vinylvanilla Reviews

Bulbbul (2020)

Beautiful cinematography with genius storytelling and references to Hindu mythology

[10/10 · 26 June 2020]

"Bulbbul" attracted my attention for being the story of a woman written and directed by another woman. We need more female voices in cinema and storytelling - and the beauty of the narrative created by a woman is the poetry present in every aspect of the story. Here, Anvita Dutt masterfully creates a story about love, pain, revenge and sacrifice, with a magical touch and genius references to Hindu mythology.

This is the story of Bulbbul, a girl who has to marry, at a very young age, Indranil, a much older man with whom she grows up in a lavish palace. But Bulbbul, for being still a child, is obviously not close to Indranil, but to Satya - Indrani's youngest brother, who's Bulbbul's age. Together they play, laugh, and share stories about a witch that haunts a forest nearby. They grow together and their friendship strengthens, but circumstances of the future will make Satya travel abroad and this ends up shattering Bulbbul's heart.

Unfortunately, this separation from Satya is not the only thing that lets her down - Bulbbul still will have to face many other obstacles and disturbing moments that will leave scars in her body, heart and soul. And that's when the main premise of the movie comes to the light: a story about the coping mechanisms that a woman will create to cope with her dark, painful past.

Wrongfully classified as horror, "Bulbbul" is actually a fairy tale, a visual myth - a magical dramatic narrative that has elements of suspense and horror, but that is not horror per se. I don't like making comparisons between two different directors, but for those who want to know if there's anything similar to "Bulbbul", think of Guillermo del Toro's magical stories and you'll understand the kind of movie that "Bulbbul" is.

Not only the great screenplay makes "Bulbbul" a great movie - it's also incredible for its gorgeous cinematography, lavish set and costume design and amazing cast, with Tripti Dimri doing a fantastic job as the lead character. It has some elements that are outdated - the soundtrack may be emotionally manipulative at times and the sound mixing sometimes is a little cliché. But these small flaws become imperceptible when compared to qualities of this great original work.

Another point that makes "Bulbull" highly remarkable is its non-linear narrative, that though may seem like a confusing patchwork in the beginning, with many flashbacks, slowly starts making sense as the movie goes on. Those who criticize the movie claim its is predictable, but we have to understand that "Bulbbul" is not about outsmarting the audience with a plot twist: it's about telling a myth, a magical fairy tale in the most obscure and yet engaging way - the movie makes you feel like someone is telling you the story by a firepit - you feel the warmth and coziness of the moment, but you're also eager to know how the story ends.

If you enjoy Hindy mythology, I'm almost sure you'll enjoy "Bulbbul" as much as I did. The references to Kali, the Hindu goddess who destroys evil forces, is clear in "Bulbbul". Kali, with her disveled hair and strong appearance, holds a severed head that represents the human ego and all evil in the world. She's the warrior against every destructive force of the nature, imposing her justice with merciless yet precise actions. And that's what "Bulbbul" is all about: love, justice and strength - in a bloody, brutal, yet necessary way.

Us (II) (2019)

Another case of "The Emperor's New Clothes" by Jordan Peele

[1/10 · 21 March 2019]

I guess Jordan Peele's "horror" is not for me. First, it's not horror, because it's not scary - well it's only scary if you find movies like "Scream" or "Scary Movie" scary. All the horror clichés are there. Some very cringe worthy comical moments with jokes that weren't funny. Plus, there is no character development. No character development at all. Only a solid first act, then followed by very disappointing second and third acts, with killings and more killings and a predictable "plot twist" I could guess right during the first 15 minutes of the movie. The concept of the movie is nice, cinematography is also nice combined with the soundtrack but these technical aspects don't save a plot that is very simplistic, with a terrible self-explanatory and predictable conclusion. Lupita's amazing acting is the only good thing in it.Now that I have watched the second movie by Jordan Peele I can say that his movies are basically acclaimed by the critics and they are as disappointing as they are overhyped. Don't believe the hype.

Platoon (1986)

A masterpiece with timeless philosophical meaning

[10/10 · 10 March 2019]

I don't know how I've lived without this movie until today. It was released the year I was born and it spoke to me as if it was fresh and new. This is definitely Oliver Stone's masterpiece, and my respect for the director only increased right now.

In Platoon, we not only see the horrors of the Vietnam war - we see a brutal and honest portrait of the many war crimes the American army committed, how millions of Vietnamese civilians were murdered, how entire millenarian villages were decimated and how, in the end, this is one of the most ignorant, gratuitous, unwarranted and pathetic wars of all times - aren't them all?

But although all these facts already make Platoon one of the greatest movies of all times, surprisingly, they are not what make it a masterpiece. The real geniality in Platoon is to raise philosophical questions about the relevance of war and the duality of humankind - with its flawlessly constructed and complex characters, we see that nobody is entirely bad or good, and we also see that sometimes morally condemned acts will be justified by opportunists as an "unnecessary evil".

Technically speaking, the movie is impeccable. A 2-hour-long war movie that feels like it lasts only 30 minutes, because tension and action is maintained at their peak the whole time, and you don't want to blink to miss anything. Edition is something to be acclaimed as well, because the war scenes were absurdly difficult to be filmed and yet in a multidimensional environment which is a battle camp scene where everything happens simultaneously they managed to show everything that was happening without confounding the audience - all scenes were explicit, clear and understandable. Everything had a point or a reason to be shown.

Needless to say, this is the quintessential Willem Dafoe movie. I have always thought he is one of the greatest actors of all times and he's terrible underrated. I now am very sorry for the fact he didn't win any relevant award for this performance - few actors could deliver the emotion and the charisma he delivered only with his eyes and his body language. I have to say the same thing about Tom Berenger - that acting was the work of genius - and yet both Tom and Willem were nominated for an Academy Award and neither of them won, in the year when Platoon won for Best Picture. Charlie Sheen and Forest Whitaker also shone as well - it's absurdly refreshing to, every once in a while, to watch a movie in which the ENTIRE CAST can actually ACT and do a great job.

