This "American fiction" marks Cord Jefferson's directorial debut. An excellent debut. The central theme of this film is the fact that the protagonist "Monk" (Jeffrey Wright in a brilliant performance) considers that books by and about black people should be equally universal as are "white books". He ("Monk"), a writer going through a difficult phase in terms of writing and having financial difficulties, is tired of the themes in books about black people that "sell" well being always the same and not having such thematic universality that he claims, because for him, the "universe of blacks" is much broader than the half-dozen themes explored in so-called "books about blacks". So he decides, in a night of anger, alcohol and irritation, to write a book that "gives" what the public wants and consumes, one of those "stereotypical" stories about the "black world". He does this using a pseudonym so that no one knows his identity. To his surprise, the book soon became a success, a "best-seller" and ended up being nominated for best book of the year in a competition in which he himself was invited to be one of the jury members. The narrative and development of the film has some irregularities due to the way in which other stories appear, such as Monk's relationship with his family: the homosexual brother, the sister who dies suddenly and the mother who begins to suffer from Alzheimer's disease. There is also the love relationship that "Monk" begins with Coraline and also the character of Sintara Golden, a writer who is "in fashion" due to having written a very successful book and who is also part of the jury. These "small" stories don't have much development but they are reasonably well done, with the exception of "Monk's" relationship with Sintara Golden, which deserved further development. It's a shame that this "relationship" isn't further explored in the film, as it promised to be. It is perhaps the only point where the film fails. In addition to all this, the film presents well-executed dialogue scenes, most of which are very funny, with a satirical and intelligent humor. The ending of the film is ambiguous, I've read people who said that the director didn't know how the film would end. Maybe, but I even thought the ending was well done, the "dream" (?) scene in which the police enter the ceremony for the book of the year award and massacre "Monk" with gunfire is an anthology. In short, a film that proves to be extremely intelligent in its proposed theme.
Reviews
68 Reviews
Anatomy of a Fall
(2023)
One of the most powerful "courtroom movies" ever
30 December 2023
This "anatomie d'une chute" is an extremely well-made film within the genre of so-called "courtroom films".
Here, the case is to discover whether the death of a writer (Samuel Theis) happens by suicide or by murder by his own wife (Sandra Huller), with the only witness being the couple's own son (Milo Machado Graner), a boy 11 years old with serious vision problems, which occurred 7 years earlier due to an accident.
Basically, this is a dialogue film. And these dialogues that we see and hear, throughout the 150 minutes of the film, are almost always extremely tense and impactful.
The film addresses the various relationships (husband/wife, mother/son, father/son, mother/lawyer) and the court scenes themselves in a way that is almost always quite "cold".
The dialogues and relationships between characters are generally of some apparent coldness, with few warm moments, although there are also some and they appear at the "right" moments.
The film is very well directed by director Justine Triet, as she manages to make the film go far beyond the trial for possible murder, this trial brings with it several other trials such as the relationships between the couple and between the mother and the son, giving no answers definitive, approaching them in a powerful but "neutral" way, letting the viewer reflect on what they are seeing.
Excellent performances from all the actors, with special emphasis on the protagonist Sandra Huller and the "little" Milo Machado Graner.
Despite the length (150 minutes) the film never "drags", the many dialogues we see are always interesting, tense and revealing something more about the characters.
Verdict: very good. Winner of the grand prize at the 2023 Cannes festival.
Here, the case is to discover whether the death of a writer (Samuel Theis) happens by suicide or by murder by his own wife (Sandra Huller), with the only witness being the couple's own son (Milo Machado Graner), a boy 11 years old with serious vision problems, which occurred 7 years earlier due to an accident.
Basically, this is a dialogue film. And these dialogues that we see and hear, throughout the 150 minutes of the film, are almost always extremely tense and impactful.
The film addresses the various relationships (husband/wife, mother/son, father/son, mother/lawyer) and the court scenes themselves in a way that is almost always quite "cold".
The dialogues and relationships between characters are generally of some apparent coldness, with few warm moments, although there are also some and they appear at the "right" moments.
The film is very well directed by director Justine Triet, as she manages to make the film go far beyond the trial for possible murder, this trial brings with it several other trials such as the relationships between the couple and between the mother and the son, giving no answers definitive, approaching them in a powerful but "neutral" way, letting the viewer reflect on what they are seeing.
