Side Effects (2013)

Directed: Steven Soderbergh
Country: USA

Review: Soderbergh is known for not clinging to the same style or approach two times in a row. After the flamboyant “Magic Mike” or the experiment-on-action “Haywire”, he returns to the thriller genre with “Side Effects”, a film more in the line of “Contagion” but replacing the sci-fi factor for a psychological one. To tell the truth, “Side Effects” worked better than any of the movies mentioned before, mostly due to three aspects: unpredictability of the plot, stable pace with no low or weak moments, and precision in storytelling. The story centers in a woman with a long history of depression, who murders her husband. Having been medicated with a new antidepressant, she claims not to remember having committed the act. A question arises: is she guilty of a conscious homicide or a mere victim of medicine side effects? Soderbergh expressed his versatility through designed camera plans and magnificent close-ups, highlighting the coldness of the characters, but never neglecting the gripping atmosphere. Reliable side effects are guaranteed from watching this one.

Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012)

Directed by: Billy Bob Thornton
Country: USA / Russia

Review: It’s clear that Billy Bob Thornton is more successful in front of the camera than behind it. 1996’s “Sling Blade” is an exception to this fact, where he was brilliant on both sides. After 11 years without directing, he is back with “Jayne Mansfield’s Car”, a film with respected intentions despite of a somewhat messy plot. A woman’s funeral will join two families together in Alabama, one American and one English. Curiously, both of them have common problems that drag on for some time. Billy Bob creates its own vision on father-son relationships in addition to war traumas, but I believe this could have been done without a forced plot and using a less restrained execution. Most of the scenes didn't take advantage from the underlying tension created. It was a shame that the movie hadn’t totally assumed the weirdness suggested in some moments, opting instead for a more formulaic approach. Positive aspects: the performances, and Robert Duvall's magnificent trip on LSD. Recommended with reservations.

Dormant Beauty (2012)

Directed by: Marco Bellocchio
Country: Italy / France

Review: Veteran filmmaker Marco Bellocchio has always been relegated to a second plan, although he had presented us with some good films in the past, which were the cases of “Fists In The Pocket”, “Good Morning, Night”, “My Mother’s Smile” or “Vincere”. All of them, in one way or another, evinced political, social, religious or moral considerations. “Dormant Beauty” mixes all these aspects to deal with death, including the sensitive matter of euthanasia, but failed to surprise. The film sought inspiration in the real case of Eluana Englaro, an Italian woman who won the right to die after being 17 years in a vegetative state, to depict three different stories concerning the legitimacy of putting an end to a human life. Bellocchio shows in a taciturn way, how painful this can be for those who lost the joy of living, as well as for the people around them. Unstable and unemotional, "Dormant Beauty" counts with good performances but doesn't add anything relevant to the matters in question.

No (2012)

Directed by: Pablo Larraín
Country: Chile / France / USA

Review: Pablo Larraín deserves a place of merit among contemporary filmmakers. “Tony Manero” and “Post Mortem” confirm that. “No” represents a turning point on his career, since the movies mentioned above had obsession as theme, while this one is purely political. It covers the 1988’s advertising campaigns in Chile, in a time that the country was preparing to decide about the continuity of dictator Pinochet as president. Gael Garcia Bernal is the protagonist, playing a visionary advertiser that led the campaign of No against fear, not without some of it due to the threats received. Its start was not so strong, but the film evolved resolutely towards the overpowering final moments. “No” was able to depict the atmosphere lived in Chile at that time: the machinations, the intimidations, the suspicions, the thoughts, and the relentless anxiety or fear. A strange, dazzling light was used within a simple direction, in a respectable film where the ideas reign in detriment of technical details.

Naked Harbour (2012)

Directed by: Aku Louhimies
Country: Finland

Review: “Naked Harbour” gathers a bunch of characters to depict several different stories set in Vuosaari, a neighborhood in the city of Helsinki. Aku Louhimies put grown-ups and kids to interact in distinct problematic situations. All depicted with gloominess, we have: a couple of junkies with debts and no food, a divorced mother struggling with cancer, a married man who can’t put his sexual life in order and finds a lover, a bullied boy and his mother, a father who is obsessed with losing weight and torments his son, a 16-year old girl who lives with her dad and doesn’t want to be ordinary, and finally an American guy who goes to Finland to give some lectures. The stories are about love and pursuit for recognition, but all of them include a prolonged heaviness and cruelty, just to bring some indulgence and self-pity in the end at the sound of Robbie Williams’ “Feel”. Joyful moments aren’t abundant in a depressing film that carries ‘I can cope with my life’ as purpose.

