American Mary (2012)

Directed by: Jen Soska / Sylvia Soska
Country: Canada

Review: The Canadian horror film “American Mary” follows the grisly story of Mary Mason, once a brilliant medical student who dropped out of the course after being drugged and sexually abused by her medical school’s instructor. Before that, and allured by easy money, she had involved herself with the underworld of nightclubs and sex industry, and that fact allowed her to have the first illicit experience as surgeon when her services were required for a body modification. Impelled by an eagerness of revenge, Mary will fall into the dark world of torture and murder, at the same time that gains popularity online with clandestine surgeries, becoming known as Bloody Mary, a real expert of chop and sew. Since its earliest scenes that I didn’t feel connected with this story, where the surgical operations were the only motive to impress, and not for good reasons. The occasional fractions of humor thrown in by Soska sisters didn’t work out, and the same happened with the poorly written script, which was never able to excite or create any kind of fear. Some scenes of torture were very close to those presented in Takashi Miike’s “Ichi The Killer”, while the bizarre ‘dolls’ caused some apprehension due to their freaky aspect. This is a shallow study of a psychotic predator that can be compared to a terrible hangover caused by a few sour ‘Bloody Maries’!

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Country: USA / Australia

Review: This modern version of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s great classic, directed by the always colorful but often exaggerated Baz Luhrman (“Romeo+Juliet”, “Moulin Rouge”), became a victim of its own ambitions. DiCaprio worked with Luhrmann for the second time in his career, but didn’t convince as Gatsby, who should have been played by some actor with much more mature aspect, like Robert Redford did in the 1974 version, directed by Jack Clayton. This Gatsby seemed to me more sociable and open than it was expected, with DiCaprio being incapable to pass the sensation of a mysterious and reserved man. Tobey Maguire’s performance as Nicky Carraway, ended up being the most noteworthy performance of this tragic love story. Luhrmann’s approach fell somewhere amidst the traditional and modern, creating a distorted image of a time, which was represented with an excess of baroque details, fancy technology on visuals, and a contemporary soundtrack that nothing has to do with the story of an ex-veteran of war that suddenly became an enigmatic millionaire. As positive aspects we have: the eccentric and well-choreographed dances, and the costume designs, which fell short to create the intended emotional impact.

Frances Ha (2012)

Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Country: USA

Review: “Frances Ha” is the 7th film from Noah Baumbach, a filmmaker accustomed to explore the drama genre with good portions of humor, as he did with “The Squid And The Whale”, “Margot And The Wedding”, or “Greenberg”. In his new film, the writing credits were shared with the actress Greta Herwig, who was awesome in the main role. The story is about Frances, a 27 year-old woman originally from Sacramento, who left her family behind to live in New York City. But life is not being generous there. Frances is trying to get a permanent job position in a dancing school where she is apprentice, but the owner is cutting her services off; she also left her boyfriend to stay in an apartment with her best friend Sophie, but her plans were thwarted when Sophie moves to another apartment and they stop seeing each other; without money to pay the rent, she finds a new apartment to share, but even this solution is expensive, and Frances had to move to a dorm, struggling to find herself and a path that leads her to happiness. As observer, it was quite clear that she needed a pause to think in her life and settle down ideas, but will this be so clear to the one involved? Baumbach’s choice for black-and-white didn’t bring major benefits, in a story that lacks tension in the conventional way that we are used to see, but conveys an attractive lightness and sweetness to depict a friendship that feels real.

The Best Offer (2012)

Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore
Country: Italy

Review: Tornatore, best known for his masterpiece “Cinema Paradiso” and responsible for other remarkable films such as “Pure Formality” or “The Legend of 1900”, presents us a curious but ultimately disappointing heist thriller named “The Best Offer”, featuring a Geoffrey Rush in a very good shape. The story follows Virgil Oldman (Rush), a famous and inaccessible auctioneer of antique art, who unexpectedly becomes obsessed with Claire (Sylvia Hoeks), a mysterious client who was always absent due to suffering from agoraphobia. Tornatore shows to know how to set the right mood, filming with refinement and presenting an interesting direction, but sadly the plot revealed too obvious twists to engage. The quarrels and reconciliations between Virgil and Claire, especially before they met in person, never gave the impression of real, and after an hour of ups and downs, the boredom took care of me. I became impatient, waiting for something that could surprise me somehow, and being able to figure out all the characters’ schemes, within a plot too overcooked and often lost in flimsy situations. Even the moments of voyeurism, which usually cause expectation, were ineffective. “The Best Offer” proves a skillful Tornatore behind the cameras but in need of a more accurate and enthralling screenwriting.

