Tie Me Up Tie Me Down - Risque

Spanish Ties

Advantages: Stylish, sophisticated, witty
Disadvantages: It had to end!

Since there are less than two weeks until I bid a temporary farewell to Ciao and head off to Andalucia for two weeks of backpacking, sherry and tapas, I thought I would inject some Iberian culture into today's reviews. And what better way than to review what is, in my opinion, the finest of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's movies. The director is famous for his art-house black comedies and "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" (1990) is probably the darkest of all. Ricky (Antonio Banderas) is discharged from a psychiatric hospital where he has spent the last few years, following a traumatic adolescence during which he repeatedly absconded from a series of orphanages and reform homes. Desperate for a normal life he sets his sights on Marina, a porn actress with whom he had once had a one-night stand. Now acting in dreadful B-movies, Marina is ...

fizzytom 26.05.2005 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (DVD)

Didn't Tie Me Down

Advantages: Well drawn characters
Disadvantages: Time frame was a little sketchy

of time was rarely discussed. Their paths crossed at different points, but I was never sure how much time had elapsed. Unfortunately, this meant that by the time they were close enough that it seemed likely they would meet, Freeman had to use a rather disappointing trick to allow their time frames to coincide. I've always disliked novels where strange events are explained away as magic and so this was a huge let down for me, especially as Freeman had proved up to this point to be a good enough writer not to have to resort to tricks like this. This was a particular shame, as the book is otherwise pretty good. The character's lives and their motivations are well thought out, to the point that I had sympathy for the Travellers. As the story was more about the journey than any real trials they faced, however, it was tough to get too involved in ...

Soho_Black 29.10.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Blood Ties (Castings 1) - Pamela Freeman

Get Knotted

Advantages: A quirky film with oddly lovely performances
Disadvantages: Loses cohesion through the multiplicity of ideas

I love Almodovar's films, he's an effortlessly entertaining director and always worth watching. After a fresh bout of love for his style in the wake of the magnificent Volver, I got hold of some of his earlier films, including Tie me Up! Tie me Down! Antonio Banderas plays a mental patient, Ricky, released into the community. A playful young man, he larks about on the set of a horror film, indulging in minor thefts, air guitar and handstands, before kidnapping the lead actress, Marina, and tying her up in her own flat 'until she falls in love'. It's quite hard to make a sweet comedy out of a film where the lead actor headbutts the love interest and straps her to a bed. But somehow this bizarre film pulls off the trick. Antonio Banderas's charisma helps, and here he is incredibly young and looks quite a bit like Heroes' Zachary ...

Olly_Plimsoll 26.02.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (DVD)