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Penny Dreadful: Possession (2014)
Terrifying and emotional; hits all the right notes, with an astonishing work by Eva Green
And here was me thinking that "Closer Than Sisters" couldn't be topped. Oh boy, was I foolish to think so! "Possession" combines everything Penny Dreadful has managed to do well in an amazing package, packed with a big punch. Once again, the story took a shift towards Vanessa and, again, it was incredible. Not only it served well to give a proper solution to her character's arc (or so I think) but also revealing a lot about the others, thanks to The Devil's outburst, a clever way to expose the characters in a quick, stylish and horrifying way without needing of another flashback session.
Once again, the brightest (or darkest?) star of the episode was no doubt ms. Green, which is truly a force of nature in terms of commitment, energy and raw passion towards the art of acting. Every single moment she's in the screen, it shines, and in another moment delves into darkness and horror. Like I've read in another review around the web, "I actually need proof that she is NOT possessed." Josh Hartnett also delivered the goods, in a surprising turn which I won't spoil, but also truly welcomed.
This episode had it all: it was scary, intense, emotional and even weirdly, darkly comic sometimes. It was a proof that the show runners know what they're doing, with faith in the talented cast, specially Eva, delivering the performance of her career. Brilliant episode and one that will stay with viewers for some time.
Penny Dreadful: Closer Than Sisters (2014)
Brilliant display of acting, storytelling and overall direction; best episode of the season.
This episode was truly something else. I was enjoying "Penny Dreadful" very much even before watching this, and even thought "Seance" would stand as the season-high episode, but "Closer Than Sisters" takes it to a whole new level.
It's not easy to make a "flashback" episode, so choosing this to be one — more than that, to focus solely on a single character's past for it's entirety — was a bold move but that ultimately paid off.
If the screenplay was great, focusing on Vanessa and her complex personality and conflicts, I must say that a great part of this episode's success must be thanks to Eva Green's absolutely stunning performance. Giving life and depth to the character, she went through the most horrific, outright cruel and brutal moments (wich I won't spoil here for you) to the most tender and sad scenes. Everything was so raw, so natural that it seems she LIVED through those moments. This is an Emmy worth achievement and I'll be baffled if she isn't at least nominated.
The art direction on this episode also deserves mention. "Penny Dreadful" looks gorgeous and we all know it by now, but the landscapes, the long, haunting corridors and mansions and a particularly eerie maze... everything, the costumes, the atmosphere of dread, even when the characters were just talking — the feeling that something wrong was about to happen was palpable.
"Closer Than Sisters" reaches out for too much at some points, but it never seems gratuitous as everything is realized with such passion and commitment. To dive into Vanessa's back-story was a great move, as it fuels the season to new expectations and shines a light into the story. This is the best episode of the season for me and overall one of TV's best this season.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Let the flames begin...
I was lucky enough to be able to watch the movie one week early, since it opened here in Brazil one week before the release in the US, and I must tell you this fellow The Hunger Games fans, even though my English is not even that good: Catching Fire is a GREAT experience, and one that improves over the first film in nearly every possible level.
When I first read the books, I thought that they were not only incredibly addicting and fun, but also with an important message for the youngsters (and every other person, age is not important) who read it, and that made it different from some of the other uninteresting YA books around. I really liked the trilogy, and when I watched the first adaptation, I was disappointed with some aspects and routes they went with it. It was not an horrible movie, at all, but it was not very faithful to the book and lacked the impact I found in the novel.
With that in mind, I kept my excitement in close watch with Catching Fire and went expecting a good movie and nothing more. I was welcomed with an excellent surprise: the movie followed the events of the novel whenever possible and brilliantly so, while managing to keep me on the edge of my seat, even though I knew what was going to happen the entire time.
I won't go into details about the plot of the movie, some fellow reviewers already did it probably better than I'll ever do and the chances you're familiar with it are high. So I'll go right into the review and my opinions on the picture.
Francis Lawrence was nothing short of an excellent choice for the director's chair: gone are the shaky camera action (one of my major problems with the first film) and welcome are thrilling and pumping action scenes that expertly convey the tension and ferocity of the moment. He managed to keep the violence and shock without ever crossing the line, and whoever read the books know how important this is; it's part of the plot, of the criticism and one of the main elements that make the whole point of the film. He keeps you interested and invested in the story even when nothing bombastic is happening, and that is a great achievement, something that really sets this sequel apart.
