If it ain't original at least let it be Big...

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

I live under the impression that the reboots are the word of order, some of them already came up, most are to come.
On paper Tron Legacy is not said to be a reboot of the original Tron, but more of a follow-up. A follow-up that can be understood without seeing the first one and which follows the same path: the main hero gets sucked into the digital world where he has to fight the virtual despotic villain controlling it in order to save the outer world. This time it will be the former main character, new one's dad, and a native hottie that will help the young hero to accomplish the task.

The movie has a Disney predictability all the way from the beginning and each tile comes down at the expected moment; this could come up from the lack of originaliity. At some points the story gets a bit slower than what I was expecting and it lingers in some wannabe emotional moments which I found somewhat boring.

The acting was ok in general. As figured Bridges was top-notch, as for the two youngsters, the hotness level compensates some inaccuracy in their authenticity.

These were the less positive points of the film, but when it comes to the visual effects and to the music they're awesome. The 3D is fully justified, rendering the virtual world so touchable and almost real. Moreover, Daft Punk's sound is in perfect harmony with the whole picture and the emotional intensity. Solely CGI Bridges aka C.L.U looks as if it was designed a couple of years ago.

Interested in game/action/geek/effects...movies, go see it; if none rings a bell skip it.










Stuff - Spoiler Alert!!!

The end doesn't look like a Disney type one: the father had to sacrifice himself
"Do you know Jules Verne? What's he like?"
Never forget however advanced the technology a good knock always makes it respond.

Passive introspection

Here is something that's been making me wonder for some time now: Does our subconscious have masochist traits?

When I let my mind wander around, at least once a week it comes up with some dumb event from the past which I regret it happened. Moreover, it makes me relieve the strange feeling that I had about myself even enhancing some discomforting aspects.

What is strange is that pleasant memories usually need to be triggered by an event or an interaction with a person or an object. In general they don't pop-up in moments when the active part of the brain is on stand-by.

So, is it in our nature to be self-doubtful, insecure and disappointed of ourselves? Or is just me the one who has all these weird passive behavioural manifestations? The thing is that I'm quite happy with what I am...but maybe my inner-self thinks otherwise...

Perfection is Madness

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

Living in the world of showbiz is known to be tough, by adding the pretentiousness of the target audience your environment gets one step closer to hell.
A perfectionist ballerina receives the most desired part in the business: The Swan Queen. This means that she has to be the incarnation of both purity and darkness. A drop of schizophrenia is all that's needed to turn her upside down and make her almost live the part up to the last detail, thus giving us a twisted disturbing psychotic experience.

I will not hide it from you the movie is good, but creepy. There are some wicked paranoid scenes that mesmerize you, but others seem one drop (and many more blood ones) too much. But I should have saw it comming since the director is the one that did Requiem for a Dream. And probably that is why it didn't appeal to me at a maximum potential even though the adequate setting was in place.

It is as clear as daylight that Natalie Portman does the movie...with some help from her mentor to the dark side, and also counterpart, Mila Kunis. She shares her internal struggle in a brilliant manner, so much that you would wonder if she didn't need therapy after the shooting was done. In addition, the whole part looks as if it was written for her, so fragile on the outside but capable of an extraordinary metamorphosis. On the other hand Cassel didn't impress me as expected and the mother freaked me out a couple of times, even when she was supposed to act normal. So as the first one didn't look involved enough the latter has overplaying too much.

The music contributed a great deal to the atmosphere (it is after all a ballet themed movie) and as a fun fact (if fun could be an appropriate term) the score is the one from Swan Lake but played backwards and distorted; so sometimes this thing can have a meaning. Also the theme picks up the pace at the critical spots so there is some kind of a warning of what might come.

The filming was good with the exception of some exaggerated closeups that were somewhat invasive on the perspective.


This one should definitely be seen, probably only once (at least in my case), but prepare to have shivers down you spine and to hear a lot of people startling.










Personal Thoughts - Spoiler Alert!!!

Some unnecessary bloddy scenes: the former ballerina stabing her face and the finger pealing 
Real world or imagination?: the same face stabbing scene, the X (as in drug) scene
At some point I had a Fight Club revelation, which proved to be only half true
The Black Swan dance (Act 2) is amazing, the proof that the metamorphosis was done 
Cassel's hands look huge compared to Natalie's face
Mirrors were everywhere and made stuff creepier
The movie has the most beautiful posters: the whole bunch of them; Variations:

and others...

The movie is a real Swan Song. ;)
I had to turn on the light while writing the post

A briliant perfomance doesn't always need a good Speech

Acting: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Perception: 5/5
Rating: 5/5

Things have got more serious, more Oscar-moody.
In modern day monarchies, the crowned-head are there to sign papers and talk. But what happens when your speaking abilities aren't so functional and your country is preparing for one of the most difficult periods of the human history...you hire Barbosa as your therapist.

This is that kind of movie that makes your spirit feel energized by the time the credits start rolling. Everything is so smoothly harmonized from the general ambiance up to the characters' play. The entire picture seems to capture every spot as if it would be directly connected to your mind.

Coming back to the interpretations, they are all pure gold. It is a little bit intriguing that a cast individually known for less serious productions builds up perfectly this story, no wonder that they've been all nominated for their respective categories.The irony/self-irony lines juggle were brilliant.

Colin Firth's stammer made have throat aches as if I was the one with a temper attack due to a speech impediment. Geoffrey Rush gave the impression that there were actually two main characters all along this movie, but the King has to take more credit. And Helena Bonham Carter proved she is actually normal by giving a solid distant but caring future Queen representation. 

To fuel my skeptical being I found that there was one twist-turn too much for my taste, but that's only because I enjoy looking for the pin in the haystack. So stop reading this and go to see the movie, that come back to read the footnotes.










Thoughts on stuff - Spoiler Alert!!!

Is it me or half of the British+Irish solid actors have had a role in Harry Potter?
Is it OK to laugh at the Hitler bit? Even more: Is it OK to consider the one's not laughing, and acting shocked, as uptight?
Probably the cursing part could be considered as a cheap laugh...but it was a damn good one ;)
The movie was approved by Queen Elisabeth II before it was released to public