Couch Potato this week comes to you a day later than usual. The Oscar nominations yesterday knocked me back a bit so I do apologise. We have an interesting if unexceptional line-up this week, but there should be a little something in the sack to suit everyone’s tastes. First out this week is Surrogates, the latest Bruce Willis flick directed by Terminator 3′s Jonathan Mostow. Set in a near future utopia the movie sees human being sequestered at home, no longer needing to venture out into the world, as all human activity is now conducted via surrogates, mechanical versions of the person sent forth to do their bidding. Bruce Willis plays a cop who is forced to investigate a murder where the user is killed after the surrogate is shot by an unknown weapon. It’s an odd... Similar posts

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s latest hymn to his favourite leading lady Penelope Cruz is a labyrinthine web of story and genre that straddles two distinct timeline, the mid-1990s and today, and features a dozen or so interconnected characters. A lavish, noir-influenced melodrama told in flashbacks, Broken Embraces opens with an introduction to Mateo (Lluís Homar), who was once a successful film director but is latterly a blind, cranky recluse who writes screenplays under the name Harry Caine. His protective agent Judit (Planca Portillo) keeps a close eye on him, employing her son Diego (Tamar Novas) to assist him in his Madrid apartment.When an encounter with a bitter director opens up old wounds for Mateo, he recalls a period a decade before, when he fell in love with Lena... Similar posts

Few film makers operating today can better Pedro Almodóvar. Sleek and richly creative, rarely does the Spaniard fail to deliver. His latest is no exception. Enjoyable and engaging, Broken Embraces is another fine work from one of cinema’s most exceptional of film-makers. Stylistically rich and multifaceted, Almodóvar’s latest nods to Hitchcock; 40s noir dramas and his own back-catalogue of work, in weaving together a tale of obsession, romance, jealousy and complex parental relationships. Set partly in modern day Madrid, the chief strand of the storyline concerns itself with Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar), a highly-respected former film director who has been forced to abandon his profession following the loss of his eyesight in an accident years earlier. In dealing with the tragedy... Similar posts

I've been a fan of Pedro Almodovor's for some years now, going back to the late 1980's. Watching 'Volver' today reminded me of so many reasons why I enjoy his films so much and watching the special features on the two-disc set really hits home to me how much of his own personality makes it to the screen. Part of his power is to make his scripts, characters (obviously with the incredible talents of the actors to bring them to life) and settings so natural, real and emotive. The pure love that Pedro has for Penelope Cruz's character (and indeed, the woman herself as both of them discuss in a round-table chat with the cast and director) shines through all the drama and humour of the film itself. The ever wonderful Carmen Maura once again shows herself to be a world-class acting talent as... Similar posts