Volver and Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

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Beware of packaging blurbs. These films were both billed as comedies. I don't think so.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie is Bobcat Goldthwaits (Yes, that Bobcat) film about bestiality and what it can do to a relationship. It was supposed to be a touching romantic comedy with a modicum of bestiality throw in. It was touching. There was a modicum of bestiality. But there wasn't a lot of comedy. There was some but it was more heartbreak than anything. I was swayed to see this by masters over at the Kevin and Bean show. They had Bobcat on and I was interested to see how he was as a director. Not so much. Although from the radio interview I did find out he's been directing the Jimmie Kimmel Show. I say pass on this cinematic gem.

Volver
I was confused and thought this film won the academy award for best foreign language film. It wasn't. but it did win National Board of review. That's got to count for something. Once again a comedy without a lot of comedy and some very weird moments.

Penelope Cruz was too hot for this film She made everyone around her look worse by comparison. Plus most of the makeup and hair budget went to her because nobody else seemed to have ministrations from the hair and makeup people. Every time she was in a scene, all I could think was that she must have been adopted because her family all looked like dogs in comparison.


It's also supposed to be a ghost story, with Penelope's mom haunting her aunt and then switching to Penelope's sister. The Queen picked up on the fact the ghost was acting very ghost like in the movie. I put it down to the fact that things were different in Spain.

There were a lot of lingering shots of butts and cleavage. There were some awkward moments of Penelope's husband leering at the fifteen year as she changed clothes and sat with open legs on the couch. Fortunately the gross dad came to a timely end.

Here is why things are different in Spain. You kill someone and you just go out and bury the body. You immediately assume the supernatural. It's okay to take over the neighbors restaurant to serve food to a film crew. Lot's of double smooching to say Hello. Not a lot of Police Presence. People run hairdressing salons out of their apartments. When you grow bored with telling the story and before you resolve questions you have posed as film naker, you just stop the film and roll credits.

I should have been better prepared from my Bunuel youth, but I guess I am out of practice.

[Drunk Monk]

Gotta agree with the Gregster for the most part. The story was interesting at first, but got predictable towards the end. Nevertheless, the storyline was satisfactory. Cruz puts a lot of va-va-voom into Volver. Those lingering butt and cleavage shots seem so Spanish. There was some other nice shots too - I liked the windmills and the notion of the East wind making everyone mad. Cruz turns in a good performance, but is totally unbelievable in the role because she's just way too hot to be living that life. Not quite Oscar-worthy to my way of thinking. This was my first Almodóvar film. I've heard he makes films about women and this is definitely that. The few male characters are totally reprehensible. And every women in this film can tear up their big Spanish eyes in a heartbeat. I felt this was an ok film, not uninteresting, but not worthy of all the accolades heaped upon it. Almodóvar seems overrated to me, based on this one film.