Theater is one of the main resources to make films, a long list of plays based on books or plays based on plays been made throughout the film history. But make a film about the making of a play is pretty rare.

Birdman which tells the story of Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) an actor famous for portraying a action hero on hollywood films. Birdman a fictional character Batman type who haunts Riggan as a voice and alter ego. Riggan is struggling to become actor, director, writer from a theater play in NY escaping the blockbuster world and making real art on stage.

Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) directs an stellar cast Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Emma Stone with groundbreaking film techniques by Director of Photography Oscar winner for Gravity Emmanuel Lubezki creating the illusion of a single shot instead of several editing cuts.

Replicating techniques like Alfred Hitchcock "The Rope" Gonzales Iñarritu and Lubezki use halls and passages as well dark rooms to transition between shots Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione edit the film masterfully.

Gonzales Iñarritu pay tribute to theater by using the single shot technique instead of several cuts a perfect fit for a theater goer who basically have to choose which angle to see and where to cut.

Michael Keaton is amazing, as well Edward Norton.
Antonio Sanchez score is masterful.

Blue and Not So Pink (Azul y no Tan Rosa) tells the story Diego (Guillermo García) a photographer living the best time of his life with his partner Fabrizio (Sócrates Serrano) a respected doctor. Diego have a turbulent past, when he was younger he had a kid Armando (Nacho Montes) with his high school sweetheart, Armando and his mother live in Spain.

After tragic events of an homophobic attack that ends Fabrizio in coma, Diego is forced to recover the lost time with Armando, this will become a intense relationship of discovering and learning. Diego's best friend is a drag queen by the name Delirio del Rio played by Hilda Abrahamz who bring sense to the story with gay jokes and spicing up some of the situations that happen on the film.

Miguel Ferrari directs this film about very important social issues: homophobic violence, homosexuality, transsexualism and domestic violence. "Blue and Not So Pink" becomes another great film about tolerance and respect of every human being no matter their sexual orientation.

In a way the film is powerful, but the story is not new. Some of the movie have reminiscence to the Australian film "Priscilla Queen of the Desert". Where a group of drag queens embarked themselves into a road trip to from Sidney to the great outback. Anthony Belrose (Hugo Weaving) have a lost child like in "Blue and Not So Pink" have a great friend drag queen as well, Adam Whitely/Felicia Jollygoodfellow (Guy Pierce) which also reminds me to Delirio del Rio played by Hilda Abrahamz. Besides "Blue and Not So Pink" film doesn't have a road trip as a main plot for the film, it offers one near the end of the movie. The besides this similarity both films offer strong messages about tolerance against homophobic practice.

One of my least favorites genres on film is family reunion because of a death in the family. The case of This is Where I Leave is that compare to most of the movies such as The Family Stone, August: Osage County, Medea's Family Reunion and Home for Holidays, this movie is not taking place during the holidays. Perhaps the film have an excuse for a jewish ritual for the death.

This is Where I Leave you tell the story of Judd (Jason Bateman) a radio station producer who the day of his wife Quinn's (Abigail Spencer) birthday discover that the host of Judd radio show Wade (Dax Shepard) is been having an affair with Quinn.

After a period of time pass Wendy (Tina Fey) Judd's sister, call him to give him the news of his father passing. Finally during the funeral Wendy and Judd reunites with mom Hillary and the other two brothers Paul (Corey Soll) and Phillip (Adam Driver)

The story of the film is a constant reminder of how messed up the family is. Hillary telling their kids how sexual amazing their father was, Judd constant ignoring his Quinn phone calls and telling lies bout Quinn's absence during the mourning time. Phillip childish attitude to life, dating older and younger women at the same time and pretentious way of living as well Paul desperate search for having a baby with his wife Annie and finally Wendy marriage falling apart for a inconsiderate husband.

The film depicts another ordinary film family with nothing groundbreaking about it. The film have funny moments but is flat and the story fades away at the end.

A house, a marriage, a town, a disappearance, a murder?

