Back in 2020, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia made his feature directorial debut (after a couple decades of making short films) with the thriller The Platform, which was released through the Netflix streaming service. You can read my very positive review of that film at This Link, but the gist of it is that I was very impressed and was left eager to see what Gaztelu-Urrutia would make next. He was assembling a film called Rich Flu before the strikes last year, but it turns out that the next movie we’ll see from him is a sequel to his debut, The Platform 2. This one will also be making its way out into the world through Netflix, and today a pair of first look images have arrived online to give us a glimpse at what The Platform 2 has in store for us. You can take a look at those at the bottom of this article.
- 4/18/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s The Platform was a massive hit for Netflix back in 2020, becoming one of the most watched original movies in the streaming service’s history.
Coming soon? The Platform 2! Netflix has shared two first look images from the upcoming sequel this morning, which will again be directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
Milena Smit and Hovik Keuchkerian star in The Platform 2.
Netflix previews, “A mysterious figure has managed to establish a new law in The Platform, but can justice truly be enforced in hell? And who will enforce it?”
No word yet on a Netflix premiere date for The Platform 2. Stay tuned.
The first film is set inside a vertical prison system, where inmates are assigned to a level and forced to ration food from a platform that moves between the floors. Inmates on high floors eat better than those below, and one man tries to effect change so everyone gets enough.
Coming soon? The Platform 2! Netflix has shared two first look images from the upcoming sequel this morning, which will again be directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia.
Milena Smit and Hovik Keuchkerian star in The Platform 2.
Netflix previews, “A mysterious figure has managed to establish a new law in The Platform, but can justice truly be enforced in hell? And who will enforce it?”
No word yet on a Netflix premiere date for The Platform 2. Stay tuned.
The first film is set inside a vertical prison system, where inmates are assigned to a level and forced to ration food from a platform that moves between the floors. Inmates on high floors eat better than those below, and one man tries to effect change so everyone gets enough.
- 4/18/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Alessandro Nivola has joined Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door, the first English-language film from Oscar-winning Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. Sony Pictures Classics will distribute and John Turturro is also on board.
Almodóvar’s El Deseo is producing.
The Room Next Door will be Almodóvar’s first feature-length project since 2021’s Parallel Mothers, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. The film starred Penélope Cruz — who won the Best Actress prize at Venice — and Milena Smit as single mothers who became pregnant by accident and meet in a hospital room as they are about to give birth.
Nivola will next be seen starring in the Apple TV+ limited series The Big Cigar playing radical chic Hollywood film producer Bert Schneider in the crazier-than-fiction story about Schneider’s complicated friendship with Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. The series has a May 17 air date. He then stars as Aleksei Sytsevitch,...
Almodóvar’s El Deseo is producing.
The Room Next Door will be Almodóvar’s first feature-length project since 2021’s Parallel Mothers, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. The film starred Penélope Cruz — who won the Best Actress prize at Venice — and Milena Smit as single mothers who became pregnant by accident and meet in a hospital room as they are about to give birth.
Nivola will next be seen starring in the Apple TV+ limited series The Big Cigar playing radical chic Hollywood film producer Bert Schneider in the crazier-than-fiction story about Schneider’s complicated friendship with Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. The series has a May 17 air date. He then stars as Aleksei Sytsevitch,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
The incontrovertible and immediate effect of muscular tax credits, entering in force in 2023, have powered to a new level the shoot scene in Bilbao and Bizkaia – the Basque city and surrounding province in Northern Spain.
Introduced on Jan. 1, 2023, the new incentives offer an up-to-60% tax deduction for national and international co-productions of film and TV projects.
Enticing studios such as Toboggan and production houses Buendía Estudios and Tornasol to set up in Bizkaia and streaming giant Netflix to invest in original productions, the territory is fast capitalizing on its breaks.
Over 2023, 151 shoots filmed in Bilbao-Bizkaia, 76 from the Basque Country, 47 from Spain and 28 from abroad, according to the Bilbao-Bizkaia 2023 Year Book.
Total shoot spend in 2023 came in at €58.5 million ($63.7 million), 324% up on 2019’s figure of €13.8 million, six times up on €23.5 million ($25.6 million) in 2021. In all, productions shot 1,026 days in Bilbao or in the rest of Bizkaia, 74% more than 2022. The fact that...
Introduced on Jan. 1, 2023, the new incentives offer an up-to-60% tax deduction for national and international co-productions of film and TV projects.
Enticing studios such as Toboggan and production houses Buendía Estudios and Tornasol to set up in Bizkaia and streaming giant Netflix to invest in original productions, the territory is fast capitalizing on its breaks.
Over 2023, 151 shoots filmed in Bilbao-Bizkaia, 76 from the Basque Country, 47 from Spain and 28 from abroad, according to the Bilbao-Bizkaia 2023 Year Book.
Total shoot spend in 2023 came in at €58.5 million ($63.7 million), 324% up on 2019’s figure of €13.8 million, six times up on €23.5 million ($25.6 million) in 2021. In all, productions shot 1,026 days in Bilbao or in the rest of Bizkaia, 74% more than 2022. The fact that...
- 3/5/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Saint Laurent had a star-studded crowd at its Paris Fashion Week show!
Zoe Kravitz, Lily Collins, Zoe Saldana, and Diane Kruger were among the many celebs who walked the carpet at the event on Tuesday (February 27) in Paris, France.
Olivia Wilde has made headlines for the sheer outfit she wore to the event, baring her body in a daring way.
The brand said, “For the Saint Laurent Winter 2024 womenswear collection, Anthony Vaccarello reminds us of what once was at the center of fashion by rendering it invisible: clothes.”
The collection notes even pointed out how Marilyn Monroe‘s “naked” gown was an inspiration for the new designs.
Head inside to see all of the celebs who attended the show…
Keep scrolling to see all of the celebs who attended…
Zoe Kravitz
Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell
Rosé
Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego
Olivia Wilde
Kate Moss
Samara Weaving
Talia Ryder...
Zoe Kravitz, Lily Collins, Zoe Saldana, and Diane Kruger were among the many celebs who walked the carpet at the event on Tuesday (February 27) in Paris, France.
Olivia Wilde has made headlines for the sheer outfit she wore to the event, baring her body in a daring way.
The brand said, “For the Saint Laurent Winter 2024 womenswear collection, Anthony Vaccarello reminds us of what once was at the center of fashion by rendering it invisible: clothes.”
The collection notes even pointed out how Marilyn Monroe‘s “naked” gown was an inspiration for the new designs.
Head inside to see all of the celebs who attended the show…
Keep scrolling to see all of the celebs who attended…
Zoe Kravitz
Lily Collins and Charlie McDowell
Rosé
Zoe Saldana and Marco Perego
Olivia Wilde
Kate Moss
Samara Weaving
Talia Ryder...
- 2/28/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Julianne Moore will star alongside Tilda Swinton in The Room Next Door, the first English language film from Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar.
The dual casting was confirmed by Almodóvar’s production company, El Deseo, this morning with a re-post on their Instagram story following months of speculation and online rumors.
“The actresses are placed under the command of the director from La Mancha in a drama between mother and daughter that will be filmed in the spring in New York and Madrid and will be his first film shot in English,” the post said.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by El cine en la Ser (@elcineenlaser)
The Room Next Door will be Almodóvar’s first feature-length project since 2021’s Parallel Mothers, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. The film starred Penelope Cruz — who won the Best Actress prize at Venice — and Milena Smit as single mothers...
The dual casting was confirmed by Almodóvar’s production company, El Deseo, this morning with a re-post on their Instagram story following months of speculation and online rumors.
“The actresses are placed under the command of the director from La Mancha in a drama between mother and daughter that will be filmed in the spring in New York and Madrid and will be his first film shot in English,” the post said.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by El cine en la Ser (@elcineenlaser)
The Room Next Door will be Almodóvar’s first feature-length project since 2021’s Parallel Mothers, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival. The film starred Penelope Cruz — who won the Best Actress prize at Venice — and Milena Smit as single mothers...
