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Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange Review
Doctor Stranger is the newest hero featured on the MCU. A hero quite out of the mainstream, a bit like Guardians of the Galaxy, to soften this lack of knowledge of the hero by the general public, Benedict Cumberbatch's choice to play the hero was clever, bringing a face known by the audience to not so popular character out of the comics. Doctor Strange closely resembles the first Iron Man (2008) and follows a formula that is present in most MCU films.
This formula has its positives and negatives, because it is a film with a stratospheric budget, to attract more public, whether they're men or women, children or adults, the film does not risk with a complex story. Not that the formula is bad, Doctor Strange is a good movie with an exciting and enjoyable story, the end has a very clever and different approach from others Marvel movies and it's not a surprise that it has already earned more than $ 500 million so far. The problem is that this focus on pleasing as many people as possible limits the process of creating the script and what it could exploit to not only create a fun movie for the whole family. Even more so, because the character, Stephen Strange, is an interesting and mystical character who travels through other dimensions, the possibilities were innumerable.
The look of the film is fantastic, the scenes in other dimensions and those that change the reality are beautiful and Doctor Strange is one of the few films that 3D technology brings a differential, especially in these scenes. One problem I have is one scene that graphical computing fails a lot, it's very noticeable the use of the visual effects and as the scene differs a lot to the rest, it makes the error jump to the eyes. Humor is another positive aspect, the jokes are good, they have a good timing and aren't very childish.
Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect in the role, he almost instantly acquires the sympathy of the public, besides of being able to convey the emotions that the character is going through with realism. However, there is no denying the similarity between the story of Stephen Strange and Tony Stark's story in the first Iron Man. Tilda Hilton as "The Ancient One" and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo have a lead role in the plot and are great, especially Hilton with all the mystery of her character in relation to her past. Christine Palmer is played by Rachel McAdams, the choice to not build a cheesy and very sentimental relationship between her and Strange was right, because it would create a certain blurring in the plot and choosing to develop a realistic relationship, brought a realism to the film. The villain, Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen, suffers from what many of the villains in the Marvel movies suffer, lack of depth and character development, which makes the villain disposable and his actions not so shocking. The work of the actor was very good, and not surprising, Mikkelsen is recognized by several roles as in the Hannibal series and in the Danish film "Jagten", however, the film has no desire to complex the character.
The Girl on the Train (2016)
The Girl on the Train Review
The premise of the film is captivating, a case of disappearance, nothing like a good mystery to captivate the public. The idea is already recurring, but has already given rise to well-known films such as Gone Girl by David Finch and The Suspects of Denis Villeneuve. However, The Girl on the Train does not reach the expectations for a number of problems.
The editing is not the best and the film is very cut out. There are many rhythm breaks, much of this breaks is due to the use of flashbacks, these scenes are used to create a larger context for the characters, to get the audience to care more about the story and its characters, but mainly to make the public create sympathy for the victim, Megan ( Halley Bennett).
Rachel played by Emily Blunt and is the best part of the film, her acting stands out from the rest of the cast. Emily Blunt's scenes bring a greater emotional weight to the film, her performance convey the total insecurity, volatility, emotional instability and all the suffering the character is going through.
When Emily Blunt is on the scene, the film is one, when she is not, it becomes another and looses a lot of quality. The arcs of Anna (Rebecca Fergunson) and Anna are not so good and looked rather artificial compared to Rachel's. Each change is a rhythm break and as the others arcs are not interesting as the main one, I wanted to return as soon ass possible to Emily Blunt's character.
Like any movie of this style, clues, false or not, are shown along the movie to develop the whole plot; if you pay attention, you will solve the mystery before it is even revealed. When we know the truth, there is an impressive character deconstruction, all the following scenes with this character, seem to be with another person, totally different from the one shown to us throughout the film. This break is done so abruptly, it seemed out of place and not so shocking because the whole flawed development of the plot earlier.
The Accountant (2016)
The Accountant Review
A sentence repeated several times in "The Accountant" is "Do you like puzzles?". This film could be summed up by this sentence, a 2-hour-long puzzle that is gradually being put together. The interesting thing is that even though Bill Buduque's script provides all the answers, they are not given in a direct way or in the speeches of the characters, as many movies currently feel the need to explain every event or change that occurs in the script. The Accountant has an electrifying story that increasingly becomes wilder and the whole cast does a good job, especially Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff.
The film uses flashbacks to show Christian's past and through the good performances of Robert C. Treveiler and Seth Lee, Chris's father and Chris as a child, respectively, makes us understand the difficulties faced, choices made by his family and how all this made Christian become the person he is in adulthood.
One problem I have with the film is the arc of J.K. Simmons, he plays an award-winning director of tax crimes at the Treasury Department. He has the help of Mary Beth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), an analyst at the Department, in investigating the accountant's identity. His entire arc is designed to mainly create a bigger tension, but in the end, it has a weak connection to the rest of the plot.