In the mist of the Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick (Ben Affleck) wedding anniversary the mysterious disappearance and potential murder of Amy, this happening shakes the traditional and conventional life of this small town in Missouri.

The character and attitude of Nick makes him the primal suspect of this crime. Who cannot hate him? David Fincher directs a film about marriage, domestic violence, media glorification of the good and bad.
Afflleck is perfect for the role. A lot of people dislike him as an actor or hollywood personality, but in this film all this hate is drain into a character how apparently is the main responsible of his wife gone missing.

With a witty language from most of the characters, the script encapsulate the biggest fears for a marriage couple, the death of a family member, in laws relationship, intimacy, hopes, dreams, aspirations, sacrifice for the greater good, fidelity and trust.

On the technical aspects the editing is well crafted, a very slow story, flow with an outstanding and out of place pace and rhythm, in a way seems to be in sync with the music score, made by the same team from Girl with The Drago Tattoo and Social Network (Trent Reznor Atticus Ross) The cinematography is pretty sharp and clean, the yellows and dark tones preserve the mystery of this thriller.

The most outstanding of this film is that you can see David Fincher at its best on every scene. From Zodiac, Social Network, Girl with The Drago Tattoo, The Game, Panic Room and even Seven.

Lasse Hallström is a swedish director and screenwriter with a outstanding filmography. From My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Hallström offers a very interesting and diverse collection of films. With this new movie he goes back to one of the essence of his craft, relationship thru food.

The Hundred Foot Journey tales the story of Hassan the oldest son of a indian family who loves to cook. He learned almost everything he knows thanks to his mom. A mob attack and firebombs over a election dispute the family restaurant is destroyed and Hassan mom is killed in the fire. The family seek asylum in Europe trying to find a better living. Finally they settle by accident in a small town in France. Papa decided to settle there by opening a indian restaurant across the street from a french restaurant owned Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren).

The film is a fun exploration of cultural clashes, family relationship and the values of working hard to be successful. Hallström delivers a great movie, with charming images of France as well the food.

The Hundred Foot Journey is entertaining.

A Most Wanted Man is the most recent film of Aton Corbijn and probably the last film we ever see from Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The film plot covers a very powerful story about a half Chechen, half Russian arrived to Hamburg looking for help in a islamic community. He claims that his father owns a fortune in a bank. US and Germany government are interested in this character using wiretapping and other techniques to hunt this guy.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Günther Bachmann the leader of the operation following the most wanted man. His team will hunt and blackmail everyone to get all the information about this person before the americans get him first.

Rachel McAdams plays a civil lawyer trying to get political asylum to the Chechen rebel and Willem Dafoe plays a the bank president intrigued by all the money involved in this situation.

The film is suspenseful and beautifully shot, Aton Corbijn delivers a powerful film with a great assemble cast.

Cantinflas was a famous director, actor, producer and comedian from Mexico. Mario Moreno creates this role in the 30's while he was working at a circus. This role becomes a emblem for his country of origin but also a mega star for Spanish speaking territories, because all the films.

The film Cantinflas directed by Sebastian del Amo, attempt to tell this story using two simple plots. The making of the film Around the World in 80 days and the early days of Mario Moreno before he was just finding a way to make it. Óscar Jaenada plays Cantinflas bringing him back to life with interesting nuances such as his movements, voice tone and facial expressions. Michael Imperioli plays Mike Todd producer of Around the World in 80 days.

Cantinflas lack of a proper film structure, the movie tries to connect the young Cantinflas to the old one with parallel situations that goes from 30's then the 50's and back and forth. Amo tries to connects this two situations, but we see two different Cantiflas struggling in completely different circumstances. I assume the film have budget constrains because there is also a lack of locations in Mexico.

Sadly the film was really bad reviewed in America, what I mean sadly is US critics don't understand or will never understand who was Cantinflas or how he influenced the spanish speaking audiences.

Cantinflas is a decent film about the life of this great performer, unfortunately this film not represent fully his success and legacy.