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The Sea Beast (2022)
An adventure filled with emotion through seas inhabited by monsters.
A menacing and murderous monster threatens human life, forcing us to hunt it down; however, someone eventually develops a bond with the beast, and fights to protect it from bloodthirsty humans. I'm sure some great movie came to your mind with this synopsis, but that's exactly the main plot of "The Sea Beast", a new Netflix animation.
Ok, the story doesn't have a fresh plot, and it's actually quite predictable, but that's where you (and I, at first) are wrong. The Sea Beast takes an overused premise and gives it a life and personality.
Maisie, a girl sneaks into the ship of a great sea monster hunter, Jacob. Together, they begin an epic journey through uncharted waters. The main objective of the "bloodthirsty humans" (that I mentioned earlier) is to find and kill a red giant marine beast, however, after almost crossing out this objective of their To-Do's, our protagonist duo are forced to release the beast in order to save the crew; Captain Crow is unforgiving and wants to end Jacob and Maisie's fate, but the red beast swallows them before that. It is obvious that the monster had no bad intentions and ends up creating bonds of friendship with our main duo.
Even if the main plot is nothing special, it's impossible not to be dazzled by the visual created for this film. An animation worthy of a Pixar classic, some breathtaking action sequences and a delicious story to follow, without ever stalling or getting boring.
I loved the subtext that monsters have been hunted for centuries due to false stories planted by the region's monarchy, thus causing the working class to venture into the sea to "keep the peace and ensure safety", while filling their pockets with money coming from spoils brought by the hunters. Any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental.
The Sea Beast is an almost mandatory animation for anyone who likes the genre, and a magical experience for everyone looking for a family-friendly adventure. Go check this out ;)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
A jumble of ideas
Crimes of the Future is very 'Cronenbergian'. It has everything a David Cronenberg movie normally has. The shocking opening sequence and the magnificent soundtrack are enough to suck us into this gray, desaturated, hopeless and dystopian world. Unfortunately, that's not enough to hold the film together.
We find ourselves constantly challenged to understand the film's mysteries, symbolism and metaphors. It's all very thought-provoking and interesting, from the design of the machines, the characters, and the concepts. Unfortunately, our curiosity is not rewarded, and the film passes as a bunch of wasted possibilities.
Crimes of the Future has very interesting pieces without a bond to turns those pieces into a whole.
Over the course of nearly two hours, we see Cronenberg rehearse comments on various things, but never really delving into any of them. From a metalinguistic reference to the artist's relationship with his art, issues of human evolution, our relationship with the plastic waste we produce, etc.
In the end, we have a film that could be a misterious and wonderful journey through Cronenberg's classic body horror, but we end up facing the lack of a narrative thread that could make the experience more than just a jumble of concepts.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Took my breath away!
Remember the last time you were in a movie theater, and realized that your jaw dropped for awhile? Or when a scene is so thrilling that you find yourself on the edge of your seat, holding your breath? Well, I lost count of how many times I felt like this watching Top Gun Maverick. A sequel that is superior in EVERY POSSIBLE WAY to the original film.
Top Gun, from 1986, is a great action movie, no wonder it became a classic, but we have to admit that it has its flaws, a little relevant plot, which is basically two guys arguing about who has the biggest dick. Top Gun Maverick is arguably more polished, layered, tense, and emotional. We start the film with several established relationships between Maverick and other characters, such as his friendship with Iceman, and his relationship with Penny (Connelly), which doesn't need to be didactic for us to realize all its nuances and complexities. The mix between the old and the new is very present here, including references to the original flick, without ever seeming out of place, or mere fan service. I don't know if I need to talk about the action scenes, but they're absolutely mind-blowing. The sound effects and soundtrack will leave anyone with goosebumps. The CGI doesn't draw attention to itself, and a lot of the visual effects are practical, which brings a wonderful physicality to the action.
The supporting cast is very efficient, with Hangman being an updated, and even more douche, version of Iceman, but without the same personality and presence as Val Kilmer's character. Miles Teller also doesn't shine much, but he does a good job. Tom Cruise is the absolute standout, no exceptions.
Perhaps something that Top Gun Maverick lacks is the courage to let go of some characters. Despite having moments of life or death, literally, where we feel like anything can happen, there is no real risk, which ends up taking some of the weight off the mission.
