Kiseki/I Wish (2012) by Hirokazu Koreeda

Tags

Hirokazu Koreeda, I Wish, I Wish (film), Kiseki, Nobody Knows, Still Walking, Yasujirō Ozu

When many people say Hirokazu Koreeda is a true artistic son of the Japanese master Yasujiro Ozu it might seem like one of those forced parallelisms film critics need to conjure in order to set a basis of communication with the reader. Nevertheless, there is, in many ways, a solid ground for that argument, if not only for his love of still camera work, allowing the characters to come in and out of screen as they see fit. And Koreeda is definitely interested the same themes as Ozu, more specifically, the deep exploration of family and the dynamics between children and parents throughout their lives, in extreme or mundane situations. Kiseki, or I Wish, is perhaps one of his lighter films, following the lives of two young brothers whose family nucleus is divided by their parents separation, both emotionally and physically. They try to rekindle and reunite what was lost through the means of a wish involving the lucky meeting between opposite trains now uniting their cities. This could very well be Koreeda’s most innocent premise, especially when compared with the desperate gloom of Nobody Knows and the quiet regrets of Still Walking, but it is not any less profound in the way it looks into the longing of these two brothers and their friends and their transition to a higher state consciousness towards themselves and the world, an essential part of growing up. A beautiful and innocent ‘little’ movie with so much to give.

4 stars

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) by Christopher Nolan

Tags

Anne Hathaway, Bane, Batman, Catwoman, Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, Dark Knight, Gary Oldman, Gotham City, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy

Christopher Nolan is a conundrum. A filmmaker that starts on alternative cinema and then successfully makes the transition to mainstream, without losing either sight or focus, is a very rare event. And that is why backlash was already palpable two films ago, with the second installment of the reinvented Batman saga. The Dark Knight deconstructed everything about the comic-adaptation genre and built something that will stand for the ages as the way of doing action without abdication of the intellect. It stood as one of the bleakest and most poignant films to come out of American cinema, independent or not, and it raised the bar immeasurably for the last chapter of the trilogy. As a surprise to many, The Dark Knight Rises does not falter and delves deeper into the myth of the unwilling hero that sacrifices himself and everything he represents for the sake of order above chaos. The idea of an immortal symbol being more powerful than a mortal individual is quite meaningful, especially when the mask abolishes the man behind it. Nolan becomes even more political as he depicts a false uprising of the people of Gotham under the banner of a blind revolution. The siege of Gotham is truly frightening and an enhanced version, almost a metaphorical alarm call, of what the world can expect as hope becomes nothing but a distant light in the midst of a reign of chaos. And that is why Tom Hardy’s Bane is such an effective villain as he feeds from despair and the last remainders of human perseverance and transforms them into the most powerful of weapons, managing to exert his apocalypse under the wing of liberation. The Dark Knight Rises is not without flaws though and through the end some incongruences appear as the plot comes to an end and some (unnecessary) twists are unveiled, attenuating the true nature of the beast. It does once again triumph in deconstructing the character of Bruce Wayne, even more broken and powerless. But how he rises again towards salvation is as inspiring as ever and Nolan manages to intellectually stimulate and disturb audiences under the bane of entertainment. And that is truly remarkable.

4 stars

PS: Whoever doubted Anne Hathaway will be ravished by how perfect, unique and deliciously disruptive she is as Catwoman, who along with the ever surprising Joseph Gordon-Levitt, are most-welcome additions to the superb cast.

Magic Mike (2012) by Steven Soderbergh

Tags

Alex Pettyfer, Channing Tatum, Joe Mangianello, Magic Mike, Matthew McConaughey, Showgirls, Steven Soderbergh

A film about male strippers could never be too much of a highbrow affair, but when Steven Soderbergh‘s name is attached to something you expect a bit more than your typical comedy-turns-drama fanfare. But the disappointing thing is that this is not a Soderbergh film, it’s just a movie he happened to direct, once again proving how hit-and-miss he has been lately. Even if it’s not unabashedly bad, it misses a lot of the promises it raises throughout its duration and never actually finds a away to balance its emotional undertones, switching too clumsily from a flirtatious buddy comedy to a Lifetime redemption drama. Channing Tatum manages to do both with grace, in addition to being an hell of a dancer, but just isn’t able to raise above the banality of what Magic Mike turns out to be. Give me Showgirls any day…

