"Redshirts"

I've chosen for the final entry of this year to do something that I don't remember doing before = instead of a movie to pick a book as subject for an entry: "Redshirts" by John Scalzi. Don't worry :) considering how much I'm able to read outside work related stuff, it definitely won't become something regular.

Looking at what I just wrote is somehow irrelevant to say that "Redshirts" is one of the best books I've read in the last five years ( with an average of something like one book/year :) ). Maybe it's more relevant to say that's the book that got the Hugo in 2013 ( + the Locus award ). If that doesn't say much either, maybe you're not a SciFi reader and normally I would recommend picking another book. But maybe you enjoyed "Star Trek" :) or maybe you're attracted by time travel ( oh yes, I'm back to that ;) ).

What's the link with "Star Trek" ? "Redshirts" starts as a sort of satire taking place on the Earth's flagship, and you cannot miss an obvious similarity with: "Enterprise" and the missions "where no man has gone before". With something particular though: we see the action developing through the eyes of some crew members who don't have a high rank on the ship, and who are asking themselves why only a small group of officers are surviving each away mission. And more precisely, why each time somebody of a lower rank must die in the most crazy and tormenting ways that nobody would predict. That's actually where the title comes from .. in "Star Trek", the original series, the red uniform bearers where apparently cursed to a similar fate.

What's the link with time travel ? Well, without spoiling much, solving the above issue seems to rely on time traveling :) And again, we have a quite nice approach of the topic, even though this time it's pure fantasy (no life loops theory analysis, just a light version of alternate universe strings).

Leaving the subject aside, I have to point out the literary style. It's the only book by John Scalzi I've read, and if the early beginning didn't seem to show much more than a cheap novel, what followed changed dramatically this impression :). The satire in the first part of the book is excellent, and the comic punchlines in some dialogs take you by surprise. I don't remember laughing loud while reading another book. The second part switches towards drama, and the final is again surprising (positively) in the way it's approached. Normally you would expect a novel ending in a final chapter .. or well, with an epilogue. Here, we have three codas. Narrated in the first, second and third person. And if you are still thinking that what you've read is some light satire, this part will probably change your perspective. Besides boosting the drama effect (although keeping the comic side), the ending manages somehow to integrate also some romance in this story even if (light spoiler) up to the last page it won't be obvious how solid (and surprisingly non-cheesy) is this nuance.

To conclude, despite being an often acid satire, after you turn the last page you realize that "Redshirts" it's an incredible warm book. And short, to "burn" fast :) So I recommend it warmly. That's all for now ... and of course Happy Holidays ! ;)

Predestination (2014)

I would like to be less tired when writing this entry, but I don't see any chance for that in the near future. Which invariably leads to the question, can I foresee my near future ? :) And if I can, can I change it ? Or can't I ? Well, I had the same dilemma 6 or 7 days ago after watching "Predestination" between 1 to 3 AM = I told myself I'll wait catching some time to write an entry before midnight. And since then, every day, the moment came still after 3 AM. So, maybe the destiny decided I should do it at such hours. Let me try a hack in the loop :P = I'll start the entry now, save as draft at 3:16 AM and continue when I'll be more awake ;)

It's 00:20 after one week (no kiddin'): I don't think I'm less tired but I gave up trying to cheat the karma and finish posting this before midnight :) Sooo ... what are we talking about here ? It's a SciFi made in Australia, based on a short story by Robert A. Heinlein. That's an info that I fortunately found out after watching the movie. Because for me by then Heinlein = "Starship Troopers" = the only SciFi subgenre that I'm not attracted to. And in "Predestination" we have something totally different ...

Considering my enthusiasm in the double introduction (+ the hints between the lines :) ) I think it's clear enough that the movie's topic is time travel related. I'll limit at giving "Looper" as reference although I've seen already many contrary opinions on that. Mine is that the foundation is very close, although the two stories are indeed quite far one from another. What's exactly there, I'll leave it as surprise. However, I should give two warnings ...

The movie has a long intro. Very long :) I think it's almost half of the movie (we're talking though about a relatively short movie = less than 100 minutes). I liked this part, but I still noticed the length. Giving a light spoiler I can say it's a life story, out of the ordinary, told at a glass of whisky in a bar (don't worry :) we don't stay 50 minutes in a bar, it's mostly based on flashbacks).

The second warning is more an assumption that the story might seem ... I don't know .. let's say a bit "sick" once it gets far enough. Just might ... Because I assume if you're open minded enough + you stay aware that what you're watching is a SciFi, you shouldn't be appalled by the author's imagination. The real problem is another one, once you get the key detail you'll probably guess what follows .. and as your guesses are confirmed you'll know everything before the end. But even so ...

I must admit that in a sense is an original approach. And that's because that short story was written before "Looper" ;) This time I didn't bother though searching for logical answers about the time travel effects & consequences and trying to convince myself that what I've seen in the movie is at least theoretically possible :). I assume I was too tired to do that after that 3 AM I mentioned. Anyway, the "life as a loop" idea is an interesting one. And, let's say ... feasible in regard to some paradoxes. The question stays though on how to start a loop like this, and if you can get out of it ;) (just in case where you'll get sucks) ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Winter-Spring 2014-2015 Movie Preview - Part 2

I'll start the spring and the month of March with "Chappie", a movie that seems to be a sort of "A.I." (in case somebody remembers what Spielberg was doing around year 2000) but set in much more tensed world. World that actually looks very similar with what Neill Blomkamp got us already used to in "District 9" or "Elysium". For me not enough, I still don't trust the directing skills of this guy ...
Did you know that "Moby Dick" had a real source of inspiration? Well, after watching the trailer for "In the Heart of the Sea" and having a quick look on the novel's Wikipedia page, I tend to think that's more a marketing strategy (= "Moby Dick" actually had not one but more real life sources, this being just one of them). In any case, Ron Howard knows how to do one thing very well, and that's real story based dramas. So the expectancies are .. big :), as the whale.
Lately I'm quite disappointed by DreamWorks, but I wanted to have also an animation in my previews list, so I'm closing "March" with "Home". Despite being discouraged by the trailer ...
I don't have many options for next April that already have a trailer out, so don't shoot me (no pun intended), but what I'm left with is "Furious 7". The only thing that gives me a reason to see also the seventh part (unbelievable but true I managed to get through the first six .. it can actually be much worse = "Transformers"), is that the director is James Wan ("Saw", "Dead Silence", "Insidious", "The Conjuring"). I'm really curious to see how the most active/appreciated horror director of the last 10 years works on a different genre.
I guess my position regarding superhero movies is already known. Fortunately, the density seems lower for next year. At least as production number, because regarding the superheroes count we have again all the gang reunited in May for "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Big yawn ...
I never got to understand the praise for the "Mad Max" movies, and neither for George Miller as director. So next year's reboot doesn't excite me at all. Despite the trailer's level of pumped up adrenaline ...
After a relatively pessimistic series I'm closing May and this preview round with the top title on my "to watch" list: "Tomorrowland". The only fear I have is that it might be to teenage targeted. Except that, looks good, director, writers, story, cast, everything :). That's all for now. I'll be back, soon, with a title that seems quite promising ;)