Excellent performances from all the actors, with special emphasis on the protagonist Sandra Huller and the "little" Milo Machado Graner.
Despite the length (150 minutes) the film never "drags", the many dialogues we see are always interesting, tense and revealing something more about the characters.
Verdict: very good. Winner of the grand prize at the 2023 Cannes festival.
Living
(2022)
Excellent remake of the movie "ikiru" (by Akira Kurosawa)
30 August 2023
The idea of making a "remake" of a film like Akira Kurosawa's "ikiru" (1952) is already risky.
After all, "ikiru" is a magnificent work by a magnificent director, which will forever remain in the history of cinema.
The truth is that Oliver Hermanus, who had directed 3 films that practically went unnoticed, before this "living", achieves his greatest "achievement" here as a director, directing this film with a lot of class and elegance, not inventing much, and yet well, in relation to the original story, transposing with great success the "action" of Japan in the 50s to the British reality of the same time.
This "living" is 40 minutes shorter than the original "ikiru". This fact is not presented as a negative, Oliver Hermanus focuses on the essentials of the story and decides to "ignore" the parts of Kurosawa's film that are most characteristic of Japanese reality at the time.
Hermanus decided that going that way would be a "dangerous" path (the truth is that this aspect almost always turns out badly in American "remakes" based on films originating from other countries) and decided to "just" transpose the essentials of the story, which I it seemed like a wise and right choice.
A special brilliance in this film goes to the excellent music, to the actor Bill Nighy (probably the best "performance" of his career) and to the actress Aimee Lou Wood, whose scenes with the main actor prove to be very interesting, well acted and accomplished.
One of the best movies of 2022.
After all, "ikiru" is a magnificent work by a magnificent director, which will forever remain in the history of cinema.
The truth is that Oliver Hermanus, who had directed 3 films that practically went unnoticed, before this "living", achieves his greatest "achievement" here as a director, directing this film with a lot of class and elegance, not inventing much, and yet well, in relation to the original story, transposing with great success the "action" of Japan in the 50s to the British reality of the same time.
This "living" is 40 minutes shorter than the original "ikiru". This fact is not presented as a negative, Oliver Hermanus focuses on the essentials of the story and decides to "ignore" the parts of Kurosawa's film that are most characteristic of Japanese reality at the time.
Hermanus decided that going that way would be a "dangerous" path (the truth is that this aspect almost always turns out badly in American "remakes" based on films originating from other countries) and decided to "just" transpose the essentials of the story, which I it seemed like a wise and right choice.
A special brilliance in this film goes to the excellent music, to the actor Bill Nighy (probably the best "performance" of his career) and to the actress Aimee Lou Wood, whose scenes with the main actor prove to be very interesting, well acted and accomplished.
One of the best movies of 2022.
Aftersun
(II) (2022)
Excellent Film. It rivals "TAR" for best film of 2022.
18 August 2023
In "aftersun" we follow the memories of "grown-up" Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) and her vacation spent 20 years earlier with her father Calum (Paul Mescal), in Turkey, when "child" Sophie (Frankie Corio) was just 11 years.
The film's narrative is not conventional, what we see are fragments of conversations and past situations between father and daughter. These conversations and situations that we witness never reach any conclusion that, in isolation, allows us to draw conclusions about what is actually happening. We are, yes, building these conclusions, slowly, throughout the film.
Sophie, 11 years old, is at an age where she no longer feels comfortable with other children of the same age, but also still expresses strangeness towards the adolescent world, while at the same time trying to understand her father, which does not prove to be easy, as the even has facets connected to his past that mark him deeply and, despite all his efforts to be a "good father" to Sophie, she already has enough intelligence and perception that he hides something, something she doesn't understand what It is.
In these fragments that are presented to us throughout the film, we gradually realize the deep love between father and daughter, the latent depression of the father, unable to deal with traumas from his past (there are 3 "excerpts" in the film that clearly show us this ) and a Sophie trying to understand the world and her own father, which is not easy for her in any of the situations.
