Sense&Sensibility [1995]

I've watched quite a few historical/costume/19th century English dramas in my life, I must admit. I was always attracted either to the actors in it, or to the story (adaptation of a classic novel), the accents, the costumes, the shy and prude behavior of women or their inexplicable attraction to drama and suffering.

Sense&Sensibility perfectly envisions everything said above. Directed by the diverse Ang Lee, and adapted to the screen by Emma Thompson, it tells the story of two sisters, Elinor (Thompson) and Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet), who fight to survive, all whilst love just can't seem to stick to their bones, as men leave them one by one when they most need it.

I have not read the novel, although I planned to, so I don't know if Emma Thompson did a faithful adaptation of the Jane Austen book, but the script overall was very good. Oscar-worthy? In the amazing year that was 1995? I don't know, but I give her credit for not only being an amazing actress, but also proving herself to be a talented scriptwriter, too.

Sense&Sensibility is a wonderful movie and you should see it, if only for the cast. Kate Winslet delivers as a young, impulsive woman who craves for romantic, poetic men; Hugh Laurie somehow manages to shine, in a grumpy, yet very funny role and I though Hugh Grant was underused, like he was there just for his looks (yes, I know, that's how it is in the book, but still...I felt he needed more time on screen). But the man, for me at least, who deserves all the credit and a special mention, is ALAN RICKMAN (yes, the Caps Lock is necessary)- oh my, what a gentleman, what an accent, what a VOICE- his voice is so special, and dark and elegant, I just love it. I could listen to him talk all day.

Although, like I said, this is a very good, entertaining, visually beautiful movie, I didn't connect to it like I would have imagined. Yes, it's nice, it's sweet, but still...something wasn't there, I don't know what. If I were to compare it to other similar adaptations, I like Pride&Prejudice (with Knightley and McFadden) and Jane Eyre (with Wasikowska and Fassbender) more.

Surprisingly enough, at least to me, this movie got a lot of love from the awards season that year- Baftas, Oscar for adapted screenplay, Golden Bear at Berlin Festival, Golden Globes (best movie? in 1995? with Usual Suspects and Seven in the mix? why?). Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it for everything it has delivered, but I just didn't think it was worthy of such acclaim.

All in all, yes, you should see this movie, but you don't need to make it your top priority.

The usual suspects [1995]

The usual Suspects is a 1995 classic action movie directed by Brian Singer. The storyline follows 5 men [McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fenstern (Benicio del Toro), Hackney (Kevin Pollack), Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey)] who are called for a line-up at the police station- they are the usual suspects in this type of cases, but since they don't have any evidence against them, they release them. While waiting, McManus offers them a job and so, after a couple days, they reunite and plan together a series of events that leads to a mysterious and deadly shooting.

Brian Singer created a great atmosphere for this action packed movie, with close-ups and using music that, in a way, transcends you to 50s gangster movies. The script is well constructed and has many twists and turns, and an abundance of details that you have to be careful to catch in time- people, reasons, lines. After one of the jobs doesn't pan out as it supposed to be, all clues go to Keyser Soze, who turns out to be the one who brought them together for the line-up and who is now calling the shots, blackmailing them all; he is the big bad guy and call me crazy, but I suspected from the first 1/3, maybe 1/2 of the movie, who it will turn out to be and I was right.

The casting is perfect and I love each individual because it brings something different, but necessary to the table. I was surprised to see a very young Benicio del Toro, with a funny, almost non comprehendible accent, and Stephen Baldwin was unexpectedly good, but my favorites are, as expected, Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne. It also has very good supporting roles by Chazz Palminteri, as Dave Kujan, and Pete Postlehwaite, as Kobayashi.

I loved the revealing at the end of the significance of the names- very well treated and developed- basically everything we learned happened to these 5 guys might not even be true. It also has probably one of the best endings I have ever seen: collage of short clips of the movie, revealing some details that one might miss, plus the phrase "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"..."and like that, he is gone".

