Panic Room (2002)

Genre

Thriller

Director

David Fincher

Country

USA

Cast

Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, Patrick Bauchau, Ann Magnuson, Ian Buchanan, Paul Schulze

Storyline

When three burglars break in their new home, Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) take refuge in the house's safe room. What they don't know, however, is that what the three men are looking for is in that very room.

Opinion

Panic Room has everything it takes to be a solid thriller. It has a good cast, an interesting storyline, but most important it has David Fincher. Nobody does thriller like he does. Unfortunately, a quite terrible screenplay happened, and Panic Room ended up being a mediocre thriller.

Like I said, I was very interested in the storyline and, knowing Fincher, I was expecting an exciting, tense story with many twists along the way. Which of course did not happen. While it was a bit tense, the plot was pretty predictable, filled with holes and the twists weren't that jaw-dropping.

And since there's so little of a plot, the film ends up being quite boring. There still is David Fincher's typical tension but since the story is dragged, it feels like being trapped in a never-ending film. Maybe Fincher was going for that, I don't know.

Another problem is the characters. They are unrealistic, pretty stupid and annoying. Not to mention a few utterly pointless characters at the beginning of the film. They add absolutely nothing to the film. However, in spite of how badly they were written and how poor the dialogue was, the cast still managed to do a good job.

In addition, Panic Room also benefits from a truly beautiful camera work. It's incredibly how wonderful are some of the shots. But then again, this is Fincher, so it doesn't really come as a surprise.

Diana (2013)

Genres

Biography, Drama, Romance

Director

Oliver Hirschbiegel

Countries

UK, France, Sweden, Belgium

Cast

Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Cas Anvar, Laurence Belcher, Harry Holland, Douglas Hodge, Geraldine James, Charles Edwards, Mary Stockley, Juliet Stevenson

Storyline

It follows Princess Diana (Naomi Watts) during the last two years of her life as she shares a secret love story with Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews). 

Opinion

Once upon a time, there was a stupid teenager, me, who thought to have the actor looking like the real-life character was the key to a great biopic. Well, if I only could go back to those innocent days, I'd say Diana is the best biopic I've seen recently. "Unfortunately", I'm not that superficial anymore, and Naomi Watts resembling Princess Diana isn't enough to save this pathetic excuse of a film. 

I remember having quite high expectations when it came out, but it sure wasn't able to live up to them, and that's mainly because of the sloppy script. Since I didn't know this part of her life - I always thought Dodi Fayed was her lover, but apparently she only used him to make Hasnat Khan jealous, a very royal thing to do, by the way -, the storyline sounded very interesting to me. Too bad for me this turned out to be nothing but a soapy love story that never quite takes off and that it's utterly tedious.

The title character didn't get a better treatment. The character completely lacks in depth. This Diana is a shallow, naive and most of the time very stupid woman that has no sensibility whatsoever. Not to mention that she acts like a stalker. And there's not much Naomi Watts can do to save her. With such poor material, all she can do is looking like her. She is charming as usual but that doesn't help either.

The only slightly interesting thing about this film is the love interest, Hasnat Khan. The only thing that could have been interesting about this film since the writers once again didn't really bother writing a decent character. But they did give him some conflict. He is indeed divided between his faith and family and the woman he loves, and Naveen Andrews tries his best to make something out of that. But that's not enough either to redeem this film. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Genres

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Director

Michael Bay

Countries

USA, China

Cast

Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Titus Welliver, Sophia Myles, T.J. Miller, Peter Culler, Mark Ryan, John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, John DiMaggio, Frank Welker

Storyline

Five years after the battle in Chicago, the Autobots are hunted down by retired CIA Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer), and Optimus Prince turns to a mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) for help.

Opinion

I remember being pretty excited when Age of Extinction hit the teachers because of the dinosaurs. So you can imagine my disappointment after watching a two and forty-five minute (too) long film that barely had any robotic dinosaur in it. Three years ago, that was my only complaint. Today, well, that's what bothered me the lesser.

This poor excuse of a film has a very straightforward yet exhaustingly confusing plot that makes no sense whatsoever, it is filled with holes, it is tremendously boring and, to be honest, this is the second time I see this and I'm still not quite sure what's going on and who's the villain.

