ANTONIO BANDERAS AT TIFF 2011 WITH "SKIN I LIVE IN"

Antonio Banderas & Mr. Will-W.

Despite nearly getting crushed trying to get a Photo with the handsome Antonio Banderas at Princess of Wales and failing, my luck was fantastic today as I was getting a snack at TIFF Bell Lightbox yesterday afternoon, only to notice him in the Lobby.  Banderas was at the venue making a surprise appearance at a Screening of his latest Film Skin I Live In, from director Pedro Almodovar.

ANTONIO BANDERAS & MELANIE GRIFFITH AT TIFF 2011 FOR "SKIN I LIVE IN"

Elena Anaya, Antonio Banderas & Melanie Griffith (L to R)

Look how proud she is of her Man!  Melanie Griffith came out to support Husband Antonio Banderas at the Premiere of Pedro Almodovar's latest, Skin I Live In tonight at Princess of Wales Theatre and what ensued was a lot of screaming, pushing and shoving to get close to Banderas!

The Film thus far is being called "odd" and "trippy" by Critics, but leave it to Almodovar to sell it to 'em!

See more Photos below:

BIUTIFUL - MOVIE REVIEW

Still from Biutiful

Alejandro González Iñárritu's latest effort is a portrait of dying Man, struggling in a race against time to ensure the one thing constant in his life, his loving Children, are cared for after he passes on. Despite being prolonged by lengthy nuances, it possesses true heart thanks to its tragic Hero.

Biutiful centers around Uxbal (Javier Bardem) who deals in underground affairs, including selling the labour of illegal immigrants in Barcelona. Having separated from his mentally unstable and Alcoholic Wife Marambra (Maricel Álvarez), he finds himself drawn back to her both out of love and a need for a Maternal figure in their Children's lives.

Hai (Cheng Tai-Shen) is Uxbal's Business Associate and together they are caught in a dangerous struggle to keep the illegal Chinese immigrants whom they are harbouring, under the radar from Police. At the same time they must find these people Employment as the future of Uxbal's Children is dependent on this much-needed income and thus, a driving force in his fight to live.

INTERVIEW MAGAZINE: PENÉLOPE CRUZ BY MARION COTILLARD

Although she has made quite a few questionable choices in her career, it is definitely all about Penélope Cruz in Hollywood right now.  The Madrid-born actress' winning streak started in what is arguably her career-best performance in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver (2006), followed by her Oscar-winning turn as emotionally unstable artist Maria Elena in Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona (2008).  She currently can be seen in theatres currently in Rob Marshall's NINE and Almodóvar's latest work Broken Embraces where she once again is just absolutely stellar.

In the December/January 2010 issue of Interview Magazine, Cruz is interviewed by NINE co-star Marion Cotillard.  We learn that upon making her first American film The Hi-Lo Country in 1998, she could barely put together a sentence in English. She never had the chance to visit a cinema until 1990 having to lie that she was 16 years old in order to gain entrance.  Prior to that, she would rent movies in Beta-Max format.  The first film she ever saw in the theatre was in fact, Almodóvar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!  Her obsession with his films has become reality as she has become his current muse.  

Cotillard questions Cruz on how she researched for the role of seductress Carla in NINE and we learn that Cruz was in fact channeling Pink Panther the whole time which she kept a secret.  Cruz feels that most successful actors require some degree of insecurity - every actor needs an ego, although their ego can also be their worst enemy.  She mentioned also that she believes there is no greater actress today than Meryl Streep.

REVIEW: BROKEN EMBRACES

Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Pedro Almodóvar's latest effort Broken Embraces definitely is not lacking in the drama department.  Released through Sony Classics, the story is about Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar), a Spanish film director who also goes by the pseudonom Harry Caine.  In the film, Mateo revisits a series of events 14 years ago leading up to the tragic car accident involving his lover Lena (Penélope Cruz) and resulting in his blindness.

Mateo and Lena become involved in a torrid love affair working on a film titled Girls and Suitcases.  Lena however, is the mistress of a wealthy businessman Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez) who offers to produce the film, and his jealousy and betrayal lead to disastrous consequences.  The secondary storyline involving Mateo's confidante/assistant Judit (Blanca Portillo) and her son Diego (Tamar Novas) ties up neatly at the film where we learn that they actually play very integral roles to the main plot.

Don't get me wrong, I love Almodóvar's work. It always has that right combination of intensity,  passion, wit and thoroughness in storytelling.  He does however test our patience a bit here with throwing in surprise after surprise just as the film seemingly is wrapping up and this admittedly is a bit frustrating.  As always, Cruz is effervescent and looks absolutely breathtaking even when she is pretending to be a laughably bad actress.  Her chemistry with Homar is explosive and although not quite as superb as her work on Almodóvar's Volver, she once again delivers here as a woman who lives and breathes love.  We are fixated with her even though her morals are questionable.   And Homar truly understands the subtleties required of his character, embodying a strong self-presence pre and post tragedy.  In all honesty, Broken Embraces was a bit contrived for my liking, but then again, what was expecting right?  Grade: B

As an aside, popular Canadian television personality George Stroumboulopoulos was watching the film too and we had a chat in the bathroom about the film afterwards.  He loved it, especially the surprise punch Portillo drops at the ending.  A fan of Cruz, I recommended he check out NINE also even though he was a little hesitant since he's heard nothing but bad things about it.  George, if you do check it out let us know your thoughts!  I think I just may see it a third time tomorrow....