The film presents us with two absolutely sublime musical moments: the first, when Sophie sings "losing my religion", by R. E. M., by herself, after trying unsuccessfully to convince her father to sing along with her, in that kind of karaoke"; the second, towards the end, when we hear "under pressure", in the Queen/David Bowie version, while we see the father and daughter dancing (here the situation is the opposite of the previous one, only after much insistence from the father does the daughter also dance, almost dragged by it). At the same time that this happens, we have "flashes" of the adult Sophie also dancing, looking more like she is remembering than dancing. In these two scenes, the lyrics of the aforementioned songs "appear" to us as if they were purposely made for the film, such is the communion between what we hear in these lyrics and what we see (and deduce) in the film we are watching . The second scene is particularly beautiful, absolutely brilliant.
In the end, the question obviously remains: were these holidays the final farewell between Sophie and Calum? Each one will interpret it in their own way, although personally I think the answer is quite obvious.
Finally, highlight the fantastic interpretations of Paul Mescal (nominated for an Oscar) and little Frankie Corio.
One of the best films of recent years and this century. (8.5/10)
The film's narrative is not conventional, what we see are fragments of conversations and past situations between father and daughter. These conversations and situations that we witness never reach any conclusion that, in isolation, allows us to draw conclusions about what is actually happening. We are, yes, building these conclusions, slowly, throughout the film.
Sophie, 11 years old, is at an age where she no longer feels comfortable with other children of the same age, but also still expresses strangeness towards the adolescent world, while at the same time trying to understand her father, which does not prove to be easy, as the even has facets connected to his past that mark him deeply and, despite all his efforts to be a "good father" to Sophie, she already has enough intelligence and perception that he hides something, something she doesn't understand what It is.
In these fragments that are presented to us throughout the film, we gradually realize the deep love between father and daughter, the latent depression of the father, unable to deal with traumas from his past (there are 3 "excerpts" in the film that clearly show us this ) and a Sophie trying to understand the world and her own father, which is not easy for her in any of the situations.
The film presents us with two absolutely sublime musical moments: the first, when Sophie sings "losing my religion", by R. E. M., by herself, after trying unsuccessfully to convince her father to sing along with her, in that kind of karaoke"; the second, towards the end, when we hear "under pressure", in the Queen/David Bowie version, while we see the father and daughter dancing (here the situation is the opposite of the previous one, only after much insistence from the father does the daughter also dance, almost dragged by it). At the same time that this happens, we have "flashes" of the adult Sophie also dancing, looking more like she is remembering than dancing. In these two scenes, the lyrics of the aforementioned songs "appear" to us as if they were purposely made for the film, such is the communion between what we hear in these lyrics and what we see (and deduce) in the film we are watching . The second scene is particularly beautiful, absolutely brilliant.
In the end, the question obviously remains: were these holidays the final farewell between Sophie and Calum? Each one will interpret it in their own way, although personally I think the answer is quite obvious.
Finally, highlight the fantastic interpretations of Paul Mescal (nominated for an Oscar) and little Frankie Corio.
One of the best films of recent years and this century. (8.5/10)
Talk to Me
(I) (2022)
Very Interesting Australian Horror Thriller
13 August 2023
This "talk to me" is an Australian horror/thriller film that surprised me positively.
It features very original and creative elements within the genre, the atmosphere of the film is almost always quite bizarre and strange throughout it.
The central character is Mia, played by Sophie Wilde with great competence, in a very demanding and ambiguous role.
The entire first part of the film, where several spiritualism sessions take place, will trigger unexpected developments in Mia, who finds herself confronted with her past, specifically with the death of her mother, 2 years before, in circumstances that Mia has not yet managed to overcome, accept and understand and that torment her.
Faced with a rather absent father, she finds her "improvised" family in her friends Riley (Joe Bird) and Jade (Alexandra Jensen).
The film is always quite tense, with practically no sequences that "clear" the dense atmosphere.
There are two "spiritualism" sequences with Riley that are quite violent.
In short, a film that develops differently from most films of the genre, and this option by the directors (Danny and Michael Philippou) proves to be positive and almost always effective.
One of the most successful films in the genre in recent years.
7.5/10.
It features very original and creative elements within the genre, the atmosphere of the film is almost always quite bizarre and strange throughout it.
The central character is Mia, played by Sophie Wilde with great competence, in a very demanding and ambiguous role.
The entire first part of the film, where several spiritualism sessions take place, will trigger unexpected developments in Mia, who finds herself confronted with her past, specifically with the death of her mother, 2 years before, in circumstances that Mia has not yet managed to overcome, accept and understand and that torment her.
