On August 11th, Sony Pictures Classics will re-release eight of Almodovar's classic films in New York and Los Angeles in a film series called "Viva Pedro," which will expand to other cities throughout the fall.

The series will feature new prints of these classics films, two of which were never released on DVD ("Matador," "Law of Desire"), allowing fans of Almodovar as well as those new to his work to see these movies the way they were meant to be seen -- on the big screen.

The films in this series are: "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" (1988), "All About My Mother" (1999), "Talk to Her" (2002), "Flower of My Secret" (1996), "Live Flesh" (1997), "Law of Desire" (1987), "Matador" (1988), and "Bad Education" (2004).

Viva Pedro!

I can't believe they didn't include one of my favorites; "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" (1990) Antonio never looked hotter!


------- Festival Dates --------

8/11
Lincoln Plaza, New York

8/25
Sunset, Los Angeles

9/1
Castro, San Francisco
Shattuck, Berkeley
Harvard Exit, Seattle
Music Box, Chicago
Kendall Sq., Boston
Ken, San Diego

9/8
DIA, Detroit
Angelika, Dallas
South Beach, Miami
Emerging Pix, Ft. Lauderdale
Stage West, Lake Worth

9/15
AFI, Washington, DC
Tivoli, St. Louis
Lagoon, Minneapolis
Ritz, Philadelphia
Emerging Pix, Wilmington
Chez, Denver
Market Arcade, Buffalo

9/22
Cleveland Cinemateque
Marin, Marin Co.
Angelika, Houston
Midtown, Atlanta

9/29
Downer, Milwaukee
Harris, Pittsburgh
Camelview, Phoenix
Michigan, Ann Arbor
Charles, Baltimore
Tivoli, Kansas City

10/6
Nickelodeon, Santa Cruz
Arbor, Austin
Fine Arts, Ashville
Gateway, Columbus
Academy of Arts, Honolulu

10/13
Loft, Tucson
Trolley Sq., Salt Lake City
Naro, Norfolk
Keystone Art, Indianapolis

10/20
Jacob Burns, Westchester
Crest, Sacramento
Museum, Ft. Worth

10/27
BAM, Brooklyn
Cinemateque, Santa Fe
Mary Riepma Ross, Lincoln

11/3
Cinema Arts, Huntington
Garden, Norwalk
Little, Rochester
Camelot, Palm Springs
Century, Orange, CA
Century, Ventura, CA

Dec.
Cinema 21, Portland

Anyone up for couple of screenings in San Francisco over Labor Day?

I can't believe I had missed this thread. I love Pedro. I've seen all of his films. The LA Times had a great article a few weeks ago about the film festival. I can't wait for Volver. If I was up north I'd take you up on your offer. wink

Don't miss " Law of Desire" which has some of the hottest scenes Almodovar has ever directed

I can't believe I've never seen that one.

Nothing I've seen Banderas in has made him look hot to me, yet I've always thought he must have been in that one.

Can't imagine him hotter than Gael Garcia Bernal.

Have to add another plug for "Law of Desire." It's Almodovar's gayest movie and just a great film. It seems impossible to get in the States--not available on Amazon or any of the rental shops in Seattle--so catch it in the theater.

Anyone planning to attend in St. Louis?? wink

quote:

"Don't miss " Law of Desire" which has some of the hottest scenes Almodovar has ever directed"

Yeah! Especially when Antonio gets f---ed while on his back. And then there's that soaping up shower scene w/ him & his lover. Yummmmmm!


2 films that they should have included in the festival are Pepi, Luci, Bom & Dark Habits. Both of these films are hysterical! If you can find them to rent where you live, run out & do it now.

USC's film school had a Pedro Almodovar film festival about 10 years ago. I went to it. I couldn't stop laughing. He had such a twisted sense of humor early in his career....But then living under Franco would only help stir up some of the most creative juices imaginable. I remember reading an article in Interview magazine (back when Warhol was still w/ us) about him. He said that when the Spanish artist community knew of Franco's final hours, they planned a huge party. And when the news announced his death they popped LOTS of champagne & got plastered all night long. Typical Pedro!

The opening scene of "Law of Desire" is amazingly hot. I hope this film will finally get released on DVD

I have the DVD. But it has never been released. in the US. I bought it in Brasil.

I love this movie. it was very influential in my life when I was coming out.

Several people on ebay are selling DVD copies of it. Check it out.

[ September 04, 2006, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: SCTrojan ]

Last night I saw "All About My Mother for the fourth time. It's my favorite of all his movies. I think it has more emotion and less absurdity than many of his films, and Cecilia Roth is heartbreaking as the mother. I'm looking forward to "Law of Desire," the only one of the featured films I haven't yet seen.

