Hush (2016)

Genre

Horror | Thriller

Director

Mike Flanagan

Country

USA

Cast

Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan, Emilia Graves

Storyline

A deaf writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer  (John Gallagher Jr.) appears at her window.

Opinion

A couple years ago Jennifer Kent surprised everyone with the outstanding "The Babadook", proving that horror films still have a future. Earlier this year it happened again with "10 Cloverfield Lane". But what are the chances of that happening twice in the same year? Not good considering how bad horror flicks usually are. They are not just plain dumb, but not scary as all.

Well, 2016 gotta be the lucky year because Mike Flanagan did it again with "Hush", this tense, gripping and clever horror film.

Yes, I just used clever and horror film in the same sentence, and the credits go to Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan -- aka Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel -- for writing the script to this film. Even though the story is basically identical to many films of the past, it is well executed and well paced. At no point it feels dragged, and although the ending is quite predictable, the film keeps you guessing until the end.

Something some viewers complained about is the fact that it's never explained why the "villain" does all the things he does. Personally, it didn't bother me a lot, but I have to admit that any kind of reason behind those acts would have made a more complex character.

That being said, not only Flanagan is able to make you care about the main character, a deaf writer, since the very beginning, but he is also able to make you feel what the character is going through.

Then of course there's Kate Siegel doing a great job in the leading role. With a character that has a lot to do, but nothing to say, she is very believable and she is quite impressive. Lastly there's John Gallagher Jr., who gives an impressive performance as the cold-blooded killer who is after Siegel's character.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Genre

Drama

Director

Paul Thomas Anderson

Country

USA

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Kevin J. O'Connor, Ciaran Hinds, Dillon Freasier, Russell Harvard, Sydney McCallister, Colleen Foy, David Willis, Hans Howes, Paul F. Tompkins, Jim Downey, David Warshofsky, Barry Del Sherman

Storyline

Oil prospector Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) travels to Little Boston, California, where he buys lands. Not everyone is pleased to see him though and tension builds between Daniel and the local preacher, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano).

Opinion

If it wasn't for Daniel Day-Lewis winning an Oscar for his performance, I would have never watched this film. I don't have a problem with PT Anderson or anything, it's just that the plot isn't much appealing to me. And I would have lost, yes, a quite negative, terrifying, and flawed film, but a beautiful one as well.

"There Will Be Blood" is the story of a man, his greed, and his thirst for money, and at the same time it's a story of war, not between two nations, but between the previously mentioned man and a two-faced, power-hungry preacher.

Which unfortunately brings to a part of the film that isn't perfectly oiled, religion and its impact onto the plot. Even though the film doesn't have a real plot, it's hard to understand how religion works in there. Sure, the film attacks the hypocrisy of religion, but some religion-related events happen but they don't have any real effect on the story. 

Another weak part is the long-lost brother subplot. It doesn't add anything to the film, it just elongates the running time a bit. It can be easily removed from the film without any real loss. 

Anyway, the film manages to outline wonderfully the decline of Daniel Plainview's morals, even though seeing the consequences and impact of his declining morals on other would have been interesting. 

Technically speaking, there's nothing to say. Paul Thomas Anderson does a wonderful job directing this, showing both the rise to power and self-destruction of a man, and the oil fields. He also gives us a beautifully shot film that wonderfully shows the wickedness of man. And since I mentioned it, the cinematography is truly beautiful, the shots, the lighting, the camera movements. All of it.

And of course there's Daniel Day-Lewis's performance. With an intense, Oscar worthy performance, he captures the power of greed, insanity and fear and really brings to life the character, a character that could have easily been uninteresting if wrongly portrayed. But let's not forget about the amazing performance Paul Dano gives as the preacher. 

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Ted Post

Country

USA

Cast

James Franciscus, David Watson, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, Paul Richards, Natalie Trundy, Jeff Corey, Gregory Sierra, Victor Buono, Don Pedro Colley, James Gregory, Charlton Heston, Tod Andrews, Thomas Gomez, Roddy McDowall, Paul Frees

Storyline

The sole survivor (James Franciscus) of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor (Charlton Heston) of the previous expedition. What he discovers is a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telepathic humans.

Opinion

Following the success of "Planet of the Apes", the filmmakers rightfully thought to make a sequel. Unfortunately "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" is a mediocre, unengaging copy disguised as a sequel.