- 1/25/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, Spain’s Isabel Coixet and Chile’s Bernardita Ojeda, director of “Petit,” feature among the first recipients of funding from Ibermedia Next, a pioneering attempting to fund development on pioneering new IPs which yoke large artistic ambition and cutting edge tech.
García Bernal and Luna’s Mexico-based label La Corriente del Golfo co-produces one of the 14 winning submissions, “El Origen De La Experiencia,” which offers a VR immersive experience of Mexican mysticism and trance culture. Both will also voice characters.
Coixet is set to direct “Sophia (Sofía),” with Milena Smit, star of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers.”
Bernardita Ojeda, director on milestone Chilean toon series such as “Petit,” the International Emmy-nominated and Quirino Awards winner, produces two titles.
Also in the mix is Portugal’s David Doutel, whose shimmering, mottled social realist mood piece “Garrano,” proved a standout at Annecy and Sundance, and UniKo,...
García Bernal and Luna’s Mexico-based label La Corriente del Golfo co-produces one of the 14 winning submissions, “El Origen De La Experiencia,” which offers a VR immersive experience of Mexican mysticism and trance culture. Both will also voice characters.
Coixet is set to direct “Sophia (Sofía),” with Milena Smit, star of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers.”
Bernardita Ojeda, director on milestone Chilean toon series such as “Petit,” the International Emmy-nominated and Quirino Awards winner, produces two titles.
Also in the mix is Portugal’s David Doutel, whose shimmering, mottled social realist mood piece “Garrano,” proved a standout at Annecy and Sundance, and UniKo,...
- 11/29/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The stars are stepping out in Spain!
Shakira struck a pose on the red carpet while arriving at the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday (November 16) in Sevill, Spain.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Shakira
Other Latin superstars in attendance included Rosalia, Anitta, Karol G, Sebastian Yatra, Milena Smit, and Kenia Os.
During the awards show, Shakira, Roslia, and Sebastian all took to the stage for performances.
Fyi: Shakira is wearing a Harris Reed dress on the red carpet and a Dolce & Gabbana dress during her performance. Rosalia is wearing a Balenciaga dress on the red carpet and a Schiaparelli dress on stage. Anitta is wearing a Dsquared2 dress. Karol is wearing a Balmain dress and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes. Milena is wearing a Saint Laurent outfit. Kenia is wearing a Pamela Elizabeth R. Aguila dress.
Click through the gallery inside for 40+ pictures of the stars at the Latin Grammys…...
Shakira struck a pose on the red carpet while arriving at the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday (November 16) in Sevill, Spain.
Photos: Check out the latest pics of Shakira
Other Latin superstars in attendance included Rosalia, Anitta, Karol G, Sebastian Yatra, Milena Smit, and Kenia Os.
During the awards show, Shakira, Roslia, and Sebastian all took to the stage for performances.
Fyi: Shakira is wearing a Harris Reed dress on the red carpet and a Dolce & Gabbana dress during her performance. Rosalia is wearing a Balenciaga dress on the red carpet and a Schiaparelli dress on stage. Anitta is wearing a Dsquared2 dress. Karol is wearing a Balmain dress and Giuseppe Zanotti shoes. Milena is wearing a Saint Laurent outfit. Kenia is wearing a Pamela Elizabeth R. Aguila dress.
Click through the gallery inside for 40+ pictures of the stars at the Latin Grammys…...
- 11/16/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Bizkaia is seeing a boom in production with freshly implemented tax incentives luring industry leaders from Europe and abroad to the region for ever-more-ambitious audiovisual projects.
The incentives, which kicked off Jan. 1, offer an up-to-70% deduction tax break for national and international co-productions of film and TV projects, with no included cap.
Already enticing studios such as Toboggan and production houses Buendía Studios and Tornasol to set up in Bizlaia and streaming giant Netflix to invest in original productions, the territory is fast capitalizing on the breaks that work in tandem with its illustrious landscapes, savvy creative and support networks.
According to the Bilbao Bizkaia Film Commission, to date the territory has added more than 230 days of filming from the start of the new incentive. Tornasol and DeAPlaneta backed “Detective Touré,” from Spanish Goya-winning filmmaker David Pérez Sañudo, begins filming in June while the previously shot Netflix backed series “El Silencio...
The incentives, which kicked off Jan. 1, offer an up-to-70% deduction tax break for national and international co-productions of film and TV projects, with no included cap.
Already enticing studios such as Toboggan and production houses Buendía Studios and Tornasol to set up in Bizlaia and streaming giant Netflix to invest in original productions, the territory is fast capitalizing on the breaks that work in tandem with its illustrious landscapes, savvy creative and support networks.
According to the Bilbao Bizkaia Film Commission, to date the territory has added more than 230 days of filming from the start of the new incentive. Tornasol and DeAPlaneta backed “Detective Touré,” from Spanish Goya-winning filmmaker David Pérez Sañudo, begins filming in June while the previously shot Netflix backed series “El Silencio...
- 5/18/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Galder Gaztelu-Irrutia’s The Platform delighted and grossed out Netflix audiences in 2020, making for the streaming service’s most popular Spanish film in Netflix history. Today, Netflix unveiled via Twitter that a sequel is much closer than anticipated with a set of new images.
“The Platform is a twisted social allegory about mankind at its darkest and hungriest,” Netflix’s description of the original film reads, and it indeed backs up that particular promise.
The film is set inside a vertical prison system, where inmates are assigned to a level and forced to ration food from a platform that moves between the floors. Inmates on high floors eat better than those below, and one man tries to effect change so everyone gets enough. It makes for a thrilling and often gag-inducing horror satire.
While no plot details have been announced for The Platform 2 just yet, it’s a safe...
“The Platform is a twisted social allegory about mankind at its darkest and hungriest,” Netflix’s description of the original film reads, and it indeed backs up that particular promise.
The film is set inside a vertical prison system, where inmates are assigned to a level and forced to ration food from a platform that moves between the floors. Inmates on high floors eat better than those below, and one man tries to effect change so everyone gets enough. It makes for a thrilling and often gag-inducing horror satire.
While no plot details have been announced for The Platform 2 just yet, it’s a safe...
- 5/11/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Prolific Andalusian production company La Claqueta has tapped award-winning screenwriter-producer Alberto Marini to direct rural thriller “Últimos días de caza” (“Last Days of Hunting.”)
Penned by José Cabeza, co-scribe on 2016’s “7 Years,” Netflix first Spanish original movie, “Last Days of Hunting” has a completed screenplay and has initiated financing.
The aim is to close the financing phase during this year and begin shooting second quarter 2024, probably in northern Spain.
“Last Days of Hunting” leads a growth-period for Seville-based La Claqueta, which is raising the ante in terms of film production ambitions.
“This is a noir that revolves around torpid masculinity; it is the story of volcanoes that don’t know how to release lava when they should and that explode inwards,” said Marini, who debuted as a helmer with 2015 horror feature “Summer Camp.”
“The story takes place in a very localized universe and is grounded in the territory but...
Penned by José Cabeza, co-scribe on 2016’s “7 Years,” Netflix first Spanish original movie, “Last Days of Hunting” has a completed screenplay and has initiated financing.
The aim is to close the financing phase during this year and begin shooting second quarter 2024, probably in northern Spain.
“Last Days of Hunting” leads a growth-period for Seville-based La Claqueta, which is raising the ante in terms of film production ambitions.
“This is a noir that revolves around torpid masculinity; it is the story of volcanoes that don’t know how to release lava when they should and that explode inwards,” said Marini, who debuted as a helmer with 2015 horror feature “Summer Camp.”
