Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Debuting in 1989 with the newly adopted (and unjustifiably applied) NC-17 rating, Pedro Almodovar's (All About My Mother) delicious black comedy stars Antonio Banderas as Ricky, an orphan/mental patient who, upon release, tracks down former one-night-stand Marina (Victoria Abril), a recovering drug addict/ex-porn star who is currently working on a "B" horror movie. Ricky promises to be a good husband and a good father to Marina's children, and when she doesn't swallow a word of his pitch, Ricky ties her to the bedpost, and commences his verbal wooing. The typically outrageous Almodovar excels here at taking an offensive situation and defusing it with comedy, while at the same time playing some interesting riffs on the nature of symbiotic relationships--the ties that bind, one way or another. While the DVD sports no extras, the vibrant widescreen transfer very nicely captures the director's love of primary colors. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—Aug. 26, 2014—Criterion, 76 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: 2 discs, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray and latest on DVD, 1990’s Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! boasts a sparkling transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras include an 'Untied! Reflections' making-of featurette (28 min.), a 2003 conversation between director Pedro Almodóvar and star Antonio Banderas (26 min.), a new interview with Almodóvar collaborator and Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker (15 min.), footage from the film’s 1990 Madrid premiere party (4 min.), a trailer, and a booklet featuring a 1990 piece by Almodóvar, a conversation between critic Kent Jones and filmmaker Wes Anderson, and a 1989 interview with Almodóvar. Bottom line: Almodóvar’s excellent black comedy makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]