Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Leonard Nimoy

Country

USA

Cast

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Christopher Lloyd, Merritt Butrick, Robin Curtis, Mark Lenard, James B. Sikking, Robert Hooks, Judith Anderson, Stephen Liska, Cathie Shirriff, Miguel Ferrer

Storyline

After their return on Earth, Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Enterprise are shocked to discover that the Enterprise is to be decommissioned. Even worse, Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is, seemingly inexplicably, being driven insane, and Scotty (James Doohan) is being reassigned to another ship. When a visit from Sarek (Mark Lenard), Spock's father, reveals that McCoy is carrying the living spirit of Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Kirk is forced to steal back the Enterprise and fly across space to the Genesis planet.

Opinion

Presumed dead, Spock directs Kirk and company in this third installment of the saga, a disappointing follow-up to the great "The Wrath of Khan".

Short of action, dazzling special effects and plot, "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" is a mediocre chapter with some moments filled with tension.

Unlike its predecessor, the plot is a little thin here - it doesn't get any deeper than the rescue and recovery of Spock, interrupted along the way by some Klingons passing by -, and it isn't particularly interesting, but at least it's coherent. The plot would have been fine if the subplot with the Klingons was the main plot, and the whole search for Spock was the subplot.

Because of the plot's lack of interest, something exciting had to happen to keep the audience from falling asleep. So the writers decided to blow up the Enterprise. I'm not a Trekkie so that wasn't a major issue for me, but I can't imagine what it might feel like for a fan of the franchise. It has to be terrible. 

However, the film has inherited something from the second Star Trek film. Such as the quite intelligent dialogue, and the characters - those that used to be secondary now are primary characters.

The action does not abound and it's definitely not the greatest - especially the rescue of Bones, one of the highlights yet so poorly shot -, and the special effects, even though they turned out pretty well, aren't as good as episode two's. But I guess the film makes up for that with the theft of the Enterprise, a wonderful sequence loaded with tension, and humour from McCoy.

William Shatner gives his best performance as Kirk so far, but also pulls some of the best overacting on Genesis planet, and DeForest Kelley gets some great material as the 'possessed' McCoy. Once again, the standout performance comes from the villain wonderfully portrayed by Christopher Lloyd.

Live long and prosper

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Genre

Animation | Action | Adventure

Director

Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber, Fred Tatasciore, Conrad Vernon

Storyline

After a year of being the dragon warrior, Po (Jack Black) is a hero in China. But trouble pops out when Shen (Gary Oldman), a villainous peacock, begins chaos and wants to conquer China with a deadly weapon.

Opinion

Three years after "Kung Fu Panda", DreamWorks Animation brought back the most beloved panda in the whole world, Po. I was expecting a "Shrek 2" kind of sequel, aka a disappointment, but I was pleasingly surprised.

A spectacular, action-packed film as well as a proper sequel, "Kung Fu Panda 2" is full of awesomeness and has the same heart of the first installment.

Like a lot of other sequels, the film has a dark tone, a very dark tone. That arguably serves to increase the level of the film, and probably to make of it a great film for adults as well, but at some points it feels almost like the filmmakers have forgotten to make it fun. There still are some comical situations and some humour though.

However, it's the darker story that gives the film more depth. At first I was a little worried about the panda genocide as I consider it to be a little too sensitive for children, but I was impressed it has being addressed, and I was impressed by the way it was dealt with.

Like its predecessor, this film carries a life lesson, and a philosophical idea. First it leads us to consider how much someone's childhood can influence his present, and his ability to effectively deal with a given situation. Secondly it outlines the way to find inner peace within one's life: it's all about learning to coexist harmoniously at present.

The fantastic CGI animation, both riche(er) in colour, shapes and atmospheres, is cleverly paired with some beautiful 2D animation sequences.

Kudos to the talented voice cast that makes the film even better. The entire main cast - Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, David Cross, James Hong - returns from the first film and still does a great job with their characters. New entry Gary Oldman shines in the spotlight as villainous Shen. He's definitely good at being a villain in films. Even if it's animated.

"Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story, who you choose to be."  - Soothsayer

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)

Genre

Comedy

Director

Woody Allen

Country

USA

Cast

Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Nick Apollo Forte, Gerald Schoenfeld, Craig Vandenburgh, Herb Reynolds, Edwin Bordo, Gina DeAngelis, Paul Grego, Frank Renzulli, Sandy Baron, Corbett Monica, Jackie Gayle, Morty Gunty, Will Jordan, Howard Storm, Jack Rollins, Milton Berle, Howard Cosell, Joe Franklin

Storyline

Danny Rose (Woody Allen) is a manager of artists, and although he's not very successful, he nevertheless goes out of his way to help his acts. So when Lou Canova (Nick Apollo Forte), a singer who has a chance of making a comeback, asks Danny to help him with a problem, Danny helps him. The problem is that Lou is married but wants his mistress Tina (Mia Farrow) to be at his concerts. Danny agrees to be a beard in being Tina's date, but what he doesn't know is that Tina has casual mob ties, and when he is mistaken for Tina's lover, he becomes the target of the mob.