Black Rock (2012)

Directed by: Katie Aselton
Country: USA

Review: “Black Rock” emerged from the collaboration between Katie Aselton (direction and acting) and her husband Mark Duplass (screenplay), being an uninteresting exercise on horror thriller. The film is about three childhood friends who decide to set up a girls’ weekend in a remote island to bring their friendship back on solid terms. Provided with improvised hand-drawn maps, as in a real treasure hunt, they would be ready for a pleasant adventure, if three men didn’t have crossed their path. This unfortunate encounter will leave traces of blood and death. The script didn’t exactly show imagination or smartness, making the film fall in banal territory. Its execution was another problem, since the majority of the scenes evinced a comic dullness, seeming completely apart of the realism that its duo of creators had aspired. The arguments among the girls were trivial; the survival strategies looked like as if it were coming from kids; while the physical fights weren't genuine, giving a false impression of fierceness. Feminists may find it brave, but the brainless hunt depicted in “Black Rock” was incapable to catch, provoke, or intimidate, becoming a total waste of time.

Before Midnight (2013)

Directed by: Richard Linklater
Country: USA

Review: Nine years after “Before Sunset”, the relationship between Celine and Jesse proceed, in a more mature perspective, but maintaining the same involvement, intimacy, and romanticism as before. The innumerable arguments concerning the mid-life crisis that the couple is going through are done in a natural and funny way. Just like in the two other prequels, the dialogues are absolutely fantastic and so well conceived that is quite impossible to be detached from what is going on with this charismatic couple. The conversations about work, children, sexual life, move abroad, and past events, seem so real that very few films can compare to it, in terms of credibility. It was delightfully charming when Celine, completely pissed off, leaves the Greek hotel with her bag in one hand and her panties in the other. In the end, the rapprochement was accurate, delicate, and witty, culminating in a great moment of sincerity and true passion. Richard Linklater didn’t forget how to do it, using warm and simplified shots, but he couldn’t have made such accomplishment without the tremendous performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, who also helped writing the screenplay. This is a powerful example of non-manipulative cinema, where every character strives to be as close as possible of an intimate reality without forcing the situations. And they do that with amazing distinctiveness.

7 Boxes (2012)

Directed by: Juan Carlos Maneglia / Tana Schembori
Country: Paraguay

Review: In this Paraguayan film directed by the duo Maneglia & Schembori (their second feature film), we follow the adventures of Victor, a 17 year-old boy who was assigned to deliver seven mysterious boxes with an unknown content. Helped by his friend Liz, he will go on a crazy ride through alleys and strange places of Mercado #4 in Assunción, being chased by several men whose goal is to take hold of the boxes. Painted with vivid brush strokes, and denoting a hasty pace and funny tone, “7 Boxes” is a rousing movie that shows the art of cunning in a claustrophobic ambience, where everybody steals and is stolen. We realize that no one is innocent here; crooks, police, or common people, are all connected in obscure deals involving money, cell phones, or any other goods that might have economical expression. Even with some stereotyped scenes, the film doesn’t rest in pointless situations and never loses its agitated involvement. It was capable of taking a coherent path without losing its focus despite the huge amount of things happening at the same time, like crimes, briberies, chasings, quarrels, romance, and even childbirth. With a finger pointed to social-economical issues, I can say that this is a sort of chaotic mess that works fine, capturing all the heat and colors of a city that never stops.

Domestic (2012)

Directed by: Adrian Sitaru
Country: Romania

Review: “Domestic” is a Romanian comedy with touches of drama, which tries to create funny scenarios of homely coexistence between people and animals. Divided in two different parts that I couldn’t differentiate in terms of relevance and interest, the film is a muddle of parents-sons relationships, collected animals, law matters, reconciliations, death, and many unconnected dialogues among family members, which involve UFO’s, technology, tourism, religious matters, odd dreams, and many more. Sitaru’s way of filmmaking wasn't unfavorable, reminding me the 80’s, but the floating concept used in the plot could have been funnier if not so insistent on continual discussions between kids and their parents regarding the animals, which vary from rabbits, hens, cats, dogs and pigeons. In these discussions, everybody speaks at the same time, creating a surprising effect at first, but soon becoming annoying. Adrift and lacking real funny moments, “Domestic” showed dispersion on its characters’ delineation, leaving me in a state of apathy most of the time. This tale of life and death is nothing but a Noah’s ark condemned to sink.

