September '13 Movies Digest

That was quick!

Oblivion

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

When I first saw the trailer it made me think of Wall-E, the funny thing is that there are several Wall-E moments. The movie had potential, there are a lot of ideas to exploit, plus Tom Cruise sends it home nicely, and the visuals are very well crafted. The problem is that it falls short on development. It hops around very easily and everything is either left hanging or easily fixed. Also, the slow pensive moments are too slow and the ending too convenient. 

August '13 Movies Digest

Some thrills and a lot of crazy laughs...

Now You See Me

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

One of the most entertaining movies this year. It has an Ocean's Eleven air about it, but there's nothing bad about that. The mystery is well constructed and nicely unraveled. Maybe there are a couple of mushy moments that were uncalled for. Anyway, it is impossible to say anything bad about the cast, plus the 4H have a very good chemistry. Actually I would have preferred at least 10 more minutes concentrated only on the group, because the potential was there. It's not The Prestige but it is a solid illusion movie!

The Lone Ranger

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

The good part is that is was not as bad as I expected. In fact, the movie would be more than that but the déjà-vu feeling (with a different make-up) spoils half of the fun. Also it seems a bit too stretched out for what it is supposed to be, luckily the jests and the action peaks save it, even though the last one was a bit too confusing. Sadly, the proof that it's a cash movie is that the actors are professional but with no spark, the most commitment coming from the antagonist.

Elysium

Acting: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

There are a lot of aspects in this movie that seem well thought through, but the problem is that others aren't that much. For one there are a couple of flaws in the logic of it, then there's the filming  which can get a bit to much 'in your face'. On the acting side, the big names do their job, 'Kruger' is impressive in his evilish way, the rest are decent. 20 more minutes would not have been bad to develop stuff a little further.

Kick-Ass 2

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 3.5/5

The raunchy and violent humor is still here, but dosing up the emotion even as a superhero story spoof complicates things. On top the acting with some exceptions (mainly Carrey, Moretz and Mintz-Plasse) is average and there are a couple of moments where the thin line of 'too much' is crossed; so making a sequel is still difficult. But don't get me wrong the action scenes and most dialogs including the forementioned actors are more than enough to keep you laughing.

Red 2

Acting: 4/5
Story: 2.5/5
Perception: 3/5
Rating: 3/5

The second sequel this month that tries to use the uniqueness of the first installment but who falls a bit short. The strange directorial choices in pace changing and scene hopping did quite a damage. And this time it is the actors who save the show, leading with John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, who bring it home smoothly.

9 Mois Ferme

Acting: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

The French touch: A mix of various types of crazy humor and of sincere emotional moments. There are some quick shifts but this can be overlooked, plus the actors do a very nice job.

July '13 Movies Digest

This one has almost everything...Blockbuster, Family Movie, Independent Film, Wannabe Comedy...

Despicable Me 2

Wits: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4/5

A good sequel that may seem a bit funnier than its predecessor. The story in itself is less original compared to the first one, but you have to grant the creators the courage of doing something that many sequels generated by box-office success don't and that is changing the framework. Anyway the big step forward was the development of the minion humor into more elaborated bits. Now I'm waiting for their own movie to come out in 2014.

Tower Heist

Acting: 3/5
Story: 1.5/5
Perception: 2/5
Rating: 2/5

An average comedy that has some funny moments, but not enough to make it be more than mediocre.

Pacific Rim

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

'Huge!' would be a good one word description for this movie. But a good 'Huge!'. It was exactly what I was expecting it to be: a treat for the eyes and ears of those who enjoy this kind of sfx spectacle. In addition, the whole context setup and back story was created and implemented neatly. The onscreen story is not one of the most original, holding some of the cliches of a 'catastrophe movie' but in the end they all do. On the human side Idris Elba is perfect and the rest of the crew are more than decent. One may argue with the caricature-like scientists but they bring some comic relief and I think that they're there to show that the movie doesn't take itself 100% seriously.

The East

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

A quite intense feature with a moralizing message. The story is solid with some interesting twists, and the actors are decent. So it can be a good alternative to the usual blockbusters.

The Wolverine

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

It is a lot better than the origin movie, but still not as good as most of the X-Men movies. As expected Jackman carries the whole thing and he's good at his job. Plus the scenes are well put together. But, there are a couple of issues of consistency, and unfortunately they're not to be overseen. Also, there's something that will need fixing for the next movie, which by the way is teased in a rather cool way at mid-credits.