Despite the script failures, the film is well tied and its action scenes are very good. They are well choreographed, do not have many cuts, which makes them flow better and look more realistic.
Ben Affleck is the best part of the film, his acting is quite convincing. He manages to convey a personality that despite having a huge ease with numbers, with people the situation is not the same, much due to his psychological issues. The character of Anna Kendrick, Dana Cummings, breaks the coldness built by the character of Affleck. The two do a good job together and are responsible for many good scenes, whether being action, humor or more dramatic scenes. Another positive aspect is that the film does not become very sentimental or cheesy regarding the two characters.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Good Will Hunting Review
Good Will Hunting is one of those films that make you stay in front of the screen until the credits rolls. The script, written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, is simply incredible and earned the Best Original Screenplay in the Oscars of 1998. Right from the first scenes there is a break of paradigms which make us realize that Good Will Hunting is not some random film. Along the plot also has a series of social critiques and even the picture being of 1997, these critiques are still current. The director, Gus Van Sant, by choosing a movie style calmer, clean and without many camera movements made the right decision. Another positive aspect of the direction was in certain conversations, the decision to keep a closed camera in the face of some character and slowly opening the plan to show the rest of the scenery. This method was great, because it caught all the facial expressions of the character and even when he was not talking, you could see how he reacted to the other talking, but none of this would be possible if it were not for the brilliant work of the actors.
Matt Damon is Will hunting, an individual with a great mathematical intellect. His performance is spectacular, even the character having a great degree of complexity. He isn't just some math genius, he also has doubts, fears, just like everyone else and Damon's performance manages to convey to the public each emotion that the character is being through. The character's development is also worth mention, because each choice that Will makes increases his importance and gives a greater weight to the story.
Robin Williams as Sean Maguire is also amazing; his performance won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998. The talks between him and Will are one of the high points of the film. The actors have an incredible dynamic and provide exciting scenes. He and Damon excel in the dialogues, their monologues and arguments are breathtaking, especially the ones from Damon who sometimes gives big monologues fast, that makes me wonder if all that was in the script or some lines were improvised.
I must mention Ben Affleck (Chuckie Sullivan), Casey Affleck (Morgan O'Mally), Cole Hauser (Billy McBride) and Stellan Skarsgård (Gerald Lambeau). The first three are Will's friends, the scenes in which the four are together serve mostly as comic relief and surely, they work as such. However when the scene tends to a more dramatic and serious talk, they did not fail either. The three enable so that there is a better construction of the characters and the audience feels more comfortable and close to them. From the three, props to Ben Affleck's character, he's the closest to Will, he might be not smart as Will and shine in funny scenes, but when it's a serious talk, the scene in the demolished buildings for example is impressive, he shows his other side.
Inferno (2016)
Inferno Review
Inferno is the third film based on a Dan Brown's book, Tom Hanks once more comebacks as Robert Langdon, an university professor of Cambridge, and Ron Howard is back to direct, he also was the director of the previous two movies, The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009). Inferno is the least captivating of them all.
The plot still is carried by a mystery that needs to be solved; unfortunately, Inferno's story is not gripping and surprising as the others. It still has plot twists and some are quite unexpected, but the film as a whole, regarding the story, is rather predictable. The film once more uses different cities, historical places and museums in the shooting. Inferno succeeds in creating a feeling of wonder throughout the plot by showing the beauty of the artworks and locations. An issue is the number scenes used to explain the plot, it seemed like the film had to explain everything to the audience understand.
The cast counts with big names already known in Hollywood. Tom Hanks with his two Oscars and other great achievements in the film industry, Felicity Jones as Sienna Brooks already has shown that she is a talented actress in The Theory of Everything (2014) and is in the upcoming new Star Wars movie, Rogue One. Let's not forget Omar Sy who is Christoph Bouchard, a WHO (World Health Organization) agent, that was part in the amazing french film, Intouchables (2011). The cast was promising, but they were just fine. The movie itself didn't want deep and ground-breaking performances, so the characters' don't bring an emotional side to it, it feels like they are just there, doing their roles but not expecting to deliver something out off the standards.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
X-Men Apocalypse Review
After creating an another time-line to the X-men Universe in Days of Future Past, X-Men Apocalypse delivers a satisfying and interesting story along with presenting the new generation of the future X-men films.
In the opening scene, we got to know more about who Apocalypse is and all the cult that supports him. After such impressive scene, it made me more anxious for the rest. In the end, I wasn't disappointed, just some directions which the film took that made me question about it.
There's no doubt that Michael Fassbender as Magneto and James McAvoy as Professor X are the ones who gave the best performance. Specially Fassbender who in the first scenes are fantastic, specially one in the forest. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique also did a great job, but an issue that I had is the path which this character created through the films, because there's so much Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games movies in the mystique's personality that it quite a lot.
Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse is incredible, the changes in his voice made the character feels much more powerful, the costume isn't as good as the one from the comics but it's quite OK. My problem were the four horsemen, the introduction of each one specially Angel and Psylocke is very interesting, because it shows a different mutant world that I would like to know more, even though it's the focus of the film. As the movie goes on, it's not given to them such importance and in the end, feels like they're just Apocalypse's stooges.
The new generation is very promising, their arcs and presentations aren't very extensive, it's to the audience get to know the new faces of characters already known, as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Storm and Jubille. A character already pretty established is Quicksilver, when he's in the scene, he steals it, particularly in his special scene which is just amazing and fantastic to watch.
Due to the nature of the film, it's required lots of CGI. It worried me, because in some moments it was very perceptible, but overall, the special effects were really good, more so, when it was the powers' demonstrations.
In the end, X-Men Apocalypse is a great movie to the a trilogy started in X-Men First Class. In regards of the action is one of the best, it falls in the drama aspect, except one or two characters who receive more attention, the others doesn't have a lot to work with in relation with their dramatic plot.
The Judge (2014)
A Gripping Movie with Some Astonishing Performances
The Judge is an impressive picture, much due to the incredible performances of Robert Duvall being Joseph Palmer and Robert Downey Jr. playing Hank Palmer, father and son. Having a slow beginning, the main plot takes a certain time to show up. When the story starts to develop, the film manages to intrigue and captivate from the mystery approached. The court scenes are amazing, having such powerful and breathtaking dialogues. Another interesting aspect from these scenes is the shooting as they're more shady and darker, making the place have a atmosphere much more dense and heavier. The scenes would not have such greatness if weren't for the brilliant performances, which are not limited to the court, showing the troubled relation between the two, having beautiful scenes where we could feel the love, even despite the sadness and resentments that shook the family relation. In the end, The Judge is a beautiful movie with stunning performances and besides all that, a very emotional trial.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: the Force Awakens is Outstanding but the Sequences Need to be More Original
Being the starting point for a new trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a great kickoff. The movie is simply fantastic, one of its accomplishments is please long time fans as introduce the Star Wars universe to a complete new generation. The spaceship battles both on some planet or in the space, the CGI characters are beautiful to watch and see the how well-worked they are, but even though the CGI is incredible, what make this film more unique is the no dependence of computational effects and by doing so, not having the artificiality of the more recent trilogy. Putting the cast in real locations to shoot, better and real performances are put on the screen also the comeback of using practical effects and models to create dozens of creatures and species of the vast galaxy, the film feels more real and pays an homage to the classic trilogy. This alliance between CGI and practical effects make Star Wars: The Force Awakens have an astonishing visual and some takes are just breathtaking. It's wonderful along with the scenes listen John Willams's so mesmerizing soundtrack, who still created some new tracks to follow so many novelties brought by this movie. It's undeniable the resemblances to Star Wars: A New Hope, the script shape has its similarities, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens has a context quite different, besides the gripping plot with new and engaging characters that will keep you on the edge of your seat while witnessing this new Star Wars adventure, but no matter how much entertaining it is, the future films can't have this likeness. The lightsaber fights are awesome, they're are brutal and violent, there's not that feeling of excessive choreography so present in the prequels, you feel the threat of its deadly power and the ways you see the force being used is just freaking cool.
The return of the entire cast from the classic trilogy is dazzling, have the opportunity to see them at least one more time is great. Even if they're not in the leading roles, any scene where they appear is a tribute to the so many fans out there that love these characters and no matter how long they are in this picture they will still make an impact on us and increase the anxiety to future films. To have a glimpse of how big and important Star Wars is, it's just know the high number of cameos, even if they're in a costume or if is just a voice, besides, who wouldn't be part of Star Wars universe. The highlights regarding the new cast are to Daisy Ridley as Rey and Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. Rey is the heroin from the XXI century asks for, a strong and independent female character, she's a very captivating character and wouldn't be so remarkable without Daisy Ridley's impressive performance, it's just to careful to not turn her in a Mary Sue, because even though it's great to see compelling and interesting female characters in the lead or being important or strong as male leading roles, as everything in life, anything in excess, no matter in what regard, is not good. Adam Driver delivers delivers not just a simple and common villain, but beneath the powerful outfit there's a volatile individual and a story progression that makes the character much more intriguing and complex. Finn is played by Jon Boyega, he serves as a comic relief to the movie, but not decreasing the character or his importance to the plot. But, the one who more made me laugh was BB-8, this droid was fantastic, the way he moved, his gestures, just adorable and he fits very well with the rest of the cast. What I expect to see in future films isn't just the story of Rey, Finn or Kylo Ren, so many others characters were presented and didn't have a lot of scenes. As Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie), Paul Dameron (Oscar Isaac) and so many others, and even with little time on screen already have shown to be quite promising. A lot of questions and cliffhangers are left by this film, but it's not a problem, just increases the suspense and suffering in the wait for the next one, because one thing is for sure, Star Wars is back to its core.