But Francis is not alone on making this movie special. His young and talented cast, lead by the always amazing Jennifer Lawrence, is ferocious and eager to invest in their characters, making you an ally (or an enemy) while watching everything unfold. Lawrence shows us again why she was the perfect choice to play the now iconic Katniss Everdeen: she makes you root for this young, brave lady every single minute of the struggle; with her sad, hopeless stare that pierces your soul to her ability to convey admirable strength when everything seems to be out of reach are phenomenal and she deserves the praise she gets.
The rest of the cast is uniformly good, but I have to highlight Jena Malone, who plays the explosive Johanna: her presence makes the screen on fire whenever she's in, mixing the perfect amount of attitude and humor. A particular scene involving an elevator and a fancy dress is at the same time hilarious and shocking, just like her character. Donald Sutherland also shines as the menacing president Snow, in a restrained performance that doesn't need too many words spoken to make you think twice on how dangerous he is.
The set pieces are also vastly improved upon: bigger, more ambitious and work perfectly in sync with the action to make for some really unforgettable moments. The arena looks beautiful and foreboding, hiding it's dangers behind the shining green water. So does the bizarre Capitol and the Districts, full of sadness and fear, two dichotomies in every aspect.
But what I really liked about the movie was that they didn't shy away from the political aspects from the novel and conveyed the despair and oppression imposed by the Capitol over the rest of Panem. It makes you think that all of this is happening around the world, in one way or another, maybe masquerade, but it is. It's sad that many teenagers are only in this ride for the hot action and beautiful people (some screaming girls in the movie theater I went only confirm this. They were not the majority, it was packed and most people were also extremely annoyed by it too - every time Finnick appeared it was a screaming hell). It has so much more to offer.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire not only improves vastly upon it's predecessor: it's a great cinematic experience by itself, touching on important topics about the modern day society without losing it's thrilling core. It's not perfect, but what it does right it goes right into the bullseye. Don't let the hype or the teen fury on this fool you: it is entertainment at it's best.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
1, 2, boredom is coming for you
Warning: a few spoilers ahead. It's just some details, nothing really important, but read it at your own risk.
OK, to start with, I've not seen the original "A Nightmare Elm Street", but I'm sure that I can say that it is extremely superior to this one.
The movie starts with the death of a guy, and after that, strange things start to happen to his friends while they sleep. They all dream with a weird guy with a burnt face, that chases them, probably, for some blood. They try to discover why is this happening, and after realizing the old man in the dream it's not kidding, they conclude that if the person dies in the dream, she dies in real life. In the beginning, the plot and the acting weren't that good, but it was even a little enjoyable. You expect it will get better and, oh, surprise, things get REALLY worse.
First, let's talk about the plot itself, and the characters. The story is dull. Simply put, boring. You don't get hooked to it, and nothing gets as intense as you would expect from a horror movie. Not even the chase sequences or the nightmares are exciting, fun or scary. The characters or, going straight to the point, the actors, are... uhm... let's say, "below average", specially the protagonist, who just doesn't seem to be the girl in the leading role. You just cannot relate to them. In fact, you just hope for them to die as quickly as possible. The acting is very bad, and the ones who are a little better die soon in the movie. The rest of the cast are not even good to scream. Yeah, it's that bad. And about Jackie Earle Haley, who is often a very good actor, does not receive enough space or freedom to work on his Freddy Krueger, thanks to the mediocre plot.
This Freddy just didn't work. He is not scary, he is not funny, he is just as boring as the rest of the cast. I normally like villains in horror movies, or just hate them, in a good way (when the portrayal of the character is very well done, and makes you believe he is that evil). But THIS Freddy is just empty, and ads nothing to this already void film.
The soundtrack is not that bad, or good: it is obvious. That scary music plays only when you already know the outcome of that scene, making the scary level even lower.
So, I think this is it. This flick was a huge disappointment to me, who was expecting something at least more entertaining or, at least, funny. Instead, what we get is an extremely dull movie and, when it is over, you'll have the feeling that its 95 minutes seemed like and entire night of endless boredom.