Have you ever heard the expression latino expression “Small town, big hell” that’s is basically synopsis for the film that I’m about to review.

“The Dressmaker” is a comedy drama about Myrtle Dunnage (Kate Winslet) a dressmaker who used to live in the outback, in the small town of Dungatar. About 25 years ago, Myrtle was wrongfully accused of the murder of a schoolboy name Stewart Pettyman and that forced her to exile for this happening.

Her return disturbed the peace of this little town. But also charm the ladies, because of Myrtle accomplishment in the art of dressmaking. Her abilities of a city girl, will put the wheels in motion for a sweet and sour revenge to everyone accomplice who accuse her of the murder of Stewart.

The film start with a powerful opening, setting the tone of the story, but also confuse you just defining the whole style of it. The audience see constant flashbacks of Myrtle childhood and how she’s been bully by Stewart, making her as the main suspect of Stewart death. But also shows other protagonist and possible responsible as well.

“The Dressmaker” have caricature characters, people that you might know in real life. So many emotions round in this town: Envy, Lust, Lies, Pride and Greed are some of it. Dungatar is no different from townns around the world, where a vortex will suck in their habitants stoping them to succeed, but also wrapping them in a large numbers of gossips and intrigues.

This film might surprise you because the trailer shown you a different movie that you will see. Is a comedy drama, but when the audience witness the revenge in place it will think that they are watching a dark comedy, in the style of Raising Arizona or Trow Momma from the Train. In fact it follows the footsteps of Barry Sonnenfeld and the Coeh Brothers.

Besides the divide critics I feel the film is very entertaining, but you won’t remember it with all the great films that we seen this year.

Short stories on film is considered a unique storytelling genre, because appeal to the concept of a compilation of separate events that sometimes are related to the entire plot or may be just trying to look a common subject or a “leitmotif”. Films like “Paris je t'aime”, “NY I Love you” are connected by a simple subject a city. In “Wild Tales” the subject is how a simple situation can become completely unexpected to explore the wildest part of human nature.

A special case is the film “Wiener Dog”. Is important to mention that this film is not a series of stories, but a collection of vignettes with a peculiar element of connection: A dachshund puppy.

This comedy tales the story of a dog who is been shuffled from owner to owner in a singular ride for every character. The first story brings a surviving kid of cancer who is been brought to the dog to help him to heal. But the real people who needs to heal is the entire family. The second story is a nurse who is taking care of the dog and have a guilty conciseness and decided to scape from the vet hospital in order to save the dog. The third story a screenwriter profesor who owns Wiener dog who is trying to sell one of his stories to Hollywood, getting caught in the superficial world of entertainment agents and the film studios. He feels miserable and his millennial students consider him a dinosaur who don’t know anything about the business. The last story is an elderly woman who lives with her caregiver and the Wiener dog. Her granddaughter is one of those young brats spoiled by the family who visit grandma every time she needs money. This time is for her boyfriend a conceptual artist and his art project for a gallery.

In essence, this comedy is filled with black humor who mock life situations such as unhappiness, dissatisfaction, frustration and unfulfillment among others. The destiny of every character is driven in part by Wiener dog, but their decisions are solely based on their own lame lifestyle and how the question the life that their living.

Everything it's been said about the life of the Kennedy’s sometime called Camelot. The assassination, the affairs, the missile crisis and even the nepotism in the family to govern the United States. But perhaps one of the most complex and intrigue characters is the first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

Pablo Larrain (El Club, No) directs this poetic tale of the most significant passages in the life of Jackie. Natalie Portman perform the main role with a group of well know stars. Greta Gerwing, Peter Sarsgaard, Bill Crudup and John Hurt.

The film focus from a female point of view of the life in the White House, the assassination of JFX and the early retirement as a fist lady. The main arc is the conversation between Jackie and political journalist Theodore H. White. driving the story into a flashback style without the typical gimmick, just down and dirty facts as well haunting memories.

The audience is able to dig deeper into her personality, her biggest fears but also her darkest feelings, like been married to the most power in the world. But also discover how one of the most glamorous first ladies is also a human being, a person who deal with the establishment, showing that doesn’t matter how much a president is loved, his dignity after he dies is disrespected by any member of the government.

Larrrain brings his documentary styles with a touch of drama to a film that seems to me like a poetry rather than a biopic. His point of view leaves Jackie as the main protagonist, a metaphor that could be read one of the scenes where Jackie and the audience are trying to understand what is her real legacy for America and the world. Fashion may be?

Natalie Portman is amazing as Jackie, but honestly her accent annoys me, but that’s the way she perform. Overall, Larrain film style haunts him in this production, because he leaves his political critique and turn Jackie story into a sort of poetic biopic borderline Terrence Malick films.

Young FBI agent Nate Foster (Daniel Radcliffe) works undercover in terrorist plot. He is recruted by agent Angela Zamparo ( Toni Collette) after in a recent operation discover a imported cargo of caesium-137, this is a very radioactive component that could be extremely dangerous. Nate’s mission is to get undercover into a white supremacist group who allegedly are interesting on using caesium for a possible attack.