Winter-Spring 2014-2015 Movie Preview Part 1

A bit later than usual, but I'll finally start the preview round of this winter. So, let's not spend much time with the chit chat and enter December with a horror. Seems a good choice, considering my mood and that I didn't have anything like this on my blog for a while. And it also compensates the cold outside with the Egyptian sun. Well, sort of, since "The Pyramid" seems to take place mostly in the underground.
The next one is placed a bit closer to where I live. In the "Black Sea" we have a German submarine that lays on the bottom since WW2. A small important detail: it's filled with gold. So we'll stay a bit more deep down below, but this time under water.
After starting in an indie note, I'll compensate the month of December with the ending of "The Hobbit" trilogy. The 2nd part gave me hope. Although, no matter how you turn it, "The Hobbit" remains a children's book to read before bed time.
The first "Taken" was good. The second awful. The third arrives in January. So we still have to wait a bit to see if this one is in the middle.
We had "Life of Pi" and after "All is Lost". I don't think that "Against the Sun", with 3 in a boat, has any chance for an Oscar nod. But since it seems I'm in a indie mood this time ...
I don't expect much after seeing the trailer of "Project Almanac". But I cannot resist a time travel movie. Out at the end of January.
I'm closing the winter with "Seventh Son", to be released next February. I don't know why the trailer left my senses somewhere between tha last "Conan" and "Wrath of the Titans". It doesn't seem to have neither barbarians, nor Greek mythology in it. In any case it's not a good feeling. I'll be back soon with the spring :)

The Zero Theorem (2013)

I wanted to skip over "The Zero Theorem". Having enough experience with Terry Gilliam from movies that left a deep touch somewhere like "12 Monkeys" or "Dr. Parnassus", up to totally unfortunate experiences as "Tideland" or "Brothers Grimm", I was convinced I'm able to smell the corner where a new release fits. Missed though that I didn't actually have any title by Gilliam to place somewhere in between. Until now ...

Call me lazy. I don't have the necessary mood and I also doubt it will help more than the trailer to talk about the subject of "The Zero Theorem". From my vague memories, would be probably close to talking about the subject of "Brazil". Sure, you can do it. But, what's the use ? As there, here, and in many other of Gilliam's movies, the picture relies on the personal take of each viewer. And the range of interpretation is very diverse. Actually, to offer such a diversity of possible ways to perceive a movie that keeps relatively coherent action threads it's really something. Doesn't always work (e.g., "Tideland"). Here it did.

Call me lazy, again. I won't start now with my own interpretation of this. I'll just limit to some general appreciations. The movie starts well. Again, is probably the most close picture to "Brazil", since "Brazil", but without reaching the same high (saying this in the context where I don't remember much of "Brazil"). Unfortunately it ends too rushed. Around three quarters is like getting it fed to an accelerated compression algorithm, giving the impression that all the action threads are suddenly cut. Maybe it's intended, for excluding quickly all the characters, and leaving the main one in eternal solitude. I don't know. Anyway, it seemed forced and artificial.

It's most probably the type of movie to see when you're n a very specific mood. And also a movie that definitely won't appeal to everybody. It did in my case. Not that well to get it at the same level of impact as "12 Monkeys". But enough that subjectively to have a higher appreciation degree than it probably deserves :) (and it's not because is a production made in Ro). Maybe it's because life is a chaos & the challenge to control it is somehow addictive despite you knowing it will never really work ... maybe because I need a Bainsley in my life ;) ... maybe others ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Hunger Games - Mockingjay: Part 1 (2014)

I'm still trying to find time for an alternative since I watched THG3.1 (= like 4 days ago) but it seems I constantly fail. So, let's deal with this one, maybe it removes the curse ...

I went too sleep during this. Literally (well ... getting my eyes closed). Twice. I have to admit I was tired. Still, last time, when watching "Interstellar" I was even more tired, and the movie was longer. No eye closing. So ... So, the last "The Hunger Games" episode is nothing more than something like a prequel for the last part, leaving the impression (probably resembling the truth) that this movie was split in two and made longer just to cash in more ( IMDb was saying something like: highest opening this year. so ... ). Should I tell anything about the subject ? I'm not sure it helps. There isn't any Hunger Games in this "Hunger Games". Which is actually good. Finally a different story. The action is focused on Katniss becoming the symbol of the rebellion. Ok, that's enough. More, in the movie.

There's a mistery for me on how I got to see all the three parts by now. The first was so & so. The second left me the impression of a mediocre reboot. And the third is something like a teen movie meets a political thriller meets a dystopian sci-fi. Which might end up in an interesting combination if it wouldn't be below average on each of the three genres. And to put the cherry on top, as much as I was convinced by Jennifer Lawrence's acting skills in "Silver Linings Playbook" (getting over the subjective side, seriously :P) as much, after this "Hunger Games", seems to me that she should win the next year Golden Raspberry.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (= due to the fact I was close to snoring at some points, and maybe there was the best essential part of the movie which I unforgivably missed, who knows)

7 .. Interstellar .. 2014

When I heard for the first time about Interstellar", and that a guy named Kip Thorne (just Google if doesn't ring a bell) is a consultant for the script, I said "that's it" - Nolan can reach a higher peak than what he got with "The Prestige" and "Inception". After seeing the trailers my enthusiasm dropped dramatically, reaching a bottom of "Armageddon meets Gravity" in terms of expectations. After watching the movie I have to admit how wrong I was, and to acknowledge that there still are trailers that don't tell everything :)

There are 7 years since I started this blog, originally only in Romanian, and with each anniversary I'm trying to find an entry that does worth every second spent watching. In the last couple of years I started having problems with this. Either I don't have time to search, or the movies quality is constantly dropping compared to the number of releases. "Interstellar" is neither "Armageddon", nor "Gravity". It's simply in a different league compared to the 1st, and it's many levels above the 2nd. So you could say that I got a subject for this year. And still, I don't see it on top of "The Prestige" or "Inception". But neither much lower :)

I'll respect the amount of info given by the trailers, and I won't tell much besides what you get in these. After the terrestrial ecosystem starts collapsing, NASA, semi-anonymous organization in an of-the-future budget restricted US, sends a mission with the task to find another life supporting planet. And since we don't have anything like this in the galaxy, the trip is interstellar. The crew sent to find green grass and sparkling water is not coming back, and NASA has to send somebody else to check out if first team's sent signals are a real hope for the salvation of the human race. Karma ( and we could start here a philosophical debate about what karma means ;) or to be closer to the definition I prefer: "the kismet" ) is choosing as the "unlucky" pilot for the "recovery" mission a former engineer. The guy has two kids, lost his wife, and in the context of the global famine was forced to give up his "space, the final frontier" dream for farming corn. What's next .. would be simple to describe, but hard to explain :) so maybe it's best to get a personal view over the movie by watching it. What can I say it's that either you can consider what you see on screen as a disaster movie a la "Gravity"/"Armageddon" in which you can start searching for plot holes, or to view it as an imagination exercise for still unexplained theories with plenty of consequent "what if ?"s, to which you can hope there exists somewhere a response path ending optimistically. And if this is something you can hope for, to find that path (if it is there) should be something certain. The kismet is after all just your choice ;)

Production related, I guess that "Interstellar" is the most Spielbergish film that Nolan made. I don't think I have to say more. Oh .. yes. Once again, we have the proof that it's possible to have superb cinematography without 3D ;) I'm waiting a nomination for that. If it's not coming I think I'll boycott that section in next year's Oscars.