Inside Out (2015)
An Enchanting Film About Growing Up
For being a Pixar movie, the least to expect is a visual that is mesmerizing to look at. Inside Out doesn't disappoint, in this regard is spectacular. With a dazzling visual along with bringing to life such charismatic and beautiful characters, Inside Out turns out to be a wonderful movie. Each emotion is unique and the film makes sure of it by making them have different personalities, the distinctive ways that each emotion makes you smile and their singular and vibrant color skin. Each one has their role and relevance with no need to overshadow the others. Just with the visual, this movie already stands out, but, beyond that, Pixar delivers one of the best stories of its productions, this original and bold plot kept me on the edge of my seat for being so emotional and involving. It takes place in the mind of a 11-year girl named Riley who is suffering big changes in her life. Inside her head, five emotions are managing the control center, Joy, Fear, Sadness, Disgust and Anger. Each feeling has at least one shining and incredible moment.
They got right regarding the choice for the characters' voices, specially for the emotions, as each voice enhanced the different temperament making them much more remarkable and special. Lewis Black as Anger is hilarious, his voice bring a sarcasm and acid humor. Joy has the voice of Amy Poehler , a cheerful voice with positive thoughts and always trying to see the bright side of the situation. By the voice of Bill Hader, Fear is that insecure and cautious guy that thinks over and over again before doing it. Mindy Kaling gives Disgust a voice of a bitter girl and that seems to doesn't care too much about others think as well as creating Riley's tastes. Sadness has the voice of Phyllis Smith and she is presumably has no desire to achieve something and always depressive, but the innovation was not make her a villain, instead, learning to live with it and the mixture of this emotions and so many others is what make us grow up as happenings and experiences happen in our life.
The story is very captivating and intelligent, it made me laugh a lot of times and it was not always silly and childish jokes, identify myself in what was going on in the film and even made me cry much due to Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend. The most incredible is that Inside Out doesn't have necessarily has a focus in the younger audience. The children may not understand or perceive some subtleties, but they will love the characters' journey. The older viewers might as well board the adventure and have fun, besides, will recognize the nuances and messages that the picture is talking about. Given that the film uses a lot of psychology to explain the process of maturing, of course beneath all the glowing sceneries and colorful characters, but there's no doubt about the symbolisms in it. In the end, Inside Out is a fantastic movie with a outstanding visual and touching message. I don't know if it's going to win, but surely this movie will in the 2016 Oscar.
Rocky V (1990)
Rocky V is Just not Good
Having a story not so engaging while trying to give a new direction in Rocky's life, this fifth film is quite uninteresting and not very exciting. For not having that passion so present that stood out in the first two and the entertainment so present in the fourth, Rocky V develops from a plot that doesn't build up to be as good as it should be, adds many sub-plots, which most are very poorly established, as well as an exaggerated drama and even characters that have already been established undergo changes in their personality, the main example is Adrian. Another problem is the antagonists, they suffer from the same issues that are in the third movie, which is not exploiting and developing seriously these characters making them strong and imposing figures when they're on the screen, passing the image of important individuals, instead, they're very superficial and boring. Something incredible and new from this one is the fact that even the fights aren't good as before, they're well choreographed and filmed, but fail to excite and far from being breathtaking.
Dans la maison (2012)
A Teacher and a Student Stumble Upon Each Other Thanks to Their Passion on Writing
Dans la Mansion has a very captivating plot and it's very difficult to not get involved right away. Its interesting development and storytelling combined with artistic references bring a distinction to the picture, besides having a break of linearity which makes the movie quite unpredictable and unexpected. Fabrice Luchini is German, a literature teacher who is resigned with his present life, but with the arrival of one student, Claude García, and his talent in writing, shake his life, making him feel alive and feel like as if he was accomplishing already forgotten and distant dreams through his student. Fabrice has a good performance, even being active and important in the progress of the story, sometimes felt like he also was a spectator, the change of personality as he was reading Claude's texts, his actions and thoughts began to get influenced and impacted by his student's essays. Ernst Umhauer as Claude is the highlight of the film, he's amazing as he created such compelling character that is so intriguing and mysterious. The scenes which Claude is in as both narrator and character has a certain prominence to show both an influence among narrator-character as character-narrator. When it deconstruct and give a new perspective to a scene already presented due this unusual dialogue, the picture assimilates with the creation of a artistic work as the author changes his project as a result of influences around him. In addition of creating an uncertainty of what really happened considering the puzzling distinction between fiction and reality.
