Children of Men [2006]

Children of Men is a 2006 dystopian film directed by Alfonso Cuaron and adapted for screen from a novel by P.D.James. It features Clive Owen in the part of a lost, sad man who is suddenly thrown in a world of conspiratorial events and death, but also hope and survival. It is definitely one of the best films of its genre and deserves all the praise and attention it has gotten.

The premises is simple, yet tragic and heartbreaking: in the year 2027, the world is facing chaos, death and violence, but especially infertility, something that has left the Earth population in a grey, unhappy and with no ounce of help state of mind. Theo is contacted by his ex wife and asked to help transport a refugee, Kee, who proves to be much more precious than expected. The end is both positive and negative, and leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth. The script has a very interesting concept, with a great mix of drama, love, action and existential themes. That's actually one of the films' strongest points: its ability to create a dystopian world without overreacting or relying too much on sci-fi or science. Children of Men talks more about people, the evolution of mankind and relationships, and less about new technological developments or unseen gadgets, and that gives it more soul and ultimately, impacts you on a much deeper level.

Alfonso Cuaron is perfect for this type of movies. He has a very dynamic shooting style and that works here, especially in the running scenes. There are many details that I loved and appreciated: the blood on the camera, the close-ups, the shaky camera in some points. The dark cinematography complemented the direction very well, as did the sets.

The casting was probably one of my favorite things in Children of Men. Clive Owen in one of his career's best parts- he gave an amazing performance as the sad, miserable man who finally finds a reason to live and fight, 20 years after the death of his son and separation from his wife. He has always been a favorite of mine and I always wonder why doesn't he get more roles, or better ones, to say so, considering this performance and the one in Closer. Another standout was definitely Michael Caine as the wacky, adorable old Jasper, and of course, Julianne Moore also impresses in her short time on screen. One mention I have to give is to Oana Pellea, the woman playing Marichka, the gypsy  who is actually Romanian- when you were hearing her talking rubbish in a weird language, that was actually Romanian. It was quite cool for me to recognize that- she is a loved and appreciated actress here. 

In the end, Children of Men is definitely a must see for all film lovers and dystopian aficionados. Very well made, visually appealing, wonderfully acted and with existential themes like hope, survival, love and humankind, it is highly recommended. 

Romanian Cinema (1): Legaturi bolnavicioase aka Love Sick [2006]

In case you didn't know, yes, I am Romanian and pretty proud of it (not all the time, the country and its population definitely has its flaws, but I do take pride in a lot of things regarding the nation and some of its people), especially when it comes to films. In the last decade, our movie industry has blossomed, mostly because of the high praise of our projects from outside communities- case in point, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days winning Palme D'or (which I haven't seen it, yet, I know, the horror). You're probably wondering why I don't support the national industry and write about it- well, you'll probably find the reason to be superficial or dumb, but here it is: I really don't like the fact that most of films choose to focus on tragic or depressing themes and especially, on Communism stories with heavy background; I know it might be interesting for outsiders, but for us, well, for me, at least, it's not appealing to see such a moment of the country's history, one that has made life miserable and hard for a long time. A movie should be a way to escape from life's burdens, not relive it over and over again. Plus, I noticed that the Romanian filmmakers have a problem with the pacing of the feature, as most of them are slow to watch and don't have a lot of action, which again, is weird, because I usually like character development-centered movies, but somehow, I don't like it in Romanian ones. But still, there are so many good things to be said about the national industry, and there are plenty of examples to support the idea that the New Wave is coming strong. Anyway, I might be wrong, so let's just get to the movie, shall we?

Love sick aka Legături bolnăvicioase tells the story of Alexandra and Cristina, two students who fall in love and try to make their relationship work, as Cristina's brother, Sandu, always gets in the way of their happiness. His involvement and role in the girl's life is revealed from the beginning and it changes the story, now having two delicate themes to work on, as the title suggest. The romance between the two girls starts innocently, with shy looks and stollen kisses, and soon transforms into a sweet, full of love connection that only trembles at the sight of Sandu. Cristina is overly protective and weirdly secretive of him, and as much as she loves Alex, she cannot let got of her brother, and that will ultimately come between them.