2 stars

Moonrise Kingdom (2012) by Wes Anderson

Tags

american independent cinema, Aquatic Life With Steve Zissou, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Moonrise Kingdom, Tilda Swinton, Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson is not one to shy away from the peculiar fantasy world he himself created, even when some critics imply that he is incapable of living outside that realm. The real question is how often nowadays is a director creative enough to create his own dimension and populate it with characters that are so unique and special that they can not exist anywhere else? Very rarely. And Anderson manages to do so while keeping itbrand new as another of his fables invade the formatted lineup of American independent cinema. Moonrise Kingdom is a sweet and hypnotic tale of a juvenile but truthful love between a runaway boy scout and a strange little girl who is having difficulties growing up. No matter how quirky and outrageous the plot and execution get, this is a movie that never loses its heart. And, in that aspect, it might be Wes Anderson’s greatest triumph yet, in par with The Life Aquatic. Even if his colorful and sumptuously dry cinematic language is not new, it remains miraculously fresh, endearing and nothing like you will ever see anywhere else. Ever.

4 stars

Take Shelter (2011) by Jeff Nichols

Tags

american independent cinema, cinematic storytelling, Film, Jeff Nichols, Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter

The union of Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon in Shotgun Stories was memorable and surprising. Because Nichols knows cinematic storytelling and Shannon knows how to rip masks and show bare flesh without even a hint of a whimper. That is partly why Take Shelter is one of the most suffocating movies in recent American independent cinema. Curtis seems to have the perfect life and a struggling, but united, family. Hence all of a sudden panic strikes him through a series of apocalyptic nightmares which he fears will become true and subsequents incursions into schizophrenia. This is a truly unseen portrait of dementia, characterized by a slow descent into paranoia but always in a sustained manner. Rarely in movies have psychological disorders been shown in such a sober way, mainly because of Michael Shannon once again earth-shattering performance, in a disturbing struggle with himself to always stay in control. He is not alone this time though. Jessica Chastain, undoubtedly the next greatest actress in the world, is equally charismatic and moving as the wife whose concern and love never falter. And, with the risk of being reductive, the whole movie, even in its most prophetic aspirations, is all about that spark between them which allows him to take shelter on her before his mind fully unravels. That is why the much talked about ending is not to be feared or disdained. It ends up being nothing more than another projection of their belief in each other. And no storm can destroy that.

5 stars

Haywire (2011) by Steven Soderbergh

Tags

Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Gina Carano, Haywire, Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Steven Soderbergh

Simply put, a clever and entertaining movie with brains to match the rugged action. Steven Soderbergh – who has been on a low streak ever since the underrated Che – knows the genre inside out and manages to create something that still feels fresh and thrilling with the addition of the surprisingly charismatic screen presence of Gina Carano, a former wrestling star which manages to more than hold her own in an all-male cast. They both build up a pace that is inspired and inebriating enough to leave you breathless throughout the whole film.

3 stars

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) by Lynn Ramsay

Tags

Ezra Miller, John C Reilly, Lionel Shriver, Lynne Ramsay, Seamus McGarvey, Talk About Kevin, Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Hailed by critics and ignored by mainstream audiences, independent cinema misses the point with the same frequency as any blockbuster. It depends, obviously, on the creative mind behind it. When it is honest, it soars. When it is untruthful, it stinks. The later is the case with the lauded We Need to Talk About Kevin, an exploration on the grief of a mother whose son turned out to be an homicidal psychopath, responsible for the carnage of a slew of teenager in his high-school. Unfortunately, Lynn Ramsay, the director, is not able to sidestep the obvious traps of such a story and turns the boy into a demoniacal figure, a personification of evil with no human attributes, also aided by horrific performances by the title character in his various The Omen-esque incarnations. Even though visually it is indeed an engaging picture – with superb and inventive cinematography by Seamus McGarvey – it fails to resonate as it should. What manages to get through is purely due to a monstrous and disconcerting performance by the ever astonishing and shapeshifting Tilda Swinton, in another exercise of dramatic transfiguration. But even though her pain and anguish are palpable, everything else feels insincere and simplistic in a very dangerous way.

