Pizza Shop: the Movie (2013)

Directed by: George O'Barts
Country: USA

Movie Review: I didn’t find any good reason to recommend “Pizza Shop: the Movie”, George O’Bart’s debut on writing/direction. Opening with a scene that is more gross than funny, the film starts to give an idea of the bunch of retards who work in the pizza shop. The moments of tension are created among the shop’s employees, with frequent bullying situations and pranks, and between the deliverymen and the peculiar costumers, some of them ready to pay for the pizza with anything except cash. I understand that the goal of “Pizza Shop” is to ridicule every situation, taking them to the limit, but personally, I prefer intelligent humor. It seems that the film consisted in a reunion of friends who simply wanted to execute something to be catalogued as weird or radical. The outcome was more embarrassing than amusing, evincing an amateurish execution, a lousy production and poor performances. The annoying advertisement between episodes using the logo, just like a TV commercial, along with an invasive score in several scenes, and unnatural dialogues and behaviors, were other factors that didn’t help the final result. The toilet humor became more ridiculous than expected, and an approximation to the comic-horror genre with dramatic hints was also a failure, relegating “Pizza Shop” to immature audiences. Maybe for those, this film can obtain the acceptance that I was unable to consider. Too low-grade to be recommended.

Soul (2013)

Directed by: Chung Mong-Hong
Country: Taiwan

Movie Review: “Soul” is the kind of film that astonishes us through its images but whose story doesn’t meet entirely our expectations. This psychological thriller with hints of horror starts with A-Chuan, collapsing in the restaurant where he works. The doctors don’t find anything abnormal, suspecting of depression, while his co-workers describe his recent behavior as very odd. A-Chuan goes to live with his family on top of the mountains, but doesn’t recognize his father and sister. Tragedy occurs when he murders the latter, making a dark association with his father, Wang, who hides obscure past secrets and reveals a mysterious detachment in relation to his daughter’s death. Curiously, A-Chuan admits to be someone else who seeks for an identity, having occupied the body left by the real A-Chuan. A game of connected dreams and contact with the dead begins, taking the film to eerie places, only sent to reality again with the arrival of a constable brought by Little Wu, a police officer and old acquainted of the family. The film was able to create the tension intended, and the killing scenes were simply fabulous, set up almost in slow motion and interrupted by momentarily black screens. However, the Lynchian script, written by the Taiwanese director Chung Mong-Hong, was perhaps too ambitious and is not exempt of holes and setbacks. Other aspect that wasn’t always keen was the dark humor presented. Magnificently shot and sophisticatedly executed, “Soul” is a feast for the eyes but a bit too nebulous for the mind.

Life Itself (2014)

Directed by: Steve James
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Life Itself” is a biographical documentary that homages one of the most prolific and acclaimed film critics of all times, Roger Ebert. It covers his life, not in complete detail, but in a practical and objective way, since its youth when he started working for Chicago Sun-Times until his harrowing final moments and consequent death last year from cancer. One of the most interesting aspects focused in the film was the love-hate relationship with other competitive film critic, Gene Siskel, of the rival Chicago Tribune, and the TV shows that both of them starred since the mid 70’s. Sometimes they seemed two little boys with a big ego, fighting for their ideas. Known for having introduced the ‘thumbs up and thumbs down’ on film reviews, Ebert had a very unique personality and his passion for movies was absolutely undeniable, to the point of analyzing an entire film frame-by-frame. His amazing aptitude to write perfect reviews gave him a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, while his particular taste for women, and the alcohol addiction in a determined phase of his life were also unveiled. The film presents the testimonials of his wife Chaz, colleagues in the profession, and filmmakers Rahmin Bahrani and Marin Scorsese who emotionally thanked Ebert. Directed by the documentarian Steve James (“The Interrupters”), “Life Itself”, is a sincere and deserved tribute to a courageous man who is still present on film in so many ways. It was conducted in the right direction, even if tough to watch.

