Hello My Name is Doris (2015)

Directed by Michael Showalter
Country: USA

“Hello, My name is Doris” is a little romantic comedy made in New York, which was co-written and directed by Michael Showalter, who has been dedicated to TV series since his debut in 2005 with the lame “The Baxter”. 
The film brings Sally Field to the foreground through a magnificent performance. She plays the title character, a lunatic yet sympathetic dreamer, with pompous artistic style while bestows it a valid human dimension. 

Doris Miller, a Staten Island dweller who was named after Doris Day by her late mother and suffers from hoarding disorder, is a middle-aged spinster who’s living a delicate romantic crisis that turns her little, yet complicated world, upside down.
After the first contact with John Fremont (Max Greenfield), her company’s new art director, something changed deeply in Doris who, boosted by the advice of a famous self-help seminar, decides to give herself a chance and get closer to the enchanting man. Despite the significant age gap between them, she’s motivated to start seeing the word ‘impossible’ as ‘I’m possible’, and pushed herself into him. 
With the help of a 13-year-old girl (Isabella Acres), the granddaughter of her best friend, Roz (Tyne Daly), Doris creates a fake profile on the Internet (an attractive Ph.D.), to get more info about his tastes and life.

By realizing that his favorite band, Baby Goya and the Nuclear Winters, is going to perform in Williamsburg, Doris, always cheerfully dressed with colorful vintage outfits, rocks the party and becomes a popular attraction for the younger crowd and the band itself, whose leader asks her to be on their next album’s cover. This is probably the most hilarious passage of the film, which afterward embarks on the habitual backs and forths, or should I say hopes and deceptions, of a chimerical, devastating love.
When John’s charming new girlfriend, Brooklyn (Beth Behrs), pops in, the blue Doris feels she has to act to keep her dream alive.

Mr. Showalter fueled my curiosity for this simultaneously tender and ridiculous woman, using adequate satirical tones for that purpose. However, as the story moves forward, I had the perfect feeling that he didn’t dig so deep as he could, especially in respect to the not so plausible resolution of the predicaments.
He rather uses a shuffling technique that aims to confound us with realities and dreams and faint possibilities.
It’s excused to say that Ms. Field is the one responsible for the relative success of the film.

Dependent's Day (2016)

Directed by Michael David Lynch
Country: USA

The first scene of “Dependent’s Day”, a diverting comedy written, directed, produced, and edited by Michael David Lynch, gives an idea of what we can expect from the movie.

In order to submit their tax returns, Alice (Benita Robledo) and Cam (Joe Burke), an unmarried happy couple, are in the office of their presumptuous accountant (Brian George), who looks at their W2’s with apprehension. 
At first, he praises Alice, a creative fashion designer who did really great in the previous year. Then, he looks contemptuously at Cam, definitely not a bread-winner, who didn’t do so good since he’s been struggling to follow his dream of becoming an actor. While looking for an opportunity in front of the cameras, Cam dedicates himself to cooking, cleaning, and some occasional part-time jobs such as clown performances for kids. The posture of the accountant really pisses him off, but anyway, Alice is claiming him as a ‘dependent’.

This is actually a great premise for a substantial comedy that smartly favors real life situations in detriment of trifles and gimmicks. Naturally, Mr. Lynch has his own strategies, especially by inducing piquant tones to a story that also works pretty well as a romance.

While Alice is having some difficulties at work due to her dominating boss, Bette (Lisa Ann Walter), Cam tries to get his $500 back from his stingy friend Josh (Josh Staman), who works in the film industry and reluctantly resolves to pay a portion of the debt with legal tender. However, he manages to get Cam a new job with a film producer, which leads to another one. None of these jobs are what he expected and Cam becomes more and more frustrated. Suddenly a secretary position opens in Alice’s office and Cam, even unenthusiastically, accepts it. Carrying the fame of bringing trouble with him wherever he goes, the disconsolate Cam is fired on his first day (not his fault, though) and brings Alice with him to the desperate world of unemployment. The couple breaks up at the precise moment that Alice’s parents arrive to stay a few days with them.
Their separation will be beneficial for both as they are given new professional opportunities and become to see clearer where their lives stand. 

Even without breaking new ground, “Dependent’s Day” presents palpable material, being smartly conceived and surprisingly entertaining, as it never loses the focus. The ending, just like the beginning, simply rose to the occasion. This outgoing story sparked agreeable vibes with sufficient honesty to set me in a great mood. 
An auspicious directorial debut for Mr. Lynch, who dives in the independent circuit with nerve.

The Fits (2015)

Directed by Anna Rose Holmer
Country: USA

Anna Rose Holmer has reasons to be proud of her first feature. The slight drama “The Fits” is a true representative of the independent production and can be seen as an experimental exercise on mood, style, and storytelling.