Robot And Frank (2012)

Directed by: Jake Shreier
Country: USA

Review: “Robot & Frank” is a futuristic comedy depicting an unlikely association between a man and a robot to perpetrate some criminal actions. Frank lives alone and is having problems with his memory. So, his son offers him a robot to help cleaning the house and make healthy food. Frank gets mad in the beginning but then has the brilliant idea to use the robot on what he does best: burglary. Frank Langella has a compelling performance as a compulsive thief, but Shreier’s first film has its flaws. Why Frank wasn’t arrested right away when it got proved that he had broke into the library to steal a precious book? The film’s development was time-consuming and not particularly funny, with the story starting to get a bit warmer after an hour. I cannot say this is a bad movie; its story is just not thorough enough to be remembered in its genre. Still, this robotic-crime-comedy should please those who have a taste for low-key crime films with a hint of futurism.

Warm Bodies (2013)

Directed by: Jonathan Levine
Country: USA

Review: “Warm Bodies” is an alternative to traditional zombie flicks. It consists in a post-apocalyptic romantic tale, having Julie (Teresa Palmer) and R (Nicholas Hoult) as main characters. The former belongs to the world of the living and is the daughter of the human group’s leader, while the latter is a zombie who lives in an airport inside an airplane and didn’t lose hope on coming back to life. The direction was satisfying, maintaining the focus on the course of the story without getting lost on superfluous details, which doesn’t necessarily mean that the movie has lost intensity. The characterization was also positive while the plot was the weakest aspect, with the cold dead seeing the blood running again throughout their veins. Regardless this fact, the idea behind “Warm Bodies” has to be seen purely as amusing or comical, otherwise it would look ridicule. Although this film had the potential to be better, Jonathan Levine maintains his work interesting after the successful “50/50” (2011).

Mama (2013)

Directed by: Andrés Muschietti
Country: Spain/Canada

Review: “Mama” is a horror movie directed by the debutant Andrés Muschietti and produced by his sister Barbara together with J.Miles Dale and Guillermo Del Toro as executive. Its story was based on Muschietti’s short film with the same name, released in 2008. The film has an enigmatic and catchy start, but soon we realize that it would lose itself in technical details instead of a good story. Scary moments do exist but in less number than other silly ones, sinking completely our hopes in watching something frightful and less laughable. The plot revealed to be reckless in many aspects, while the fantasy was taken to extremes, with the hand of Del Toro being evident, yet forgetting that Mama was supposed to be a sore and choleric spirit and not a giant looking like an animated cartoon. Jessica Chastain presented charisma while the little girl Lilly, played by the young Isabelle Nélisse, was the scariest in her look and behavior. A rather uneven paranormal tale.

Rhino Season (2012)

Directed by: Bahman Ghobadi
Country: Iran/Turkey

Review: Bahman Ghobadi went to Turkey to shoot “Rhino Season”, an introspective political thriller with lyrical tones and a very particular pace. 30 years ago, during the Iranian Revolution, Sahel Farzan, a Kurdish-Iranian poet was arrested due to his harmless non-political book entitled “Rhino’s Last Poetry”. His wife’s driver, who was in love with her, made a false accusation driven by envy. Released from prison, Farzan departs to Istambul to search for his wife who believes he has been dead for 20 years. Direction and photography are sublime in this story replete of metaphors. The end is open to multiple interpretations, but it’s clear that Ghobadi wants to show that Iran’s regime is drowning the creativity of its own artists and with that, is also sinking itself. There is no other alternative than to leave a country more and more intolerant to self-expression and parched in its ideas. “Rhino Season” is tragic and evinces a deep sadness and pain... a tough reality for all the oppressed Iranian artists.

Modest Reception (2012)

Directed by: Mani Haghighi
Country: Iran

Review: “Modest Reception” has a turbulent starting. The frenetic jazz heard at the opening credits, soon gives place to an effusive scene involving a strange couple and a checkpoint soldier. This couple simply decided to make a trip to a mountain region and deliver bags full of money to random people. Without knowing their motives or intentions, we just follow the reactions to this unlikely offer. Some people are completely indifferent; others are greedy; some others act suspicious, having to be persuaded to accept the money. Although obscure, the story provokes us somehow. The couple’s behavior denotes some madness, since they seem to enjoy what they’re doing but at the same time can’t hide an enraged personality. Alternating among humor, seriousness and some humiliation, "Modest Reception" simply shows us how unpredictably people behave when confronted with money. A radical experience with an unclear conclusion.