“The story takes place in a very localized universe and is grounded in the territory but...
- 2/19/2023
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
The Snow Girl (La chica de nieve) is a thriller series created by Jesús Mesas Silva and Javier Andrés Roig. It stars Milena Smit and José Coronado. Based on the novel by Javier Castillo.
Today this thriller comes to Netflix with José Coronado as main actor and very well matched with Milena Smit, they are a good team of veteran journalist and budding crime investigator.
This series has six episodes and it is about a disappearance, broken families and intrigue that will guide us along the streets in Málaga in a thriller with dark places in which we have a “revelation”: Milena Smit, who we already knew of in Libélulas and, of course, Almodóvar’s, film, Parallel Mothers . She is the real star of this series and just to watch her, the series is worth viewing.
This is a thriller with pauses, dialogues, discoveries and content that is more...
Today this thriller comes to Netflix with José Coronado as main actor and very well matched with Milena Smit, they are a good team of veteran journalist and budding crime investigator.
This series has six episodes and it is about a disappearance, broken families and intrigue that will guide us along the streets in Málaga in a thriller with dark places in which we have a “revelation”: Milena Smit, who we already knew of in Libélulas and, of course, Almodóvar’s, film, Parallel Mothers . She is the real star of this series and just to watch her, the series is worth viewing.
This is a thriller with pauses, dialogues, discoveries and content that is more...
- 1/27/2023
- by TV Shows Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid - TV
"I've been on this case for six years. All I want is to find the girl." Netflix has debuted the full-length official trailer for the mystery-thriller series titled The Snow Girl, based on the Spanish novel of the same name. It's another crime thriller about a journalist trying to find out what happened to a missing girl. Is anyone outside of Spain familiar with this story? When a little girl goes missing during a parade in Málaga, a young newspaper journalist becomes fiercely insistent on helping Amaya's parents find her. During the Cavalcade of the Magi parade, the Martín family's daughter disappears. Miren takes on the case, determined to find her. The series stars Milena Smit as Miren, José Coronado, Aixa Villagrán, Tristán Ulloa, Loreto Mauleón, Julián Villagrán, Raúl Prieto, and Cecilia Freire. This almost seems like Spain's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but about a tough journalist trying...
- 1/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Pedro Almodóvar teams up with Penélope Cruz again for his most political film yet, weaving Spanish history and modern motherhood in a cocktail of comedy, thriller and melodrama
50 best films of 2022 in the UKMore on the best culture of 2022
On the face of it, this has all the hallmarks of a vintage Almodóvar film: a focus on women (Penélope Cruz especially), fluid sexualities, deep secrets, clashing colours and to-die-for interiors. But this is also Almodóvar’s most overtly political film to date, dealing head-on with the mass graves and unidentified victims of the Spanish civil war. In his early career, in the shadow of the repressive Franco era, Almodóvar’s raucous, sacrilegious, hedonistic films were political by their very existence, but he has recognised that times have changed, and with the rise of the far right, Spain is in danger of forgetting the lessons it learned painfully not that long ago.
50 best films of 2022 in the UKMore on the best culture of 2022
On the face of it, this has all the hallmarks of a vintage Almodóvar film: a focus on women (Penélope Cruz especially), fluid sexualities, deep secrets, clashing colours and to-die-for interiors. But this is also Almodóvar’s most overtly political film to date, dealing head-on with the mass graves and unidentified victims of the Spanish civil war. In his early career, in the shadow of the repressive Franco era, Almodóvar’s raucous, sacrilegious, hedonistic films were political by their very existence, but he has recognised that times have changed, and with the rise of the far right, Spain is in danger of forgetting the lessons it learned painfully not that long ago.
- 12/21/2022
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Actress Milena Smit, co-star of writer, director Pedro Almodóvar's Spanish drama feature "Parallel Mothers", now streaming on Prime Video, poses for "L’Officiel Italia' magazine, wearing Saint Laurent, Cartier and a whole lot more, photographed by Ana Abril:
"... in 'Parallel Mothers', photographer 'Janis Martínez' does a photo shoot with renowned forensic archaeologist 'Arturo'. She asks him if his foundation will help excavate a mass grave in her home village, where her great-grandfather and other men from the village were killed and buried during the 'Spanish Civil War'. Arturo agrees to review the case with his foundation; he and 'Janis' then sleep together and Janis becomes pregnant.
"She decides to keep the baby and raise it alone, against Arturo's wishes. Janis later shares a hospital room with 'Ana', a teen single mother; they give birth at the same time.
"Janis and Ana stay in touch,...
"... in 'Parallel Mothers', photographer 'Janis Martínez' does a photo shoot with renowned forensic archaeologist 'Arturo'. She asks him if his foundation will help excavate a mass grave in her home village, where her great-grandfather and other men from the village were killed and buried during the 'Spanish Civil War'. Arturo agrees to review the case with his foundation; he and 'Janis' then sleep together and Janis becomes pregnant.
"She decides to keep the baby and raise it alone, against Arturo's wishes. Janis later shares a hospital room with 'Ana', a teen single mother; they give birth at the same time.
"Janis and Ana stay in touch,...
- 12/12/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Only those who don’t stop searching find themselves." Netflix has revealed a first look teaser trailer for a new thriller series titled The Snow Girl, based on the Spanish novel of the same name. It's another crime thriller about a journalist trying to find out what happened to a missing girl. And yet another localized Netflix creation to live up to their regional production arrangements throughout Europe. When a little girl goes missing during a parade in Málaga, a young newspaper journalist becomes fiercely insistent on helping Amaya's parents find her. During the Cavalcade of the Magi parade, the Martín family's daughter Amaya disappears. Miren takes on the case, determined to find her. The series stars Milena Smit as Miren, with José Coronado, Aixa Villagrán, Tristán Ulloa, Loreto Mauleón, Julián Villagrán, Raúl Prieto, and Cecilia Freire. This is a very brief teaser with barely any footage, but it's enough...
- 11/29/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Spanish film actress Milena Smit ("The Girl In The Mirror") poses for the June 2022 issue of "InStyle" (Spain) magazine, wearing Saint Laurent, Schiaparelli with Cartier jewellery , photographed by Javier Biosca:
Smit's first film appearances were in various short films including "Diagonales"...
...."Innermos", "Chimichanga" and "Adentro".
In 2020, she appeared in her first feature "Cross the Line"...
...then cast by Pedro Almodóvar for his film "Parallel Mothers"|.
Smit is one of the leads in the upcoming Netflix original series...
..."The Girl in the Mirror", directed by Sergio G. Sánchez.
Click the images to enlarge...
Smit's first film appearances were in various short films including "Diagonales"...
...."Innermos", "Chimichanga" and "Adentro".
In 2020, she appeared in her first feature "Cross the Line"...
...then cast by Pedro Almodóvar for his film "Parallel Mothers"|.
Smit is one of the leads in the upcoming Netflix original series...
..."The Girl in the Mirror", directed by Sergio G. Sánchez.
Click the images to enlarge...
- 6/8/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Win a copy of Parallel Mothers on Blu-Ray & a poster signed by director Pedro Almodóvar to celebrate its release on Digital Download now and on Blu-Ray, DVD and Video on Demand from 16th May!
Two women, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in those hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Parallel Mothers Available On Digital Download Now
Also Coming To Blu-ray,...
Two women, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in those hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way.
Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Parallel Mothers Available On Digital Download Now
Also Coming To Blu-ray,...
- 5/15/2022
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
New Release Wall
It’s possible that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) might have somehow been an even bigger box-office sensation had it not been released during a global pandemic, but all things considered, it still did pretty well for itself. Monetary success aside, this is a rousing and thrilling superhero tale that manages to feel self-contained as it compulsorily sets the stage for a whole bunch of upcoming MCU plot twists. The 4K and Blu-ray versions include a smattering of extras, including bloopers, panel discussions with the guest villains, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Also available:
“C’mon C’mon” (Lionsgate): Mike Mills’ disarmingly lovely look at family ties offers Joaquin Phoenix one of the more subdued and humane characters he’s ever played.