Opinion

After the extraordinary (success of) "Zelig", Woody Allen came back with another black and white film that is quite brilliant. 

In fact, "Broadway Danny Rose" is a charming, sweet and pretty funny film, and even though is not Allen's best, nor his funniest, the film's warmth captures the audience immediately.

When compared with most of Allen's filmography, there are a few things that stand out because different. First, I believe this is Woody's first picture with no criticism to the American society, even though it makes a huge satire, and teases careerism in show business. 

Secondly, the character. Danny Rose is not the typical guy usually written and portrayed by Allen. He is a poor jew who knows what feeling guilty feels like, he believes in redemption and forgiveness - like his uncle Sidney used to say -, but at the same time sacrifices himself for what or who he believes in. There's still neurotic cynicism in everything he does, but there's also something more. 

One of the great things about the film is Allen's choice of a narrator: a group of real-life show business comedians and agents (Sandy Baron, Corbett Monica, Morty Gunty) having lunch.

"Broadway Danny Rose" also has some memorable quote and remarkable comical situations such as Allen and Mia Farrow wriggling their way out of some ropes tying them together. Or the pathetic Thanksgiving party with Danny Rose's losers. Clients, I'm sorry, I meant clients. 

As mentioned before, this is another one of those films where Woody Allen has used a gorgeous and inspired black and white photography from Gordon Willis, maybe to convince the audience the film is classic material. Well, maybe it is.

The film relies almost completely on the chemistry between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, instead of using the performances of a great cast. That doesn't mean the two leads doesn't do good. Allen does his thing and he's hilarious as usual, but Mia Farrow gives one of the strongest performances of her career, arguably her best one. Nick Apollo Forte was the perfect cast for Lou Canova.

"You know what my philosophy of life is? That it's important to have some laughs, but you gotta suffer a little too, because otherwise you miss the whole point to life." - Danny Rose

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Country

USA

Cast

Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal, Connie Britton, Chelsea T. Zhang, Katherine C. Hughes, Natalie Marchelletta, Matt Bennett, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Hugh Jackman, Gavin Dietz, Edward DeBruce III

Storyline

Seventeen-year-old Greg (Thomas Mann) has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother (Connie Britton) forces him to befriend Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a girl he hasn't spoken to since kindergarten, who has leukemia.

Opinion

Before saying anything else, it had to be mentioned that this is nothing like "The Fault in Our Stars". This is not a romance, and this is not about dealing with cancer, so stop thinking about that film, because it would be a blasphemy to even compare the two pictures. That being made clear, let's jump into the real deal.

A soulful take on the coming-of-age genre, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is a subtle and delightful portrait of the birth and development of a beautiful, unfortunately doomed friendship.

That's right, the main theme of the film is not the adolescent terminal illness which has now become a firm element in coming-of-age stories in both literary and cinematic field - even though it has a central role in this story -, but the friendship between Greg, an awkward guy who created an emotional barrier towards everyone to avoid suffering, and is afraid to grow up and face the responsibilities that the adult world would imply, and Rachel, a girl who is the portrait of maturity, and has rationally accepted her terrible fate.

The great and clever screenplay by Jesse Andrews, author of the novel this film is adapted from, deals with sickness in a wonderful and human way. Whether through comedy, wit or drama, Andrews made a remarkable story.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who is known for his work on American Horror Story and was a personal assistant to Martin Scorsese and Alejandro Iñárritu, shows his talent with beautiful stop-motion animation, and a great camera work, which resemble the symmetrical precision of Wes Anderson. The cinematography is gorgeous and gives the story so much life.

Along with a beautiful soundtrack, the film also features a young and promising cast. Thomas Mann does a great job as Greg; his detached performance is spot-on! However, Olivia Cooke was the biggest surprise to me. Based on her performance in "Ouija", my expectations were very low, but she gives a heart-felt performance as Rachel. R.J. Cyler also bring an excellent performance as Earl, Greg's co-worker. The supporting cast does a great job as well, especially Connie Britton, Molly Shannon and Nick Offerman. And I must mention Jon Bernthal who just proved me you can't dislike an actor because of a single role. 

Ultimately, this is a must watch for everyone, and just because there isn't a love story it doesn't mean it's not emotional. Just be careful who you watch it with, it will make you cry.

 "Dear Pittsburgh State Admissions, I'm writing on behalf of someone who gave me half a year of his life at the time when I was at my most difficult to be around. He has a very low opinion of himself, which is why I think it's necessary that you hear from someone who sees him as he actually is: A limitlessly kind, sweet, giving, and genuine person. No matter how much he would deny it. The drop in his academic performance this year is the consequence of all the time he spent with me and the time he spent making things for me and how hard that was for him. You can ask him about it, but his sort of over the top humility will probably get in the way. No one has done more to make me smile than he has. And no one ever could." - Rachel