Faced with a rather absent father, she finds her "improvised" family in her friends Riley (Joe Bird) and Jade (Alexandra Jensen).
The film is always quite tense, with practically no sequences that "clear" the dense atmosphere.
There are two "spiritualism" sequences with Riley that are quite violent.
In short, a film that develops differently from most films of the genre, and this option by the directors (Danny and Michael Philippou) proves to be positive and almost always effective.
One of the most successful films in the genre in recent years.
7.5/10.
Chungking Express
(1994)
When I saw this brilliant film I fell in love with Faye Wong
5 August 2023
Faye Wong was a Chinese super singer "pop-star", who enjoyed immense success in many Asian countries and even in some countries of the West.
She was an actress in a few films and series, the 2 most famous are this "chungking express" and the other "2046", both by director Wong Kar-Wai.
Despite not being exactly a professional actress, she has an unforgettable role in this film, approaching her character with an absolutely unique and passionate performance.
The fantastic Tony Leung was the ideal actor to play opposite the beautiful and talented Faye.
The film consists of two stories, the first starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin (also brilliant) and the second, unforgettable, starring Tony Leung and Faye Wong.
Wong Kar-Wai's directing is very inventive, the film's "game of camera and color" is mesmerizing.
The music is also excellent.
The "cover" version of "dreams" by the Cranberries in the end credits is obviously sung by Faye Wong.
Film Rating: 9/10.
She was an actress in a few films and series, the 2 most famous are this "chungking express" and the other "2046", both by director Wong Kar-Wai.
Despite not being exactly a professional actress, she has an unforgettable role in this film, approaching her character with an absolutely unique and passionate performance.
The fantastic Tony Leung was the ideal actor to play opposite the beautiful and talented Faye.
The film consists of two stories, the first starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin (also brilliant) and the second, unforgettable, starring Tony Leung and Faye Wong.
Wong Kar-Wai's directing is very inventive, the film's "game of camera and color" is mesmerizing.
The music is also excellent.
The "cover" version of "dreams" by the Cranberries in the end credits is obviously sung by Faye Wong.
Film Rating: 9/10.
Oppenheimer
(I) (2023)
I hope this "oppenheimer" is much better than the previous "tenet"
26 July 2023
The truth is that Christopher Nolan is an excellent director, presenting us with extremely ambitious, interesting and successful themes in his films.
All his films are good (with the exception, in my opinion, of "tenet" (too much ambition sometimes doesn't work) and "dunkirk" (very good technically but with completely empty characters, making it impossible to empathize with any of them)).
I said before that "all of Nolan's films are good": Trilogy "batman", "inception", "the prestige", "interstellar", "memento", etc., etc.
But none is magnificent, none is masterpiece. Not even close. When will have a magnificent film from Nolan? When will so many people stop saying that Christopher is an "overrated" director?
It will be with this "oppenheimer" that finally is Nolan truly going to "kill it" once and for all?
I hope so! He (Christopher Nolan) deserves it.
I gave all CN films an 8/10, with the exception of the aforementioned "tenet" and "dunkirk", which I gave a 7/10. I look forward to giving it a 9!
All that's missing is a leap to "magnificent" instead of "good".
All his films are good (with the exception, in my opinion, of "tenet" (too much ambition sometimes doesn't work) and "dunkirk" (very good technically but with completely empty characters, making it impossible to empathize with any of them)).
I said before that "all of Nolan's films are good": Trilogy "batman", "inception", "the prestige", "interstellar", "memento", etc., etc.
But none is magnificent, none is masterpiece. Not even close. When will have a magnificent film from Nolan? When will so many people stop saying that Christopher is an "overrated" director?
It will be with this "oppenheimer" that finally is Nolan truly going to "kill it" once and for all?
I hope so! He (Christopher Nolan) deserves it.
I gave all CN films an 8/10, with the exception of the aforementioned "tenet" and "dunkirk", which I gave a 7/10. I look forward to giving it a 9!
All that's missing is a leap to "magnificent" instead of "good".
Kate
(I) (2021)
Well Competent Action Film (7/10)
25 July 2023
In this "kate" we have an action movie that, without dazzling, is well done.