I wrote about "Interstellar", but not much about 7 - the full age of this blog .. or 2014. Well, it's already a good thing, considering that in 2014 there were many weeks when I didn't write about anything. I've honestly considered a final blog shutdown for today, meaning yesterday, because as it can be seen I wasn't able to finish the entry the day I wanted ( I have my cheap Blogspot trick to make it look like that for the Romanian version, but that's still a cheap trick :) ). I was thinking that 7 years were enough. Enough to not have the effect it did by motivating me to see at least one movie per week, enough to get to a phase where I tend to repeat myself quite often in what I write, enough to realize that I'm fooling myself with the perspective of someday finding time to "jump to the next level" = making this blog financially productive. Besides that, 2014 was a pretty tough year for reasons I don't want to discuss here ( and 2014 is not over yet ... ). Sufficiently tough to cut even my mood for watching a movie to allow my mind to run free for two hours. I've been trying to recover a bit the missing entries in the last couple months, but it's a forced recovery, and again in the end is just a number to fool myself that I'm back to the usual frequency. So, should I say stop then ? ...

Building suspense :) ... Well, I don't like giving up. I'm tired enough to accept a compromise, but I hope I won't be ever tired enough to give up completely. I just didn't think yet on what kind of compromise to do. No time. Maybe I'll start again taking periodical "vacations" (hopefully not a permanent one), maybe something else. Anyway, I would like that the final entry on this blog to be a 5 rated one :P. And in case of "Interstellar" ...

Rating: 4 out of 5 ;)

Godzilla (2014)

It's back .. and in 2014 "Godzilla" has "friends". Why between quotes ? Explained below :) ...

The previous "Godzilla", Roland Emmerich's '98 "masterpiece", had only one positive aspect I guess = "Come with Me" - Puff Daddy feat. Jimmy Page. Well, at least according to some opinions (mostly Puff Daddy fans) .. although, the same tune was a blasphemy, according to other opinios (mostly Led Zeppelin fans), .. so in the end probably there wasn't any positive aspect about that movie. Therefore, I didn't add "Godzilla" v.2014 to the list of movies to catch in cinema, considering that a disaster remake can't be far from mediocre. There was a minor error in my reasoning, "Godzilla" v.2014 is not a remake (like "Godzilla" v.1998 probably wasn't a remake either). This doesn't mean that we have a complex subject worthy of a Nobel literature award, reason for this long intro actually = to avoid spoiling the whole movie in five lines ;) Still, to give the promised explanations ... In this new version, Godzilla is not the only over dimensioned roaring creature. And the quotes for "friends" means that the Miss Dinosaur competition gets pretty rough between contestants. For details on their challenges, like the opinion on the safety of Earths disadvantaged species (=the humans) check out the movie ;)

The acting is flat = the star is really Godzilla. The effects are ok. The sound is good. Besides these, the above variation from the classic standard disaster (=something really big bad and terrible is happening, and we have to save the day) gives some freshness. And still, for a giant monsters story .. there's still work to do to get to the "Pacific Rim" level.

Rating: 3 out of 5

John Wick (2014)

"Wick" .. "John Wick" .. I think that's the missing cliche left out of the huge pile of them that we have in this movie. A movie that's too long to lose more time checking its duration on IMDb. So let's finish this fast ...

It rains. John Wick, badly beaten, crawls near a wall. Flaaaaashback - well, we actually figure that's a flashback way later. What matters is that it rains. Again. John Wick is burying his wife. Rains harder. A dark mysteriously silhouette shows up under an umbrella. The suspense kills us. For 2 seconds. That's how much time we need to find out that the mysteriously guy has the same job as John Wick (contract killer, if you've seen the trailer should be quite clear), and what he wants is just to present his condolences. John Wick leaves for home. The postman rings. Puppy delivery. A remembrance gift from his former dying wife. Tears (yeah, I know, I have a horrible cold heart). Sleep. John Wick leaves to do some car rounds and to fill the tank. Bad karma. At exactly the same the gas station are three bad guys who want the car (they're Russians .. obviously). John Wick doesn't sell. Not good. The Russians really want the car. And they come for it. But they don't find the path directly to the garage. So they first pass through the living room and beat the hell out of John Wick. They also kill his dog. Big mistake: they don't kill John Wick (unbelievable how many bad guys do this mistake in this movie, it really would've shorten its length). Well, we find out that one of the Russians is the gang leader's son. We also find out that John Wick worked for that gang. And we also find out that John Wick gets very upset if you kill his dog and steal his car ...

We find a lot of other stuff throughout the movie. Like .. the bad Russians never attack simultaneously (except the start beating) in groups bigger than 2 (doesn't matter if they are 14 at one place). Like .. the professional assassins are called by phone to be executed and willingly show up. Like .. the final showdown must happen during a thunderstorm followed by heavy rain. We also find out that the IMDb are sometimes really hard to explain. I also found out that I was unfair with "The Equalizer" = John Wick could get some lessons from daddy Denzel. And we also find out that probably we shouldn't give much credit to a couple former stunt men directing their first movie, based on a script written by a B movies author (and not even many of those). Not much credit, and probably not much time either. So...

Rating: 2 out of 5 (barely)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

I'm gonna continue the last entry "trend" of sequels that I thought will waste my time, and eventually didn't :), with the 2nd part of the rebooted Spiderman franchise. ( Besides that, is Halloween anyway so I needed something with a mask ;) ).

I've seen when this was released plenty opinions on being the worst Spiderman movie to date. Also, there are plenty opinions saying that the tandem Alex Kurtzman/Roberto Orci is a real plague among the Hollywood screenwriters = after "destroying" Star Trek now the started doing it with other franchises, as the current one. I can agree with their scripts "quality" for "Transformers" without any doubt, but leaving that aside, things are far from being so bad. Yes, the script is superficial, has holes, there are 12 minute YouTube videos mocking smth like 100 scenes in the movie, it's in a word "Hollywoodish" with a big H, but ... it has a story, it's catchy, the jokes are becoming more natural + it has that something that you want from a two hours+ movie when all you need is to let your brain "fly away". I know, I'm repeating myself :) I said that before, but honestly I'm glad that I see movies giving me the opportunity to do it.

I didn't watch it in 3D, and I think it's one of the few cases when I regret it. The effects are superb even in 2D. But what's top notch in this movie is the sound & music area. Hans Zimmer's score boosted again my hopes after "Lone Ranger" that the guy is not yet left without ideas. Thing that happens at some point for most of the composers. Besides that we also have the sound editing & mixing. If this movie doesn't get an Oscar nod for this next year it means that my ears start failing ( or that the year is not over yet and something better will show up :) ).

