In 2017 director David Lowery impressed audiences and critics with the film Ghost Story, the movie is an exploration of the supernatural and how people deal with grieve of losing a loved one. Lowery style is really hard to categorize because he likes to tell so many different stories with different styles.

His film The Old Man & The Gun is a fresh story about redemption and crime. Forrest Tucker (Robert Redford) is a wanted man, having broken out of San Quentin State Prison. On a particular robbery in 1981, he meets a woman who's truck is broken in the middle of the highway, which used as a decoy to hide from the police.

Later he invited her to have lunch with him. Jewel (Sissy Spacek) becomes fond of each other, leading to a relationship. Tucker continues a string of heist, with the help of two associates, Teddy Green (Danny Glover) and Waller (Tom Waits). His distinctive style of been nice to the bank tellers and play the respectful gentleman during robberies allow him to gain access to banks easily, take the money and run away without a problem, even without a gun. A police detective becomes interested in the case, John Hunt (Cassey Affleck) works for the Dallas police department and Tucker case becomes an obsession to him.

David Lowery deliver a great film where Robert Redford shines again for allegedly his last time on screen. Lowery create a film that can be easily confused a 70's masterfully he gest the style right, as all the elements in it.

Lee Chang-dong is the award winner South Korean director mostly focusing on dark stories of innocence lost, suffering and alienation. His key themes have been consistently about psychological trauma.

His latest film is the Spirit Award-nominated film Burning that tells the story of Lee Jong-su (Yo Ah-in) an aspiring writer who performs odd jobs to make a living. Jong-su father is a bovine farmer who is dealing with legal affairs in court forcing Jong-su to deal with the farm. One day Jong-su bump into Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo ) a girl who works at a department store who used to be a childhood neighbor, Jong-so doesn't remember her but quickly start dating. After one of those dates, they had sex.
Hae-mi asks Jong-so to take care of her cat while she is in Africa, Jong-su comes every day to feed the cat but never sees it. He also starts masturbating in her apartment. During Hae-mi returns Jong-su comes to pick her up at the airport, where he meets Ben (Steven Yeun) who end up traveling with Hae-mi during a three days terror warning at the Nairobi Airport.

Jong-su doesn't like Ben, he even called him Great Gatsby, a privileged guy, with money who is also very mysterious. However, Hae-mi likes him, which makes Jong-su jealous and hard to compete.

As the story unfolds, Hae-mi disappearance makes Jong-su worried about it, he suspects of Ben and starts investigating.

It is hard to find a film like Burning, a South Korean psychological drama mystery with such a powerful performance and well-made movie. Lee Chang-dong delivers a dark film where the audiences will keep asking at the end, what really happens.

During the year 1943 Wolrd War II was coming to an end, so Benito's Mussolini government, which caused the Italian film industry to lose its center. As part of the Italian film industry evolution, Neorealism was born.

Italian Neorealism is the film movement that tells stories about the working class and poor people. This genre characterized by using nonprofessional actors is filmed on location and focus on the message of difficult economic and moral conditions.

It's not easy to put in this article the long list of movies that represent this famous genre, but I can mention movies like The Bicycle Thieves, Umberto D, Roma Open City, Rocco and His Brothers, La Strada, as part of the best of this list.

INew Italian filmmakers, still looking for portraying more modern stories into the world of neorealism, that is the case of female director Alice Rohrwacher.
Happy as Lazzaro tells the story of a group of people who lives in the state Inviolata., where 54 workers deal with a tobacco farm in a sharecropping arrangement where the habitats are constantly in debt, the farm is run by the notorious Alfonsina de Luna "Queen of Cigarettes"

From all the group of people on the farm, there is Lazzaro (Adriano Tardiolo) a good guy, who is so diligent and innocent that borderline into a saint. Lazzaro works on the farm who dutifully follows every command given to him by the Marquis and the heads of the estate. One day the marquise decided to bring her son Tancredi to the farm who quickly befriends Lazzaro realizing after a few days how her mother and the head of the state exploit the workers to the level of slavery.

As the events in the film unfold, the spectators discover a story with pure Italian Neorealism but also Magic Realism to the level of the Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Alice Rohrwacher delivers a critical message to slavery and work wages in the 21st century where people in some countries still been forced to work for nothing while privileges people enjoy the earnings. The film also exposed the human condition and how it's so important to find kindness in this world.

Five years ago a movie directed and produced a people of color won the Oscar for best film. The film 12 years a Slave is the third movie directed by Steven McQueen and explores the profound story of a man who just wants to be free.

Steven McQueen explores several subjects, like political prisoners and sex addiction. In his new movie Widows explores a wide range of subjects.

Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson) is a famous thief who is killed in a robbery. His widow Veronica (Viola Davis) receive a threat from a crime boss Jamal Manning (Brian Tyree Henry), who Harry and his partners stole 2 million dollars. Jamal is in need of this money for an election he is running against Jack Mulligan (Colin Farrell) the son of a wealthy man who has power all over Chicago.

Thanks to Harry's driver, Veronica found a notebook containing Harry's detailed plan for a new robbery, including a map and contact information of everyone involved. Veronica decided to carry out the plan in order to repay Jamal his money.

One of the most important parts of the plan is to recruit the windows of the guys involved in a robbery where Harry was killed. Linda Perrelli (Michelle Rodriguez) and Alice Gunner (Elizabeth Debicki) are part of this widows.