Good fight choreography and good action scenes, most of them quite violent but extremely attractive, well done and convincing, especially in the first half of the film.
In the lead role is the attractive and talented Mary Elizabeth Winstead, here in a role that, without having great depth, lives on the actress's charisma and good performance. Newcomer Miku Martineau also shines. Woody Harrelson has a minor (though important) role in the film's "plot". In short, it's worth it, higher than the "average" action movies that "come to us" from Hollywood these days.
Good fight choreography and good action scenes, most of them quite violent but extremely attractive, well done and convincing, especially in the first half of the film.
In the lead role is the attractive and talented Mary Elizabeth Winstead, here in a role that, without having great depth, lives on the actress's charisma and good performance. Newcomer Miku Martineau also shines. Woody Harrelson has a minor (though important) role in the film's "plot". In short, it's worth it, higher than the "average" action movies that "come to us" from Hollywood these days.
Forgotten
(2017)
Consistent South Korean Thriller (7/10)
21 July 2023
Not being a fabulous film, this "forgotten" is a consistent and good level film. I've read reviews that point out that the film has many "twists" and that they have "holes". I do not agree. The film basically has 2 surprising "twists" and they don't have any "hole", they can be more or less believable, this "judgment" depends on each spectator. The cast is competent, the story is well plotted and "holds us" until the end. It is a film that, however, does not have the "South Korean brand", quite evident in most films from this country, it is a film that would be made and performed in a similar way if it were North American, with the exception perhaps of its ending. In short, it's well worth watching.
A Clockwork Orange
(1971)
1971. A year of great movies. A year of controversial films.
16 July 2023
A few weeks after the release of "a clockwork orange" in the United Kingdom, Stanley Kubrick took the initiative to withdraw the film from the "circuit", after voices arose that either associated, or attributed, or even blamed the film to be responsible for the increase in crime that was registered (?) in the days/weeks following the release of the film. What is the truth of all this? I really don't think anyone knows. Was the film the victim of detractors who arranged this script to denigrate it? Is there any truth or foundation in the "accusations" that the film was the target of? To date, as far as I know, no concrete and substantiated data has ever appeared about what really happened. The truth is that the film was banned in the UK and other countries, a situation that remains to this day, 52 years later! The "problem" came from the way Kubrick presented Alex (the best interpretation of Malcolm McDowell's career): he steals, he beats up beggars, he is violent, he is a rapist, he kills! But despite all this, the truth is that almost none of us dislike Alex's character. On the contrary, he is endearing, funny and charismatic. We don't want to see him dead like other movie bad guys, we want to follow the adventures he gets involved in and see the outcome of them and we even realize that several times we are "rooting" for him. It's a film, it's cinema, it's fiction, the director takes this option with complete legitimacy. It is helped by the excellent and charismatic performance of the actor. But there were soon those who took the opportunity to accuse the film of the ills of society. In 1999, in the movie "fight club", Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) plays a terrorist. Did anyone dislike his character? Almost nobody, quite the contrary! And I repeat, we are talking about a character who is a terrorist! It's a movie, it's cinema, it's fiction, almost all of us (men) want to be like Tyler Durden (one of the most unforgettable characters in the history of cinema, just like Alex from "a clockwork orange"). Here, too, the director (David Fincher) creates this "healthy" discomfort, extremely provocative and purposeful (after all, this is one of the main objectives of the film, perhaps the most intelligent and provocative social satire in the history of cinema). Well, finally, it should be noted that 1971 was a year with a few more films that generated a lot of controversy, for various reasons: "dirty harry" (Don Siegel), "duck you sucker" (Sergio Leone), "straw dogs" (Sam Peckinpah) and even the lesser known "wake in fright" (Ted Kotcheff, yes, the same one who directed the first Rambo) and "walkabout" (Nicolas Roeg). What do they have in common? They are all fabulous movies! Unique of its kind! Anyone who saw these films never forgot them!
