Priest's Children (2013)

Directed by: Vinko Bresan
Country: Croatia

Review: This Croatian comedy addresses sex, birth control, and religion in a small Adriatic Island where the deaths are in much more number than the births. The cause of this problem is Petar, a newsagent who sells condoms of every kind and knows every single affair that was happening in the village. Tormented with guilt for killing babies even before they were born, Petar becomes a sort of informer when confesses his sins to priest Fabijan whose ingenious strategy to increase births consisted in piercing the condoms before selling them. By mixing humor and drama, “Priest’s Children” aimed to be a soft, well intentioned, and good-hearted film, touching in sensible aspects such as abortion, infertility, and even pedophilia, but its jokes failed to impress, with most of them being uninspired, unintelligent, or too obvious to be funny. Bresan’s narrow vision confined the film to such a closed subject that withdrew all the possible interest we might feel in its characters. Besides, the pace adopted since the beginning made me feel indifferent for what was coming next. Actor Kresimir Mikic, almost a Croatian copy of Adrien Brody, wasn’t bad in his role, but in truth, this religious look at life's conception turned out to be messy and undistinguished in many aspects.

Home For The Weekend (2012)

Directed by: Hans-Christian Schmid
Country: Germany

Review: “Home For The Weekend” is an emotionless German drama about family. Gitte suffers from clinical depression for 30 years, and is fed up of taking drugs all the time. One day she reunites her family for a weekend to announce her intentions of quitting medication. Surprisingly, husband and sons become afraid and discomforted with the idea, but the announcement will provoke big transformations on their behaviors, in a moment where everyone had relevant issues in their lives to be solved. The complexity of human relationships is depicted with disappointing effects, through the apparent calmness of the facial expressions, nostalgic music, and a strong sensation of emotional coldness. The clarity of the images and accurate photography contrasted with the too cerebral and almost staged performances, which weren’t able to extract the right atmospheric ambience from the conflicts. Once in a while, I could feel the weight of the words, but “Home For The Weekend” never took off from its rigidness, getting trapped in a plot that lacks motion and in a direction unable to express something profound from the situations. Despite pertinent in its vision, this third collaboration between helmer Hans-Christian Schmid and screenwriter Bernd Lange ("Requiem", "Storm") wasn't so satisfying, becoming an easily forgettable film.

Jack The Giant Slayer (2013)

Directed by: Bryan Singer
Country: USA

Review: Bryan Singer’s new fantasy adventure film, “Jack The Giant Slayer”, is visually powerful with decent special effects and imposing scenarios, but was caught by several clichés, struggling to find the right balance. The film was based on the British fairy tales “Jack The Giant Killer” and “Jack And The Beanstalk”, becoming mildly entertaining but heavily predictable. In the Kingdom of Cloister, the simplicity evinced by Jack (Nicholas Hoult) and his love for princess Isabelle will make the difference to save the Kingdom from the Giants’ hands, when magic beans opened a gateway to their world. The only way to control the raging giants is through a magical crown that happens to fall in the hands of Roderick, the most ambitious man of the court. Among intense battles and not so strong dialogues, this is a film where just half of the thrills worked well, making it an energetic experience but ultimately unflavored. Bryan Singer, best known for the masterpiece “The Usual Suspects” and the two first X-Men movies, makes an almost animated film, helped by a well crafted characterization and energetic sequences that we already have seen many times before. The story’s limitation might not be a problem for the adventure genre fans, but failed to cause any surprising impact.

Tiger Eyes (2012)

Directed by: Lawrence Blume
Country: USA

Review: “Tiger Eyes” is an American drama based on Judy Blume’s novel and directed by her son Lawrence, ten years after his debut “Martin & Orloff”. The story follows Davey (Willa Holland), a teenager from Atlantic City whose life gets upside down after the sudden death of her beloved father. Heavily traumatized, Davey will have to find the courage needed to move forward, especially after witnessing her mother’s nervous breakdown and dependence on pills, as well as her little brother’s denial. Things seemed not going to get better after they move to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where her frustrated and protective aunt Bitsy together with her disciplinarian husband Walter, offer them their house and financial aid. But there, Davey will meet the right people to make her see things in a different perspective, realizing how love can be so warm in tough moments. In slow moves, “Tiger Eyes” shows a big heart and a beautiful spiritual side that is rewarding at the end. The young Willa Holland has a graceful performance, exemplifying a familiar crisis without any kind of hysteria, aggravated with all the associated coming-of-age issues. It’s true that there are no surprises here, but Blume puts a lot of sensibility in every scene, making the story evolve in a natural and sweet manner. The confident performances were undoubtedly the best vehicle to convert this positive story in a worthy film.

