This is my new favorite autobiographical format. For a persona as big and other worldly as Salvadore Dali, no one is better than Quentin Dupieux to relay it. Known for his surrealist film making and very special style, I really was intrigued to see how Quentin Dupieux would fare with an autobiography, especially that of a grand artist like Dali. This movie is very Dali if one might say so: all over the place, highly stylish but with a sure sense of purpose and artistic expression. Multiple actors interpret the eponymous character, actors of different styles ranging from the physical, the tragic to the comedic, a real star studded cast: Gilles Lellouche, Pio marmai, Jonathan Cohen et Edouard Baer. Each single one of them adding nuance and style while staying faithful to the countless live references of Dali's interviews. This is by no means a discovery of Salvadore Dali nor a proper autobiographical film. It is however a celebration of the personna: highly mystical and impossibly entertaining as was the artist. The film is centered around a fictional interview of Dali that never had a chance to materialize, sometimes because of circumstance but mostly due to Dali's eccentricities. This fictional thread is the only anchor to reality in the film, wandering between the corners of the surrealist artists' mind, memories and paintings, an expression of his approach and his art. Quentin Dupieux is on a hot roll after Yannick, and he has been for a while. A wonderful directorial mind that found its style and genre. This movie is the manifestation of how important the medium is to the art: Dali's life could never be resumed in a book or a film, it is a retelling of a unique artistic expression, one that Dupieux has successfully captured through his unique style and ravishing lens without any need for a solid plot or a conventional storytelling.
Reviews
22 Reviews
American Fiction
(2023)
Beyond the racial satire lies a family tragedy
11 February 2024
American fiction, Cord Jefferson's directorial debut and the newly popular best picture nominee, is a satirical comedy-drama that stars Jeffery Wright and Sterling K. Brown among others. It's story revolves around a frustrated writer-professor that is faced with a literary landscape that refuses to accept his highly stylized and complex writings in favor of a sheepishly crafted and offensively stereotypical so called "Black" books, works of fiction that romanticize the violence and crime as a centric trait of the african-american communities. "American fiction" through its satire deals with a myriad of social issues, it opposes Jeffery Wright's character Monk to a reality that does all but accept who he is as a person without judging the color of his skin. The American readers are mindlessly devouring stereotypically violent and delinquent so called black literature mistaking it for edgy and original, suppressing in the meantime black voices like his that only want to express their own selves without any à priori on their race or origin. He views those stereotypes and the tendency of some african american writers to capitalize on that as immorality and wasted potential for black representation even though it is clear that not all of that is pure fiction and dramatization, refusing to reconcile with the reality that both those things could be true.
Beyond all that however lies the best part of American fiction, the trials and tribulations of a man in the middle of a decaying family. This movie is at its core a heartbreaking story of a family in ruins, as distant as it ever was, of lost love and hopeless romance. The tragedy of Monk is that of a lost writer, a man who is convinced he is misunderstood and unappreciated all the while blocking everyone from reaching out. Highly nuanced and with a subtle physicality, Jeffery Wright's performance only accentuated this aspect of the lost character. He delivers a wonderful performance and accentuates the complexity of the themes this movie explores. Sterling K.brown's performance is tragic in all its aspects. The family dynamic is very poignant and edges on tension most of the time. The film's style is very simple, and purposely uncomplicated. It unfolds the story in its rawest form, with no use of visual metaphors and a very light touch of symbolism. What you see with "American fiction" is what you get: the story of a struggle, not only that of racial tension and social categorization, but that of a broken family, composed of broken people that were brought down by life, not because of bad luck or social oppression, but because life brings down even the strong. It is the story of a man trying to make sense of his life among the ruins. And deep down aren't we all.
Beyond all that however lies the best part of American fiction, the trials and tribulations of a man in the middle of a decaying family. This movie is at its core a heartbreaking story of a family in ruins, as distant as it ever was, of lost love and hopeless romance. The tragedy of Monk is that of a lost writer, a man who is convinced he is misunderstood and unappreciated all the while blocking everyone from reaching out. Highly nuanced and with a subtle physicality, Jeffery Wright's performance only accentuated this aspect of the lost character. He delivers a wonderful performance and accentuates the complexity of the themes this movie explores. Sterling K.brown's performance is tragic in all its aspects. The family dynamic is very poignant and edges on tension most of the time. The film's style is very simple, and purposely uncomplicated. It unfolds the story in its rawest form, with no use of visual metaphors and a very light touch of symbolism. What you see with "American fiction" is what you get: the story of a struggle, not only that of racial tension and social categorization, but that of a broken family, composed of broken people that were brought down by life, not because of bad luck or social oppression, but because life brings down even the strong. It is the story of a man trying to make sense of his life among the ruins. And deep down aren't we all.
My Night at Maud's
(1969)
The best of the new wave: Ma nuit chez Maude is the quintessence of the character driven French cinema
7 May 2023
Let me start by saying that the title is a bit "clickbait": it would be derived of me to reduce the immense movement of the French new wave (with all its versatility and nuances, starting from Bresson and going through Goddard to Truffaut) in one work, but I assume it got you hooked which is enough for me. So, to be more serious, we are here to discuss the essential aspects that make of Rohmer's "Ma nuit chez Maude" an emblematic work of that wave. Retrospectively speaking, Rohmer's work has always been focused on essential three things: the morale that is derived from the story, the uniqueness of the characters that convey it, and the beauty of the natural space in which the story is being told. It is quite remarkable how most of the work that shortly preceded and followed this film share not only a thematic relationship (that which Rohmer named "seven tales of morality") but also this recurrent display of France's most ravishing landscapes: from Annecy in "Le genoux de Claire" (Claire's knee) to the French riviera in "Pauline à la plage" (Pauline at the beach), we always marvel at the beauty of France's colourful and beautiful scenes. But it wasn't the case for "Ma nuit chez Maude", or at least not at first glance. This movie depicts the daily life of a French civil engineer that just relocated to the snowy hills afoot of the French city of Clermont-Ferrand. This man whose passionate mostly by math and reading encounters an old of his rat introduces him to Maude: a seductively forward woman who tests both his principles and way of life. Being two contrasts of each other: Jean-Louis, the neo-Catholic idealist and Maude the unassuming but highly intelligent new age free persona. Unlike all the previously mentioned Rohmer movies, the setting is far away from pleasant: the city is gloomy and snowing, the film is shot on black and white and looks as rough as it sounds. It frames perfectly the mentality of a character whose lost between the natural loyalty to his principles and the darkness and loneliness of his quiet demure. This film explores the intricacies of the new religious man, in a world that grows in needs and morale flexibility. A wonderful exposé on the relationship between man and his religion, and what stands between them and the realisation that one's belief are only as good as one's perceiving them.
Looking back at it, I reclaim the title: Rohmer's work is unique in a wonderful way, it is loyal to the French way of life in its realism (but maybe not it's dialogue), explores a story that is mainly driven by its characters and is shot beautifully and masterfully, it is the best things I would recommend to start exploring the French new wave albeit not being one of its pioneers, it is in my very humble opinion, the highest of highs at this epoque in French cinema.
Looking back at it, I reclaim the title: Rohmer's work is unique in a wonderful way, it is loyal to the French way of life in its realism (but maybe not it's dialogue), explores a story that is mainly driven by its characters and is shot beautifully and masterfully, it is the best things I would recommend to start exploring the French new wave albeit not being one of its pioneers, it is in my very humble opinion, the highest of highs at this epoque in French cinema.