As if this movie didn't have enough qualities, cinematography is another undeniable quality of this capolavoro - the green palette in the entire movie highlights the blood and the human expressions amid the horrors of war - and beautiful and iconic scenes (such as the one portrayed in the movie poster) were filmed in such a gorgeous way that they will certainly be in my mind forever. I have never seen aerial shots done so masterfully like I did here.

Platoon is neither a horror show or a gruesome war movie - you won't see a blood battle here, though the battle scenes are relevant. The point of the movie is, fortunately, not to shock the audience with blood or mutilated limbs - the aim of this work is to startle us with the horrors of human nature - and how apparently normal people can hide monsters that will be only released in the right conditions.

There were scenes halfway into this movie that made me cry in desperation and lose my breath like any other movie could. To think that events like that happened in real life only made me feel even more miserable and question how exactly humankind evolved throughout the years. Are we really civilized? Are we actually becoming a better species? Oliver Stone, with his brilliant plot and direction, created a masterpiece who will be imprinted in our minds not only as the portrait of one of most terrifying genocides of all times - his work will resonate as the fire that stirs philosophical questionings about the true meaning of life, humanity and morality. Unfortunately, when we watch this work of genius we realize the world hasn't changed much since then. That says a lot about what kind of humans we've become. That proves how relevant this movie is today - and it has impressed my mind and heart like only very few movies could.

May God bless the souls of whoever died in those very dark times.

Your Son (2018)

The horrible effects of toxic masculinity in one single movie

[9/10 · 3 March 2019]

This is a raw, unforgiving lesson of how toxic masculinity can destroy a family and other people's lives.

Here we have amazing and superb performances of the entire cast - I highlight Ester Exposito's great work, she is proving to be a great actress - and shocking yet valuable scenes that make us question what is right or wrong, if revenge is really worth it, and how sexism still haunts our society and our moral values.

Cinematography and edition are alright, but this is not supposed to be a visual performance : here, the superb plot speaks louder, and it is good enough to leave an impacting spot in our minds. Its characters, amazingly constructed, contribute with the strength of this work.

One could easily compare this movie with the tragic and epic work of Gaspar Noé "Irreversible" - however, while Noé's movie deals more with the consequences of revenge and how we can't go back in time (together with the esoteric concept of premonitory dreams), this one to me is more schocking and compelling for talking about revenge in a family, together with the impact of toxic masculinity on society and on our ethics. What would a father do for a son? What would a brother do for a sister? What would you do in their shoes?

Everybody Knows (2018)

Devastating yet touching drama with a thrilling subplot

[8/10 · 28 February 2019]

This movie opened the Cannes Festival in 2018 and couldn't be more perfect for it - impacting and shocking enough. Nothing can be harder to deal with when betrayal comes from those who are close to you.

A movie about love, fatherhood, regrets and choices. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem one more time giving amazing performances in this deep, touching yet devastating drama.

Vox Lux (2018)

A dark and nihilistic depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder and the showbiz

[8/10 · 26 February 2019]

Let me start my review by saying that this movie is not for everyone. If you're expecting a linear, predictable plot about the rise and fall of a pop star, you're not gonna get it. If you're expecting mind-blowing subplots or even plot twists, you're not gonna get it either. What to expect of this movie: a disturbing, raw, nihilistic depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how it affects the life of a superfamous pop star.

The movie begins with Celeste (played by Raffey Cassidy when young and Natalie Portman as an adult), a girl who underwent a very traumatic event and to cope with it she starts composing and singing, with her sister helping her with the compositions and her career. After that, Celeste becomes quickly famous and becomes engulfed by the pop-star-making machine, turning into a dancing-and-singing performer that portrays everything that pop wants - and perhaps everything that she didn't want.

Here we see how Celeste coped with the traumatic events while she saw her music career skyrocket. Having to deal with flashbacks, nightmares and constant mood changes, apart from substance addiction, Celeste has to learn how to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder in an environment that doesn't forgive mistakes and doesn't accept anything but perfection: the showbiz.

And when Celeste thought her life would follow a steady path again, another tragedy meets her way, bringing irony and confusion to her life one more time. Meanwhile, she has to deal with her sister's mix of greed and compassion, her daughter's issues and the demands of her manager.

It's obvious that such a situation will lead to Celeste's mental breakdown - and that's what Vox Lux is all about. Portraying a very contemporary phenomenon, when we see more and more celebrities having mental breakdowns and even committing suicide, this movie is relevant when it creates a dialogue about how fame and the showbiz can be toxic - and how the toxicity can spread outside the celebrity's life.

All of that is wrapped by a hint of esotericism when it comes to Celeste's religious choices as the years go by. At the end of the movie, the audience is met by a surprising information that helps us build the character of Celeste even better - and perhaps understand why she chose a certain path in her life.

Needless to say, Natalie Portman once again is flawless as Celeste. Her performance is, as usual, impeccable and there is one specific scene when she cries that gave me clear sensation that I had never seen an actress sobbing in a scene so amazingly and genuinely like she did. Moreover, the way she transformed herself into a real pop star - expect to see her dancing and lipsynching better than some real pop artists nowadays - just proves how versatile, and daring she is. The role reminds me of the great job she did in "Black Swan" and shows that playing dark characters is no big deal for her. Jude Law and Raffey Cassidy gave solid performances as well, and I would like to point out Sia's songs that were originally and exclusively composed for this movie and that also prove that Sia is an endless source of catchy pop songs and timeless anthems.

The movie, in the end, may seem simple and bare to some, but a careful eye will see the dark undertones in it. This is a very obscure, disturbing portrait of the rise and fall of a popstar and her haunting mental issues, and in the end we see it's also the depiction of esotericism and religion and the effect of them on the choices human beings make. Vox Lux may mean in Latin "Voice of Light", but perhaps, and unfortunately for her, what Celeste turned into was nothing but a voice of darkness - the darkness inside her own mind.