2 stars

Avengers (2012) by Joss Whedon

Tags

entertainment, Film, joss whedon

If Joss Whedon was already a God to the geek race – Firefly and Serenity alone make him more than deserving of that honor – he has certainly achieved a new kind of celestial hierarchy now. It is no secret that the nerd population, in which I happily include myself, lives for the formation of teams that include a very unusual mixture of superheroes. And in the Marvel Universe, and besides the X-Men, you can’t get any bigger and more diversified than the Avengers. And what Whedon does so well is give each and every one of them a voice. No one is more important or more powerful than the next and that’s indeed the core of what makes them so special. Everyone brings something unique to the table and leaves you wanting more from every single one, much more so than in their individual ventures in cinema. Furthermore, the movie is the epitome of kick-ass. There isn’t a single second wasted, from beginning to the end, which is the most ridiculous, gargantuan and joyous action finale ever put to film. Never leaving the characters behind. That’s how Whedon wins. And we all do.

4 stars

PS: I demand the Scarlet Witch for the next movie. Not negotiable.

Shame (2011) by Steve McQueen

Tags

2011, Carey Mulligan, Michael Fassbender, Shame, Steve McQueen

One that reads the premise of Shame will never guess what monster of a film this actually is. It follows the life of Brandon, a post-modern vision of the Casanova, a man who goes through an array of beautiful women. The variant is that this is not a lifestyle for him, it’s a curse. Sex is not simple and natural desire, it is a sickening compulsion and a famish that never gets fulfilled. Women, men, multiple partners, himself… all fodder to a disorder he cannot control. What initially appears to be a charm game turns out to be his true downfall, a spiral of uncontrollable events into the grotesque he’s not able to resist. And when true emotion comes into picture, be it through his estranged sister played by the mesmerizing Carey Mulligan or an instant connection that turns into hope, it gets pushed into oblivion. Shame is a desolate film and has unpredictable repercussions, especially though the way we see Michael Fassbender – in what should quickly become one of the most outstanding and brave performances of this new century – trekking his own path into Despair. His portrait is truly devastating in the unfathomable pain he brings to each scene, beautifully and viciously realized by Steve McQueen, solidifying himself as one of the most unique filmmakers of his generation. Most of them have no dialogue, but the images conjured are disorientating paradoxes and as ravaging as a knife slitting a throat. Subtle and elusive, Hell has never been this shatteringly silent and cruel.

5 stars

The Iron Lady (2011) by Phyllida Lloyd

Tags

Film, Iron Lady, Mamma Mia, Margaret Thatcher, Meryl Streep, Phyllida Lloyd, Streep, Thatcher

Usually when it’s said that a performance saved a movie from disgrace its a blatant lie. There is no chance a poorly-written and mediocrely-directed can be rescued from oblivion by an actor. Unless that actor is, of course, called Meryl Streep. First and foremost, The Iron Lady is not a bad movie. Academic. Yes. Uninspired. Most of the times. Insufferable. No. The portrait of Margaret Thatcher is indeed a very biased and romanticized version of the truth and Phyllida Lloyd of Mamma Mia! is definitely not the director this picture needed, but one must give her credit for one thing: let the movie be devoured by that gargantuan performance. No matter how redundant it is to put Meryl Streep and acting excellency in the same sentences over and over again, she is once again incomparable and makes The Iron Lady an compelling and even unforgettable movie. As usual, her transformation is complete and goes beyond mere imitation, giving a one dimensional written character such glorious and disarming depth. If she is superb while portraying the controversial figure at the height of her power, Streep portrays her fall into cold dementia in a credible and endearing way. There are many moments that will stand the test of time, like the silent pause after Thatcher humiliates her aide in front of the whole cabin and sits alone in an empty room  in which she goes through an whole array of emotions and finally lets her mask fall. That scene alone is worth an Oscar. And that’s the eternal and unique wizardry of Meryl Streep.

3 stars