Take This Waltz

Oh, Sarah Polley...

House at The End of the Street

You know, I'm not a horror fan, but I would watch this film 

just to contemplate Jennifer Lawrence in a white tank top...

Zou Bisou Bisou

God, women singing french songs...

Why, but why I don't find the time to watch Mad Men? 

Safety Not Guaranteed

Safe to say that it looks really nice...

Blockbuster Invasion - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

Continuing on this blockbuster Invasion, it became pretty clear that the race has now started. And it couldn’t start at a higher state. Now that The Hunger Games established a staggering record, in the middle of a world crises, I actually shouldn’t mention it because on a certain level the last few years the box office records seemed to have been all shattered. It’s in Avatar, the world’s most seen film. It’s in The Dark Knight, it’s in The Twilight Saga and Harry Potter also breaking Midnight records and it doesn’t stop. Now with The Hunger Games. I say on a certain level because this happens fewer times, but when it happens it happens big. So what will happen with The Dark Knight Rises, or with Prometheus, or with Spider Man or The Hobbit? Will people have the money for all of them? Will The Dark Knight Rises be as successful as its previous one? The challenge it’s pretty huge.

The talk started early on, right in the cast, Jennifer Lawrence being the chosen one. From this moment on this film began its rollercoaster of promotion. And now it proved it worked pretty damn well. The book series are much loved and appreciated and from the moment the teaser came out the book sells doubled.

Aside Note: Just a reminder that my reviews are based on a personal (more than the usual personal) approach. Maybe I should be considering quitting this attitude, I know. But I try to be as fairly universal as possible.

The story centers on Katniss Everdeen, when she volunteers to participate in The Hunger Games, where twelve districts fight to death on live television. It’s a strange world but the feelings and the fight it’s pretty much the same. There’s love, there’s sacrifice and there’s belief. While watching this film, I was trying to figure out these different worlds and I really tried to find meaning in all those colors and patterns. Especially the fantasy part, I mean, the word fantasy itself. I surely became interested in the books; maybe I would actually prefer and enjoy the books better than the film. And I’ll try to explain this now.

It’s just really difficult for me to be fulfilled with a film like The Hunger Games, even if how well made it can be. It can’t seem to satisfy me in that particular emotional level, even if I can find meaning and relations in this story with our ‘real world’. Because I feel bad when I can’t have a positive position in the theaters when watching this film for its fantasy side and I am hopelessly drawn to films like Like Crazy, where the fantasy is still there, it is still fiction. Until at least half the film I was in this negative attitude, so I develop this other senses when I’m watching a film like The Hunger Games. I pay too much attention to the technical aspect (I found a bit tiring the camera movement); I pay attention to certain details that maybe shouldn’t matter, like when the horn didn’t blow when Rue died (I heard a lot of sobbing during this scene.)

Maybe it’s the predictability of the genre. And maybe it's the way I want to take it seriously. But I do wish I could enjoy it more, because I liked some moments from The Hunger Games. I enjoyed the relentless effort of the leading girl Katniss Everdeen, I liked her fight and strength. She was a great heroine.

Jennifer Lawrence wasn’t annoying and she showed her maturity. She’s real, she’s emotional and she’s a regular girl. “I look at Kristen Stewart now and I think, "I'd never want to be that famous". I can't imagine how I'd feel if all of a sudden my life was pandemonium.” It’s ironic. I’m afraid she just fell in that position. Maybe on a different level, but yes, she’s now on that road. Which makes me sad in a way, but why should I bother?

The Hunger Games is a solid piece of action, where a futuristic story takes place. I believe it’s for all ages and it surely breaks some records being already an international sensation and being lead by a female character. Many people may not even notice this little detail but it is really a huge detail.

Probably my favorite moment.

Happy Birthday

Keira Knightley

I hope the year turns out great. 

You're still my favorite.

Looking at these pictures makes me remember when I watched every single film with Keira Knightley in theaters since Love Actually and Pirates. That eventually stopped happening. Sadly.