No, actually that's not true. I know who the villain is. Wrong, I know who the villains are. There's so much of them is hard to keep the score. What's even worst is that in almost 3 hours, the filmmakers weren't able to properly develop any of them. They tried to provide some backstory but they failed miserably.

And can we please talk about the good guys? I would have never thought I'd miss Shia LaBeauf and Sam Witwiki, but then Mark Wahlberg and his mechanic happened, a weak character that's impossible to root for, and that's pretty much the guy Wahlberg always plays with the exception this time he is the father of the hot girl. Which brings me to the next point, the hot girl. An utterly annoying character whose only purpose is to... I bet you can guess that. And the level of racism and sexism showed overall with the characters is beyond ridiculous.

Being offensive isn't the only thing Age of Extinction is good at; it also pretty good at failing as a dumb action flick. The fight scenes are messy and dull. And let's not even talk about the CGI, simply horrendous.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Director

Rich Moore

Country

USA

Voice Cast

John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Joe Lo Truglio, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Adam Carolla, Horatio Sanz, Rich Moore

Storyline

Tired of being the guy everyone hates, video game villain Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) sets out to fulfil his dream to become a hero. But it's not that simple and his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade world. 

Opinion

A dumb movie. That's what I thought Wreck-It Ralph was going to be and that's why I never bothered watching it. But then I read the storyline, which I never do, and it did intrigue me a bit so I gave it a chance. And it was a pretty good surprise.

Although pretty simple and quite predictable, the story is engaging and very enjoyable from start to finish and it does have a few surprising twists and turns that makes it a little bit more interesting. What's really interesting about the film though it's the lesson it teaches. Unlike I thought, it does not show how a villain can become a good guy, but it shows that's the most important thing is being yourself and starting to appreciate you for who you are. Then, and only then, people will respect you. 

It also delivers a beautiful message of friendship with the beautiful relationship between Ralph and Vanellope, a cute and adorable character who is an outcast, just like Ralph. And it did really surprise me how mature she sounded at times. And how developed the characters were overall. And the video game fans will love spotting the characters and references. And the voice cast is also quite impressive.

At last but not least, Wreck-It Ralph is also beautifully animated which does not come as a surprise since it's from the Walt Disney Studios. The animation is indeed amazing, filled with cute and colourful characters and very detailed background. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Genres

Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Directors

Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg

Country

USA

Cast

Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin McNally, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Golshifteh Farahani, Stephen Graham, David Wenham, Martin Klebba, Keira Knightley, Angus Barnett, Giles New, Adam Brown, Danny Kirrane, Delroy Atkinson, Paul McCartney

Storyline

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea.

Opinion

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise started declining in quality since the very beginning with the first sequel and kept on doing just that with the following movies. In spite of that, I still decided to spend my Friday night and money on Dead Men Tell No Tales. Not that the trailer looked particularly appealing to me, I just was excited to see Javier Bardem playing a pirate, some sort of zombie-like, evil pirate - and by the way, he's not even a pirate. Anyway, he was great. The rest of the film? Well, I'm not so sure about it.

The worst thing about this film is its inability to amaze with new things. It's basically the same, old Pirates of the Caribbean movies, with a silly and tremendously predictable plot that bores so much chances are you'll end up like Salazar, a dead man. It is plenty of pointless subplots. Not to mention the plot twists with the old Barbossa. The guy does the same thing in all the movies, he joins one side and then he leaves the sinking ship.

In addition, there's the lack of emotions and that's probably because of the characters. The new characters, specifically Harry Turner, Will Turner's son, and Carina Smith, an astronomer accused of being a witch. They are beyond annoying and they lack that characterization that should get you to know them, and, I'm not saying like them, but at least having a reason to root for them.

The villain doesn't get any better than that. Although Javier Barmer is fantastic as Salazar - he's clearly having a good time - and makes you almost root for him, the character is pretty weak. Also, his backstory feels rushed. Still, his performance (easily) stands out and his scenes are never boring.

That said, Dead Men Tell No Tales still manages to be a little entertaining. In spite of the lame jokes that fall flat most of the time - I have to admit though that some people were laughing a lot -, and the action, good action but not spectacular as I was used to with the franchise, this fifth instalment - and I'm afraid not the final one - manages to entertain.