The Favourite (2018)

A pretentious, cliché-filled, dull love triangle disguised as a portrait of the British Royalty

[6/10 · 13 February 2019]

Once again, Yorgos Lanthimos disappoints me. Before you vote my review as an unhelpful, lemme explain myself. Perhaps I have an issue with his movies, because I have never enjoyed any of his work, and this movie, unfortunately, is no exception.

Because of the hype and the multiple Oscar nominations, I had high expectations of it, but none of them were fulfilled. Here we have the story of Queen Ann (Olivia Colman) and two women who lived with her - Lady Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail (Emma Stone). Be warned - there is no plot in the movie, only a lesbian love triangle among the 3 lead characters. At one point Abigail, who was nothing more than a servant of the palace, realizes that Lady Marlborough is the Queen's favorite for being her lover, so Abigail decides to give the Queen some love as well. Expect awkward, irksome scenes of oral sex between swollen, scab-covered legs - at this point, the audience should know "irksome" is Lanthimos's comfort zone. There's some childish jealousy when Abigail tries to poison Lady Marlborough and some even more childish melodrama when the Queen misses Lady Marlborough's touch and vice-versa. And a lot of rabbits. And that's it, and I am not exaggerating.

Of course, the movie has basically zero character development. We know all characters are flawed and do horrible things - like all characters in Lanthimos's movies do - but we don't know why they do these things, what happened to them in their lives to make them do what they do - and that's called character development, which lacks in this movie in a very blatant way. And to make matters worse, here we have the cliché-filled portrayal of a royal figure (the Queen) as a weak, gullible, laughable figure who is easily manipulated by servants and maids who seem to be smarter than Her Highness herself. Expect also the cliché scenes of the nobility in decadent parties , displaying deplorable habits. Yawn. As if we hadn't seen this is so many movies before.

Cinematography wise, I got tired, exhausted of the poorly-illuminated scenes and the fish eye camera. It made everything claustrophobic, which seems an useless strategy in this movie, because there was nothing shocking or claustrophobic going on, just a boring love triangle and a woman with bandages around her legs. The only remarkable elements in this movie, in my opinion are:

• Olivia's acting - Olivia Colman is unrecognizable as Queen Ann, in a very good way; (Rachel Weisz did nothing incredible here, her role was 0% risky dramatically speaking. Emma Stone had a more difficult role but once again she still displayed the same mannerisms she showed in "Easy A", "Lala Land" and almost every movie in which she acts - exaggerated, unconvincing, trying-too-hard gestures and expressions).
• Costume design;
• Art direction - decent artistic portrayal of the English Royalty during late 17th/early 18th century.

Unfortunately, this movie, which has probably cost a lot of money considering its production, art direction and costume design, was a waste of budget - such a beautiful ambiance fell flat into a boring, empty plot. This is movie is not either enlightening nor shocking, neither incisive or witty, it's just a boring love triangle with very disturbing characters disguised as some "fun criticism" of the nobility and the high class.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Brilliant movie. Don't be discouraged by the critics, but this is not for everyone

[8/10 · 7 February 2019]

The bad reviews of this movie on IMDb show that perhaps this movie is not for everyone - that being sad, don't be discouraged by them - if you're a true art fan - like myself - you'll really like this movie.

When watching Velvet Buzzsaw, don't expect a sad, serious criticism about art - here we have a SATYRICAL movie , which is quite comprehensible - when you make a work of a art (a movie) that aims to criticize the art business and its arrogance as whole, you can't take yourself too seriously - otherwise you'll be a hypocrite.

This is the story of an anonymous painter called Virgil Dease, who is found dead but who had left many brilliant and clever paintings inside his apartment. A woman who works at a prestigious gallery finds the paintings and they begin to be sold at very high prices, and his art is quickly acclaimed and search for by art collectors. However - things go wrong - and terrible things start to happen to everybody who was selling the pieces or involved in the selling process. Meanwhile, we learn more about Dease's obscure past. A prestigious art critic, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, later on understands what's really going on but by the time he does it it's already too late.

Here the discussion relies on how the art world is more concerned about profits and money instead of respecting the artist and its legacy. To those who don't care much about art, it's difficult to notice how museums and galleries can be disrespectful to an artist's legacy, but I'll give you a small example - at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC you can find plush dolls of Van Gogh at the souvenir shop - nothing wrong, right? Except for the fact that all the dolls have a velcro-removable ear - considering that Van Gogh cut off his own ear during a psychotic episode, it is really disgusting to use the sad side-effect of Van Gogh's mental disease as a way to earn money - while basically mocking at him cutting off his own ear. Well, it's about horrible things like this that museums do that this movie is all about.

Plot aside, we have the great performances of both Jake Gyllenhaal (who is a flawless, solid actor who can basically do anything he wants) and Toni Colette (can she ever do anything wrong?). Direction and pacing are amazing - I barely blinked the entire movie , it's absurdly entertaining and interesting.

Unfortunately, the deepness, beauty and complexity of this movie fails to be appealing to the masses - especially the masses that signed up for Netflix. This satyrical yet brilliant movie is not for everyone - but its criticism is real and very appropriate in a world where true art is left aside in the name of money, and the greatest masterpieces are not exhibited to the public, but locked inside mansions of billionaires.

Suspiria (I) (2018)

Special FX makeup does not a good movie make.

[1/10 · 5 February 2019]

Suspiria is too pretentious to be considered a good movie. What is supposed to be inspired by the rise of Fascism and Nazism in Germany and the horrors of post war Berlin, becomes a bloody mess with too much pointless gore.

Although Tilda Swinton is impeccable - as usual - playing both the roles of a man and a woman, and Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth do a good job as well - the cast doesn't save this movie. Not even the great cinematography exempts this movie from being harshly criticized.