Pickpocket
(1959)
A throwback to the beginnings of the French new wave: Pickpocket is a slow and dazed tale that symbolises the cinema of its time
7 May 2023
Luc Bresson is well known to be one of the pioneers of the French new wave cinema, a true visionary for his time. But unlike the films of Truffaut, Goddard or Rohmer, his movies are not for the quickly bored. Bresson's film do truly symbolise the French cinema of its time: raw, uncapitulating and unforgiving. When a western American cinema promoted the best stories, tales of heroes and villains, of history or fantasy, the French new wave was all about the human, the character. Not to say that the story was an accessory in the eyes of these filmmakers but more of an embellishment to the uniqueness of their characters and the thoroughness and authenticity of the performances. Pickpocket unsurprisingly follows the story of a Pickpocket, a young man of a humble upbringing who was forced into learning the artistry of pickpocketing to survive. Pickpocket is not a silent film but features little to no words, it succeeds in telling a compelling story and daringly exploring a very peculiar character solely through visual exposition. What's more than fascinating is that film even succeeded in telling a love story that is engaging and heart-warming even though the film is filled with ellipsis and jumps that break the total consistency of the film. This is one of the reasons I mentioned that this film might not interest those with short attention spans: the ellipsis is a staple of this film, so one must take things in as the movie goes since sequentially speaking the movie is all over the gaff, the time jumps are highly inconsistent but necessary to tell such a story. Pickpocket is a daring film that most certainly paved the way for future generation of artists to experiment with storytelling techniques that might seem repelling seen from afar. I'm probably horribly mistaken when saying this, but what Citizen Kane was to cinematography is what Pickpocket was for storytelling at the time.
Cairo Conspiracy
(2022)
Tarek Salah is only getting better!
6 November 2022
Fresh from a viewing of "The Nile Hilton incident", watching "Boy from heaven" consolidates the prowess of Tarek Saleh as a filmmaker: a robust and sensational story coupled with a minimalistic yet ever developing sense of flashy cinematography. This review is probably going to end up being a comparison between Saleh's newest film and his previous, so let's get the latter out of the way: "The Nile-Hilton incident" is a thriller crime film deeply rooted in the depiction of an Egyptian society that is on the brink of an Arab spring revolution. The story follows Fares Fares' character, a deeply corrupt cop who is assigned an investigation into a shady hotel murder that turns his life upside down. There are undoubtedly two things that should be said about this film: firstly, the story is pretty good! It is used as an apparatus to unravel the complexities of an Egyptian society in spiral, laden by crime, poverty and police corruption. However, a second point must be raised: the film lacks the kind of artistic and technical passages that tickle the imposter snob in me. It is very plainly shot and that can be said about hundreds of great films, but fortunately not about "Boy from heaven".
I never thought a red turban could have ever been this beautiful. This movie really superseded my expectations in terms of the cinematography while maintaining a solid loyalty to its great story. The film follows a young and candid young man who is chosen to enrol in the Azhar institute: an Islamic studies school that is regarded as a beacon of Islamic sciences in the middle east if not the world. But it is soon understood that this highly coveted institute hides behind it may dark secrets and political conflicts that rival in ruthlessness those inside the Egyptian quasi dictator regime. And Tawfeek Barhom's character finds himself in the middle of this highly volatile and dangerous battle between religion and state.
In this film, Tarek Saleh worked the religious imagery and the beauty of the spiritual ritual in a way that reminded me of Paolo Sorrentino's "The Young Pope": they both depicted in high detail the serenity of the religious system as well as its terrifying rigour. And Saleh got a few great shots of some red hats! Tarek Saleh has caught the eye of the international cinema community for quite a while, but now has cemented himself as one of the best directors in Egyptian cinema.
I never thought a red turban could have ever been this beautiful. This movie really superseded my expectations in terms of the cinematography while maintaining a solid loyalty to its great story. The film follows a young and candid young man who is chosen to enrol in the Azhar institute: an Islamic studies school that is regarded as a beacon of Islamic sciences in the middle east if not the world. But it is soon understood that this highly coveted institute hides behind it may dark secrets and political conflicts that rival in ruthlessness those inside the Egyptian quasi dictator regime. And Tawfeek Barhom's character finds himself in the middle of this highly volatile and dangerous battle between religion and state.
In this film, Tarek Saleh worked the religious imagery and the beauty of the spiritual ritual in a way that reminded me of Paolo Sorrentino's "The Young Pope": they both depicted in high detail the serenity of the religious system as well as its terrifying rigour. And Saleh got a few great shots of some red hats! Tarek Saleh has caught the eye of the international cinema community for quite a while, but now has cemented himself as one of the best directors in Egyptian cinema.
Dallas Buyers Club
(2013)
What it is to be truly alone!
6 November 2022
How many times per day are we confronted with our own mortality. I would say not enough considering how easily and frequently death could and does happen. Humanity is a frail soft organism, the likes of which you can find all around in nature, and even though it has escaped the predatory grips of the food chain, is still prey to dangers that are beyond recount. The idea of contemplating my own mortality sends a shiver down my spine, but the idea of being confronted by its inevitability for the rest of your life is unquestionably mind shattering, and in its simplest throes is the purest form of fear.
Around this ancestral yet forever daunting and unsolved dilemma revolves "Dallas buyers' club" that discussed how a man deals with such life shattering knowledge in a modern-day setting. In a time when HIV (commonly known as AIDS) was the mark of shame in a predominantly heterosexual eighties American society. A man sees himself stricken with a disease he looked down upon and thought would have never reached him. This movie highlights the social stigma that this disease had and still holds in modern society: how a man, of pure cowboy culture, strikes a deep friendship with an entire community of people that he -through his Texan eyes- despised.
This is a movie full of highlights, the performance of a post interstellar McConaughey that is his personal best and among the finest of his peers (so fine that it deserved an Oscar, who would have thought !). And let's not forget Jared Leto's performance that was both fascinating and tragically troubling. In the literary sense this movie is a tragedy, one that depicts loneliness in its most repelling form, the inability to act upon oneself and one's destiny. It depicts a reality where one's mind and body are failing and where society either ostracizes or stands helplessly at the deathbed of its children. As I always reiterate, cinema is both the most removed and personal form of art. Contrary to a book, the reality of the events unfolding before your eyes is beyond your control or imagination, but if one looks long enough into the darkness of the screen, one ends up peering into the depth of their own selves.
This movie was both engaging and heart-warming, for a tragedy it had so many elements of empowerment and human compassion. It must be said though that this movie was shot in the same style as most of these statement pieces, nothing flashy or frivolous, only what serves the story itself is permitted. Would it have benefited from a more expressive lens? I would be inclined to say so but what would I know, I'm not Jean-Marc Vallée!
Around this ancestral yet forever daunting and unsolved dilemma revolves "Dallas buyers' club" that discussed how a man deals with such life shattering knowledge in a modern-day setting. In a time when HIV (commonly known as AIDS) was the mark of shame in a predominantly heterosexual eighties American society. A man sees himself stricken with a disease he looked down upon and thought would have never reached him. This movie highlights the social stigma that this disease had and still holds in modern society: how a man, of pure cowboy culture, strikes a deep friendship with an entire community of people that he -through his Texan eyes- despised.