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Genres

Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Director

Bill Condon

Countries

USA, UK

Cast

Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nathan Mack, Hattie Morahan, Adrian Schiller, Gerard Horan, Haydn Gwynne, Michael Jibson, Ray Fearon, Sophie Reid, Rafaelle Cohen, Carla Nella, Jimmy Johnston, Dean Street, Alexis Loizon

Storyline

As punishment for his actions, a young prince (Dan Stevens) is transformed into a monstrous beast by a mysterious enchantress (Hattie Morahan), and the curse will be lifted only if he learns to love someone and earn their love. What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Belle (Emma Watson). 

Opinion

I've never been that big of a fan of Beauty and the Beast. I think I've seen the original Disney movie only once. That said, I was quite excited for this live-action version because the trailer looked amazing. I'm not quite sure Condon's film was able to live up to my expectations though.

Sure, visually it's very beautiful - CGI is great, so are the sets and costumes, although the Beast isn't very scary - but it lacks something, magic. That magic that should be able to make you feel like you're living the fairytale. A magic I was able to sense in the trailer only. This live-action is indeed dull and emotionless.

The storytelling is all over the place. Like I said above I was not very familiar with the story, and after watching this film, I'm still not. Some parts are dragged, some parts are incredibly rushed and they make the story unengaging and quite unappealing. It's even hard to understand how Belle falls in love with the Beast. It almost looks like the only reason is that he has a big library.

The characters are one-dimensional and underdeveloped but worst of all, they lack emotion and it's almost impossible to feel something for them. Except for Gaston. I think they got the character pretty right because, despite Luke Evan's face, I ended up hating him towards the end of the film. And I'm not even sure how to feel about Lefou. His homosexually is offensively used for comic relief only.

All of that being said, Beauty and the Beast still manages to be a decent musical. A bit entertaining and fun, the numbers and songs are probably the only enchanting thing about the film and they are properly delivered by the cast.

Thursday Movie Picks: Television Edition: Time Travel

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

It's time for another television week. A quite tough one, if I may add. I probably watch too many TV shows but time travel isn't really my thing. I still was able to pick three though. 

11.22.63 (2016)

Based on Stephen King's novel, it follows a high school teacher as he travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. If I have to be honest I didn't care much for the storyline, I only watched it because there's James Franco but I've found myself incredibly hooked on it. Too bad there were only 8 episodes.

Heroes (2006-2010)

People around the US starts to realise they have special abilities. That wouldn't be anything wrong with that if it wasn't for a pshyco that goes around killing these people to gain all the super powers. This isn't really about time travelling, but one of the characters, Hero, can play with time, like he can go back in time. He can also stop time. And cool stuff like that. I've seen only the first two seasons though, I quit after a few episodes of the third. It just wasn't good anymore. 

Legends of Tomorrow (2016- )

A time master goes back in time and assembles a team of heroes and villains to stop a threat that not only is threatening the Earth but the timeline as well. Hands down on the best DC Comics series around these days. Everything is terrible just like the other series, but this one is so fun I can't help but love it. 

A Man and a Woman (1966)

Original Title

Un homme et une femme

Genre

Drama, Romance

Director

Claude Lelouch

Country

France

Cast

Anouk Aimée, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Pierre Barouh, Valérie Lagrange, Antoine Sire, Souad Amidou, Henri Chemin, Yane Barry, Paul Le Person, Simone Paris, Gerard Sire, Gérard Larrousse, Clive Roberts

Storyline

The paths of widower Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and widow Anne (Anouk Aimée) cross when they meet by accident at their children's boarding school. They soon form a friendship that is destined to become a romance haunted by their past tragedies. 

Opinion

I don't like romances and yet there is something about French cinema that just makes me love them. A Man and a Woman is another of those movies. 

A tender, beautiful and charming romantic movie that reminded me a lot of Richard Linklater's movies, specifically the Before trilogy, because it is entirely driven by the dialogue of two characters that are getting to know each other. A dialogue that is both meaningless and meaningful, shallow and deep. This is the reason why A Man and a Woman is so interesting.

Then there is the plot. Or there isn't the plot since it's very simple, very ordinary, it doesn't have any surprise, any suspense. It isn't the typical romance filled with drama or conflict. It is just two people falling in love. There aren't even any real obstacles to their love, but their past dramas. And yet, it manages to be engaging.