Luca Guadagnino still has a long way ahead - he needs to learn horror is much greater and chilling when it's only suggested in a movie - a good example is Polanski's Rosemary Baby, which didn't turn to bloody gore or cheap special effects makeup to have meaning.

That being said, I suspect the explicit bloody scenes are only there to create a shock factor and buzz, because they add nothing new to the plot. If this movie intended to be horrifying and scary, it didn't accomplish its mission. if this movie intended to be an artistic, abstract depiction of post-war Germany, it's way too laughable to be taken that seriously.

The plot, by the way, is as simple as it gets. Supposedly there was a trinity of ancient mothers who needed to survive. One of them, represented by Madame Markos, is facing complete physical decay and needs to perform a ritual with all the dancers of the studio so that the dancer Suzy Bannion (played by Dakota Johnson) gives her the youth and power she needs. And that's it. Expect lots of cheap pagan and even Masonic references and lots of fake blood, too. Yawn.

Guadagnino fails to create a good horror movie, and fails to create a good movie that criticizes Nazism and post-War Berlin as well. Which is a pity, because the movie had potential, and he could have ceased the opportunity of shooting a remake to actually make something more interesting.

Beautiful Boy (I) (2018)

An impeccable, must-watch movie for anyone who wants to understand more about drug addiction

[9/10 · 4 February 2019]

A beautiful, devastating and touching portrait of how drug addiction can affect the strongest of the bonds - the one between a father and a son. As someone who has both read books like Christiane F who are real stories about drug addicts, and has had seen and talked to real drug addicts before, I can say this is a very realistic depiction of what drug addiction looks like - sharp, raw, devastating and sneaky. It also comes at a great and appropriate moment to educate American society, since the USA is suffering from a major drug addiction epidemic.

Apart from the flawless plot, here we have both Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carrell shining in their roles and giving amazing performances - it's a shame neither of them got an Academy nomination. Chalamet, who in my opinion was just mediocre in "Call me by your name" (and, surprisingly, he got an Oscar nomination for that mediocre performance), here shows his full dramatic potential, proving us - and especially me, who used to be really skeptical about his talent - that he is growing into a very good actor.

Carrell, on the other hand, is distancing himself more and more from comedy and showing that he's a great, versatile actor who can do almost anything. I'm pretty sure his Oscar is coming, and he definitely deserves it. The way he portrayed the father of Nic was so sensible and realistic at the same time , I saw zero exaggerated reactions there, only a natural, perfect performance. I would also want to mention Maura Tierney's amazing job too, who played beautiful scenes in a small role - the scene in which she drives the car (I won't say more not to give spoilers) is heartbreaking and shows what a great actress she is.

Technically wise, this movie is gorgeous, from edition to cinematography and soundtrack. Loved how the soundtrack perfectly matched Nic's mood and decay as he plunged deeper and deeper into addiction.

To sum it all up, this is an impeccable movie, and I'm sure it'll be a classic among others about mental issues and addiction - I'm also certain that this movie will be discussed in universities and academic meetings as a way to show students and societies how drug addiction is devastating. This is a masterpiece and so far the best movie I have watched this season.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

A movie that had potential but looks and feels like a boring TV biopic

[5/10 · 29 January 2019]

Amid the controversy regarding Bryan Singer and the scandals he's involved, I will try to stay away from the accusations to give my most neutral review on Bohemian Rhapsody.

I have never been a huge fan of Singer's work - his best work was definitely "The Usual Suspects" with its non-linear narrative, but after that he's basically specialized himself in directing superhero and action movies, that basically rely on boring and linear narratives, so I think he's lost the ability to shoot an interesting movie again. I honestly don't understand the hype of Bohemian Rhapsody, and I really think people are mistaking their love for Queen with the love for this movie.

Bohemian Rhapsody unfortunately commits this sin - its linear, predictable narrative makes the movie boring, looking almost like a TV biopic. Freddie Mercury's story is summarized in a very reckless way - parts that could have been shown (such as the years when Freddie lived in Munich, Germany and worked a lot with David Bowie) or more properly developed (the creation of Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie's relationship with Paul and Mary, Freddie's bohemian parties and lush lifestyle, etc) were basically ignored or portrayed in a very flat, emotionless way. Not even the part where Freddie finds out he's got AIDS was touching - it look amateurish, bland, just like something from a cheap TV biopic.

Those who haven't read or known more about Freddie Mercury will never feel, by solely watching this movie, what a larger-than-life figure Freddie was. He had a very strong, flamboyant personality, with a lifestyle that matched his epic attitude - and the movie fails to show that. Here, Freddie is just a lead singer - a very talented one, by the way - and nothing else. A talented singer with no soul - that's what the movie shows, and that's nothing close to what the real Freddie Mercury was. I also question the need to reenact the Live Aid concert - we can watch the original performance on YouTube at any time, why the need to make actors reenact it? Those were several minutes wasted in the movie, minutes that could have been used developing better other parts and elements of Freddie's life and personality. I honestly think the movie would have ended in a better and more interesting way with the following final scene - Freddie steps on the stage at the Live Aid concert and sees the enormous audience praising him, sits by the piano and starts playing Bohemian Rhapsody. At the first notes, screen goes black and the credits begin with the song in the background.

Casting wise, I wish a stronger-looking actor was cast to play Freddie - though Rami Malek did a great job in a disappointing movie, physically speaking he doesn't send off the strength and physical charisma that Freddie had. I have to praise Rami for being the only interesting element that made me keep watching this movie - though I still think he wasn't the best choice for the part and his teeth were absurdly exaggerated (which kind of annoyed me) - I have to acknowledge that he did his best with a poorly written character in a poorly written plot - he studied very well Freddie's gestures and could imitate them perfectly, his acting was decent and his presence is undeniable.

