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Reviews
Trance (2013)
Technically superb, this is a great thriller
In Trance director Danny Boyle tries a new, refreshing, approach to a somewhat new genre for him. Although this movie could be more likely compared to Trainspotting (the early days of Boyle), that's not really quite right. The movie is a stunning thriller where the trance technique is used to scavenge a man's mind for the location of a very valuable painting. This obviously leads to a complex narrative style that Danny Boyle loves so much, playing with the viewer's head, and you'll certainly love that feeling of the unexpected. One of the greatest points of the film that really deserves a mention was the photography. The color was great and the camera work was superb, a real feast to the eyes, all this done in realistic fashion. All the actors deliver good performances, with special mention for Vincent Cassel. Great soundtrack too. At the end, Trance is a great piece of entertainment, one of those movies you don't feel cheated by in the end, but that really does not blow your mind or takes the genre into a new level. A 3 star, almost 4 piece of movie.
Evil Dead (2013)
True and wonderful tribute to B movie slashers
Evil Dead remake, by same producer Bruce Campbell as the 1981 original, succeeds in capturing the feel from old horror B movies! The first segments of the movie are still believable, but soon enough we find a blood bathed B movie flick that leaves to your consideration to hate it or to love it. It's really up to the viewers to decide if they like this kind of movie: completely unreal and sometimes laughable, but THAT is the true essence of it! Applause for almost no CGI usage, just as in the original flick, and the old school techniques for special effects (make-up, etc). Highly entertaining, if you are willing to accept this genre, this is a true and wonderful tribute to the B movie slashers that were so popular back in the 70's and 80's, and should be enjoyed accordingly to that feel. Evil Dead is not to be taken seriously and is laughingly entertaining. Very good!
21 Jump Street (2012)
Don't judge this book by its cover
21 Jump Street's presentation really does not give the movie much credit, but the old "never judge a book by its cover" applies here. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are two young cops that go undercover in high school. Yeah... Well, it's hilarious. Everything you would expect from a cheesy premise like that really does not happen. This isn't the classic American Pie's high school anymore, even making fun of the tolerance that characterizes youth nowadays, and with a very good dose of dark humor, unbelievable situations and characters, and a very special cameo. 21 Jump Street makes fun of itself. Very well written, this is probably one of the best, if not the best, comedy of 2012. Who would guess?
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
Solid, objective movie about post 9/11 discrimination
Expecting a somewhat boring movie, The Reluctant Fundamentalist really did a fine job impressing the audience. Here we find a very well written triangle between the American dream, religion and love, centered in a muslin young man, with a surprisingly good performance by lead actor Riz Ahmed. Straight to the point, the Reluctant Fundamentalist dissects what happened to the muslin citizens in the United States before and after the 9/11, taking this main character as an example, showing the immediate discrimination all these citizens suffered and somewhat continue suffering, ultimately leading them to return to their home countries and forget the so wished American dream. What's good in the movie is that it doesn't take an anti-American pretentious way to show its point. In fact, it is really very objective while concerning these somewhat political matters, and that's really good to see. And besides all that there is a very interesting personal story to watch. After all, this is a great character driven movie, and it succeeds in that way. Very solid.
Warrior (2011)
The Fighter, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby mixed in one great movie
I was when I consulted the premieres of the week that I came across the despicable poster Warrior. See: two muscular men, naked trunk in a movie called "Warrior" and subtitled Portuguese is "Fighting Between Brothers". Well, let's say Warrior is buried deep with a picture of these for the first printing. It was when I saw some reviews and by high scores to the film that I thought maybe the thing was not so linear as this, because in almost all the film was held in high esteem, with high scores and the surprising rating of 8.3 on IMDb, that puts you in the top 250 films of all time. And it is confirmed: Warrior is a great movie. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play two brothers separated for 14 years, created by an alcoholic father, played by Nick Nolte, who taught them to fight from a very young. The first became a lone Marine and a second physics teacher, married and father, which is currently in serious financial trouble. As for the father, this was abandoned by both sons, who ignore and cut off all relations with him, preferring to forget it. That's when Tommy (Tom Hardy) returns to her father's house 14 years after the plot develops, and the biggest tournament in mixed martial arts history will take place. More than a sports movie, Warrior is a great drama with brilliant performances by Nick Nolte (nominated for best supporting actor Oscar) and Tom Hardy, the British actor who had done a good role in Inception and is now preparing to play Bane, the villain of the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, and