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. 

The Hours [2002]

Directed by Stephen Daldry and based on a novel by Michael Cunningham, with a screenplay penned by David Hare, The Hours is a remarkable movie starring three women (Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep) connected by a book, Mrs Dalloway, who have to overcome the trails and tribulations of a single day that may change their lives forever.

We start by observing Nicole Kidman's storyline, who stars as Virginia Woolf, an unstable woman in the care of numerous doctors and under the supervision of her husband, Leonard, played by Stephen Dillane. She is mentally disturbed, while having hallucinations and suicide thoughts. That morning, she begins to write her book, Mrs Dalloway, and spends the day figuring it out the plot line and trying to overcome overwhelming emotions of depression and boredom, feeling she was trapped in that small town where everyone considered it to be better for her than London. Nicole Kidman was absolutely fantastic, giving a stunning performance- the accent was on point and you can easily see the great transformation pshycally and mentally. She won an Oscar for this role and I believe it was well deserved, although I don't know her competitors in the category from that year. The husband also gave a surprisingly good performance, which was reserved, but full of love and concern, and it was nice to see Miranda Richardson as the sister.

The second story follows Laura McGrath- Brown, a seemingly happy wife and mother of one, plus one on the way, living in 1951 Los Angeles. Although she has a good life, a loving husband(John C.Reilly) and a lovely boy, she is miserable in her apparently perfect life, for reasons even she can't understand. Laura grows more nervous as the day passes and even books a room in a hotel with the thought of killing herself, but somehow she changes her mind and returns to her family. The boy notices something is wrong , he can feel it, especially when he starts screaming from the top of his lungs when she leaves him at the neighbour's house. The interesting part of the story comes at then end when we see the connection between Julianne Moore's character and Streep's. Throughout the movie, Julianne Moore shines and gives a stunning performance, quiet, but appealing and emotional, and makes you feel everything her character is feeling. I was very impressed by her in this role.

Clarissa Vaughan, the third woman, wakes up in New York, year 2001, with the thought that she will buy the flowers for the party she is throwing her very good friend, Richard, an accomplised writer. During the day we discover that the connection between the two is very powerful and has deep roots from their early teenage years. He is dying of AIDS, but she won't let him go, to say so, holding on to the hope and the strong relationship they have. Ed Harris, as the sick man, was fantasic, and gave a chilling, moving performance of a man in search of peace and love. The reveal of his connection with the previous story was a little bit shocking, but gave us more details and made us better understand the situation. His last scene with Streep was breathtaking and very emotional and I love the speech he gave. Claire Danes also has a short appearance, showing a careless, sweet and free youthful energy, and of course, Allison Janey is part of the cast- I love her and she's not disappointing, either, despite her small part. Suprisingly enough, from my point of view, Meryl was the weakest link between the three leads- she didn't do anything wrong, but I didn't feel her spirit and commitment as much as the other two, although the scene in the kitchen with Jeff Daniels, her breakdown, was quite something.

From the filmmaking point of view, The Hours is close to perfection. I loved the simple style of direction, which helped us focus more on the story and its characters. Although you do see some interesting elements regarding camera movement, like a special focus on details (eggs), or flawless cinematography, it's the screenplay and the acor's performance that shines through. Every scene is perfectly executed and draws you in; the music, together with the sets and costumes, are absolutely stunning and they capture and emote the emotions of the story. Overall, it mixes the drama with the music and the beautiful language and the rough feelings and unsaid things, creating a sad, yet bittersweet world.

Somehow, I associate The Hours with a A Single Man, by Tom Ford. The connection is made in my mind, maybe by the similarities in stories, characters or direction. A Single Man is one of my all-time favorite movies and I can say now that The Hours is also added to that category. Beautiful film that you should definitely see!

Favorite quotes
"Mrs Dalloway, always giving parties to cover the silence"
"But I still have to face the hours, don't I?"

Magnolia [1999]

Magnolia, the 1999 drama written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson is a special kind of movie; it's fast, intricate, with many characters and storylines. It's complicated, but if you think about it, it's also fucking brilliant.

Apparently Anderson wrote the script in a 2 weeks vacation spent the William H.Macy's Vermont cabin, and was inspired by Aimee Mann's music. Described as an epic mosaic, the script unleashes a huge amount of consequences and interrelated storylines that I am not even going try to explain.

PTA said the idea developed from Claudia, one of my favorite characters from this movie; her and Jim's storyline was so good, sweet and romantic, but still real and sad. At the beginning you have the urge to characterize her simply as a drugged-out-of-her mind woman, but as time passes and she starts interacting with more people, people who you see in other situations in other parts of the movie, you understand her. Jim was a very good addition and I thought his naive behavior was endearing and surprisingly fitting with Claudia.

One of the film's main attributes are, of course, the characters. Claudia is just the starting point, but I was also impressed by Tom Cruise, who was surprisingly good as a superstar lecturer on how to conquer women- seeing him on that stage, shouting "Tame the cunt" reminded me so much of Eli Sunday, from There will be blood, maybe just because I saw the movie recently, but also because I could easily see the fanaticism, the craziness and devotion both offer to their jobs and beliefs- it was a full throttle performance. Mister Cruise was crazy good and that crying scene just proved me that he is indeed, a great actor, no matter his attitude, appearance or choice of roles. Other standouts include William H.Macy, as the former genius kid who won the TV contest, but now struggles with loneliness, and Jason Robards, as Earl Partridge.