Unfortunately, this is a movie that had a lot of potential, but that fell flat into a boring narrative, weak plot and a very summarized biopic of Freddie Mercury. It's a pity that Bryan Singer didn't use the flamboyant personality of Freddie Mercury as an inspiration to shoot a more poetic, artistic movie with more daring shots and visual elements that unfortunately were absent in this work.

Glass (2019)

The underwhelming closure of what could have been a brilliant trilogy

[6/10 · 27 January 2019]

I can describe Glass as an entertaining experience, but not solid enough to be an appropriate closure of the Unbreakable-Split-Glass trilogy.

While I can see what Mr Shyamalan wanted to do, I don't think he managed to deliver with the characters and the plot the necessary complexity to answer all the questions the audience raised in the previous two movies. Many things have been left unanswered especially about Kevin, while David Dunn is just a shadow that doesn't do much in the movie.

The real star in this movie is supposed to be Mr Glass, but not much about his past is told, either. Everything is absurdly summarized in a way that, in the end, we don't really know - or care - about who Mr Glass or Kevin were. There isn't enough character development or closure going on here.

Sarah Paulson's talent was wasted on a character who could be played by anyone. She is a brilliant actress but the character was poorly written and brings nothing new or dramatically useful to the plot.

Cinematography is fine just as the pacing of the movie. Like I said, it is entertaining, definitely - and perhaps it will please the audiences who are used to the almost shallow plots of superhero movies. But if you were expecting a more deep and challenging story about humans with supernatural powers, you will be disappointed.

In the end, Mr Shyamalan couldn't make a superhero movie, and couldn't make a deep, mind-bending metaphysical movie either. He merely brushed over both worlds, but didn't dive deeply into either of them. It is a pity that a plot that had potential and that showed up to be brilliant in "Split" had such an underwhelming and unremarkable closure.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Definitely the worst "A Star is Born" remake

[1/10 · 27 January 2019]

I dare to differ from the bandwagon here. Bradley Cooper's debut as a director is okay, but nothing beyond that.

This is undoubtedly an unremarkable movie, and perhaps the weakest of all ASIB remakes. The first mistake Bradley made was to remake a remake. And if he was trying to do something new, he didn't accomplish the mission.

Cooper's ASIB looks and feels like a movie made for TV. Pace is absurdly slow, cinematography is as basic as it gets and the acting of both Bradley and Gaga is mediocre and I honestly cannot understand the buzz over them, especially when it comes to Gaga.

I can acknowledge that she wasn't terrible as Ally but she wasn't brilliant, either. In all honesty, playing a singer with an unique nose is not something out of Gaga's comfort zone. And the basic, underwhelming plot kept Gaga locked in that comfort zone. I didn't see one single scene (not even the so much talked about bathtub scene) that made Gaga work hard or use her so-called acting skills. Everything was dramatically easy there. If there really is a brilliant actress inside Gaga, this role didn't enable her to show it to the audience.

Cooper's performance is way better than Gaga's - and his character, dramatically speaking, is much harder to be played - but unfortunately, he is not getting much appraisal while Gaga is getting nominations that to me are not justified. I honestly think that people are mistaking Gaga the actress for Gaga the singer and judging her acting skills (?) based on her singing skills.

Regarding the songs, by the way, the only one that is not that bad is Shallow, but any vocal coach would agree that those high notes in the chorus are definitely not Gaga's comfort zone and she shows it. She is almost screaming in the chorus and the rest of the songs are just a pop pastiche that you don't want to listen at home. And to think that the latest remake had the greatest singer alive, Barbra Streisand!

Anyway, this is to me a movie that won't be remembered in the next 10 years. I am pretty sure Bradley Cooper has a lot potential as a director, but he has to keep working on that and maybe cast better actresses for his movies.

Roma (2018)

Beautiful cinematography, amazing cast, weak plot and poor character development

[7/10 · 27 January 2019]

I acknowledge that my high expectations over this movie perhaps ruined the experience for me.

In my opinion, Roma has a breathtaking cinematography, and that's about it. I gave it a 7 basically because of it and because of the decent cast, but if it only depended on plot wise, it'd be a mere 6 or perhaps 5.

It's obvious that Cuarón is a master when it comes to cinematography and capturing beautiful scenes in new, fresh ways that surprise us. His long, distance shots pay homage to the classic Italian movies - the scene where Fermín is practicing martial arts among a big group reminded me of La Dolce Vita and other Fellini movies, and that was breathtaking and beautiful to watch.

I also think Cuarón wisely chose the black and white color to make the movie look less mundane and more spiritual, in order to enhance the content of the story. But, unfortunately, plot is not that amazing.

I understand that the whole story is about Cleo and her struggles, but if it was supposed to be this way, I was expecting more focus on Cleo and on her internal turmoil. That's not what happens. Cuarón was so obsessed with showing a normal family life in 70s Mexico that he was too distant from Cleo to make us know her well. The character, yet good written in its subtlety, makes me wish I knew more about her, but unfortunately she barely speaks in the movie and there is little to none character development. Unfortunately, this is a beautifully made movie in which the plot falls flat, making the whole work lose substance in the end.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

An empty, simplistic way to talk about free will and its consequences.

[5/10 · 14 August 2018]

I have taken a long time to watch this movie. I have only watched it because it appeared in many lists as a movie with a 'mindblowing' ending. If I knew how disappointing this would be, I would have never watched. These were 2 and a half hours that I will never get back.

The movie basically talks about the choices we make in life and the consequences behind every choice. The main character, played by Jared Leto, is different from everybody else for knowing beforehand the consequences of every choice he'd make in life. And this is the plot. The end.

There is nothing, nothing with one slightly deep, philosophical meaning in this movie. This may seem great to those who are not used to watching movies, but anyone who has watched a good amount of movies and is familiarized with philosophy will see how empty and even childish this movie is.

Jared Leto and Diane Kruger give us solid performances, and cinematography and soundtrack are decent. But good cast and cinematography do not a good movie make. The plot is too weak and simplistic to make a meaningful, remarkable movie. Moreover, it is unnecessarily long. 40 minutes would be enough to tell everything.