The first film was fascinating because of its plot and philosophical meaning. I guess that's the reason why the writers thought it was a brilliant idea to write another film with basically the same story. For almost an hour, the film is just a worse copy of the original film. An astronaut crash-lands on a planet, discovers the ape civilization, gets captured by them, escapes and finds out the truth about the planet. Sure, he's also looking for the survivor of the previous mission, and the story becomes different after the dreadful beginning, but that doesn't necessarily improve the film's quality.

I have to admit that the dark world beneath the planet of the apes is original and quite interesting. Same goes for the religious commentary and the anti-war propaganda. But it doesn't raise big questions like the original film did.

The characters are another problem with the film. There are a lot of them that have nothing to do. They just be.

However, it isn't a complete disaster. It is action packed and the action sequences are actually good and quite evocative. And the acting is unevenly good. While Charlot Heston steals the show reprising the role of astronaut Taylor - even though it's basically just a cameo -, James Franciscus overacts in most of the scenes. But the supporting cast is decent.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

Genre

Animation | Comedy | Romance

Director

Kelly Asbury

Country

UK | USA

Voice Cast

James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Jason Statham, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Stephen Merchant, Patrick Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Jim Cummings, Hulk Hogan, Julie Walters, Richard Wilson, Kelly Asbury, Dolly Parton

Storyline

While the neighboring gardens are at war, gnomes Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) fall in love.

Opinion

Transforming one of Shakespeare's most famous plays into an animated film can be a great way to propose the English writer to kids. However, it can also do the opposite job if the film isn't good, and I'm afraid that's what may happen with "Gnomeo & Juliet", this dull and hardly funny film.

I know someone has complained about it, but honestly I don't think there is a problem with recreating the play with garden gnomes. It isn't the brightest of the ideas, but it sure isn't the reason why the film doesn't work.

First of all, it almost seems like the writers didn't know where to focus. At first the story is going in a certain direction, trying to say that love is stronger than everything, and that it doesn't matter who you are or what family you belong to. A little clichéd but it's kind of close to Shakespeare. However, it slowly turns into a banal revenge story. I wasn't expecting the drama, the film is supposed to target kids after all, but neither I was expecting this.

Also, the film - or should I say garden? - is inhabited by unlikable and uninteresting characters that have no depth whatsoever. Of course I'm not talking about the Flamingo. He is the only interesting (side) character and for some weird reason he has more depth than both Gnomeo and Juliet, and it's easier to feel emotionally attached to him.

Another problem is Elton John's contributions. I love his music and personality, but I believe he doesn't have a place in the film. His songs are beautiful, but they just don't fit the film, and his contribution makes the film look like a commercial for his album.

The animation is nice but nothing special really. But when it comes to match the voices, the characters are weird. And just about the voice cast, with James McAvoy and Emily Blunt leading, and many others big names such as Michael Cane and Patrick Stewart supporting, none of the actors, despite their talent, are able to bring any depth to the material.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

Genre

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Director

Woody Allen

Country

USA | Spain

Cast

Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, Naomi Watts, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Ewen Bremmer, Neil Jackson, Celia Imrie, Pauline Collins, Anna Friel, Alex MacQueen, Meera Syal, Anupam Kher, Natalie Walter, Christian McKay, Philip Glenister, Theo James

Storyline

After Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) leaves Helena (Gemma Jones) to pursue his lost youth, Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller (Pauline Collins). Meanwhile their daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) develops a crush on her boss (Antonio Banderas) and her husband (Josh Brolin) becomes moonstruck over a mystery woman (Freida Pinto).

Opinion

After a brief staying in New York City with "Whatever Works", Woody Allen probably thought that Europe worked better, so he went back to England, the land of three great films of him. What he did was proving it wasn't the country to bring him luck. Making it short, "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" is a tedious, pointless dramedy.

Sex problems, unsuccessful writers and people in general, jokes about religion and spirituality, and psychoanalysis are most of Allen's recurring themes. Knowing that, one would have expected to see all those topics again, and/or maybe a leap in quality.

What he did instead was writing a terrible, boring story about a bunch of unhappy people, all trying to find love - in hopeless places, if I may add - that is somehow the same story of "Whatever Works". Only this time it goes on and on and on until it's over, and the film leaves you waiting for a twist, or anything interesting to happen. But nothing ever happens. Unless you consider ridiculing cartomancy and spirituality something. 

