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Reviews
The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)
Excellent
I love it, Radha Blank really is fantastic. Love not only what it's trying to say but also the humor that comes with it. Huge recommendation and it really is a great watch
Malcolm & Marie (2021)
Zendaya
Zendaya. Yeah, she is fantastic. Zendaya
Nansnajajajaa
Pieces of a Woman (2020)
Great
Tough it has weak screenplay points and inconsistent tones in some parts Pieces of a Woman is intense and powerful with excellent performances, especially from Kirby and Burstyn, wich make the best scenes on the film (obviously except from the first amazing long take, wich can't be topped). Overall this is a powerful experience with beautiful cinematography and a thrilling story about dealing with trauma.
Soul (2020)
Wow
Soul is powerful, moving, gorgeous, surprising and hilarious all at the same time. It's incredibly deep and impactful, and also a super fun time from beggining to finish. And that ending... my god. I'm not going to spoil anything but trust me on this, Soul is a masterpiece. Go see it, you will learn about yourself and life as much as I did, and for sure will make you more optimistic about the world we live in. Truly something amazing, Soul is to put It simply an absolute masterpiece and one of the most impactful movies I've seen recently.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)
Good
With phenomenal performances from Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman and unforgettable supporting characters Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is an immersive experience from beggining to finish. What keeps me from loving it is that it's too play-like and it just doesn't feel like a cinematic experience at all. The editing was bad and distracting, also. But overall is fine, and it's really something worth watching.
I'm Your Woman (2020)
Good!
With a phenomenal Rachel Brosnahan performance and a powerful story I'm Your Woman is a visually beautiful and emotionally thrilling movie with some amazing scenes. Great direction, very smart screenplay, beautiful aesthetic and great supporting roles. At times it feels like is going no where, especially in the middle where it feels kind of messy. But still, this is a a phenomenal experience that will keep you at the edge of your seat, and it really is one of a kind.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
In it's own way, the best movie of all time
Mamma Mia is at times messy, at times cheesy and at times genuinely stupid. But you cannot denny that this movie is pure fun and entertainment. It has sooooo much energy, you can't hide your smile and the contagious enthusiasm every second this film gives you. Big performances, big dance numbers, big songs, but at the same time all feels familiar. Is a movie that you can rewatch a 1000 times and it doesn't get boring, and it cheers you up in a fantastic way every single time. With that said, in its own weird way, is one of the best movies of all time. Again, in its OWN WAY.
Ps. Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried never miss
The Crown (2016)
Unique and phenomenal
The crown is one of the best shows in recent television. This show feels somehow incredibly organic, it makes you sympathize and connect with those people that you otherwise would never have. The ultimate depiction of this family and how their problems and pains surround something bigger, always something bigger: the crown, it's brilliant. The acting is phenomenal, every actor feels perfect for the role and becomes this characters in a way that I've never seen before in television. From the cold unforgettable cinematography, the interesting and unique editing, the majestic score, the production and costume design ( some of the most accurate and beautiful in tv history), the makeup, the writing, the stunning direction, everything is so well crafted and is just amazing that this show exists. It's enjoyable and highly entertaining, it works as a phenomenal look at the pass of time and some of the most important events in last century's history from the point of view of the royalty, but also from the normal people. It's a phenomenal contrast of society, pressure, and duty that colapses and converges in this masterpiece of a show. A unique and phenomenal piece of art that we wish would never end, as much as it will need to. Definitely one of Netflix's best, and for sure one of the best shows to watch on television. What a joy that this masterpiece of a show exists!
Black Swan (2010)
Amazing movie
Black Swan is a masterpiece. The story of an obsessed artist dealing with her life and collapsing till the pint of madness is amazing.
First of all, the direction is exquisite. It sets the twisted and transformative tone of the movie in such a beautiful way. This applies very well for ballet, art wich we see in a very particular way. It captured the beauty of it, but at the same time the mystery and darkness. The look of this movie is extraordinary. The fast and insane movement of the camera fits the tone so well, it gets you all in for the madness that comes through the film. And the lightning, oh my god the lighting. It is used in an incredibly original way that will be stuck in my head forever, especially in the final dance sequences. The movie has a very characteristic black-blue tone that is gorgeous to the view, with some white lighting that reflects every feeling in an extremely high level. I adore so much the way they used Swan Lake's score. They adapt it to the characters and the scenes in a way that elevates the drama so much and is thrilling to watch. Once again, I have scenes stuck in my head of the score and the frightening drama that they accomplish to transmit through out the movie. The editing is fast and works so well, the makeup is twisted and dramatic, as much as the movie. The dance sequences are amazing, the cinematography and lighting, like I said, are some of the best I've seen, the costumes are great, the original score is beautiful and everything technical in this movie is just so perfect and dark, a lot of it owned to Aronofsky's brilliant direction.