Rocky IV (1985)
Rocky IV is Very Enjoyable, but Some Changes and Excesses Damaged the Picture
One of the major differences from its predecessors, the reasons for the fight are much more emotional and difficult. Dolph Lundgren is amazing being Drago, he's a man of few words, but passes the idea of being a very dangerous guy in the ring. Even if it's more focused on the fight, the plot also has a good character development and give a greater importance to Rocky and his family than Rocky III. Along with the fact that is much more humorous, largely due to Paulie, as he left his sentimental side appear and provided some good and funny scenes, he managed to decrease the tension that grows throughout the story. The friendship between Rocky and Apollo Creed is one of the hits as each one has a different view about the arrival of the old age, one who sees no problem about settling down and the other who always wants to be the showman. A significant change was made in the soundtrack, it becomes not as good as before and sometimes the soundtrack doesn't fit very well with the scene. Besides having the excessive use of video clips with fighters preparing for the ultimate battle. Bill Butler, director of photography, even though are just some few, was able to make some beautiful takes from the landscapes of Russia.
Rocky III (1982)
Rocky III is Good But Its Essence is Missing
Even though this is a boxing movie, what made its two predecessors stand out were the well constructed characters and a story that harmonized the fights with the dramatic moments. Rocky III leaves much to be desired in this aspect, even if some quite meaningful and emotional events happen. A story has some subplots but they are either wrapped-up quickly or poorly explored. The fights are very exciting, the technical aspects, such as shooting or choreography, are good, but they didn't put me on the edge of my seat. Adrian played by Talia Shire doesn't have such a strong presence as in the previous movies, her few scenes with Rocky, Sylvester Stallone, are enjoyable, specially one that she sees the need to make Rocky understand himself and recognize what he's feeling.
Clubber Lang performed by Mr. Tis not a great and mesmerizing antagonist, he transmits so much hatred that in the end it becomes excessive, it seems that he drank a whole bottle of coffee with a red bull pack, because I had the impression that he would explode anytime. Burt Young is Paulie, this character isn't emphatically developed, but his scenes bring a little of comic relief due to his sarcastic humor and complicated personality. Rocky and Mickey, Burgess Meredith, behind all their arguments, there's relation of love and care, like a father and son. An interesting and positive situation was the course taken in the relation between Rocky and Apollo Creed played by Carl Weathers. The soundtrack is almost the same but has some good and remarkable inclusions. It's amazing that even though in the third film, the training scene follows the same molds from the previous but still is incredibly awesome.
Rocky II (1979)
Rocky II has the Same Shape from its Previous, it isn't as Good, but Maintains its Entertainment
Despite keeping the same formula from its predecessor, Rocky II with the already established and exciting soundtrack from the first movie and inspiring story still is very enjoyable. Some aspects are better worked, but isn't greater than Rocky. The boxing is much more tied and subordinated to Rocky's daily life, as after the first, he doesn't see much need to return right away to the ring. When certain problems start to appear and the return of insecurities and fears from his doubts about himself, of he is or not someone in life, he is tempted to return to the boxing. Due to the characters already are established, more time is used to develop their personalities. Especially, Rocky and Adrian, a couple that complement each other and are the soul from the film. A nice highlight is Mickey played by Burgess Meredith, he with Sylvester Stallone deliver some very intense and heartening scenes. A novelty is also exploiting Apollo Creed's side in his obsession with Rocky so there is a new fight. The new clash between the two is much longer and intense, better choreographed and filmed, with a breathtaking ending as in the first movie.
Rocky (1976)
It's Not Just a Boxing Movie
Even with a plot attached to boxing, what makes Rocky stand out is not strictly focus on the fights, but also develop a dramatic side, thereby allowing the characters to be built. Especially the relationship between Rocky and Adrian played by Talia Shire, that gave a more sentimental and emotional tone to the film. Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa is spectacular, a common person, by many considered an underdog, who has received an unique opportunity. By taking it, see the chance of stop being a failure, as he wants to feel relevant and become someone in life. Another interesting idea was putting different views and intentions regarding the fight between the fighters. The story is very inspirational and with a striking soundtrack, left as a legacy, several iconic scenes, such as the training scene where is playing "Gonna fly now" and has a beautiful sequence of shots with the city of Philadelphia in the background.
Jessica Jones (2015)
Impressive and Intense Jessica Jones' First Season With a Great Villain Makes Marvel Universe Stronger in Netflix
Second Netflix's series based on Marvel comic books, Jessica Jones is surrounded by psychological terror. Being the main character, Jessica is a traumatized person, haunted by her past which led to drinking problems and a self-destructive life. This character would not create such impact if it were not for Krysten Ritter's compelling performance, she created a character rough to deal with, but over the episodes, she wins the sympathy of the public as they realize that behind her grim personality is a woman quite vulnerable. Another important individual presented was Luke Cage played by Mike Colter who is going to have his own TV series in the coming years. His inclusion in this universe is already pretty set and some clues appear indicating to where will head his own series. The story has a good fluency and the supporting characters are used cleverly although some suffer in relation to their development, as the series falls short when dealing with the dialogues, they're not horrible, far from it, but don't create a surprising or brilliant moment. Nevertheless, the show maintains the good quality. There is a character that outshines the others and surprised me the most, it's the villain, Kilgrave. David Tennant is spectacular in this role, in the beginning he was kind an aura, that is always around, you could feel his presence but you couldn't see him. And when Kilgrave is on the screen, he managed to give the character such charisma and with it, combine his humour with the psychopathic side, making him much more interesting and unpredictable.