I've skipped the story. I'll keep it spoiler free this time. And not necessarily because the story is simple. Some actually say that this movie has too many secondary threads, and too many villains. It's perfect, it doesn't get boring. And most important, it's fun ;) despite not ending the romance in a very happy note (well .. I couldn't keep it :P)

The Expendables 3 (2014)

I wasn't expecting much from "The Expendables 3". The reviews were average. And despite having a pleasant surprise for the 2nd part, I couldn't erase the junk that episode 1 was from my memory. But it didn't take long to see that the 3rd part is different ...

Not long = just the beginning of the movie when a new "expendable" (re-)joins the team. And I don't care what people say, but Wesley Snipes (because he's the one) has very underrated acting skills. He proves it here again, as well as he did in a couple other movies (well, especially were he didn't play the tough guy type = e.g., "Liberty Stands Still"). Actually, I think I can say that this movie is carried on by him, Antonio Banderas (I'll leave the details as suprise) and Mel Gibson as main villain. The subject is too simple to unravel, but anyway, as in the 2nd part - this movie is not about the subject. It's for the acting, funny punch-lines, and some old-school action feeling.

All in all is not as good as "Expendables 2". We don't have the Chuck Norris epic scene. We don't have Bruce Willis, but we have a Harrison Ford mocking his absence (Google search "Bruce Willis" and "Expendables 3" and you'll get it) and also piloting a chopper in a dogfight. And like I said, better acting. To conclude, still fun ;)

Rating: 3 out of 5

Contraband (2012)

I've been postponing since one month the entry for "Contraband", so I told myself better write it on a hurry than not at all. Because I would regret skipping this ...

The movie is somewhere between thriller and action, featuring an apparently overused subject. Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) is a guy with a wife and kids, earning an honest living from his small camera surveillance enterprise. Well ... that's after he retired from successful career in contraband on cargo boats. On which he obviously has to return after his wife's younger brother tries his own skills in smuggling, but not that successfully. And like this we get to the classic story: do just one more bad thing to save the dumb guy who screwed up. However, unlike "the classic story", where after the "one more bad thing" everything goes bad and still somehow also everything turns out ok in the end, here ... the "one more bad thing" generates another "one more bad thing", after which you discover "some more bad things", and accidentally yet another "one more bad thing" happens. And these things keep going like this :) At such a rate, that you start losing hope that you'll get a happy end. But, let's not spoil the ending ;)

The movie is actually a remake of an Icelandic production. Even so, the screenwriter is the same guy who wrote "Prisoners". And this was the first reason to see this movie. I can say it was a good call. The second reason, well ... Kate Beckinsale :) Besides these two aspects, I don't know if there's anything to note. On the other hand, I also don't have anything on the minus side. In the end it's just one of the cases where the story + the way it unrolls is what steals the show, completely ( even with Kate there :) ).

Rating: 4 out of 5

Kill the Messenger (2014)

"Kill the Messenger" is not a bad movie, but neither a masterpiece. It's just sad. As life, since that's where the subject comes from anyway ...

It seems that at some point in the '80s CIA decided to finance a war in Nicaragua through the sell of crack cocaine in the States. Sounds legit, right ? A bit hard to get an official budget for such needs. Well, the story was of course "classified" until of course somebody uncovered it (after more than 10 years). The subject of the movie is that somebody, Gary Webb, investigation journalist at a remote newspaper, and his inquiry on the case. Which let's say ends successfully, but a bit sad for the author. Well, enough with the spoilers, more in the movie ...

Like I said, the movie is ok, but it doesn't shine. With some luck Jeremy Renner might catch and Oscar nod next year, his acting being by far better than what I've seen in "The Hurt Locker" or "The Town". Something else on the plus side would be the cinematography (Sean Bobbitt). Aside these ... A bit too cliche for a real-life story. And a bit too non-filmic for a real-life story. Not that the subject isn't fit for a movie, but it seems to me that there are too many threads covered too fast, or left hanging (I assume because there's no data about their end). Like ephemeral confessions of former CIA agents in the middle of the night, kidnapped bankers with a fate that you can only suspect, and others. Maybe I'm a bit tired and a bit too picky, but I think that what I've watched fits better a documentary than a feature film. And to justify that more, if you want a real-life story transposed on screen well enough to catch you, there are better options: "The Insider" for a "messenger" under pressure, "Blow" for cocaine traffic in US, or even "The Informant" despite the fact that instead cocaine we have nutrients for animals, but at least might manage to get a smile from you from time to time :).

Rating: 3 out of 5

Dracula Untold (2014)

For "Dracula Untold" I'll do an exception from the "classic" review format. Let's go for a list:

• The advertising for this thing says it's "the most historical accurate Dracula movie" (quote from what I heard).
• Vlad the Impaler was sent to the Turks when he was a kid. True fact, it's in the movie (sort of = 1 minute intro).
• The "historical accurate" part pretty much stops after Vlad the Impaler was sent to the Turks when he was a kid.
• Vlad ruled in Transylvania (can be excused ... Wallachia sounds worse for marketing, and anyway nobody across the ocean has any idea about the difference).
• All the Transylvanian population (let's respect the chosen location) could be gathered around "the Dracula castle", or sheltered in the Cozia Monastery (we're gettin' a bit out of Transylvania; let's hope the ruler in the neighboring region, whoever might be - take a wild guess, won't be mad about the trespassing).
• This population count explains why Vlad the Impaler didn't have an army. Zero. Null. Void. Only bodyguards.
• This population count does not explain where are the 1000 children the Turk sultan asks for and the reason for the war to start.
• The lack of army explains why the Impaler visits "the vampire", somewhere in a remote cave, in order to get powers that will allow him to beat to death the Turkish army.
• The Impaler beats to death the Turkish army. Alone. Well, in the 2nd kick-ass phase takes a couple vampires with him. But in the 1st kick-ass phase does it solo. Literally - all alone (the 300 of Sparta will turn in their graves of envy if they hear).
• In this version vampires have an issue with silver. I can forgive the rest, but this ... Man, really ?!!! Such a lack of consistency ! Vampires are chased away with garlic, the werewolves are sensitive to silver. What the hell ? ...
• The Impaler proves climbing skills (before obtaining the vampire flying powers).
• There are tarantulas in Transylvania.
• This movie is too long for the 92 minutes it lasts.
• "Dracula Untold" is the reason why "Equalizer" got last time (hardly) 3 out of 5.

Rating: 2 out of 5 (very hard, guess because was sort of funny ... sort of ..)

The Equalizer (2014)

Denzel strikes back ... aka "The Equalizer" ... aka the movie that competes with "How to Train Your Dragon 2" for 2014's title of "top eye-strain generator" caused by the number of eye-rolls/minute ...