June '13 Movies Digest

A short month...but not a bad one...

The Usual Suspects

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4.5/5

A not-so-classical but very well executed cop mystery movie. Kevin Spacey produces a brilliant narrating performance.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

It seems that sequels are able to reach their expectations more and more often. Ok, this one had like The Dark Kinght the huge advantage of a brilliant villain. Cumberbatch simply kills it. Nontheless, Quinto's Spock is also solid, and the rest of them are good with the exception of the Admiral. On the blockbuster side, they did a very neat job,  but maybe exagerated a bit on the lens flares. In my opinion, some of the emotional moments could be a bit cut off, since the follow-up isn't so much of a mystery. Anyway, as I've said, the 'Dark'-themed sequels are worth it.

Man of Steel

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

The best Superman movie so far...but that doesn't mean that much. First of all, it's done by Snyder so the movie is very visual, up to a point where it gets even overwhelming. Another thing a bit on the down side is the story which is quite linear with no crucial inner dilemmas and some editing quacks. But there are a lot of neat stuff, besides the sensorial feast, the whole character description and the actors that do a nice job. A solid popcorn flick!

May '13 Movies Digest

Another short one...waiting for the summer movies!

Iron Man 3

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 3.5/5

Definitely better than the second one, but with the same types of plot holes and quick fixes. On the plus side there are more twists. Also Ben Kinsley kills it, RDJ keeps it to his name and the rest of the cast has an honorable performance. Maybe it would have been better to cut the comic relief by 20% because at certain points it clashes a bit too much with the context. In the end it can even be considered the best issue so far, depends on the tastes, but surely it is entertaining, even with the totally useless 3D.

Trance

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

Solid mystery movie that builds up at a nice pace, There are a couple of weak spots in the plot, but nothing fatal, and the quite surprinsing twists make up for them. Neat job from the cast. In the end it can be a bit of a brain tease but far from Inception.

Les Seigneurs

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 1.5/5
Perception: 2.5/5
Rating: 2.5/5

The idea behind the movie is quite uninteresting but the cast got me to watch it. And with some funny moments every now and then I went through until the end.

April '13 Movies Digest

Quite a slow one...

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

A cute and emotional piece of cinematography. It had some fragments that were (too) blurry (in understanding and execution), but the whole story fell very well into place; and the kids do a great job (especially the flamboyant Ezra Miller)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Acting: 4/5
Story: 5/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 4/5

The movie that prepared the ground for the more known 'Snatch'; and it did it very well. Maybe some parts are a bit choppy and the editing isn't perfect, but the rendition and the whole convoluted plot are amazing.

Killing Them Softly

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 1/5
Perception: 2.5/5
Rating: 2.5/5

Brad Pitt, Gandolfini, Ray Liotta in a hit-man mobster movie...what can go wrong?!?! You make a slow dialog-based movie, with less than 10 memorable lines. The only things that brighten the situation are the soundtrack and a couple of sweet action shots.

March '13 Movies Digest

It started low...but it finished quite nicely.

Premium Rush

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Perception: 3/5
Rating: 3/5

There are a few things that are good about this movie: the slightly original premise, the high pace, JGL and some editing tweaks. But there are bad parts as well, the over exaggerated clichés and plot parts and the ludicrousness of the antagonist, especially. In conclusion it is an almost decent popcorn flick, but not more.

Cosmopolis

Acting: 2.5/5
Story: 1.5/5
Perception: 1/5
Rating: 1.5/5

One of the, if not the weirdest film I've seen. I know that the purpose was to tackle the current socioeconomic situation in a very unconventional and complex way. Personally I enjoy movies where you have scratch your head more than a bit, but this one is so twisted that I could bang it against a wall and still not understand why things were happening and where the story was going (besides from 'getting a haircut'). So, if you have any explanation feel free to jump in.

Oz the Great and Powerful

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 3.5/5

This movie offers a good time, it is highly aesthetic and quite catchy. But I was very disappointed by Glinda, and some of the thrills were a bit too much. Luckily, Franco does a top notch job and Zach Braff is always a welcomed presence.

Rise of the Guardians

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 3.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

Visually, to the date,  this movie is on the average side on a 2D screen, with its very choppy design. But it has a lot of heart, and will reach out deep for the kid inside of you. And, thanks to Jude Law, it probably has one of the best voiced negative characters.