This is a movie full of highlights, the performance of a post interstellar McConaughey that is his personal best and among the finest of his peers (so fine that it deserved an Oscar, who would have thought !). And let's not forget Jared Leto's performance that was both fascinating and tragically troubling. In the literary sense this movie is a tragedy, one that depicts loneliness in its most repelling form, the inability to act upon oneself and one's destiny. It depicts a reality where one's mind and body are failing and where society either ostracizes or stands helplessly at the deathbed of its children. As I always reiterate, cinema is both the most removed and personal form of art. Contrary to a book, the reality of the events unfolding before your eyes is beyond your control or imagination, but if one looks long enough into the darkness of the screen, one ends up peering into the depth of their own selves.
This movie was both engaging and heart-warming, for a tragedy it had so many elements of empowerment and human compassion. It must be said though that this movie was shot in the same style as most of these statement pieces, nothing flashy or frivolous, only what serves the story itself is permitted. Would it have benefited from a more expressive lens? I would be inclined to say so but what would I know, I'm not Jean-Marc Vallée!
Decision to Leave
(2022)
The best hour and thirty I have spent in a cinema in a while!
17 July 2022
First of all, as you may have already noticed the film is not an hour and thirty minutes. This does not mean that the third act of the film was in a way bad even relatively to the first two. However, the first two acts of "decision to leave" are some of the best in cinema. This film is amazingly cinematic, one can immediately feel from the first scenes what calibre of film one is watching. I have heard of decision to leave from the Cannes film festival (even though Park Chan-wook is very well known for movies like "Oldboy"), in which this film won the most prestigious "Palme d'or", the Cannes equivalent of a best picture academy award. And full disclosure, I have always liked the Cannes film festival, it is the edgy counterpart to the Oscars, some have described it as the Oscars for alternative cinema lovers - even though personally I see it as more of an Oscar grade competition for foreign cinema. However, sometimes the edginess reaches an excess for me - and I know this is highly subjective, to each their preferences - so Cannes' label was not always a guarantee of a great film - as it is for all the other film competitions/festivals- so to be completely honest "homeboy went to the cinema ready to hate!". Suffice to say that I have changed my opinion rather quickly: the angles in the opening scene and the entire first act, the transitions and just how it all fits into the atmosphere of the film, the outside scenery is cloudy and humid while the inside is warm, even though artificially, yet always damp, as if the people inside could never shake that rain down. Add the pure cinematic beauty of this film to an intriguing story about a by-the book detective meeting his toughest foe yet and you'll have nothing short of a perfect thriller. I felt spoiled getting out of the cinema the day I watched "decision to leave" having watched "after yang" just a few days ago - quick three-word review: greatest opening scene ever-, and I will make sure to watch Park Chan-Wook's next film with intrigue and interest.
Licorice Pizza
(2021)
The answer to the question no one knew we needed: can a P.T Anderson make you joyfully tear up ?
17 July 2022
Make no mistake, Paul Thomas Anderson's film are some of the best there are. With a filmography that boasts films of the calibre of "The master", "There will be blood" and "Phantom thread", the great director/writer is clearly one of the greatest of all time. But who can deny that his movies are also some of the most bizarrely intricate depictions of the most deranged psychopaths to appear on film? Although extremely human and flawed, all the characters the man writes suffer from deep troubles and really are once in a generation psychopaths. Be it a ruthlessly focused character like those of Daniel day Lewis in the last two mentioned films, or an utter mentally ill person who goes from boat to boat poisoning people with his home-made (some would say boat-made, but I refrain from easy jokes) and who just happens to meet a cult leader that is somehow enchanted by the drink he makes, a poison by the way, that they bizarrely seem to be the only two to survive and even enjoy. Maybe I am cherry picking (or generalizing his latest movies to his entire film history, something that should never be done but it is a pattern I see emerging with his movies). However, P. T Anderson's films have always given me the impression of watching a visceral fever dream just by the way his characters are engaging and of how unseemly yet disturbing their mere existence is. Let's just say that I would pray never to meet one of his characters one day!
So, you can imagine my surprise and utter delight when leaving the cinema after watching his utmost beautiful "Licorice pizza". What I was awaiting was somehow a very rugged representation of a very morally questionable relationship between two people or at most some sort of shocking coming of age story (having only read a handful of short plot summaries of the film beforehand). What I got was something that transcended all that: a movie about how emotions can travel through time and how people, however flawed they can be, are always able to forget and forgive. A beautifully directed movie with lead actors I cannot pretend to have known before this movie but who surprised me very positively (RIP P. S. Hoffman). This movie was also very heartfelt and funny, as I felt it a nice memory piece that immortalized P. T Anderson's childhood as a Hollywood kid in his filmography, that's how much beautiful those silent night shots of the hills were!
All in all, it's a PTA movie, you can only await excellence. I just hope that this film was not his heartfelt goodbye and thank you to Hollywood, for it felt like it. That's how much I thought it was good, conclusive and final: PTA waving away the thing he excels at the most (probably, I do not personally know the man), film making.
So, you can imagine my surprise and utter delight when leaving the cinema after watching his utmost beautiful "Licorice pizza". What I was awaiting was somehow a very rugged representation of a very morally questionable relationship between two people or at most some sort of shocking coming of age story (having only read a handful of short plot summaries of the film beforehand). What I got was something that transcended all that: a movie about how emotions can travel through time and how people, however flawed they can be, are always able to forget and forgive. A beautifully directed movie with lead actors I cannot pretend to have known before this movie but who surprised me very positively (RIP P. S. Hoffman). This movie was also very heartfelt and funny, as I felt it a nice memory piece that immortalized P. T Anderson's childhood as a Hollywood kid in his filmography, that's how much beautiful those silent night shots of the hills were!
All in all, it's a PTA movie, you can only await excellence. I just hope that this film was not his heartfelt goodbye and thank you to Hollywood, for it felt like it. That's how much I thought it was good, conclusive and final: PTA waving away the thing he excels at the most (probably, I do not personally know the man), film making.
The French Dispatch
(2021)
An ode to youth, loneliness and somehow the French way of life, Wes Anderson's "The French dispatch" is a cinematography masterpiece and a new take on the separate narrative.
4 November 2021
If it were not for Wes Anderson's name being on the marquee, in addition to those of the ensemble cast in this movie, the multi perspective and narrative storytelling style would have dissuaded me from watching the film. I so remember vividly "The ballad of Buster Scruggs", at the time Netflix's flagship artistic endeavour with the brilliant Cohen brothers. This film adopted at its core the same storytelling style: Different stories that seem independent at first glance, maybe apart from the general common setting, but that are implicitly all involved in building a common narrative and as it occurred in the film set the mood for a western that manages to be light-hearted all the while invoking the grittiness, danger and unlawfulness of the wild west. "The ballad of Buster Scruggs" is by all means a good movie, but it felt disjointed and the transition between the different stories seemed to lack fluidity. And trusting entirely the genius of the Cohen brothers especially as masters of storytelling, I blamed the medium and was convinced for about four years that this kind of narrative was very difficult to pull off. And boy was I wrong!
