Tuesday 31 July 2018
The Post (2017)
A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.
Professionally staged, although a bit old-fashioned, historical drama with an excellent cast succeeds in its appeal for the necessity of a free press.
Sunday 29 July 2018
The Rover (2014)
10 years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car; along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.
Extremely well-made and performed doomsday drama is very violent and conveys a bleak world without heart and redemption.
Lost in Space, Season 1 (2018)
After crash-landing on an alien planet, the Robinson family fight against all odds to survive and escape, but they're surrounded by hidden dangers.
Nicely assembled reimagination of the cult 60s series omits most of the original's naive charm and humour, shifts the main chararcters' personalities and tells a mainly new, more modern story, but is nevertheless entertaining and never feels warmed up.
Thursday 26 July 2018
Tau (2018)
A woman is held captive by a scientist in a futuristic smart house, and hopes to escape by reasoning with the Artificial Intelligence that controls the house.
An interesting premise gets an unimaginative treatment, especially missing in character development, and the discourse with the Artificial Intelligence lacks credibility.
Local Color (2006)
A talented but troubled 18-year-old aspiring artist befriends a brilliant elderly alcoholic painter who has turned his back on not only art but life.
Nicely told autobiographical tale of an artist and his pupil has good cinematography and an excellent cats, but showcases a rather reactionary concept of Art.
Maltin***: "Meuller-Stahl is wonderful, and the youthful Morgan keeps up with him at every turn. Deeply felt autobiographical drama..."
Tuesday 24 July 2018
Before I Go to Sleep (2014)
A woman wakes up every day, remembering nothing as a result of a traumatic accident in her past, but one day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her.
Memento-like psychological thriller with no depth, but with a disappointing ending; Nicole Kidman, however, is very good in the lead role.
Monday 23 July 2018
6 Souls (2010)
A female forensic psychiatrist discovers that all of one of her patient's multiple personalities are murder victims.
Utter nonsense occult thriller wastes its star cast, although it does provide some good atmospheric cinematography.
Maltin*1/2: "Dumb, pretentious thriller-horror film thoroughly wastes Moore and her cast-mates, who deserve far better material."
Sunday 22 July 2018
Switch (2011)
An unemployed Canadian graphic designer spontaneously accepts an offer to change her life: she exchanges her German apartment for one in Paris through an online portal called "Switch", but doesn't realize that she has been lured into a murderous plot.
Well-oiled thriller is quite suspenseful, even though the plot is extremely far-fetched, and there are a few chases too many.
Saturday 21 July 2018
Don Jon (2013)
A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.
For what it is well-made and with a good ensemble, the plot itself (and the main Character) are quite off-putting.
Maltin***: "Impressive feature-film debut for Gordon-Levitt as writer, director, and star, with winning performances from his well-chosen cast."
Friday 20 July 2018
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
Set during WWII, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a German concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
Heart-wrenching and tragic tale is successful in envisaging the mad hypocrisy of the Nazi ideology, but only skims the horrors of the Holocaust.
Maltin***: "Unique Holocaust fable...Quietly powerful drama personalizes the qualms and contradictions facing German families during the Nazi era."
Avril et le monde truqué (2015)
France asleep in the nineteenth century, governed by steam and Napoleon V, where scientists vanish mysteriously, Avril, a teenage girl, goes in search of her missing scientist parents.
Delightfully quirky animated movie set in a steampunk alternate reality; lovable characters (especially Avril and her cat) and highly imaginative sets make this a joy to watch.
Thursday 19 July 2018
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.
Introducing a phenomenon in which anything is possible the creators of this movie obviously thought it was feasible to do likewise with the plot, so the result is messy, without coherence and full of weird things going on devoid of any logic or explanation.
Tuesday 17 July 2018
A Kiss Before Dying (1991)
A determined student murders his pregnant secret girlfriend and moves onto her twin sister who gradually becomes suspicious of her new lover.
Moderately entertaining, but quite unoriginal Hitchcock-like thriller.
Halliwell*: "Moderately effective thriller, though it offers a considerable simplification of the novel on which it is based."
Maltin*1/2: "Almost completely ineffectual thriller..."
Sunday 15 July 2018
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