pro-bassoonist

I saw the movie last night and am going to make a rather bold statement here. I am a huge fan of International cinema and have tremendous respect for Almodovar however this film left me wondering WHY it is that he got awarded for it?

I absolutely disagree with the excellent reviews TALK TO HER received (DVDFILE)- the plot is good, but not excellent, the performances were solid but that's expected from most of Almodovar's films, a slow development with a very predictable story line, hardly any groundbreaking cinematography (I thought that the Spanish Sex and Lucia though different in every sense of the word from TALK TO HER had much more beautiful camera work and direction); character development was not up to Almodovar's past work; etc.

As I am sure this film has its audience I am somehow stunned that it was nominated so highly by the Academy...is this another case where we witnessed the "It is time that we recognize/award Almodovar" syndrome?

I absolutely disagree with the review by DVDFILE.com (as I admit that everyone has the right to express a different opinion) however this is hardly Almodovar's best work. Average at best in my opinion.

I would be interested to hear what impressions TALK TO HER left in you……

The DVD on the other side was a stellar product from Columbia Classics which I highly recommend to those of you that have not seen the film and are wondering if Columbia did justice to Almodovar's work.

Ginwen

I guess everyone is different, but I thought, while not his best, it was pretty good (I preferred All About My Mother, and maybe Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, but it was definitely up there).

I'll have to rewatch Talk To Her to see if I still feel that way (since I saw it when it was the theater), but overall, I really enjoyed it--it was not a story I'd ever seen anything similar to before, and it really held my interest.

I'm not the best to judge though, since I like all his movies I've seen, even Kika.

Hokeyboy

Hable Con Ella is the greatest movie I've seen in theaters in the last five years or so. Absolutely brilliant, an assured and mature work that is arguably Almodovar's best film since Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

The performances are excellent across the board, the script was amazingly well-written, and Almodovar's direction (combined with the brilliant cinematography) has never been better. The movie was pure poetry, a lyrical take on how people express themselves to each other, with and without words, and the lengths the we go to hold on to that we love. Haunting, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

Obviously, I loved the movie. It struck a chord in me that goes far beyond what I can ever express in words. Some movies just resonate on that level, and Hable Con Ella is one of them.

moviezzz

I've seen all of Almodovar's except for his first, PEPE LUCI...... (which I can't find) He's sort of hit and miss for me. Loved some (like WOMAN ON A VERGE), didn't love others (ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER)

I got TALK TO HER from Netflix last week since I missed it in theatres.

I thought it was definitely one of his best. Honestly thought the Academy didn't rate it high enough. Would have been happier if it had won Best Picture than any of those nominated.

Great film. Everything about it worked, rare for an Almodovar film. The performances were fantastic.

After returning the disc, I ordered a copy.

wendersfan

Count me in on the over-rated camp. I thought it was good, but it didn't blow me away. I'll go out on a limb and say it's the worst film of his I've seen (which isn't saying much since I've only seen five and I liked them all).

Glad to hear the DVD is high quality...

FilmFanSea

Talk to Her/Hable con ella is probably my second favorite Almodóvar film, after All About My Mother/Todo sobre mi madre. I think these two films elevate him into the upper echelon of filmmakers working today. Except for the much-talked-about fantasy sequence, Talk to Her is maybe his most restrained film. To me, it is full of transcendant moments that stay with me. I look forward to seeing it again on DVD & hearing the commentary.

tali219

I thought that this was one of his best movies. The interaction between the characters was good and though it had some typical Almodovar over-the-top moments, I thought that the movie was very touching and well-acted. I enjoyed this movie, which isn't so surprising since he is one of my favorite directors. He is the reason why I got into watching Spanish movies!

The Nature Boy

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That's my impression of the girl in the coma.

Sunday Morning

One of the best almodovar films yet... One of the best films of 2002.

Not to offend dvdfile, But their film reviews aren't lets say, very good. I read them mostly for the techical review. Which is usually very good.

garmonbozia

I highly doubt that since he also took home the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for his previous film.

brombie

I guess I understand a little bit about what Almodovar tries to do here. There are two life for love sacrifices made in the movie and the ending hints that because of both sacrifices, one functional working romantic relationship starts to grow.

