The Constant Gardener

The Constant Gardener tells the story of Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a British diplomat in love with nature, especially plants. Justin is a man somewhat introverted but complacent, who, despite believing in his ideals, does almost nothing to rebel against his  monotonous and hypocritical working life.

Moneyball

Aaron Sorkin's scripts tend to be synonymous of quality and indisputable sharpness and we have examples of it both on television, with the acclaimed "The West Wing of the White House”, and in the magnificent film script he wrote for “The Social Network”. In “Moneyball”, he co-wrote the script in collaboration with Steven Zailian (adapting it from the book by Michael Lewis by the same title). He leads us into the world of professional baseball through a character who lived beyond the sport, without caring about the economic impact that it could have on him and who believed in the possibility of using other methods to make a good team without spending millions in order to succeed.

Take Shelter

"Take Shelter" is a film of a bizarre beauty. One of the most touching recent dramas, one of the most shocking thrillers, and if you can appreciate it, a bottomless pit of references, metaphors, subtleties.

Because "Take Shelter" is one of those films that creates fascination, whose final scenes connect with the first ones, scenes that can generate in the viewer vivid dreams and visions on an endless loop. It is also a “world movie”, with an impeccable visual consistency, capable of building a powerful imaginarium.

Casablanca

1942-2012: 70 years are more than enough for something to become a legend, especially if that something is Casablanca. It is without a doubt one of those few movies where you can legitimately make a face if someone tells you they have not seen it. Everyone saw it, everyone knows it, everybody likes it. I am no exception.

Toy Story

The first Toy Story movie was produced by Pixar and distributed by Disney in 1995. The second chapter was supposed to be a home video from the start; but the success of the first film pushed the decision of releasing it in the theaters instead, in 1999. Over 10 years later, in 2010, Andy is a grown up and so are the kids who were watching Buzz and Woody for the first time in the 90s.

In Time

A science fiction story, but a quite innovative and analytical one. You could say it is a way of seeing our lives in which our time is not just stuck in our hands. On the other hand, this film could be related to the phrase "money buys everything". I understand its difficulty in attracting an audience, because  even bigger movies like Inception had the same risk. However, I think that in this case the main scepticism may come from the presence of Justin Timberlake and the unknown director Andrew Niccol.

Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin)

"Battleship Potemkin" is a movie partially based on real events that occurred in the port of Odessa (Russia) during the week following to June 26, 1905.

The sailors of the "Battleship Potemkin" have had enough of abuse and, when they try to force them to eat rotting meat, they decide to revolt. Full of expressive images, almost like a photo album, "Battleship Potemkin" represents the magnification of the figure of the masses and of the collective cause.

The Thing

The prequel to John Carpenter's "The Thing", from 1982, turns out to be a good complement to the franchise and to the whole "Alien" inspired movies genre. It is unfortunate that it has not acquired the required attention for producing a whole future trilogy, which is, I can tell,  the dream of some followers.

Submarino

"Submarine" is the story of two brothers without resources, chased by a tragic past. Nick, a traumatized ex-convict, fights against his painful memories and loneliness while trying to reconnect with his younger brother, a single father and heroin addict.

Movies and Food

"Bring some chocolate with you". That is the suggestion that a friend of mine received from another friend when we went to the movies to see "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in 2005. My friend followed the advice and I probably should have had too: the movie has chocolate everywhere and, not very subliminally, at one point you want it too...badly. 

Drive

I cannot help comparing this film to the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This is especially because they use dark tones in the background, while the color white predominates in the costumes of the protagonist and the title is in contrast with the color pink. So you may say this is new in the world of cinema, but someone who has played one game in the series will find it somehow familiar, like a copy or, better, a film inspired by the game.

Project X

Immediately after watching "Project X", if asked to define it, we would say that it is a combination of "Superbad" and "The Hangover"; a definition that not only does not seem to be opposed by its producers, but that they even seem to like.

New York, New York

The big apple, the city that never sleeps, the capital of the world: New York. I have never even been there, but I know what it looks like, I know where to go shopping, I know where the coolest places to go out are, where to not go if you want to stay alive, how much it would cost to leave on Central Park East, how to get from Jersey to The City...how is that even possible? Books, music, cinema and TV have been celebrating this city for ages, just like long dead poets used to chant about ancient Rome.

Antichrist

We start with a really beautiful and detailed epilogue, a brilliant photography and shots accompanied by classical music to contrast the harsh sequences to follow, glorifying the mixture of black and white and colored shots.

The Grey

"The Grey" tells us the story of a group of workers at an oil company in Alaska. When the plane that was transporting them crashes in the snow, they try to survive the inhospitable cold and particularly a pack of wolves.

The premise of this film does not sound very exciting. But the dialogues, performances and especially the technical execution make it one of the best films I've seen so far this year.

Breaking Bad: just a very long movie

Movies are movies and TV shows are TV shows: thank you very much. The funny thing is that sometimes TV shows are as good as movies because they are  able to overcome the usual flaws that they have (dilution, lack of intensity, repetition) and all that remains are the good things (like the depth and detail of narration).

Schindler's List

It was 1971 when there was a big change in the life of Steven Spielberg. Due to the movie "Duel", filmed for television, Spielberg showed the ease with which he could maintain the viewer's attention and made ​​himself known as a leading man when it comes to science fiction themes. Four years later he released "Jaws", movie that opened him the doors of Hollywood, placing him away from the rest of the average directors and showing some vestiges of what would become his future works. The ease in which he handled the adventure genre led him to produce works that turned into  blockbusters, such as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "ET" and the trilogy  of "Indiana Jones".

Chronicle

To ask yourself "what would you do?" Is probably not the best you can do because, to be honest as we should be,  having an extra gift, extra to the ones that we already have, many human beings on this planet would go after someone for revenge or try to find a way to benefit from this new gift. The success of a film like “Chronicle” relies on the power to talk about common things but in the language of a fantastic film.

Three boys with different, contrasting personalities  get together when involuntarily they acquire the ability to master telekinesis. This turns them into something less than invincible, as if during adolescence you realize you can achieve your own ideas and  feel a sense that you can succeed at everything that we do.

Melancholia

The wonderful end of the world by Lars VonTrier.

 

With some extremely beautiful moments and really aesthetically accomplished sequences, the director Lars von Trier made a film, a portrait, about depression, about human psychology at the end of the world. Two significant performances, by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, are keys in order to accomplish this.

A planet called Melancholia is approaching the Earth and threatening to destroy it. In a beautiful location, Justine held her wedding with her sister and family. The party suffered many delays and Justine does not hide her unhappiness with her actions.

The Tree of Life

Incredible sensorial journey by Malick, featuring the most ambitious film of his brief, intimate and intense career, an invitation to let yourself go with every connection that everybody has with its environment and the universe. Amazing.