Brilliant close of one of the best sagas in the history of cinema
14 July 2023
The opinions I have seen are divided. It's normal. As for me, this "indiana jones 5", the last film of one of the best and most famous sagas in the history of adventure and action cinema is brilliant, it exceeded my expectations. James Mangold "respected" the "spirit" of the saga, he did not "invent" it (in the bad sense of the word) and he performed this ending with great competence, with an extremely exciting film, with an intelligent and interesting story, with excellent action scenes level, with a "top" Harrison Ford, this being perhaps his best performance in the series of 5 films. The end of the film and the saga is of a high standard, with the appearance of a character who, too, contributed decisively to the success of the series, with his magnificent performances in the first (especially this) and fourth film of the saga, reinventing the status of the hitherto "typical" female character who acts as the "hero's girlfriend", giving her her own, unique and charismatic personality, "rivalling" (in a good way) with the hero. Congratulations Karen Allen! Only negative point: a magnificent actor like Mads Mikkelsen has to be given more scenes with opportunities and more film time so that he can give his "personal stamp" so that he is no longer a "typical" villain. This aspect could have been more detailed and well worked on. NOTE: 8.5/10.
Suspicion
(1941)
One of Hitchcock's best films
20 December 2022
It surprises me that I rarely see this "suspicion" on lists of the best AH films. The film is fabulous, starting at a light and comic pace and progressively evolving into a tense atmosphere of "film-noir", with great mystery and "suspense" and with an "open" ending that does not clarify (I think on purpose) all the intrigue, always remaining in doubt. This progression of genres in the film is accomplished by Hitchcock with great subtlety and skill. Fantastic performances by Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. It is part of my TOP 5 of Hitchcock, along with "psycho", "vertigo", "north by northwest" and "dial m for murder". My rating: 9/10.
Blindspotting
(2018)
Fantastic and Original!
10 April 2019
I found this movie fantastic and original.
Although it has been largely ignored, at least until now, it is better than any of the films that have received nominations for the Oscars (and I say this because I have seen all of them and there are even good movies there).
Promising future for the director and actors / scriptwriters of the film. Very good (8.5 / 10)
The Black Cat
(1934)
Just a reasonable movie
1 December 2018
I was a bit disappointed with this film, considering that I expected more from a movie that has like major stars the great Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and that is in the book "1001 movies to see before you die".
The story is quite absurd and the explanations and consequent understanding about what really happened in the common past of the two main characters is not minimally developed, it would be very interesting to explore this strand. Despite the good interpretations, especially of Bela Lugosi, and some reasonably well-done moments, this horror film falls far short of others that were made in the 1930s: "DRACULA" (also this one with Bela Lugosi), "FRANKENSTEIN" (with Boris Karloff), "M", "FREAKS", "THE MUMMY" (with Boris Karloff), "VAMPYR", "THE INVISIBLE MAN", "BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN" (with Boris Karloff).
Just a reasonable movie, nothing more.
Written on the Wind
(1956)
Almost everything in this film seemed to me forced and exaggerated
6 July 2018
I never really liked the genre melodrama and this "written on the wind" was no exception. Almost everything in this film seemed to me forced and exaggerated. I did not create any empathy with any of the four main characters. The first half of the film is extremely boring and unconvincing, the second half improves a little by offering some reasonable moments. The performances of Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall (this strangely) are quite weak. Robert Stack is a little better and Dorothy Malone is the only one who is on a good level. I also found the end of the film very pathetic.
A Man Escaped
(1956)
Very Good Movie
3 July 2018
A film inspired by a real case of an escape from a French tough of a Nazi prison during World War II. The film is very realistic in the way this story shows us, quite differently from the American style of the prison dramas we are used to seeing. Following a somewhat slow but accurate rhythm the film is always growing and ends up undoubtedly catching us completely. Very good movie, although a little under the best French prison film I ever saw and that was Jacques Becker's "Le Trou", 1960, a film I only saw once for many years but it was always in my memory.
Unsane
(2018)
Steven Soderbergh finally presents us a very good film
15 June 2018
After offering us a series of medium-length films, Steven Soderbergh finally presents us with a very good film, which mixes the genres mystery, thriller and horror. From the beginning to the end the "plot" of this "Unsane" envelops us and intrigues us. The film is not original, as we have seen in the cinema some stories more or less similar to this, the narrative is not perfect either, because there is one or other "hole" in the argument and one or another situation a little improbable, but nothing serious nor very relevant. The film is well constructed, somewhat like the thriller and horror movies that were made "in the good times" and has a great rhythm in the development of action and intrigue, which "grabs" us and keeps us in doubt until the end . Actress Claire Foy is pretty convincing in this demanding role. At last Soderbergh left the "oceans" and other annoying movies of robberies, acclaimed by some, but in my opinion nothing brought back. "Diving" here in another genre, new to himself, Soderbergh does extremely well. It is his best film since the excellent "Erin Brockovich". It was not necessary to appear Matt Damon. We all know that Soderbergh and Damon must be great friends, so it is not necessary for Damon to appear in all the films of the director, for brief minutes or moments.
