Monday Moments - The Invite

 I watched an episode of Hot Ones on YouTube and Penelope Cruz was the guest. She was pushing this movie The Invite, and it sounded intriguing.  

Well, it was different, angsty, very all talkie, amusing at times, cringe worthy, and I can't recommend it. 

But - I was interested enough to stay and watch. Does that make sense?  This was a Thursday matinee and there were two other ladies in  the theater. As we were leaving, the one said, "Well, I guess I'm not allowed to pick a movie for awhile."     Ha!

Olivia Wilde directed this and also starred as Angela.  She's married to Joe (Seth Rogan).  She's invited the upstairs neighbors to dinner. Joe is not happy and pretty much promises  to be rude. 

 Ding dong - doorbell rings and here's Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penelope Cruz).  They are obviously very cool and exude an exotic flair.  Here's where  Penelope shines - she just pops on the screen. She has the best lines and you can tell Joe is feeling her vibe. 

Well the conversation does take a racy turn....I won't say more. But  the tempo of the movie picked up, the stress of the awkwardness heightened, and let's just say someone might need to move!

Hey - the theater was air-conditioned and I killed two hours. I did laugh out loud at some lines - Seth can be amusing in his delivery.  And thumbs up to Penelope - she is damn hot and a good actress. 

This was my public service announcement for you. 

Movie Review Madness - Parallel Mothers

 Parallel Mothers directed by Pedro Almodovar has lots of Oscar buzz. It's a product of Spain and I saw it with subtitles. Good to stretch the brain sometimes, and this was an excellent film. 

Janis (Penelope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit) are thrown together in a maternity ward. Janis is an older unwed mother courtesy of trysts with Arturo (Israel Elejalde), but she is happy with this choice. Ana is very young, scared, and lacking parental support. Her mother's an actress concerned with her career. Her father kicked out due to the pregnancy.  

Baby girls are born and both women bond because the babies have some issues and are being held for observations. When released, Janis makes sure Ana has her phone number to stay in touch. 

Life goes on, but things get complicated. Arturo questions if the baby is his. Janis begins to question it too. A genetic test opens up more questions. Meanwhile, Janis runs into Ana at a nearby coffee shop. Ana is working there, moved out from her mothers, changed her hair, and there's more news. 

I can't say more, except that life does throw curveballs. Excellent acting. Twists to the plot. And just that rich foreign flavor thanks to Cruz and Almodovar.