And that's on the characters. Beautifully written and developed, the leading characters feel real and very relatable, and yet there's something about them, maybe it's their beauty, that makes them not entirely belivable or real. The great perfomances from Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignat also helped making the characters more intersting as they both portay their characters with tenderness and simplicity and often they don't even need to speak, their glances, facial espressions and body movements are more than enough to express their feelings.

A Man and a Woman also features an outstanding photography that alternates from black-and-white to colour, and a great sentimental score that fits the film to perfection and brings all together. 

Lincoln (2012)

Genres

Biography, Drama, History

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Lee Pace, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong, Bruce McGill, Walton Goggins, David Oyelowo, Dane DeHaan, Elizabeth Marvel, Adam Driver, Colman Domingo

Storyline

As the Civil War enters its fourth year, President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) fights with many inside his own cabinet to abolish slavery.

Opinion

Lincoln is one of those movies that has all it takes to be a boring film, especially to an audience outside the US that doesn't care much for President Lincoln. Which is pretty much the reason I've been putting off the film for the past five years. But I really wanted to see if Daniel Day-Lewis's performance was worth the Oscar. And a Spielberg movie can't really be bad, can it? And thank god it wasn't. Despite its slow pace that makes it a little boring at times, Lincoln turned out to be a pretty solid biopic.

According to a brief research of mine, the film tells a big part of American history that features a big if not the greatest American hero ever in a quite accurate way. I did appreciate the choice to portray a specific part of the life of Lincoln rather than making the typical biography that sees the title character grow up, become president and eventually learn about the events that led to his assassination. No, Lincoln focuses only on the last part of Lincoln's life, his fight to abolish slavery which is the real war in the film. Sure, it all happened during the Civil War, but the really interesting war is the one politicians are having inside a room.

And that's pretty much how you can tell Spielberg is a skilled filmmaker. He took a story everyone knows how would end, and made it incredibly tense, suspenseful and gripping. Sure, it does have some dead moments, but I guess it's normal with a two and a half hour long movie.

Then, of course, there's the reason I watched the movie, Mr Daniel Day-Lewis. He completely disappeared into the character. His mimic, his gestures, it doesn't feel like watching an actor at all but like a real president trying to change the world. However, although he gives pretty much a flawless performance, the movie would be the same without the supporting cast, with a mesmerising Sally Field as Lincoln's wife and a sensational Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens - to be honest, his is my favourite performance in the movie.

The rest of the movie is also well done. The sets, costumes and makeup make Lincoln very beautiful visually, and John Williams's score is a real pleasure to listen to. 

Moon (2009)

Genres

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Director

Duncan Jones

Country

UK

Cast

Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario, Benedict Wong, Matt Berry, Malcolm Stewart, Robin Chalk

Storyline

Near the end of his three-year contract with Lunar Industries to harvest helium-3, the fuel now used on Earth, astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) finds himself a bit nervous and anxious as he finds out that he is not alone like he was supposed to be.

Opinion

I've seen Moon pop up quite a lot in the Thursday Movie Picks posts, so after months and months I finally watched it, and thank god it lived up to the hype. A fantastic and mind-blowing sci-fi drama is what I was expecting and that's exactly what I got.

The sci-fi story Duncan Jones wrote is intriguing, tense and thought-provoking and explores how we feel about a possible future dominated by evil corporations without being preachy nor treating the corporation as the villain. He also uses the lunar setting to explore and dig deep into human identity, with subjects such as alienation, loneliness and isolation. So, yeah, this isn't your typical sci-fi flick.

In addition to a compelling story, Moon also has a great main (and only) character as well. A character that feels incredibly real and relatable thanks to a brilliant performance from Sam Rockwell who is completely convincing as the confused astronaut. And the way he transitions from angry and insane to desperate and powerless, simply amazing.

In spite of barely having any special effect and the complete lack of action/spectacular battle scenes, Moon still qualifies as a brilliant, involving sci-fi movie that will stick with you for a while and will make for a great cinematic experience.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

Genres

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Director

Michael Bay

Country

USA

Cast

Shia LaBeauf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Demsey, Kevin Dunn, Julie White, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Keiko Agena, Lester Speight, Josh Kelly, Alan Tudyk, Ken Jeong, Glenn Morshower, Buzz Aldrin, Bill O'Reilly, Elys Baskin, Andy Daly, Mindy Sterling

Storyline

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeauf) is yet again trying to start a new, normal life. Unfortunately, the Autobots and their human allies discover a lost piece of Cybertronian technology, and Sam discovers a conspiracy by the Decepticons who plot to use it for their own evil purposes.