Cloud Atlas

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4.5/5

A highly entwined story, through characters, locations and centuries, that reminded my a bit of The Fountain. But this one is more complex, and you might need to be fully concentrated the whole time, in order to catch all the details between the story-line jumps. At first the movie may seem long, but in the end with the whole six plots, there's just enough time for everything to develop. The multifaceted characters are very well interpreted; small personal gripe: very few of them show different character traits from one age to another. On a similar note, the make-up team did an impressive job creating a small game of 'Where's Waldo', probably with the exception of the Neo Seoul segment where things seem a bit forced.

Serenity

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5

This movie is the consolation prize for all the Firefly fans. And it does things very well. The crew kept their chemistry, the witty comebacks are still on the menu and the story has a neat pace. Maybe the camera actions had a couple of tweaks, plus, personally I was emotionally disappointed by some events, and some of the questions still remained unanswered, but it's almost the best that could be done in 2 hours. A sequel maybe?

February '13 Movie Digest

A little bit of this, some more of that...

Seven Psychopaths

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 2.5/5
Rating: 3.5/5

I was a bit disappointed by this one. The story and the cast have a positive craziness potential to make the movie more than interesting, but there is something in the filming which is not appealing to my taste. There are several long-winded moments that in the purpose of creating a artsy tension, slow everything down

Lincoln

Acting: 5/5
Story: 4/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

Historic movies are not my usual thing, but this one was definitely worth it. It has good dynamics, witty dialogues and the actors delivery is close to perfection. The fact that the plot was focused on the political aspects behind the passing of the 13th amendment was a good choice in my opinion. Besides the dynamics is well sustained mainly through the political debate, which impressively replaces the physical dynamics.

Silver Linings Playbook

Acting: 4/5
Story: 3.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

A rom-dramedy that has a couple of additional layers. Adding the good acting, you get a more than enjoyable movie (with some small unexplained/undeveloped details). By the way, Jennifer Lawrence found her trademark in the emotionally challenged characters.

Hotel Transylvania

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

A wannabe but not so uncommon setup for an animated teen movie, but in the end it was quite fun.

Gangster Squad

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

The movie seems to be a comic strip, with brief shots and short dialogues. On top of that, the slo-mo scenes were not that useful, with a couple of cool exceptions. If you add the acting which is just ok, when it could have been a lot more and the plot shortcuts, it doesn't come out that well. Luckily the action is intense enough and there are some sweet moments and some witty comebacks to save it.

Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe

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

A film mostly intended for Burn Notice aficionados. The entire picture is done in a 'Sam Axe' style, which at times can be humorously forced. But in the end it isn't that bad.

January '13 Movies Digest

Starting the year on an action note

Total Recall

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

I've never seen the original Total Recall, so this won't come out of a comparison. The movie is an OK action feature. It hasn't any complex development in the story, only the linear evolution of mysterious lead character. The cast had a more than decent performance, with a very convincing Beckinsale. On the visual part, I have to complain about some sequences that had the flow and the camera action of video games which I didn't find particularly pleasant.

Django Unchained

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

A new Tarantino, faithful to its name. But even with all its twisted view and crazy turnovers, it is the actors performance that dazzled me. And my favorites out of this quad aces are Waltz and Sam Jackson, who kill in every second of screen time. If I was to nitpick, and I'm doing it, I would say that the movie is not that action-packed as one might expect and that some moments seem pretty slow. It's only a couple of them, but I felt it. Anyway when it's showdown, it really gives no quarter.

Butter

Acting: 3.5/5
Story: 2.5/5
Perception: 2.5/5
Rating: 3/5

A funny-ish concept in its absurdity. The execution is average especially in the plot connections and scene transitions. The actors do their job decently, especially Olivia Wilde (with all the irony), but Ty Burrell seemed in my opinion underused.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Acting: 4/5
Story: 4.5/5
Perception: 4/5
Rating: 4/5

If I would have to choose a word to describe the general note of the movie, it would be: professional. Everything (acting, filming, editing...) is very well done, but  there is nothing that really impressed me. The best example is Rooney Mara's impersonation of Lisbeth, it is a spotless performance, but something was still missing. In the end, this a very good, somewhat deranged, mystery/thriller.