Jack Strong (2014)

Directed by: Wladyslaw Pasikowski
Country: Poland

Movie Review: With “Jack Strong”, writer/director Wladyslaw Pasikowski provides us with a thrilling espionage film based on the real story of Polish Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski who got known as one of the most important spies for CIA in the midst of Cold War tensions. Disillusioned with the Soviet domination and the loss of identity of his own country, Kuklinski decides to risk his life and his family’s by revealing important secrets of state, including secret nuclear operations. Using the code name ‘Jack Strong’ to communicate with the ‘enemy’, Kuklinski ended up awarded by President Carter for his glorious yet risky contribution. The story is told in flashbacks and was suspenseful enough to get me seated without move for more than two hours. Expect a constant asphyxiating atmosphere, tense score, and strong performances by the magnificent cast, which strengthened even more a well-connected story and its intriguing characters. With all these positive aspects we also have a fantastic car chase, one of the most spectacular scenes of this political thriller, along with a fulminant, bitter ending that left me perplexed. Shot with rigor and set up in an attractive old-fashioned way, Pasikowski proves that Polish cinema still has something valuable to give, even if in most of the cases, is invariably centered in WWII. If “Aftermath”, his previous film, was a disappointment, “Jack Strong” comes as an impressive feature and is solidly recommended.

Two Mothers (2013)

Directed by: Anne Zohra Berrached
Country: Germany

Movie Review: “Two Mothers” is a lukewarm drama about a lesbian married couple, Katja and Isabella, who decided to have a child in Germany, a country that imposes so many legal issues, high fees and other obstacles in a very difficult process. They agreed to find a sperm donor (long part of the film relies in this aspect) but not a father, so they can educate the child without any exterior interference. The more reputable insemination clinics refuse to accept them and the treatments in minor clinics, besides too much expensive for their income, are not working out. The frustration led them to check sperm donors online, where they find their last hope: Flo, a man with already twenty children. The script shows potential but the film, not so fluid, could have been so much better executed. Set up with an unattractive light and dismal colors, “Two Mothers” counts with capable performances by Karina Plachetka and Sabine Wolf, and has the subject matter as the more interesting aspect. It was a pity that the debutant director and screenwriter, Anne Zohra Berrached, didn’t have hands to handle the story in a more absorbing way. The detachment that slowly occurs between the couple feels real and shows that Berrached knows how to extract something from the performances. However, the technical side wasn’t so strong, resulting in a deterioration of the final result. The director was awarded at Berlin Film Festival, while the two main actresses received a special mention at Potsdam Sehsüchte.

Han Gong-ju (2013)

Directed by: Lee Su-jin
Country: South Korea

Movie Review: Lee Su-jin's fantastic directorial debut, “Han Gong-ju”, is a poignant drama whose title was taken from the name of its main character, a teenager girl who is transferred to a new school, trying to adapt to a new life. Isolated and quiet, Gong-ju is visibly tormented with something that we aren’t able to perceive at first. Little by little, and in an intelligent way, the story is unfolded and shocking revelations finally makes us understand the reasons behind the young girl’s detachment. Completely abandoned by a drunken father and a freshly married mother, Gong-ju was raped by a gang of kids whose parents have social influence, only trusting in a former teacher who tried to help her the best way he could. Her talent for music was noticed by some new colleagues who gave her a boost, trying to get closer, but will Gong-ju be capable to forget her past and freely accept her gift? A demanding narrative structure didn’t frighten the newcomer director whose work was noteworthy, collecting prizes in festivals such as Pusan, Rotterdam, Deauville, Marrakech and Fribourg. Chun Woo-hee’s second performance in a feature film, after her appearance in Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother”, was also accurate and convincing. This is a sad, unsettling film that requires a deep reflection after observing its atrocious scenes. It might not be an easy watching story but a hint of hope allows us to breathe at the end, in a drama where a new writer/director emerged to be considered a valid one in the modern Korean cinema.