Picture Day (2013)

Directed by: Kate Miles Melville
Country: Canada

Review: “Picture Day” is a well-intended, yet modest coming-of-age tale about 18 year-old Claire (Tatiana Maslany), an irreverent girl who is repeating the last year of High School. Known for missing classes and having promiscuous sexual adventures, Claire escapes from her boring quotidian life by hanging out with Jim (Steven McCarthy), a 33 year-old rock singer she met in a concert. Simultaneously, she finds out that Henry (Spencer Van Wyck), a genius boy whom she used to babysit when he was a kid, attends the same school and just like her, is a sort of an outcast. They become true friends after smoking a joint together,  helping each other from then on, in problems so identifiable with adolescence. Newcomer director Kate Melville creates a realistic scenario of irreverent youth with predictable romanticism, where the weight of different family backgrounds can be sensed in the way that the main characters reacted to the responsibilities of growing up. A direct and delicate approach was assumed, in a mildly entertaining film that despite clear in its message, seemed too distant to involve.

A Few Hours Of Spring (2012)

Directed by: Stéphane Brizé
Country: France

Review: “A Few Hours Of Spring” is a compelling drama that depicts the relationship between Alain, an ex-con man who is trying to rebuild his life from the ground, and his mother, Ivétte, who is struggling with cancer. After 18 months in prison, Alain had to return temporarily to his mother’s place, but there is a visible distance between them, with every attempt of conversation ending up in a quarrel. Upset and frustrated with his life,  Alain leaves home and asks for shelter in a neighbor’s. Before that, he found out that his mother had signed the papers to die without suffering in Switzerland by assisted suicide. I felt a great joy when the pride of mother and son eventually fades out and they reconnect again, even if the means that made it possible have been reproachable. This is a powerful film from a psychological point of view; a bittersweet story, which conveys not only a heaviness that is naturally associated to its theme, but also the beauty of understanding and forgiveness. The nominated for French César awards, Vincent Lindon and Hélène Vincent, were memorable in their roles, in a movie that has the honesty as its main strength. The excruciating final moments crushed my heart, though, despite the uneasiness you might feel, the idea of a calm and comfortable departure is rewarding.

Spring Breakers (2012)

Directed by: Harmony Korine
Country: USA

Review: Harmony Korine, the writer of Larry Clark’s emblematic movies about youth, “Kids” and “Ken Park”, presents us a new story that he directed himself, giving us a very somber idea of what a Spring Break may become, especially if we consider the unbalanced personality of its characters. Korine creates hypnotic and provocative images at the sound of hip-hop, to portray the story of four student girls who decide to break their monotony by robbing a restaurant in order to fulfill their whimsical urge of having real fun at spring break. In truth, their eagerness for action will be put to test after an encounter with Alien, a ruthless gangster whose honesty about himself left some of the girls even more excited. As usual, Korine’s writing was meant to shock us continually, but this time any attempt of making a psychological study was hampered by its own excesses. The film is too repetitive in its saturated images and torpid words, never reaching the depth wanted. This formulaic and too stylized approach was able to allure us occasionally for what was going on, but then came some moments of pure dullness, like when Alien sang a song by Britney Spears, showing his romantic side. "Spring Breakers" has not much to offer beyond cheap madness and a stylish presentation of the underworld of crime that rarely reached satisfactory levels.

Disconnect (2012)

Directed by: Henry Alex Rubin
Country: USA

Review: After two documentaries, director Henry Alex Rubin has a promising start on fiction with a story written by Andrew Stern. The film's structure is familiar, consisting in four different stories that intersect one another at some point, with the single purpose to show how the disconnection among people may lead to tragic consequences. The idea is bold, and the truth is that Rubin did a great job, presenting us the stories in such a way, that the focus and intensity in every one of them were always maintained. With a strong relation with the exposed above, the plot also makes us aware of the perils associated to modern technology through themes such as cyber bullying and Internet frauds. Although evincing melodramatic tones from time to time, “Disconnect” puts a lot of involvement on the screen, exposing the loneliness of common people who are suffering from lack of attention by the ones they trust more, even if those circumstances have been created in an unconscious manner. The performances were determinant to catch our attention, in a film that could have been better polished in terms of screenwriting, including a less obtuse conclusion in one of the stories. Nevertheless, that fact didn’t remove its strong message, which endures in our minds after watching it.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Country: USA