I fell in love with Stanley and his genius storyline (the peeing scene was something else and Luis Guzman is always fun to watch), plus Phillip Seymour Hoffman's presence improved it in many ways, but I honestly didn't see any point on Julianne's character being there- it was pretty useless and the movie would still have been perfectly fine without her. [p.s. She looks so much like my sister, it creeps me out every time I see her on screen- my mind goes directly to R, my older sibling]

From a filmmaking point of view, it was interesting to watch: it had very fast, dynamic shots, and it did remind me of Boogie Nights in some aspects. The music score was very good and I liked the fact that it almost always gave me the impression something big was about to happen- it certainly maintained my attention throughout the movie. Considering Anderson's interest in Aimee Mann, of course the film featured a couple of her songs, one of which is sung by all the characters- something that I found to be particularly weird and a little out of place; what is this? an REM video?

Anyway, that wasn't the most shocking part of the movie; actually nothing was until that moment where [SPOILER ALERT] the frogs started pouring down from the sky- it was a WTF moment and I didn't understand it at the beginning- I honestly had to read IMDb trivia to get it. Apparently PTA was obsessed with a quote from the Bible, Exodus 8:2, which is heavily featured in the movie, in one way or another- it reads: "And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs."

If the first 2/3 of the movie involved a lot of action and intertwined situations, the last part was mostly based on speeches and tying up loose ends. I mostly liked the way PTA provided closure for the people, and the Frankie Mackie- Earl Partridge scene was particularly emotional.

"Magnolia" is not an easy movie to decipher or talk about- it has so many characters, storylines and themes, it touches upon subjects like regret, lost, loneliness, love- it tries too hard in so many directions, and as expected, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But in the end this film is special- I, personally, love movies that stand out, that surprise or shock me, and this succeeded in doing so.

"Magnolia" is a very interesting movie, different from your average drama, that you can't judge or give a final mark after the credits roll- you need to think about it, to process it. If you saw it, let me know what you think about it in the comments; if you didn't, what are you waiting for?

The Big Lebowski [1998]

It's time for a new mini-marathon: the Coen brothers! First in line: The Big Lebowski!

Written by the two famous brothers, and directed by Joel Coen, the movie tells the story of Jeff Lebowski, a careless, lazy guy from LA (who likes to be called Dude), who gets mixed up in a shady business, as the other Jeff Lebowski, his older millionaire alter-ego, asks him to help get his much younger wife back after she is kidnapped. The plan derails and insanity occurs, as everything goes bad, and more people than necessary intervene.

I liked the movie. All the main characters (Dude, Walter, Donny, Maude) are well written and the supporting cast is very entertaining (John Turturro and the Nihilists, with Flea as a member, were particularly funny). I admired the fact that, although the Dudeness seemed like a stupid, lazy, out of this world loser, he was actually the only one who thought straight during those crazy moments and knew something was wrong most of the time; he was smart, smarter than Walter or Donny. Some call this Jeff Bridge's role of a lifetime, one that he will be remembered by his whole career, and I must agree. There is just something about his carefree, chilled, honest performance that makes the film ten times better. John Goodman, as the extreme pacifist, bowler and Lebowski's best friend, was particularly good, giving one of his best performances. I was annoyed most of the time by his character and his stupidity and stubbornness, but he complimented just fine with Jeff Bridges and Steve Buscemi's characters. (p.s. Does Steve Buscemi die in all of his movies? I just saw another Coen brothers film with him, and I know at least 2 or 3 others movies where he has the same fate). Other peculiar individual was Maude, played by Julianne Moore- strange character, weird accent, but she made it work; she always does, Julianne is fabulous in mostly everything. Special mention has to go to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as the assistant of the millionaire, who always shines on screen, for some reason, at least for me, anyway.

The story flows smoothly and offers great laughs and an interesting situation, although I must admit some scenes were a bit off key (Dude's dreams of flying or dancing with Maude). The progressive involvement of third party people, like Maude or Treehorn, was a bit too much and it complicated the story, but it brought some great scenes; the only problem was that, in the end, the mix up was not actually fully explained or resolved, but I guess the Dude doesn't really care enough to want to know, right?  I thought the parking lot segment with the Nihilists was very funny, until that tragic moment, of course, and my favorite scenes are the ones at the bowling area or the one with the ashes.

Overall it was a very good movie and I understand the hype over it. Supported by a great cast and hilarious lines, Big Lebowski is a classic cult movie that should not be missed!

Favorite quotes
"You see what happens, Larry?"
"That rug really tied the room together"
" I still jerk off manually"
"The Dude abides"

p.s. I really want a White Russian now!

Just in case you haven't, you should...

..check out this movies!

Both are freshly taken from the movie jar, as I have seen them a long time ago, but I just wanted to remind you of some great films!  I am curious to see which one you like!