Wes Anderson's "The French dispatch" is a testament to the genius and the unique filmmaking style of the man and his outstanding capability of leveraging the visual in the service of the story. To sum up (what already is in every description of this movie) this film is a romanticisation a new age France that harboured the peripeties of a newspaper and its numerous unique writers and staff as well as the everyday life of "Ennui sur Blasé" residents. I must admit that Anderson's fantasy France resembles more to France than the actual country, at least in my mind. Both depressingly dull coloured, often times grey and surprisingly lively was the setting of the movie, with equally nuanced characters that range from lonely masterful writers to young collegian protesters. The movie was not only marked by the picturesque scenes that the bizarrely symmetrical mind of Wes Anderson but also by the strong performances of its ensemble cast, my favourite being that of Benicio Del Toro. Each performance was beautifully delivered and the dialogue was masterfully crafted, each story was both unique and built upon and the general narrative that adulates the art of journalism writing, and goes with great depth but with brevity and levity through the complex psyches of the French dispatch's brilliant staff and deals with their loneliness, their struggle for creativity as well as their inner conflicts. But the brilliant thing with this movie is that these themes are not only dealt with through the characters, the dialogue but the world building: I believed that "Ennui sur Blasé" was a real place, and that an Asian selfless chef lived there cooking for the town's eccentric commissaire.
All in all, what a wonderful film. Wes Anderson and Robert Yeoman once more surpassed themselves and my expectations, "The French dispatch" is a must see and a piece of film that is to me both revolutionary, bold and as Wes Anderson as it gets.
Wes Anderson's "The French dispatch" is a testament to the genius and the unique filmmaking style of the man and his outstanding capability of leveraging the visual in the service of the story. To sum up (what already is in every description of this movie) this film is a romanticisation a new age France that harboured the peripeties of a newspaper and its numerous unique writers and staff as well as the everyday life of "Ennui sur Blasé" residents. I must admit that Anderson's fantasy France resembles more to France than the actual country, at least in my mind. Both depressingly dull coloured, often times grey and surprisingly lively was the setting of the movie, with equally nuanced characters that range from lonely masterful writers to young collegian protesters. The movie was not only marked by the picturesque scenes that the bizarrely symmetrical mind of Wes Anderson but also by the strong performances of its ensemble cast, my favourite being that of Benicio Del Toro. Each performance was beautifully delivered and the dialogue was masterfully crafted, each story was both unique and built upon and the general narrative that adulates the art of journalism writing, and goes with great depth but with brevity and levity through the complex psyches of the French dispatch's brilliant staff and deals with their loneliness, their struggle for creativity as well as their inner conflicts. But the brilliant thing with this movie is that these themes are not only dealt with through the characters, the dialogue but the world building: I believed that "Ennui sur Blasé" was a real place, and that an Asian selfless chef lived there cooking for the town's eccentric commissaire.
All in all, what a wonderful film. Wes Anderson and Robert Yeoman once more surpassed themselves and my expectations, "The French dispatch" is a must see and a piece of film that is to me both revolutionary, bold and as Wes Anderson as it gets.
The Old Man & the Gun
(2018)
There was once an old thief.
5 February 2019
What a performance and what an actor, the old man and the sea is the quintessence of a great closure performance for an acclaimed career, that of an actor of the gold calibre of Robert Redford. Accompanied by a stellar cast of golden time stars - to say the least as a millennial- with the likes of Donald glover, Sissy Spacek and Casey Affleck as a pleasant exception. This picture's ultimate star delivered a breath-taking performance, depicting one of the most genuine and interesting characters that have ever appeared on screen, and believe me, Mr. Redford's performance is a s good as they come, because it is quite special for a movie with an arguably normal if not textbook-bound directing to be of such appeal to me, knowing that cinematography and visuals are what attracts me the most to any movie: let's be honest, this film lacks the needed visual prowess but compensates it with panache, that of the actor and the story.
Let's start with the film itself, because even though the formant is dull if not bland, it helps convey one simple yet substantial idea , that of the pace of life itself that is, like the movie, slow and agonisingly grey : the cuts are pending too slowly, the camera pans without liveliness and the atmosphere and colours of the movie are sickly and pale but the action is another story, not that it is exciting or eye catching but that is beautifully unmoveable - a word that somehow perfectly describe the entirety of the direction- because when the paroxysm of the already mesmerizing true story of multiple times prison escapee and renowned gentleman thief Forrest Tucker is finally here after a symbolically tedious waiting, it is either muted as if we were cut away from our immersion with the story or utterly cut away, did this just because of the non-violent nature of the story and its protagonist, or was it done purposefully by the director David Laury to portray a much deeper idea, because the way I see it, away from all the brilliance of Mr. Redford's acting lies a brilliant, slow-paced yet critical preparation for the ultimate showdown of the movie, was it then too bad that the acting merited so much attention or was the movie consciously made so a to resemble an avalanche, a symbolic steady movement that crushes down on the audience's emotions at the frustrating sad end of the film, one that depicts human fallibility when facing the inevitable march of time, was this not an epitaph that was prophesized by the sum of the film throughout its proceedings?
It seems that our appreciation of the maybe accidental genius of this film's directing has diverted us from the actual true key to its success, because from the first minutes of screen time this movie was destined to succeed, not only the persona depicted in this movie is unbelievably relatable and sympathetic and if I might add real, the way this unique combination of criminal merit and old age wisdom was well portrayed by Hollywood veteran Robert Redford, whose charisma and seductively unshakable manners made him the best to take on this challengingly complex character: Hollywood is truly lost one of its giants with his retirement.
You Were Never Really Here
(2017)
A brilliantly dark performance and an unbearable intensity: "you were never really here" is all about pinning you down to your seat!
14 September 2018
An Oscar-worthy picture and a formidable work of art, Lynne Ramsey's "hitman-thriller" is one of a kind, it combines the excellent execution of a visionary director and the unbelievably good performance of Joaquin Phoenix, one of the greatest film actors of our generation. This picture is a ravishing gem, one of this year's best movies, and a personal favourite, simply because it paves the way for a new unprecedented genre: the dominant opinion inside an already polarised critic community is to classify this movie as a psychological drama - thriller, but this is a subject of controversy for me because of the flactuating nature of this film. At some points during this movie you would feel disattached, not by disinterest but by confusion, but at other times you can not get a hold of yourself watching this impressive movie. A true visual masterpiece and a breakthrough in the thriller genre, "you were never really here" probes into the twisted life and memories of joe, a ruthless new York based hitman who knows his ways through the city's juvenile brothels in order to search and retrieve missing girls. This very specific task that he masters brings him in conflict with major figures and puts him in the middle of a conspiracy that involves dishonesty, dishonour and inhumanity in a complex blend that adds to the exquisite action of the film a more refined sense, especially since all of the action scenes that were intentionally -due to budget cuts- hidden from the audience, leave a subtle feeling of unspoken violence and fear that infest the viewer's imagination making it a frightening experience and adding more to this film's intense suspense.