The series has a mental focus, showing the consequences and collateral damage caused by Kilgrave powers, which leave the victims with a fractured mind. The episodes have ups and downs, but from the middle, the show gives an interesting twist and the story becomes much more intriguing and exciting. The power demonstrations were not that good, using certain angles and cuts, they are not very convincing. A gradual improvement are the fights. At the beginning, they suffer from the same problems of the power demonstrations, but by the end, they are far more thrilling and entertaining. Many easter eggs are showed, as some questions are let unanswered and some characters, which have great importance in other stories not only in Jessica Jones's universe, are quietly introduced and if you aren't a comic book reader maybe you might not realize.
Sense8 (2015)
With a Remarkable First Season and a Promising Future, Sense8 is Another Netflix's Success
I found quite courageous for the series bringing along with the main plot some issues which are very concerning and delicate. The prejudice that, unfortunately, still occurs by certain individuals who do not accept the diversity of genders. By including a gender variety in the cores of the series and bring out certain problems or insecurities that they feel, Sense8 makes us reflect on the difficulties still faced by these groups. Not just that, the mystery around how eight different people around the world were seeing each other, the whole story is interesting and each episode, the plot becomes more and more exciting, but the moment where the series earned me was the scene that all eight characters sang "What's Up". This scene was fantastic, it managed to be a very emotional and touching sequence. This song isn't the only good one, the soundtrack as a whole is pretty good, bringing into the scene a greater importance and making it more striking, taking as an example, the one which Lito is devastated with the breakup with Hernando and in the background is played "Knockin' on heaven's door". Because there's a culture multiplicity and different locations, nine exactly, by the cinematography, it's noticeable a difference of tones in some places, for example, Seoul is much more pale and gray and in contrast Nairobi and Mumbai are more colorful. By doing so, each place has its own beauty and singularity.
The performances were great, the cast created fun and compelling characters and each one provided scenes that some were beautiful, funny or even shocking for some. It was hilarious when Lito seemed to be in "his period", so he was very emotional and sensitive, it was very funny seeing a man suffering what women have to deal. The birthing scene, the orgy, the Nairobi fight are just some of the memorable scenes that comes to my mind now, but I'm sure that there's much more incredible scenes which I'm not mentioning. The exchange of places between characters is fantastic, gives such a dynamism to the scene. The change is not made by the post-production, but during the filming itself using certain ways to make one character disappear and another appear in his place while still shooting.
Death Note: Desu nôto (2006)
Thrilling and Clever Plot Along with Shock Between Light and L Makes Death Note Such an Unique and Interesting Anime
Death Note is one of those "Definitely Should Watch" anime that my friends kept talking about. The animation is well-crafted and due to the gloomy plot, uses a dark tone of colors frequently to bring more weight and despair to the scenes. The soundtrack in crucial moments rises bringing magnitude to the scene, making it far more surprising and mesmerizing. After seeing it, I'm impressed how good it is. The story premise is already intriguing as it creates a dilemma of how far would you go to make the world a better place as well the sense of justice assigned to what you do to reach this superior world. The entire anime develops, with some rare bumps, an engaging and exciting story, it gives a great emphasis on symbolism. Death Note could be divided, since, in a point, it's added new characters and the story suffers big and relevant changes. Due to the main characters be persons with a extremely high intelligence and the constant chase between them, the plot twists are very constant. The link of Light Yagami and L, their conversations, their nonstop distrust in each other are the most interesting aspect from the anime as we never know what going to happen.
Spectre (2015)
Spectre Reminds of a More Classic 007 Film and Celebrate James Bond's Figure
007 Spectre marks the second time of Sam Mendes as director after the great success of Skyfall and possibly the last time of Daniel Craig portraying this iconic character. Unlike the previous ones actuated by Craig which had plots that did not resemble the classic stories, Spectre is a homage to them for having a similarity to the classic films of 007. The movie has a visual very appealing, for being a James Bond film, elegance and glamor are constantly noticed in the exquisite clothes, the astonishing cars and Q's gadgets. But also the variety of places used in the filming bring such unique charm of a 007 film . I can not talk about charm without mentioning the Bond Girls, Spectre has Madeleine Swann played by Lea Seydoux, she brings a character which is of great importance and weight in development of the story. From the hype brought by the spectacular opening scene where a long take were used to film the parade while following James Bond combined with the action and tension gave an enthusiasm to what would come from the following action scenes. Unfortunately, to me, the subsequent fight scenes were good, but not as good as the first.