Another problem are the character. Other than being completely superficial, and showing no signs of depth, none of the character is likeable nor interesting and some of them having an utterly annoying storyline, like the romantic sub-plot involving Naomi Watt's character and the one involving Gemma Jones's character. 

Now the film's genre. It's a dramedy, but while there's definitely a lot of drama, the film is short in comedy. There are some funny lines, but that's it. Some of Allen's hilarious humour would have definitely helped here, especially to forget about the story that isn't going anywhere and bland characters.

However, the first class cast does a quite good job. I'm not saying the film is worth watching though. And trust me, I've seen it twice and my opinion hasn't changed. 

Ghostbusters (2016)

Genre

Action | Comedy | Fantasy

Director

Paul Feig

Country

USA

Cast

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Cecily Strong, Andy Garcia, Neil Casey, Charles Dance, Michael K. Williams, Matt Walsh, Ed Begley Jr., Steve Higgins, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver

Storyline

Following a ghost invasion of Manhattan, paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), nuclear engineer Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), and subway worker Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) band together to stop the otherworldly threat.

Opinion

Maybe the fact that I haven't seen the original Ghostbusters movie influenced me, or maybe it was the fact that I loved Paul Feig's recent films, but I don't think Feig's "Ghostbusters" is bad as most have been saying. Don't get me wrong, it's not the comedy of the year, but in my opinion it works decently as a standalone film.

The story is good and quite interesting to follow - and I suppose it is similar to the original, it's a remake after all -, but I have to admit that is a bit thin and there are several plot holes - like where does all the money for the equipment come from?

But the main problem with the writing are the characters. There isn't much character development, none of the characters is particularly likable, and the only black character is a loud, a little annoying stereotype.

However, I particularly enjoyed the only main guy in the film, Chris Hemsworth's character. Finally there's a dumb blond in a film and it's a man, unbelievable right? And the best part is that Hemsworth nailed the role and he's hilarious. And I know people have been complaining about this too, because apparently women are supposed to be stupid, but men, oh no, they can't be dumb.

Anyway, as for the comedy, I don't have any big complaint about it. There is a lot of slapstick, and some sexual jokes, and overall the jokes are good and never out of place. And the four main actresses all delivers the comedy pretty well, especially Melissa McCarthy.

At last the special effects are very well done, and even though I was expecting the ghosts to be a little bit more creepy. But they still were pretty cool, and I loved what the filmmakers did at the end with the ghost and the classic logo.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)

Genre

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

Director

Albert Lewin

Country

USA

Cast

Hurd Hatfield, George Sanders, Lowell Gilmore, Donna Reed, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford, Richard Fraser, Douglas Walton, Morton Lowry, Miles Mander, Lydia Bilbrook, Mary Forbes, Robert Greig, Moyna Macgill, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Billy Bevan, Cedric Hardwicke, George Sanders

Storyline

Morally corrupt Dorian Gray (Hurd Hatfield) keeps his youthful beauty while a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

Opinion

I've recently found out about this film - thank you, Birgit - and since I love Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" I decided to give it a try, and I loved it because Lewin's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is an elegant, charming, thoughtful adaptation of a classic masterpiece.

There's isn't much to say about the story, and I'm assuming that everyone already knows it. What I am going to praise instead is the wonderful job director Albert Lewin did here. He had some kind of sensibility that perfectly suited the source material, but most important, he provided a beautiful, yet creepy direction that allows the film to not deface before the novel.

The dark atmosphere of mystery is wonderfully enhanced by the stunning black and white photography and a wonderful use of shadows.

The most fascinating thing about the film however has to do with the casting of Hurd Hatfield as Dorian Gray. I've read the novel several times so I do know what kind of man Dorian Gray is supposed to be and how he is supposed to look, but that casting is what gives the film a boost on the horror side.

The use of an handsome man as the monster, rather than some ugly, deformed creature is great to portray the wickedness concealed by the outer beauty that deceives everyone with a dreamy, holy appearance.

And of course the acting is excellent with Hard Hatfield giving a quite remarkable portrait of Gray, and George Sanders stealing every scene he's in as Lord Henry. The other members of the cast also do a great job.

