A Scanner Darkley

An alright film. The much hyped rotoscoping isn’t really that great though, and I'm not convinced it adds to the film. If anything it's a bit boring, something that PKD could never be accused of, and the acting is pretty lame a lot of the time. Story-wise it’s fairly faithful to the book (not that I care much about that) but despite all the surface weirdness it doesn’t really manage to tap into the unsettling core of the book. Basically don’t bother, or watch it on video on a Sunday morning or something.

IMDB

Volver

Brilliant.
Having been a fan of his early stuff I didn’t really like the last 2 issue heavy Almodovar films. This one dials back the 'maturity' in favour of more of the kitch melodrama of his earlier films without losing its emotional punch. OK so it lays some things on a bit thick (as you'd expect (esp. the bit where Penelope Cruz sings, I probably would have prefered a less perfect rendition esp. as she's supposed to be choking up, and where did all that echo come from?)) but still there aren’t many people who can make a film this good.

Also, it has one of my favourite posters of recent years (see above).

IMDB