Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection / Volver
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    Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection / Volver

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    ASIN: B000TV84NU
    Release Date: 2007-08-07

    Amazon.com

    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

    Volver

    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

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




    Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Todo sobre Pedro
    • Pedro! Viva!
    • Great collection to have
    • VIVA PEDRO
    • You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous
    Viva Pedro - The Almodovar Collection (Talk to Her/ Bad Education/ All about My Mother/ Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown/ Live Flesh/ Flower of My Secret / Matador / Law of Desire)
    Starring: Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection
    Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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    Binding: DVD

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    ASIN: B000EAT24G
    Release Date: 2007-01-30

    Amazon.com

    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

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Todo sobre Pedro.......2007-08-27

    Easily one of the best collections offered of one of the best contemporary directors. I was happy to see 'Matador' and 'Carne Tremula' (Live Flesh) included. They are two of my favorite movies and were a long time coming to DVD. I would have loved Tie Me Up Tie Me Down included, but I suppose you can't have it all. If you have never seen any of Almodovar's films, it might be wise to make a trip to the rental store before purchasing a comprehensive set like this. Although, I suppose that's a non-issue. 'Talk to Her' and 'All About My Mother' are two excellent additions as well. Almodovar showcases the strong and vulnerable female protagonist with a warmth and humanity difficult to find in other films. Es para verlas una y otra vez, que disfruten.

    5 out of 5 stars Pedro! Viva!.......2007-05-14

    I was familiar with the movies. They were part of a Retrospective about 6 yrs. ago at the Museum of the Moving Image. The box set is great!! The layout is fabulous. I had all the other movies except Matador. This is a must have for any Pedro fan. It is only missing High Heels, one of Pedro's best.

    5 out of 5 stars Great collection to have.......2007-05-13

    I am a big fan of director Pedro Almodovar's films and this collection of 8 of his best movies is a must-have. These timeless movies are presented in a nice, space-saving box. I recommend it wholeheartedly to any fan of Almodovar.

    5 out of 5 stars VIVA PEDRO.......2007-05-12

    Brilliant fimmaking, enormous vairety, lovely transfers. The material is difficult ot see. If you didn't catch these things when they were first released, you are up the creek. The theatrical reissue that was meant to promote the video release didn't last long enough for me to see but one of them. The dvds of most are out print, but I had LIVE FLESH, TALK TO HER and BAD EDUCATION on dvd and WOMEN ON THE VERGE on laser disc. But still, I had to have the set. Really terrific. got a good price at amazon Marketplace and i'm totlaly satisfied.

    4 out of 5 stars You have to appreciate the improbable and ridiculous.......2007-05-01

    A pretty good collection, if strangely inclusive of BAD EDUCATION, a recent film, with the older batch of films, mainly of 1980s. This could be because LAW OF DESIRE's film director character is a forerunner of the film director in the later film. The problem is in reviewing the collection or the individual films. For instance, there are 3 documentaries on the filmmaker included on an extra disk. Otherwise the movies are presented w/English subtitle options but no extras, except for one of them.

    Almodovar's style as a whole is for wildly improbable plots involving situations and characters that run of the mill people would never experience. American film reviewers love this, as they love French farce, and so give these films a free pass, awarding a blue ribbon. The true question is whether the same films would be as highly reviewed if the identical screenplay were presented as a solely American product.

    Almodovar's film staples include (on the 8 films represented in this package): (1) Penelope Cruz going into labor (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER; LIVE FLESH). (2) The homely guy is always slick, a real winner, at least professionally, and sometimes a film director (BAD EDUCATION; LAW OF DESIRE). (3) There's always strained theatrical moments, such as presentations of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, that take up much screen time, and often are comical without being meant to be. Ditto a usage of older films that his characters seem to be greatly influenced by. (4) The cute guy, who in real life would probably be greatly sought after as a romantic partner, is always a loser who becomes obsessed with another person or thing to the detriment of everything else (LIVE FLESH; LAW OF DESIRE; BAD EDUCATION). (5) Usage of FF nudity is primarily male. (6) Everyone in the world (or at least Spain) is personally acquainted with a transexual or transvestite.

    Briefly, on the films themselves, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER is a tear-jerker that goes to extremes and unfortunately goes on way too long. Good acting, but improbable characters and their life histories make this film an experience to endure.