Gabrielle (2013)

Directed by: Louise Archambault
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Gabrielle” tries to celebrate love and hope, while depicts the story of the title character, a special woman suffering from Williams syndrome who seeks for a questionable independence. Mentally challenged and diabetic, yet effusively happy, 22-year-old Gabrielle is in love with Martin, her colleague in the recreation center where they are rehearsing with a choir of people in the same conditions, in order to perform with the famous Quebecois singer, Robert Charlebois. When they are caught half-naked in a party given at the center, a meeting is promptly scheduled to clarify that the rules are strict. In the meeting were present Gabrielle’s beloved sister, Sophie, who are renitent in going to India with her boyfriend, and Martin’s ultra protective mother who forbids her son to see Gabrielle again. From this moment on, both will see their limitative conditions get worse due to sadness, but fate will get them together in the final concert. With an appreciable direction and some charm, “Gabrielle” should please the fans of heartwarming dramas with its sensibility, even considering the musical moments overextended and the story occasionally too sweet in certain scenes. The urge for love is perfectly achieved by Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, an actress who has Williams syndrome in real life and sings in a similar choir in Montreal. The questions on how to protect these people, giving them the freedom and opportunities they deserve, and how their condition affects the ones around them, were put on the table with pertinence in this sophomore feature film from Louise Archambault.

The Nun (2013)

Directed by: Guillaume Nicloux
Country: France / others

Movie Review: Adapted and directed by Guillaume Nicloux, “The Nun” was based on the novel with the same title by the French writer and philosopher, Diderot. The novel had been subjected to a cinematic adaptation with much better results in 1966 by the hand of the master Jacques Rivette, in a film superbly performed by Anna Karina. This time the chosen actress was Pauline Ettiene, who did a competent job playing Suzanne Simonin, a sensible, perceptive and truthful young woman who, following the orders of her parents, is forced to stay in a convent and become nun against her will. In her path of sadness, she will be understood and cherished by the Mother Superior who welcomes her, Madame de Moni (Françoise Lebrun), but maltreated and humiliated by the cruel Mother Superior Christine (Louise Bourgoin), and become the object of the libidinous desires of Mother Superior Saint-Eutrope (Isabelle Huppert). With all this, she still finds out some shocking secrets related to her own family, without giving up to fight for her freedom. The film starts in a bold way, but ends up declining in the last half, and making us anticipate the final revelations. Beyond that I felt it was too long, an aspect that I didn’t feel at all in the other longer version. It was immaculately photographed by Yves Cape (“Holy Motors”, “White Material”), even if the nocturnal images, lighted with candlelight, seemed a bit too dark for my taste. Well executed and performed, “The Nun” can only be interesting for those who never watched Rivette’s version, but still evinces a prominent technical execution.

Divergent (2014)

Directed by: Neil Burger
Country: USA

Movie Review: If you’re a fan of “The Hunger Games”, you’ll probably be interested in “Divergent”, the fifth feature-film from Neil Burger (“The Illusionist”, “Limitless”) based on the first volume of the trilogy novel by Veronica Roth. The following two parts, “Insurgent” and “Allegiant”, are currently being filmed and in pre-production, respectively. The story is set in a futuristic world, which was divided into five factions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. Tris (Shailene Woodley) is visibly expectant to know in which faction she fits in. The results of her tests are inconclusive and Tris falls in a rare and persecuted category known as Divergent. Nonetheless, she chooses Dauntless and once inside the faction, her boldness will be constantly put to test through a set of survival games. This probation phase lacks good ideas and shows an infuriating imbecility disguised of bravery, since most of the actions to perform are stupid and hard to believe. During this time, Tris will fall in love with Four (Theo James), one of the faction’s instructors, and will have to confront a fanatic of the system, the Erudite’s leader Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet). Despite energetic in its approach, the film wasn’t distinct or fresh, and I couldn’t find many reasons to recommend it. The immediate sensation was: ‘I’ve seen this somewhere’, and even the narration sounded like an old classic song. For a much more satisfying futuristic action ‘games’, I urge you to watch the conceptually superior “Snowpiercer” from the Korean master Joon Ho-Bong.