“Death on the Nile” (20th Century Studios): Toast Kenneth Branagh’s second Agatha Christie adaptation with enough champagne to fill the… oh, you know.
It’s possible that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) might have somehow been an even bigger box-office sensation had it not been released during a global pandemic, but all things considered, it still did pretty well for itself. Monetary success aside, this is a rousing and thrilling superhero tale that manages to feel self-contained as it compulsorily sets the stage for a whole bunch of upcoming MCU plot twists. The 4K and Blu-ray versions include a smattering of extras, including bloopers, panel discussions with the guest villains, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Also available:
“C’mon C’mon” (Lionsgate): Mike Mills’ disarmingly lovely look at family ties offers Joaquin Phoenix one of the more subdued and humane characters he’s ever played.
“Death on the Nile” (20th Century Studios): Toast Kenneth Branagh’s second Agatha Christie adaptation with enough champagne to fill the… oh, you know.
- 4/5/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Wrapping March 26, the 25th Malaga Festival and its Spanish Screenings delivered another confirmation of Spain’s build as a fiction force in a new platform era.
Following, nine final takes on what may prove a historic edition.
A Vibrant Spanish Screenings
Málaga’s plus-size 2022 Spanish Screenings fairly rocked. Extra funding from Spain’s Avs Hub Plan, covering far more buyers’ flights, meant attendance skyrocketed. Screenings delegate numbers shot up to 609 by early week, overall industry attendees to over 1,100 . It showed. “They were highly successful,” said Latido Films’ head Antonio Saura said of the event. “Buyers were able to see movies which at other festivals they often just can’t catch,” he added. “There was a lot more dynamism to trading, taking the Screenings to a new level,” agreed Ivan Díaz, Filmax head of international.
’Lullaby,’ ‘Utama’ Sweep Awards
Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s finely observed mother-daughter relationship drama “Lullaby” and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s “Utama,...
Following, nine final takes on what may prove a historic edition.
A Vibrant Spanish Screenings
Málaga’s plus-size 2022 Spanish Screenings fairly rocked. Extra funding from Spain’s Avs Hub Plan, covering far more buyers’ flights, meant attendance skyrocketed. Screenings delegate numbers shot up to 609 by early week, overall industry attendees to over 1,100 . It showed. “They were highly successful,” said Latido Films’ head Antonio Saura said of the event. “Buyers were able to see movies which at other festivals they often just can’t catch,” he added. “There was a lot more dynamism to trading, taking the Screenings to a new level,” agreed Ivan Díaz, Filmax head of international.
’Lullaby,’ ‘Utama’ Sweep Awards
Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s finely observed mother-daughter relationship drama “Lullaby” and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s “Utama,...
- 3/27/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Two hotly-favored competition frontrunners, Spain’s motherhood-focused “Lullaby” and “Utama,” shot on an awe-inspiring Bolivian Altiplano, swept the board at a historic, 25th Málaga Film Festival which said a lot about the current state of the Spanish film industry.
Running March 18-26, the Festival proved a vibrant affair, galvanised by renewed interest in the Spanish cinema after a buoyant reception for its major movies at Berlin, as well as the joy of proving the first time many industry attendees had seen each other in person in two years and backing from Spain’s Avs Hub plan for a vastly larger industry presence.
In Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby,” coming after Sundance hit “Piggy” and Carla Simón’s Berlin Golden Bear triumph “Alcarrás,” Spain would look to have a third art pic breakout in just the first three months of 2022, all driven by a young generation of women cineastes, directors and producers.
Running March 18-26, the Festival proved a vibrant affair, galvanised by renewed interest in the Spanish cinema after a buoyant reception for its major movies at Berlin, as well as the joy of proving the first time many industry attendees had seen each other in person in two years and backing from Spain’s Avs Hub plan for a vastly larger industry presence.
In Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s “Lullaby,” coming after Sundance hit “Piggy” and Carla Simón’s Berlin Golden Bear triumph “Alcarrás,” Spain would look to have a third art pic breakout in just the first three months of 2022, all driven by a young generation of women cineastes, directors and producers.
- 3/26/2022
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
Composer Alberto Iglesias returns to the Oscars for a fourth time and his fourth Original Score nomination with Parallel Mothers.
But this nom is more special than usual: This year’s marks the composer’s first with his longtime collaborator, Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar. Their partnership began back in 1995 with The Flower of My Secret and has spanned 13 film projects.
Iglesias joined Deadline’s Crew Call podcast to discuss his sonic approach to the Penélope Cruz-Milena Smit switched-at-birth drama, his early roots with Almodóvar, and the recent Oscar controversy that is leaving his Score category out of the live telecast.
Iglesias’ previous original score Oscar nominations include 2006’s The Constant Gardner, 2008’s The Kite Runner, and 2012’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Listen to our conversation below:
Subscribe to the Crew Call podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify...
But this nom is more special than usual: This year’s marks the composer’s first with his longtime collaborator, Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar. Their partnership began back in 1995 with The Flower of My Secret and has spanned 13 film projects.
Iglesias joined Deadline’s Crew Call podcast to discuss his sonic approach to the Penélope Cruz-Milena Smit switched-at-birth drama, his early roots with Almodóvar, and the recent Oscar controversy that is leaving his Score category out of the live telecast.
Iglesias’ previous original score Oscar nominations include 2006’s The Constant Gardner, 2008’s The Kite Runner, and 2012’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Listen to our conversation below:
Subscribe to the Crew Call podcast: Apple Podcasts, Spotify...
- 3/10/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Santa Barbara Film Festival said Thursday that newly minted Oscar nominee Penélope Cruz has been chosen to receive the Montecito Award at the festival’s 37th edition next month.
The honor will be bestowed during a ceremony March 8 that will include an in-person conversation with Cruz, who was nominated last week in the Best Actress category for her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers. It’s the fourth Oscar nom for Cruz, who won the Supporting Actress Oscar in 2009 for Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Cruz now joins a roster of Sbiff honorees that includes her husband and fellow Oscar nominee Javier Bardem, who is getting the Maltin Modern Master Award with his Being the Ricardos star Nicole Kidman; Bardem is also a past recipient of the Montecito Award. Other Oscar nominees headed to the beach city for fete duties at the annual awards-season stop are Kristen Stewart,...
The honor will be bestowed during a ceremony March 8 that will include an in-person conversation with Cruz, who was nominated last week in the Best Actress category for her role in Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers. It’s the fourth Oscar nom for Cruz, who won the Supporting Actress Oscar in 2009 for Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
Cruz now joins a roster of Sbiff honorees that includes her husband and fellow Oscar nominee Javier Bardem, who is getting the Maltin Modern Master Award with his Being the Ricardos star Nicole Kidman; Bardem is also a past recipient of the Montecito Award. Other Oscar nominees headed to the beach city for fete duties at the annual awards-season stop are Kristen Stewart,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Penélope Cruz will be honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival with the 2022 Montecito Award, which recognizes an actor’s career achievements and is named for one of the beautiful and stylish areas in Santa Barbara.
Cruz was recently nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers.”
“In the most complex role written by the master Almodovar, Penelope Cruz delivers the best performance of her career and a master class in calibration and detailed acting,” Sbiff’s executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “In my book, she’s one of the great performers of our time.”
In “Parallel Mothers,” two women, Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), meet in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and got pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant.
Cruz was recently nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work in Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers.”
“In the most complex role written by the master Almodovar, Penelope Cruz delivers the best performance of her career and a master class in calibration and detailed acting,” Sbiff’s executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “In my book, she’s one of the great performers of our time.”