However tempting this would be, talking only of the craftsmanship of this picture, it's elevating fright and it's wonderful cinematography would be a mistake of the highest orders, because Joaquin Phoenix's performance and his performance alone would made this movie transcend into a higher dimension of artistic innovation: Joe is one of the most complex and dark characters that were ever depicted on screen, a man of a tormented past and agonising present, someone who leads a quest of redemption after years of guilt-ridden ventures in shadowy governmental organisations and finds solace in dwelling inside new yorks' filthiest boroughs to retrieve the innocent and the unlucky. Such a man, with such a dense background and ambiguous intentions would be of the utmost difficulty to portray, and this is what made mr.Phoenix's performance so moving and so iconic, an acting worthy of all my lauding and by far the year's best performance! Cruel though it may seem, this picture is also a heartwarming film about forgiveness, reform and compassion and even though it encompassed all sorts of violent and gloomy twists and metaphors, it is a must see for anyone who would love to watch a good movie, one that discusses problematics that reside in the heart of our sinful and greed laden society, that delivers its fair share of masterful action and exhausting anticipation and shows once and for all that Lynne Ramsey is unarguably one of Hollywood's finest directors: as a pioneer in a new enthralling genre, she deserves more than recognition for its greatest work, yet
However tempting this would be, talking only of the craftsmanship of this picture, it's elevating fright and it's wonderful cinematography would be a mistake of the highest orders, because Joaquin Phoenix's performance and his performance alone would made this movie transcend into a higher dimension of artistic innovation: Joe is one of the most complex and dark characters that were ever depicted on screen, a man of a tormented past and agonising present, someone who leads a quest of redemption after years of guilt-ridden ventures in shadowy governmental organisations and finds solace in dwelling inside new yorks' filthiest boroughs to retrieve the innocent and the unlucky. Such a man, with such a dense background and ambiguous intentions would be of the utmost difficulty to portray, and this is what made mr.Phoenix's performance so moving and so iconic, an acting worthy of all my lauding and by far the year's best performance! Cruel though it may seem, this picture is also a heartwarming film about forgiveness, reform and compassion and even though it encompassed all sorts of violent and gloomy twists and metaphors, it is a must see for anyone who would love to watch a good movie, one that discusses problematics that reside in the heart of our sinful and greed laden society, that delivers its fair share of masterful action and exhausting anticipation and shows once and for all that Lynne Ramsey is unarguably one of Hollywood's finest directors: as a pioneer in a new enthralling genre, she deserves more than recognition for its greatest work, yet
Interstellar
(2014)
Interstellar: a true space odyssey.
28 June 2018
How could I describe such a beautiful picture, such outstanding performances and top notch directing? Christopher Nolan's interstellar is the year's true gem, and above the most authentic scientific experience that Hollywood has ever witnessed throughout al its long history of space films, an astonishing accuracy that was guaranteed by the now Nobel prize winner Tip Thorn. It is a true Oscar worthy masterpiece. Interstellar is a perfect mix between brilliant cinematography, staggering visual effects, and a surprisingly accurate depiction of the world of astrology, and is inarguably the best picture by visionary director Christopher Nolan (I still concur to that statement in the year 2018, after 'Dunkirk ' his latest epic film, has been brought to the big screen). But let's not speak profusely about the brilliance of Christopher Nolan, for it is a universal consensus. Instead let's dwell on the real charm of this movie, the one that transcends its scientific accuracy, which is its incredible ensemble cast and their respective performances, starting by Mathew Mconaughey who made an Oscar worthy piece of acting, portraying Joseph Cooper, a widowed spacecraft pilot who struggles between his responsibilities as a father and those of the leader of earth's last hope to escape an impeding extinction, a character with so much emotion to show but in such unforgiving conditions and that only an experienced and talented actor can understand and depict. In such a dark apocalyptic atmosphere, though shot dynamically and rather beautifully by Christopher Nolan's camera, shines a persona that soaks all the heavy scientific and gripping scent of the movie into a gentle mix of hope and affection: in a time of hopelessness and fear, Amelia Brand, portrayed by the beautifully talented Anne Hathaway, disavows science in a time where can only lead to her doom and acknowledges entities that not even science can understand, human sentiments that transcend space and time. This stance, though seen by some as criminally obscene and illogical, is of the essence of this picture's philosophy, one that is meticulously explained and pictured by the beautiful imagery and clever dialogue that interstellar has more than enough to show. Another exceptional feature of this picture its perfectly timed usage of wide shots, using this to create peaceful pauses throughout the intense course of the film to silently stare to the inspiring abyss of the deep dark space, giving the viewer a sense of immersion and serenity that only a few movies succeeded in achieving.
One might call interstellar a technical masterpiece, a visual chef d'oeuvre or a scientific reference, yet its most important aspect is far more deeper in my opinion, one that supersedes the story or the future it represents: the depiction of humanity as a lonely entity in this universe and exploring our connection with it, discovering that the outcome of us being the only species even when settling in the fourth dimension is quite possible is for me very unsettling, what's most praise worthy in this marvellous picture is the question it leaves the audience with, as it is for all the pictures that Christopher Nolan has blessed us with.
Blade Runner 2049
(2017)
A marvellous picture, a tremendous sequel and a visually triumphant piece of pure artistic cinematography.
12 June 2018
To be honest, I have never thought that a picture -at least one that is made by mere mortals- could be this perfectly rounded, astonishingly profound and overall sublime and enjoyable: blade runner 2049 superseded all expectations and defied all the unfavourable odds since it was unfortunately met by a less enthusiastic response from the unworthy common cinema crowd, because if such a high end film has been showered with praise by critics who valued its aesthetic and artistic value, yet had such low audience reception- even though it had their amazement - then we simply do not deserve good pictures anymore!
That being said, let's immediately delve into what makes blade runner 2049 such an amazing picture, and one of my all-time favourites. Evidently, there is not a single movie that had succeeded without having a great cast, and this movie is not an exception, gathering some of Hollywood's finest: an ensemble cast containing Ryan Gosling , an actor who ironically fits the role so perfectly, starring as 'K', an android cop whose sole mission is to retire replicants , a form of bioengineered 'humans': organic machines endowed with great strength and intelligence created to obediently serve their human masters. A blade runner in the street jargon, 'K' struggles between exploring his identity and trying to do his job, a position that was once filled by Rick Deckard, played by the great Harrison Ford, the protagonist of the previous picture who is now fleeing the authorities. Their stories interlink so vividly when K's monotonous life with his holographic partner joy -played by Anna de Armas- is shaken by dangerous doubts about his nature and origin which leads him to seek the answers in the troubled and gloomy past of replicant history. The realistically stoic performance of Mr. Gosling and the sense of controversial humanity that Harrison Ford's acting brings to it is surprisingly not the reason that made me exalt it this much; I have seen this dystopian futuristic picture that addresses the worst consequences of human degeneration and societal decadence so fearlessly, as a work of great beauty: behind the urban dark colours of a suffocating futuristic L.A and the rusty colours of a toxic Las Vegas lies a gem of cinematography, the work of a camera moved so creatively to produce one of cinema's greatest shots. Dennis Villeneuve has proven once and for all a place next to this century's best film directors, backed by his brilliant precedent works such as prisoners, Sicario and Arrival. This movie is by all means a visual feast full of sharp colour changes, deep symbolic imagery and ravishing wide shots that celebrate both the pulchritudinous creation that is the lively human form in all its height and the lowest form of exploitation and duplicant maltreatment. But the most astonishing feature of this movie has to be the reality it portrays: if the original blade runner, directed by the brilliant Ridley Scott, had dealt with the segregation and subsequent hunt for duplicants, and asking about what makes us so different, and what makes one human, the sequel has finally put fourth the most important question: 'do androids dream of electrical sheep?'. This picture discusses how new life forms that transcend the limitations of physical existence claim a space so big in our lives that we can no longer live apart from them, something that made an impossibly tragic relationship - the one between K a machine and joy an AI-controlled spectre- procure my compassion.
