heartfelt marriage of kitsch and drama, verging on parody but never going entirely over the top. Maura is absolutely breathtaking as the unhinged lover, dispensing wise advice to others while trying to keep a semblance of sanity, and the supporting cast is quintessential Almodovar, including a brief but memorable turn by Banderas in what could have been a bland, go-nowhere role. Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1989. --"Mark Englehart "































"All About My Mother" After her son is killed in an accident, Manuela (Cecilia Roth) leaves Madrid for her old haunts in Barcelona. She reconnects with an old friend, a pre-op transsexual prostitute named La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), who introduces her to Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a young nun who turns out to be pregnant. Meanwhile, Manuela becomes a personal assistant for Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), an actress currently playing Blanche DuBois in a production of "A Streetcar Named Desire". "All About My Mother" traces the delicate web of friendship and loss that binds these women together. The movie is dedicated to the actresses of the world, so it's not surprising that all the performances are superb. Roth in particular anchors "All About My Mother "with compassion and generosity. But fans of writer-director Pedro Almodóvar needn't fret--as always, Almodóvar's work undermines conventional notions of sexual identity and embraces all human possibilities with bright colors and melodramatic plotting. However, "All About My Mother" approaches its twists and turns with a broader emotional scope than most of Almodóvar's work; even the more extravagant aspects of the story are presented quietly, to allow the sadness of life to be as present as the irrepressible vitality of the characters. Almodóvar embraces pettiness, jealousy, and grief as much as kindness, courage, and outrageousness, and the movie is the richer for it. --"--Bret Fetzer "






























"Talk to Her "
Writer-director Pedro Almodóvar makes another masterpiece with "Talk to Her", his first film since the wonderful "All About My Mother". Marco (Dario Grandinetti) is in love with Lydia (Rosario Flores), a female bullfighter who is gored by a bull and sent into a coma. In the hospital, Marco crosses paths with Benigno (Javier Camara), a male nurse who looks after another coma patient, a young dancer named Alicia (Leonor Watling). From Benigno's gentle attentiveness to Alicia, Marco learns to take care of Lydia... but from there, the story goes in directions that deftly manage to be sad, hopeful, funny, and creepy, sometimes at the same time. The rich human empathy of Almodóvar's recent films is passionate, heartbreaking, intoxicating--there aren't enough adjectives to praise this remarkable filmmaker, who is at the height of his powers. "Talk to Her" is superb, with outstanding performances from all involved. --"Bret Fetzer "






























"The Flower of My Secret "
Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar (" Law of Desire") has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about " The Flower of My Secret" is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. -- " Tom Keogh "































"Bad Education "
Writer/director Pedro Almodóvar's dark, sexy Hitchcock homage is his best work since his Oscar-winning "All About My Mother", and deepened by a sun-dappled sadness. Handsome, enigmatic Ángel (Gael García Bernal) arrives at the Spanish movie offices of director Enrique Goded (Fele Martinez) and happily proclaims that he's actually Enrique's long-lost school chum Ignacio--an announcement that is both less than convincing and more than it seems. A novice actor, Ángel pitches a semi-autobiographical screenplay in which he's determined to star, a revenge-laden reflection of the doomed love he and Enrique shared as boys before a pedophile priest cruelly intervened. The script, and the lost days it recalls, carefully unfurls into a series of brooding movies-within-movies and memories-inside-memories, which allow the sensual, multiple-role-playing Bernal to give the performance of his young career--among other things, he makes a stunningly convincing drag queen--and Almodóvar the opportunity to movingly suggest that people will pay any price to ensure that their stories are told. --" Steve Wiecking "







More Stills from "Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection"(click for larger image)








More Pedro Almodovar at Amazon.com










"Songs of Almodóvar " CD






"Volver"








The Films of Pedro Almodóvar

Theatrical: 2007

Studio: Sony Pictures

Genre: Art House & International

Duration: 121

Summary: Spanish for "Coming Back," "Volver" is a return to the all-female format of "All About My Mother". Unlike Pedro Almodóvar's previous two pictures, the story revolves around a group of women in Madrid and his native La Mancha. (The cast received a collective best actress award at Cannes.) Raimunda (a zaftig Penélope Cruz) is the engine powering this heartfelt, yet humorous vehicle. When husband Paco (Antonio de la Torre) is murdered, Raimunda makes like Mildred Pierce to deflect attention away from daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo). After telling everyone the lout has left, she struggles to conceal his body. The other women in her life all have secrets of their own. Her sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), for instance, has taken in their mother, Irene (a sprightly Carmen Maura). Since Irene perished in a fire, is this person a ghost or simply a woman who looks like her? Then there's their childhood friend, Agustina (Blanca Portillo), who is desperate to find out why her mother disappeared after the blaze. Was she responsible? Almodóvar deftly blends the ghost story with the murder mystery in his tribute to the Italian neo-realist films of the 1950s. The resilient Raimunda is a throwback to the earthy heroines of Sophia Loren and Anna Magnani. The latter appears in Luchino Visconti's "Bellissima", which shows up on Sole's television one night (thus confirming the link). If Almodóvar's 16th feature lacks the emotional punch of the more audacious "Talk to Her", it's less heavy-handed than "Bad Education" and Cruz is a revelation. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"