My problem is not being able to identify with the extreme actions. Maybe I'm just not romantic enough.

bdots48

I've watched it three times now and I think this is one I'll get deeper appreciation for with repeated viewings. I think it is one of his best and probably his most assured as a filmmaker. That final dance is so beautiful and beautifully filmed it chokes me up.

billy9215

Almodovar is a premier film maker because he makes the audience think. If you disagree with his subject matter or are offended by it , I would suggest staying away from his films. In Talk to Her, I can say that the theme is for the lack of a better word "twisted" but beautifully written, directed, acted, etc.. DVD is great as well.Can't wait for his next film!

Josh Z

Since this thread seems to be calling me out, I guess I should respond.

I don't know what to tell ya'. Almodovar's early movies were fun but shallow. I found All About My Mother and especially Talk to Her to be dramatic steps forward in his development as an artist.

Not to be :ahem: offended, but let me just say that it depends on who you read. As you will find with just about any publication, some of our reviewers are better writers than others.

MrN

One of the best films of last year. I saw it as an 'extreme' example of unrequited love - I don't necessarily agree with some of the actions of the protagonists, but I empathize with them.

I disagree with the statement that there was slow development and the story was predictable. This was one film which, while watching it, I had no idea how it would all turn out. About the only thing you know right away is that and I think that is intended.

billy9215

Sorry, what do you know right away?

tdilia

I really liked this movie, not as much as All about My Mother, but it is still excellent.

mcarver

A different movie from All About My Mother, but just as good (if not better in some ways). I felt the the handling of a taboo subject was well done. The acting and the director's vision was also well presented. However, it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

brombie

This is probably the biggest single reason why some people like the movie more than the other.

I can't really empathize with either the nurse or the matador since I question the motivations behind their love -- seems to be very selfish in nature to me.

I prefer the more extreme unrequited "love story" in Ichi The Killer or the way One Fine Spring Day captures the feeling of a doomed relationship. In movies, I'm looking to be either blown away or be able to identify with it on a very personal level. I consider Talk to Her to be somewhat in between and hence somewhat unsatisfying.

DonnachaOne

"I'm no good at impressions, my field is in Psychiatry."

Patman

But that's human nature in a nutshell, humans are very selfish. Some are better at hiding it than others. The people have a passion for who they love, regardless of the why's, they just do. The other characters in the way of that passion get burned by it metaphorically.

Sunday Morning

oops.



I don't think it's about the writing per se, the writing is actually good. Like I mentioned before, the technical side is actually really good and better than most sites. I just prefer more in-depth reviews of film. Rather than reviews that seem more about personal preferences. Which I suppose in the end is a personal preference of mine and thereby am contradicting myself, hello!

I apologize. I actually like your stuff as I am going back and reading it. Aces!

Just worship grease 2, the films of jeff kanew and francois truffaut and movies with monkees and you are fine with me!

MrN

Judging by your 'status' I take it you're not used to spoiler tags - just click at the start of the black bar, hold mouse button and drag.


To add to what Patman already said, most people love out of selfishness - they like being in love because of how it makes them feel and not because its a 'positive' emotion.

Heat

Leonor Watling, you can also see her in the movie "The First Night of My Life" which is on DVD for ~ $13 or so (not a great film but a cute little comedy from '99).

With regard to Talk To Her, I thought it was a very good film. Then again, I really like Almodovar, and this has many of his touches. It is a love story, with some Almodovar twists.

Now I am very curious about the film that Spain chose over this film for it's entry for the Acadamy Awards ("Mondays in the Sun"?), was it really a better film?

I started to watch Almodovar's commentary and was not happy to see that it was in Spanish, though it did have English subtitles (I would have preferred English so that I could read the movie's subtitles while he spoke), but this is certainly better than no commentary. That is, when you listen to the commentary, you can't listen to or read the movie.

Also, with regard to the DVD's subtitles, it would have been nice to have Spanish subtitles, as it is there is only English and French. And if you have the disk, be sure to check out the trailers; there are many for different Spanish language films, though there isn't one for this movie for some reason.

Not that I mean to put down the disk, though, it is a nice disk and much better than other studios would have done.

The Nature Boy

You know, it's funny you say that, because I was so struck when I saw the movie(which I loved by the way) about how universal it would have been without the subtitles. I feel like it would have easily translated on image alone, which is remarkable in this day i age. I think the only potentially confusing part would be:



Of course, I agree it'd be better if there were some sort of means to keep film audio with his subtitles, or two sets of subtitles, or a dubbed english track(as much as I hate them, just something to keep you really fresh). But all things being equal, in this particular film, I think it can overcome the problems you describe.