A moving, well crafted and brilliantly directed movie, blade runner 2049 is by far one of the best sci fi films I have ever watched, and one of the few that made me care about its events even though they are purely fictional, a movie that encountered some misfortunes along the way but succeeded in being the best sequels of all time.
Get Out
(I) (2017)
Well directed and subtly terrifying: get out is my kind of horror movie.
13 May 2018
This picture honestly came out of nowhere, because who would expect from Jordan Peele, a man who was knee-deep in comedies and humorous yet of poor taste comedic duos, would write and direct this visionary picture. 'Get out' is by far my most favourite horror film, a classy film that does not rely on cheesy jump scares and completely irrelevant stories, it is a film that raised the bar of great scary movies and transcended to a high artistic level, utilising the power of cinematography, dialogue, soundtrack, symbolism and acting to crate a gem , a movie that sends shivers down one's spine without any kind of conventional scaring technique . First of all, this movie is a directorial triumph, with a scent of classic Tarantinesque vibe and subtle foreshadowing and clever writing, Jordan Peele took Hollywood by storm with his first and original work featuring an ensemble cast of both new commers and more experienced actors. Photographer Chris Washington , portrayed genuinely by Daniel Kaluuya, is an African-American photographer who has an interracial relationship with white wealthy southern girl rose Armitage , depicted by Allison Williams, and is obliged to meet her apparently opened family ,but after experiencing multiple incidents inside the family's residence, it is clear that the Armitage family has other plans for the poor Chris. The great amount of fear and plain confusion that Chris feels during his visit is beautifully screened by the incredible and Oscar worthy performance of Mr.Kaluuya , this added to the intimidating and honestly anguishing performance of Catherine keener added more depth and creepiness to the already shocking reality conveyed by the theme of the movie itself . Another crucial element in the success of the movie is the brilliant use of camera angels: the movies is a collection of perfectly shot and unsettling scenes that gave this movie its originality and granted its success. 'Get out' sets itself apart from its peers, giving more importance to writing, seen in the well-crafted screenplay, and vivid performances of its cast making the audience clench to their seats in both awe and fear. But what made me love this picture so much was how visionary the overall directing was, how much importance was given to the smallest details in the film, to a point in which you will always miss something in the first time you will watch this movie.
Another important aspect of this movie was its noble cause, or at least is noble message. The entire movie is an allegory of the racial state of some of America's communities especially towards people of colour, 'Get out' recaps rather brilliantly what has been said multiple times in many significant Hollywood films, but this particular picture meant the most to me because it made itself as a work of art in the process: this mesmerising picture is going to be the best start for a staggering career for the ascending director Jordan Peele.
All the Money in the World
(2017)
The true story of greed and morality and the tale of a brave director.
13 May 2018
Before we delve into the difficult circumstances that surrounded the production of this well-crafted picture - something I personally didn't expect due to all the misfortune the universe threw at it with the recast of Christopher Plummer as John Paul Getty instead of Kevin Spacey- let's talk first about its brilliancy. Believe me, we should not undermine how much work and endeavour had gone into this movie, let's not take away the honour that the visionary octogenarian director Ridley Scott deserves for making this thorough and visually astonishing picture. I have to admit, even though I have always been a massive fan, I could not believe that the man could effectively create such an intricate picture, knowing that he had to give away multiple scenes featuring the laid off actor Kevin spacey let alone make the bald decision of letting him go midway into the movie's production. As always , Ridley Scott tells rather beautifully the story of a billionaire who suffered to make his fortune and fought well to keep it, the story of the then richest man in the world John Paul Getty played by the wonderful Christopher Plummer, a merciless industrialist who left life aside to pursue a never ending accumulation of money .but even though the picture itself focused more on the kidnapping of his grandson and the way his family , and especially his mother portrayed by Michelle Williams , dealt with it , ranging from grief and sorrow to plain desperation , it never forgets its main character: the man that created the whole mess his family was so tragically spiralling inside . The amount of complexity that the character of John Paul Getty was showing throughout his life would be extremely hard to portray for someone of a lower calibre than Christopher Plummer , the highly talented and experienced actor conveyed perfectly the war that was going inside the man during his grandson's kidnaping , the mixed sense of guilt , remorse and his conventional cold sense of dealing with problems made him live a very difficult situation back then : he knows that every moment he waits is threatening the life of his beloved grandson but his nature , one of a hardened and tough industrialist stops him every time from letting his feeling of disparity loose , he knows well that he amassed his fortune and built his empire by cutting all expenses which means that his is stroke in his deepest weak points when his money is put into bargain against his loved ones by the Italian mob . However, the brilliant depiction of his character in this picture shows that there was no way that John Paul Getty would have given away his money to the kidnappers, his convoluted ways would certainly result in his grandson's death! The safe return of John Paul Getty III was the fruit of the tireless efforts of his mother Gail Harris who pushed his rich but obstinate grandfather to see the idiocrasy of his moral principals ,and after the final blow dealt by Fletcher Chace ,portrayed by mark Wahlberg, Gail and Getty's adviser and former CIA operative who confronted the man about his fragility and the vulnerability of his whole ethics' system , causing the man to pay the exact amount of the ransom , which led to the safe return of his grandson who was aided by a very friendly Italian gangster to escape his abduction , but unfortunately led to his lonely and miserable death .
This picture is honestly very underrated, its story was thorough, and its characters were well built and amazingly acted. It may have suffered of the scandal of Kevin Spacey, who disappointed me when I was highly revering him as one of Hollywood's greatest, but it survived , and that is in itself a colossal achievement for which the great Ridley Scott deserves all the praise.
Darkest Hour
(2017)
An Oscar worthy picture embellished by a beautifully delivered performance.
21 February 2018
"Darkest hour" is a masterpiece, one of the rarest pictures to convey authentically the ambiguous and shallow intricacies of security councils and defence rooms during the second World War, it follows one of history's biggest politicians, the former British prime minister Winston Churchill, a man who stood alone against the pernicious European peace treaty that would have rendered the United Kingdom a slave nation to the German Nazi regiment. Winston Churchill, as depicted by the Oscar worthy Gary Oldman, was a man of honour and pride, one who would never allow his beloved country and fellow countrymen to fall into the hands of a ravaging European war , a man who didn't let his blood stained past hinder him from his political duties. Let's be frank and delve in directly to the thing that compelled us the most to buy tickets to this picture: the man , the legend , Gary Oldman , one of Hollywood's greatest actors and the highest grossing actor at the moment in all of history, He is undoubtedly the most suitable man for the endeavour , and believe me, I am not exaggerating when I describe his role that way : portraying one of Britain's greatest men is without a doubt a very difficult thing , let alone for a British man . This huge responsibility is furthered by the fact that the actor and the personage have nearly nothing physically in common, the actor , a man of a slender physic, had to adapt himself with Churchill's weight and resemble to the most his manners and most importantly his face , one that was worn out by politics and its complexity, a job that couldn't be possible if not for the make up team that stood by the actor to create the closest depiction of Winston Churchill known to date. Even though the attempts were multiple on the story of sir Churchill during the second world war , this picture topped them all ,hence its staggering record of 6 Oscar nominations: it didn't rely totally on the mind blowing effect of its astonishing cast , notably the one in a lifetime performance delivered by Mr. Garry Oldman , but wrapped the whole thing in a visual gem : one of this movies pillars is its flawless directing , M. Joe Wright created a compelling picture to add on its beautiful story , and succeeded in supporting the cast's expressive acting with a war tensioned atmosphere , one that explores the depths of war in Europe , and the sense of powerlessness that turns good men cruel , this picture clearly does not try to justify the critical decisions that were taken during that period and that perhaps directly killed countless innocent Men , it only shows that the worse have clearly been avoided thanks to the manner in which Winston Churchill solved the moral dilemmas of the war. "Darkest hour "is one of this year's top five pictures, it deserves the critical acclaim that it received and will undoubtedly be commemorated as Gary Oldman's best performance (although I am a devoted fan of Léon the professional ! )
Brawl in Cell Block 99
(2017)
A captivating tale of violence and pride, "Brawl in cell block 99" took this year by surprise.
