Abducting Antonio Banderas and forcing him to love me @ Grauman's Chinese Theatre for AFI Fest's 25th Anniversary.
Also the 25th Anniversary of Pedro Almodovar's production company El Deseo and his early masterpiece Law of Desire (La ley del deseo)! The second collaboration for Pedro and Antonio Banderas, wherein Antonio goes gay... and crazy with desire! It's still resonant, funny and gorgeous after all these years. A poetic precursor to the themes still percolating in their latest collaboration, The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito). Law of Desire is a sensuous and soulful little classic. The emotions, colors and man candy pop off the screen!
They discussed how Antonio's frank sexuality was a challenge to viewers in 1986, but no one seemed to take issue with him tossing bodies off a cliff. They hugged, they charmed, we swooned. Almodovar teased Banderas would arrive early to dance naked for the audience. I, too, understood the true depths of desire...
The Skin I Live In (La pielquehabito) is said to be Pedro Almodovár's "horror" film. As is typical of his career though, that genre can barely define or contain his style and sense of humor. The style of the trailer is another topic altogether. The soundtrack pops and veers over absurd imagery involving tiger suits and basement hose downs. While it seems to give away some bigger plot points, its manic meld more or less conjures questions like, "What the hell was that all about?" As should be expected, the mood is dazzling, the colors pop, and Pedro's storyline seems to soar and startle in equal measure.
Antonio Banderas returns for his sixth collaboration with Almodovár, a place where he's found his most fruitful roles to date (apologies to the Puss in Boots fans). I didn't create and dutifully enforce "The Law of Desire for Antonio Banderas" without damn fine reason...
It should be interesting to see if he once again falls into the mold of playing completely lovable psychotics, such as the sensual stalkers of Law of Desire and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, or his gentle attempted rapist from Matador. Being a man is more than enough to make him seem dastardly in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. (And Labyrinth of Passion remains my one unseen Pedro picture, considering it's caught in the labyrinth of unreleased titles in the US.) Playing with guns, making skin suits and abducting pretty ladies is enough to verify Banderas' psychotic side, and he does look lovely as ever.
Paredes, Banderas, Almodovár and Anaya at Cannes
His lovely leading ladies are played by Elena Anaya (Talk to Her) and fellow Almodovár veteran Marisa Paredes (All About My Mother, The Flower of My Secret, High Heels), while cinematographer José Luis Alcaine has captured some of Pedro's most seductive and sensational images with Volver, Bad Education, and Antonio Banderas naked in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! It promises to be a horror film with heart... clad in a skintight tiger suit.
David Cronenberg'sA Dangerous Method looks to pair the the heated psychosexual dueling (and dualing) of Dead Ringers with a historical period piece. However, if this trailer were a Rorschach blot all anyone would see is Oscar-bait. That generic music swell completely stifles the madness and masochism we know is more to Cronenberg's style. It's a safe method I suppose to avoid the more sordid subplots with eyes on the acting prize, but this trailer couldn't be more confining if it were a corset.
You don't need a monocle to see that Michael Fassbender makes for a dashing lead as Carl Jung, tightly tailored and touting an oddly entrancing moustache. Together with Cronenberg favorite, a dapper ViggoMortensen (as Sigmund Freud), well... One can only hope they experience a Freudian slip.
Oh, and Keira something or other is all messed up in the head... It seems to have all the period opulence with even more opulent actors, and enough headplay to burst your head Scanners-style. But that's just my professional opinion.
Oh Antonio Banderas... So pretty, so much love to give, such a borderline personality. Not that I'd mind if he tied me up, held my family at gunpoint and forced me to love him. Should take about 3.5 seconds of convincing.
Simply put: Antonio is crazy/hot.
Antonio's (oft-seen) stalker side seems brought out most by people in the entertainment field: a queer film director in Law of Desire (mi favorito), a young model in Matador, and a porn star in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! An amateur film blogger seems like the next logical step really.