Overall, the film is not perfect: there are some gaps in the script and some situations and feelings are never properly explained, but sometimes that is better for the story. It keeps a little bit of mystery over the already exposed relationships and makes you think.

BUT there are some wonderful little things that make the movie special.

First of all,the acting in it is superb: I don't know if you will think the same, but to me it looked amazing, as all of the stars perfectly portrayed their characters, displaying a sense of reality and emotion that is hard to transmit- when I say reality, I talk about how a normal Romanian person would act or talk. Their chemistry has palpable and seemed real, especially between the girls, and it was interesting to watch so many legendary Romanian actors in supporting roles: the lady who rents the room for Alex (probably one of my favourite characters- she is the incarnation of the typical over 50 lonely woman living on a pension), the parents, especially Kiki's mother and Alex's father, the taxi driver at the end (famous rapper) and the older woman who travels with Sandu (huge celebrity over here). As for the three main characters, what can I say? Maria Popistasu (you might have seen her in Tuesday, after Christmas, another well received national movie) played Cristina with a carefree, but sensitive spirit, who worries too much about the people around her instead of her own happiness; I liked this character best, although I probably identify myself more with Alex. One of my favourite scenes is when she calls a special person to leave a Happy Birthday message- her voice, the way she talks to it, her bittersweet words that almost erupt with love and longing are just wonderful, as crazy and inappropriate it seems. (you'll understand when you'll see the movie). Ioana Barbu was the perfect Alex to Popistasu's Cristina, showcasing perfectly the sweet, innocent, rather naive character (it was also her debut in acting). Sandu, played by Tudor Chirila, a famous singer in Romania, didn't have enough screen time, but that helped the movie get its much needed mystery- in the end, you still haven't figured him out, and maybe that is for the best, as the core of the story was the relationship between the girls.

Second of all, I loved the cinematography of it and most of the ways Tudor Giurgiu decided to shoot the movie. The first scene is a beautifully set and lighted image of two lovers in an intimate moment, and the score, a melancholic instrumental of a rare Coldplay song perfectly fits it. (actually that instrumental comes along in many parts of the film). I also love the way the director focuses on their hands, as if that small gesture can show us the intensity of their love or their true feelings- and you know what? It works every time.

As I said in the beginning, the pace might be problem for some, but if you like character development stories or films that focus on relationships, you will definitely like this one. I find it to be little bit similar to Weekend, the 2011 British feature, so if you enjoyed that, check out this, as well.

Love sick is not the best Romanian film you can find out there, but it has its magic points, so if you want to discover my national cinema, I wold recommend seeing 432 and this film, for starters.

Tell me: how you ever seen a Romanian film? If YES, which one and how was it? If NOT, would you be interested? Should I continue my Romanian Cinema series?

Once [2006]

Written and directed by John Carney, "Once" is an Irish movie which tells the story of a man and a woman who share a love for music and their adventures into the recording business. What drove me to this film was the one of the songs of the soundtrack, "Falling slowly"- it won an Oscar and is always present in my playlist- so simple, sweet, yet powerful and melancholic; I love it!

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgleva play the two main characters, with no names attributed, apparently- he is a busker and a part-time Hoover vacuums fixer, while she's an energetic immigrant who scrapes by everyday by selling flowers, whilst trying to feed her daughter and her mother.

The Guy, the lead, is just a man who can't give up the past and his cheating ex-girlfriend, constantly being held back by his obsession over his lost love who now lives in London; he even describes himself to the Girl as being "a broken-hearted Hoover fixer sucker guy". The movie is about his journey into the music business and it showcases his talents-he undoubtedly has a great voice, but honestly it is something you can see everyone, on every corner and on reality TV shows- his songs are nice, his voice is growly, but I didn't found anything special about him- would I buy his record? I'm not sure.

The Girl is a young woman who left everything behind in Chezch Republic and came to Dublin to provide a better future for her family. She is an interesting character, but very undeveloped in my opinion and rather unreadable- I couldn't actually connect with her, not even when she was around her daughter.

Their chemistry is palpable and you hold a hope in your mind that he forgets his bitter ex girlfriend and settles down with the Girl, but it never happens, and that's probably for the best- it avoids romantic comedies clichees. It's more than friendship, but it's not quite love, either.