17 February 2018
As his career was spiralling downhill leaving behind what can easily be described as a disgraceful list of failing romantic comedies and unwise film choices, Vince Vaughn proved once more his true essence, one of a talented and visionary actor. Well, I must admit that I have never been attracted to gory and extremely provocative pictures of the kind of "brawl in cell block 99" and believe me when I say that this picture hasn't started showing its true nature until the second act, but man did it show some muscle. This beautifully directed, written-and even gorgeously scored- picture by ,,,,, has one of the most brilliantly executed action scenes, ones that I mistakenly thought of Mr. Vaughn uncapable of such a performance, for he has truly, and finally, changed his style. How could I imagine that a man whose career has been cursed by half-witted characters-, as harsh as my words may seem-or just consider, not even by the time the sequel to "Bill and Ted" is made, that Vince Vaughn could pull such an exhilarating and enjoyable performance, not to mention dedicating his effort to make a very noticeable physical change, the actor went from the attitude and the appeal of the clumsy but nice man next door to the one who knocks down that door.
Still, let's not emphasise on the action side of the movie, not to undermine its greatness and accuracy, but to move to the more drama related part of the picture. To be honest , in spite of the shameless amount of movies on which I absurdly spent years watching in an obvious gesture of irrelevance and self-loathing, I have never heard of the name Steven Craig Zahler director, writer and composer of this staggering picture: the man succeeded at perfecting the tension in the movie by introducing a Tarantino vibe into it and focusing more on narrow spaces and smartly written dialogue, that leaves space to both great set pieces and an incredible performance by the one man cast Vince Vaughn . I am gravely disappointed that this picture have not been nominated to a notable or honouring award, because I was really moved by his worthy performance , one that impersonates grit and remorse , but depicts true love and compassion towards one's family , this performance brought the needed pause that would have made this picture as forgettable as every cliché action movie , interrupting the mayhem, blood and the good old vendetta plan that is the subject of the picture and smoothly binding it with a very heart warming tale of a repentant man who sensed true guilt in his past of crime, but was forced into it once more by the ruthless and soulless American lifestyle, to find himself threatened with losing everything that made him embrace his sinful past in the first place. Such a balance is rarely to be found in such an underdog picture, it has delivered us one of this year's greatest pictures, one that our public seemingly does not deserve in view of its poor commercial performance, one of the likes of Blade runner 2049 and "Logan lucky" .
American Made
(2017)
A deeply entertaining picture about the downfall of an American dreamer.
28 December 2017
"American made" is undoubtedly one of the funniest and most charming pictures I have ever watched, it adds an incredible one man cast to a flawless direction and an extremely moving story. It stars the one and only Tom Cruise as Barry Seal, a TWA pilot who finds himself in a turmoil of drug and weapon smuggling, compelled by an opportunist CIA operative who, once pressured by the geopolitical repercussions of their operation, leaves Barry stranded in a violence ravaged central America accused of drug dealing and money laundering. This picture is, in my humble opinion , one of the best depictions of "the war on drugs" campaign that was led by the former USA presidency ,a time when central America became the promised land for ones who lack moral qualities and would do whatever it takes to grow as rich as possible before the cocaine fuelled mayhem there could settle down. Amid this human madness was caught Barry seal, a southern family man, whose sole interest was to provide more for him and his family and truly achieve the American dream. But, to the surprise of many, success in that period of global hysteria can only be achieved through illegal activities, something that was more than simple under the inter-continental crisis. as a matter of fact, Barry seal's involvement in these activities is undoubtedly an immoral act for which a legal prosecution is more than merited, selfish and stubborn as seal's actions may seem you can only root for him and support his unlucky adventure, even though we fully comprehend his unforgivable trespass of the law . Is it the charismatic personality of tom Cruise? Or is it just the genuine everyday working class man Doug Liman made him? To be fair, "American made" wouldn't be such a good picture without the visionary direction of Mr. Iiman , he is by all means one of Hollywood's finest , with a directorial career that includes among many Mr. and Ms. smith and the Bourne identity , a personal favourite : this picture was so well crafted that it makes you abandon your ethical righteousness in favour of another victim of the injustice system , maybe many are right to think that Barry Seal was a insensible low life criminal , an immoral drug dealer , but according to Doug Liman he was nothing more than a simple man with a big hope , a southern naïve man who was used by an uncaring society , he is an American hero who had his share of mistakes and bad deeds , but he doesn't have to go down in the American history as a dishonest fraud nor as an iconic patriot , he is simply an example of both greed and faith , Barry seal is the American dream made of flesh and blood , a common and calm life that was disturbed by the shallow flashings of wealth , and whose demise was certain the moment he took on the burden of achieving his dream , in the American way.
The Hateful Eight
(2015)
Quinton Tarantino strikes, once again!
2 September 2017
It hasn't been a long time since Tarantino's first try on the western genre: "Django unchained ", which was by all means the most financially successful picture this director has ever created and it's once more a huge stamp in his neat directorial career, nobody can deny that Quinton Tarantino is one of Hollywood's most creative and immaculate directors, and "the hateful eight" does nothing but to approve. It is by far one of the best written, directed and screen played spaghetti westerns of all time and it's another flash of the old Tarantino 's story over action. As obscure and flagrantly dazzling as every one of his movies are , Tarantino confines this masterpiece in a "reservoir dogs" like setting , only that it is set in a post- civil war united states .In a time of hatred , racism and blood lust, black bounty hunter and ex- major Marquis Warren, played by the amazing actor Samuel. l. Jackson, finds himself trapped by a blizzard in a shack with a curious group of people among which stands Kurt Russel as John Ruth "the hangman", a brute for whom Mr. Russel was naturally fit, tasked to escort a convicted female to a nearby town to be executed, only to be interrupted by a unprecedented blizzard that leaves him to accompany the major and another unexpected guest to their safe haven. In this tensioned atmosphere stands out a man of a familiar personality someone whose character is charmingly witty ,extremely skillful yet apparently dangerous, seemingly unusual to such an excruciatingly calm set. As a matter of fact, anyone who'd watched "the inglorious bastards" would think he's kind of a western version of Christopher waltz's unforgettable "Hans Landa" ,many people would even say that the persona itself, actually played by the brilliant Tim Roth, is nothing but a lazy copy of the German icon, which is kind of true seeing that Oswaldo Mobrey is nothing more than a polished adapted version of a Nazy officer, is it really that bad to renovate such a memorable personage in a new fresh landscape and with a new actor whose talent is nothing less than his predecessor. In my opinion, it's certainly a hard task that only reveals the brilliancy of the writer that is Mr. Tarantino. As expected from this surprisingly infamous director, this picture has it sufficing share of twist reveals and top-notch action. I can promise you the same way I do for every Tarantino movie (maybe apart from death proof) that this picture is a must see, it's a visionary gem that despite the decor monotony will always keep you on the edge of your seat. It ' s a great picture with a lot of depth and artistic value for it is in itself a mystery that gradually unravels itself in Tarantino-esque manner.