All in all, "Usual Suspects is a good, well acted, entertaining movie, with action, fast moving storyline, never-boring characters- I loved it. You should definitely see it, if you haven't already!

Before Sunrise/Before Sunset

Before Sunrise [1995]

Jesse and Celine meet on a train, have a quick chat and then decide to spend the rest of the day and night in Vienna- this without even knowing each other's names.

It may seem strange and maybe, a little bit stupid or dangerous, but it isn't, not in this case, anyway. Their stories, adventures, conversations, the way the look at each other, how they kiss and laugh- everything is realistic, mostly believable and you can't help falling for them and their story.

Jesse is an American, a rather pragmatic, simple, yet very introspective guy, who wants to get away from his problems and himself, whilst Celine is a beautiful French woman, a dreamer, but a fighter, a seeker (like the palm reader says), who looks at the world with different eyes, and always surprises you. You don't instantly see the connection or the attraction, but it is there and, while they are somehow opposite from one another, they still find a way to relate, more easily then you can imagine. It's so interesting and nice to see a relationship form and evolve, and their interaction is so sweet.

One of my favorite things about this movie was the dialogue or the conversations Jesse and Celine had. Some where funny, some were very serious, others were just a way of getting to know each other better (come on, the first thing you ask a girl when you want to know more about her is "What were your first sexual feelings?").

Top 3 scenes of Before Sunrise
1. The fake phone call to their respective best friends
2. Sound booth at the record store- I just loved the tension between them , the way they awkwardly look at each other, not knowing what to do
3. The good bye- the slight desperation of both of them at the thought of not seeing one another; it was sweet and endearing

Overall, Before Sunrise is a very good romantic film that you should see. Now, I am very curious to see how their relationship will evolve in Before Sunset and how will they react when they see each other after a long time.

Before Sunset [2004]

This one wasn't as romantic as the first one- they have matured, they have changed, in some predictable ways (Celine is now an activist for environmental rights), or rather interesting ways (Jesse is a writer, married with a kid).

The focus of the film is no longer on the romance or the first-time aspect of a relationship, but on love, loss, time, feelings and desires. They are not discovering each other, they are trying to reconnect and see if the flame is still there- and it is.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have the same chemistry, but of course, more relaxed and subdued, as time and wisdom do that to most people. They talk about life, the world around them, but most importantly, they talk about their past and their present, and that is the most interesting part of the story.

You, as a viewer, don't reconnect with the characters that easily, at the beginning; maybe it's the changes they have gone through, maybe it's the awkwardness between them, so it takes a little time to adjust. I, personally, thought Celine was a little bit neurotic and whinny at some points, but that's just the way she is.

By the end, you realise that they have two things in common: they never forgot that night in Vienna, and the present doesn't bring them happiness. The movie takes you through different stages, up and down, like a rollercoaster.

At first, you see the obvious changes in both of them: Celine is more outgoing, more pragmatic and fierce, while Jesse is more relaxed and more optimistic, trying to find the good in everything- it seems like that night changed them forever, each one getting the other's main quality or dominant feature. But, as time passes, you can see that Celine still dreams of passion and love, while Jesse is still very much aware of the world around him and what is good or bad- they just chose to bury it and focus on more important things- Celine, on her job, Jesse, on his responsibility for his son.

At first, it seems like Celine has put that night behind her and moved on, even forgetting details of their encounter, just trying to minimize the effect he had on her. But, yet again, it is proven otherwise: she still longs for the way Jesse made her feel that night, she has never forgotten him, nor will she.


Top 3 scenes of Before Sunrise
1. The discussion in the car, especially the last part, where Jesse talks about his dreams
2. The song Celine performs for Jesse
3. "Baby, you are gonna miss that plane" "I know"



The second one does not have the charm or sweetness of the first one, but it excels in some ways the first one didn't, digging more into the characters and their motivations. There are many layers and feelings that should be shared, but I don't want to give out too much. You really do need to see both of them, one after the other, to appreciate the whole story. I really enjoyed it, and I think you will, too!