Pedro Almodovar Rips From His Past To Create Modern-Day Gem Pain and Glory

The past tends to echo well into the future in ways we sometimes can't even comprehend as well as in ways that can prove detrimental to the present. Acclaimed writer/director Pedro Almodovar contemplates this matter thoroughly through his newest movie Pain and Glory. The lead character of this production, Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), is clearly a stand-in for Almodovar to a degree (how accurate he is to the actual man is something I cannot state confidently) given that he's, like Almodovar, a middle-aged filmmaker of a notable stature who attended a religious school as a child, was impacted heavily by cinema at a young age and spent his formative adult years in Madrid, Spain. 

Performances and Atmosphere Are Everybody Knows' Strong Suits

Well, it's time for a wedding! Break out the doves, the rice and the fancy outfits! All the extended members of Laura's (Penelope Cruz) family have come out for this special day, including her ex-lover Paco (Javier Bardem). Laura is prepared to just sit, watch and enjoy this wedding, but during the festivities, her teenage daughter is kidnapped! Now everything is in disarray as the family tries to figure out who did this and how they can solve it. Paco leaps at the chance to help in any way he can but Laura's family doesn't trust him. Secrets have been brewing in this family for a long time and now they're about to come to the surface. It's time for a wedding alright, but it's also time for revelations a-plenty.

Real-Life Murders Are Used As A Starting Point For The Assassination of Gianni Versace To Explore The Humanity of The Downtrodden

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace AHEAD

Making a follow-up to anything that garners a high level of acclaim is a daunting prospect, especially when the project you're following up is the first season of American Crime Story, The People v. O.J. Simpson. A recreation of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, this was a ten-episode long season that took a trial everyone across the planet knew about and made it feel fresh & new, especially when it explored elements like the pressure put on Marcia Clark during the trial and examining the systemic racism against African-Americans that was affecting the proceedings. Thoughtful, compelling, packed with tremendous performances, this was top-notch television. The only problem for the creators of the show was figuring out where they could go in a subsequent season of American Crime Story that wouldn't feel like a letdown in quality to the average viewer.

There's Some Fun And Clunky Storytelling To Be Found In Murder On The Orient Express

Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) just wanted a little rest and relaxation. The guy spends so much of his time using those deductive skills that have made him the world's greatest detective to solve all sorts of crimes that he's understandably just wanting some time to read his Charles Dickens books and get away from the world. But when he hops aboard his friend's classy train The Orient Express, well, it isn't long before some foul crime rears its head, those kinds of events tend to follow Poirot like a hungry dog. There's been a murder aboard this train and after some convincing, Poirot puts his vacation on hold in order to solve this crime.

Zoolander 2 Review

Let's say you're making a comedy film, but not just any sort of cinematic yukfest, no no no. You've got a cast at your ready disposal containing legendary comedians like Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell. Oh, and it's a continuation of Zoolander, one exceptionally funny motion picture. With all of those humorous tools in your arsenal, you'd think the results of such a collaboration would result in something even ever so slightly funny. But no. All we get are endless jokes about how fat the son of Zoolander is. That's the level of creativity Zoolander 2 populates, the area where fat jokes are considered the height of innovation and novelty.

Zoolander 2 Is A-Go, With Penelope Cruz Joining Cast

But why male models? More like why a sequel, amirite? Bad puns aside, I'm a big fan of Zoolander, Ben Stillers odyssey into male modeling absurdity. It's an entertaining movie full of quotable lines, and a sequel to it has been in the works for ages now. After Anchorman 2 failed to recapture the laughs of the original, I kind hoped this long-in-the-works-comedy-sequel-from-Paramount would not come to fruition, but now it's on the way!