A Quiet Place
(2018)
A banal movie that brings nothing new and will only get ideas from several other films
6 June 2018
"A Quiet Place" is a banal movie that brings nothing new and will only get ideas from several other films (Tremors, Mars Attacks, Signs, Alien, among others) and "cook" those same ideas in a single movie. It is a kind of "mix" of several other films, bringing nothing relevant or original. Although the film has a few (reasonably) well-done moments, the "holes" in the argument are more than many, disbelieving and making the development of the film completely unbelievable, even taking into account that it is a horror film. I saw in the credits that Michael Bay is the producer of this movie. Unfortunately, in everything that this man "stirs" nothing good happens. Emily Blunt, an excellent actress, should not waste time acting on movies like this one, which was only overrated due to the marketing machine he had. Another proof of the frankly discouraging panorama in terms of creativity that has been living for some years in Hollywood.
Annihilation
(I) (2018)
A different and very interesting film
5 June 2018
After reading a number of criticisms and comments on this annihilation, it becomes apparent that few have gone to great lengths to understand and interpret the meaning and message of the film. Which, unfortunately, is now normal. Gone are the days when cinema that "made you think" and enriched us intellectually had great followers and admirers. Despite some flaws, this is a different and very interesting film whose intrigue "holds" from start to finish. It is also a fantastic visual experience, the best we have seen in recent times. The rhythm of the film is perfectly suited to the development of the "plot" that it offers us. As for the meaning and interpretation of the film, it is clear that they will vary from person to person. Personally, I think that, despite all the apparent complexity, the interpretation of the film is very simple and the message of the film is very clear. A pessimistic message, as usual with director Alex Garland. Beautiful performances by Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh, as well as by the other three actresses, these characters whose motives are poorly developed, which is a weakness of the film. Oscar Isaac, again in a film by Alex Garland, after the excellent "ex-machina", is also very well. The ending is very good, intriguing and subject, as I said before, to various interpretations.
Bad Day at Black Rock
(1955)
A movie that delivers great entertainment and a beautiful message
27 May 2018
A good Western-Thriller by the great director John Sturges, with a courageous message, especially at the time of the film: the silence and conformism of the people, in a skillful and subtle criticism to the times of "McCarthyism" that lived at the time of the film. There are quite a few similarities to "High Noon", made three years earlier. Spencer Tracy has an excellent performance (nominated for Oscar) as well as the remaining actors in the cast (Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, among others). The only weakness is some movie sequences that are quite unlikely. Still, a movie that delivers great entertainment and a beautiful message.
The Road
(1954)
An unforgettable experience
27 May 2018
This Fellini film is an unforgettable experience. I have recently seen two high-level "neo-realist" films: Vittorio De Sica's "ladri di Biciclete" and Luis Bunuel's "los Olvidados". After seeing them, I thought it was almost impossible to see some "neo-realist" film superior to these two. But this "la strada" can still be up one level in relation to the films I mentioned. Giuletta Masina is simply amazing in her role of Gelsomina and Anthony Quinn is brilliant as Zampano. It's a cruel movie, being sensitive. It's a sensitive movie, being cruel. It's a movie like no other, of those who will be with us forever.
L'Avventura
(1960)
An Antonioni Movie
20 May 2018
Finding that these days movies like this "L'AVVENTURA" no longer have space in the movie market is as bleak as the landscapes and souls of the characters of most of Antonioni's films. It is with sadness that I notice that almost nobody is interested in filmmakers like Antonioni, De Sica, Godard, Truffaut, Rossellini, Chabrol, Bunuel, Malle, among others who offered us fantastic and creative works that reinvented cinema and influenced following generations of great filmmakers. It is with sadness that I observe that nowadays there would be no space for filmmakers like these, the sensitivity of seeing or perceiving films with non-linear narratives, which are not very straightforward and well-explained or all interpretations, according to the understandings, experiences and sensibilities of each one. I just saw the film and, like all the movies I've seen from Antonioni (eight so far), I'm still at the stage of "absorbing" what I just saw. As always, the usual "brands" and director's style are present in this excellent film: desolate and isolated scenarios brilliantly filmed, few dialogues and long sequences without dialogues, few "happenings" during the film, slow development of "action" difficulties of communication between solitary, complex and contradictory characters, existentialist issues, etc. In short, when we see the films of Antonioni it seems that we are always watching the same film and this also does not escape this "rule". This phrase is not in the pejorative sense, on the contrary, there are other excellent achievers in which this also happens, which only shows their ability to basically explore the same themes, but in an always different way and that provide us with immense pleasure, that stimulate us and make us think.