In “Parallel Mothers,” two women, Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), meet in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and got pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant.
- 2/17/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Last Updated February 11: The original score Oscar nominees — “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix), “Dune” (Warner Bros.), “Encanto” (Disney), “Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics), and “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) — are graced by experimentation and invention. Significantly, “Encanto’s” Germaine Franco represents the first woman to be nominated for a Disney animated feature.
Oscar winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”), though, could win his second award for Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious “Dune.” His score is a musical masterpiece of experimental invention in conveying the beauty and danger of the Arrakis desert planet — from the rhythm of the wind pushing the sand between the rocks to the pounding percussion of the monstrous sandworms. Zimmer leaned on the spiritual, driven by a choir of female voices. As part of the hallucinatory nature, Zimmer didn’t want any of the culturally diverse instruments identifiable, so he disguised everything with the help of sculptor...
Oscar winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”), though, could win his second award for Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious “Dune.” His score is a musical masterpiece of experimental invention in conveying the beauty and danger of the Arrakis desert planet — from the rhythm of the wind pushing the sand between the rocks to the pounding percussion of the monstrous sandworms. Zimmer leaned on the spiritual, driven by a choir of female voices. As part of the hallucinatory nature, Zimmer didn’t want any of the culturally diverse instruments identifiable, so he disguised everything with the help of sculptor...
- 2/11/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The reign of Sony’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” atop the U.K. and Ireland box office has finally ended with Universal’s animation sequel “Sing 2” claiming the throne.
“Sing 2,” directed by Garth Jennings and featuring a stellar voice cast of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton among many others, debuted in pole position with £6.8 million ($9.2 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.
Another Universal release, Kenneth Branagh’s awards season favorite “Belfast,” retained its second position from last week with £1.8 million and now has £6 million after two weekends.
After six weeks as box office champion, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” placed third with £1.7 million. After seven weekends, the film has swung to a total of £90 million and is in sixth place on the all-time U.K. and Ireland charts. The film’s next target is “Avatar,” which currently occupies fifth place with £94 million.
Paramount’s...
“Sing 2,” directed by Garth Jennings and featuring a stellar voice cast of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton among many others, debuted in pole position with £6.8 million ($9.2 million), according to numbers released by Comscore.
Another Universal release, Kenneth Branagh’s awards season favorite “Belfast,” retained its second position from last week with £1.8 million and now has £6 million after two weekends.
After six weeks as box office champion, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” placed third with £1.7 million. After seven weekends, the film has swung to a total of £90 million and is in sixth place on the all-time U.K. and Ireland charts. The film’s next target is “Avatar,” which currently occupies fifth place with £94 million.
Paramount’s...
- 2/1/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’ also hits cinemas.
Universal animation Sing 2 is the latest challenger to the six-week consecutive run atop the UK-Ireland box office chart of Sony behemoth Spider-Man: No Way Home this weekend.
Sing 2 is opening in 635 sites – a 14.4% increase on the 555-site opening of first title Sing in 2017. That film took a huge £6.25m at a location average of £11,261; this figure was boosted to a £10.5m total opening by two days of previews that brought in £4.19m.
That is still the biggest-ever opening for an original animated film, ahead of the likes of The Secret Life of Pets...
Universal animation Sing 2 is the latest challenger to the six-week consecutive run atop the UK-Ireland box office chart of Sony behemoth Spider-Man: No Way Home this weekend.
Sing 2 is opening in 635 sites – a 14.4% increase on the 555-site opening of first title Sing in 2017. That film took a huge £6.25m at a location average of £11,261; this figure was boosted to a £10.5m total opening by two days of previews that brought in £4.19m.
That is still the biggest-ever opening for an original animated film, ahead of the likes of The Secret Life of Pets...
- 1/28/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
It seems that there is no Almodóvar film title with which I will not quarrel, as the mothers here are not parallel. At least not within our frame of reference, not geometrically. Their courses intersect and loop, spawn tangents that reveal shapes long concealed. That from certain perspectives parallels might come together is at once and not a certainty.
The two mothers are Janis (Penelope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit). Janis is a photographer, Ana is much younger, not yet at the stage where she has anything approaching a career. Her own mother, Teresa (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) is an actress, and the stage is her career. That's three already, but you can keep counting.
This is Cruz' eighth feature collaboration with Almodóvar and frankly if you liked the other seven one would imagine you'd like this. There's comedy, but less than others, tragedy, similarly, and there came a point where I wondered if.
The two mothers are Janis (Penelope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit). Janis is a photographer, Ana is much younger, not yet at the stage where she has anything approaching a career. Her own mother, Teresa (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) is an actress, and the stage is her career. That's three already, but you can keep counting.
This is Cruz' eighth feature collaboration with Almodóvar and frankly if you liked the other seven one would imagine you'd like this. There's comedy, but less than others, tragedy, similarly, and there came a point where I wondered if.
- 1/27/2022
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Two strangers’ lives intertwine in Parallel Mothers, the latest film from Pedro Almodóvar. Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) are single mothers who give birth in the same hospital, forming a friendship that changes them both.
From its sterling cast to its sensational production design, Parallel Mothers is filled with Almodóvar’s characteristic touches. It’s also the most politically engaged film he’s made in years, one that asks viewers to come to grips with Spain’s troubled past.
Cinematographer José Luis Alcaine has collaborated with Almodóvar on landmark films like Bad Education, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and more recently The Human Voice. He spoke with The Film Stage at the ENERGACamerimage festival in Toruń, Poland, published now as the film continues its U.S. theatrical run.
The Film Stage: At the Parallel Mothers screening yesterday, cinematographers Robert Yeoman and Xavier Grobert were amazed...
From its sterling cast to its sensational production design, Parallel Mothers is filled with Almodóvar’s characteristic touches. It’s also the most politically engaged film he’s made in years, one that asks viewers to come to grips with Spain’s troubled past.
Cinematographer José Luis Alcaine has collaborated with Almodóvar on landmark films like Bad Education, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and more recently The Human Voice. He spoke with The Film Stage at the ENERGACamerimage festival in Toruń, Poland, published now as the film continues its U.S. theatrical run.
The Film Stage: At the Parallel Mothers screening yesterday, cinematographers Robert Yeoman and Xavier Grobert were amazed...
- 1/26/2022
- by Daniel Eagan
- The Film Stage
Sony’s blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” has narrowly edged out Universal release “Belfast” in the battle for the U.K. and Ireland box-office.
“Spider-Man” enjoyed a sixth consecutive weekend atop the box office with £2.33 million ($3.1 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. Kenneth Branagh’s awards season favorite “Belfast” was close behind with £2.31 million in its debut weekend.
“Spider-Man” now has a gross of £87.4 million and is within striking distance of “Avengers: Endgame” for the all-time sixth position at the box office.
In its second weekend Paramount’s horror reboot “Scream” scared up £1.2 million in third place and now has a total of £4.7 million. Disney release “Nightmare Alley,” directed by Guillermo del Toro, with an all-star cast featuring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn, debuted in fourth position with £549,560.
Rounding off the top five was eOne...
“Spider-Man” enjoyed a sixth consecutive weekend atop the box office with £2.33 million ($3.1 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. Kenneth Branagh’s awards season favorite “Belfast” was close behind with £2.31 million in its debut weekend.
“Spider-Man” now has a gross of £87.4 million and is within striking distance of “Avengers: Endgame” for the all-time sixth position at the box office.
In its second weekend Paramount’s horror reboot “Scream” scared up £1.2 million in third place and now has a total of £4.7 million. Disney release “Nightmare Alley,” directed by Guillermo del Toro, with an all-star cast featuring Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, and David Strathairn, debuted in fourth position with £549,560.
Rounding off the top five was eOne...