    BAD EDUCATION has the superlative Gael Garcia Bernal in it, and is also a blatant indictment of the Catholic Church's methods. The twists and turns in the plot make it worthwhile as well as uniformly good performances. Unusual film from this director, who usually focusses more on the women. For those squeamish of homosexual content, this film is not nearly as explicit as LAW OF DESIRE.

    LAW OF DESIRE has the young Antonio Banderas seducing/seduced by a film director whom he is obsessed with. There is FF nudity from Banderas and others. Rather interesting, not quite a thriller, but an ending that brings the story-line full circle in a way. Rather a moral on how what you're looking for may be staring you in the face but you have to be prepared to take it. I found the plot weak whenever it got into the ancillary characters, as they were unnecessary to the main plot but presumably there to soften the main character of the film director.

    LIVE FLESH is an unbelievable situation of a young man from prison subsequently having affairs with two police officers' (one of whom he'd shot and crippled) wives. Unfortunately this plot was wholly predictable though improbable. Too many cliches of drunken criminal cop abusing wife, etc. At times seems it was meant to be a music video, and should have been, with pop songs used as narrative.

    TALK TO HER, generally considered one of the more popular Almodovar films, and a quiet, sincere character piece. I could easily have lived without the scene of the shrunken man interacting with a woman's nude body; that was outrageous for the fun of it, I guess. But from what appeared to be a would-be homosexual union between two men veered in another direction that also made the ending quite believable. It set up cliches only to knock them down.

    WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN has provided me an obsession with gazpacho that has haunted me to this day. I didn't watch it again via this collection, but realized I have no memories of the film from first seeing it, except that it was fun; so that tells me nothing of the plot is essential, and I probably didn't identify with the characters.

    THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET is weird, as it takes off from the scenario of ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, which isn't a good thing. It's about a writer's crisis, this time her own self-conceit being played out on a public stage, as she is both a well known author but also writes under a pseudonyn attacking her own work. Meanwhile, her marriage is falling apart. So she's really a woman having an identity crisis, as an artist, and as a woman. Maybe it takes a person who's undergone an identity crisis to understand this one.

    MATADOR can be summed as "Can two serial killers find happiness in death with each other?" Add Banderas as a sexually confused young man who appears to have occasional perfect-radar psychic abilities and a young woman who's been sexually assaulted three times and is quite casual about it, and a closeted gay detective, and a psychiatrist who wants to seduce basically anybody, and you pretty much have a would-be psychology thriller very confused about what's going on. The film has the confusion one would expect from a wholly improvisational piece, like the director was making it up as they went along in the filming. I am blinded by the idea any of these characters would even exist in real life, except for the detective, so find it amazing they'd actually be stumbling into each other's orbit. A fun movie to spend some time on, as it is an entertaining mix of psychological motivations and I guess you can breathe easy nobody like this lives on your block.



    All About My Mother
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Beautifully weaved Masterpiece
    • All About My Mother
    • Hard to get one's head around this one
    • Not Almodovar's Best
    • another touching grand opus from a great director who continues to get better
    All About My Mother
    Starring: Eloy Azorín , Carmen Balagué (II) , Yael Barnatán , Toni Cantó , and Penélope Cruz
    Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
    ProductGroup: DVD
    Binding: DVD

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    ASIN: 0767847105
    Release Date: 2000-07-11

    Amazon.com

    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

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Beautifully weaved Masterpiece.......2007-07-26

    Almodovar's "All About My Mother" is perhaps the most beautifully written and acted film I have ever seen. In typical Almodovar fashion, the film is full of symbolism, vibrant colors, inter-connected story lines, and an ending that brings the entire film full circle without being cliche.

    After her son dies in a tragic accident in Madrid, Manuela embarks on a personal hegira to Barcelona, where she not only takes a group of misfits under her generous wing, but she finds herself along the way. Full of masterfully detailed relationships, honesty, and love, the film is genuinely moving. Not one to leave sorrow or mystery behind, Almodovar blends the mystery of the human condition with a concoction of humor and compassion brilliantly.

    This is truly a pinnacle in a career full of cinematic highs.

    5 out of 5 stars All About My Mother.......2007-07-11

    A splendidly absorbing, character-driven drama with lots of twists and turns, Almodóvar's "Mother" is an homage to female actresses and anyone with a maternal instinct. With his trademark visual flair and empathy for fringe feminine types--hookers, transvestites, druggies, and distraught single women in particular--Almodóvar spins an engaging, melodramatic story with heavy allusions to "All About Eve" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." Roth, Paredes, Cruz, and San Juan give marvelously spirited performances, all of which helped the movie win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Why not let Almodóvar "Mother" you?

