March 6, 2014 · 7:20 pm

Fleming: the Man who would be Bond (TV mini-series)

Main Cast: Dominic Cooper, Lara Pulver, Anna Chancellor, Samuel West, Annabelle Wallis;

fleming

This four-episodes mini-series stars Dominic Cooper as legendary 007 writer Ian Fleming, and his real life spy exploits that influenced the Bond novels… well, a fictionalized version anyway. He is the second son from an affluent and well-connected family, always outshone in his widowed mother’s eye by his big brother Peter. It’s 1939 and Nazi Germany is on a rampage in Europe, Peter is doing his duty for King and Country while Ian hankers for something better in London, working at a job he clearly hates and giving into debauchery. To prove to his family and friends that he’s worth his salt, he enlists as a Navy Intelligence officer, putting to good use his undeniable skills of spinning tales and giving lies the ring of truth, along with his knowledge of German and European high society mores. His new boss Admiral Godfrey (West) and second officer Monday (Chancellor) are initially bemused by his brash attitude and unconventional ideas and methods, and they seem the blueprint for M and Miss Moneypenny or the other way around, who knows how much of this story is fiction. However Ian gets his way most of the times and he’s more successful than not in his job as “spy”. He also has a rather complicated love life, having a girlfriend, Muriel (Wallis), and an affair with a married woman, Ann (Pulver). The story is overall intriguing and Cooper pulls the suave persona off quite well, the dynamic with the other characters is quite  convincing: playful banter with Monday, respectful/antagonising behaviour with Godfrey, torrid passion with Ann and idealised love with Muriel. The settings and cinematography are rich and colourful, glamour and danger dosed just right and there are plenty of homages and references to our favorite spy and his escapades. Entertaining and alluring. —7/10

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March 5, 2014 · 5:24 pm

Oldies but goldies: Alien (1979, director’s cut)

Director: Ridley Scott, Main Cast:  Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Ian Holm;

alien

This film is a classic for both sci-fi and horror genres and it stands the test of time splendidly! The director’s cut includes additional footage that gives more insights about some characters and the creature. The lighting, the claustrophobic yet desolate shots, the futuristic design that now seems almost quaint, the little details: from the cigarette’s smoke to eating cereals to workers’ rights, we know it all and saw it a million times but it all appears in this film for the first time and made it a classic. On its way back from a routine trip a freight spaceship intercepts a distress signal from an unknown planet, the crew is awakened and sent to investigate: they will find something unexpected and terribly dangerous that will pick them off one by one! The motion detector is as efficient as John Williams’ two notes in Jaws in being anxiogenic and panic-inducing. One lesson learned from this movie: if there’s a big, human-eating monster up and about don’t go looking for the cat, he will be fine,  it’s your safety you should worry about! Amazing —9/10

 

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March 5, 2014 · 11:59 am

Dallas Buyers Club

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée, Main Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Denis O’Hare, Steve Zahn;

dallas-buyers-club

Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) is a “booze, sex, drugs and rodeo” kind of guy, he is full of swagger and not really what you would call a nice person. One day he ends up in a hospital, after collapsing, and the doctors (O’Hare and Garner) inform him that he has AIDS and only 30 days left to live. It is 1986 and that type of diagnose doesn’t imply only a fatal prognosis but also social stigma. Ron’s co-workers and friends ostracize him and he’s forced to leave his job and his house. We follow his struggle for survival by any means, legal or illegal (mostly the latter though) and his desperate attempts at finding an effective treatment among the different experimental medicines. Along the way Ron will meet a lot of people: most of them struggling with his very same problem (survive an incurable disease), some who genuinely want to help and others who are from blatantly callous to just be blind cogs of the establishment-machine (health system and FDA). The most important and life changing meeting for Ron happens early on at the hospital with Rayon (Leto, a well deserved oscar!), a transgender who has AIDS as well. The duo starts the titular club recruiting members among AIDS  patients, who pay a monthly fee to get medicines that Ron imports illegally (being not FDA approved). We witness Ron’s struggle between his more greedy nature and a growing, genuine sentiment of empathy and kindness, mostly due to the positive influence of Rayon. The film is well-written and has a good pace although the whole storyline with Garner’s character is a little cliched and juxtapose to give a caring face to the health system, opposite to O’Hare’s doctor who is unsympathetic and slave to the system. The best for me wasn’t the much celebrated transformation and acting of McConaughey but Leto’s Rayon. His character was apparently meant to bring some lightness and comic relief moments in a dramatic story however, with his subtle acting, Leto gives the most heart-wrenching interpretation of the film and delivers the most powerful scenes. Captivating —8/10