The Deep (2012)

Directed by: Baltasar Kormakur
Country: Iceland

Review: “The Deep” is a docudrama by filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur, who has been a solid contributor to Icelandic cinema with works such as “101 Reykjavyk” and “Jar City”, even if intercalated with some less successful films. Based on true events, the story follows a fisherman named Gulli, who swam during six hours in the North Atlantic Ocean at a temperature of 5ºC, to reach the coast of the largest Westmann Island, after the fishing boat he was working in, has sunk. This miraculous occurrence transformed Gulli in an object of many scientific studies and experiences, without any logical conclusion. The story was presented without sensationalism, a fact that, together with its powerful images and strong psychological factor, provided good cinematic moments without ever losing direction or falling in doubtful strategies. Invigorating sensations aroused when Gulli went to visit the family of his dead shipmate, doing what he had promised when isolated in the sea with the seagulls as only company. Real images of steersman Gulli (his true name is Guðlaugur Friðþórsson) from almost 30 years ago, being interviewed from his hospital bed, appears in the end. He became a sort of national hero and an enigma, as well as an inspiration for “The Deep”, a heartfelt film, which title certainly was inspired not only in the ocean’s immensity but also in what he felt during and after the tragedy.

Behind The Candelabra (2013)

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Country: USA

Review: Soderbergh doesn’t waste time and returns more consistent than ever behind the camera, to depict the relationship between the eccentric American pianist Liberace, here played by a fantastic Michael Douglas, and his long time younger lover Scott Thorson, played by a very convincing Matt Damon, in one of his best roles of the last times. The film was based on the autobiographical novel written by Thorson, and covers the period since the beginning of their relationship in 1977, until Liberace’s death due to AIDS-related illness in 1987. The story is interesting and often funny, exhibiting not only the exuberance and splendor in the life of these men, but also the jealous and crisis in their relationship, which was increasingly degrading until their rupture in 84. Filmed with accuracy and taste in the details, “Behind the Candelabra” is hilarious and capricious at the same time, showing some incredible scenes that are easily remembered, like when Liberace’s mother wins in an empty slot machine, or when the gay couple started to discuss their sexual life while Liberace was watching pornography. Scott’s dependence on drugs became an important turning point on the couple’s rupture, but Liberace’s need of attention and appetence for younger boys, made us believe that no different ending would have been possible. An interesting biopic and a great piece of entertainment.

Gebo And The Shadow (2012)

Directed by: Manoel de Oliveira
Country: Portugal / France

Review: “Gebo and The Shadow”, directed by centenary Manoel de Oliveira, is another tale about money, based on a 19th Century play by Raul Brandão. The iconic Portuguese filmmaker addresses this subject for the second time in the last four years, after “Eccentricities of A Blonde Haired Girl” has been released in 2009. There are some clear differences between them. In “Gebo and The Shadow” the language chosen was the French (not a novelty though), the approach was much more theatrical than cinematic, the cinematography by Renato Berta was more appealing, and a great international cast was included with the participation of veterans such as Michael Lonsdale, Claudia Cardinale, and Jeanne Moreau. Despite these transformations, many things continue to be a staple in Oliveira’s works, like his way of filming through long and static shots, or the occasional classical score used to enhance the outer composed pictures, or even the rest of the cast, which includes Oliveira’s muse Leonor Silveira who has participated in 19 of his movies. This wordy tale may be a boring experience for some viewers due to its literate tone, murky ambience, and slowness. In my case, I found it an interesting story about anguish and sacrifice, which with a bit less theatrical tones and a bit more camera movement would have achieved better results. But certainly that won’t be an issue for Oliveira’s style supporters.

Now You See Me (2013)

Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Country: USA / France

Review: After some incursions on action genre with “The Transporter” and “Unleashed”, or superheroes’ adventures with “The Incredible Hulk” and “Clash Of Titans”, helmer Louis Leterrier decided to enter in the world of magic with “Now You See Me”. Like his previous films, this new one will hardly be remembered for good reasons, despite of the new style adopted and the luxurious cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco. The plot centers on a mysterious quartet of magicians, entitled The Four Horsemen that decided to rob banks on their shows, only to deliver the profits to the audience. This way, they became heroes at the eyes of the people but villains according to the law, representing a tough challenge for the FBI agent Rhodes (Ruffalo) and Interpol detective Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent). The plot lacks real mystery and is overcooked, with little enthusiasm arising from the magic tricks and not from the occurrences in the story. In the second half, the illusion tricks are replaced by real action, with the majority of the scenes indicating a stirred pace yet unconvincing twists. Showing a disconnected direction and tepid tones, “Now You See Me” comes in the same line of Christopher Nolan’s “Prestige” or Neil Burger’s “The Illusionist”, but stays a few steps behind them, not guaranteeing a so rewarding experience. No illusions here!

After Earth (2013)

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Country: USA

Review: “After Earth” is the confirmation that M.Night Shyamalan is losing strength and confidence behind the cameras. His first hits, “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable”, made us foresee a promising and solid career as director and writer, but the lack of quality in his next steps made him fall in a category of unbearable. “After Earth” delivers a very poor sci-fi experience, telling the adventures of Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Kitai (Will Smith’s real son Jaden), when their spaceship crashed on Earth, leaving them exposed to a group of rival aliens. Cypher ended up with the two legs broken and Kitai, as their only hope, will have to fight to retrieve a backup beacon and avoid death. Shyamalan, inspired by an unsophisticated story by Will Smith, was incapable to create a firm pace or any kind of interest with a bunch of animals’ attacks that seemed more an insensate animation than a sci-fi adventure. The monotone voices repeating military orders, the stupid facial expressions of its characters, and the miserable scenes containing special effects, made “After Earth” absolutely ridiculous. With the boredom installed and several laughable scenes that were meant to be taken seriously, this is one of the worst films I’ve seen this year and a complete failure in terms of script, performances, and execution.

