The Playlist

Antonio Banderas To Play Fidel Castro In 'Castro's Daughter'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 13, 2012 4:13 PM
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News

For a while there, we were worried. There seemed to be a way too long stretch of time where Antonio Banderas looked like he might never rebound from what seemed to be a string of bad choices. While he was keeping the lights on with "Shrek" movies, he was starring in one movie after another that no saw/heard of. Remember "The Big Bang," "The Code," "Bordertown," or "Take The Lead"? Yeah, neither do we. But 2011 has been a return to form. He reteamed with Pedro Almodovar for the severely underrated "The Skin I Live In," starred in the epic "Black Gold" and next week, he appears in Steven Soderbergh's "Haywire." Now, he's eyeing a role that will definitely keep him in the spotlight.

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Marrakech Film Festival '11 Review: There's A Reason They Don't Make 'Em Like 'Black Gold' Any More

By Jessica Kiang
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December 12, 2011 1:05 PM
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1 Comment

Reviews

Left in a strange kind of limbo, partly due to a delay in finding U.S. distribution, and therefore a large swathe of the Western audience to whom it rather panders, Jean-Jacques Annaud's period sand saga "Black Gold" makes an odd addition to a festival line-up.

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Pedro Almodovar Presents 'Law Of Desire' & Talks Life, Love & Art At AFI Fest 2011

By Katie Walsh
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November 9, 2011 11:12 AM
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News

On Monday night, AFI Fest Guest Artistic Director Pedro Almodovar presented his 1987 film “La Ley del Deseo” (“Law of Desire”), a dreamy, melodramatic noir about lust, jealousy and violence, starring Antonio Banderas, Carmen Maura and Eusebio Poncela. The presentation at Grauman’s Chinese Theater began with a series of clips from the past 25 years of films from El Deseo, the film company operated by Almodovar and his brother Agustin that has produced all of their films to date. During an entertaining Q and A with festival director Jacqueline Lyanga, Almodovar talked about the themes of his work, his influences, his working partnership with his brother and his longstanding relationships with actors. He also promised (and failed to deliver) on word that Antonio Banderas would "dance a tango almost naked for you."

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Antonio Banderas Says He Was Asked To Join 'The Expendables 2' But Didn't Have Time To Fit It In

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 21, 2011 6:02 AM
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5 Comments

Nicolas Cage Won't Be In It & Probably Not John Travolta EitherEven though the meat-head heavy "The Expendables 2" is already in front of cameras, with the Ben Gay-sponsored cast ripping it up for next summer's blockbuster, rumors have still been floating about possible appearances in the film. One rumor picking up heat in recent weeks was the possibility of Nicolas Cage and John Travolta joining the cast. Well, we heard from Cage's reps who told us he was not going to be in the film, and reportedly the folks at Think McFly Think have learned that Travolta is out too. Bummer. But they're not the only ones who have been on Sly Stallone's lengthy wishlist.

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NYFF: Pedro Almodóvar Told Antonio Banderas To Watch Cary Grant Movies To Prep For 'Skin I Live In'

By Jen Vineyard
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October 12, 2011 3:26 AM
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1 Comment

The Director Reveals He's Not Doing A Biopic On Mina; Tension, Twists & More From The Team Behind The FilmPedro Almodóvar crafts a creepy Frankenstein-esque tale of rape, revenge, and survival in "The Skin I Live In" – a polarizing film which is one of his most ambitious yet. Because the movie features an unexpected twist halfway through the film, discussing it becomes difficult – how do you debate the themes, the issues and the meaning without giving it all away? We leave that task to the esteemed director and his cast that includes Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya, who hit NYFF this week to present this latest concoction, a tale unlike anything Almodóvar has put on the big screen before. Covering everything from the twist in the movie (don't worry, we won't reveal it here), the reason why Antonio Banderas had to watch Cary Grant movies to prepare for the film, and the themes of identity that run through the story, the trio were happy to discuss in detail the quirky, provocative and unforgettable film.

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Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan, Deborah Ann Woll, Elliott Gould & Chris Messina Join 'He Loves Me'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 13, 2011 3:11 AM
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2 Comments

'The Daily Show' Correspondent Aasif Mandvi Also Circling A RoleIt says something about directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, that half a decade since they rocked the indie movie world with "Little Miss Sunshine," that they are able to assemble the kind of cast they have lined up for "He Loves Me." Written by actress Zoe Kazan, the project is a meta-strange sounding road-trip film that centers on Calvin (Paul Dano) a young novelist who achieves success early in his career but begins to face struggles. As the young protagonist follows the advice of writing the woman he thinks will love him in a bid to overcome his writer’s block, he ends up willing her into existence. Annette Bening is also on board as Calvin's concerned and artistic Mom. It's a concept worthy of Charlie Kaufman and ripe with potential so no wonder this thing is packing itself full of stars.

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Watch: Full Trailer For 'Puss In Boots' Introduces Prison Rape Jokes To The 'Shrek' Franchise

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 21, 2011 2:39 AM
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1 Comment

Last year's "Shrek Forever After" was billed as the "final chapter" in the DreamWorks fairytale franchise, but with the four films grossing nearly $3 billion worldwide between them ("Shrek 2" remains the fifth biggest domestic grosser), the likelihood of Katzenberg & Co leaving the series alone was minimal. And so, barely 18 months after the fourth "Shrek," we'll see "Puss In Boots," a spin-off focusing on the Zorro-esque kitty voiced by Antonio Banderas in the second, third and fourth films.

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Cannes Review: Byzantine, Bloody Almodóvar Takes A New Direction With 'The Skin I Live In'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 19, 2011 10:57 AM
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2 Comments

But Will His Fans Follow Him?It is almost a given that detractors of the newest from Pedro Almodóvar will blurt out the film's baroque twists in their contortions to craft the glibbest dismissal possible; at the same time, a reluctance to spill those strange story points shouldn't be taken as an unequivocal endorsement. Of all the great modern European filmmakers, Almodóvar has recently felt like the one in most peril of turning his groove -- sumptuous surfaces, a tone between the operatic and the soap-operatic, each frame glossy with the delight of cinema like a lipstick smear from an ardent lover -- into a rut. With "The Skin I Live In," he's clearly jolted and wrested himself out of any potential rut; the concern is now, rather, what to make of the new territory he, and we, are in.

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Watch: Three New Clips From Pedro Almodóvar's 'The Skin I Live In'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 18, 2011 7:05 AM
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2 Comments

Plus 5 New PhotosCannes might be starting to draw to a close, but some of the most anticipated films of the festival are still to come; foremost among them Pedro Almodóvar's "The Skin I Live In," which screens tomorrow morning. We're always excited to see something new from the Spanish director. But considering his latest is not only something of a break from his comfort zone, a horror-tinged revenge tale, but it also marks his reunion with megastar Antonio Banderas for the first time since 1990's "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!," our anticipation levels are even higher than usual.

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Review: 'The Big Bang' Starring Antonio Banderas Is More Like A Bad Lay

By Gabe Toro
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May 13, 2011 1:45 AM
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4 Comments

Why is it that all hard boiled detectives in movies have to have the standard-issue growly deep-voiced monotone? Are there no soprano private investigators? The throat lozenge market would make a killing catering their ads specifically to people like P.I. Ned Cruz, the hero of this Friday’s “The Big Bang,” a silly noir pisstake hitting DVD soon after its theatrical run.

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