What I admired and enjoyed about this particular script were the occasionally funny, original, yet seemingly real scenes; for example, the opening scene, where the Guy chases a heroin-addicted man who stole the money he got from busking; or his interaction with the Girl, and her brave determination to meet him again, after their brief discussion. I honestly laughed when the small loans manager tells them, at one point, "I wanna show you something" and at what happens afterwards.

It spiked in some moments, spoiling us with sweet moments and great music, but I was mostly underwhelmed by the amateur acting and the failure to make me feel excitement- the only scene that made my blood boil, to say so, was the one in which they played Falling Slowly, my song, and even that was rather bland.

"Once" seems like a raw, undeveloped feature, but it has some great moments- I guess the documentary feel to it, the amateur camera pinpoints the direction of where they wanted to take it, and I get it. Overall, I liked it, but it's not very memorable and the Girl just didn't do it for me.

Little Miss Sunshine [2006]

"A real loser is somebody that is so afraid of not winning, they don't even try"

*SPOILERS ahead, beware*

I am so happy I eventually got to see Little Miss Sunshine yesterday; it was one of the sweetest movies I have ever seen, full of hope and life and power, all whilst being entertaining, but also providing a strong emotional connection and relatable characters. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Michael Arndt, it follows the Hoover family into their journey to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant contest in California, where Olive, the youngest, desperately wants to compete.

I loved the fact that they started it by presenting every character with one short scene that perfectly captures the essence of each one; the song, "The winner is" by Devotchka, is amazing and quietly stalks my memories every time I think about the film.

Moving on to the actual story, it is a very interesting one, as it mixes drama, regrets, sarcasm and hate, with love, support, power and sensibility. You have delicate themes like suicide, drugs, divorce, but they are balanced with different sweet moments, like the innocence and determination of Olive, the pep talk Edwin gave to his son, Richard, after he lost his job, or the moment where Dwayne tells Olive to hug his mom. There are some laughing out loud scenes (pushing the car, getting the body out of the window, the final dance), but also some dramatic ones that were perfectly acted; two come in mind here: the table discussion about Frank's attempt to suicide and Dwayne freaking out after he found out he is colorblind (the way he couldn't contain himself inside the car, that build up to the moment in which you knew he was going to scream, and the actual moment, was just brilliant).

My favorite scene has to be the dance at the end, where all the family joins the little girl on stage, in an attempt to protect and encourage her- it has to be one of the most embarrassing, yet hilarious and fun scenes I have watched in a long time. In the end, although there is tension between them, they still love and support each other, no matter what. The script was just fantastic and I am so happy it got the Oscar, it is deserved.

The true magic of this story lies in the characters; they are defined, relatable, interesting; they are people with whom you can create an emotional connection, and most important, they seem real, although they have their little quirky features- you still get attached to them, and that is the best thing a script, actually a film, can hope for. What an array of individuals: the always-complaining grandfather (wonderfully played by Alan Arkin, but Oscar-worthy?hmm...maybe, maybe not), the Nietzche-silenced teenage boy (Paul Dano, with probably the best performance of the film for me, at least, just for that freaking out scene), the success-driven father who hates losers (Greg Kinnear), a mother trying to keep her family together (Toni Collette) and her suicidal brother (Steve Carrel, in his best role yet), and of course, Little Miss Sunshine herself, Olive (Abigail Breslin), who steals the spotlight with her innocence, sweetness and perverence. They are all wonderful and I love their interaction with eachother- the casting was perfect.

As you can see, I can't stop gushing over it, and I might have run out of compliments to give- this movie is that good, and I really hope you saw it or you will see it soon! Amongst a sea of thriller, horror and action movies or tragic dramas, this refreshing comedy/drama stands out and commands attention. I wish more films similar to this one would be made each year!

Capote vs Infamous

Capote and Infamous, two wonderful films about Truman Capote and his process of writing In Cold Blood, were released very close one to another, in 2005 and 2006. The first was based on the book of Gerald Clarke, the second on George Plimpton's novel. Capote had Philip Seymour Hoffman(PSH) playing Truman Capote, while Infamous casted Toby Jones(TJ). Harper Lee, an important character and friend to the author was portrayed by both Catherine Keener and Sandra Bullock. Although the story and the main ideas of the film are almost identical, the movies are different in many ways.

