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Sound of Metal (2019)
Paul Raci divine performance
The story is quite simple but compelling and the narrative works on so many levels always leaving you to wonder about things, specially after the ending. Way more than a solid photograph, the astonishing powerful sound design totally immerses you on the protagonist and enhances the phases of the denial-acceptance from Ruben.
Having said that, "Sound of Metal" greatest charm comes from the performances. I was amazed by the amount of passion that Riz Ahmed put on bringing to life an flawed, real nuanced human being with many different emotional stages throught the whole picture BUT the one performance that people seem to forget on their reviews is the divine performance by this fella whom I've never heard of - Paul Raci. His character embodies the philosophy and moral wisdom that the movie brings and pretty much steals the scene.
The Sound Design department, Riz Ahmed and specially Paul Raci should get many nominations and awards for this one.
4/5
A Foreign Affair (1948)
The (underrated) power of comedy at its core
A romantic comedy set in Berlin post WWII. Yes, in a very rare picture we are allowed to laugh at a picture that carries fascism, nazism, war and it's tragedies as backgrounds of the film.
Don't get me wrong: Nazism and War themselves aren't funny but the way Wilder genially portrays humor at them makes us view things through a very humanistic lens.
While watching it I kept reminding of Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" and how he shows how war dehumanize people, putting them to act as animals at it's most primitive nature.
In contrast to that, Wilder's phony comedy shows us how some human characteristics like tenderness, lust, deceive, love and so on never cease to exist despite post chaotic situations such as fascism, nazism, war and etc.
It's a courageous movie about hope when you think about it.
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
Fun Hitchcock Mistery but inconsequential story
Definitely not a movie we remind of Hitchcock when we think about him.
Dont get me wrong is not a bad movie and its coloring and shooting are both astonishingly beautiful.
But despite it's original story the movie has some flaws. The dialogue is uninteresting in quite a few scenes and the whole movie feels inconsequential - unlike all the great Hitchcock's films.
The movie inconsequential ending justify it's fun but it feels messy, like things should've gone at least bad. Worth watching it once tho just for the beauty of the shots, a fine scratch for Hitchcock's Rear Window.
It Happened One Night (1934)
Pure brilliance! A pioneer masterpiece of engaging storytelling!
One of the pioneers of the genre Happened One Night still holds as one of the best movies of all time because of its timeless storytelling - always keeping the audience at the top of their seats, its genius performances by both stars and it's authenticity for bringing an honest story carrying along flawed characters and old fashioned morality.
Is very important to point out that the movie, because of its honesty, brings upon a few harsh sexist ideas as any romance from the 30's would. I think we as an audience should pay close attention to that as it reflects our modern culture even to these days therefore not to view it with contemporary disregard.
The movie is exceptionally funny, emotional engaging and holds it until the very end the most thrilling convention a love story has: will they manage to be together?
Bacurau (2019)
Great Premise but shallow characters and boring experience
The movie opens up with a beautiful shot of earth reminding Stanley Kubrick's 2001: Space Odyssey. In fact, despite many people talking about Tarantino references - it reminded me more of Hitchcock for the entire-movie-building-up-suspense-fashion.
It had a great premise tracing subjects that are very hot on Brazil's political agenda - North American Imperialism and it's ideological help from Southern Brazilian people. In order to portray that along with technology themes the movies shows a group of americans/europeans who are in Bacurau to kill people. How can that boring? It managed to.
The premise goes downhill when this group of killers is presented as shallow cold blooded killers who're there just to have some fun. The whole Imperialism issue is a very complex and interesting theme to be presented as this "bad guys" vs "good guys" kinda thing. I mean, even if it were to be that way, the whole group is just filled with monstrous people with no nuances whatsoever. Simply pure evil - feels very childish actually.
The movie has it's best moment when the Southern people talk to the group trying to show they're nothing like the people from Bacurau, they're more like the group's white people and their assumption just isn't bought by them - even ridiculed for it.
People from Bacurau are presented as the good guys and I've felt like they've been show having sex, smoking cigarettes and in the end, killing people (justifiably so) on the desperate attempt to not look so much as the ordinary shallow "good guys".
Overall is not a bad film, it has its moment of fun and suspense in the last half hour, specially when the character of Lunga finally joins the story. Great performance actually. If you're Brazilian and understands the political implications of our times the way the narrative works can be seen as a justification for its meaning.
Yet, the forced and unnatural dialogue, the shallowness from the characters and the extremely tedious first hour made it a disappointing experience.
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
one of the greatest performances ever seen
This is was my first John Cassavetes film and I had big expectations towards it and they were completely surpassed by this amazing picture
at first it seems like your regular story: married woman cheats on husband for not having his attention and then husband would found them when arriving at home with his comrades. by then I couldn't really tell the woman was "crazy" or something of the sort
not only it break this shallow expectation but also it shows a deep study on the protagonist mental condition. is she sick? does she ever do something so wrong? she deserved to be forced into a madhouse by her own husband? well I dont know the answers for sure and that's what great films do - to ask intriguing questions. nevertheless I couldn't stop feeling throughout the movie that the people surrounding her were the ones that really didnt understand her and I think the way the children protect her from their dad demonstrate how much of a kind soul she genuinely is.
the picture is filled with authenticity from characters, they are so regular people still not shallow in any way shape or form. the performances on this one are breathtaking, especially by Gena Rowlands, which was one of the greatest woman performances I've ever seen besides Gloria Swanson at Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Knives Out (2019)
Funny, Engaging and Rewarding!
I came to watch it not holding any big expectations and it was surprisingly great! from the very start the story telling is well made but you have the impression the mystery shall be easily anticipated - the audience will most likely be wrong. this picture may seem phony from a distant look but dont underestimate it: I was emotionally engaged throughout the whole story especially the ending: I felt extemely rewarded for paying close attention.
it was funny, engaging and I cared about the characters, that's all I ask to a movie - to get me to the fun part.