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February 15, 2014 · 12:42 am

Favorite quote of the moment

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February 7, 2014 · 4:55 pm

The Expendables 2

Director: Simon West, Main Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Hemsworth, Nan Yu;

the-expendables-2

They are back! For the aficionados of action movies and the nostalgics of the 80s/90s action heros, Stallone penned another story of the ragtag outfit of mavericks. All the usual suspects are there, plus a young addition (Hemsworth), the de rigueur, tough lady (Nan Yu) and special guest stars (Schwarzenegger and Norris). The film’s plot is very predictable and overly utilised: our heros are on a “regular” job and, after explosions and general carnage, they save the day (Jet Li makes his token appearance) and meet an old friend, Schwarzy; after going back to civilization and some R&R, CIA black ops specialist (Willis) shows up and make the usual offer they can’t refuse: retrieve some precious but mysterious item and get a full pardon for previous misdeeds. Naturally nothing goes according to plan due to the bad guy and his minions, this time is Van Damme who plays the villain (what’s the deal with being evil and having an accent?!?) and he’s pretty spry for an old man. He kills the young and full of promises hero, of course, and the mission for Stallone & Co. becomes not only saving the world but avenging the dead (nothing’s really new isn’t it?). So our misfits fight against overwhelming odds helped by Norris (who looks as lively as his Madam Tussaud’s likeness), the Gubernator and Willis, ça va sans dire, they succeed on all fronts. As viewer you get all the classics, including the final fist fight between the Good Guy and the Bad Guy (Stallone-Van Damme), the brooding, philosophical reflections about life from the hero and the sappy note from the deceased. Humour (planned and unintentional) and tongue-in-cheek references are not enough to save this uber cliched movie. —4/10

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February 6, 2014 · 12:43 am

Fruitvale Station

Director: Ryan Coogler, Main Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer;

fruitvale-station

New Year’s Eve 2008, the last twenty four hours of Oscar Grant’s life. Ryan Coogler writes and directs an engaging and harrowing film, starting at the end of the story with the original video taken by a witness of a senseless act. Oscar is a young man, 22-years-old, with a daughter and a girlfriend. He is not what you would call a law abiding citizen, he did a stint in prison and he sells pot. We also learn that he cheats on his girlfriend, he lost his job because he is chronically late and, well of course, he lies about it. On the flip side the director wants to show that Oscar tries his best to turn around things, he takes care of his family and he is kind to strangers. We watch Oscar going through the ups and downs of what feels like an ordinary day, although we know it has a tragic conclusion. Oscar takes his daughter Tatiana to kindergarden and his girlfriend Sophina to work, shops for his mother’s birthday party, worries about rent and bills to pay and makes an effort to walk the line (like giving up dealing pot and hoping to find a regular job!). Oscar spends his evening first at his mother’s party then he goes to San Francisco with Sophina and some friends to celebrate the New Year. The fateful decision of taking the train instead of his car will have unforeseen consequences (for him) while the viewer has been experiencing a lingering sensation of dread that slowly builds up from the beginning of the film. It is the strong point of the movie along with Michael B. Jordan’s impressive performance as Oscar. Octavia Spencer and Melodie Diaz as Oscar’s mother and Sophina are also very convincing and touching. A very interesting approach for an emotionally charged topic and a first time director. Powerful and gut wrenching. —7.5/10

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February 5, 2014 · 1:24 am

All-time favorite quote

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February 5, 2014 · 12:55 am

Girls (season 2)