This is the main plot of the film “Imperium” directed by Dianiel Ragussis explore the dark worlds of white supremacist in America, their threat to the people and the ramifications of their acts.

Nate is forced into this world of extremist making him accomplice of attack against minorities and provoking disturbance in rallies.

The big problem of this film is by first time director Dianiel Ragussis deliver an unemotional film, with a great cast. His undefined style create a movie made for TV, rather than a movie going experience. The story is flat, you understand the motives but never have the chance to connect with any character.

This film was trying to follow the footsteps of films like American History X which presents a dark America that we know and we are afraid to accept. “Imperium” is a reminder that not all our enemies are overseas, but in our backyard.

Existentialism a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will.

With that mind all I can say is the movie “Swiss Army Man” is a physiological drama, about a character who wants to ends his life finding someone who already lost his, but his will is to keep going, no matter the obstacles.

Hank (Paul Dano) is a depress man in a desert island, who is about to commit suicided. After some unsuccessful attempts he discover the body (Daniel Radcliffe) washed ashore. The person is dead but “very gassy” Hank decided to see if he can revive him, later discovering the body have the ability to propel using just gasses coming out of his ass. Hank ride the body like a jet sky bringing them into another place, like a forest (Redwood forest I believe) the rest is bonding time between the new two friends discovering Existentialism in the most mundane things.

The film explore conversation between the two characters making them talk about life, love and dreams. Is like you are watching a complete mashup of so many films and music videos. Terrence Mallick meet Spike Jonze, Meet David Lynch. An eschatological tale of two strangers who meet and decided to solve their biggest problem in life. A wacky friendship based on flatulences, Cheetos and the search for the lost love on the bus.

Politics on film is always been a very tricky subject for Hollywood, the dramatization of events and biography of well know politicians is what the movie machine feed us. In the case of documentaries you have a more objective point of view of events and personalities. "Wiener" is the documentary directed Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg following he events of congressman Anthony Weiner success and demised as a politician in 2011 when is forced to quit because of a sex scandal. The story continues with his comeback in the race for mayor of NYC with his wife Huma Abedin by his side throughout the campaign. The directors explored several sides of Anthony Weiner using on camera interviews, cameramen following him all the way as well a collection of material from several TV networks. The documentary is dramatic and sometimes very ironic about what politicians do to be likable and also manipulate voters just by pretend to care about their issues.

"Weiner" documents a conflicted man who was trying to do so much good for the people for NY but have demons who keep haunting him for years, still today. This documentary serve as a metaphor of this day and age in politics. The goal is to find the weakness in the most obscure places on humanity, because to serve this country or state you really need to be the cleanest person you can be. Dirty laundry is the best weapon against your opponents, but media is the best tool to expose your elements of destruction. Americans love a scandal but also love second chances. No matter on which field: sports, entertainment, politics. It happens all the time, from Ryan Lotche, Bill Clinton, Dominic Strauss, Lance Amstrong…

But the real victims in this scandals are people next to kin who become the punch ball. For Anthony Weiner is Huma Abedin, a woman who was capable to tolerate some much media pressure and also the shame of been the wife of a person who cannot stop his obsessions.

Chess is a game of strategy, of carefully planning every move, but also figure out what your opponent will do. Hollywood always have engage in the art of portraying famous or smart people who are capable to pay chess like a pro. Most of this films have something in common. An specific ethnic background. I’m not trying to say that Hollywood have not been diverse in this subject, but in a way the film “Queen of Katwe” is a pure metaphor of diversity playing a game that is consider just for aristocrats and wealthy people.


“Queen of Katwe” directed by Mira Nair is the sports film about Phiona Mutes (Madina Nalwanga) a Uganda player who became a prodigy in the art of chess. Raised in the slums of Katwe by her mom Nakku Harriet (Lupita Wyong’o), because her father died of Aids, she helped her mom selling made in the street market. One day she and her brother discover the project name Sports Outreach Institute. In a after school project she started paying chess with the rest of the kids, Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) see in her potential to become a good chess player.

Phone life is rough, a poor family, who can barely afford to eat and live in a proper house, but she is a bright star and Katende will invest everything he got to push her to be the best.

Director Mira Nair famous for her movies, Kama Sutra, Mississippi Masala, Salam Bombay. create a very emotional tale for Phiona Mutes, filled with the colors of Africa. The story is strong and engage with the audience just a few minutes as the movie started, showing one of the most vulnerable moments of Mutes ready to play one of her ultimate tournaments sending you back to her early days in the slums of Katwe. Besides a 124 running time the film flows masterfully. Madina Nalwanga is great discovery for this movie, Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo are spot on.

“Queen of Katwe” is a powerful film with a great lessons about life, tolerance, respect, perseverance and success against all odds.