Begin Again (2013)

Directed by: John Carney
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Begin Again” combines romance and music with passion, being undeniably irresistible on one side, but also too much ‘feel-good’ and neat on the other, despite the messy lives it tries to give shape. The film, also an ode to the city of New York, was directed by John Carney who already had joined the same ingredients in 2006, with the much triumphant “Once”. Greta (Keira Knightley) is an extremely talented songwriter who lives in the shadow of her boyfriend, the famous singer Dave Kohl (Adam Levine, lead vocalist of the band Maroon 5). Dave only thinks in his success, and while in a tour in L.A., he has an adventure with another woman, provoking the rupture of the couple. Sad and lonely, Greta has the chance to perform one of her songs in a bar, and is seen by Dan, an alcoholic musical agent who, moments earlier, had been fired from the record label he had helped to establish. Immediately, Dan gets stunned with what he’s listening to, and a personal and professional bond will arise, leading them to a set of important decisions for their lives. “Begin Again” can be seen as a positive movie in every aspect, but stumbles heavily when depicts Dan’s family, relegating the film to not so genuine places, which might have had more tragic consequences, but the amazing performances by Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo made me forget about it. Despite its flaws and magnified sweetness, “Begin Again” assures precious moments of fun and provides us with captivating pop songs, enough material to recommend it and ignore its main slips.

Calvary (2014)

Directed by: John Michael McDonagh
Country: Ireland / UK

Movie Review: Miles away from the cheerfulness and hilarity of “The Guard”, “Calvary” is another stimulating effort from English-born (of Irish descent) filmmaker John Michael McDonagh, this time in a dark drama with religious connotations. The film starts with a man confessing to a priest he was raped by another priest as a child. He asks which remedy will ease his pain and threatens to kill the priest next Sunday; the priest nothing has to say to him at the moment. The well-natured priest is Father James Lavelle who grieves with the problems of the inhabitants of his small Irish country town, while hosts his vulnerable daughter, Fionna, after a suicide attempt. Then we are introduced to a lot of problematic different characters. Some of them are connected with evil forces, some of them are really repented of their sins, and others are just good souls trying to balance an unbalanced world. As Father James is going through his calvary we wonder if he will definitively have to be sacrificed for the sins of others and his church, or if he will be able to help such desperate souls. The film exposes loss of faith, the roles and responsibilities we have in this world, and reaches us with forgiveness, the final and necessary conclusion for such a dark film. McDonagh’s direction was praiseworthy often using close-ups to emphasize the characters feelings, and Brendan Gleeson’s performance was compelling enough to make you want to see this film, even considering a slow start that only gains bigger proportions in its last third. “Calvary” won the Berlinale’s Panorama prize attributed by the Ecumenical Jury.

Tattoo (2013)

Directed by: Hilton Lacerda
Country: Brazil

Movie Review: Love is free and censorship is severe in “Tattoo” aka "Tatuagem", writer-director Hilton Lacerda’s debut fictional feature film. Set in Pernambuco, Recife, in the well defined political context of 1978, the film starts to introduce us with ‘Chão de Estrelas’, a cabaret and night club where theater, poems, dance, and music in the forms of traditional fanfares, samba and Brazilian popular music, compose the subversive enjoyment and freedom of expression censored by a feared military dictatorship. Cléssio is the choreographer of the show and also performer, while Paulete is the real star of the company, an expressive exhibitionist who gets jealous when his sister’s boyfriend, an 18-year-old soldier, gets involved in a torrid gay romance with Clécio. The latter manages to bring all the crew of the show to live in a big house, in a sort of commune, including his partner Deusa and their son, Tuca. The film, in all its libertinism, is based on jealousy and unstable relationships, at the same time that tries to get a hand on the political situation and the repression lived at the time, an aspect that was not so well accomplished. A restless camera moves from one side to the other, capturing the visual richness and warm colors of the places, in a direction and sound design that were a sight for sore eyes. “Tattoo” counts with impeccable performances by Irandhir Santos, Rodrigo Garcia and Jesuita Barbosa, mixing moments of seriousness, flamboyance, anarchy, and humor. The film achieved local success at Rio de Janeiro, Gramado and São Paulo film festivals.