The Wise Kids (2011)

Directed by: Stephen Cone
Country: USA

Review: “The Wise Kids” tells the story of three teenagers who are about to leave their hometown in South Carolina to enter University. All of them are members of a youth group in a Baptist Church and are struggling with their faith in different ways. Brea is a sensible girl, who became restless about her beliefs; Laura needs constant attention, being an example of Christian devotion; Tim is openly gay and very conscious of what he wants. Their families appear just enough times for us to perceive the kind of atmosphere they are experiencing at home. Strangely, the conflicts among the characters are brief; the scenes flow from one to another with a sort of lightness without emphasize the arguments. Tension is presented more as an interior struggle through questions and doubts, or expressions of unhappiness and discomfort. “The Wise Kids” chose a graceful approach to connect sexuality and faith issues in a sincere and intelligent way. 

Stand Up Guys (2012)

Directed by: Fisher Stevens
Country: USA

Review: Entertaining, is the best way to describe "Stand Up Guys", a movie that joins Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin as three ex-gangsters who meet again after 28 years. Val (Pacino), gotten out of prison, demands party all night long with everything he misses most: drugs, alcohol, women and dancing. He will be escorted by his best friend Doc (Walken), who was tasked with a cruel assignment before he retires. He will have to kill Val, following the orders given by a dreaded headman. Arkin plays a small role as driver, but introduces some zippy moments in a crucial phase of the story, turning it more vibrant. Among some laughable moments (mostly about nostalgia for the old times or sexual desire and performance), sporadic action and a handful of trivial jokes, “Stand Up Guys” will not leave its mark but is perfectly appropriate for a relaxed watching, not requiring attention to details or complex analysis about its simple story.

London - The Modern Babylon (2012)

Directed by: Julien Temple
Country: UK

Review: Julien Temple is commonly associated to musical projects. His documentaries and music videos included big names of rock such as Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones or David Bowie. In this film he makes a tribute to his hometown, showing the best and worse of the city by digging in its past and present. The process consisted in the aggregation of archive imagery, Londoners’ comments and a lot of representative music, making reference to several bands and styles. Carefully edited in order to portray the city with the right ambience and look, the film condenses more than a century in 125 minutes. Racism, violence and prejudice were predominant within a multi-cultural environment in constant transformation. Among joys, sorrows and some nostalgia, the film provided us with so much information that sometimes was difficult to absorb it completely. Yet, it never became boring in its quirky way and hasty rhythm.

Promised Land (2012)

Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Country: USA

Review: "Promised Land" addresses environmental issues in a predictable and melancholic way. Steve (Matt Damon) and Sue (Francis McDormand) work for a Natural Gas company and were entrusted with the tough mission of collecting drilling authorizations from the land owners of a small town in Pennsylvania. Once there, they will find difficulties with some skeptical dwellers and with a newly arrived activist who claims that the land will be condemned to destruction if the drillings occur. Surrounding this story, we are faced with an indispensable love affair, terrible karaoke moments, some gatherings in pubs, a lot of lectures about millions of dollars, and some unconvincing twists and turns. “Promised Land” is torpid in its development and despite its good intentions, turned out completely unemotional. Van Sant needed some kind of trick to win us over, just as the gas company did in the film.

Hitchcock (2012)

Directed by: Sacha Gervasi
Country: USA

Review: For those who hoped to see Alfred Hitchcock’s whole life depicted here, their expectations will be dashed, since this picture only unveils the period involving the making of “Psycho”, one of his most influential films. The initial idea after reading Robert Bloch’s novel soon became an obsession, with the English filmmaker having to find financing for his own movie while the press and movie industry loaded him with pressure. The movie also emphasizes his vision, leadership, humor and a strange fascination for blonde actresses. As he struggled with his creative side, Hitchcock also went through a marital crisis when his wife Alma started to flirt with Whitfield Cook, an opportunist writer. Anthony Hopkins, despite the great performance, didn’t look like Hitchcock. We can’t say this is a thrilling docudrama, but spreads charm with some tasteful details. Perhaps it would have benefited if shot on black-and-white.