I don't know if and what should I write about the subject. The trailer should be enough. The movie is a cliche from the beginning to the end. We have the lonely guy, about who nobody knows nothing, and who proves to be an ex-ultra/super/extra skilled secret agent (retired, of course). And one day the lonely guy decides to get back into action as the superhero mentioned in the title (without a mask, just with a black shirt, doesn't matter when and where .. even on different continents, the same black shirt - you should check that out if you see the movie). To be even more convinced of his super-skills, he seems to have something against real weapons, and is using anything else he can before taking a gun on his hand (the devices-of-death including stuff that ranges from a corkscrew to a drilling pistol). Or I don't know ... maybe it's hard to get out of his perfect cover as a shop employee in a home depot chain. The bad guys are obviously Russians tattooed from head to toes (honestly, if somebody ever forces me to watch this again my target will be to see if I'm able to spot a non-tattooed Russian thug). The most villain of the villains is a Russian with a British accent wearing a suit (main villains should look classy). Doesn't matter if it's a business dinner or he has a shotgun in his hands - he still has to wear the suit. Between the perfectly synced explosions (which of course, come with a dazzling slow-motion camera work), removed eyes, broken necks and other traumatic events, we also have mixed some educational morals that tells us to eat healthy and read classic literature (preferably American). I think I covered enough. What's left to say ...

If Denzel wouldn't have the main role in this, and if the production team wouldn't have bothered that much to get out something that should look like a box-office contender, I think I could consider this a B movie. I was hoping for a sort of "Man on Fire", but unfortunately Antoine Fuqua is not what Tony Scott was. He's not even the same Antoine Fuqua who impressed with "Training Day" and even with his first movie, "Replacement Killers". The point he got to and where unfortunately seems to be stuck is at the same level of cheap consumerism as for "Olympus has Fallen".

Rating: 3 out of 5 (really hard ... the start quote convinced me, barely: "The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why." by Mark Twain - probably the best part of the movie)

Gone Girl (2014)

The last film by David Fincher has some moments when it feels like a comedy. It's not. And you're getting certain of this when "Gone Girl" reaches around three quarters of its length ...

Nick Dunne is married with "Amazing Amy", a prodigy author, but their marriage is not going really well lately. On their anniversary, when after a visit at the local bar, managed by his twin sister, Nick is finally sort of decided to give the "split destinies" notification, he cannot do it. His wife's gone missing. And to make things worse, what's left in his house are traces of a violent confrontation. The police starts investigating and keeps getting clues pointing on Nick as the guilty person, despite his clear denial and involvement in a huge "Find Amy" media campaign. What's next .. let's just say it's "beyond the trailer" :) .. a good reason to hold on from spoilers ...

The acting is exceptional, both in case of Ben Affleck but especially for Rosamund Pike (I've already heard about possible nominations). The directing is flawless = you can see Fincher's hand there, although as said before the movie is a bit .. let's say more relaxed than many others, like starting with "Seven" up to "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". With one exception. That's the exception that comes at about three quarters of the movie, and it's edited in such away to get the desired effect maxed out. And from your state of watching a relatively light thriller based on a situation that might look even comical considering the small details, you're directly transposed into a chilly state that will make the rest of the movie to look much more cold and harder to digest.

I've tried by now to keep away from spoilers. But I cannot completely overlook the ending, which in some sense reminded me about "Talented Mr. Ripley". I won't spill out anything more exact than this. But in case you've somehow forgot about it (if you ever knew ...), the movie confirms and reminds you that truly evil people exist. What it doesn't confirm, but neither denies, (well, comes as a personal impression) is that although you might discover at some point the dark side of who you're dealing with, unfortunately and inexplicably, somehow you tend to "forget" and continue trying to find again what you liked initially (and you shouldn't) ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Life After Beth (2014)

I've been waiting for "Life After Beth" since quite a while. I've managed watching this last week, in two shots, late at night when I couldn't sleep. I've been a bit afraid at the moment that it will amplify the not that good mood I had. No worries though ... The movie was so bad, that the only thing it amplified was the frequency of my yawns.

Beth dies somewhere in the beginning (big surprise) bitten by a venomous snake. Zach, her boyfriend, gets into a bitter depression until he figures out that ... Beth has still a pulse, and she's walking. Resurrected, and after she crawled out from her grave, the girl simply returned home, where her parents decide to hide the miracle. Until when the nosy boyfriend, intrigued by the isolation of his former "parents-in-law" finds out about the new zombie in town. And that's what starts the problems, but I'll leave these for who has enough patience to discover what happens next ...

I have to admit that the main reason for waiting this movie was Aubrey Plaza. Probably the name sounds totally unknown, but well ... I have my "crush" moments :P, and this one followed "Safety not Guaranteed" + one .. two ... three interviews I've seen with her (don't ask :P just youtube search - funny, weird & maybe hiding some heart deep under the outer layer .. maybe). Anyway, after "Life After Beth" I'm cured. The acting was pathetic. The directing sucked. The script ... no comment - how and why we get from Beth to a (spoiler) "Night of the Living Dead" I have no clue. Or .. it might be some hidden plot of the vipers in the surroundings to wake up the whole cemetery. Anyway ...

Rating: 2 out of 5

The Lego Movie (2014)

Warner Bros. presents ... a Dreamworks Animation production ... Wrong. We don't have Dreamworks on the credits. Which makes "The Lego Movie" to get the title of "the most Dreamworks'ish production, where Dreamworks was never involved" ;) ...

The first time I heard about a "lego movie" the reaction was a wide eye-roll, telling myself that probably Lego doesn't sell enough bricks lately, needs some massive advertising, and what we'll get would be a sort of Transformers for kids (= minus the hot chick & more colored). Consequently, I've completely ignored the release in the spring, but following that, some very positive reviews got my attention. So .. I finally decided to check it out. To avoid spoiling too much I'll just say the story follows a sort of Matrix parody, where the One must save the Lego worlds from the terror inflicted by Mr. Business. We have a Trinity there too to train the hero. Morpheus is ... Batman .. or Morgan Freeman aka the God aka Vitruvius aka (well, a wise old guy with a long white robe) ... or maybe both. I'm still not certain about the Morpheus association. What's clear is that Agent Smith is Liam Neeson, although .. we have a multiple personality case here ... you'll get it when you see the movie ;)

Why is it the most non-Dreamworks Dreamworks'ish production? Because it's the funniest animation I've seen since Kung Fu Panda (or since Dreamworks decided to Pixarize itself ... ok, ok, I won't start again :P). I could even say that the jokes density is a bit exaggerated for the first two thirds of the movie (especially considering that many are quite light). Sufficiently enough to feel a pretty high contrast in the last part = seems like the screenwriters have awaken to realize that there must be a moralizing/heartwarming ending for a lego movie. Even so, what stays is the really nice parody mix of various references, which is true that requires some movie background knowledge to catch everything. Overall, a very pleasant surprise, and probably the best animation I've seen this year.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

I'm really struggling lately to keep this blog active. Which gives longer and longer delays from time x when I see a movie to time y when I manage to write an entry. There's a good part in this, as I said also before, and that's the ability to select better movies. And "Guardians of the Galaxy" is the perfect example.