Alien Abduction (2014)

Directed by: Matty Beckerman
Country: USA

Movie Review: The Brown Mountain Lights phenomenon that can be observed in North Carolina, served as inspiration for “Alien Abduction”, the directorial debut feature from producer Matty Beckerman. It starts claiming that what we’re going to see is leaked footage from the US Air Force that found a camcorder from 11-year-old Riley who disappeared with his family when camping in that area. In a time where found-footage films are becoming tedious and banal, “Alien Abduction” doesn’t bring any creativity or novelty to the psychedelic digital effects and noises that follow the blurred and shaky camera. While the camera movements continues to annoy, the clichés used in the script are numerous, including the family lost on mountain roads in a foggy day, driving a car that is running out of gas, and threatened by mysterious creatures that we only have a glimpse, without having the possibility of asking for help. The concept is borrowed from a thousand other films and “Alien Abduction” becomes nothing else but a tedious exercise in the genre. A totally new approach and storytelling were needed to escape the cathartic panicking of the characters and all those gimmicks that the film relies and just don’t work anymore. I cannot praise the flat performances, which didn’t help to improve this thriller of being formulaic, fatiguing and extremely slavish in its execution. There are very few things to recommend in one of the most dismal abductions in the history of cinema. It was simply too vulgar to be worthy of our time.

Yves Saint Laurent (2014)

Directed by: Jalil Lespert
Country: France

Movie Review: “Yves Saint Laurent” is an uninspired biopic of the famous French fashion designer whose happiness in life didn’t match the success achieved in his professional career. Directed by Jalil Lespert, who also has a parallel career as actor, the film was loosely based on the book by Laurence Benaim, using a compromising narrative. The episodes, depicted in a cold way, follow one another without giving us many motives to care about the characters. For several times I thought it would become interesting and would grow as a whole, but I was wrong. The story starts with Laurent being hired by the distinguished designer Christian Dior, and then taking a prominent position in Dior’s company after his death. Suffering from frequent nervous depressions, he is fired and takes the opportunity to open his own creative fashion brand. Nothing of this would seem possible without the help of his lover Pierre Bergé, the film’s narrator, with whom he had a complicated relationship filled with betrayals and little revenges from both sides. Pierre decided to deal with his jealousy by having a sexual episode with Victoire, a model who had been proposed to marry Laurent in the beginning of his career. In turn, years later, Laurent falls in love with Jacques de Bascher, a socialite who had a long-term relationship with another recognized fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld. This love, along with an eternal dissatisfaction, will push Saint Laurent to a spiral of drugs and alcohol – he was right when said ‘apart from my work, I feel lost’. Too formal, “Yves Saint Laurent” uses the word elegance too many times, but is emotionally detached, regardless the thorough performance by Pierre Niney.