    4 out of 5 stars Hard to get one's head around this one.......2007-02-27

    At times, this was an emotionally exhausting film, containing so much grief & loss that it was difficult to watch, and by extension, difficult to review. It wanders amazingly far afield from what at first appears to be a movie about a mother/son relationship, but Almodovar manages to keep the movie from completely losing its coherence.

    This is probably one of those movies where the sometimes bizarre content can overwhelm a viewer. Repeated viewings no doubt would reveal some nuggets that were missed the first time through. One could certainly do worse than watching this a second or third time, that's for sure.

    If nothing else, watch the movie for the riveting performance of Cecelia Roth as Manuela. Prior to seeing this, I was unfamiliar with her work, but now hope to seek out some of her other movies.

    3 out of 5 stars Not Almodovar's Best.......2006-09-26

    While the acting (especially that of Cecilia Roth and Penelope Cruz) is superb, I don't care much for this story at the point I should care most, the climax! As usual for his movies, the plot is highly improbable, and while that rarely bothers me, I'm growing tired of Almodovar's over-the-top characters -- the ridiculously eccentric gays, lesbians and transexuals, who he then wants to portray as the most admirable characters in the movie. (An effort to "normalize," "humanize" them, perhaps? Whatever. Go preach from the pulpit, I say.) What worked in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (clearly a screwball comedy), doesn't work here, where the tone is more somber, and the plot somewhat more believable.

    Still, I'm looking forward to more from Almodovar. You never know where his stories are going until you've watched the whole movie. That said, I'm also starting to expect all the quirky weirdos, but I don't always look forward to encountering them.

    4 out of 5 stars another touching grand opus from a great director who continues to get better.......2006-08-03

    almodovar glorifies women! remarkable in its refusal to patronize, and it has all the touches youve come to expect. i laughed, i cried ...
    Pedro Almodovar 5-DVD Collection (Bad Education; Talk To Her; All About My Mother; Live Flesh; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Pedro Almodovar 5-DVD Collection (Bad Education; Talk To Her; All About My Mother; Live Flesh; Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
      Director: Pedro Almodovar
      Manufacturer: Fox
      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
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      ASIN: B000FVXU06

      Product Description

      "Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Subtitles), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SYNOPSIS: This 5-DVD Collection contains 5 Almodovar's movies: Bad Education (La Mala educación): In the early 60s, two boys - Ignacio and Enrique - discover love, movies and fear in a Christian school. Father Manolo, the school principal and Literature teacher, both witnesses and takes part in these discoveries. The three characters come against one another twice again, in the late 70s and in 1980... Talk To Her (Hable con ella): Marco, a journalist grieving for a love affair that ended ten years' ago, falls in love with Lydia, a bullfighter also on the rebound. Benigno, a nurse, dedicates his life to his only patient, a young dancer in a coma as a result of an accident four years' before; he talks to her, reads to her, holds photographs in front of her closed eyes. Does a miracle await? All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre): A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child... Live Flesh (Carne trémula): Pizza delivery man Victor is having an argument with Elena, whom he met a few days ago, but she was high then and doesn't want to hear about him. Reacting to the noise, two cops, young David and older Sancho, arrive at the scene, the gun accidentally goes off... Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!): Ricky is released from a mental hospital, and knows exactly what he wants to do. He hunts down Marina, a porn film star he once had sex with, and tries to convince here to be his wife. She is a bit reluctant, so he ties her up... Will this approach endear him to her ? SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, "
      All About My Mother - Todo Sobre Mi Madre - Original Spanish
      Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
      • It relaxed me rather than bore me
      All About My Mother - Todo Sobre Mi Madre - Original Spanish

      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

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      Similar Items:
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      2. Talk to Her (Hable con Ella) Talk to Her (Hable con Ella)
      3. Maria Full of Grace Maria Full of Grace
      4. Guantanamera Guantanamera
      5. Like Water for Chocolate Like Water for Chocolate

      ASIN: B000A7K0PI

      Product Description

      Won Oscar (2000) for Best Foreign Language Film; also won 40 other awards with 28 additional nominations. PLOT OUTLINE: Young Esteban wants to become a writer and also to learn the identity of his father, which has been carefully concealed by the mother, Manuela. Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. ++++ DVD Features: This officially licensed release from South Korea is listed as NTSC Code 3 (will play on all region-free players or DVD-ROM drives); please check compatibility BEFORE purchasing. Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic; Dolby Digital Sound. SPANISH w/optional English or Korean subtitles.