The director used a non-linear timeline to make the audience THINK this is a good movie. But it isn't. It's pretentious to say the least. If you're an experienced movie watcher, you'll probably recognize the many flaws of this movie.

The Florida Project (2017)

An Overrated, Empty Movie about Bad Parenting

[5/10 · 7 January 2018]

The trailer and summary of this movie are absurdly misleading. They may make you think this is a beautiful movie about childhood and upbringing, just like Little Miss Sunshine, but it's definitely not like that.

Here, we have Halley, a terrible, irresponsible single mother who raises her 7-year-old daughter in the worst possible way in a motel in Florida. This woman says bad words in front of her daughter, feeds her with junk food all the time, doesn't teach anything useful or good. Besides, she prostitutes herself while her daughter takes a bath in the same room.

There are no redeeming qualities about Halley. The movie fails to raise empathy for her and for her obnoxious daughter, since it fails to accurately and efficiently develop its characters. I understand this movie tried to show child abuse from a different perspective, but it ended up being empty and shallow. All we see is hyperactive children being obnoxious to everybody and running errands , while their mothers and parents are absent and irresponsible. No background of any character whatsoever. No psychological profile. Only a mother who throws fits when things don't go her way and her daughter who behaves the same way.

When you're recording a movie about child abuse and negligence, you have to make sure you'll either make the audience feel some kind of empathy for the child or for the mother. In here, we don't have any. The movie focused too much action on WHAT the characters do, and not WHY the characters do it.

Willem Dafoe was basically wasted in this movie. Such a marvelous, talented actor should never be hired just to have a supporting role as a motel manager while the rest of the cast with their mediocre performances have much more screen time. I honestly don't see anything special about Brooklynn Price's performance. She behaved like a kid, nothing groundbreaking about that. And Bria Vinaite as Halley only threw fits and gave the middle finger to people - I won't judge too harshly her performance though, because the main flaw her is the screen script, not her performance - she had to work with what she was given.

Cinematography is fine, and so is photography. Beautiful color palette that makes us remind of the Disney World parks. But that just it. What could be a dark yet beautiful movie about child abuse and upbringing became an empty portrait of an irresponsible mother and her obnoxious child. We'll never care about them because the movie didn't care to give us some of their background. It's hard to make a beautiful movie when you don't properly develop your characters.

I, Tonya (2017)

This is a movie about a bidimensional, white trash ice skater - not Tonya Harding.

[6/10 · 26 December 2017]

I finally have watched this movie and I can say I am deeply disappointed. I, as a big fan of figure ice skating was really thrilled about this movie and expected much more. If you don't know much about Tonya Harding's story, I suggest you read about her and watch some of her old and new interviews and you'll understand why I didn't like the movie.

One of the reasons is its screen script. There is no "official story" about what happened to Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan. The script was written based on interviews with Tonya and her ex-husband, carried on by the screen writer himself. So, much of what is told in the movie is purely fictional, especially the parts about her mother, since she never agreed to talk to the screen writer or the production staff. Tonya herself said some parts of the movie were inaccurate, and Margot Robbie said that when she first read the script she thought it was about a fictional figure skater, not Tonya Harding.

Besides, many things in this movie remain unexplained. The movie is basically about the verbal, physical and moral abuse Tonya endured throughout her life, but shows too little how Tonya built her athletic and ice skating career. And regarding the Nancy Kerrigan controversy, there isn't much talked about, either. Nancy is just a shadow in this movie, there's nothing about her point of view or how the incident actually affected her or her career. In the end you feel that you don't really know what the life of Tonya Harding the ice skater was really like.

Regarding the direction, I found really tasteless Gillespie's attempt to give a comical tone in the NUMEROUS domestic violence scenes of the movie. The characters break the 4th wall to give the violent scenes a more 'casual' look (because according to Gillespie, Tonya talks about her violent past in a very casual manner), but cinematographically this 'casual tone' didn't work - it only makes it look like the movie romanticizes abuse and underestimates its impact on a woman's life. Also, the whole sarcastic/comical tone of the movie made it feel superficial, boring and childish. To me, a more serious approach to Tonya's life would be more appropriate.

And regarding Margot Robbie's performance, I found it very disappointing and amateurish. Regardless the fact that she's not as bulky or athletic as the real Tonya, she played a white trash, foul-mouthed Tonya Harding that never existed. Her interpretation of a redneck is purely stereotypical. Also, I don't know where Robbie's accent came from, since real-life Tonya doesn't have that strong southern accent - she's from Portland, come on! It's an annoying accent that appears and disappears throughout the movie, alongside with the numerous bad words (some of them included by Robbie herself) and a very artificial, rude way to talk that Harding didn't have. Robbie didn't convince me and made me feel NOTHING for her character.

On the other side, Allison Janney is BRILLIANT as Tonya's mother. She could flawless play a sociopath, and truly deserves at least an Oscar nomination as a supporting actress. Another good surprise in this movie is Paul Walter Hauser's acting.

To sum it all up, this is a mediocre movie, that didn't entertain me (how am I supposed to find funny a story with so much domestic violence?), and didn't move me. It also barely tells who in fact Tonya Harding was. It is a superficial, bidimensional portrait of a woman who's surely much more complex than what was shown in the movie.

The Room (2003)

A masterpiece that everybody should watch.

[8/10 · 19 December 2017]

I am among those people who watched "The Room" to get ready for the "Disaster Artist", featuring James Franco. I was ready to be confronted with the so-called worst movie ever, but what I saw is completely different: this movie is a true work of art, for many reasons.

1. The plot - to whoever says the plot is weak or unconvincing, this is a plot that has the simplicity and the mediocrity of the real life - characters who are just okay, a life that is just okay. Which is not bad, on the contrary : it perfectly portrays our mediocre, prosaic human life.