Opinion

Just because you don't believe it can happen, it doesn't mean it won't happen. That's what I like to tell myself after watching a movie like Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Because I thought the series hit the bottom with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen but Michael Bay just had to prove me wrong.

Everything is terrible in this one, starting from the script. It easily qualifies as one of the worst script ever. I mean, the story isn't just plain stupid but it's complicated as well. Because apparently, the writers weren't up to write a story that was both stupid and simple. They tried to do what Nolan did with Inception, and you don't do Inception unless you are a filmmaker/writer worth of being called so. Also, if you are trying to write a smart story, you should probably avoid all those plot holes that make it look like Swiss cheese.

The terrible writing also expands to the characters. From Autobots to humans, there has to be somehting like a million of characters, one more stupid than the other, one more meaningless than the other. Starting from Sam Witwicky's new girlfriend, "played" by a dreadfully Rosi Huntington-Whiteley whose presence is almost unbearable to Patrick Dempsey's pathetic human villain. Because Decepticons weren't enough, the film needed more villains. Not to mention the other pointless characters that completely wasted talented actors such as Frances McDormand and John Malkovich.

The dialogue doesn't get any better. It is simply pathetic. Just like the jokes, they are so not funny and fall flatter than a crêpe. Food aside, any attempt at humour is painful to watch.

What's even worse though is that Transformers: Dark of the Moon isn't even the stupid action-packed blockbuster I was getting used to with this franchise. The action is terrible as well. There are just too many explosions, too many scenes that try too hard to be special or memorable. And the special effects, well, they weren't that bad six years ago in a theater in 3D but now, on a small screen in 2D, there's really nothing great about them.

Storks (2016)

Genres

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

Directors

Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Anton Starkman, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Stephen Kramer Glickman, Danny Trejo, Chris Smith, Awkwafina

Storyline

Storks deliver babies...or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for a global corporation. But when stork Junior (Andy Samberg) accidentally creates a baby, he must fix the error by delivering the baby.

Opinion

This movie was not on my watchlist. Also, I was expecting a truly awful film. That said, I still decided to give a try because I'm an animation junkie, and I'm glad I did because it was quite a surprise. It may not be the best animated flick of the (past) year, but it still is a funny and entertaining family film.

That said, let's start with the first flaw, the story. It is paper-thin and feels forced, not to mention how little sense it makes. The setup is also a bit too complicated for a kid movie. The good thing about the silly story is that it explains to kids in a very imaginative/unrealistic yet nice way the decline in births in latest years, the reason being people picking objects over babies. Now, whether this does or doesn't suit little kids, it's up to you to say.

The characters really make the difference here. The film starts off pretty slowly and isn't very exciting but as soon as the character of Tulip, a goofy and silly young woman, is introduced, the film gets better. It's simply because the character is amazing and incredibly funny. And her chemistry with Junior, the stork, is beautiful.

The animation is also very cute and colourful. Everything looks beautiful, from the settings to the facial expressions of the characters. Especially the baby who is super cute and adorable, and that's a lot coming from someone who doesn't like kids. 

Pay It Forward (2000)

Genre

Drama

Director

Mimi Leder

Country

USA

Cast

Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, Jay Mohr, James Caviezel, Angie Dickinson, Jon Bon Jovi, Marc Donato, David Ramsey, Gary Werntz, Kathleen Wilhoite

Storyline

Grown up with an alcoholic mother (Helen Hunt) and an abusive but absent father (Jon Bon Jovi), young Trevor McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) attempts to make the world a better place after an assignment from his new social studies his teacher (Kevin Spacey).

Opinion

September 2015. Pay It Forward is on tv and although it's on my watchlist because of Kevin Spacey I don't bother watching it. I tape it instead. And forget about it. May 2017. I find the VHS having no idea what's in it. And what's the better way to find out? Watch it, of course. And so I did, and I was completely drawn into the movie because, in spite of its flaws, Pay It Forward is a very well done and inspiring movie.

And most of the credits go to the writing - and to the author of the book, I guess. Although at some points it gets a little unlikely, some of the turns it takes and some of the dialogue feel a bit forced as they are used only to keep the movie go forward but they don't really add a thing, the story is well written, it flows incredibly smoothly and it's also moving and touching without being too sentimental.