I don't like the super-hero genre, and I guess that's not something new for who's been reading this blog. The effect is that, with few exceptions = "Iron Man 3" or the first "Captain America", to not be very fond of what Marvel is producing. When I've seen the first trailer for "Guardians of the Galaxy" - featuring "Blue Swede - Hooked on a Feeling" - I knew this is something else. And not just because it seemed clear enough that "GotG" is not a super-hero movie. But because I had the same feeling as when I've seen the trailers for "John Carter", the last "Star Trek"s, or even "Prince of Persia" or "The Lone Ranger". Yup, I know ... More than half of this enumeration was a box-office flop = I doubt there are many who liked all these ( except myself of course :) ). But all these have something in common. A story that is set in a complex SciFi/Fantasy world (well, less on "Lone Ranger", although that movie can be considered a SciFi in its own way), story that features a decent number of secondary threads, told in a witty & lighthearted manner, enough to give that "epic feeling" that you could find some time ago in "Star Wars" & "Indiana Jones". So .. the story in "GotG" ...

Is about an orb capable to tear down worlds, and 5 individuals of different "nationalities" who somehow reach to the conclusion that it might have sense to try securing the device for the greater good of the galaxy. Seems quite simple & tame as subject, right ? Well, here comes that part about secondary threads mentioned above. Without many spoilers, let's take a prison escape sequence as example. When in that sequence we have an escape plan featuring some surprise elements, one character of the 5 being introduced along with his background, the main hero with some childhood "issues" that require a detour from the plan, we can already talk about a sort of mini-episode inside the main story. This style of building-up adds a lot to the narrative, and even if the main thread stays simple, what's built along it is more than enough to say that you've seen an actual movie and not something like a VFX demo (e.g., "Transformers").

That's enough. This movie is so good, that I really don't want to spoil more. You should just see it. I have a single regret. I don't like Zoe Saldana = I was quite disappointed by the casting choice for the main female character ... but well .. Besides that, we obviously have some eye-rolling causing moments, but not that many. I don't have anything else negative left to say :) If I get back a bit to the titles list in the beginning (which I think I've enumerated at least partially also for other occasions), I can observe another relatively common thing: the anti-hero trait, which at least for me is quite catchy. And I think it gives way more potential to exploit to a movie than the opposite - and you can see this a lot here where we have 5 of them ;)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Lucy (2014)

I know .. It's been a while since I wrote an entry. I'll catch up (hopefully). Unfortunately, pretty much the same amount of time passed since I've seen "Lucy" = I lost the fresh impression it made (I hope this won't happen too for the next one). And besides that, this movie probably deserves a much more detailed entry than what follows. But, let's see ...

I didn't hear any very positive feedback on this before watching it, but I still kept my expectancies at the level of a decent action without any attempts for being more than that. After all we're talking about Luc Besson, who lately focused more on producing stuff like "Transporter" or "Taken". However, here Besson is the director, and what we see is quite different from the previous. The subject is quite catchy. Scarlett Johansson plays a foreign student in Taiwan, who in an unfortunate turn of events ends up carrying inside her a considerable quantity of an experimental drug. In another unfortunate turn of events the package starts disintegrating, and the effects are visible in the trailer = the brain usage capacity progressively increases.

1. It's a SciFi. 2. It's a Luc Besson movie. So, don't expect much scientific reasoning in what you're gonna see. On the other hand, "philosophically" speaking, the movie is surprisingly dense. From the ratio between the brain usage capacity and the level of manifested emotions, which stays quite constant to the ultimate superpower (spoiler: that's about time), we're presented with a set of ideas that are sufficiently ... "intriguing" let's say to pass the barrier of "just another action/sci-fi". Of course, everything is done a la Besson, meaning slightly chaotic, but the important part is that it doesn't get boring. It's not at the level of "Leon" and neither of "The 5th Element". The beginning is excellent (I got stuck in my head the reference to the mouse trap, you'll get it when you'll see it) but after two thirds starts to be quite rushed up to the end. In any case, it's probably the most original approach for a superhero movie that I've seen by now = I really liked it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2012-2013)

Although I just got a more fresh subject, I already had in pipeline this entry. And I don't want to jump over it :) so let's quickly get through "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns". We're talking about an animated mini-series, in two parts released at something like one year interval. So, what's the story ? ...

It starts somewhere after the retirement of Batman, or more exactly of Bruce Wayne ( u didn't know that, right ? ), who instead of spending his fortune in luxury cruises, decides to return on Gotham's dark alleys. Place controlled now by a new gang (the Mutants), which is lead by some huge guy who looks a bit like Bane. Skipping the details, that's the plot for the first part. In the second one we have also the return of the Joker as main villain. But probably the primary attraction is the Batman vs Superman conflict, which I'll keep again spoiler free ;)

What we have here is an animation that practically comes as a sequel to a series (and is also straight-to-video), meaning that it doesn't really excel on the production level. With one exception. The score by Cristopher Drake is way beyond Hans Zimmer, and risking a blasphemy also (a bit) above Danny Elfman. I know it might sound hard to believe, but I've never felt a better fit before. As always, Gotham City has something from the '80s, and the synth parts (that remind me a bit by Brad Fiedel on "Terminator") fit perfectly. Just have a look ( or better said drop an ear :) ) on the end-titles construction up to introducing the main theme (around 1:40), and it's not the only example.

The movie has enough of the super-hero stories cliches, and I don't want to restart going through these now. It doesn't make the story very complex. However, the "swan song" approach it has, showing a over-tired Batman surrounded from all sides, from old enemies, to the police or Superman, is arguably more original than what offered the live action movies. At least until the next one that from what I've understood will have a close subject ;) .

Rating: 3 out of 5 (with a big + for soundtrack)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

I'm sorry that I didn't write about "DotPotA" ( that's a strange acronym :) ) two weeks ago when I've seen it. But I really didn't have the time. I still don't, but if I wait longer it'll fly away completely from my head. So, better a short entry, than nothing ;) ...

From the first movie I remember the VFX, which were outstanding at the time. As story was ok, but nothing unexpected or very impressive. The second movie resumes the action at some years after the first ended, when humanity was decimated by an ape flu. Caesar (the "alpha" chimp in the first part) established his own kingdom, ruling with a semi-democracy, having as one base rule "apes don't kill apes". The problems start when the extinct humanity is apparently not that extinct ... More precisely, a small group of survivors enters the ape territory with the intention to fix a hydraulic plant. Without this the future seems dark & gloomy (non-figuratively), despite the flu immunity that the larger community who sent the small group seems to possess. What's next, you'll see ...

I said I'm gonna be short. I will give only one "spoiler". For quite some time in the movie you have the impression that ... ok, what I see is a decent story, but I know how's gonna develop and what will be the end. At some point I've even got to making connections with "Lion King" = you see it coming from far for the main evil character. However, what the trailer below doesn't give (and I'm not gonna say) is how the conflict actually starts, how it evolves, and how the rest of characters split between good and evil ... If you can define good/evil, because at some point, the movie has the merit to leave aside the commercial aspect of taking sides, and to notice something valid for any conflict - there's not much place left for good ...

Rating: 4 out of 5 ( because overall was nice, better than the first, and I'm in a good mood ;) )

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

After two days needed to recover from the awful disappointment after watching "How to Torture Your Viewers 1" (aka "HTTYD2"), I finally found enough strength to write the provisional obituary of DreamWorks Animation ... But first, let's not forget the dragon (big spoilers ahead) ...