Split
(IX) (2016)
M.night shaymalan's big return.
17 July 2017
It was all about "split" the week it came in theatres , and honestly it's by far the most compelling, thrilling and exciting movie of this season ,it was inarguably an Oscar worthy picture. It's hard to be decisive about how good are M.night shaymalan 's movies are , since two of this era's most acclaimed movies ( "the sixth sense" and "unbreakable". ) were his making , yet his career was undoubtedly in a huge recession or even in a distressing decline since "the happening" . Yet , Mr.shaymalan never ceases to amaze,not only did he make "split" which is the triumph of 2017's thrillers list , he also showcased one of this decade's most brilliant actors; James Mcavoy, this movie's ultimate star.Even though his ecstatic acting talent had been cornered and frankly wasted on either bad dramas or corny PG-13 superhero movies he made his breakthrough in this tremendous portrayal of the multi personality young man named,truly and among others , Kevin Wendell in his deranged journey in depths of his own dissociative mind , and in his life long struggle between complete insanity and a promised normal life, under the guidance of his most faithful companion and "DID" activist Dr. Karen Fletcher portrayed by the astonishing Betty Buckely . James Mcavoy has exhibited under Mr.shaymalan's visionary supervision a great deal of talent as he shifts both physically and mentally between twenty two completely distinguished personalities, in which the youngster Hedwig resides the hardest to portray, leading Mr. Mcavoy to lead one of this industry's best performances of all time. In this Odessy like journey Kevin drags Casey Cooke who's portrayed by Anya- Taylor joy in a labyrinth of despair and terror, this put the promising actress in a position in which she had excelled being one of the key elements of the well crafted psychological horror story. Split is by all means the gem of M.shaymalan 's movie universe and quite the kick starter for all the incredible young cast .It's a new take on this new fusion that mixes both the horror elements from a neo noir movie and the entertaining thriller action in one brilliant story that proves one more time that the director M.shaymalan made his comeback, knowing a new tie-in movie is already in pre production. This only leaves to wait for the visionary's big psychologically themed pictures in which he exceeds.
Hacksaw Ridge
(2016)
An unexpectedly entertaining journey through the cruel depths of war.
8 April 2017
Hacksaw ridge is by far Mel Gibson's best movie as director; it had all the criteria for it to be this year's best picture. It is a calm journey through the life of a simple yet unstable southern family; it brought us to admire the simplest joys of life, the happy and loving daily life of the American suburban families before the war. This movie showed us the true meaning of love and compassion and restored our hope in humanity. And then as expected gave us its obscure side, throwing us in the most well directed and performed war decors ever filmed, a true human carnage between the seemingly weak American army and the ruthless Japanese battalions. Hacksaw ridge is a story of pain and suffering and war, but it also represents the eternal fight between good and evil, and by that not meaning the two armies themselves but the true battle between faith and despair. Hacksaw ridge is truly a modern odyssey. One of the most crucial elements of such an amazing quest is the protagonist Desmond doss, a man of iron will and unbreakable faith who tried to save humanity in my opinion from violence and war. Portraying such a persona is undoubtedly a great challenge, and Andrew Garfield was up to it: The young actor exhibited with the help of the industry's veteran Mel Gibson one of the most sincere performances in the history of war films, his great acting skills were a key element to the success of this picture. The character of private doss was itself a fascinating trait that contributed to the critical acclamation this picture had received, he is as Andrew Garfield perfectly fits a man of a poor physique yet of great courage and altruism, his a medic that dived head first into the hordes of dead in the battlefield without hesitation, he is a loving husband, a great son and a true patriot who stood willingly in the face of the dreadful war in japan in order to save his fellow brothers in arms. In this dire times , the only one who truly stood by the side of private doss was his father Thomas , a good turned cruel man that lived to tell about the war to end all wars, he was disturbed and traumatised , something that Hugo weaving mastered on screen , he was such a great cast choice and delivered more than what was needed from a secondary character, he visualized in every move he did and every word he spoke the true horrors of war, he was all the time dark and shocked demonstrating what a war could do to a country, a family and a man. To sum it up, hacksaw ridge is definitely a must watch, it's by far one of this year's most exciting and overwhelming pictures. It is a top notch movie that depicts unprecedentedly the march of one man to end a war, it's the story of a real war hero who chose not to take the life of his brethren, and it's a movie for the director Mel Gibson to be proud of.
A thorough and remarkable performance by Ben Affleck congested in an inconveniently slow paced movie
2 April 2017
Make no mistake, batman v superman :dawn of justice is an astonishing picture , it proves conclusively that Zack Snyder is a visionary and a world class director, yet in spite of all the respect that I give for all his pictures, I contest deeply over one single small yet crucial detail : the excessive length. The movie was filled with unnecessary and annoyingly lengthy scenes. For example, all of superman's meaningless walks through the capitol building or the streets of New York were easily, and in my opinion harmlessly expendable. Those spare moments would have been creatively used by the director or the screen writer to shed more light on one of this movie's biggest triumphs: the batman. Ben Affleck's performance was by all means this movie's last and best hope. I hate to use one of this domain's most utilized expressions but his acting was incredible, and this was for him the ultimate challenge. Because before I watched BvS, I had seen the dark knight returns: one of the few animated movies that have deeply touched me. This old masterpiece was DC's last fascinating movie that had, unexpectedly, amazing voice acting. The resemblance between that movie and the one we are talking about is uncanny , it even follows the same story arc but with a few big changes that made the batman character more intriguing, because it is for the first time since Michael Keaton's unforgettable performance in Tim Burton 's dark fantasy, that we see batman killing without remorse, affirming that he is no longer the guardian that Gotham deserved. It seemed like the incorruptible knight has finally fallen to the temptations of taking a man's life and this in itself is extremely shocking, because something must of had shattered his values and I as everyone who have seen the movie are craving to know what forced this man to show such brutality and despair. That's why Alfred pennyworth ,played by Jeremy irons, is for me one of this movie's essential pillars: satirical though as he may seem Alfred is this time worried about the safety of his friend and master, because the world has gone crazy since the arrival of the man of steel, whose mere existence in this movie ruined it for me . Henry cavil had his glorious moments and will undoubtedly have even more, but this movie is by far not one of them. In the time when every single member of the cast had shown a spark of good acting, Henry cavil exhibited such coldness and passiveness that he turned to be unworthy of this movies time, unfortunately he was there in every moment and every scene to the point that I started to doubt his acting skills In a nutshell, this movie might have been this year's biggest disappointment as the majority of the critics had confirmed .And I approve with certainty that this movie was the victim of poor editing and rushed screen writing, but at least showed us the bright side: the future of the dark knight is in safe hands.
Tell Your Friends