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars It relaxed me rather than bore me.......2006-04-03

      This Spanish movie can be hard to swallow like most European ones that rule out action, suspense and fantasy in their quest for being artistic. The movie moves so slowly that you couldn't believe its Wikipedia article mentions so many events. Somehow, however, I enjoyed it. Its jazz background music is comforting. It made me feel at ease, relaxed.

      This movie is about a Manuela, a single mother of one teenager, who quits her entire normal life in Madrid to find her son's father in Barcelona in what seems to be mainly a sort of self-search quest, or just to have long vacations. Once in Barcelona she makes friends and gets involved in their lives especially Rosa's, a pregnant girl in disgrace, a very popular stereotype in Hispanic movie and TV productions, just like the American productions display very often the stereotype of the socially-troubled teenager. Rosa is played by the single truly famous character in this film, Penélope Cruz, although she suffers a big lack of charisma in here. Very curiously, Manuela does not look for a nursing job (her career) but anything else and complicates her life.

      The reason why Manuela looks for her son's dad is not marrying at all. This is a Liberal movie where religious people are the bad guys, but at least the movie doesn't get too harsh on them and virtually only shows an old religious strict mom in a few scenes. Meanwhile other groups like prostitutes and are the good ones, but not placed to high either. Thus this movie is not so much about totally evil guys vs. totally good ones as in most movies. This makes the movie very special because most of people's common lives are not so. One thing is that we all face opposition in our jobs, schools, when searching a mate, etc. Another very different thing is facing pure evil, which we usually don't face it, despite how cruel our common opposition can look; in the same way none of us are pure good. No, for good or bad, life is not as simple as good vs. bad as low-intelligence people struggle to stand for, like Bill O'Reilly or Al Sharpton for example. -Michael Crichton's speeches in his web site show wonderful examples how oversimplification is harmful- No wonder this movie won prizes, like an Oscar.

      Manuela looks for her son's dad to tell him their son died (in an accident) but it rather seems that she just wants some long vacations.... even when Spaniards already have more then 3 vacations weeks a year. Otherwise, did she really have to quit her job? Or maybe it's the curious tendency of everybody to make life more complicated, which also makes the film especial and real. But this is something that too many people will not admit.
      All About My Mother [Region 2]
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Beautifully weaved Masterpiece
      • All About My Mother
      • Hard to get one's head around this one
      • Not Almodovar's Best
      • another touching grand opus from a great director who continues to get better
      All About My Mother [Region 2]

      ProductGroup: DVD
      Binding: DVD

      GeneralGeneral | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video
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      Similar Items:
      1. Talk to Her (Hable con Ella) Talk to Her (Hable con Ella)
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      4. Live Flesh Live Flesh
      5. The Flower of My Secret The Flower of My Secret

      ASIN: B00004RCPR

      Amazon.com

      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

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Beautifully weaved Masterpiece.......2007-07-26

      Almodovar's "All About My Mother" is perhaps the most beautifully written and acted film I have ever seen. In typical Almodovar fashion, the film is full of symbolism, vibrant colors, inter-connected story lines, and an ending that brings the entire film full circle without being cliche.

      After her son dies in a tragic accident in Madrid, Manuela embarks on a personal hegira to Barcelona, where she not only takes a group of misfits under her generous wing, but she finds herself along the way. Full of masterfully detailed relationships, honesty, and love, the film is genuinely moving. Not one to leave sorrow or mystery behind, Almodovar blends the mystery of the human condition with a concoction of humor and compassion brilliantly.

      This is truly a pinnacle in a career full of cinematic highs.

      5 out of 5 stars All About My Mother.......2007-07-11

      A splendidly absorbing, character-driven drama with lots of twists and turns, Almodóvar's "Mother" is an homage to female actresses and anyone with a maternal instinct. With his trademark visual flair and empathy for fringe feminine types--hookers, transvestites, druggies, and distraught single women in particular--Almodóvar spins an engaging, melodramatic story with heavy allusions to "All About Eve" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." Roth, Paredes, Cruz, and San Juan give marvelously spirited performances, all of which helped the movie win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Why not let Almodóvar "Mother" you?