The first part is #1 in the top of ever seen animations for me, at the same level with "Emperor's New Groove". Consequently I had high expectations from the sequel, but at the same time I was convinced that it's hard to like it as much as the first. When I recently wrote about "INumber Number", I was saying that there are movies for which the first 5 minutes are enough to say they're gonna be good. Well, it applies also for the bad ones. "HTTYD2" starts with a game of quidditch, the difference from Harry Potter being that the brooms are dragons, and instead of balls we have sheeps. And also, unlike in Harry Potter, where "the quidditch games" still had something to do with the story (e.g., "The Goblet of Fire"), here it's not the case. We don't have any reference to the "athletic competition" afterwards. Just a 5 mins show to catch the kids. Sufficiently to sound the alarm that what's coming's not gonna be good ... (I can't believe I'm comparing Harry Potter positively with something .. this is bad)

From this we jump directly to a cruise on the Scandinavian sea routes, where we discover (years after the first movie) that there are some dragon hunters who are gathering a gigantic army of fire spitting flying creatures, under the rule of Drago (a sort of even more evil Captain Hook, but without the hook, and pissed on dragons instead of crocodiles). What's following is a soap opera where Hiccup finds his mother, celebrates the family reunion in a melodic Disney style, loses his father in Pixar style (that's the twist), and finally kicks the ass of the evil guy with a missing hand. Correction ... Toothless (the dragon) kicks the ass of the evil guy with a missing hand. Re-correction ... Toothless kicks the ass of the big bad dragon controlled by the evil guy with a missing hand. Which big bad dragon is named "alpha specimen" in this movie, having instantaneous hypnotic powers over the smaller flying creatures. I personally prefer the version of the first movie, where the hypnotic power if I remember well was something like: "bring me food or you die". Well, seems that meanwhile the alpha species has evolved ... To be fair though, the final battle between the two dragons is the only piece in this movie that vaguely reminds of the first part, following the idea of "the (apparently) weak one can actually turn the tide and win" if there's enough determination.

I'm too tired to bash the script (I'm just wondering how sinuous and complicated must be those Scandinavian sea routes, covered repeatedly in sightseeing flights since the first movie, to suddenly discover in the area two dragon armies and two alpha giants that everybody missed on the radar by now). Looking at the rest, if John Powell managed to pull an Oscar nomination in the first movie with probably the best score he wrote since "Face/Off", here the soundtrack is abysmal (and badly mixed = my unreliable ear managed to catch at least a sudden tracks alternation without a minimal fade out/in). As visual consultant we have Roger Deakins listed. I'm asking myself how much did they pay him to put his name on the credits, or if the guy reached the conclusion that after 11 Oscar nominations maybe it's the case to try an animation (news: that's not eligible for a cinematography award).

I'll return now to DreamWorks obituary (presumptive = I still hope ...) . If I look after the last "Shrek" (maybe with a small exception in "Kung Fu Panda 2"), DreamWorks started slowly to pixarize itself - "Megamind", "Puss in Boots", "Madagascar 3", "Rise of the Guardians", even "The Croods" .. all took a path on a melodramatic direction that wasn't there before. DreamWorks was funny, DreamWorks was witty, DreamWorks was serving you a meaning between the lines, not hitting you directly - with animated rhetoric through enlightening speeches or tearjerking scenes. What's even worse is that, as with Pixar, it seems that this superficial free serving of morals/values gets to the public's heart. Not for me ...

Rating: 2 out of 5

Dead Snow (2009) & Red vs Dead (2014)

I've had before Norwegian movies on my blog. And I think I said that they're not really on "my frequency". Well, I've finally found the exception .. a double one = "Dead Snow" & "Dead Snow 2" ...

The first movie follows a "classic" plot. A group of medicine students decide to spend a winter vacation on a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Of course, that's a bad idea ... The original part comes with the bad things that happen. More precisely at the end of WW2, in that area, a nazi platoon didn't just quietly packed and left, but decided to stay a bit longer ... years longer ... as zombies ;) Obviously, I won't get into details, but to follow with the 2nd movie I have to give a spoiler = in the first, there's a lone survivor...

... And the lone survivor has a personal vendetta to carry on in the sequel. If the first film seems to you to be just another zombie movie, with more original zombies .. the sequel is so innovative that at some point mocks itself declaring during an exchange of lines that what's going there can give birth to a new movie genre :). The trailer gives some info, and more than that I just can say that "red" in the title links again to ww2 ( guess how ;) ).

Both movies are very bloody (e.g., we have a tribute to "Evil Dead" on cutting an arm with a chainsaw). Both movies have "outrageusly awful" scenes ( I prefer to not give examples :) ), but usually caught in a sufficiently funny context, that you can forgive them. Both movies have something different to other zombie movies, the comic side which actually works here. I think just "Shaun of the Dead" managed to pull this off, "Warm Bodies" being the counterexample I prefer to give (we don't count "Fase 7" or "Cabin in the Woods" - those are not pure zombie movies). And the second movie manages this that well, that's mandatory to also see the first to catch every bit of what the sequel offers ;)

Rating:
Dead Snow - 3 out of 5
Red vs Dead - 4 out of 5

iNumber Number (2013)

There are movies on which I can say "this will be good" after three minutes. Well ... in some cases it happens that I'm wrong. Not with "iNumber Number".

Simple story. In the corrupt world of South Africa's law enforcement, two cops try to make a difference. Until the day one of them gets tired risking his life for rewards stolen by superiors, and decides to push a bit further his undercover work = to move forward with a robbery planned by a gang, get them caught only after the hit, and "lose" some cash evidence in the process. Hardly, he manages to convince his partner to back him up eventually. But, of course, things go wrong ...

What we have here is a South African indie budget movie, that I had the opportunity to catch at a local film festival. I really hope this gets a wider release, since it's way better than many action movies made in Hollywood. Top notch directing and casting (despite the fact I don't know any actor). But what makes this movie really shine is the camera work and the editing ... I think is the only movie I've seen by now where I really liked the use of kinetic camera for the action sequences. It happened before in some rare cases to be neutral/ok, bun generally I hate this ... Because usually is exaggerated, chaotic, and gives headaches. What I've watched here can get in a cinematography course on how to dose "the shakiness" both as time and as movement direction. Besides this, the cinematography it's overall simply superb. There's much to say .. I'll resume only on how the English subtitle track is integrated, which I think comes along the original movie reel (= was the same on yt trailers & in cinema). The text is not placed in the classic bottom/center, but occupies the most appropriate space on the running scene. At some point it gave me the (positive) impression, I have a rolling comic book in front of my eyes.

Although as I said the story is simple, the movie is action packed + even if you probably expect the classic happy-end, there are many some small details that complicate the situation and keep you focused. I've already gave a (predictable) light spoiler on the movie ending, and that's probably the weakest point in the whole film. Too idealistic :) ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Enemy (2013)

If you're scared by David Lynch, you should not watch "Enemy" ...
If you're arachnophobic, you should not watch "Enemy" ...
If you're given chills by syndromes like multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia, you should not watch "Enemy" ...