Thursday Movie Picks: Non-English Language Movies - Scandinavian Language

Hello and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks, a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

This week we are traveling to Europe - well, I actually live there/here, but let's move on - and we are going in a pretty cold part of it, Scandinavia. Assuming that Danish qualifies as Scandinavian language, here's my picks, and they are in three different languages. 

The Hunt (2012) - Danish

The life of Kindergarten teacher Lucas slowly starts to fall into pieces as he is wrongly accused of molesting one of the kids at the school. This is a film with a capital F. A strongly gripping, dramatic, provocative and moving film on human condition. It should have won the Oscar. 

You, the Living (2007) - Swedish

The lives of people struggling with loneliness and anxiety and caged in unsatisfactory lives intertwine in a Swedish city. The best of Andersson's trilogy, this is beautiful, poetic film about humanity that has no real plot but whose characters, even though most of them are nameless, have a story to tell. And it's quite funny and finds humour in quite absurds situations. 

Elling (2002) - Norwegian

After his mother died, Elling ends up in a psychiatric institution where he befriends Kjell. After two years, the two friends are released from the hospital, but living in the world is not easy in their condition. This is a brilliant, uplifting comedy on mental illness as well as a touching story of you insane men trying to live a normal life. 

Beerfest (2006)

Genre

Comedy

Director

Jay Chandrasekhar

Country

USA

Cast

Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Cloris Leachman, Donald Sutherland, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Blanchard Ryan, Steve Lemme, Jürgen Prochnow, Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Eric Christian Olsen, Ralf Möller, Gunter Schlierkamp, Mo'Nique, MC Gainey, James Roday, Philippe Brenninkmeyer

Storyline

Two brothers travel to Germany for Oktoberfest only to stumble upon a secret, old competition called "Beerfest", some sort of "Fight Club" but with drinking games. 

Opinion

I don't know what it is that made me think, even for a moment, that three could have been something good in this film. To be honest, I don't even know how this ended up on my watchlist. What I do know, however, is that "Beerfest" has to be one of the unfunniest as well as one of the worst films ever made. 

They story - I'm just using the term to make you understand what I'm talking about - is less than paper thin, it's utterly predictable and uneventful, unless you dare considering all that bullshit typical of no-brain American films going on for an hour and fifty minutes plot elements. 

I know what you are going to say, it's a frat comedy, it's not supposed to have a decent plot. Okay, but how about the comedy? Shouldn't it be in the film? Because the writers completely forgot about it. There are no witty line not dumb yet hilarious physical gags, absolutely nothing. 

On the other hand, it is highly offensive do if you are the type of person who loves and find funny national stereotypes, you will love this film. In addition, the film shows that these writers know nothing other than stereotypes. Apparently they don't even know the difference between England and United Kingdom since they used the Union flag for the England drinking team. Or they are just dumb since the Scotland team has the Saltire, their actual flag.

Anyway, you are more likely to find all of that offensive, especially if you are German or English. That being said, "Beerfest" brought the beer, but completely forgot about the fest.

Ghost (1990)

Genre

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Director

Jerry Zucker

Country

USA

Cast

Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles, Vincent Schiavelli, Gail Boggs, Armelia McQueen, Phil Leeds, Augie Blunt, Stephen Root, Bruce Jarchow

Storyline

After being murdered, Sam Wheat's (Patrick Swayze) spirit stays behind to warn his lover (Demi Moore) of impending danger with the help of a reluctant psychic (Whoopi Goldberg).

Opinion

All I knew about this film was the famous clay scene and that he dies. For some weird reason though I thought she was having a relationship with a dead man, not realizing he was dead. In a few words, something like "The Sixth Sense". So just a paranormal romantic film. I couldn't be more wrong, and I'm glad I was.

"Ghost" indeed is an intriguing, quite beautiful and touching mixture of drama, romance, fantasy and thriller, that will probably please the fans of the previous mentioned genres.

Even though it's quite simple, the story is very interesting and intriguing, and you'll often end up following it at the edge of your seat. What's really interesting about it are the themes the film deals with that are pretty uncommon for thrillers: love, death, and grieving. But mostly important it is a tale of a love so strong that wins over death.