Despite Christoph Waltz being a well-known actor and having already a number of achievements in his career, the number of scenes that he's in is very few. Given the interesting performance and peculiar character, the film would benefit if Christoph Waltz's character had a greater number of appearances throughout the film. As some intriguing dialogues happen between him and James Bond. Dave Bautista plays Mr. Hinx, the classic stereotype villain, the big guy, violent and with few words. The combats against 007 were quite good as the stunts, the climax and the shots managed to raise the apprehension from the audience. The fourth time of Daniel Craig as Agent 007 comes to reassure his capability to be James Bond, he's once again great in the role. He managed to bring the character a more emotional side, more realistic, but not forgetting the classic personality of James Bond, a guy pretty confident, elegant, a womanizer and always ready for combat.
Bridge of Spies (2015)
A Strong and Bright Light, James B. Donovan, Trying to Make the Difference in a World, the Cold War, Full of Darkness
Bridge of Spies is the fourth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. This particular one is much more focused on persuasive and intense dialogues and not on big action scenes, but due to the beauty and consistency of the conversations, the film doesn't become boring.It has a captivating and inspiring plot and is based on a true story that took place during the Cold War. As presume, the direction is spectacular, Steven Spielberg once again proves to be one of the best. With the help of Janusz Kaminski, movie cinematographer, they manage capture the minutiae and subtleties in each scene, making the picture having an amazing aesthetic, besides the setting and scenery being very well-constructed and provide a higher truthfulness to the movie. Considering the portrayed event and troubled time that happened, the film could have brought a higher tension, the lack is mostly felt around Tom Hanks' character, James B. Donovan, as he's doing something so outrageous in the Americans' perspective. The hostility is there,it's perceptible but it's not high as it might be. A aspect which could help fulfill this need is the soundtrack, which didn't show up as expected, instead was restrained and discreet.
Tom Hanks is the highlight among the cast, he delivers a great performance. The character is fantastic, his power of rhetoric and persuasion are astonishing as a result his speeches are just jaw-dropping. Another good acting was Mark Rylance being Rudolf Abel. He transmits such serenity and wisdom due to his personality, and when he and Tom Hanks are in the same scene, you just sit back and enjoy their chemistry creating some impressive discussions.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008)
What a Great Surprise Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Was
The moment which I started watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog I didn't know what to expect, but right from the start with Dr. Horrible's introduction and the first song "My Freeze Ray", I knew that this short film would have something unique. With such a pleasant story and characters who create a link with audience very quickly as they're so amusing and funny, along with charming musical videos during the entire movie, it's very hard to not like the show. Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible is fantastic, his character easily gains the public's sympathy even though he's the villain. Captain Hammer is played by Nathan Fillion, he's the nemesis of Dr. Horrible, the hero of the story, but who has ideals not so heroics. Felicia Day plays Penny, an innocent girl, who in somehow will be part of the world of these two men. Beneath Dr. Horrible's costume, there's a guy madly in love that when his passion is near he turns out to be very shy and clumsy, despite being a villain, it's hard to not root for him. Captain Hammer is the so- called hero, from the outside he might be, but from inside he's selfish, arrogant. This exchange of personalities between hero and villain was so interesting as we're so used to the opposite.
Fear the Walking Dead (2015)
Too Much Drama and Uninteresting Characters Leads to a Missed Opportunity of AMC to Strike With Another Great TV Series From The Walking Dead's Universe
When Fear The Walking Dead was announced, people didn't know what to expect. Much for the huge success of The Walking Dead, but the noticeable difference was the time-line, as it was focused during the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Due to the knowledge that we gathered during the previous years of The Walking Dead, seeing the characters from Fear The Walking Dead trying to talk or calm the walkers felt so dumb and stupid as they were attempting to achieve something impossible, but the show took advantage from it in the early episodes and created similar scenes with this context. When the zombies were part of the scene, the series managed to handle very well, these scenes were nervous and never knew what outcome would be as the characters didn't know how to deal with the dead. Watch society falling apart and the people starting to realize that is each man for himself now was interesting since we start to understand how The Walking Dead's world developed.
From what I told so far, it seems that Fear The Walking Dead did it right, unfortunately the mistakes and failures are strongly perceptible . Between scenes where zombies are in, there's lots of melodramatic and boring scenes. It's understandable as for the first season, the main characters's story have to be developed, but it's done so tediously, the cast performance in certain moments is very superficial, so in the end none of the characters sticks out and looks like that each one represents a stereotype. An honorable mention can be done for Victor Strand performed by Colman Domingo, he at least brought a comic relief to the show and turned to be the most intriguing figure, sadly he appears only in the last two episodes. When the families were being 'protected" by the military, the story could be much more explored considering that in my point of view it was the best episodes, for the uncertainty of how much trust could be put in the army. Another failure is during the zombie invasion in the compound, the soldiers miss a lot of shots even if the walkers are right in front of them and so near to the fence.