And now, the performances and script. With the already frightening and cold tone of the film, the actors have a playground to explore their characters in extremely deep ways. Especially Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey and Vincent Cassel. Barbara has the world to see Nina's mom, Erica, even with the little screen time she has. You see the love-hate relationship she has with her daughter, you see her be in a very big part responsable of Nina's mental situation. You see her manipulate her daughter, make her feel bad and make her feel good just in the perfect balance to feel loved by her. And even though all of that, she is still not a one-dimensional villain. Because you know she is jealous, you know she wants to be Nina, as an irony as it is with the horrible life she has. You see her desperation to be something else, but she settles. She settled because she has no other option. And don't get me wrong, she is a terrible mother, but the sharp writing and the humanity that Hershey brought depth and history to this character that otherwise would have been the only one to blame. Vincent Cassel is amazing as the pressuring mysterious director, he really makes you feel what Nina feels, incomprehension but need of approval. He nails the performance so much, and even though he doesn't have as much space to develop like the other main characters, is still an amazing character with an amazing performance. Mila Kunis was incredible. She played a very real normal person, but twisted with Nina's oppressed imagination she plays all the fears of her, and Mila succeeded so much. Playing the human version of the insecurities and desesperations of a woman in pain must be hard. For example, in the party scene. Most of it happens in Nina's far from life mind. But Mila still manages to make her character real, as much of a dream she is. And then, we come to Natalie Portman. I have no words for Natalie Portman in this movie. But I'm going to try. Portman captures 100% the journey of an innocent try-hard girl to a competitive angry black swan. The journey is incredible in paper, but Portman brings it to the screen in such an amazing way. She is devastating, pressured, angry. She is so human, a very twisted version of a human. You feel every emotion she feels, every fear of losing her work, every toxic- blinded relationship with her mother. You see her fear represented in Kunis's character, but you see it all through Portman's eyes. It's a magnificent performance, really one of the most astonishing and real acting I have seen in my life. Just amazing, definitely one of the best performances in history. So bizarre, so beautiful.
And finally, we come to the meaning. This has a lot of spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie I recommend you to stop right there. The meaning of the end and the movie in general is so abstract and at the same time so devastatingly human. If I could sum it up in one frase it would be the question "till what point the searching for perfection can be your life?". And I think that applies to a lot of things. I genuinely think that the party scene is extremely important. The way that Nina (Portman) see's her insecurities and deepest fears formed in Kunis's character is so perfect. She knows she can be replaced, she knows she does something wrong and in a matter of seconds you are gone. And there is always someone worse who will take everything you wanted. That applies also to Érica, Nina's mom, who was in a certain level replaced by her daughter. You see her be in a relationship of hate and love with herself, of avoiding and obsessing. You see her kiss and use her fears for pleasure, but at the same time you see her fight against them in the form of her other insecurities (her mom). You see Winona Ryder's character stab knifes in her own face when Nina arrives. I think is kind of another situation of replacement. The constant reminder that there is always someone else to take everything from you. But in this case, Nina is again taking everything from another person, just like with her mother. Part of it is why it makes the ending so perfect. See her seek perfection so vas to take her own life is magnificent. Her last breath, as twisted as it sound, are from success. In her own way, she did it. She did everything to feel that she was perfect. And that are exactly her last words. " I was perfect". And yes, she destroys herself, but it's something that she and her situations created that needed in a way that made this success extremely meaningful. In the dressing room scene she tried to kill her fears and destroy them to succeed, but her fears have combined with her so much that she is just destroying herself. They have made her the most close version of the perfection she wants. At the end she forms herself, with insecurities, fears and everything, and becomes the two swans she so desperately wanted. She was already the white swan, but her intensity to succeed made her dominate the other ones, no matter the prices it costed. Like I said, amazing. There are many other metaphors and meaning, but this close to the end ones I think are some of the most relevant.
In conclusion, Black Swan is the changing innocence of a woman named Nina, the fears she tries to denny to herself and the fear of being something and not doing it right, which is so amazing. It's beautifully looking, and gorgeously written and acted. One of the best films of the decade, just such a masterpiece. Such a masterpiece.
(Just a reminder that I know they said that Nina didn't die, but I think is so twisted and beautiful to think so, but the message also applies if she didn't die)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Great!
Amazing screenplay, stunning direction, great score, absolutely brilliant performances. It keeps you interested from beggining to end, and because of the sharp and fast dialogue you are invested in the story every second the movie is on your screen. It's totally rewatchable, a very interesting social commentary and has hilarious moments. Like I said, the performances are amazing. Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Rylance are particularly great, I think they totally transmit everything they intend to. Amazing movie, is captivating and moving. Congrats Sorkin, you did it again.
I, Tonya (2017)
Incredible movie, fantastic performances
I, Tonya is an extraordinary movie. It is original, intelligent, exciting and compelling in so many ways that is an amazing experience in it's own way.