Review: Rigorous Mr. Spock and impulsive Captain Kirk continue their spatial adventures in “Star Trek Into Darkness”, the most engrossing film from J.J.Abrams so far. This time they reunite forces to hunt John Harrison, a member of their own crew who became a villain, revealing to have a superior intelligence and a huge capacity of resilience. Better than any kind of monster or exuberant creature, Harrison is a real human with no fancy name for a change, accused of perpetrating massive attacks in London and in Starfleet Command. Ending up captured by the starship USS Enterprise, Harrison surrenders to Captain Kirk, unveiling secrets that will incriminate other characters who would be improbable malefactors at the first thought. This sequel is a good example on how technology should be used, leading to breathtaking battles and striking action, without surpass the sense of story. Of course that the plot revealed some scenes built in common ground but its twists were more than enough to maintain the grip and cause surprise. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is a pleasurable and adventurous manhunt that accomplishes its purpose to entertain, using the vastness of space as background. From a sci-fi perspective, we cannot demand much more. I just would have made some slight adjustments on some deviations of the plot, those involving internal confrontations among the crew.

The Delay (2012)

Directed by: Rodrigo Plá
Country: Uruguay / Mexico / France

Review: After the good results obtained with “Desierto Adentro” e “La Zona”, Uruguayan-born filmmaker living in Mexico Rodrigo Plá, works once again with the screenwriter Laura Santullo. This time the story is set in Montevideo, depicting an obnoxious episode involving Maria, a single mother who works at home for a textile factory to sustain the family, and Augustin, her aged, fragile, and often forgetful father who needs care and attention.  Each day with less time to work due to her father’s condition, Maria is visibly tired and in a verge of a nervous breakdown, trying all the possible ways to get rid of him yet without success. First she tries her sister who refuses to take care of him, and then the social security services but without much hope; that’s when Maria decides to abandon him in a park bench in plain winter. “The Delay” is slow, meticulous, and emotionally strong, depicting the despair and regret of a woman who, in a moment of madness, was capable of a premeditated cruelty with disturbing cold blood. I confess that I was expecting something more from its ending, but the film deals very realistically with the problems of conscience and social gaps in a modern society. The acting by Roxana Blanco and Carlos Vallarino are worth mentioning, while the direction is aesthetically valuable with precise close-ups that easily bring out the weight of the circumstances.

Augustine (2012)

Directed by: Alice Winocour
Country: France

Review: “Augustine” is a fresh period drama that enraptures us, as much as shocks us, with its story of lust covered in gothic tones. Augustine is a simple servant of 19 years old, who has been experiencing crisis of hysteria, ending up in a hospital of the specialty with her right side completely paralyzed. She starts to be seen by professor Charcot, an expert in the disease who got intrigued with her case. His intention was to make a public demonstration of Augustine having a crisis, which would be induced through hypnosis. That way he will be able to prove that hysteria is related to a brain malfunction instead of sorcery or supernatural causes, obtaining the support of the Academy of Medicine to continue his studies. However, a secret and dangerous fascination grows slowly on both doctor and patient, leading to harmful consequences. The outstanding performances by Soko (also a singer) and Vincent Landin, one of the most complete actors coming from France, contrasted with the modest role played by Chiara Mastroianni as Charcot's wife. “Augustine” was wrote with intelligence and shot with accuracy by debutant Alice Winocur, well backed up by George Chenaptois’ keen cinematography and Jocelyn Pook's penetrating music, which were essential to achieve the impressive final results. This story of complicity, intimate secrets, opportunism, and forbidden desires, deserves to be seen, defying ethics and morals.

90 Minutes (2012)

Directed by: Eva Sorhaug
Country: Norway

Review: Eva Sorhaug’s second feature film aims to make a psychological study of three men through three different unrelated stories, which ended up in murder. The first story follows a man putting an end to his newspaper subscription and negotiating to get rid of his house. His behavior makes us suspect of financial problems and the sadness in his face is quite evident. The second story is about a disturbed man who doesn’t live with his family anymore, but keeps visiting them often. He has a strange look, and playing with his children seems to leave his ex-wife frightened. The final story depicts a shameful case of domestic violence, starting with a disgusting scene of a tied woman being raped by a man who is addicted to drugs. This is the most violent story, the most painful to watch, and slightly more interesting than the others, since we get to know a little more about the man in question. It’s hard to know what Sorhaug intended to show us with so underdeveloped characters and poor script. Broken homes? Hidden sickness? Evilness? The heavy stuff was so explicit, but the motives or what led to the actions are left aside, since nothing was said or shown about the characters’ past. Despite the vague hints that it might suggest, I got unsatisfied about the lack of depth in the characters' fabrication. The competent direction and convincing performances were the positive aspects of “90 Minutes”, a depressing and feeble analysis of three disturbing minds.