2. Cinematography - Though I agree the scenario could look better, the music score is perfect for the movie, I'd say David Lynchesque somehow, especially during the dramatic scenes. It sets a kitsch yet creepy tone that makes this movie so unique.

3. Symbology - Lisa always wears a black piece of clothing when she's cheating on Johnny. Also, the red color dress that he gives to her symbolizes sacrifice, he wants her to give all her love to him, and at the same time, the union with Johnny feels like a terrible sacrifice to her. The football scenes represent the bonding between the male characters. All good characters are dark-haired and all psychopathic characters are light-haired, which is a good twist that makes this movie different and refuses to follow the "blonde guys are good, dark-haired guys are bad" stereotype.

4. Edition - one particular thing that really drew my attention and puts this movie among one the most amazing of all times is the deliberate repetition of the sex scenes between Johnny and Lisa. A clever yet subtle way to demonstrate how repetitive and prosaic was their relationship. Also, there are no time indicators in this movie. One scene jumps right next to the other, without actually impacting the understanding of the plot.

5. Characters - we see in Lisa a psychopath in its true form. Also, her relationship with her mother is a brilliant detail of this movie because it shows exactly where Lisa's psychopathic tendencies came from - her mother, who believes Lisa should only stay engaged to Johnny because he gives her money. The two women are so psychopathic that even when the mother talks about her breast cancer, the daughter is completely blasé about it, while the mother is in completely denial as well. Mark, on the other hand, is an opportunistic man who wanted to keep friends with Johnny because of his money and influence, and yet wanted to keep having sex with Lisa. He victimizes himself the whole movie trying to pretend "he was seduced" by the "manipulative bitch", refusing to take responsibility for his acts. Johnny, on the other hand, is the quirky yet naive man who just wants to be love and share his feelings with the world. You can see he has some personality disorder by looking at his insecurity and his mannerisms. He's extremely attached to people, which unfortunately led to his suicide.

6. Ending - there could never be a more realistic and nihilistic ending than this. Not even Lars von Trier or David Lynch could reach this kind of brutal and nihilistic ending without looking pretentious or over-the-top. Johnny's death is a punch in the viewer's face, and a reality check.

I truly and sincerely think this is one of the BEST MOVIES I have ever seen, so clever, unique and unpretentious in all forms. This deserves to be praised alongside with Amadeus, Taxi Driver, Scarface and many others unpretentious yet great masterpieces of cinema.

Wonder (I) (2017)

Whoever has been bullied knows this is an unrealistic melodrama at its worst.

[5/10 · 18 December 2017]

On the surface, this movie seems beautiful - little boy with deformities is bullied at school for this appearance, but his strength and character make him go ahead and he suddenly has lots of friends and people at school supporting him.

That's not exactly what happens in real life, and that's what pissed me off.

I was bullied during my childhood and teenagehood, both in middle and high school, only because I was the classroom nerd. I didn't even have a deformity and I was tortured by verbal and physical abuse, and the children were relentless and merciless. Not a single one dared have some empathy for me or tried to talk to me. They'd be more and more cruel everyday, and the school's principal didn't give a damn about my situation either. That's because I was only a nerd! Now imagine what it'd be like for a child with a facial deformity in real life.

I know this movie wants to be motivating and wants to spread the message about being yourself and respecting other. I also see solid performances by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. But this movie is not realistic. Bullying is much worse than that and bullied kids suffer much more than that.

The Lobster (2015)

Another pretentious crap by Yorgos Lanthimos.

[6/10 · 17 December 2017]

I have watched "The Lobster" after watching "The Killing of A sacred deer", and I must say "The Lobster" is much worse.

Yorgos Lanthimos probably is addicted to making pretentious, overly-symbolic movies and yet he forgets that a good movie is not made of symbols or weird movie scripts, but of good character development, good cinematography and a decent movie duration.

Here, we don't have any of these 3 items. Character development is one of the poorest I have ever seen in a movie. The way actors speak make they look like robots. I am pretty sure Lanthimos wanted this to happen on purpose to make the movies look "quirkier" , but it only makes the movie boring and insufferable to watch. Léa Seydoux's and Rachel Weisz's ridiculously amateurish performances made me want to punch them in their faces. I swear, they are worse than amateur actors having drama classes in high school. Colin Farrell makes the movie more palatable, giving a very natural and humble performance, but he cannot save the movie, because once again, HIS CHARACTER IS NOT DEVELOPED. We cannot give a damn about anything about him. We don't care. Lanthimos creates characters we don't care about.

Regarding cinematography, mediocre at most. Though photography is okay, the soundtrack kills the movie. I was almost going insane with all those cellos, being repetitively played in every scene. Enough is enough.

Also, the movie is too long for a mediocre story.

Yes, the story is mediocre and disappointing. I was mildly interested during the first half at the hotel - which seemed to be a parody of our sick and disturbed society, but after the main character leaves the hotel and goes to woods, the movie becomes a poorly developed crappy love story.

What a pretentious and boring movie. Like I said about "The Killing of a sacred deer", Lanthimos thinks his movies are better than they really are. He probably thinks he's the next Kubrick but he's definitely not him.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

When an allegorical movie becomes absurdly pretentious.

[7/10 · 13 December 2017]

If you like "The Lobster" by Lanthimos, here, expect something different. Although we still have in "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" a very strange screenplay, here its attempt to be super symbolic and metaphorical reminds me more of "Mother!", by Darren Aronofsky.

I am not sure if there's a current trend to adapt to the big screen Biblical stories or greek-roman myths, but I suspect this is the case. In this movie, we see an allegory of the myth of "Iphigenia". A heart surgeon (Colin Farrell) one day has performed a surgery on a man, but this doctor was drunk. The patient died during the procedure. His son wants revenge, and makes a deal with the surgeon - he either has to kill a member of his family, or all his family members will die from a magical, unexplainable-by-medicine series of events: limb paralysis, eye bleeding, and sudden death.