- 1/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on January 20th, 2022, reviewing the 22nd film of writer/director Pedro Almodóvar, “Parallel Mothers,” in select theaters now.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Penélope Cruz is Janis, a photographer who gets pregnant from a one night stand. As she readies to deliver, she meets a “parallel mother’ named Ana (Milena Smit), a teen who also got in the family way through a brief encounter. They form a bond during their deliveries, and meet again later under different circumstances, that will change both their lives.
“Parallel Mothers” is in select theaters now, check local listings. Featuring Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Rossy de Palma, Israel Elejalde and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Rated “R”
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “Parallel Mothers”
Parallel Mothers
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Click here for Patrick...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Penélope Cruz is Janis, a photographer who gets pregnant from a one night stand. As she readies to deliver, she meets a “parallel mother’ named Ana (Milena Smit), a teen who also got in the family way through a brief encounter. They form a bond during their deliveries, and meet again later under different circumstances, that will change both their lives.
“Parallel Mothers” is in select theaters now, check local listings. Featuring Penélope Cruz, Milena Smit, Rossy de Palma, Israel Elejalde and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Rated “R”
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “Parallel Mothers”
Parallel Mothers
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Click here for Patrick...
- 1/22/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Penélope Cruz as Janis and Milena Smit as Ana in Parallel Mothers.
Photo Credit: El Deseo D.A. S.L.U., photo by Iglesias Mas. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Pedro Almodovar is famous for Oscar-winning dramas like Talk To Her and All About My Mother but the brilliant Spanish writer/director alternates those dramas with lighter fare, soapy melodramas, sometimes with a campy mystery/thriller side. In his latest, Parallel Mothers, Almodovar re-teams with favorite collaborator Penelope Cruz for a drama that combines these two film types running on parallel tracks, in which a drama about the devastating impact Spain’s political history on families serves as a kind of framing story for another one, a soapy mystery thriller about two mothers, although the two threads come together in the end.
It begins with two expectant mothers, one older and the other younger, sharing a room in a maternity hospital.
Photo Credit: El Deseo D.A. S.L.U., photo by Iglesias Mas. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Pedro Almodovar is famous for Oscar-winning dramas like Talk To Her and All About My Mother but the brilliant Spanish writer/director alternates those dramas with lighter fare, soapy melodramas, sometimes with a campy mystery/thriller side. In his latest, Parallel Mothers, Almodovar re-teams with favorite collaborator Penelope Cruz for a drama that combines these two film types running on parallel tracks, in which a drama about the devastating impact Spain’s political history on families serves as a kind of framing story for another one, a soapy mystery thriller about two mothers, although the two threads come together in the end.
It begins with two expectant mothers, one older and the other younger, sharing a room in a maternity hospital.
- 1/21/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pedro Almodóvar’s exploration of motherhood and family, Parallel Mothers (“Madres paralelas”), is a vivid and wonderfully acted piece of filmmaking that, again, showcases the director’s favorite muse – Penélope Cruz – and allows the filmmaker to fully explore his fascination with the stories of women.
In this story, two pregnant women – Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) – meet and befriend each other in the hospital room they share prior to giving birth to their children. Both Janis and Ana are single mothers having unplanned children. Middle-aged Janis is thrilled with the prospect of being a mother while the much younger Ana is much less enthusiastic, almost to the point of regretting her pregnancy. During their hospital stay, the women bond over walks through the hospital corridors, before giving birth to their daughters. Then, after being released from the hospital, the two women reconnect and their relationship, and that of their daughters,...
In this story, two pregnant women – Janis (Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) – meet and befriend each other in the hospital room they share prior to giving birth to their children. Both Janis and Ana are single mothers having unplanned children. Middle-aged Janis is thrilled with the prospect of being a mother while the much younger Ana is much less enthusiastic, almost to the point of regretting her pregnancy. During their hospital stay, the women bond over walks through the hospital corridors, before giving birth to their daughters. Then, after being released from the hospital, the two women reconnect and their relationship, and that of their daughters,...
- 1/21/2022
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Penélope Cruz is running late. It’s lunchtime in Madrid, but she hasn’t had time to eat, so she excuses herself as she nibbles on a slice of jamón. “I need to eat something or my blood sugar goes down,” she says apologetically. Christmas is days away, but before she can even think about enjoying the break with her husband and two children there’s still a lot of work to do. In a few weeks’ time, her spy romp The 355 will hit screens, but more pressing is the U.S. release of Parallel Mothers, her seventh film with Spanish legend Pedro Almodóvar, and the very real possibility of a fourth Oscar nomination.
Parallel Mothers raised the curtain on awards season when it opened this year’s Venice film festival and, against stiff competition, it has stayed the course. It has also charmed audiences into keeping its secrets.
Parallel Mothers raised the curtain on awards season when it opened this year’s Venice film festival and, against stiff competition, it has stayed the course. It has also charmed audiences into keeping its secrets.
- 1/20/2022
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
The first time I saw two men fucking each other onscreen was during my junior year of high-school in my AP Spanish language class at the all-boys Catholic school I attended. We were a small group that watched—about eight in total, and even the rule-breakers amongst us who sought to thwart Catholic dress codes and style regulations exuded palpable discomfort. For most of us, gay, straight, or otherwise, we’d only seen scenes of this sort stowed away in some private confines, purloined pornography or scrambled stations at our disposal. Something about the group viewing elicited a condition far more complex than our seventeen-year-old selves had words for, an emotional state that I might now locate at the crossroads of shame, involuntary defensiveness, delight, and a keen sense of not wanting to be either the first or last to react.In retrospect, I can think of no better introduction...
- 1/16/2022
- MUBI
Photo: ‘Parallel Mothers’ ‘Parallel Mothers’ is a Spanish drama film directed and written by Pedro Almodóvar, who is also known for popular films such as ‘Talk to Her’ and ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.’ The drama film follows the story of two pregnant single mothers, which include excited middle-aged woman Janis (Penélope Cruz) and not-so-excited adolescent Ana (Milena Smit). The soon-to-be mothers' paths cross while they both find themselves in the same hospital room as they are about to give birth. As always, there are no spoilers to be found here, but I can guarantee this film will feature unexpected twists that were so shocking and brilliant that the film happened to bring about a nine-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival in the Sala Grande. Related article: Exclusive: 'Dune' Full Commentary, Reactions, Making Of - Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac Related article: 'No Time to Die' Full Commentary,...
- 12/28/2021
- by Chelsea Black
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers opened to an estimated $41,076 this weekend on three screens for a PSA of $13,692 over three days. Distributor Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker calls that cume conservative, anticipating $42-$43K for the Penelope Cruz-starrer that he said has been attracting a diverse new audience to Almodóvar, including younger moviegoers.
“We’re thrilled with the opening. This last week has been really nerve-racking. We didn’t know what to expect. They were closing down live theater, restaurants in my neighborhood were closing on certain days,” Barker said. He attributed the solid showing amid Omicron headwinds to a combination of great reviews, strong word of mouth and kudos for Cruz in what some are calling her best role.
The film will expand through Jan. from its perch (at Lincoln Center and the Angelika in NY and the Landmark in LA) adding locations each weekend to peak at...
“We’re thrilled with the opening. This last week has been really nerve-racking. We didn’t know what to expect. They were closing down live theater, restaurants in my neighborhood were closing on certain days,” Barker said. He attributed the solid showing amid Omicron headwinds to a combination of great reviews, strong word of mouth and kudos for Cruz in what some are calling her best role.
The film will expand through Jan. from its perch (at Lincoln Center and the Angelika in NY and the Landmark in LA) adding locations each weekend to peak at...
- 12/26/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Adult demos slow to embrace cinemas might be even slower this holiday weekend amid a barrage of breathless Omicron headlines — that aren’t all bad. It spreads fast but seems less virulent than previous strains and might burn out faster.