Main Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver, Alex Karpovsky, Christopher Abbott, Andrew Rannells;

girls-s2

The adventures and mishaps of Hanna and her friends continue (here is my review of season 1, in case you missed it). Since the very first scene we can see that, this time around, Girls is more about boys. Not only as friends, boyfriends or ex-boyfriends of the girls in question but also as characters in their own right. We see how Adam (Driver), Hanna’s former boyfriend, reacts to heartache and is more peculiar than ever. Charlie (Abbott), after breaking up with Marnie, bounces back pretty nicely and his friend Ray (Karpovsky), cynic and rather jaded, finally falls for a girl. Hanna’s life seems back on track: getting along splendidly with her new roommate Elijah (Rannells), a new boyfriend and a job as writer, everything is rainbows and puppies. On the other hand Marnie has fallen, rather spectacularly, to pieces: no more ideal job, no more boyfriend and no more great expectations. Jenna, while breezing carefree through her days, still exuding charisma, has found her focus or so it appears. Shoshanna finally feels like a grown-up with a proper boyfriend, Ray. The set-up is for meaningful character development but that’s not the life of twenty-something girls, at least according to Dunham. The evolution is more a devolution and we witness the downward spiral of our heroines, their attempts to solve messy situations land them, more often than not, into more predicaments. Moreover they show signs of borderline mental disorder, Hanna most of all, and it is a little disconcerting. Watching episode after episode is similar to the morbid fascination of looking at a car crash: you know you shouldn’t but you can’t help yourself.  Baffling but addicting —6.5/10

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February 3, 2014 · 8:37 pm

12 Years A Slave

Director:  Steve McQueen, Main Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti;

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Steve McQueen likes to deal with complex material. After Shame, he decided to “lighten up” by telling the story of Solomon Northup, a free-born african-american from Saratoga NY, who was kidnapped in 1841 and sold as a slave. As you can guess from the title, after years of tribulation and pain, he manages to get back to his family. Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon is intense and carries the film on his shoulder, aided by a very strong supporting cast: Paul Giamatti as slave dealer, Paul Dano as creepy, vengeful carpenter (is it my impression or does he seem to play more and more creepy characters lately?), Benedict Cumberbatch as the sympathetic and kind master, Michael Fassbander as the harsh and unforgiving master and Lupita Nyong’o as prized slave. Good acting notwithstanding, the pace of the film is uneven, it tells the beginning of the story as a flashback but the director can’t wait to get to the cotton fields and the lashing. There are also the long scenes to drive home the brutality and the hopelessness of Solomon’s situation, which are quite effective but still feel a bit disjointed from the narrative. On top of all this we have the villain, master Ebbs (Fassbender) who is cruel, unrelenting, possessive and utterly controlling… basically there is not a speck of decent human qualities in him, and this is what really makes me lose interest in the story: it’s too black and white (pun intended!), too linear and uncomplicated, it seems such an easy solution to paint all the slavers black, even the supposedly “good” master (well… except the carpenter who helps Solomon but he doesn’t count being Canadian).  I understand, the film is based on Solomon’s view so we do see the world through his eyes but it left me a little detached and I’m sure that’s not what McQueen was going for, especially considering how emotionally taxing and absorbing was Shame. I was expecting much more —7/10