Miraculum (2014)

Directed by: Daniel Grou
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Miraculum” was conceived by two minds utterly connected to Canadian TV series: Gabriel Sabourin, actor and writer, and Daniel Grou, the director. However, this wasn’t the first time that the two collaborators work in feature film, and “Miraculum” diverged from that format for its own good. The celebration of love, the end of love, religious fanaticism, and even hope, are presented with a cheerless posture. All of these aspects were coordinated with an imminent fatalism, turning it into a pertinent, reflective exercise, which in the impossibility of surprising us in its whole, was capable of sparking the debate about Jehovah’s witnesses beliefs, the difficulty of making irreversible decisions, and the mysteries of fate. The multi-narrative encompasses eight different people, who momentarily interconnect – Etienne, slowly dying of leukemia, refuses to receive blood in accordance with the strict principles of his Jehovah family, while his girlfriend breaks the rule; a man who returns from Venezuela loaded with drugs inside him and eager to meet with his young niece with whom he has a strong bond; an elderly couple, both employees in a casino, who leave their marriages behind to embark in a life together; a powerful businessman, lost in his addiction for gambling, is left for good by his alcoholic wife. Structured in an involving way and demonstrating well-controlled camera movements, this cerebral drama counts with the actor, writer and director, Xavier Dolan, in its powerful ensemble cast. Though not every little story (and character) has the same impact, “Miraculum” still provides us with a few thoughtful moments.

Fossil (2014)

Directed by: Alex Walker
Country: UK

Movie Review: “Fossil” is the directorial debut feature film from Alex Walker, who also wrote, edited and produced. The story focuses in a married couple, Paul and Camilla, whose increasingly cold relationship take them to try an injection of fresh air when they decided to spend some days in a secluded house in the French countryside. Soon we learn that something is wrong, since the visibly distant Camilla says she needs some space and is taking the birth control pill against her husband's will. Suddenly, their vacation plans will be altered when another couple, Richard and Julie, is caught using the swimming pool without authorization. Camilla, needing different people to talk, promptly invites them to stay while Paul is very disturbed with the situation. Anxiety and pressure will increase among the quartet, and tragedy will mark this small vacation. Not totally fresh in concept and with a flawed script, “Fossil” lives from embarrassing situations and tension (sexual included), which were never enough to make me absorbed in what it wanted to show. In the last 20 minutes, its dramatic tones are transformed in thriller, taking us to a dark ending and making us wonder what will be the future of Paul and Camilla, who added another problem to their tainted relationship without resolving the ones they already had. The picture was shot in warm tones and the performances were consistent, but like Paul and Camilla, the story needed some kind of freshness since there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before, aggravated with a few scenes depicted with disregard.

The Mafia Only Kills in Summer (2013)

Directed by: Pierfrancesco Diliberto
Country: Italy

Movie Review: Italian TV star, Pierfrancesco Diliberto a.k.a. Pif, has his directorial debut with the valid but not essential, “The Mafia Only Kills in the Summer”, a romantic comedy mixed with politics and crime, in which he also stars. Arturo, the film narrator and central character, is a young boy whose first word was mafia. In fact, the film shows that the Sicilian Mafia, in one way or another, always had considerable impact in his life. Since a young child, he nourished a sweet passion for his classmate Flora, but the dangerous circumstances lived in Palermo led them to lost contact for several years. Misunderstood by his father, he gains an early fascination for the chairman of the board and future president, Giulio Andreotti (amazingly depicted in the film “Il Divo” by the master Sorrentino), after listening on TV to one of his speeches. This passion for politics and the curiosity for the criminal actions lived in the city he was born, will push him into journalism. Arturo will go through some uneasy incidents before an unexpected reencounter with Flora in political circumstances. “The Mafia Only Kills in Summer” was not so funny as I was expecting, but smartly exposes in a more lighthearted than profound manner, a good slice of the agitated history of Palermo and its spirit lived in the eighties and beginning of nineties. Diliberto achieved much better results by exposing the assassinations perpetrated by the Mafiosi and how the people dealt with them, than properly in the romantic side, which required some more seasoning to better engage. Arturo’s final message was much appreciated, though.