Boogie Nights

5 minutes in and I already recognize 98% of the cast: Julianne Moore, Heather Graham, John C.Reilly, William Macy.,Don Cheadle and, of course Mark Whalberg. The sweet, chilled out, respectful, dorky haircut Mark Whalberg...and then he takes his clothes off and I’m already in love with this movie (hey, don’t judge, i’m a girl, he’s hot, what can I do?).

He shows off his acting chops right from the beginning, starting with the loud and brutal discussion he has with his mother, and then decides to change his life. Oh, and what a life he is going to have...for about 5 years....and then things go down.

I have got to mention some random characters that I just loved and giggled over. Don Cheadle as a very loveale, confused guy, always changing his style. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as an unrecognizable very sweet, cool and gentle gay guy. Julianne Moore as the motherly type to all the misfits in the house.

Seeing this movie you get everything: cool music, attrative guys and girls, sex scenes, OMG moments (the first movie Dirk shot, the 80s new years eve party), action. I enjoyed this movie and I think you will, too!

And in the end, they finally showed us what the big deal was all about! J

American Beauty

Listen up, all you folks who like to make To-See movie lists.

Add American Beauty to your list right now, if you haven't seen it! Reasons? Well, let’s see:  great performances from Kevin Spacey, Wes Bentley or Tory Burch, the story is simple, yet very intriguing in some parts, you will get some OMG moments, the direction is amazing and stands out in so many ways (the way it was shot, the angles- it's Sam Mendes in all its glory) and it did win some awards in his days! Try it!

I am sure most of you have seen these films, so which one do you like most? Why?

Fridays are the best: A single man[2009]

Fridays are the best, that's why, from now on, you'll get to see some of my favorites every Friday!This week: A single man!

Director: Tom Ford

Writer: Tom Ford, David Scearce

Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Goode

Before the movie even starts, you find out it is directed and produced by Tom Ford, the famous designer. What are your expectations? I thought I was going to see amazing clothes, beautiful sets and elegance. Now, at the end, I can say that I did see those things, but they were so many others that raised the bar even higher.

First of all, I loved the way it was directed. The shots, the specific details that he focused on, the style, all were special and elegant, smooth. I absolutely loved the fact that, whenever George, the main character, saw something that reminded him of the great past or something he loves or admires now, that each moment was captured in amazing colour, bright and full of life. All, in contrast, to the rather dull and grey scenes in his ordinary day that is making him feel miserably and pushes him to suicide.

Tom Ford also shows in a very artistic way the unbereable speed in which time is passing, speed that is slowly killing George. Every moment he is reminded of Jim, his love, with whom he spent 16 years and who, suddenly, died in a car accident. Since that day forward, his life wasn’t the same. It is a story of colours, of smell, touch, hearing.

Second of all, it did have, as you would expect from a fantastic designer, class;  elegance is a key word when I think of Julianne Moore, who portrays Charley, a lonely women who is George’s only friend.  She is a triple threat: beautiful, talented and elegant, and I love her. The dinner scene was very sweet and you can really see the relationship that the two have; it’s a very cool, straight-forward, honest and full of love and memories that always makes them nostalgic of past times.

I always noticed, as I said in the beginning, the obsession for details. I thought it brought quality and beauty to the film and made it very special. You’ve got to love the neatly way George prepares his death,  worried even about the damage his blood is going to cause to the bed.

Kenny Porter, played by Nicholas Hault, was quite a revelation for me and I can’t wait to see what he does next. The game between him and George was so sweet, simple and fun, that it would always keep me guessing the nature of their attraction: sexual or not sexual? Does he admire Falconer as a professor or as man?

The movie, unfortunately, doesn’t really give us a solid answer, but leaves it to our choice.  The end, however, is sad, but fufilling, I guess, for the main character!

It is a beautiful film that I highly recommend! It is one of my favorites!

Crazy, Stupid,Love [2011]

You are probably expecting a long, objective, rather interesting review- I might dissapoint with this one! Because for this post I am getting out my girly side, the side who loves cheesy romantic comedies, likes to stare at hot men and secretly wishes she might be in the situations the characters are put in!

Crazy, Stupid,Love is a great movie! Really, I am not saying that just because of Ryan Gosling :), it really does have a great script, it delivers funny, believeable performances and is hilarious. Steve Carrell is at his best in the role of Cal, a man who loses his wife because he forgot to live. His chemistry to Ryan Gosling is amazing and they work very well together, getting the best out of eachother. The forementioned Canadian is...you know; I'm just going to stop complimenting him. 

I especially loved Jessica's storyline and the twist in the end with Emma Stone, I was not expecting that, but the garden scene is one of the funniest I have ever seen! Big pluses for Julianne Moore (who reminds me so much of my sister that it creeps me out everytime I see her on screen), Emma Stone (one of the sweetest, nicest, talented girls in Hollywood right now), Marisa Tomei (the single most funny character in the movie) and the little brother- I forgot his name, sorry!

I can't really explain why this movie is worth a drive to the cinema, but if you are looking for a sweet, normal movie for a Saturday night, this is the one! Something for the girls, something for the guys, nothing really complicated! I'm sure you will love it!