“I think we might get dinged a little bit,” said one distribution executive. However, “This not like 2020. We are in a much different world. Then, I felt like I was rightfully terrified.” Execs are hopeful that a nascent specialty uptick in recent months – recovery might be too strong – only will be diverted short term before resuming course. “These doomsday headlines are pretty temporary,” said one. “I think January will be very interesting.”
Venturing out for the holidays, we have Joel Coen’s acclaimed The Tragedy of Macbeth in black and white from A24 and Apple opening Saturday at 30 theaters in North America, with a limited expansion in January to 125-200 screens.
“I think we might get dinged a little bit,” said one distribution executive. However, “This not like 2020. We are in a much different world. Then, I felt like I was rightfully terrified.” Execs are hopeful that a nascent specialty uptick in recent months – recovery might be too strong – only will be diverted short term before resuming course. “These doomsday headlines are pretty temporary,” said one. “I think January will be very interesting.”
Venturing out for the holidays, we have Joel Coen’s acclaimed The Tragedy of Macbeth in black and white from A24 and Apple opening Saturday at 30 theaters in North America, with a limited expansion in January to 125-200 screens.
- 12/24/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
“I always want more,” admits Oscar winner Penelope Cruz when asked about her frequent collaborations with Spanish director Pedro Almodovar. Cruz stars in the Oscar-winning writer and director’s latest film, “Parallel Mothers,” which received a nine-minute standing ovation after its world premiere at the 78th Venice International Film Festival in September. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“To me he’s a genius,” Cruz continues. “We can safely call him a genius. I met him when I was 18. That’s the first time he called me. I felt an incredible connection with him from day one. I was too young for that movie, but he told me he would call me later. Two years later he offered me ‘Live Flesh’ and we started this relationship. This collaboration that really works. We know each other, we trust each other. I just keep learning and being surprised by him. This [relationship with Pedro] is...
“To me he’s a genius,” Cruz continues. “We can safely call him a genius. I met him when I was 18. That’s the first time he called me. I felt an incredible connection with him from day one. I was too young for that movie, but he told me he would call me later. Two years later he offered me ‘Live Flesh’ and we started this relationship. This collaboration that really works. We know each other, we trust each other. I just keep learning and being surprised by him. This [relationship with Pedro] is...
- 12/20/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Some of the best films are about people making life-altering decisions that not only change the course of events, but also their own actions and personalities.
And this year’s films are filled with women making some doozies. From Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani taking a murderous turn to Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball dealing with a pivotal week for her marriage and career to Rachel Zegler’s Maria debating whether to leave her family for love in “West Side Story” to Kristen Stewart’s fictitious depiction of a Princess Diana who left it all behind in “Spencer,” it’s suggested that a different decision could have spared lives (and perhaps changed history).
Other characters, including Jodie Comer’s Middle Ages-era French wife Marguerite de Carrouges in “The Last Duel” and Penélope Cruz’s Spanish photographer Janis in “Parallel Mothers,” put themselves in jeopardy in the name of speaking up and sharing the truth.
And this year’s films are filled with women making some doozies. From Lady Gaga’s Patrizia Reggiani taking a murderous turn to Nicole Kidman’s Lucille Ball dealing with a pivotal week for her marriage and career to Rachel Zegler’s Maria debating whether to leave her family for love in “West Side Story” to Kristen Stewart’s fictitious depiction of a Princess Diana who left it all behind in “Spencer,” it’s suggested that a different decision could have spared lives (and perhaps changed history).
Other characters, including Jodie Comer’s Middle Ages-era French wife Marguerite de Carrouges in “The Last Duel” and Penélope Cruz’s Spanish photographer Janis in “Parallel Mothers,” put themselves in jeopardy in the name of speaking up and sharing the truth.
- 12/17/2021
- by Whitney Friedlander
- Variety Film + TV
Parallel Mothers Review — Parallel Mothers (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Pedro Almodovar and starring Penelope Cruz, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Rossy de Palma, Milena Smit, Daniela Santiago, Ainhoa Santamaria, Israel Elejalde, Julieta Serrano, Pedro Casablanc, Adelfa Calvo, Chema Adeva, Julio Manrique and Inma Ochoa. Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live In) has crafted another [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Parallel Mothers (2021): Pedro Almodovar’s Brilliant Film Features Penelope Cruz At Her Best...
Continue reading: Film Review: Parallel Mothers (2021): Pedro Almodovar’s Brilliant Film Features Penelope Cruz At Her Best...
- 12/12/2021
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
What do Pedro Almodóvar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Kenneth Branagh and Jane Campion have in common? They’ve helmed acclaimed films for decades, earned Academy Award nominations and done some of their best work this year … yet they’ve never won a director Oscar.
In exclusive new interviews with Campion, Branagh, Almodóvar and Wes Anderson — plus some unpublished thoughts from Paul Thomas Anderson — this reporter discovered how they built on their distinctive histories and tackled new challenges in films that embody their mastery of the form.
Since her first feature, 1989’s “Sweetie,” Campion has almost solely explored the inner lives of female protagonists. But her adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel “The Power of the Dog” shifts her focus to a sadistic rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his impact on a near-exclusively male cast of characters.
“This project had a great balance of a whole lot of fear with a whole lot of inspiration,...
In exclusive new interviews with Campion, Branagh, Almodóvar and Wes Anderson — plus some unpublished thoughts from Paul Thomas Anderson — this reporter discovered how they built on their distinctive histories and tackled new challenges in films that embody their mastery of the form.
Since her first feature, 1989’s “Sweetie,” Campion has almost solely explored the inner lives of female protagonists. But her adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel “The Power of the Dog” shifts her focus to a sadistic rancher (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his impact on a near-exclusively male cast of characters.
“This project had a great balance of a whole lot of fear with a whole lot of inspiration,...
- 12/12/2021
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Three-time Oscar nominated composer Alberto Iglesias has a long history of collaborating with legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. “Parallel Mothers” starring Penélope Cruz is the duo’s 13th film together and their partnership is based on their “mutual admiration” for each other, says Iglesias. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“I have great admiration for him,” Iglesias says of Almodóvar. “I think he’s really an incredible master. Each time we have been together working I receive a new energy. It’s easy to work with him. Of course, we also have difficult moments as in every relationship, but always resolved with something that makes the film better. I’m very happy to have this long connection and I hope this is not the last.”
SEEMichael Musto predicts Penelope Cruz (‘Parallel Mothers’) will win Best Actress
The Sony Pictures Classics film is about a woman named Janis (Cruz) who gets...
“I have great admiration for him,” Iglesias says of Almodóvar. “I think he’s really an incredible master. Each time we have been together working I receive a new energy. It’s easy to work with him. Of course, we also have difficult moments as in every relationship, but always resolved with something that makes the film better. I’m very happy to have this long connection and I hope this is not the last.”
SEEMichael Musto predicts Penelope Cruz (‘Parallel Mothers’) will win Best Actress
The Sony Pictures Classics film is about a woman named Janis (Cruz) who gets...
- 12/10/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
‘The Good Boss’ leads Icíar Bollaín’s ‘Maixabel’ and Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’.
The Good Boss, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem, led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 20 nods, an all-time record.
The satire, also Spain’s entry for the Oscars, is ahead of Icíar Bollaín’s Maixabel and Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, on 14 and eight nominations respectively.
The Good Boss is the fifth highest-grossing film in Spain this year with €2.6m. Written and directed by León de Aranoa, it follows the petty boss of an industrial scales factory, played...
The Good Boss, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem, led the Goya nominations from the Spanish Film Academy with 20 nods, an all-time record.
The satire, also Spain’s entry for the Oscars, is ahead of Icíar Bollaín’s Maixabel and Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, on 14 and eight nominations respectively.
The Good Boss is the fifth highest-grossing film in Spain this year with €2.6m. Written and directed by León de Aranoa, it follows the petty boss of an industrial scales factory, played...