Une Vie Meilleure - A Better Life (2011)

Directed by: Cédric Kahn
Country: France

Review: “A Better Life” is a French drama directed by Cedric Kahn that follows the story of a couple, Yann (Guillaume Canet) and Nadine (Leila Bekhti), after they fell in love when met for the first time in a restaurant. After some time living together, they decide to buy a crumbling building and open their own restaurant in a convenient zone in the suburbs of Paris, since Yann had a promising talent as chef. However, their expectations will be defrauded when legal issues and consecutive loans tore them apart, forcing Yann to work in other restaurants and Nadine to accept a work proposal from Canada, leaving her nine-year-old son behind. Her extended absence will make Yann concerned with her whereabouts, and some difficult decisions will have to be taken. “A Better Life” features Guillaume Canet in the main role, also considered a respected filmmaker after “Tell No One” in 2006, and “Little White Lies” in 2010. Here he proves his talent as an actor, playing his part with great determination and devotion, ending up being awarded in Rome Film Fest. The lesson of this story is that the best intentions aren’t always sufficient to be successful, but Kahn gave a good chance on hope and immigration by simplifying in the end what its characters had complicated in the beginning. His direction was competent but not brilliant, in an actual and realistic movie that certainly works as an alert for the more ambitious, in times of economic crisis.

Either Way (2011)

Directed by: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson
Country: Iceland

Review: “Either Way” is an affable Icelandic comedy, written and directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson, a cineaste to keep an eye on, considering the talent evinced here. This funny story about two men friendship was subjected to an American remake with the name of “Prince Avalanche”, which will be officially released on the date of August 9th, this time adapted and directed by David Gordon Green (“George Washington”, “Snow Angels”). Finnbogi and Alfred know each other for some time and are working together during the summer in a remote place on Iceland, where they were assigned to paint lines and put wooden stakes along the deserted road. The two friends will help each other, especially in regard to relationships with women. When both of them come to a point where they don’t know what to do with life, their age gaps will be useful, having distinct ways of looking into the problems. The actors were totally convincing in their performances, in a generous, pleasant, and valuable film, where the humor is subtle yet efficient, while the soundtrack was well diversified and well employed according to the moments depicted. Alternating between peaceful silences and forced noises, with bucolic landscapes in background to compose the delicate cinematography, “Either Way” won my appreciation for all its simplicity.

Gimme The Loot (2012)

Directed by: Adam Leon
Country: USA

Review: “Gimme The Loot” is an independent film that can be seen as an hymn to the City of New York, through the adventures of Malcolm (Ty Hickson) and Sofia (Tashiana Washington), two graffiti artists and Bronx dwellers who are trying to get $500 for a big project on NY Mets’ Home Run Apple, after a rival gang has spoiled their latest work of art. To get the money and the work done, they will embark in several misconducts, including selling drugs, illicit businesses, and theft of a necklace that belonged to a careless rich girl who involved herself with Malcolm. The presence of this white girl named Ginnie (Zoe Lescaze) was important to denounce class differences and distinct forms of treatment, depending if she is alone or in the company of her pretentious friends. Adam Leon’s moving camera was very efficient, depicting the rhythm of the city and its characters with a well-balanced pace. I got myself tangled in these people’s lives, caring for what would have happened to them, even having in consideration their reproachable behavior. “Gimme The Loot” has its slowdowns once in a while but has the merit of being so close to reality that sometimes I forgot I was watching a movie. Adam Leon has here a self-conscious debut as writer and director.

Found Memories (2011)

Directed by: Julia Murat
Country: Brazil / others

Review: Presented with brushstrokes of intimacy and evincing a nostalgic depth that slowly shakes us inside, “Found Memories” can be seen as a kind of fictional documentary about Jotuomba, a remote Brazilian village that is slowly disappearing as its remaining 11 elderly inhabitants are dying. Simultaneously, it depicts the beautiful story of friendship between Madalena, an old woman responsible for making the bread for the village, and Rita, a young photographer who appeared asking for shelter for a couple of days. The film starts showing the monotonous day-to-day life of the villagers. Madalena makes her bread at night, barely illuminated by an oil lamp; every morning she takes the bread to Antonio’s coffee shop, where they have the same quarrel about putting the bread on the shelves; after cleaning the locked cemetery gates, she attends Mass and then shares a meal with all the villagers. Little by little, Rita’s presence will make this ritual more tolerable for them, provoking uncanny sensations of trust and moments of joy that seemed to be forgotten for many years. In its silences, “Found Memories” is a sweet, melancholic, and rewarding piece of filmmaking, which didn’t need more than a few simplistic processes and passionate candidness to captivate. In the end, Júlia Murat’s reflective debut left us with the question: ‘where do we belong?’.

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.