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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, October 6, 2006

'Viva Pedro!' gives good education of Almodóvar

Advertiser Staff

"Viva Pedro!" a retrospective of movies by Spain's prolific, controversial and beloved filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, begins today at the Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Academy of Arts.

If you're an Almodóvar fan, you know that his stories are very inventive and very adult-oriented. Newbies, be warned about some occasionally shocking imagery.

All films are in Spanish, with English subtitles. Admission is $7 general, $5 for museum members.

The lineup:

  • "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Mujeres Al Borde De Un Ataque De Nervios)"; 1988, 90 minutes, R

    Almodóvar's first international hit finds Pepa on the trail of her wayward lover, Ivan, leading her on a wild escapade and to his ex-wife, his son (the not-yet-famous-in-the-U.S. Antonio Banderas), and the son's fiancée.

    1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. today.

    Also: Chef Mike Nevin presents a Spanish-themed Cinema Supper from 5:30 p.m. today at the museum's Pavilion Café. It's virtually filled up; call 532-8734 to see if any tables are left. Spanish wines also will be available from 5:30 p.m. today at the Luce Pavilion Courtyard; no reservations required.

  • "All About My Mother (Todo Sobre Mi Madre)"; 1999, 101 minutes, R

    Women and men-who-would-be-women bond in a tale about a mother in mourning, her transsexual ex-mate, a transvestite prostitute, an actress and a pregnant nun. Starring a pre-Hollywood Penélope Cruz.

    1 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

  • "Talk to Her (Hable Con Ella)"; 2002, 112 minutes, R

    The stories of two women (a ballet dancer and a bullfighter) who fall into comas, and the two men (a nurse and a writer) who love them.

    1 and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

  • "The Flower of My Secret (La Flor De Mi Secreto)"; 1995, 103 minutes, R

    A depressed and suicidal romance novelist begins to write for a newspaper under a pseudonym and finds a new romance with the editor.

    1 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

  • "Law of Desire (La Ley Del Deseo)"; 1987, 102 minutes, NC-17

    Antonio Banderas stars in a tale of obsession, murder and amnesia. He is in love with a writer-director, who is also a homosexual hedonist who proves to be of the noncommital sort.

    1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13

  • "Matador"; 1986, 110 minutes, NC-17

    Antonio Banderas again, this time in a tale about bullfighting, manhood, false confessions, love and death.

    1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15

  • "Live Flesh (Carne Trémula)"; 1997, 103 minutes, R

    The truth about a fateful shooting in the apartment of the addict Elena comes to light years later. Now she is sober and married to a paraplegic ex-cop, and the man who was wrongly imprisoned is obsessed with her.

    1 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17

  • "Bad Education (La Mala Educación)"; 2004, 106 minutes, NC-17

    Three threads tie into a central story of two young boys who discover love (one who becomes an aspiring actor, the other a prominent movie director), and an abusive priest who has another story to tell. Starring Gael Garc’a Bernal.

    1 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18