Maybe you should watch "Enemy" ...

What could I say more than the clip and trailer posted below ? I don't know... Jake Gyllenhaal plays a double part, a lonely history professor who discovers he has an identical lookalike in a B-movies actor. As expected, up to the end you'll probably get sort of convinced that the two are one and the same. Sort of .. because unlike, let's say "Fight Club", here the movie doesn't bother that much to connect the dots in order to avoid loopholes (well ... you probably can explain everything as a hallucination of the main character = problem solved).

I'm not really in the mood to get into other details on the subject. I still should point other stuff though. The movie is directed by Denis Villeneuve ("Prisoners"). I doubt it could've got any better on the script it has = yet another proof that the director's quite promising. Besides that I can add also the brilliant cinematography (Nicolas Bolduc - never heard of him before). It's simply put in perfect tone with the subject. And the comparison with David Lynch in the beginning comes mostly from the atmosphere created that's mainly based on the visuals.

I'd keep for myself the end note philosophy, but... At least, I'd like to believe that the movie ending interpretation is that people with some kind of problems, at some point, and with somebody close to them, can become aware. If not about themselves, at least about the effects on others around them. The reality is chillin' though. And .. that's all.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (subjectively ...)

Fish Story (2009)

I have neither the time, nor the mood for writing lately. It's probably noticeable :) ... I didn't lose track yet on the rate of entries/week ( I know that I'm one behind ;) ) = maybe there are still some chances to catch up. The good side is that long breaks bring better movies. Like "Fish Story", or "Fisshu sutôrî" in Japanese, because we have something from that part of the world...

I don't really know in what genre to fit the movie. I guess I could mix together comedy, drama, romance, musical, SciFi, and maybe others. As a short summary I can say that's a sort of concise "Cloud Atlas", better centered on the "in-depth idea", more lighthearted, and without box office claims (now don't get me wrong, I liked "Cloud Atlas", but sometimes got a bit lost in details). The movie starts with the apocalypse of 2012, when a comet has a couple hours until hitting Earth, and the planet inhabitants wait helplessly for the end. Including the residents of the Nippon archipelago. I'm not gonna give any spoiler ( although the outcome is sort of predictable, but not the details ;) ). We slowly move back to 1975 (with some stops on the way). when an unsuccessful punk band, with lousy sales and about to disband, releases a last album including ... "Fish Story". A song with lines that make no sense, and which gets a cassette recording with an enigmatic silenced part in the middle. Stuff that over the years gives birth to various urban legends on the song break reason. And so, the movie carries us forward and backward in time, with various scenes that connect more-or-less to "Fish Story". It's sufficiently chaotic to put your brain at work a bit on trying to tie the loose ends, but at the same time it's perfectly structured not to give you headaches. The story unfolds in a pretty concise manner, although it might not seem so in the beginning. But pretty much everything starts connecting from a point onwards in a sort of long time propagated butterfly effect. And if by chance you still get lost in the story building chain, don't worry, you'll get it before the end ;) ...

I could start with the movies philosophy and what it wants to transmit to the public ( if it wants something :) ). However, I guess that the "in-depth idea" I was mentioning that's more clear, maybe it's clear just for me. So I'll let everybody to get a personal conclusion. On my side I'll stick to the "Cloud Atlas tagline": "Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future." ...

Rating: 4 out of 5

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

I've already given a short intro for "Edge of Tomorrow" in the preview I did two entries ago. So let's dig directly in the story. Somewhere in an apocalyptic future, where an alien race is about to conquer Earth, major Cage (Tom Cruise) serves bravely his mother planet as a proud member of .. the public relations department of the army. Activity that gets a sudden change (in a sort of unrealistic fashion .. although you could try to explain it later), in a sunny day, when the joined armies commanding general personally sends our major to the front line. Where he eventually gets deployed by force, qualified as deserter, and with his rank stripped and reduced to private = "ready" for face-to-face combat. Of course, being a total noob in using the equipped weaponry, major Cage dies at a short time after setting his foot on the battlefield. Not alone though, but taking with him also a particular specimen of the alien fauna. Thing that, without saying more ( check out the movie :) ) allows him to open again his eyes, at the beginning of the first day in his short and unfortunate soldier career ...

As compared in the preview entry, we have indeed a sort of "Groundhog Day" = neverending repeat, but just as starting point. Further ... why, how it got there, how it can get out of there + other minor aspects = saving the planet & getting the girl :) are part of one of the nicest SciFi stories I've seen in the last years. Again, mentioning that I have a soft spot for time travel ;) It's not about the complexity or philosophic depths here (= as in "Looper" for instance), but the story is very well structured and quite entertaining for the almost two hours the movie has. I'd actually say, unlike other times, in this case it was so .. I don't know, lighthearted let's say, such that I didn't even try to find loopholes in the time reset theory. I just enjoyed it as it was.

I can't make any particular appreciation on the technical side of the movie, but the script helps a lot. Besides the main genre = SciFi & action, we also have some comic relief added, or (light spoiler) as an IMDb comment was saying, something like "if you hate Tom Cruise, that's the movie you should see" with a reference on how many ways the main character can die. As a final point, we also have a pretty smoothly integrated romance, which sort of runs along with the main action thread ( although quite discreetly :) ), and which I liked a lot (stuff that rarely happens). I don't know if it was about Emily Blunt, or how the story went, but well :) ... Overall, the movie was a very nice surprise, and I can warmly recommend it ;)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Summer-Fall 2014 Movie Preview - Part 2

So, it seems that last time's "hope" for the posting frequency was hopeless. Ok, let's forget it and kick-off the fall previews (which as usual are not that many because it's a bit early for end-of-year trailers) ...

"Maze Runner" gets released in September. It's a debut movie (director & screenwriters), the casting's a bit obscure, the expectancies low, trailer .. relatively interesting ...
"Good People" is a thriller directed by a guy from Danemark (Henrik Ruben Genz) who's totally unknown for me, but apparently known in his country (+ having an Oscar nomination for a short movie). I have a feeling I won't be disappointed by this one. Besides that, who likes Anna Friel ( me included :) ), quite rarely seen on big screen, has an opportunity to catch her here (true though that seems to be quite a small role) ...
"Book of Life" it's an animation to be released in October. No, no ... it's not about the Bible. Looks more like a sort of "Tim Burton" after-death animated experience in a lighter version (and more colored) ...
"Kingsman: The Secret Service" seems to be a sort of lighter version (since we're at this topic) for Bond. And considering we still have to wait for the next 007 ...
"Interstellar" is closing today's entry, as main headline for November. The last product by Nolan & Nolan seemed I guess a bit more interesting before last trailer's release. Which I don't know how to say it nicely, but it suggests me a sort of a bit more elaborated "Armageddon", but still keeping a tear-generating factor to impress the average public. Especially since I don't see anymore in the screenwriters list the name of Kip Thorne (known physician) who appears now only as producer. Well, we'll see what we get ...
That's it. Next time ( I won't say when :) ) I'll be back with an already announced entry = something pretty good running now in cinemas ;) ...