It was only me and my sister in the theater watching The Jacket.

When I was watching Pride and Prejudice I remember saying: "This is happening". I remember her effortless moves in the beautiful landscape as the film started.

Watching Atonement twice in the big screen was pretty hard, in a way.

I still love her in every single film she's in.

Girls from Albatross

What a lovely and charming film. It tells the story of two young adults trying to cope with their transition to responsibility. It really is a plain coming of age story.

Jessica Brown Findlay plays Amelia, the provocative rebel with an undeniably attractive appearance and Felicity Jones plays the nerd and solitary girl. Here are a few things I want to remark from this very lovely film, or more precisely, from these two talented actresses.

I just need to state this – I already surrendered to both, and especially to Jessica Brown Findlay. It’s great how her career is starting. Albatross is her first feature film and she’s absolutely irresistible and charming, which are very similar words…then there’s her first work in television, which is nothing less than Downton Abbey, the most acclaimed British series of the past years, which I also absolutely love. So yes, I’m saying nothing new, just stating the obvious. Everyone wants her. She just got a leading role for “Winter’s Tale”.

About Felicity Jones – as of recently, she tends to play roles of teenagers and young adults and she’s incredibly real and authentic!
In Flashbacks of a Fool she’s a twenty five year old playing a sixteen year old! 

In Chalet Girl she plays a 19 year old who quit school to support her father.

In Albatross she’s a 17 year old going to Oxford (where she actually majored).

In Like Crazy she’s also a college student, although the years pass in this film …

Ok, Page Eight she’s a young adult, it gets closer to her actual age, which was 27, but you couldn’t tell, right? This is really interesting and funny (probably just for me), she’s two years older than Keira Knightley. 

British talent is constant...and I love it.

Blockbuster Invasion

Congratulations, Jennifer Lawrence.

The Hunger Games is the Third Highest Opener of All time.

Picture Moment

Cosmopolis

Shit.............

No way...

I can’t believe it!

So this last night I dreamed with Fanny Ardant (I have no idea why, really, I just did) and today it happens to be her birthday, which I didn’t knew. Freaking weird…

Anyway Happy Birthday Fanny Ardant.

(Always present, I never forget.)

Antecipating

"The Door"
The Story -  A young Hungarian writer hires a housekeeper, an eccentric, fiercely private woman, and begins a relationship that changes both their lives.  

Helen Mirren stars in the adaption of a very acclaimed book by Magda Szabo, I recently read it and obviously it's very rich. So I'm really looking forward. And Helen Mirren is cleary up for a new challenge, probably another Oscar.

"The Girl"
Story: A Texan single mother who's lost custody of her child becomes involved in the smuggling of illegal immigrants, and is forced to look after a 9-year-old Mexican girl.

Stars (of personal interest) - Abbie Cornish.

"Jack and Diane"

The story - pair of teenage girls fall in love, only for one to reveal that she's a werewolf.
Rising Stars -  Juno Temple and Riley Keough. 

"Lore"
The Story: Just after the end of the Second World War, the daughter of an SS commander tries to take her four siblings across the country to their grandparents in Hamburg.
Cate Shortland did "Somersault" eight years ago (with Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington). Her new film it’s an adaptation of the novella by German-Australian-British author Rachel Seiffert, was shot entirely in German, with a cast of relative unknowns, and focuses on the children of an unrepentant Nazi. I’m definitely up for it.

"The Perks of Being A Wallflower"
The Story: A high school freshman struggles to get over the suicide of his best friend.

Sound Of my Voice

Laurence Anyways

I love Xavier Dolan. He really knows how to seduce you.

He makes girls that like other likes have a crush on him.
He makes straight girls have a crush on his films.
Not to mention boys.

No matter your orientation, really, you'll simply love them.

Blockbuster Invasion

Obviously every year there are the usual ones, many of them failures, some of them hits, and there are others that include critical success. But they are getting better; the new generation of Blockbusters is established. I guess we have to thank Christopher Nolan for it but then there are always the good old ones returning to their top form...

