Monday, February 10, 2014

A choir sing in a italian square while a bunch of Japanese tourist listen an italian tourist guy, one of the tourist split from the group to snap some panoramic pictures of the city, suddenly he is dead… The life start in the afternoon for everyone

The Great Beauty start with a wild party on the rooftop of luxury apartment in Rome. You can identify the main character of this story, the selfish people with unreciprocated love, the heavy drinker with nothing left to live, midgets, dominatrix and horny fellows. The last person to reveal is the singular guy smoking and seems to having a blast on this party, this i Jep.

Jep is a writer, Jep is a playboy, Jep is the happiest guy in Italy. The Great Beauty tells the story of Jep Gambardella a well known writer with a single successful book, lives "La Dolce Vita" in this wonderful and amazing apartment with a terrace to the Coliseum, he lives the live to the fullest, with crazy parties with friends who share a common interest in writing and theater. But there empty, from the inside.

Jep search for love, real one, he spent hours by looking at the ceiling picturing the ocean, the sea that saw him grew and saw him been in love and passionated about things, but specially Elissa his lost love.

That's What triggers Jep emotions. He relived the first kiss, his first sexual encounter and how his life is been dedicated to enjoy the superficial pleasures of life, the drugs, the lust, the alcohol and the luxury.

The Great Beauty is surreal, is fantastic, is a pure joy a real movie buzz, he honored the great Federico Fellini with his iconic images, the religious symbols, but most importune how caricature characters travel from one extreme to the other, camouflaging their emotions using fancy clothes, fancy cars, erotic dance moves and elegant dinner parties with bishops and cardinals.

The film travels to the underground lives of instant botox, the Costa Concordia, unusual gifted kids painters who drain their hate, but mostly The Great Beauty is about a man who wanders the city and his life.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Making biopics is a big challenge, in fact could be a curse if are not make properly.
Director Justin Chadwick director of several TV series in the UK, was responsible of making Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom a film about the life of Nelson Mandela.

Idris Elba play the iconic character who change the destiny of South Africa by changing the country with his ideas. The film follow Mandela from childhood, his first years as a lawyer, his first marriage, then his relationship with Winnie, his trouble maker times till his incarceration and concluding on his presidency.

Mandela Long Walk to Freedom is looks like a TV film, of course it was well produced but probably do his director is hard to not compare the film to a made to TV movie biopic. Idris Elba is such a talented actor and deserve recognition. What annoys me is the make up add to to Mr Elba to make it look old. Is distracting and is not accurate. The screenplay by William Nicholson is strong but sometimes borderline of been corny,

I believe that after a long career for Mr Chadwick making movies, the transition to Hollywood will help him to define his style and also will create a better look for his films instead of looking more TV movie that actual film movie.
Who is Gloria?
Gloria is a middle age woman, recently divorce, lonely by missing her son and daughter, by wanted to be alive again. Not by just going to clubs and dance with every guy on the room. "Gloria" wants to be loved again.

Sebastián Leilo director of the film "Gloria" creates timeless story about a woman searching for what is missing for her. Pleasure, in the context of human beings the pleasure of been loved, been desire, been able to express yourself without judgment or dance with someone, enjoying good music. This kind of pleasures can been seen from the very beginning of the movie. Gloria singing in the car while she drives to work, then after hours heading to a club and dancing, meeting a older guy, here and there. That's when she meet Rodolfo a retired naval officer, who shows her at the very beginning pleasures that she wanted.

From fine dinner, learning of how to play paintball, to good and intense sex. Gloria discover that Rodolfo is a total jerk who support his early thirty daughters as well his wife who was separated a year ago.

The film presents a strong dilemma, been with someone or been alone. There is several vignettes in the film "Gloria" that semiotically represents Gloria demise and resurrection as a woman and human being. From facing a white peacock in a wedding, to accepting the presence of a bald cat who escape from his junky neighbor to a personal reflection after hearing the tune The Waters of March.

On the other hand the movie Gloria is filled with small details in the scenes, things that make it unique, Gloria and Rodolfo before having sex they start removing corset as a ritual by peeling the ages that both characters are facing.

Gloria is a very powerful film, with a slow pace, but with a fantastic actress Paulina Garcia.

When Peter Jackson announced the making of the Hobbit I wasn't excited about the idea, at first make me feel that the prequel trend was continuing thanks to George Lucas revising Star Wars prequels. Now that I seen the second film I was right.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug is the second installment of the book The Hobbit made by JRR Tolkien. The story on this movie continues the events that happened on the film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This second film continues the quest of of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and a group of dwarves in their quest to reclaim Erebor. Throughout the movie the main characters are facing several obstacles as well life changing decisions in order to achieve the main goal.

I have to say that this movie have several moment when is very entertaining. But Peter Jackson is making the terrible decision to doing this films so long. The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug can be very boring and less entertaining than its predecessors. Even with the help of well known characters or new ones (Legolas play by Orlando Bloom and Tauriel played by Evangeline Lily) the films feels flat and predictable. The adventure is just simple and continuously endless.

Besides the great effort of amazing visual effects, sets and make up. The Hobbit: The Desolation of the Smaug is another adventure film with no big twist.