Monthly Archives: October 2013
Pacific Rim
Director: Guillermo del Toro, Main Cast: Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi
I completely understand del Toro for wanting to make this film, I also grew up watching tons of Japanese anime with giant robots that beat the crap out of alien monsters/robots, so my inner eight-year old was giddy at the idea. Multi-million visual and special effects notwithstanding, we were both disappointed (my inner child and I). I didn’t appreciated the weak script, the inconsistencies of the plot and the super-cliched story arc of our hero: young and over-confident fighter, brought back to the harsh reality of life by tragedy, reluctant comeback after years of obscurity and finally saving the world…well, nothing new under the sun. My inner child instead was really upset by the abysmally poor tactics and the overall strategy in fighting the monsters (kaiju = monster in Japanese filmography…as much creativity as calling the first satellite in human history “sputnik”). What’s with the fist fights and low-performing energy beams….seriously?! Where are the atomic punch, the thunder break or the double harken? Our heros remember halfway through a fight that they have a much more effective sword…what the hell? Why not use it right away instead of a freight ship as a cudgel? And why always wait for the kaiju to come and destroy cities instead of meeting them in the middle of the Pacific where the inter-dimensional portal is? I won’t even talk about the pseudoscience or the lamest speech a la “Saint Crispin’s Day” since Independence Day. Anyway, del Toro is already planning a sequel, so I hope that he will refresh his memory watching some episodes of Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger or Grendizer. Try, try again, fail, fail better.–4/10
Filed under Seen at home
Rush
Director: Ron Howard, Main Cast: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Pierfrancesco Favino
The golden age of F1 and the rivalry between two pilots: James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The film follows the story of both men through the years from their early days in F3 up until 1976, the faithful year of Niki Lauda’s accident and his epic comeback. The latter is what Howard really loves: the hero falls and then he raises again, usually against all odds. Chris Hemsworth is, of course, the charming, hothead rogue while Daniel Bruehl is the meticulous, driven (pun intended), reserved type. They both do a good portrayal of the characters and their “frenmity”. The cinematography and the editing of the racing scenes are effective and compelling. The use of vintage cars and the over-saturated colours convey the Seventies’ look and feel very well. Nostalgic and entertaining —7/10
Filed under Seen at the cinema
Eyjafjallajökull
Director: Alexandre Coffre, Main Cast: Valérie Bonneton, Dany Boon, Denis Ménochet
A crossover between “The War of the Roses” and “Due Date” with French humor. A divorced couple needs to reach Greece to attend their only daughter’s wedding but fate intervenes and all flights are grounded due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano. What follows is a rather adventurous road trip from Germany to Greece passing through the Balkans. The two leads have a pretty good chemistry and it really strengthens the film. Menochet’s character is unique and hilarious. Laughs and a happy ending European style. Entertaining —6.5/10
Filed under Seen at the cinema
The East
Director: Zal Batmanglij, Main Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page
The premises are pretty good: young and brilliant operative, who works for a private intelligence firm, infiltrates a anarchist/eco-terrorist group to gather information and protect the interests of big corporations. As she gets to know better the members of the group she starts to go Donnie Brasco and also to feel undeniably attracted to the mysterious and charismatic leader Benji (Alexander Skarsgard! and who can blame her?!). The problems I have with this film are several. Firstly, Marling’s character (Sarah/Jane) has a u-turn about corporate world, did she lived under a rock up until the moment of going undercover? She is working for a private intelligence company for heaven’s sake! Is she that naive or really dumb? It cannot be because she is “too intelligent for her own good” as her boss told her. So, sorry, I’m not buying it. Secondly, for someone who lived for weeks on the streets or in a house in ruin (I come back to this later) Sarah has amazing hair, she always looks like she just left the hair salon. Thirdly, the wood around the house reminds me of the elevator in Grey’s Anatomy…seriously? Our would-be lovers keep meeting each other there, totally randomly, and eventually become lovers…there…among dead leaves, branches and, probably, stones…it looks uncomfortable to say the least. Now, the house, HQ of the group, is made of wood, it has supposedly being burned down by Benji in the past…well it is very well preserved, some artful holes in the wall but still very serviceable floors, ceilings and stairs. Sure, it could have been repaired by the some crafty drifter but then why the artful holes? To be more eco-friendly? Anyway, the final stroke is the ending when Sarah (now back to Jane) chooses to be good and save the world from the evil corporations almost single-handedly. A missed opportunity to explore an interesting subject. Watch the Constant Gardener instead.–4/10
Filed under Seen at the cinema
Ramblings of a cinephile 