Night Moves (2013)

Directed by: Kelly Reichardt
Country: USA

Movie Review: Whoever is acquainted with Kelly Reichardt’s previous films would know that her style is realistic, frequently passive, and sometimes dry in emotions. “Night Moves”, written by Reichardt and her habitual collaborator Jonathan Raymond, shows us exactly that, becoming in her most accessible work so far. The story follows Josh, Dena and Harmon, three radical environmentalists who decide to blow up with a hydroelectric dam. This clandestine intervention was carried out in the silence of the night, being planned not to cause casualties, but unfortunately the reality was very different, making the characters be consumed by fear and guilt, until starting to act completely out of control. Despite occasionally atmospheric, “Night Moves” is not a thriller in the most conventional way - it’s slow burning and quiet in such a way that the dialogues are almost dispensable. I must say I expected something more, especially at the end, but we have to accept Reichardt as she is: sharp behind the camera, direct on approach, time consuming in details, and disconcerting in the conclusions – sometimes some of these aspects can be mistaken with emptiness, which is not true in this particular case. Definitely not for everyone, “Night Moves” is a melancholic eco-drama disguised of thriller, that points to a new direction in Reichard’s career. It deserves a chance, even if like me, you miss more the rawness of the indie road-movie “Wendy and Lucy”, or the offbeat western “Meek’s Cutoff”. Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning’s performances were solemn and quite compelling.

Palo Alto (2013)

Directed by: Gia Coppola
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Palo Alto” is a self-confident debut feature on writing/direction for Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, Gia Coppola, based on the short stories by James Franco, who also stars in the film. It addresses juvenile problems both with clarity and charm, focusing on a few interesting characters who are ready to experiencing whatever life may throw at them, and finally decide what path they want to go. April is a sweet girl who has a crush for Terry but let herself be trapped by her deceitful soccer coach. Terry is also in love with April, but during a night drinking party he screwed up his chances with her, when drunk, he allowed himself to be grabbed by Emily, a lonely girl who just wants to fall in love with someone and is always available for every boy around. Finally, Terry’s best friend, Fred, is an insane misfit who no one gives credit, bringing trouble everywhere he goes. There’s so much going on in this well-observed drama that I almost didn’t notice the time passing. From start to finish, I was taken by the powerful subtleness of its exposures, and was amazed by the perfect light and color of Autumn Durald’s cinematography. In spite of its dreamy tones, “Palo Alto” is far from a sweet look at teenage conducts, giving us enough motives to appreciate but also to think about it. Above all, it’s a film about choices and even if not entirely new, in my eyes it seemed pretty fresh. Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff and Val Kilmer’s son, Jack Kilmer, gave noteworthy performances.

22 Jump Street (2014)

Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Country: USA

Movie Review: With the success obtained in 2012 with “21 Jump Street” and boosted by the recently acclaimed “The Lego Movie”, film directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, presents us another juvenile adventure from the undercover cops, Schmidt and Jenko, performed by Jonah Hill (also producer) and Channing Tatum, respectively. Of course this sequel could be defined by the following sentence: two silly cops in a silly mission, results in a silly comedy. But surprisingly, “22 Jump Street” was more cheering than that, presenting some energetic action, funny situations, and a handful of pocket jokes that worked out. Assigned with the mission of finding the supplier of a new drug known as ‘whyphy’ at a local college, the two determined officers will proceed their work taking on different paths. Schmidt is going to operate more in the art field, being a reference in slam poetry and embarking in a prohibited affair with Maya, the daughter of his superior, at the same time that deals with her obnoxious roommate, Mercedes. In turn, Jenko stands out in football, becoming popular among the sportsmen. Evincing a cool attitude and boyish style, our two heroes will solve the case, not without an unnecessary, immoderate finale that sadly hampered the film to be more successful. Beatings, shootings and bullshit, is what to expect from a film that spread enough vitality and some intelligence in its plot in order to distance itself from other recent square comedies such as “Neighbors” or “This is the End”. Better than its predecessor, “22 Jump Street” is undeniably entertaining but leaves us with a pertinent question: do we really need another sequel?