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January 31, 2014 · 11:31 pm

Lulu Femme Neu

Director: Sólveig Anspach, Main Cast: Karin Viard, Bouli Lanners, Claude Gensac

The film starts with Lulu (Karin Viard) preparing herself and then being interviewed for a job, at first glance we see that she is neither a very self-confident nor an assertive person.  After failing miserably at the interview, she misses the last train home, you know one of those days…anyone can relate. So Lulu informs her family of the mishap, leaving instructions to her eldest daughter and then checks in at a local hotel, clearly planning to catch the first train in the morning. Up to this point everything is pretty normal but, of course, the next day Lulu doesn’t get on that train, she just decides to stay. In her escape from responsibilities (her sister keeps asking her to go back to her children and husband) she meets Charles and his peculiar brothers. She rediscovers what means to be valued and treated with kindness and when reality comes calling she runs again. This second time is an old, lonely lady (Claude Gensac) that incarnates kindness and a sort of redemption. We watch Lulu thrives and regains confidence, so much that she will finally turn a new leaf once back home. It is a touching. simple story with a quirky protagonist that make for a pleasant hour and half. The film might feel a bit slow but you never know what to expect next so it keeps you engaged. Viard portraits Lulu very well and makes her an all-rounded character and I really like Gensac’s performance. The movie is based on a graphic novel and it seems that the French cinema is experiencing a “nouvelle vague” of sort: getting inspiration from comic books (e.g. La Vie D’Adele), only they are not Marvel or DC comics but something different and new for a change. Refreshing —7/10

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January 31, 2014 · 1:23 am

Favorite quote of the moment

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January 30, 2014 · 8:49 pm

Tropa de Elite

Director:  José Padilha, Main Cast: Wagner Moura, André Ramiro, Caio Junqueira, Fernanda Machado;

At first this film may seem like City of God meets S.W.A.T. but it is more nuanced, while you watch it you realise that’s more like Homicide: Life on the Street or season 1 of The Wire. This is the story of Captain Nascimento (Wagner Moura) in 1997, who is a member of the BOPE, the elite police corps of Rio de Janeiro, highly trained in what is basically urban warfare. They are the answer to a two-fold problem: rampaging violence linked to the drug trafficking in Rio’s favelas and endemic corruption and poor training of the regular police. The BOPE uses rather extreme tactics to fight the drug dealers and they certainly have never heard of human rights or the Geneva Convention. On the other hand, drug lords have assault weapons and no restrain in using them, so it is indeed open war in the streets. Nascimento is good at his job but saying that he is tired and stressed is an understatement; he doesn’t want to die and leave his unborn son fatherless. He needs to find a replacement for his position before he can quit while making one of the favelas safe for the visit of the Pope. So telling his story is also telling the tale of Matias (Andre Ramiro) and Neto (Caio Junqueira), two young and honest policemen who decide to join the BOPE to do the right thing. In this way the director is able to show us, in a very compelling manner, disparate aspects of the life of Rio’s inhabitants: regular policemen, drug dealers and their cronies, middle-class students, NGO operators and, of course, BOPE men. The performances of the actors are convincing and intense, special kudos to Moura and Ramiro. It is a raw and gritty film, probably too strong for some but it’s worth your time. Riveting —8/10

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January 29, 2014 · 8:20 pm

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Director: Ben Stiller, Main Cast: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Kathryn Hahn, Adam Scott, Sean Penn;

I’m not a fan of Ben Stiller so, usually, I try to avoid his films but I gave this one a chance, mostly due to the positive vibe of the trailer and the idea of a daydreamer as main character (something I can relate to). So I stepped into the cinema with low expectations ready to see what’s what. Well, it was a nice surprise: Stiller as the titular Walter Mitty, introverted and quite man who works for Life magazine, delivers a performance that’s unostentatious, subdued and quite effective. Mitty lives an anonymous life as supervisor of the negatives  assets department, witnessing stories and adventures of others. He escapes the plainness of his days through vivid, fulfilling reveries until, one day, Walter starts to live the experiences he only dreamt about in order to retrieve a precious negative for the cover of the final issue of the magazine. We go along for the ride with Walter and meet bizarre characters, see breathtaking scenery and appreciate the small things of life. It is a pleasant journey and “the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time”, as T.S. Elliot said, which fits quite nicely as ending of this movie. The supporting cast is very good, from Kristen Wiig as Walter’s love interest to Shirley MacLaine as his mother to Adam Scott as arrogant but not too bright executive. We get also a cameo of Sean Penn as the elusive but extremely talented photographer  who sets in motion the whole thing. I’ve read angry reviews about excessive product placement in this movie, so much that was considered distracting and detrimental, but I wasn’t particularly bothered by it, maybe because I was too surprised by Ben Stiller’s acting and enjoying the beautiful cinematography. Unexpected. —7/10