The message this film sends is amazing. With a pyramid that reminded me of the get rich schemes some people promote, this film makes you think about the meaning of life. It shows how easy it can be to make the world a better place. How inexpensive. But it also shows the unfairness of life, how some people actually try to make a difference but they eventually pay with their lives for it.

The characters are another of the film's strengths. Not only they are so well written and developed you start to feel what they are feeling and care for them, but they are also well portrayed. Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt are great, but Haley Joel Osment really steals the show with a truly emotional performance. 

Get Out (2017)

Genres

Horror, Mystery

Director

Jordan Peele

Country

USA

Cast

Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Lil Rel Howery, Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson, LaKeith Stanfield, Stephen Root, Erika Alexander, Zailand Adams

Storyline

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) go upstate to visit her parent's for the weekend. It starts just fine but as the weekend progresses, it turns into a disturbing nightmare.

Opinion

For the past few months, I've been reading reviews praising Get Out which only made me want to see the film even more and had me expecting a great horror movie. I left the theatre happy but disappointed, because, while it was a suspenseful and creepy film, it really didn't work as a horror for me because it wasn't scary. But, like I said, it was a pretty good thriller.

And the good starts from the solid script. A script that features a simple yet engaging story that doesn't have any mind-blowing plot twist but whose plot points are very well structured, and will keep guessing what's going to happen next as director Jordan Peele skillfully builds tension and suspense.

The characters could have been a little deeper and better developed, but they aren't that bad for the genre. In spite of that, Daniel Kaluuya manages to shine as the leading character, Chris, with a performance that captures the horror and shock felt by the character as well as a wide range of emotions in a very genuine way.

However, what I liked the most about Get Out is the fact that it talks about racism and it does a pretty good job. This is the kind of movie that really makes you reflect on how African Americans are still treated in certain parts of the United States. Sure, Peele used a pretty unrealistic theme, but it works.

The Assassin (2015)

Original Title

刺客聶隱娘 Cìkè Niè Yǐnniáng

Genres

Action, Drama

Director

Hou Hsiao-hsien

Counties

Taiwan, China, Hong Kong

Cast

Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zouu Yun, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Ethan Juan, Hsieh Hsin-Ying, Ni Dahong, Yong Mei, Fang-Yi Sheu, Lei Zhenyu, Jacques Picoux

Storyline

In the 8th century China, a female assassin (Shu Qi) is tasked with the dangerous mission to kill the leader (Chang Chen) of the largest independent military region in North China.

Opinion

If you are a regular reader of mine, you know that I don't have problems enjoying slow movies. That said, that's one of the problems I had with The Assassin because the pace is so slow it came across as a boring film.

And that did really bother me because unlike other slow and boring movies, Hou's actually had a story to tell. A story with a lot of potential. It could have been intriguing, engaging and it could have had some genuine drama. Instead, it was dragged and almost impossible to follow because of all those jumps. It could have been - and should have been - about people, but it actually was about politics, and the film just didn't provide enough (Chinese) background to understand it.

Now from a movie called The Assassin, one would expect plenty of action, right? Well, that was not my case, and it wasn't the film's either. And it wouldn't have bothered me if the emptiness caused by the lack of action was somehow compensated with dialogue. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. There barely is any dialogue, and nothing memorable comes out of the characters' mouth.

I have to admit though, that in spite of its slowness that gives the feeling this films goes on forever and the poor writing, this film is visually spectacular. On this aspect, from the sets to the scenery to the colours to the cinematography, this film is breathtaking. Too bad you can't make a good film out of that only.

Thursday Movie Picks: The Renaissance

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

It's Renaissance week aka that period going from the 14th (1301) to 17th (1700) century aka the week that drove me insane because I couldn't think of any film that fit the theme - it does have to be set in Europe, right? Anyway, I'm sure there are a lot of great ones, like those Elizabeth movies with Cate Blanchett I'm yet to see, I just picked the first three movies that came to my mind and that I could remember how I felt about. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Gipsy dancer Esmeralda has to assert her independence in order to help and save his deformed bell-ringer friend Quasimodo from the evil Minister of Justice Frollo. I think this is one of the darkest/more dramatic Disney films, but it has been one of my favourites since I was a kid and I still love it.

