Thursday, June 21, 2012

Love triangles in films are a very rich and entertaining piece of writing. Specially for a indie film like "Your Sister,Sister" is not an exception. Lynn Shelton, responsible of films like "Humpday", "We go Way Back" and "My Effortless Brilliance" bring this very unique and touching story about a guy, and two half sisters.

The story takes place in the Washington state, with marvelous views, which is the perfect scenario for the sorrow of brothers passing and also the break up of a 7 year lesbian relationship. With all this in mind we have Jack, who is struggling after one year of his brother passing. Her friend Iris, Jack best friend, who suggest him to stay in her parents cabin in Pacific Northwest. Once there he run into Hannah, Iris half sister, who is reeling after an abrupt a 7 year break up. After a night of drinks will lead into this love triangle with nothing that great performances for all of the cast. I smell some Spirit Awards nominations.

Emily Blunt and Romarie DeWitt are the perfect cast for this story and Mark Duplas is superb.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pleasure still a great mystery for human race, but trying to please a woman is another story. In the late 1800's for the economic and social revolution woman left behind to do the normal task in household, but I say left behind because they never asked about what they want. In fact their crisis and conflicts were consider tabu and also mental illness.

Hysteria is the british film that explore the story of medical practitioners who have the difficult task to massage genital are of all the women's how suffer from this apparent "disease" The film treat the story as a comedy introducing characters and stablished the social context. Man are the head of the household, they are successful and are the one who have big titles. Women are in charge of the kitchen and other household task.

The film have such a great characters like Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays the daughter of Dr Dalrymple played by Jonathan Pryce. This woman fight for the right of the poor and also the right for women to vote, go to college and also is one of the fewest american actress who know how to make proper british accent.

Another great characters are Hugh Dancy who plays Dr Mortimer Granville and Rupert Everett who plays Lord Edmund St John Smythe together they invent the first woman vibrator in the world and device that turns into the females biggest dream and responsible to help to cure Hysteria.

The movie Hysteria is a entertaining film with some historical facts and funny moments

In movies when young people face a crisis usually embarks into a adventurous trip that usually take them to a typical road trip, but when a British old person faces crisis goes to India and stay in a crappie hotel that is falling apart. That's in essence the plot of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. The film starred by a amazing assemble cast: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson to name a few.

What all this characters have in common is the search of the unknown and look meaning the rests of their life of what left of it. The Marigold Hotel is a property that was partially inherits by Sonny (De Patel) the younger son of a family who originally own the hotel, but after the death of Sonny's dad the family decide to move one with another business.

Sonny want to badly to bring back the hotel, so he embarks into tricky idea of provide a retirement property for the elderly of United Kingdom, and he succeed, but thanks to the ignorance of the main characters to travel there thinking that this paradise, but is not…

The best phrase that described the states of most of the characters is say by Sonny:
Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not the end.

In fact this is quote is what define the movie, is a fresh film that not succeed, because we don't know when is right. The film is entertaining and funny and some of the characters are charming, especially Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and the best is Bill Nighy.

Honestly that is not a dense story that needs to be pure drama, is just a story that you enjoy from start to finish.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

The creation of time is always been a true mystery in science fiction. For filmmakers the connection of extraterrestrial creatures who land on earth and create mythological structures is the foundation is a crucial element in the film plots. This is not exception for Ridley Scott and his film "Prometheus". Finally Scott decide to come back to one of the genres that make him a important director, of course using the world that surround his one of biggest creation"Alien".

Prometheus bring a couple in a near 2089 who end the missing link of humans and extra terrestrials, based on archeological discoveries. One of them played by Noomi Rapace. After convince Peter Weyland played by Guy Pierce as the famous millionaire who owns the famous corporation, that is the big nightmare for Lt Ripley in the Alien trilogy, a company who only care about the alien and the power of this enemy instead of care of the threat of this creature. So finally the expedition sail to explore and find some traces of life thanks to this star map that the archeologist discovered.

The story presents characters like other Alien films, as scientist, corporate dummies, mercenaries and dreamers who are there for a reason. Unfortunately after discover so many elements on the planet and a very familiar spaceship seen on the first Alien film, a chain of events, such as attacks, strange substances and not so well known creatures. Every character started been shaped into the same tragic events and struggles like the Alien trilogy.

Prometheus offer a interesting characters that are so similar one to the other in a way that we saw before. Riple vs Meredith Vickers played by Charlize Theron. Weyland vs Carter Burke payed by Paul Reisser. Besides all this comparisons David the android played by Michael Fassbender, is not similar to Ash or Bishop, this character in some way remind us a replicant from Blade Runner, more intuitive, less machine, less pity, more interested in been useful to the Weyland Corporation.

If we look closely to the story we can find other Alien film similarities and connections, music, editing and even shots, but at the end presents a theirs about the beginning of the human race and the origin of one of the most compelling sci fi trilogy of all. Prometheus is full of details and needs a critic eye to discovered.

Thursday, June 7, 2012


Moonrise Kingdom is perhaps one of the more mature films by Wes Anderson. Besides talking about such an innocent subject, the films depicts the style of isometric shots, particular and attractive art direction and cinematography and very interesting characters.
Wes Anderson always bring people that is emotionally disturbed, mostly for difficult relationship with parents and role models such as teachers or guidance. Like in Life Aquatic, Darjeeling and Royal Tenenbaums, the search to get the family together and fix the missing link is present in Moonrise Kingdom, perhaps in this movie the discovery of a partner and the metaphor of risk among adversity to succeed is the most important ingredient. These kids are not escaping to find each other, because they want to escapes from an adult world that is broken.
Moonrise Kingdom is magical with kids situations, so mature that give us a lessons, about what real love is, devotion, fidelity and aspirations. Like always Wes Anderson bring a terrific cast and wonderful soundtrack.

Monday, June 4, 2012

"Pragmatique/Pragmatic"

The Intouchables is a french comedy about the relationship of a french handicap wealthy millionaire and Senegalese ex con caretaker. The film explore racism, wealth and love. Besides the popular reception in Europe the film it's been praised by the audience in America but not so loved for the critics.

My personal impression is the movie was good and touching, and any case long, this is one of this movies that I will enjoyed it was two and half hours of situations. The performances are powerful, the actors teach you a lesson of human spirit and hope. There is nothing that a human cannot experience if you don't try.

Besides the terrible comparisons or similarities with films like The Diving Bell and The Butterfly and other films about handicap the movie try to express with joy and fun the life of two different characters that connect just with one single word in the film "Pragmatique/Pragmatic".

The soundtrack is marvelous and create an environment for both scenarios, sometimes bring ambivalence to the Paris getho using Vivaldi to Earth Wind and Fire to a wealthy mansion on a elegant Parisian neighborhood .

When you choose to see a movie like this one, you have the missed conception that you are about to see a comedy film about Jack Black, been Jack Black, probably because there is not a lot of you can expect from him, besides been hyper, ironic, create an atmosphere of total craziness. Perhaps you are wrong. Bernie is a real story about an assistant funeral director, been loved by the ladies in that small town in Texas.

The film is a dark comedy about a murder, about a the town of Cathage, and a old widow Marjorie Nugnet. The movie explores feelings and the debate of how a person can be forced to kill another person, the motives and lastly how someone so nice and naive can be love by this town Cathage, Texas besides been a killer. One of the most impressive and funny performance is Matthew McConaughey

The collaboration of Linklater and Black can't be compared between Bernie and School of Rock, there are two different movies with different subjects, but perhaps the films presents two charters who look to be appreciated and do what they do best and what they love.