I LOVE "All About My Mother" - my favorite Almodovar movie. Cecilia Roth with her teenage son is devastating...while Agrado is hysterically funny. There's so many fascinating and compelling characters in this movie.
"Law of Desire" introduced me to Almodovar and a young hunk called Antonio Bandaras in white briefs. What a hot little movie...

Also, Gael Garcia is a revelation in Bad Education...he's a great addition to the Almodovar casting family.

Pedro described Gael perfectly: He's the Mexican Julia Roberts!

Pedro also reminds me of my mom. I'll never forget when I took her to see Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She so loved that film. Whenever people would irritate her she'd say that was going to serve them sleeping pill-spiked gazpacho. She'd say, "Gazpacho para todos!" We'd just crack up because it was our lil inside joke. I'll never forget that.

Edited for the following:

It's so hard for me to pick which is my favorite film by him. I have several for different reasons. I love Matador for it's sheer beauty. I love Women on the Verge... because of my mom. I love Bad Education because of its serious subject. I love Dark Habits because it was so shockingly & hysterically unbelievable. I could on...I just love him period. He's definitely my favorite director (a close 2nd, however, is Akira Kurusawa).

[ September 04, 2006, 11:44 AM: Message edited by: SCTrojan ]

The early films are crude in a way but Pedro has evolved into one of the great masters of world cinema.

From the website, it seems they are going to re-release all the films on DVD, including the ones never released in the US like Law of Desire.

Not until Nov is Volver being released here in LA. Geez, that's a long time.

Once USC scored it's second touchdown, I decided to leave the bar and let football go for the day. Luckily it was just in time for the start of Law of Desire at the Castro Theatre. This is one I hadn't seen. I loved it.

Almodovar can take a cliched plot and make it seem new and fresh. He really is brilliant in character development and dialogue. I didn't feel like I was watching a movie from 1987, I fel like I was watching a movie made in 2006 set in 1987. Amazing. I've got to catch up on the few of his films I haven't seen.

If you are in SF and want to catch it, today is the last day it's showing. The Castro Theatre

The first Almodovar film I ever saw was High Heels (Tacones Lejanos), and have loved him since then (although I wish that movie was re-released, I'd like to see it again). It doesn't seem like "Viva Pedro" is coming to Toronto , and I missed seeing Volver at the film festival (and I missed seeing Penelope Cruz in the flesh, as she was spotted by the paparazzi--accompanying Pedro, mostly--all over town). But there is very good buzz about the film and Pedro returning to his more women-centric themes (like All About My Mother, my favorite Pedro film).

============

And I'd tell Pedro fans to pay attention to Spanish director Daniel Sanchez Arevalo. I saw his first feature (which he wrote & directed), DarkBlueAlmostBlack and loved it. Like Pedro, he's able to blend comedy and drama, make unlikely situations seem real, and he creates such wonderful characters. The relationship between Jorge and Paula (who's in prison, and is supposedly the girlfriend of Jorge's brother), and Jorge's funny best friend Sean (who discovers his father is seeing a massage therapist who gives handjobs, and then begins to question his own sexuality), are worthy of Almodovar. Great cinematography and good use of music. And Arevalo even used an actor, Antonio de la Torres (as Jorge's jailbird brother Antonio) that Almodovar uses in Volver. A splendid debut. A review.

[ September 17, 2006, 06:27 PM: Message edited by: canmark ]

Thanks for the tip Mark! I love finding new directors with talent.

My intro to Pedro was Women on the Verge and I've been a fan ever since. Law of Desire I have only seen once, several years ago, but still remember how good it was. My faves are Live Flesh, Talk to Her (oh, the giant vagina fantasy scene!) and especially Kika, which showed the Pedro can even make rape funny and fabulous. Why the festival is screening The Flower of My Secret (his least accomplished film of the '90s) instead of Kika being violated by an orange wedge, I don't know.

So, what's the deal here? Is it one film per weekend? I looked it up on the Angelika FC Houston website and it only had Women on the Verge listed this weekend. Is this an 8-weekend commitment? I thought it was going to be a Viva Pedro marathon. Let me know what's it been like in other cities. Thanks for any information.
~SimTex

Here in SF it was like 3 days per film. Check out what's playing the rest of the week.

I went to see Volver yesterday. I was a lil concerned about being able to handle it (since my mom left us around 3 years ago), but I did pretty good. I don't want to give away the plot so...

At any rate, I enjoyed it & for any Pedro fans I'd recommend you see it. It's not as serious as Bad Education, but I like the "life lessons" theme of it. The women are amazing & Penelope looks knock out gorgeous...It was also great to see Carmen Maura back in one of his pix.