I know it sounds cheesy - it's a romance after all -, however director Jerry Zucker does a great job in bringing a lot of suspense to the film - and what a surprise considering his filmography - and yet delivering those emotions required in a romantic film.

Worth of a mention is Maurice Jarre's musical score, it is so beautiful, especially the enchanting theme song "Ghost".

And at last the acting. Both Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore do a good job and their chemistry is just wonderful. They made this connection just through their eyes, and it's just beautiful to look at them. But stealing the show is Whoopi Goldberg. She brings humour and a lot of fun to the film, and she really does a great job as a fake psychic. Academy Award very well earned.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Genre

Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

Director

Franklin J. Schaffner

Country

USA

Cast

Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Robert Gunner, Lou Wagner, Woodrow Parfrey, Jeff Burton, Buck Kartalian, Norman Burton, Wright King, Paul Lambert

Storyline

An astronaut (Charlton Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by intelligent, talking apes who enslave and oppress humans.

Opinion

In 1968, two films came out that would have eventually changed science-fiction films forever. While "2001: A Space Odyssey" is still the most popular - even though it was a dreadful experience for me -, "Planet of the Apes" is the better one. Of course it is not spectacular because of today's standards, but it deals with some interesting philosophical questions - unlike Kubrick's film that was too tedious to even care about the meaning.

Once again I didn't know the plot, and having only seen the new films - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" - I was expecting something completely different. That being said, I'm so glad it was different. Actually it was the opposite of those other two movies, having apes enslaving and making experiments on humans. And the story is very entertaining, absorbing and fresh.

What I've able to understand and appreciate is the philosophical questions about existence and becoming raised by the film. The film also deals with many important issues such as evolution, human rights, animal rights, racism and also makes an excellent commentary on religion and its conflict with science.

But how about the effects? Are they good? Yes, they are. They are not as impressive as they were in "2001: A Space Odyssey" - it's quite impossible to top the film on that -, but they are surprisingly good. There are no high-budget CGI effects nor impossible/ridiculous stunts, and I think that's what makes the film more appealing.

The costumes, even though you can tell they are fake, were pretty impressive for the time and combined with the effects they give a much more realistic look that allows you to get into the film.

And finally, there's Charlton Heston's performance. He is terrific in the role of the astronaut captured by the apes, giving a portrait that is a balanced blend of boldness and vulnerability.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Genre

Animation | Comedy

Director

Genndy Tartakovsky

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Asher Blinkoff, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Mel Brooks, Fran Drescher, Molly Shannon, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Dana Carvey, Rob Riggle

Storyline

Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson (Asher Blinkoff) so to keep his daughter (Selena Gomez) from leaving the hotel.

Opinion

After the worldwide success of the first film, of course the filmmakers decided to make a sequel to that, and we all know the reasons. What is quite shocking to me is that yet again a film linked to Adam Sandler is actually good.

"Hotel Transylvania 2" surely doesn't have the originality or freshness of the previous film, but it still is a funny and entertaining movie for both a young and old audience.

Once again the plot is simple, only this time it doesn't seem to move forward. Basically it's just wasting time until it decides to proceed and do something - I guess that's what happens when you let Adam Sandler write the script - but despite that the film doesn't bore and it still is interesting.

While "Hotel Transylvania" dealt with family and being different, this one deals with a more common theme in animation and movies in general, accepting someone for who they are without discriminating.

If I had to find something that quite bothered me, I'd say it was the technology. I shouldn't be complaining about it because without technology I wound never be able to do what I'm doing right now, but at some points it almost feels like the film is trying to promote the use of technology, showing how fun it is. But the truth is that you can miss so many things in life if you're using your smartphone all the time, and I think the movie is sending a wrong message to the kids.

That being said, the film redeems itself with the beautiful animation, the humour - even though at some points it is quite immature. But again, Adam Sandler wrote it - and the hilarious moments, some when just kids would laugh, some when just adults would laugh, and some others when everybody would laugh.

Whatever Works (2009)

Genre

Comedy | Romance

Director

Woody Allen

Country

USA

Cast

Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson, Henry Cavill, Ed Begley Jr, Conleth Hill, Michael McKean, Christopher Evan Welch, John Gallagher Jr, Jessica Hecht, Carolyn McCormick, Olek Krupa

Storyline

Middle-aged, bitter and grumpy Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) surprisingly enters a fulfilling relationship with Melodie Saint Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood), a much younger and unsophisticated Southern girl.