Over at Film Experience I've done a post playing Six Degrees of Pedro Almodóvar! So many lovely little links between his films, one of which is attempted rapist/accomplished murderer Antonio Banderas somehow still being the ideal man. Viva Pedro!
Here's one degree of Pedro Almodóvar: Pedro as a cashier in Law of Desire. I wish Pedro worked at my local hardware store! And I wish Antonio frequented my local hardware store! Bar none, best local hardware store ever.
"It's not your fault if you don't love me, and it's not my fault if I love you."
That's sort of the basics of the Law of Desire, and exactly my feelings toward Antonio Banderas in that movie. It's also a very simple law proposed by Pedro Almodóvar in Spain of 1987 that has long since gone ignored in its home country, but I plan to use my full jurisdiction and enforce it here at Club Silencio.
And by the statutes of The Law of Desire for Antonio Banderas, he is required to do for us the following:
Antonio Banderas must give wake up calls.
Antonio Banderas must dress exactly like us.
Antonio Banderas must show us his yo-yo.
Antonio Banderas must surprise us outside of Burger King.
Antonio Banderas must caulk the tub.
As with any law, there are consequences to those who choose to break it:
Antonio Banderas will not be held responsible if you or a loved one is harmed in said pursuit of lawlessness.
2018: [1] Burning [2] Eighth Grade [3] The Favorite [4] Suspiria (2018) [5] Hereditary [6] First Reformed [7] The House That Jack Built [8] The Tale [9] Thunder Road [10] The Rider
2017: [I can't not] Twin Peaks [1 AND 2 TIE] Call Me By Your Name / The Florida Project [3] Lady Bird [4] Good Time [5] Raw [6] Phantom Thread [7] The Killing of a Sacred Deer [8] The Blackcoat's Daughter [9] Get Out [10] Brawl in Cell Block 99
2016: [1] The Lobster [2] The Witch [3] Julieta [4] Elle [5] The Neon Demon [6] The Handmaiden [7] Green Room [8] The Love Witch [9] Love & Friendship [10] Certain Women
2015: [1] The Duke of Burgundy [2] The Look of Silence [3] Queen of Earth [4] It Follows [5] Room [6] Inside Out [7] 45 Years [8] Carol [9] Anomalisa [10] Mad Max: Fury Road
2014: [1] Under the Skin [2] Boyhood [3] Nightcrawler [4] Whiplash [5] Stranger by the Lake [6] Olive Kitteridge [7] Mommy [8] Blue Ruin [9] Only Lovers Left Alive [10] Nymphomaniac
2013: [1] Before Midnight [2] The Act of Killing [3] 12 Years a Slave [4] Enough Said [5] Sightseers [6] Frances Ha [7] Spring Breakers [8] Upstream Color [9] Paradise: Love / Paradise: Faith / Paradise: Hope [10] Blue Jasmine / The Wolf of Wall Street
2012: [1] The Loneliest Planet [2] Rust and Bone [3] Starlet [4] The Queen of Versailles [5] Magic Mike [6] Sleep Tight [7] The Imposter [8] Life of Pi [9] Dark Horse [10] Holy Motors
2011: [1] Martha Marcy May Marlene [2] The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) [3] Weekend [4] The Future [5] We Need to Talk About Kevin [6] Shame [7] Young Adult [8] Margaret [9] Melancholia [10] Drive
2010: [1] The Illusionist [2] Enter the Void [3] Fish Tank [4] Heartbeats (Les amours imaginaires) [5] Black Swan [6] Best Worst Movie / Prodigal Sons / The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia [7] Blue Valentine [8] Scott Pilgrim vs. the World [9] Dogtooth [10] Please Give
2009: [1] Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos) [2] Fantastic Mr. Fox [3] Coraline [4] The House of the Devil [5] Where the Wild Things Are [6] Inglourious Basterds [7] The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) [8] Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) [9] Antichrist [10] Up
