Monday, August 20, 2012

Samsara as the encyclopedia explains: is the meaning of continuous flow, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This is the name of the film under the same name by the same team behind Baraka and Chronos. After 20 years Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson reunited to tell another story, only without words. Besides Baraka, you can't compare both of them and try make a point, there are two different films, with different pace and style. Samsara try to explain human cycle as its best. Technology influence the wheel of life, it move us, from the creation, use and expiration date we can see how a useful object can be dangerous as waste. The force continuity animal cycle as the wheel turn to a chicken or a cow, that been forced to mass produce to feed the world. All this is happening while we still admire our world growing, changing, but also falling apart.

Divided by war, natural tragedies and religion. We coexist in a planet where all think different and we still connected by a constant cycle that bring together and separated later. The film is beautiful, the images captured are gorgeous and the music composed is a true gem.



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Love in post-modern times

After Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, the way of making romantic films change dramatically. Now the story of a boy who meets a girl, is a matter of fantasy, complicated situation that could be a dream or reality, challenges in modern societies look for the essence of simple things such as girls with unusual or non trendy names, boys with peculiar jobs and cities where you never think that a love story could happen.

I can name Beginners, Submarine, 500 Days of Summer and even Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris match to new way of seen the search of love. Travel there time, erasing a relationship from your brain, dancing with animals and writing a book abbot your possible love interest.

That's the plot of Ruby Sparks. Paul Dano, plays a famous writer who is facing a writers block, he find a way of write about this girl from his dreams, then she become a real person, who can be controlled and manipulate just with simple writing. This love story represents to me a great metaphor of love, you meet someone and you get drown into the situation, facing so many confusions and doubts, is like discover one day that your dream girls appears out of nowhere after you write about her is a revelation. Is facing true vs fantasy and how love can be something unexpected not a matter of manipulation, is act of improvisations and experience, when you force something never succeed.

The team behind Little Miss Sunshine, make a good movie out of Ruby Sparks, nice soundtrack and great assemble cast.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Killer Joe is a black comedy, well that's what most of important movie websites label this movie, but with touch of a criminal thriller.
Willam Friedkin director of "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection" directs a great ensemble cast. Matthew McConaugey star as Joe a Dallas police detective who also have a side job as a hit man. Emilie Hirsh, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon are the components of a very particular family who bring Joe to eliminate a family member in order to cash the insurance and pay some dangerous debts.

Friedkin presents this story with very mysterious passages of the city of Dallas, the scum in the streets that only cares about who fail and how to enjoy while it happen.

McConaugey delivers one of his best performance, this actor is becoming better and better.

The film is surprising del done, well edited, with such a nice pace and with an amazing touch of film noir. But keep in mind that the film contain some sadistic and very violent scenes , a couple of unexpetected nudity and sexual situations, totally justified for this film. Probably that's why received a NC-17