Inside (2012)

Directed by: Zeki Demirkubuz
Country: Turkey

Review: Adapted from the novel “Notes from Underground” by Dostoievsky, “Inside” takes us through a dark journey in the life of Muharrem, a restless man tied in his mundane world of pettiness, prostitutes, and loneliness. We can follow his questionable advices and conversations with Turkan, the maid of an elder neighbor who is losing his mind and constantly threatens to fire her; the fantastic speeches and dialogues in the presence of his friends whom he despise, especially Cevat, an awarded writer who he envies and accuses of being a thief of ideas; his eventual relationship with a prostitute he met after got drunk in Cevat’s party; and finally in his secretive world of paranoia, strange desires, and peculiar behaviors, which left me perplexed and intrigued. These uncomfortable situations were depicted in a Kafkian style through brilliantly photographed frames that show how tormented and fastidious was Muharrem’s existence. We could sense the suffering, every time that a close-up from his eyes showed that he had to woke up from turbulent nightmares and face the reality again. The ending unveils an exhausted man who shows to be too fragile and corrupted to recover from his existential pain and solitude. “Inside” is a poignant and devastating character-study, brightly directed by Demirkubuz, and performed with heart and passion by Engin Gunaydin.

White Elephant (2012)

Directed by: Pablo Trapero
Country: Argentina / Spain / France

Review: “White Elephant” depicts the paths taken by two priests while on mission in a poor and dangerous slum of Buenos Aires. Accurately photographed by Guillermo Nieto, the film shows the frightful conditions lived by the inhabitants of the village. Most of the population lives outraged without a decent home, protesting against governmental injustices, and involved in violence, drug consumption, and criminal gangs. Ricardo Darin and Jeremie Renier constructed their characters with sincerity, showing the constant struggle among external concerns and internal dilemmas. This is a story about the courage and determination of two men who abandoned a comfortable life to dedicate themselves to the less fortunate, becoming exposed to different kinds of dangers. Its noble principle is here dispersed on other themes such as faith, love, sacrifice, and sin, from a Christian perspective. Though likeable and interesting, some scenes didn’t put all the excitement possible, evincing some difficulties on maintaining an easy flow and denoting some ups and downs in the narrative. This clerical-narcotraffic interaction achieved its purposes, not with distinctiveness but in a satisfactory way, making us realize how wounded these souls become by witnessing so much misery.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Directed by: Shane Black
Country: USA

Review: Jon Favreau misses the direction of “The Iron Man 3” to the less experienced Shane Black (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”), with the consolation of having participated as actor in the small role of the unlucky security man Happy Hogan. The result is more and more action, but less consistency in the story, being very far from the great first movie from 2008. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) continues available and ready for action though a bit less spirited. Now he has the difficult mission of liberate his beloved Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and the American president from the hands of an evasive villain named The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), a mix of Chinese warrior and Taliban terrorist who was the most remarkable character in the film. Some sparse funny situations, like Stark’s anxiety attacks, were added to a panoply of special effects, fierce scenes, and incredible stunts that will take Marvel’s fans to heaven, but in terms of script the film didn’t show strength or cleverness enough to stand aside from other movies of the genre. Shane Black’s eagerness for action was so exposed that it ended up making me tired in the last third part. There were too many Iron Men for my taste, as well as some stupid scenes, with Pepper revealing an unconvincing violent side as new heroin. The chaotic “Iron Man 3” is minimally amusing and doesn't add practically anything relevant to its prior sagas.

Capital (2012)

Directed by: Costa Gavras
Country: France

Review: Costa Gavras gives a crushing vision about greed and capitalism in his new political thriller “Capital”. Marc Tourneuil (Gad Elmaleh) is an unscrupulous and ambitious man who was designated CEO of a large European Bank. Regardless the fierce opposition of the board of directors, he will take control of everything in an obsessive way, trying to introduce a new ethic vision and attitude in the company. However, a fraudulent alliance with an American hedge fund will lead him to make dangerous moves, putting the entire company and its shareholders in jeopardy. Gavras uses every detail (maybe even in excess) to denounce the bad conduct, corruption, and opulence, associated to these money suckers. Sex and lust are also depicted through two eminent affairs that Marc will handle in opposite ways; one with Nassim, a provocative and greedy supermodel, and other with an honest and intelligent financial writer named Maud Baron. The notion of tax haven and the concept that money is the master, are pretty clear. Among its moral lessons, “Capital” is a cerebral exposure of socio-economical turbulences, adding a sort of ironic mockery that is entirely new in the filmmaker’s career. Although not totally unpredictable or balanced, and far from the supremacy of other times (“Z”, “State Of Siege”), we can still sense Gavras’ joy in denouncing the hypocrisy of capitalist domains.