Opinion

After filming for four consecutive years in Europe, Woody Allen went back to New York, and kind of brought the 70s back too as "Whatever Works" is a slightly funny film that unfortunately lacks of new, fresh ideas.

The story to this is very simple, it is literally whatever works. and the relationship/romance between the old, brilliant Jewish and the young, stupid girl - the age gap is so huge he could be her grandfather - actually works and it's not embarrassing at all as we don't witness to anything inappropriate, not even a kiss. Even though it is predictable, the story still is quite enjoyable. But the ending is weird. 

The problem with the film is that instead of looking forward, Allen took a step back and looked back to the 1970s, as the story has 1970s material written all over it. The same old religious rants, the same philosophizing, the same main character, Allen himself played by Larry David.

And instead of the charm of his old movies, "Whatever Works" can claim a bunch of stereotypes, from religious people - whether Jews or Christians - to people from the South.

But it's a comedy, so we should focus on something else. Is the film funny? Yes, a little. Only this time around instead of being the dialogue the main source of laughs, it is the weird situations the characters get themselves into.

As for the cast, I believe Larry David is better at improvising that playing someone else and doing that person's lines, in this case Allen's. Still he does a quite good job in the role and plays Allen in a very aggressive manner. Evan Rachel Wood does a good job and the evolution of the character is quite interesting to witness. But stealing the show are Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, respectively playing Wood's mother and father.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Justin Lin

Country

USA

Cast

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella, Joe Taslim, Lydia Wilson, Sara Maria Forsberg, Deep Roy, Danny Pudi, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Greg Grunberg, Melissa Roxburgh, Anita Brown, Doug Jung, Dan Payne, Sean Whigham

Storyline

The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Opinion

After weeks, I've finally managed to see one of the films that I've been waiting for the most this year. Just like I always do, I went in without knowing anything about the plot, I just trusted the film to be good because of the cast and previous entries. I didn't even bother checking other people's reviews or scores on websites such as Rotten Tomatoes. I just didn't want to be influenced. And it probably was a smart move, because the high rating on Rotten Tomatoes would have had my expectations soar only to see them fall down while watching the film. What am I trying to say? That "Star Trek Beyond" is a bland, flat and forgettable film.

The film does have some positive aspects, but first I'm going to talk about the enormous amount of flaws, starting from the story. It is paper thin and atrociously dull and filled with so many plot holes it would sink if it was a ship. It has no depth whatsoever - not that I was expecting a philosophical film still -, and it doesn't give you a reason to care for the good guys. Nor for the bad guys for the matter.

And since I'm talking about bad guys, I have to mention the villain, Krall. Since I'm avoiding you spoilers, I'll just say that his motivations are never really clear. Unfortunately that's not the only problem with him. He doesn't even have a proper backstory. Almost as if kids wrote the screenplay. And the worst part is that Idris Elba doesn't deliver anything but a one-dimensional villain. But at least he is not putting his face in this mess.

Next stop the action. Probably it's because everything was going too fast and there were too many different camera shots all together, but the action sequences were quite a mess and uninteresting. You can tell this film was "directed" by Justin Lin because the action is completely unrealistic, like on "Furious 7". Starships are indestructible, gravity doesn't exist anymore.

I'm finally getting to the good stuff. Well, kinda. While Chris Pine does a quite good job and manages to carry the emotional weight of the film, and Zoe Saldana acts quite well, as always, the rest of the cast is a mess. Especially Zachary Quinto and Karl Urban. They usually give solid performances but this time they were flat as a board. I won't even waste time mentioning the rest of the cast.

Now it's coming the good stuff. There are a few moments that had me smiling, some other moments that are kinda sad - like the tributes to Leonard Nimoy -, the CGI is great - definitely what one would expect from a Star Trek flick - and the music is really good.

Is that enough to make up for the cost of the ticket? I don't think so. My suggestion then? Just pretend like this film just doesn't exist and enjoy the previous two films.

Mean Streets (1973)

Genre

Crime | Drama | Romance

Director

Martin Scorsese

Country

USA

Cast

Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson, Richard Romanus, Cesare Danova, Victor Argo, George Memmoli, Lenny Scaletta, Jeannie Bell, Murray Moston, David Carradine, Robert Carradine, Lois Walden, Harry Northup, Martin Scorsese

Storyline

Small-time hood Charlie (Harvey Keitel) struggles with a moral crisis regarding his friends, family, business, and his conflicting religious beliefs.