Scorsese's style and themes are well-grounded in his excellent first film
20 May 2018
"Who's that knocking at my door" is an excellent first film by Martin Scorsese, with a first half of great level and a second half with some irregularities and that for that reason does not have the same high level of the first.
The influences of the French "nouvelle vague" are more than evident in this first work of Scorsese, more concretely the first films of Jean-Luc Godard, of the first half of the decade of 60, notably the nonlinear narrative, the style of the dialogues, the scenes "non-sense", the multiple cinematic "honors" (references to films "the searchers", "the man who shot liberty valance", "rio bravo"), artistic (references to actors John Wayne and Lee Marvin) and even musicals (references to Percy Sledge and others).
Even considering these (good) influences, Scorsese's style and themes are well-grounded in his first film: psychological analysis of a man disintegrated from society, the marginality of the streets, a fatal woman, the religion, and so on. The choice of songs is also remarkable, which has become a "mark" in Scorsese's films.
Harvey Keitel has his debut as an actor here and is excellent, he would collaborate with Scorsese in more films.
The filmmaker's second film, "Boxcar Bertha", also notable, would emerge five years after this, in 1972, he also with notable influences of "nouvelle vague", but with a more regular and consistent narrative, although the theme of this "who's that knocking at my door" seems to me perhaps more powerful than that of "boxcar bertha".
Rio Grande
(1950)
Songs, Romance and Humor in a Beautiful Western Directed by the Great John Ford
20 May 2018
This "RIO GRANDE" is a long forgotten western of the legendary director John Ford that surprises pleasantly. Irish songs and a very good level of romance make this movie a beautiful western, which has a great humor also present (the character Quincannon, played by actor Victor McLaglen, gives the film extremely funny scenes). This is a very effective western, although of a substantially different style to others of the Ford / Wayne duo (for example, the first time the character Yorke, starring John Wayne, picks up a gun happens only 6 minutes from the end of the movie !). The good virtues of the film make to forget its (enough) small faults, that end up not having great importance in the development of the plot. Perhaps the only one that is more noteworthy is the (sadly) little participation and importance given to the character Kathleen, played by the extremely beautiful Maureen O'Hara (here in the first of five "romantic" partnerships she would do with John Wayne). On the other hand, one of the very positive aspects of the film is the importance and excellent performances of the secondary actors, such as Ben Johnson, Claude Jarman Jr, Harry Carey Jr and the aforementioned Victor McLaglen. In short, this "RIO GRANDE" is a beautiful surprise.
Metropolis
(1927)
A good movie but not a masterpiece like "M" (Fritz Lang himself says it)
19 May 2018
This is one of Fritz Lang's two most iconic films along with "M". I confess that I found the film to be great and far ahead of its time, with messages and subliminal symbolism and visually fantastic but I did not like some aspects, namely the exaggeration of the "interpretations", which is sometimes the "evil" of some German expressionist films , when they overpower this artistic chain, as well as the development of the main characters, which should have been more complex, in-depth and elaborate. This development falls short of the expectations, given the film's option to explore grandiose scenes, special effects and scenes with countless extras. I have seen many dozens of silent films and there have been many who, on the whole, captivated me more than this "METROPOLIS" despite acknowledging the merits of the film. But I still think "M" is Fritz Lang's great masterpiece, at least from the films I've seen so far from this excellent Austrian filmmaker. In fact, Lang himself found the same (he himself says it in the film "LE MEPRIS" directed by Jean-Luc Godard, in which he participates as an actor whose character he plays is himself). In short, I found a good movie but not a masterpiece, as most of the viewers who watched this movie find.
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