Your Highness (2011)

When his bride is kidnapped, Prince Fabious goes on a quest to rescue her accompanied by his lazy and useless brother Thadeous. I only watched this because of James Franco and Natalie Portman but if I knew what I was getting myself into, I wouldn't have done it. It is just a dumb movie, not really funny and definitely not entertaining. 

Assassin's Creed (2016)

With the hep of a machine, Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar, discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society and amasses knowledge and skills to take on the Templar organization in the present day. This film was a huge disappointment, but it wasn't terrible. The filmmakers just decided to focus on the wrong story, they preferred present day over the past which was a real shame. 

The Tree of Life (2011)

Genres

Drama, Fantasy

Director

Terrence Malick

Country

USA

Cast

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Finnegan Williams, Michael Koeth, Laramie Eppler, John Howell, Tye Sheridan, Kari Matchett, Joanna Going, Michael Showers, Kimberly Whalen, Jackson Hurst, Fiona Shaw, Crystal Mantecon, Tamara Jolaine, Dustin Allen

Storyline

It follows middle-aged Jack O'Brien (Sean Penn) as he recalls his life as a young boy, particularly his demanding and overly strict father (Brad Pitt).

Opinion

Will I ever be fully satisfied with a Terrence Malick film? The answer is pretty simple, no, it will never happen. I guess I just fail to understand his cinema because The Tree of Life was pretty much just another of his boring yet visually stunning films.

Once again Terrence Malick tries to tell a story without actually telling a story since this film basically has no plot - I'm not even sure if what I just wrote makes any sense. Anyway, it's just a series of sequences most of which are incredibly tedious and made quite annoying by the voice overs he loves so much. I have to admit though, that at some point when the film is finally focused on the love-hate relationship between father and son the film actually gets interesting and engaging.

Through that relationship, Malick tries to explore the meaning of life, he talks about evolution and spirituality, and questions the existence and benevolence of God. But like I said before, he does that in a very boring way, and with some sequences that are completely pointless and feel irrelevant to the meaning of the film. I'm talking about all that prehistoric thing.

Another problem I had with The Tree of Life was the difficulty, inability almost, to connect with the characters or care for them. I felt that especially with Sean Penn's character, a depressed and lost man who just seems detached from his younger self, like he doesn't care, so I ended up not giving a damn as well. But it's not Penn's fault, Malick is the one to be blamed.

Like I mentioned earlier, there's something that really amazed me about this film, the visuals. Mostly because of the astonishing cinematography by Lubezki, this is one of those films that are very beautiful to look at, and that has some very memorable scenes, like the flock of birds flying effortlessly.

Cabaret (1972)

Genres

Drama, Musical

Director

Bob Fosse

Country

USA

Cast

Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey, Fritz Wepper, Marisa Berenson, Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel, Helen Vita, Sigrid von Richthofen, Gerd Vespermann, Ralf Wolter, Georg Hartmann, Ricky Renee, Oliver Collignon, Kathryn Doby, Inge Jaeger, Angelika Koch, Helen Velkovrska, Gitta Schmidt, Louise Quick

Storyline

In 1930's Berlin, meanwhile the Nazism is rising, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with English professor Brian Roberts (Michael York) and the German Baron Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem).

Opinion

Like I said many, and many times in the past, musicals are my thing, but Cabaret is such a classic I felt the need to watch it anything. And I'm glad I did because it isn't just a musical, but a deep drama that also works as a comedy and historical film.

Based on Christopher Isherwood's A Goodbye to Berlin, the story is very simple yet incredibly complicated which is what make it so interesting. Also, the fact that it beautifully blends a personal story with a historical storyline.

It's incredible how the film manages to deliver a compelling love story/love triangle, and at the same time being about the rise of the Nazi party in Germany, with songs both moving the plot forward and making a strong commentary on the (rotting) world outside the cabaret and also about the need to be/feel normal. 

This film also features some very funny moments and a lot of witty dialogue. Not to mention the very well written and developed characters that are brought to life by a tremendous cast among which Liza Minnelli and Michael York stand out for really making you care about their characters. The rest of the cast also deserves to be praised for giving dimension to characters that could have easily been one-dimensional. 

Since it's still a musical, songs really play an important role in it, and they work perfect as they are brilliant and catchy, wonderfully performed, and they are combined with some beautiful colours, setting and cinematography.