2008: [1] Vicky Cristina Barcelona [2] Wendy and Lucy [3] Martyrs [4] Eden Lake [5] Paranoid Park [6] Julia [7] Mister Lonely [8] The Wrestler [9] Let the Right One In (Lat den rätte komma in) [10] Happy-Go-Lucky
2007: [1] Lust, Caution (Se, jie) [2] Once [3] There Will Be Blood [4] Margot at the Wedding [5] Eastern Promises [6] Grindhouse [7] 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile) [8] Away From Her [9] 2 Days in Paris [10] I'm Not There
2006: [1] Volver [3] Inland Empire [3] Marie Antoinette [4] Children of Men [5] Little Children [6] Deliver Us From Evil / Jesus Camp [7] A Scanner Darkly [8] Friends with Money [9] Bubble [10] Shortbus
2005: [1] Brokeback Mountain [2] 2046 [3] A History of Violence [4] Me and You and Everyone We Know [5] Match Point [6] The Constant Gardener [7] Junebug [8] The Squid and the Whale [9] Caché [10] Happy Endings
2004: [1] Before Sunset [2] Dogville [3] Bad Education (La mala educación) [4] Sideways [5] Closer [6] Innocence [7] The Dreamers [8] Tarnation [9] I Heart Huckabees [10] Birth
2003: [1] Lost in Translation [2] Irréversible [3] The Triplets of Belleville (Les triplettes de Belleville) [4] Angels in America [5] Kill Bill, Vol. 1 [6] Elephant [7] City of God (Cidade de Deus) [8] A Mighty Wind [9] The Brown Bunny [10] The Room
2002: [1] Y tu Mamá También [2] Far From Heaven [3] Punch-Drunk Love [4] Talk to Her (Hable con ella) [5] Morvern Callar [6] Audition (Ôdishon) [7] The Hours [8] Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) [9] The Rules of Attraction [10] Lovely & Amazing
2001: [1] Mulholland Drive [2] In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa) [3] Waking Life [4] Wet Hot American Summer [5] Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) [6] In the Bedroom [7] Hedwig and the Angry Inch / Moulin Rouge [8] Bully [9] Gosford Park [10] Battle Royale
2000: [1] Dancer in the Dark [2] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) [3] Requiem for a Dream [4] You Can Count On Me [5] The Virgin Suicides [6] American Psycho [7] Best in Show [8] Memento [9] Erin Brockovich / Traffic [10] Wonder Boys
1999: [1] Eyes Wide Shut [2] Magnolia [3] The Blair Witch Project [4] Boys Don't Cry [5] The Straight Story [6] All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) [7] Election [8] eXistenZ [9] Being John Malkovich [10] American Beauty
1998: [1] Buffalo ’66 [2] The Truman Show [3] Happiness [4] Ringu [5] The Idiots (Idioterne) [6] Gummo [7] Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [8] The Opposite of Sex [9] Velvet Goldmine [10] I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous)
1997: [1] Boogie Nights [2] Waiting for Guffman [3] Lost Highway [4] Happy Together (Chun gwong cha sit) [5] The Ice Storm [6] Live Flesh (Carne trémula) [7] The Kingdom 2 (Riget 2) [8] Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) [9] Deconstructing Harry [10] Jackie Brown
1996: [1] Breaking the Waves [2] Crash [3] Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills [4] Citizen Ruth [5] Scream [6] Walking and Talking [7] Flirting with Disaster [8] Fargo [9] Trainspotting [10] Hard Eight
1995: [1] Welcome to the Dollhouse [2] Before Sunrise [3] Safe [4] Kids [5] Fallen Angels (Duo luo tian shi) [6] To Die For [7] Kicking and Screaming [8] Showgirls [9] Seven [10] The Flower of My Secret (La flor de mi secreto)
1994: [1] Heavenly Creatures [2] Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam) [3] Pulp Fiction [4] Serial Mom [5] The Kingdom (Riget) [6] Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu) [7] Wes Craven's New Nightmare [8] Ed Wood [9] Clean, Shaven [10] Reality Bites