A film that really deserves the title of Blockbuster, which goes beyond the a mere action movie, and delivers us an exciting, mind-blowing and chills-filled adventure.
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
Meta, Meta everywhere!!
Who would've thought that Disney, one of the biggest producers of remakes, reboots, spin-offs, live actions and sequels in modern cinema, would give the green light to a film that mocks the industry's lack of creativity? Well, I don't know how it got through the executives, but I'm glad it did. Chip n' Dale is a delight. It deserves a few rewatches just to catch all the easter eggs.
The story? We've seen it millions of times, including in Space Jam, but what gives this film a different flavor is the fun and slightly acidic way in which Hollywood's greediness is mocked. From the characters who try to make a living by exploiting old roles, to the movie's villain - basically a mockbuster producer. The nudge Disney gives itself when it makes Dale update his look to a CGI version is priceless.z
The choice to keep the original voices of Andy Samberg and John Mulaney as the main duo is awesome, especially because they're very different from that other trio of squirrels (y'know who I'm talking about). The interaction between drawings and humans is great, and sometimes there are good jokes about it.
And I would never finish my text without declaring my love for Ugly Sonic. Ironically, I would see an entire movie about him. Ugly Sonic, Uglier Crimes. This looks like a box office hit.
The Lost City (2022)
Brad Pitt saving a boring and forgetable movie about something I already forgot
I would give Brad Pitt an Oscar just for his appearance in this movie. In fact, that's what kept me from sleeping while watching this movie. The most boring two hours I spent on a theather, and I watched "The Eternals" recently.
I already knew that The Lost City was the kind of movie where you turn your brain off and have fun; the problem is, even if I rip the brain out of my head, I still wouldn't enjoy this movie. The beginning is very promising, it establishes the tone of the film, introduces characters, situations, and context in a pretty good way, but towards the half of the runtime, the story starts to get stuck, and it just doesn't turn into a very expensive sleeping pill because Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock are really good in here.
The story is way more interested in the silly adventure, but sometimes it tries to invest in an uninteresting drama just to put the main couple together. Booooring. I could easily cut off 40 minutes of this movie. Even things that should get more attention, like action scenes, visual effects and production design are really bad.
Anyway, if you like to see Brad Pitt being hot, this movie may suit you (even if he only appears for about 10 minutes). Otherwise, a totally forgettable adventure. The Rock loves to make movies in the jungle, maybe if he were here, the film would be a little less boring.
The Bad Guys (2022)
Delicious adventure about redemption, guinea pigs and butt shaped asteroids!
Remember the end of "Return of the Jedi" where Darth Vader simply gives up his evil life and redeems himself with the son he abandoned? It's exactly what we see in The Bad Guys. Where a group of extremely cute and dangerous crooks decide to leave the life of crime behind (or maybe not).
DreamWorks hasn't been doing good animation for a while, but just like our protagonists and Luke Skywalker's absent father, they redeemed themselves. The story, despite being simple and clearly aimed at children, is very efficient and dynamic. The plot twists, the progression of the story and the characters development are super predictable, anyone who has seen a couple of heist movies in their life can see the twists from miles away. But the story is based on a series of children's books, this predictability is completely understandable.
The visuals and action scenes are the high point of the film, the voice work is also great, everyone clearly having lots of fun here. It's a movie to have a good laugh, fun and remember to separate the trash correctly, because even garbage can be recycled and become something beautiful. ;)
Petite maman (2021)
A sweet and delicate tale about childhood
What would happen if you could meet your mother in a younger version? What would you do, what would you say, would it be a good idea? No, I'm not talking about the 1985 film directed by Robert Zemeckis, but the latest film by Céline Sciamma, Petite Maman (self-explanatory title).
It's a small movie, only 72 minutes, but rich in content and meaning. The story is simple: a girl, Nelly, goes with her parents to clean her late grandmother's house, where she ends up meeting a girl identical to her, who soon discovers to be her mother, Marion.
It's a sweet and delicate story, showing how we end up forgetting our inner child as we grow, and as everyday responsibilities take us away from this more playful and simple world.
Céline doesn't want to explain this "time travel", nor does she need to. When Marion goes to clean her mother's house, she reconnects with a lost past. Neither Nelly nor Marion seem surprised to be mother and daughter, when they realize the nature of their relationship, they are more concerned with playing together than questioning themselves. The more I think about Petite Maman, the more I like it.