Let's start with he movie itself. Like I said, it's just so great. I've always liked Craig Gillespie's work, but I, Tonya was something else. The script is so fun, human and intelligent, with devastating scenes and hilarious moments, that gives the movie such a layered idea of what it is that elevates it to another level. I think is hard to be able to do this in a biopic. Usually they are just kind of repetitive and not very original, but I, Tonya managed to make a movie that I would say isn't like any other. The character creation is fantastic. They make a character, Tonya Harding, wich a lot of us know and are familiar with, and makes you discover her like a full on human with good things and bad things, flaws and gifts. That is certainly something not many biopics manage to do. Tonya is a product of her growth, her family and her mother's pressure that eventually becomes her own. Tonya Harding in this movie is real, is a human. She's not perfect, sometimes kind of very unlikable even, but is compelling, is real, and you get her. You get her anger, you get why she is who she is. You get her decisions, as insane as they may seem. She is influenced by herself, influenced by the world and the society she lives and was raised in. Even the supporting roles are incredibly well constructed. Tonya's boyfriend, Jeff Gillooly, is an extremely imperfect man. But he has motivations, he has reasons to exist, he is there for a reason. He is just not the guy to be angry at, he is a full on person who is also a product of his own problems. LaVona, Tonya's mom, is so well written that it gave me chills every time she was onscreen ( part of it because of Janney's performance, but we'll get to that). With the little time she is on, you also see her be a response to her decisions and how she needed to make them in the context of her life. You see an angry, unhappy woman who raised her daughter like an athlete instead of a child. And yes, of course you hate her. But not because she is just there to be hated, because they constructed Tonya's character so well that you even see trough her eyes, you hate LaVona and what she did, but that doesn't make her any less human. In terms of the directing, I love the interview format that the movie has. I love the irony that everyone has different versions of what happened, because everyone sees facts in different ways, everyone experiences them as different things. The scenes where Tonya and Jeff talked to the camera arguing of what was the truth were just so brilliant. It shows perfectly how truth is so personal and depending of the way you see it. Besides, it's so hilarious. In the interview formats and when Tonya talks to the camera you see through their minds even more, you see them remember something that feels so distant but it's so important for where are they today. This scenes compliment it in a very appropriate way that really ads a lot to the story. The music choices are great, the cinematography works so well, the makeup is extremely impressive and basically every technical thing is really well done. It's amazing.
Now, let's get into the performances. They blew my mind. As simple and as complex as that. With all the direction and the screenplay supporting them, Margot Robbie, Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan had basically the entire world to succeed. And they so did. Sebastian Stan just nails the performance, in the past scenes as an aggressive kind of horrible boyfriend, and at the present as kind of a town dad that is just calm all the time. The change feels real and not forced, and in both parts he is just so great. Allison Janney is excellent. She brings depth and authenticity to LaVona in a way that a lot of actresses couldn't have done it. She is hilarious, she is twisted , and like I said before, she is very human. The comedic relief but at the same time chills of darkness and fear she brings to the screen is just something unique that you only feel in the best supporting roles ever, and in my opinion this definitely is. And finally, we get to Margot Robbie. Oh my god. Margot Robbie blew my mind the most of all. She has the range to play Tonya from a teenager with dreams of succeeding but at the same time trying to deal with her mom, to a woman who was at the top and sees her work fall down in a matter of hours. She is devastating, incredibly real and powerful. The connection you form with her makes you want her to succeed from beginning to end. You get she is not perfect, but you get like I've said multiple times, why she is how she is. And a lot of that is responsibility of Robbie's amazing performance. She makes you connect with Tonya Harding in a way I wouldn't imagine before the movie started. You see all the faces and depths of Tonya, you see her at her best, at her worst and at her "settle". You see her fight against herself, against her own fears and the situations that surround her. And like I said, Margot Robbie absolutely knocked it out of the park. Her performance is in my opinion one of the best performances of the decade, apart from other technicals things in it like the perfect accent ( that she brilliantly changed through the movie to represent Tonya's age growth), the devastating scenes in the movie ( I mean that mirror scene is just an acting MasterClass) and the physical effort ( yes, I know she didn't do all the skating, but what she did is super impressive). Like I've putted clear, I'm obsessed with the performances of this movie, and in my opinion as much as I liked the direction and the script they are the best part of the whole experience.
In conclusion, I, Tonya is a modern biopic that totally comes out of the mold of the classic hero formation of a real character. Instead of glorying it, it developes a real human with feelings and flaws. The story of a woman who dedicated her life to get to the top, but gets heated down by a moment that, as herself, was a product of the situations that surrounded it is brilliant, devastating, hilarious and amazing.
An extraordinary movie I would recommend to anyone, completely 10/10.