- 11/29/2021
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards Predictions:
Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role
Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: More to come…...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards Predictions:
Best Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role
Updated: Nov 25, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: More to come…...
- 11/25/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Palm Springs International Film Awards announced that Penélope Cruz is the recipient of the International Star Award, Actress for her performance in Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers.” The Film Awards will take place in-person on Jan. 6 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival runs through Jan. 17.
Past recipients of the International Star Award, Actress include Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Saoirse Ronan and Charlize Theron. Last year’s recipient Carey Mulligan went on to receive an Academy Award Best Actress nomination. Cruz joins previously announced honoree Kristen Stewart, who is being awarded the Spotlight Award, Actress.
“Penélope Cruz has collaborated with Pedro Almovódar on so many wonderful films, from ‘Broken Embraces’ to ‘Volver,’ and their partnership truly shines with her brilliant performance in ‘Parallel Mothers,’ which has already earned international festival honors,” said festival chairman Harold Matzner. “She is an actress with immense depth and humanity, giving the world...
Past recipients of the International Star Award, Actress include Nicole Kidman, Helen Mirren, Saoirse Ronan and Charlize Theron. Last year’s recipient Carey Mulligan went on to receive an Academy Award Best Actress nomination. Cruz joins previously announced honoree Kristen Stewart, who is being awarded the Spotlight Award, Actress.
“Penélope Cruz has collaborated with Pedro Almovódar on so many wonderful films, from ‘Broken Embraces’ to ‘Volver,’ and their partnership truly shines with her brilliant performance in ‘Parallel Mothers,’ which has already earned international festival honors,” said festival chairman Harold Matzner. “She is an actress with immense depth and humanity, giving the world...
- 11/15/2021
- by Katie Song
- Variety Film + TV
Power collaborators Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz dived into their latest project Parallel Mothers and celebrated the magic of diverse families Sunday during the movie’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles award-season event.
“This is a rough story about motherhood, above all,” said Almodóvar of Parallel Mothers, which premiered earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival and is being released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics. “Penélope’s character is hiding something that gave her a sense of guilt, which is very important. It’s something that is very, very hard to perform. She is saying something that is inside her is thinking about something different.”
He added, “This is not melodramatic. I tried to be as close to reality. Everything that happens in the end, I did like a documentary.”
Venice Review: Pedro Almodóvar’s Opening-Night Film ‘Parallel Mothers’
The film stars Cruz...
“This is a rough story about motherhood, above all,” said Almodóvar of Parallel Mothers, which premiered earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival and is being released in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics. “Penélope’s character is hiding something that gave her a sense of guilt, which is very important. It’s something that is very, very hard to perform. She is saying something that is inside her is thinking about something different.”
He added, “This is not melodramatic. I tried to be as close to reality. Everything that happens in the end, I did like a documentary.”
Venice Review: Pedro Almodóvar’s Opening-Night Film ‘Parallel Mothers’
The film stars Cruz...
- 11/14/2021
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Penélope Cruz will be honored at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2021 Film Benefit.
The event, presented by Chanel, will return as an in-person gala on Dec. 14 at the New York City museum.
“Penélope Cruz has mesmerized cinema audiences since 1992 as an artist who is as compelling in action-adventures as she is in auteur-driven pictures,” Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at MoMA, said in a statement Tuesday. “Perhaps most beloved for her collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar, her smashing performance in his film ‘Parallel Mothers’ cements her status as an artist of global stature. The first Spanish actress to be nominated for and win an Academy Award, Penélope Cruz is truly in a category all her own.”
Programing for the 14th annual Film Benefit will include screenings of Cruz movies, including “Everybody Knows,” “Volver,” and “Blow,” from Nov. 19-30.
Cruz’s newest collaboration with Almodóvar,...
The event, presented by Chanel, will return as an in-person gala on Dec. 14 at the New York City museum.
“Penélope Cruz has mesmerized cinema audiences since 1992 as an artist who is as compelling in action-adventures as she is in auteur-driven pictures,” Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at MoMA, said in a statement Tuesday. “Perhaps most beloved for her collaborations with Pedro Almodóvar, her smashing performance in his film ‘Parallel Mothers’ cements her status as an artist of global stature. The first Spanish actress to be nominated for and win an Academy Award, Penélope Cruz is truly in a category all her own.”
Programing for the 14th annual Film Benefit will include screenings of Cruz movies, including “Everybody Knows,” “Volver,” and “Blow,” from Nov. 19-30.
Cruz’s newest collaboration with Almodóvar,...
- 11/9/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix today unveiled a slate of new Spanish content, including two fiction series and a pair of feature films.
The streamer renewed its popular Spanish YA drama series Elite for a sixth season, well ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere. Created and written by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, Elite is one of the streamer’s best performing Spanish originals.
Netflix also confirmed three new holiday-themed installments of the short-form spinoff Elite: Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye, & Felipe, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 15, Samuel & Omar, premiering Monday, Dec. 20 and Patrick, premiering Thursday, Dec. 23.
On the film side, Patxi Amezcua is writing and directing Infiesto (working title). Isak Férriz and Iria del Río star in the pic, which is set on the first day of a national emergency involving a virus and follows two detectives who are called to a small mining town in the Asturian mountains where a young woman who had...
The streamer renewed its popular Spanish YA drama series Elite for a sixth season, well ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere. Created and written by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, Elite is one of the streamer’s best performing Spanish originals.
Netflix also confirmed three new holiday-themed installments of the short-form spinoff Elite: Short Stories: Phillipe, Caye, & Felipe, premiering Wednesday, Dec. 15, Samuel & Omar, premiering Monday, Dec. 20 and Patrick, premiering Thursday, Dec. 23.
On the film side, Patxi Amezcua is writing and directing Infiesto (working title). Isak Férriz and Iria del Río star in the pic, which is set on the first day of a national emergency involving a virus and follows two detectives who are called to a small mining town in the Asturian mountains where a young woman who had...
- 10/28/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s Spanish adaptation of its hit original movie “Bird Box” is coming together.
Cast and a handful of early details were announced for the previously announced project from Àlex and David Pastor. Leading the international cast are Mario Casas, one of Spain’s most bankable leading men who this year won a best actor Spanish Academy Goya Award for his performance in “Cross the Line,” and Georgina Campbell, a best leading actress BAFTA winner for her work in “Murdered by My Boyfriend.”
Casas was also the star of horror thriller “The Paramedic,” one of Netflix’s best performing Spanish original films to date.
Other cast includes Diego Calva (“I Promise You Anarchy”), Alejandra Howard (“Ana. all in”), Naila Schuberth (“Unbroken”), Patrick Criado (“Riot Police”) and Celia Freijeiro (“Perfect Life”), with Lola Dueñas (“The Sea Inside”), Gonzalo de Castro (“La torre de Suso”), Michelle Jenner (“Isabel”) and Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Pain and Glory...
Cast and a handful of early details were announced for the previously announced project from Àlex and David Pastor. Leading the international cast are Mario Casas, one of Spain’s most bankable leading men who this year won a best actor Spanish Academy Goya Award for his performance in “Cross the Line,” and Georgina Campbell, a best leading actress BAFTA winner for her work in “Murdered by My Boyfriend.”
Casas was also the star of horror thriller “The Paramedic,” one of Netflix’s best performing Spanish original films to date.
Other cast includes Diego Calva (“I Promise You Anarchy”), Alejandra Howard (“Ana. all in”), Naila Schuberth (“Unbroken”), Patrick Criado (“Riot Police”) and Celia Freijeiro (“Perfect Life”), with Lola Dueñas (“The Sea Inside”), Gonzalo de Castro (“La torre de Suso”), Michelle Jenner (“Isabel”) and Leonardo Sbaraglia (“Pain and Glory...
- 10/28/2021
- by Jamie Lang and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
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