First of all, Infamous is visibly more colourful, with a larger array of characters, more celebrities, full of life, extravagant, noisy, vibrant in many ways. The film is lighter and shows the relationship between the novelist and the prisoner in a much violent, daring, in-your-face way. Capote is quiet, somber, with mixed emotions of fear, melancholia, sadness, betrayal, love and others; the relationship is displayed in a discrete way and you can sense there is more to them then meets the eye.

Second of all, in the 2006 adaptation, you learn more about the killers and their background from the actual individuals, you see, hear, clearly understand their motivation and drive. They seem simple, you can either love them or hate them, there is nothing to hide. In the 2005 one, you get to know the two men, especially Perry Smith through the eyes of Truman Capote. He is the backbone, he is the voice of reason, he tells you what happened; you feel what he feels.

Third of all, the performances are rather opposite. While Toby Jones is exuberant, excentric, full of life, sometimes caricaturistic, PSH portrays Truman Capote in a much more natural, interesting, complex way; his performance has layers, in-depth aspects to it that gives the movie more drama, more passion, intrigue and emotion. He does deserve the Oscar for this role. As Harper Lee, the two ladies have a different approach to it, as well. Catherine Keener seems borned in this role, it is natural, but with Sandra Bullock you can feel the artistry there, you can see the acting, but it'a beautiful thing to watch- I think she gave a wonderful performance.

Infamous is above, bubblying on the surface, whilst Capote is much more subtile and complex. Overall, I'd probably choose Capote, although Infamous has many strong points as well.

Did you watch them?Which one would you choose?

Remember, remember..

...the 5th of November!

For those who don't know, this date is pretty special in the UK, as it turns out. It's the day Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the House of Parliament in the 1600s, but didn't managed to. So, what do the brits do?celebrate it with fireworks- which is a little weird, at least from my perspective. But hey, since I'm here, I'll just go with it, right?

I didn't go to watch the fireworks, so I decided to watch a movie, and what other one is more appropriate then V for Vendetta?

It surprised me...I didn't expect it to be that good! The story is interesting, well-written, it keeps you on edge and the end is beautiful, but unfulfilling, at least for me [SPOILER: who was V after all?SPOILER].

The performances are great, although Natalie Portman's accent was a little odd...but kudos for trying! I loved the scene where she starts having a panic attack and V calms her down, and the last scenes, on the night of the event, are powerful and memorable. It's nice to see people can come together and fight for a better life, but I wonder if this would have really happened, would the people in this world, in 2011, react the same? The movie raises some interesant questions!

All in all, I enjoyed watching this and I recommend it, it was good, especially on this particular night!:)

Did you see it?What did you think of it?
For the UK readers- did anything special tonight?

MARIE ANTOINETTE [2006]

Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola

Starring:  Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman and Rip Torn

If you have seen a Sofia Coppola movie, I think you can know what to expect. Very well directed and with beautiful cinematography, but the storyline is always so slow and uneventful (her „masterpiece” in this area is „Somewhere”), that it tested my patience in so many moments, especially in the first hour of the movie. I didn’t knew it was her work until halfway through the movie, when I remembered the film Somewhere and then the fact that she directed this one, and it was obvious. Sometimes, the visual is enough to capture the audience, but not this time. It all seems so interrupted, butchered, nothing really flows, and by that I reffer to the transition between scenes.

As I said, visually everything is perfect; the costumes and sets are wonderful and you can’t help feeling that french nostalgia and immediately wish to be there, eating a maccaroon with the queen. Kirsten Dunst plays her part wonderfully and it’s nice to see familliar faces like Rose Byrne or Tom Hardy.

But in the end, it didn’t cut it for me, it had many highs and lows and if i had to choose, overall, it would be stuck on the middle, not bad, but not sensational, either. Maybe it’s just me, I don’t really enjoy Sofia Coppola’s movies.

p.s. I just got my London Film Festival tickets! I will be seeing Restless, Carnage, Take Shelter, Martha Marcy May Marlene and I really really hope to get into Shame- I will be queing for that one!