Based on a British TV series, windows explore a different side of a heist. Do not get confused with a film like Ocean's eight. These women are housewives or business owners who never done this before, but they are driven by the idea of regaining power and the capacity of being independent. Windows explore politics and the rough life in Chicago, it also gives you a strong message about the "me too" movement. The men represent corruption, power, and destruction, but women represent redemption.

During the years 1960 through 1970 a serial killer terrorized the town of Jersey in the U.K. Edward Paisnel was called Beast of Jersey who carried out horrific attacks against children and adults.

Director Michael Pearce grew up with these stories becoming his major inspiration or the film Beast.

In the town of Jersey in the UK, a series of murders are happening, several families around the town are affected and there is no end of sight. Moll (Jessie Buckley) is a 27th-year-old who works as a tour guide who also lives with her parents. Moll life is filled with repressions by a controlled mom who just wants to keep her at home taking care of her dad. During Moll's birthday, her sister hijacks her birthday announcing that she is pregnant of twins, Moll angry about the news leaves her birthday party and go to a night club where she meets a guy who later trying to take advantage of her. She is saved by poacher Pascal Renouf (Jonny Flynn).

Quickly Pascal and Moll start a relationship with discomfort from her family and suspicions surrounding the ongoing murder case. Moll confesses to Pascal she has a troubling past where she stabbed a classmate as a teenager claiming self-defense due bulling.

As the relationship grows between Moll and Pascal, the police consider Pascal a person of interest in these murders.

The film Beast in a good exploration of a serial killer from the point of view of relationships instead of a police investigation. Michael Pearce explores the darkest feelings of two lovers who are been excluded by society and are looking for a way to be happy but also express their anger against the world who is unfair to them. Jessie Buckley is amazing and is an actress that needs to be followed closely.

Noun. provocateur (plural provocateurs) One who engages in provocative behavior, taken from Wikipedia

This is a common theme in Gaspar Noé filmography. Noé an Argentinian/French filmmaker who became famous in for his film I Stand Alone. Gaspar Noé films are heavily inspired in Buñuel and Passolini who also loves provocation with a strong visual style.

If you see Irréversible, Enter the Void and Love, you can understand how Noé loves to portray his characters and what are they looking for: compassion, love, acceptance and of course drugs. His latest film Climax is the proof of another psychedelic trip with troubled characters who are searching these elements and more.

Climax tells the story from events that had to happen in 1996, a large group of dancers is celebrating a three-day rehearsal with a big party, before embarking on a tour to the US. The group is locked in an abandoned school while there is a big snowstorm. The dance group manager Emanuelle (Claude Gajan Maull) made sangria for the celebration which every almost every member of the dance group been drinking.

Thought the night the celebration turns intense after some of the dancers realized that there is something wrong with the sangria, later discovering that might be LSD.

Most of the dancers start feeling agitated, confused and even violent. The party evolve in a game of finding the responsible of the sangria alteration, punish the dancers that have not to drink the sangria.

Gaspar Noé technical achievements in this film are out of this world. The first music number is a smooth single camera trip without cuts that should be included in the list of best long shots in movie history after that Noé explores erratic handheld camera movements to intensify the drama and fear of the dancers under the effect of LSD.

Climax is not only a psychedelic movie but also a horror film that respectfully borrows the best of Dario Argento Suspiria, which is a reference at the very beginning of the movie when every dancer is been interviewed for the casting. The visual of a vintage TV set with books and VHS tapes connects the dots of every dancer personality and feelings.

The soundtrack is powerful as well the cinematography and art direction.

As we reach the 4th version of A Star is Born, is important to talk about how Hollywood approach to a remake, making sure that is trendy and perhaps ready for new audiences, people who are devoted to their smartphones, who go to music festivals, enjoy their tunes thru streaming services and probably will watch this movie from the comfort of their homes.

A Star is Born is the story of Jackson "Jack" Main (Bradley Cooper) a famous country music singer, who is dealing with drug addiction and alcoholism. His fame takes him to every concert venue across the US. Jack is supported by his half-brother Bobby (Sam Elliot) who is also his antagonist when it comes to finances.

After one show, Jack asks his driver to bring him to a bar and he finds himself in a drag bar where he sees Ally Maine (Lady Gaga) perform. Jack starts a conversation with her, looking for clues of how a person with such a powerful voice is not in the music industry. Ally confess her struggle to pursuing a music career.

Jack decided to help her by bringing on stage to sing with him. After that Ally becomes a sensation thanks to a youtube video of her performance. Jack and Ally start a romantic relationship and tour together, Ally meets a music producer who wants to take her as a pop star, the rest is history.

Bradley Cooper directorial debut of the 4th version of A Star is Born is a very energetic piece for a new generation of music fans, especially for Lady Gaga fans who are interested in this compelling story. Audiences get a good taste of a musician's life. But also see their struggle, especially with substances. The pressure of been famous and how success comes and goes.

A Star is Born to have amazing musical scenes, with strong editing and cinematography, however, the film lack between those musical numbers, trying to balance the weakness of a story that could be forgettable. The story of Ally and Jack sometimes takes to long to develop wasting time on unnecessary moments Cooper and Gaga have great chemistry on camera and there is no need to explain more.