      4 out of 5 stars Hard to get one's head around this one.......2007-02-27

      At times, this was an emotionally exhausting film, containing so much grief & loss that it was difficult to watch, and by extension, difficult to review. It wanders amazingly far afield from what at first appears to be a movie about a mother/son relationship, but Almodovar manages to keep the movie from completely losing its coherence.

      This is probably one of those movies where the sometimes bizarre content can overwhelm a viewer. Repeated viewings no doubt would reveal some nuggets that were missed the first time through. One could certainly do worse than watching this a second or third time, that's for sure.

      If nothing else, watch the movie for the riveting performance of Cecelia Roth as Manuela. Prior to seeing this, I was unfamiliar with her work, but now hope to seek out some of her other movies.

      3 out of 5 stars Not Almodovar's Best.......2006-09-26

      While the acting (especially that of Cecilia Roth and Penelope Cruz) is superb, I don't care much for this story at the point I should care most, the climax! As usual for his movies, the plot is highly improbable, and while that rarely bothers me, I'm growing tired of Almodovar's over-the-top characters -- the ridiculously eccentric gays, lesbians and transexuals, who he then wants to portray as the most admirable characters in the movie. (An effort to "normalize," "humanize" them, perhaps? Whatever. Go preach from the pulpit, I say.) What worked in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (clearly a screwball comedy), doesn't work here, where the tone is more somber, and the plot somewhat more believable.

      Still, I'm looking forward to more from Almodovar. You never know where his stories are going until you've watched the whole movie. That said, I'm also starting to expect all the quirky weirdos, but I don't always look forward to encountering them.

      4 out of 5 stars another touching grand opus from a great director who continues to get better.......2006-08-03

      almodovar glorifies women! remarkable in its refusal to patronize, and it has all the touches youve come to expect. i laughed, i cried ...
      All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre) [NTSC/REGION 4, Import-Latin America]
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre) [NTSC/REGION 4, Import-Latin America]
        Director: Pedro Almodovar
        ProductGroup: DVD
        Binding: DVD

        GeneralGeneral | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
        GeneralGeneral | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
        ASIN: B000KH19PS
        All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
          Director: Pedro Almodovar
          Manufacturer: Fox
          ProductGroup: DVD
          Binding: DVD

          GeneralGeneral | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
          GeneralGeneral | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
          ASIN: B000FBT2QC

          Product Description

          Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Subtitles), ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SYNOPSIS: A single mother in Madrid sees her only son die on his 17th birthday as he runs to seek an actress's autograph. She goes to Barcelona to find the lad's father, a transvestite named Lola who does not know he has a child. First she finds her friend, Agrado, also a transvestite; through him she meets Rosa, a young nun bound for El Salvador, and by happenstance, becomes the personal assistant of Huma Rojo, the actress her son admired. She helps Huma manage Nina, the co-star and Huma's lover, and she becomes Rosa's caretaker during a dicey pregnancy. With echoes of Lorca, 'All About Eve,' and 'Streetcar Named Desire,' the mothers (and fathers and actors) live out grief, love, and friendship. SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Interactive Menu,
          All About My Mother [Region 2]
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            All About My Mother [Region 2]

            ProductGroup: DVD
            Binding: DVD

            GermanGerman | By Original Language | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
            SpanishSpanish | By Original Language | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video
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            ASIN: B00004YN3L
            Pedro Almodovar 4-pack (Bad Education / Flower of my Secret / All About My Mother / Talk to Her) - Amazon.com Exclusive
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              Pedro Almodovar 4-pack (Bad Education / Flower of my Secret / All About My Mother / Talk to Her) - Amazon.com Exclusive
              Starring: Pedro Almodóvar
              Manufacturer: Columbia Tri-Star
              ProductGroup: DVD
              Binding: DVD

              Echanove, JuanEchanove, Juan | ( E ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
              Palma, Rossy DePalma, Rossy De | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
              Almodóvar, PedroAlmodóvar, Pedro | ( A ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
              All Sony Pictures TitlesAll Sony Pictures Titles | Sony Pictures Home Entertainment | Studio Specials | Stores | DVD | Video
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              ASIN: B0007XB3FG
              Release Date: 2005-04-12

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