Cinema and Popcorn

FJORD The director of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (one of my favorite movies of the 2000's) Cristian Mungiu is back with a movie that offers a daring subject in a plate, but somehow never provides an objective analysis of the subject. It's a movie about family, globalization and belief and how anyone who falls a bit out of the social norm circle is a subject of distrust even if their actions are seemingly harmless: no phones, no internet, no modern music and housework, Bible and activities that grow a sense of duty and discipline instead. Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve are very good as the parents under investigation as their children are taken away from them when a teacher reports suspictions of children abuse - Stan, specially, delivers something really special here displaying a internal revolution in a masterclass of subtle acting. Fjord might not be as nail bitting as Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days , since Mungiu has opted for a more distant approach, which ...

ROSE I must confess I was expecting a more stoic and dry narrative feature before I got to see Rose - I was afraid it could be a dry and slow-paced, but I was completely wrong. It revealed itself with a gripping narrative and something extremely beautiful to contemplate (breathtaking cinematography)! It's a tale about self-determination, sisterhood and how patriarchy shaped lives. Intriguing at first, then gives you hope, then it destroys you. Sandra Hüller delivers a towering performance full of internal power (her third act is pure acting magic) as a woman ahead of her time who saw herself forced to play a game made by and for males. Loved it! R: 9/10 TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA Schoenbrun had to be on ac*ds while making this one, 'cause WTF have I just watched?! A love letter to slashers, horror classics, orgasms and to those who fully commit to their craft and creative process. A bit Lynchian with a touch of Kaufman, fueled by horniness and the fiery charisma of G...

SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY Director Destin Daniel Cretton has always handled his stories with sensibility from smaller films like Short Term 12 and Just Mercy to  Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is no exception as there's a sense of bringing back some humanity and next-room quality to Peter Parker again. Tom Holland is back to the title role and brings his usual sympathy to Peter, but this time he is a loser, an every-day guy trying to do the right thing in an almost perfect blend between Sam Raimi's vision and the more MCU-driven approach. This spidey has the likeability of the boy next door and it's captivating to watch Tom Holland playing him, but the show belongs to Sadie Sink who delivers a strong and heartfelt turn and ends-up owning the movie. Great visual effects! Solid. R: 7/10 THE END OF OAK STREET Every year I get a good surprise at the theatre when going to the movies during Summer blockbuster season. Last year it was ...

Genre: Comedy; Drama. Director: Olivia Wilde Writers: Will McCormack & Rashida Jones Starring: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton It's been a while since a movie this simple had me totally gripped. Olivia Wilde's simple but razor sharp and delightfully fulfilling cinematic venture had me laughing out loud at times and left me with watery eyes by the end. It's a movie that makes you care for the central relationship as the leads explore themselves in the light of other couple's eyes. A comedy-drama this rare deserves to seen at the theatre. Pretty much like a Woody Allen approach, Olivia Wilde's lets us know the main characters and some of their inner anguishes before introducing the disrupting supporting players that enter the scene in order to set the central narrative on fire. We get to know Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen) are a bit lost in their everyday routine drama with their relationship is barely afloat and that they crave the life...

Genre: Drama; Fantasy; Adventure. Director: Christopher Nolan Writer: Christopher Nolan Starring: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, John Leguizamo, Himseh Patel, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Lupita Nyong'o, Elliot Page, Charlize Theron, Corey Hawkins and Travis Scott It took me a while to write this review, because there are many aspects of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey that have left me in many grey areas in terms of creating an opinion. The more I think about this movie the more I understand how cerebral Nolan is as a writer/director and that I shouldn't have been expecting an emotional journey... but in the middle of so many meanings and so many messages, my question was "where is its heart?". My answer is: "In Penelope, not in Odysseus!", which turns The Odyssey in a spectacular epic yet sterile adventure with some glimpses of a beating heart! I am not familiar with the original source material - I know a sho...

TUNER Gripping, thrilling, emotionally satisfying and brilliantly edited, Tuner proves Daniel Roher is a director to watch and Leo Woodall has everything needed in order to become a major movie star (and Dustin Hoffman still has some acting gems to deliver). It might draw some ressemblance with 2017's Baby Driver , but unlike Ansel Elgort's starring vehicle, Tuner is far darker and it feels more like a personal affair than an entertaining flick. A movie about sound, a movie about family and a movie about doing means that justify outcomes, Tuner can well be one of the very best movies of the year (so far at least). It has it all: a pathos, a soul, a heart and... it's such an entertaining movie ride! R: 9,5/10 TOY STORY 5 Another solid TOY STORY adventure that perfectly blends entertainment with soulful meaning, this one is an animated satire about one of the most human things: playing and use your imagination. In an era of tech and luminous touch screens, this one wastes no ...