Opinion

One of the good things about old classics is that sometimes you can clearly see in them what would have eventually become the trademark of a director or actor. And that's the case with Martin Scorsese and "Mean Street". The film indeed has Scorsese written all over the place, unfortunately it is something that usually his films are not, it is tremendously boring.

Maybe my expectations were too high because of his other films, but the thing is that I struggled to sit through all 112 minutes because the simplistic plot doesn't really go anywhere and it isn't as interesting as I thought in the first place.

Anyway, I thought it was going to be a character study, but the film doesn't really succeed on that either. It is just a slightly character study of the main character, Charlie, a nice guy living in a bad place and probably dealing with the wrong people. Unfortunately the relationships between the characters aren't explored in depth as they should have.

Even though the script isn't that good, the film isn't that bad. If you look at the film from the point of view of Scorsese's first film, like I mentioned before, you can clearly all those elements he would have eventually perfected later on, and it's a real pleasure to see where it all started.

But that's not the only good thing about the film. While he failed at writing this, Scorsese did a fantastic job directing this picture, especially the last 15-20 minutes when, despite the film being quite boring, he still managed to deliver a palpable sense of suspense.

The cinematography is also good. Mostly shot with a hand hold camera, the film manages to create that dark, raw look that fits the environment. Another thing I've enjoyed - and noticed since the very beginning - is the beautiful soundtrack.

And at last, the acting, a hell of a reason to watch this film. The cast is all great, especially Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro, both superb in their roles.

Thursday Movie Picks: Crime Gone Wrong

Hello and welcome (back) to Thursday Movie Picks, a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

So crimes, sometimes everything goes smooth, sometimes it just has to go wrong, like in the three picks for this week. From a masterpiece to a quite silly comedy to a disappointment, here's my picks:

Fargo (1996)

Jerry hires two men to kidnap his wife so he can get his rich father-in-law to pay the ransom. Unfortunately those two men are two idiots, and as if that wasn't enough there is also a persistent police officer investigating. It's the Coen brothers people, so of course this film is a masterpiece. It is wicked and dramatic and if you haven't seen it already, do yourself a favour and go watch it. 

Take the Money and Run (1969)

When he was a kid, Virgil wanted to play cello. Since he has no talent, he eventually decides to become a criminal. Easy job, right? Not for him, since he keeps on failing, over and over again. With his first real film, Allen will sure have you laughing and he also criticises tv programmes that monetize the lives of ordinary people. 

The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)

A motorcycle stunt rider's attempt at robbing a bank turns into something else when he collides with an ambitious cop. That something else is a disappointment. The trailer had me thinking it was all about Gosling, but it's actually three stories linked to the same event, and when Gosling's over so is the film. (But I know at least one of you like this one, am I right Wendell?)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Genre

Comedy | Romance

Director

John Hughes

Country

USA

Cast

Molly Ringwald, Paul Dooley, Justin Henry, Anthony Michael Hall, Michael Schoeffling, Gedde Watanabe, Haviland Morris, Carlin Glynn, Blanche Baker, Edward Andrews, Billie Bird, Carole Cook, Max Showalter, Liane Curtis, John Cusack, Darren Harris, Deborah Pollack, Joan Cusack

Storyline

It's Samantha Baker's (Molly Ringwald) sixteenth birthday but her family is so wrapped up in her sister's (Blanche Baker) wedding that they completely forgot about it. As if that wasn't enough, she has a crush on the most popular guy (Michael Schoeffling) in school  who apparently doesn't know she even exists, but she is noted by a geek (Anthony Michael Hall) who lusts after her at every opportunity.

Opinion

One year before "The Breakfast Club" John Hughes made "Sixteen Candles" which is arguably one of his most popular films. Since I've never seen it when I was a teen, and it was on TV a few nights ago, I caught the opportunity to watch it. And I kind of enjoyed it. Yes, even though I'm an adult now.