Gangster Squad (2012)

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Country: USA

Review: "Gangster Squad" assembles a great cast in Ruben Fleischer’s disastrous cinematic experiment on crime. The story is old, consisting in a police squad whose mission is preventing L.A. from being controlled by a criminal named Mickey Cohen. In general the performances were decent and it wasn’t for them that the movie didn’t work out. What made this a bad movie were the unnumbered clichés, prolonged gaudy scenes with machine guns, gratuitous violence and a story that didn’t show anything new when compared with other more enticing alternatives from the past. The assorted members of the squad seemed carefully selected to look like comic superheroes: an obsessive man whose wife is pregnant, other who fell in love with the villain’s woman, an expert with pistols, an expert with knives, an expert with communications and a Mexican. Some good gags and body fights were not enough to make this film a gratifying choice.

A Late Quartet (2012)

Directed by: Yaron Zilberman
Country: USA

Review: After almost 25 years playing together, the Fugue String Quartet starts to rehearsal for the new season, but this time it won’t be as tranquil as before. The problems start when Peter (Christopher Walken) is diagnosed with Parkinson and ponders to leave. Robert (Seymour Hoffman) and Juliette (Catherine Keener) are facing problems in their marriage, while Daniel (Mark Ivanir) is accused of being the group’s manipulator and rigid in his musical processes. To aggravate the situation, he starts a relationship with the daughter of his colleagues. The situations were addressed in a serious way, conveying realism and authenticity, yet some of them have a tendency for melodramatic. If at least Yaron Zilberman had avoided this aspect, the film would become even more inviting. Fortunately, this predisposition for sadness didn’t remove the warmness and human side shown on every relationship and performance.

Celeste And Jesse Forever (2012)

Directed by: Lee Toland Krieger
Country: USA

Review: ‘Separated but good friends for life’ is the premise of “Celeste & Jesse Forever”, the third feature film from Lee Toland Krieger. Celeste and Jesse are married but living separately for quite some time. They are best friends since High School and share a lot of their lives with each other in a daily basis, taking advantage from the fact of being neighbors. This somewhat uncommitted relationship will be put at stake when Jesse announces he will be a dad and wants to divorce. Some funny situations worked well but it was on the dramatic side that Krieger made his higher bet. However, the good performances couldn’t make this story particularly interesting. It tried to convey a natural and unpretentious posture but it wasn’t always successful in its intents. The plot goes round and round in circles, trying to wrap every scene in smoothness while continues to extend the inevitable conclusions. Just for enthusiasts of sweet romantic dramas.

Sonja And The Bull (2012)

Directed by: Vlatka Vorkapic
Country: Croatia

Review: Vlatka Vorkapic wrote and directed “Sonja and The Bull” after two decades on documentaries, shorts and TV series. Sonja is a fierce activist whose interview against bull fighting given to a local TV, upset the inhabitants of a Croatian countryside village. Two of the villagers then decided to make a very strange bet, which required Sonja’s presence to confront a bull. One bettor ordered his son to fetch her and as expected, after the initial problematic contact, a physical attraction starts to grow between them. The villagers' sneer created good impression at first, and even Sonja seemed to be a well build character, but all these expectations vanished in a blink of an eye. After 20 minutes, the story degenerated into dull situations and predictable moves, never to recover again. Goronja, the bull, ended up being the most interesting protagonist in a colorless story that failed to engage.

Wrong (2012)

Directed by: Quentin Dupieux
Country: USA

Review: “Wrong” adopts an anarchic posture and a surreal mood to tell the story of Dolph, an unemployed man who keeps going to work and is looking for his missing dog. The movie spills nonsense situations in such a rhythm that the laughs from the beginning soon are transformed in fatigue and apathy. I am imagining how uncomplicated must be to write a plot like this. One just have to start with a basis story and then drown it in multiple subplots, writing the most absurd things that came to his mind without much concerns. But wait! Perhaps I’m being too harsh here. Some situations really made me laugh, like the phone call to the pizza store or Dolph’s friend who cannot admit he jogs. Watching this film can be compared to eating an overstuffed sandwich. Even if you like the ingredients, you can’t taste them properly. “Wrong” is messy and repetitive in its approach. Rather intriguing but hardly satisfactory.