The curiosity is that contrary to the ordinary (or uneducated in cinema) audience member, like my brother for instance, I’m not a blockbuster person. He falls asleep after ten minutes watching The Tree of Life; he didn’t really give a fuck about it. Or Drive, he also thought it was incredibly boring, just really boring. I, unlike him, get really sleepy watching films like Fast and Furious, like Prince of Persia.

But what I mean by quality is a blockbuster that it’s not always obvious and shallow. For me Kick Ass is the perfect example. With its genre bases it’s also able to surprises us and get really exciting (I certainly wasn’t sleepy). Obviously there are always exceptions like this one. Because I’m not really saying that The Avengers will be another exception…the question relies really weather it gets sleepy or not!

All this to say I’m really excited to see some blockbusters this year!

Here are the ones I think I’ll not get sleepy.

There are many other versions you can look at (I mean teaser/trailers).

This is the one i'm really excited right now. Extremely. 
I'm a cliché, because who isn't?

This is another one. I'll see it very soon.

This one i'm not so crazy, but i'm definitely curious.

I'll do it for Charlize!

Goog god Eva. Good God.

I'll definitely do it for her.


Then there are stuff like this...

The Ides of March

Directed by George Clooney

Written by George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon.

The film is to me an overall look at the recent political history of United States. You don’t need to be very literate to knowledge the American ways. You just need a few films on the subject even some TV shows and you easily get it (maybe not a very intelligent thing to say but ok).

This is a really well driven story, it’s in the dialogues and it is in the narrative. Like the protagonist says, you can lie, you can cheat, you can start a war but you don’t fuck the intern. With this sentence he sort of resumes the American politics over the past decade. This is also a George Clooney dear theme and he uses this recent story, if I’m being right, and he expresses what he believes. When all we hear from these man’s speeches is integrity and trust and that’s exactly where they fail. The film shows us this matter precisely and authentically.

What I also think Clooney wants to say with this story is that at the end of the day men are cheaters, men aren’t faithful. They may even have an answer for that and that’s totally legitimate. Because here’s my opinion, so are women. They could simply say no. There’s not only one person that makes a baby, there’s got to be two involved. I guess the inevitable power figure present in men overshadows that choice in some way, but this is only an excuse. The conclusion is men and women are animals with urges.

The Ides of March is a power film; its politically mysterious, it’s dramatic and we are carried away with the powerful magnetism of Ryan Gosling’s character and again really powerful performance. But he was really well supported by these other mates, the kings actually. Phillipe Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney included.

There’s something about actors going behind the camera and making great solid pictures, which somehow makes a lot of sense since they are on a film set much more often than the director, gaining all kinds of different experiences and methods and then there’s also one crucial aspect they know – how the actors work. That’s crucial because at the end, a film is all about the performances. So let’s bring them. Angelina Jolie already started. Scarlett Johansson will also go for it. So I’m really interested in this Hollywood tendency (not that is new, obviously). 

Melancholia

A Lars Von Trier film.

Even though I actually never saw any of his previous work, I’ve seen scenes from Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, I’ve seen images of Breaking the Waves, I recognize Lars Von Trier work enough to know that some people may hate it and some people may as well love it.

With Melancholia, I don’t think I’m being a spoiler here, he takes us to the end of the world. As the film begins he doesn’t waste any time telling us that and we are followed by this powerful, intense and at the same time painful music. Then we are introduced to Justine and Claire.

Its Justine’s wedding, she tries to smile and smile and smile but she can’t feel happy. You get to know her, her family, her sister Claire, and her husband. Gradually Justine loses her strength to smile and refuges in the rooms around the house or outside in the yard. The yellowish color creates an intense atmosphere around this wedding, between restless and quieter camera moves. Justine is played by Kirsten Dunst beautifully. She stumbles around this wedding with happy smiles, with depressive looks and melancholic eyes she can’t control, then she’s back to the party but this time her smile is sad. Not only she ‘carries’ these ups and downs she also needs to carry the wedding dress (which was not easy I suppose!). Anyway, her marriage ends in failure.