Unlike "The Breakfast Club" that is slightly more complex as it tries to handle the seriousness of social peers, the story to this film is quite simple yet nicely done and it revolves around a teen girl whose parents forget about her sixteenth birthday. But it's not just that, there is also a romantic interest/romance involved, that eventually becomes the most predictable final ever, but if you are expecting originality you should probably stay away from teen movies.

Of course there are the relatable and/or goofy characters, and I'm not talking only about the supporting characters, but the main as well, because Sam is just an anonymous high school girl that has the hots for the most popular guy. Unless you were the most popular girl or guy in high school, I'm sure you can totally relate with that.

The film is full of humour that still works nowadays even though at times it is quite inappropriate and unfunny. And some characters - like Long Duk Dong, the foreign exchange student living with Sam's grandparents - are awfully stereotyped for the only purpose of making people laugh.

The soundtrack is beautiful and memorable, but I think that's the thing of 80s' movies. Am I right? 

As for the cast, it was interesting to see Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall working together "again", even though they got stuck in stereotyped roles. But their comedic timing is just amazing.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Genre

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Director

David Ayer

Country

USA

Cast

Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Karen Fukuhara, Adam Beach, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa

Storyline

A secret government agency led by the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) recruits some of the most dangerous villains on the planet to execute dangerous black ops missions and save the world.

Opinion

"Suicide Squad" has been the film that every fan of the genre has been waiting for. I was so excited about it, I still can't cope with the idea of a movie on my favourite characters. Yes, villains are my favourite. What intrigued me the most about the film was Jared Leto's Joker and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, so if you have seen the film, or read other reviews you probably know that I left the cinema half disappointed.

In a few words, "Suicide Squad" is a real mess - just like the most recent entries in the DC Comics cinematic universe. It is fun at times, but for most of its running time - more than 2 hours - it's just a bit tedious and unexciting "superhero" flick.

The plot is kind of a mess and quite illogical at times, and basically nothing is ever explained which is not fine. The most annoying thing though is that, just like the previous films, this one also started quite good, and it was very promising. Sure the plot has never been brilliant, but at least the villains were villains. That's right, after a while they all turn into good guys.

The biggest disappointment though is character related. First of all the character introduction feels misplaced, like they wanted the audience to know the characters but they had no idea how to introduce them, and after a 30-minute long intro you don't even care about the characters. That being said, let's talk about the Joker. He was basically all over the place in the trailer, but in the actual film he is barely in it and he has absolutely no purpose other than being Harley Quinn background story. If you remove him, you have the same film but way less incomes. The Joker isn't the only wasted characer here, the same applies for Katana and Boomerang.

But let's move onto the jokes. Something they are funny - I had a couple good laughs - but most of the time they are not. Often they are misplaced and feel very forced, and most of the time are those kind of jokes you have to explain but still don't find funny.

The soundtrack was great - I loved those songs so much I ended up buying the album -, but there is a terrible overuse of music. I loved the fact that every character has his/her own theme, but the music is all over the place. It is too loud, too distracting, and it accompanies everything. Literally. From action scenes to dialogue. Also most of the time the song choices don't make any sense.

The quite good action scenes are occasionally destroyed by attempts at character development and delivery of unfunny jokes.

And finally the acting. I'm probably the only one, but I didn't like Will Smith's Deadshot. He gives a performance that is something between "The Pursuit of Happyness" and "Men In Black", the first as his Deadshot is basically a good family guy, the second because of the jokes he attempts to deliver through the film. Viola Davis isn't menacing as she should have been since she is playing the ruthless Amanda Waller. But the worst has yet to come. The name is Cara Delevingne. Maybe she should have stayed in the fashion universe, because acting isn't her thing. She looks like a drunk girl at a party which is not how the bad guy - bad girl in this case - should look like. She is (supposed to be) the most villain of them since she plays the Enchantress, but the fact that I'm mentioning her character only now should give you an idea of how much the villain to this film suck.

And now the best part. Seriously, I'm not being sarcastic. Margot Robbie. She is beyond fantastic as Harley Quinn, absolutely mesmerizing, and she is so unpredictable on screen, it's a real delight watching her. And she has clearly done a lot of work with the character, especially on the psychological aspect. Then there is Jared Leto. Even though he is barely in the film, his performance as the Joker is truly mesmerising. He is not Heath Ledger, but he does a good job.

Ultimately the film isn't anything special, but Harley Quinn and that little bit of the Joker are worth the money.