After that, the movie is all about this moral dilema - what should the doctor do? Kill one of his children or watch all his family members die? And that's it. This is the plot.

The first and second acts are absurdly slow, the soundtrack is just there to disguise how cold this movie is, and it's only in the third act that the movie actually SETS OFF. Cast's performances, especially Barry Keoghan's, is quite impressive. But a cast cannot save a movie. Its desperation to seem to be "artsy" and "allegoric" makes this a very pedantic work of art, just like "Mother!", by Aronofsky.

It is, for sure, a nice movie to distract yourself. It's good entertainment. But it's not valuable. Lanthimos probably thinks this movie is better than it really is.

Atomic Blonde (2017)

An epic, bloody action adventure and a beautiful work by David Leitch!

[8/10 · 10 December 2017]

I swear I don't understand the mediocre rating of this movie. 6.8? Really, IMDb? Whoever doesn't think this movie is at LEAST a 7.5 has not understood the purpose of this movie.

In here we are welcome by a super fun, bloody, extreme, humorous and contemporary action movie. We see Charlize Theron at her best as an impeccable anti-heroine. James McAvoy one more time gives an amazing performance and proves to be a versatile actor, and undeniably one of the best actors of his generation. His interaction with Eddie Marsan - which was a delightful surprise for me - made me feel nostalgic about "Filth" in a very good way!

Needless to say, photography is on point, the neon colors perfectly portraying the decaying beauty of 80s Germany. The soundtrack plays an essential role to make this movie even more lovely - I was thrilled to listen to Falco, Nena, Siouxsie and the Banshees and "Under Pressure" to wrap up the epic finale of this film. Moreover, we have a respectable plot twist. This is definitely my favorite movie of 2017. Action and entertainment at THEIR BEST.

Life (I) (2017)

Shocking, beautiful, philosophical sci-fi journey!

[9/10 · 7 August 2017]

This movie is amazing. I really do not understand the bad reception of it. I guess many critics didn't like it because this is one of the few sci-fi movies that has a very depressing, catastrophic ending - which, in my opinion, is exactly what makes this movie so clever, credible and remarkable.

Here the viewer is confronted with ethical dilemmas regarding researches of extraterrestrial life - how far science can get? Are we allowed to play God?

In this movie, when astronauts find out that there is indeed extraterrestrial life, they start to explore the new alien cell inside their spaceship. That's when things go terribly wrong, and the new discovered creature displays an out-of-control behavior. After that, astronauts do not only fight for their lives, but have to deal with the catastrophic consequences of their own acts, the desperation of eminent death, and the conclusion that human lives are much weaker than we thought.

Cast is amazing and once again Jake Gyllenhaal's performance doesn't disappoint. I also congratulate Ryan Reynolds and Ariyon Bakare for their amazing work in this movie. There are bloody scenes that can make our stomachs churn, but in a good way - and the actors work very well to create the tragic atmosphere of the movie.

The ending could not be more nihilistic, cruel and catastrophic. Humankind is faced with its own decay, and only the brave can appreciate such kind of movie. A clever, daring, unique sci-fi masterpiece that got me thinking and wondering about it for a few weeks after watching it.

Cold Fish (2010)

Overrated gratuitous gore with a lot of plot holes.

[5/10 · 7 August 2017]

I've decided to watch "Cold Fish"because of its acclaimed director and the good critics. I was disappointed.

Though the movie was undeniably entertaining, it entertains because of its shock factor, and not exactly because it has a good plot.

This is the story about two owners of aquarium shops who meet for banal circumstances. The eldest of them seems to be a nice, generous man but ends up showing that he's a serial killer.

The movie explores themes like rape (very shocking scenes, which were a little unwarranted IMO), murder, domination, humiliation and authority. I could accept better the scenes filled with gore if gore there wasn't so gratuitous. Yet many of its bloody scenes are unnecessary to the plot, to the point of making the viewer bored of seeing so much blood in one movie, with no point at all.

Not only that, the movie is filled with plot holes. Many aspects of the movie remain unexplained at the end of it - when a certain character disappears and his family starts searching for him, the family quickly gives up searching and pressuring the last man who saw him to tell them where the character is. The police in the movie has completely unrealistic behavior as well - fortunately Japanese policemen are much more prepared in real life than they are depicted in this movie!

The ending, which is supposed to show the moral degradation of a man who used to be dignified, did not convince me. His character lacked development, and the final act to me was absurdly cliché and unjustified.

If you want to be shocked for a little with a good amount of bloody scenes, watch it. Now if you expect a good psychological drama and a well-written plot, you'll definitely not find it in this movie.

La La Land (2016)

Overrated romantic comedy with boring references to Old Hollywood

[4/10 · 26 January 2017]

This movie is overrated to say the least.

Because of the reception it had among critics and the amount of Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards nominations it got, I thought this would be genius work, a true masterpiece.

That's not exactly what this movie is.

First, Emma Stone doesn't deserve best actress nomination. She can't act if her life depends on it, has no charisma, no presence, and in this movie she has the same mannerisms she had in that stupid teen movie "Easy A". No effort at all.

Ryan Gosling deserves the nomination, but definitely does not deserve the award. Though his performance is convincing and pleasant, it's not amazing enough to be awarded with an Oscar.

That being said (spoiler alert), the plot is basically this: girl meets guy. They fall in love. Girl wants to be a famous actress. Guy wants to have a jazz bar. They both make bad professional choices in life, which eventually make them fall apart. Years later, girl is already a famous actress, married, and meets the guy in the jazz bar he founded (boring Casablanca reference, anyone?). She obviously does not stay with him and the ending implies that they never saw each other again. The end.

Basically, this is the plot in a nutshell. Now add some cringeworthy dancing and singing scenes, some attempts to dance jazz and a vintage costume design and you'll have what's called by most deluded critics "a masterpiece". Don't waste your time watching this.