We are transported to Claire’s life and her relation with her sister. She’s tireless when it comes to Justine, even if she treats her wrong and hurts her. But as the planet Melancholia approaches the earth, Claire starts losing her confidence even if her husband assures her it is only passing by. But it isn’t. As we are headed to the absolute and ultimate chaos the film grows slower and quieter, until we are only left with this two sisters and Claire’s son. The image becomes as raw as Claire’s character, played magnificently by Charlotte Gainsbourg. And this is how Lars Von Trier makes his films, that’s why he’s who he is, that’s why he’s an unprecedented author that stands out from any other filmmaker. These two sisters face the end of the world alone. Justine is depressed and Claire is freaking out. There are no dialogues about depression, there are no pretentious speeches about what they are facing either. There are no ‘Oh God, here it is the world ending and you are wasting your time being depressed’.

On a personal note, I clearly pay extra attention to the actors work because whether we want it or not they are the core of the story. I love how they become someone else, being that exposed. Again, I think Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg are brave.

The film has its tone, ends beautifully and majestically and like I said in the beginning, some people may found the story or parts of the story, like the marriage, superfluous and some will identify with it. But he tells us something. And I accept Melancholia.

Antecipating

"Laurence Anyways"
The Story: On his 30th birthday, Laurence tells his girlfriend Fred that he wants to become a woman. Can their relationship survive?
After watching the two first films of this cinema prodigy called Xavier Dolan it's obvious the exciting antecipation. 'I Killed My Mother' and 'Heartbeats' are precious films, made by a twenty one year old boy and I think you should definitely see them. With this film, the subject gets heavier.


Here are the new images:

Quote It

Moments later after instead of getting out a man of Dolly Pelliker’s room, was a woman.

From Silkwood.

Drew Stephens: Personally, I really don’t see anything wrong with her.

Karen Silkwood: No. Neither do I.

Drew Stephens: Guess it figures, doesn’t it?

Karen Silkwood: I can handle it.

Drew Stephens: Me too.

Karen Silkwood: So why are we talking about it?

Your Sister's Sister

So what do you think?
I think it looks quite beautiful.

On the Road

Take a moment.

With a character like Dean Moriarty, Garrett Hedlund is on the road to spotlight.

Picture Moment

Because, what else can I say?

Why do I appreciate and duzzle and drool all over this girl with a suit? I don't really no. But it is enough to be the highlight of the day!
P.S - Always precise Dorothy Snarker

Women in Hollywood

I wanted to dedicate this day to leading ladies, to characters like Clarice Starling. Actually I would dedicate this day to Jodie Foster and women like her. 

I miss Jodie Foster. I adore her. It also reminds me of how much I admire her. I look at her and I remember immediately her films and the always strong roles she played. Her toughness and strength in Little Man Tate. She refuses to be just the fragile woman, much less powerless. She even takes men's roles and turns it around, like in Fightplan. She needs to be taken and emerge both intellectually and physically into a strong female role, like in Nell. And she uses her body seemingly unconsciously in every role she plays, like in Panic Room, like in The Brave One and so on. She takes roles that matter, no matter how frightful they can be, like in The Accused or even in The Silence of the Lambs. So it was really good to watch her in the Golden Globes and specially to see her work with The Beaver and her marvelous performance in Carnage. 

I feel proud when I look at her. She gives me will and confidence as a strong and independent woman.

So yes, I would love to see more leading roles for women. 

For your consideration (studio producers/screenwriters) we want more of these roles. Because think about it, put a group of women together and it will get messy and crazy and purely entertaining. 8 Femmes comes to my mind in an instant. I want more Jodie Fosters and Clarice Starlings.

Think about it. Young Ault - Messy and purely entertaining.

 Think of Helen Mirren and her boldness.

Delicate and strong.

Avengers.

 The Whistleblower

Meryl Streep in Silkwood.

 Actions.

 Dramas.

 Periods.

 Coming of age.

Women come in very different shapes and have many different attitudes...some tend to forget.