You Should Rent #16

Dark Habits - directed by Pedro Almodovar

This film is infused with organic comedy, bold colors, amazing set designs and dark shadows. And most importantly we start to notice that no one is whom they say they are, or to view it from another perspective the people we encounter are forced to fit into a social group that is denying them the chance to be who they really are. My favorite sequence (and awesome use of lighting to make something comedic) that demonstrates this is when Yolanda enters the convent, filling the dark space with an enormous light source, and Mother Superior walks towards the light and Yolanda. I wont say more about the nuns visceral reactions towards being placed in a convent but it does add to good laughs. 

You should rent this film because it shows the true nitty gritty of the 80s. The set designs revolve around pop culture and bold colors. The set design also offers an insight into characters when comparing, for example, their bedrooms. All the nuns sleep in an open, bare and gray room while Yolanda sleeps in a chamber that belongs in a Vincente Minnelli film.

Find it here on Amazon.

You Are So Foxy:

Every week I get emails from PR reps about some new songs, new bands, new shows, new music videos. Maybe I should let them know that I don't contribute my silly shenanigans to streetcarnage.com anymore. BUT then how will I hear awesome music? It's a conundrum, really.

This week they bring me Foxygen. They have a unique sound in today's radio but they do give me flashbacks of Velvet Underground. And, I gotta say they grow on you and can't wait to see them when they pass through New York City.

Foxygen - San Francisco

You Should Rent #15

Talk to Her - directed by Pedro Almodóvar

In the beginning of the film we are shown two female dancers moving through a space that has been encumbered by chairs and tables. We fear for them and worry about them falling over an obstacle. Yet none of that happens for there is a man, with an unforgettable expression, who does not guide the dancers but ensures that they are safe from the chairs and tables. It is within this sequence Almodóvar visually sets the viewers up for the sympathy and loyalty the audience as well as the two protagonists (Marco and Benigno) will go through. His characters live out their love stories and we the audience get to experience how not only their love stories intertwine with each other but play out like a novella as fate brings the two men together to form a friendship as they wait for their girlfriends to wake from their coma.

You should rent this film because not only is the story great but Almodóvar shows the beauty of the human body through close ups. Whether it's bathing Alicia or Lydia dressing before her bullfight, his images are bright and lively. If I gave examples of which images I'd be spoiling the movie but he definitely has a way of using lighting, angles, and close ups to his advantage. Another reason to watch, it was a 2002 Golden Globe winner for best foreign language film. Now go watch it!!

Find it here on Amazon.