3 weeks ago
9
There's a statement on friendship that begins with "It's not about who's fun at parties, it's about who shows up at hospitals."
Academy Award winners Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are Ingrid and Martha in Pedro Aldomovar's ‘The Room Next Door.’ PHOTO FROM
At one stage of life, we're all after affirmation, validation and invitations and be cavalier about slapping on the label of "friend."
Academy Award winners Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are Ingrid and Martha in Pedro Aldomovar’s ‘The Room Next Door.’ CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/IGLESIAS MÁS VIA AYALA CINEMAS
Later on, we realize, as we go through the wringer of life, it takes so much more to genuinely call someone that. A friend is someone you can be vulnerable in front of, it's someone who's there when there's music and dancing and when there's tears and heartbreak.
Pedro Aldomovar's "The Room Next Door" examines a friendship between two former journalist colleagues. Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) reconnect after decades out of each other's orbit. Ingrid went on to become an author and Martha, a war correspondent.
When they reconnect, Martha finds someone she can open up to as she deals with cancer. They meet regularly and have meaningful conversations, they talk about Martha's complicated relationship with her estranged daughter, about the man they both dated, about life and death.
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While Tilda Swinton's Martha looks extremely gaunt and skinny, she still has an amazing haircut and wears incredibly well put together pieces including some utterly fabulous sweaters.
The locations where they talk looks wonderfully art directed — from Martha's apartment to the house they stay in in the Catskills.
"The Room Next Door" is a quiet little film that speaks volumes, with a story that is both simple and yet so layered. The Academy Award winning leads working with an Academy Award winning director can just make this meditation on friendship sing.
"Captain America: Brave New World" has been getting unfavorable buzz last year because of all the re-shoots and script rewrites. I tempered my expectations and while it didn't get to "The Winter Soldier" levels, it was good enough.
It could have taken risks with new Falcon, Joaquin Torres being a Mexican immigrant targeted by a white supremacist militia (from the comic books) and Black Captain America dealing with a president who turns into a Red Hulk — there's so many scenarios you can play out with that mix in today's political climate.
The movie plays it understandably safe for Marvel and the House of Mouse, and in the end, it seems they're pleased enough with the box office take.
"Cobra Kai," that successful telenovela for Titos, finally aired the second half of its final season. The series ends with happy scenarios for the characters fans have grown to love, there's closure and everyone has matured!
Now if only life can imitate art. It also leaves viewers with no doubts as to why the series was named "Cobra Kai."
As one series ends, another one begins. The newest season of "White Lotus" is getting started on Max, and I love that this show is earning a following. More on the new season later. Next week, I'll finally be able to talk about Robert Egger's much awaited "Nosferatu."
