Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Genre

Drama | Thriller

Director

Sean Durkin

Country

USA

Cast

Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet, Christopher Abbott, Michael Chmiel, Maria Dizzia, Julia Garner, Louisa Krause

Storyline

After running away from an abusive cult, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) is haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia.

Opinion

Last year I kept on hearing so many good things about this film I finally decided to give it a try. It was definitely worth it.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" is a quite tense and intense psychological thriller with a very strong central performance from Elizabeth Olsen.

One of the film's biggest strengths is the story. While many may find it confusing as it blends the present with flashbacks from the past, I found it highly engaging and not confusing at all. It just requires you to watch the film carefully. Actually I think these parallel narratives work very well in this film because they deliver the story as the main character experiences it, which makes it definetly more disturbing. 

Anyway, what I did enjoy the most about it is that it isn't just a story about a cult aiming to show how destructive cults are, but it successfully shows how hard it can be to go back to normality once you've been living in an entire different world.

Through its main character, the film also explores the human fragility and vulnerability, as well as a sense of confusion and growing paranoia. And Elizabeth Olsen deserves most of the credits for that. She gives a fantastic performance both as Martha, a character who has forgotten what normal means, and as Marcy May, a character that has been taught to ignore the meaning of normal (yes, they are the same person). The supporting cast also does a good job, especially Sarah Paulson as Martha's sister.

This unsettling film also features a cinematography that manages to be incredibly distant at times, and way too close, almost uncomfortable, others.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Director

Tim Burton

Country

USA

Cast

Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Ella Purnell, Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Terence Stamp, Rupert Everett, Allison Janney, Chris O'Dowd, Kim Dickens, Finlay MacMillan, Lauren McCrostie

Storyline

When Jacob (Asa Butterfield) discovers clues to a mystery that stretches across time, he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. But the danger deepens after he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers.

Opinion

Once upon a time, there was a man, his name was Tim Burton, he was a skilful storyteller and used to deliver wonderful films. Then something terribly awful happened, and poor Tim hasn't been able to amaze ever since. In other words, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is just another disappointing film wrapped with beautiful visuals.

I haven't read Ransom Riggs's novel so I can't say how faithful the film is, but I'm pretty sure the novel does have a plot, something this film doesn't have. There's indeed nothing peculiar about that thing slightly resembling a story. It is very poor and weak, it doesn't flow well, and honestly, I didn't even get it. Unless I watched a remake of X-Men, in that case I got it pretty well. It does make for a very boring film though.

I wish that was the only problem. The characters are terrible on all fronts. They are not developed, their relationships are underdeveloped - especially that between the main character and one of the peculiar children -, and the cast seems to do their best to suck. The acting is so poor, especially from Eva Green, these talented actors should be ashamed of themselves.

As if that wasn't enough, the film also features dreadful and very cheesy dialogue, and because of its cast is has no emotion or suspense whatsoever.

If it wasn't for the beautiful visuals, I would never say Tim Burton made this film. The special effects are great, so are the settings, but unfortunately, visuals alone don't make a film.

Thursday Movie Picks: Legal Thrillers

Happy New Year folks! Today is 2017's first Thursday which only means I'm back with another Thursday Movie Picks post. If you are new and you have no idea what I'm talking about, this is a weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves where you share three movies to fit the theme of the week each Thursday.

Opening this year is legal thrillers, and I'm very excited about it because it's one of my favourite genres. I've been a fan of the genre since I can remember. I also wanted to become a lawyer when I was a kid. Being a princess just wasn't for me. Anyway, there are too many films that fits this theme so I wasn't able to pick them all. And since I had to pick only three, I went with crime related films.Without further ado, here's my picks

Fracture (2007)

Ted Crawford shoots his wife, confesses to the police but then pleads not guilty and opts to defend himself in court, and it's up to young DA Willy Beachum to put Crawford behind bars. But it's not that easy. I've seen this movie a while ago and by that I mean a lot of years ago, so I don't remember much. But I remember it kept me glue to the screen until the very end.

Primal Fear (1996) 

An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest mainly because he was running away from the scene of the murder, and a cocky, high-powered attorney takes on the case that eventually turns out to be way more complex than it looked in the first place. This is one of my favourite legal thrillers. Like above, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, it does have a great final twist, and Edward Norton is simply spectacular.

A Time to Kill (1996)

In Mississippi, a young, white attorney takes on the case of a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter. I don't know why but I feel like this film is very underrated. The plot is good, suspenseful and well-executed. And it makes an important social commentary on racism. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Original Title

Män som hatar kvinnor

Genre

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Director

Niels Arden Oplev

Country

Sweden

Cast

Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube, Peter Haber, Peter Andersson, Marika Lagercrantz, Ingvar Hirdwall, Björn Granath, Ewa Fröling, Michalis Koutsogiannakis, Annika Hallin, Tomas Köhler, Gunnel Lindblom, Gösta Bredefeldt, Stefan Sauk, Jacob Ericksson, Sofia Ledarp

Storyline

After being sentenced to three months in prison for slendering a corrupt entrepreneur (Stefan Sauk), journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is hired by a wealthy industrialist (Sven-Bertil Taube) to find out who murdered his nice who disappeared 40 years earlier.

Opinion

Disappointment. That is what I usually experience after watching a film adapted from a book/novel I loved. And the more I love a book, the bigger the disappointment is. So since I loved Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, I was expecting to be let down. Instead I was utterly shocked. Why? Because this version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" has to be one of the best adaptation ever made. But it's not just a great adaptation to a book I loved, it's also a captivating, absorbing thriller.

As I mentioned above, the film is very faithful to the book, and thank to its almost three hour length it manages to go deep and in detail, and its brilliant storytelling will keep you glue to the screen and entertained from start to finish, even though, like me, you have read the book. Or if you have seen the American movie starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. However, there are some subplots that are left out - like Mikael's passion for women - but after all those plots are not that important, and it allows the film to focus on the main plot even more. But I do believe they brought up all the evil too soon.

As gripping and thrilling the story is, what I liked the most about Larsson's book is the characters, and I can't believe how well they are delivered by the film. There's good character development, and a great insight into the characters, especially Lisbeth, is given. You will definetly enjoy the characters on screen.

And this brings me to the casting. First, every single character looks just like I pictured them. Second, the actors all portray their characters in the right way. Especially the two leads, Michael Nyqvist who does a really good job in the role of Mikael Blomkvist - you will immediately sympathize with him - and Noomi Rapace who overshadows by miles Nyqvist delivering an outstanding performance as Lisbeth Salander.

At last but not least, the film also features a beautiful cinematography, stunning locations and a musical score that fits the story and adds tension.