that is undoubtedly establish itself as a rising star. All dialogues and scenes in which Nick Nolte appears are fantastic. The character of old father, abandoned and sorry that strives for the children to accept and to love again is superbly embodied by the actor, creating thin links between family relationships and the spectator who leaves no doubt moved. Tommy is also excellent. The actor Tom Hardy builds an unstoppable wrestler, dir would be invincible until, apparently almost no feelings, disgusted and enraged by the children he had. A fighter who is more like a rabid dog that a dark man. Already Brendan, played by Joel Edgerton, while also being well can not be at the other two. Perhaps because of its character is more "normalized" (Brendan is the underdog, a retired fighter competition in whom nobody believes) the player will eventually have less room to maneuver, or their abilities as an actor does not really go to meet their pairs. We tend more to this second option. The two brothers have to rest a single scene of dialogue throughout the film that reinforces the emotional charge and the separation between the two, this scene once again superb. The dialogues and dramatic aspects, but even very well exploited, in principle would be the highlight of the film. It would not be combat scenes also exceptional realism and movement of a camera that impresses us very original, as if we were to actually watch the UFC fights on Sic Radical, forgetting that those who are fighting are actually actors . Note also positive for the dedication of both actors in learning martial arts and especially for Tom Hardy and his rigorous physical training, appearing on the screen with a monstrous muscles, specifically for the film, causing us to remember "method actors" as Adrian Brody in Predators or Christian Bale in Dark Knight and Machinist. Highlight for further engaging soundtrack. Warrior However, despite being a film very dear, is not a bed of roses. There are some inconsistencies that can not be ignored, such as Tommy was fighting unbeatable champion Greco-Roman in his youth, only to have changed his nickname now enters the tournament as an anonymous, unknown if any data on it, which turns out to be ridiculous. The realism of the final scene also ends up leaving something to be desired. And unfortunately Warrior ends up suffering, though not of evil in a maddeningly combat films, this is the successive cuts of exciting fights to see the reaction of secondary characters, sometimes extremely annoying, irrelevant and end up being comical and in bad taste, which is following the fighting at home. Still nothing to compare with the heinous Cinderella Man, perhaps the most disgusting film's dramatic fight I've ever had the misfortune to watch. Warrior actually turns out to be an overview of the best that is done in The Fighter, Rocky and Million Dollar Baby, for all the reasons cited above, and not without a scent, but a little, feeling Hollywood (bloody cuts to Watch the reactions of secondary characters), but this is not necessarily bad, quite the contrary. Causes this is an interesting film, addictive and dare I say inspiring, with a dramatic charge well dosed and ultimately go positively different genres of cinema. Objectively Warrior hangs between good and very good, 3 and 4 stars. However, bearing in mind I have just my personal opinion, and with great satisfaction, to assign the top note and hope that justice is done and Nick Nolte is awarded.
originally published in the blog retroprojeccao
American Horror Story: Pilot (2011)
Really good pilot, declares its intentions from the beginning
The thing that's best in American Horror Story is the cast. They are all very good and well known actors. Jessica Lange, Dylan McDermott, it's pretty rare to come up with such a good cast in a TV series.
The feeling that stays with us after seeing this first episode is it's weirdness. We can't really tell if any of the characters is seeing things, dreaming, or is just esquizofrenic. It's unclear if some sequences are real or a dream. Perhaps the pace for this pilot was too fast, with too much happening in just one episode. But sure it was pretty eerie and scary, exactly what you would expect from a horror show. For now it lives the expectations, and I'm confident it will deliver in the next episodes. This is one to keep track on.
Oh, and the fight scene was amazingly acted.
The Walking Dead: Secrets (2011)
The final proof we needed that this show isn't about zombies anymore
This season has been appointed as a slow one, with lots of bad dialogue, etcetera etcetera. Well this is the ultimate proof. The mood from season 1 is gone, the horror is gone, everything is gone. TERRIBLE script, bad bad acting from Shane, Lori, Carl, Carol, but especially Shane. Jon Bernthal is so bad at playing Shane that you think backwards on how can you support the badass character to even exist. It goes really bad when Rick keeps having the same lines over and over again, the same facial expressions, the same pointless talking. And its a shame when you have a good actor in hands like him. It goes to waste when the best character in a show is the cool Daryl, with the best interpretation by far as seen in the last episode by Norman Reedus.
The show turned into a soap with secrets about pregnancy! I mean pregnancy?? How does a horror-zombie themed show turns into a romantic drama? Shane-Lori-Rick, Glen-Maggie, Shane-Andrea, Dale-Andrea. The walking dead turned into a bad Lost. I could understand it was about the characters but it is so poorly written and acted that it's just plain bad. And it's a shame because I really wish this show to be good. One forced zombie per episode? What a waste of time...