Sicario (2015)
Where The Weak Have No Place
Addressing an issue significantly disturbing and heavy, Sicario brings up the sad reality of the fear and terror brought by the drug war between the cartels and governments in the borders of U.S. and Mexico. This movie makes you realize that this subject is not just black and white but has much more layers to its cause and happenings. In this fight for the control, there is no good guys, but a constant contest of who's in the command, and as always, the most affected are those who have nothing to do with the situation.
Sicario has some very repulsive scenes, they give a glimpse of the horrors that cartels are able to do in the places where they run. The partnership between Denis Villeneuve, director, and Roger Deakins, cinematographer, built a well-crafted film. As a result, the movie has a coherent and compelling story combined with some distinguished shots, such as aerial takes or outdoor scenes. The weight pressure in Emily Blunt's character, Kate Macer, is always noticeable as she's the one who is the most unfamiliar to what is done in these trenches of the conflict. The tense soundtrack cooperates to immerse the public in this picture since the tension only grows as the film progresses. Kate Macer is a FBI Agent who has a strict mentality in following the rules to do her job and is caught up in a situation where the rules are put aside in order to achieve the objectives. Emily Blunt's performance is incredible, her performance made the character very interesting and believable, as she's in a place where she might not belong. Josh Brolin plays Matt Graver, a government agent in charge of a task force that aims to break the cartel from its core, he passes the idea of being an arrogant and presumptuous guy, but he's willing to do anything to reach his objective. Alejandro, Benicio Del Toro's character is the most intriguing much due to the mystery around the character seeing that his goals or who he respond for his acts remains a secret.
The Walk (2015)
"If I Die, What a Beautiful Death. To Die in The Exercise of Your Passion." - This Sums up The Walk, a Film With a Captivating Plot and Visually Astonishing
With an incredible synergy between the consistent work of the cast and dazzling visual effects, The Walk turns out to be a quite charming and inspiring movie but also knows how to put you on the edge of your seat. It's inspired by the true story of Philippe Petit's pursuit to fulfill his dream although many think that it was dangerous and practically impossible. The scenes on the wire are simply breathtaking. The immersion is amazing and the walk is so beautiful and tense, during it, you feel a weightlessness combined with some symmetry making it appear that Philippe is dancing on the wire. To add to the grandeur of these scenes there is an impressive work in the setting, creating compelling scenarios that allied with realistic visual effects gave to the audience a feeling of actually be witnessing something real. Something that caught my attention was the explanation of even though most of the characters have french origin, they still speak most of the time English. Much has claimed from the lack of cohesiveness of this aspect in other films, but The Walk manages to give a clever explanation. This may not be as relevant in the story, but it makes the movie more coherent.
Philippe Petit is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, his commitment with the role was so hard that he learned how to really walk on the wire. The performance along with the charisma put in the character gave to the public a pleasant person to be with and get to know. Another interesting aspect is that Philippe Petit is the movie narrator, and so, he breaks the fourth wall, bringing him to much closer to the audience. Let's not forget about the supporting cast, as without them, Philippe wouldn't even have installed the wire. They manage to create characters that even if every one has a different personality, their love to each other unites them to help Philippe accomplish his dream, so the bond between them is very perceptible as the strength of their friendship. Making feel like they're a family.
Unbroken (2014)
Unbroken was Doing Fine, But Lost Its Tracks Along The Way
Unbroken tells Louis Zamperini's story who was an Olympian athlete and were in the American army during the WWII where he went through unimaginable situations. It's a tough movie to watch for showing the cruelty and horrors men did to each other in this dark period of human history but it is also a very inspiring film a lot because of Louis Zamperini's personality. Visually speaking, the set design, make-up and photography are well-done,they manage to create a convincing environment and along with the physical transformations which actors endured to be fit in their roles made the film more realistic. Without spoiling anything, Unbroken was having a compelling and harsh story that was making the audience startled for witnessing what Lou went through, but from a certain point, the film isn't impactful as it was, even if the worst and painful scenes happen after this point.
Jack O'Conell plays Louis Zamperini, his performance is impressive,he delivers an emotional and inspiring character. The supporting cast fails to pass the same strength and confidence, having Domhnall Gleeson playing Phil as an exception, when he and Jack O'Connell are on the screen, they deliver intense and heartbreaking scenes. Miyavi as Watanabe, The bird, left much to be desired in his performance. He seemed often displaced making this character not shocking as he should be, although he was one of the greatest responsible for the suffering of Louie Zamperini during his captivity in Japan.