Queens
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Movie Reviews of Queens
Movie Review: En el estilo de Almodóvar, but probably closest to KM.0
Summary: 4 Stars
'Reinas' features three significant muses of Pedro Almodóvar - Verónica Forqué, Carmen Maura and Marisa Paredes. The backstory is that director / collaborating writer Manuel Gómez Pereira wanted to feature four Almodóvarian staples, targeting Victoria Abril as his fourth (which would have been a real coup). Instead, the fourth role went to Mercedes Sampietro, not as well known to US audiences but a regal presence in Spanish television. The fifth Queen is Betiana Blum, an Argentinian whose high-energy presence is perfect for this often-screwball comedy.
Reinas is all about these ladies. That their gay sons are getting married seems hardly the point to Gómez Pereira - those young actors are just part of the woodwork, staying mostly to the sidelines as these ladies chew through the scenery.
There are two standouts on the male side though: Lluís Homar - who US audiences know as the tempted priest in Bad Education - is a Catalan ringer for Kelsey Grammer (he's Paredes' gardener/wanna-be paramour); and it's a delight to see the wonderful Cuban actor Jorge Perugorría (he's hotel owner Maura's chef/dish on the side). [You want to see great acting? Check out Perugorría in Strawberry & Chocolate and then in Guantanamera.]
The movie itself is like an homage to Almodóvar (Paredes' character even references him directly), but in look and feel I think it's closer to the nice little movie KM.0 (Kilometer Zero. Original Spanish Version w/ English Subtitles). Both feature impossible contrivances that don't get carried off as well as Almodóvar does it, but they're enjoyable nevertheless.
Movie Review: fue muy divertida
Summary: 4 Stars
What can I say? This movie was fun, fun, fun. Smart and witty in places, too. Those looking for something serious or more "true to life" are missing the point entirely. With high production values, and some of Spain's finest actresses, this film is bound to have a wide base of appeal. And for those of us dependent on subtitles, I can only imagine it would be even more clever in its native tongue.Movie Review: Fun for old ladies and queer men
Summary: 4 Stars
This always cheers me up when I'm down in the dumps. Nobody I've ever shown it to didn't like it. Good therapy!Movie Review: Enjoyable, but not going to change the world.
Summary: 3 Stars
I wasn't looking for a weighty, emotional rollercoaster and this movie definitely isn't one. Mothers and sons and the f---ed up relationships they sometimes have is the focus of the movie. Works for me. It made me laugh at times and that's what I wanted.
Movie Review: Not Queens
Summary: 2 Stars
The production values are good, but the story and situations are really hard to swallow. The film is mostly about the relationships of the women, not the gay sons. It was confusing having so many similar-aged women, stories swapping back & forth, constantly having to identify which mother belongs to which son. The situations were far too ridiculous, without being funny. Three of the women are having sex with people that are extremely unlikely to happen in real life. Just not believable. The gay guys are portrayed as weak shells.
Clearly this film concentrates on the mothers and could easily have been about straight children getting married. As a gay man, I feel insulted that the writers think writing the children as gay instantly makes the situation something to be laughed at. There aren't many films that I find difficult to sit through to the end, but this was one of them.
Note: This DVD is actually 4:3 letterbox (they couldn't be bothered to make it full anamorphic widescreen).