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January 28, 2014 · 7:55 pm

Philomena

Director: Stephen Frears, Main Cast: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophie Kennedy Clark

Judi Dence and Steve Coogan in Philomena

Martin Sixsmith (Coogan), former journalist and  “spin-doctor” for the Labour government, doesn’t know what to do with himself after he got the sack. While in this limbo, he stumbles on a good subject for a “human interest” story: Philomena Lee (Dench). Her tale of woes begins in Ireland in the early fifties when she became pregnant. Being a teenager she was shamed and abandoned by her family and forced to live in a convent, you know the go-to-a-nunnery type of thing. She lived there with her son, in rather appalling conditions, for a few years until one faithful day her son is given away to a well-to-do family by the nuns. Philomena keeps the secret for fifty years but, after telling her daughter, she sets out to find her lost son with Martin’s help. The film follows this odd couple of characters in a quest for truth that is also a journey of self-discovery for both. Judi Dench gives an extraordinary portrayal of Philomena: subdue and subtle, never forced or exaggerated; which is the real strong point of the movie and what makes it involving. I guess it is never easy to make a quality film which is based on a book based on a true story… this one feels a bit re-hashed and more focused on the journalist and his achievement, telling a riveting tale and doing something good in the bargain, than on the actual, far more interesting, story of Philomena. Somewhat disappointing, watch Peter Mullan’s The Magdalene Sisters instead! —6.5/10

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January 26, 2014 · 7:41 pm

Sherlock (season 3)

Main Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Amanda Abbington, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves, Louise Brealey, Mark Gatiss;

Sherlock-season-3

The world most renown sleuth in my favorite modern incarnation (sorry Jonny Lee Miller but you come second) is back, played wonderfully by Benedict Cumberbatch! After his “death” in the Reichenbach Fall everybody wanted to know how he did it and throughout the first episode we get several versions of the deed, especially from Anderson and his club of believers (in Sherlock, of course!), some with hilarious implications. Naturally John Watson (a glorious Martin Freeman) is rather upset with Sherlock for keeping him in the dark for two years but there’s nothing like mortal danger to reconcile old friends. The dynamic between them is sparkling and entertaining as ever but we also see more character development and a more “human” Sherlock. All the usual suspects are back (Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade, Molly, Mycroft) but we get two great additions: John’s fiance, Mary (Amanda Abbington), who is far more intriguing than meets the eye, and a cunning new villain. There are some lulls in the tight paced tales that might seem to drag down the overall good quality but the viewer is compensated with quite a few memorable moments. Steven Moffat (another evil genius of the small screen) and his partner in crime Mark Gatiss did it again, bravo! Three episodes aren’t enough so to while away the hiatus…let’s play murder! —8.5/10

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January 24, 2014 · 11:44 pm

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Director: Mira Nair, Main Cast: Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland, Kate Hudson, Nelsan Ellis

This is the story of Changez (Ahmed): a young Pakistani man with an American dream. We get to know him through flashbacks of his past while he’s interviewed by Bobby (Schreiber), an american journalist who lives in Pakistan and has dedicated years to know the country and its culture. All seems pretty straightforward: the Pakistani has repented and renounced the Western way of life and now teaches at the university in Lahore, the inquisitive but open minded American wants to hear his version. Well, life (and good fiction!) is much more complicated. Thrown into the mix we have the kidnapping of a American professor who works at Changez’s university, the unrest of the students being abused by the police and a CIA operation to save said professor. I like how the director intertwines the past storyline with the present one with a nice crescendo of tension in both, it moves the plot along in a very effecting way, keeping the viewer invested in the character.  Ahmed is a nice surprise, his performance is intense and convincing; good, honest work from the rest of the cast. This film is an interesting take on 9/11 and its consequences from an unusual point of view. Intriguing. —7/10

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January 24, 2014 · 1:01 am

Favorite quote of the moment

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January 24, 2014 · 12:11 am

Supernatural: the Animation

Main Cast (voices): Jared Padalecki, Annakin Slayd, Jensen Ackles, Harry Standjofski

supernatural-anime

If you are looking for a good anime and you like horror and fantasy, well, look no further. The Japanese had a pretty nifty idea, they remade the live-action show Supernatural (created by Eric “evil genius” Kripke) which is awesome to begin with, into 22 animated episodes. So our favorite hunters of all-things-that-go-bump-in-the-dark, Sam and Dean Winchester, take us on the road from case to case; you get classics like vampires, demons and werewolves or stranger stuff based on urban legends and ancient mythology. Like Buffy, most of the episodes are a “monster of the week” type of story but there is also a series arc with a Big Bad.  The different medium allows for a more striking and creative rendering of all that is supernatural compared to live action. The animation itself is top-notch and it doesn’t hurt, at least in my book, that Sam resembles Spike Spiegel (fans of Cowboy Bebop won’t fail to notice it). It is fast-paced, grim and quite dark but still with plenty of funny moments. If you know the live-action show, this series covers roughly the storyline of season 1 and 2, taking a few liberties with background stories and making it more PG13. Furthermore all the characters’ appearance, except for the Winchester bros, are very different so it might take a while to get use to. Lastly, one minor issue, unless you are a hardcore anime fan who watches everything in the original Japanese, the English version has Jared Padalecki (live-action Sam) dubbing Sam but Annakid Slayd dubbing Dean for all but two episodes instead of Jensen Ackles (live-action Dean), which sounds really weird and requires from the viewer a little time to adjust to it. Anyway great anime with gripping story and characters. —7.5/10

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January 23, 2014 · 12:42 am

Top of the Lake (TV mini-series)

Main Cast:  Elisabeth Moss, Thomas M. Wright, Peter Mullan, David Wenham, Holly Hunter;

top-of-the-lake

Forget New Zealand as beautiful Middle Earth, in this series you can see a very different aspect: grim, darker and rather misogynistic. It is a detective story written and directed (most of the episodes anyway) by Jane Campion, so we get: a female lead character, complex and multi-layered played brilliantly by Elisabeth Moss, and violence against women (both physical and psychological). It starts like a case of child rape in a small town: 12-year-old Tui is five month pregnant and tries to kill herself, Det. Robin Griffin is called in as expert in child abuse. She is being back in the area, visiting her sick mother, after many years of absence. After her first interview with Robin, Tui disappears  and no one knows what happened. We embark with Robin on a mission to find Tui and the truth, and in each episode we find out more about her past and the people of the town. The more interesting aspects are the dynamics among the characters and the different facets of misogyny (from demeaning comments to outright abuse) weaved in the everyday life of girls and women of this small community. The cast is outstanding: from Peter Mullan to David Wenham and Holly Hunter, they all give very convincing and enthralling performances. Very special kudos to Thomas Wright, who reminds me of a young Daniel Day-Lewis, and masterfully balances vulnerability with strength and desire to portrait his Johnno. The scenery is also used quite skillfully to set the mood of the story: alternatively bleak, peaceful, menacing, hopeless or foreboding; it can almost be considered a character in its own right. Being a rather gloomy tale I would not recommend it for a week-end of light entertainment but I do recommend you to watch it. Striking and unconventional —7.5/10

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January 22, 2014 · 12:08 am

Despicable Me

Directors: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Main Cast (voices): Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher

despicable-me

Gru is a criminal mastermind with a mad scientist as associate, tiny yellow minions and a vast secret lair under his suburban house. But his life is not all rainbows and two-headed puppies, there a new up-and-coming villain, Vector, who stole the pyramid of Giza and made him look bad. Gru has a new amazing plan to put every other evildoer to shame: steal the moon! To do that he needs money to built a rocket and steal a shrink ray device, easier said than done… his troubles are increased by three little orphan girls that he adopted to forward his devious scheme. Needless to say children will change his life for the better and greater good (?) will prevail. I love the details of both lairs (Gru’s and Vector’s) and, of course, the little yellow minions, but the villain that finds out his true heroic nature is old. Sweet and charming but not amazing. —6.5/10

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