The story focuses on Toni (Royalty Hightower), an 11-year-old girl who, daily and obsessively, trains at a Cincinnati’s West End’s gym where she joins a team of drill dancers who, one at the time, are experiencing uncanny fits that last a few minutes. 
Despite playing the strong girl by exhibiting her natural boyish behavior, Toni always shows uneasiness when some girl deals with this type of seizure, an enigma that they start to associate to water contamination. However, in her quiet way, she pretends not to care about the matter, working hard in order to be ready to compete, at the same time that tries to become acquainted with teachers, teammates, and routines. 
Doing everything that’s needed to fit in, even piercing her own ears, Toni seems to vacillate a bit when her best friend, Beezy (Alexis Neblett), is caught by the fainting spell.

Amidst the precise and enthusiastic movements of the drill team choreography (a mix of dancing and boxing), we can sense some solitude, perhaps even sadness, when we look at Toni. We’re not told how her home environment is, but we conclude she would stay in the gym day and night if she could. Sometimes she stays longer to help Jermaine (Da'Sean Minor), her older brother and boxing trainer, who cleans the place after hours. Their relationship isn't bad but slightly distant.

Ms. Holmer, who co-wrote with Saela Davis and Lisa Kjerulff, showed a terrific eye for detail and mood, challenging, intriguing, and intoxicating without giving us any answer. 
Cleverly staged and pulsating with energy, the film relies heavily on the strong visual language and the powerful score by Saunder Jurriaans and Danny Bensi, a fundamental element that helps to install the perplexing atmosphere.
I see “The Fits” as a nonconformist drama, which not being necessarily a good thing, worked beautifully in the present case. It also served as a demanding acting exercise for Royalty Hightower who was simply remarkable in her first role.

Thithi (2015)

Directed by Raam Reddy
Country: India

For many, the cinema from India is automatically associated with the local film industry, known as Bollywood, the main source of numerous tear-jerking dramas and cheesy romances. However, this is an unfair assumption since a few high-quality movies have been released throughout the years. 
The sweet-tempered “The Lunchbox” and the incisive “Court” are two examples of success, to which is now joined the brand new “Thithi”, a sagacious drama of jocular tones directed and co-written by the 26-year-old newcomer, Raam Reddy.

Mr. Reddy, despite so young, already shows a beneficial maturity that made him boldly embrace a great story focused on three generations of sons that dwell in a small village located in the South of India. By working with a non-professional cast he confers a luscious rawness to a sort of pastoral tale where the modern (cell phones, motorcycle) counterpoints with the ancient (traditions, the pasture) in a peculiar way.

The film opens with the death of an ancient, Century Gowda, at the age of 101. Before falling lifeless, we observe this elder scolding every single person who passes by the tortuous dusty roads. He apparently does this with no reason at all, adopting a scornful posture. His death draws distinct reactions from the members of his family who, without wasting time, start the preparations for the typical funerary ritual known as ‘Thithi’.
Our eyes are then turned to Century Gowda’s son, Gadappa (the Beard-Man), who doesn’t have any other occupation beyond wandering throughout the village while smoking second-rate cigarettes and drinking strong liquor. Detached from everyone, he shows an intriguing indifference toward his father’s death.
In turn, Gadappa’s son, Thamanna, who plays the villain, manifests a contemptuous greediness when planning to sell his grandfather’s land and keep the money to himself. Obviously, an illegal action since his father is still alive. Notwithstanding, the impulsive Thamanna already has a dirty scheme in mind: sending his dad on a bus trip so he can forge his certificate of death. The problem is that Gadappa doesn’t go far, hanging out with a family of shepherds from a neighboring village.

Progressing at a cadenced pace, we stand before a sympathetic comedy-drama that holds our attention from the very first minute. In a playful way, it kind of summarizes the good and the bad of the world, the choices each one of us is confronted with at some point, and also the natural course of life.
Mr. Reddy, resorting to the use of formulas that are as much elementary as efficient, and exploring the natural qualities of the cast, creates an ode to the life itself. 
His breezy direction helps to convey the message in an easygoing way, turning “Thithi” in an endearing experience. To be discovered!

Virgin Mountain (2015)

Directed by Dagur Kári
Country: Iceland

Characterized by a deadpan humor and a keen dramatic insight, “Virgin Mountain” is an Icelandic romantic comedy whose original title is ‘Fúsi’, the name of its central character. The international title is pretty suggestive, though, because Fúsi is an obese bachelor who, at the age of 43, is still a virgin and lives with his mother.

Masterfully played by Gunnar Jónsson, a well-known comedian in his country, the bashful Fúsi is addicted to padthai, loves to listen to hard rock, works at the airport ground service where he’s often bullied by his co-workers, and has a special interest in World War II themes, inclusively having a miniature model of the Battle of Alamein with which he occasionally plays with his best friend, Mordur (Sigurjón Kjartansson). His behavior swings between a spoiled child, when he plays outdoors with a remote controlled car or at home with a little neighbor girl, and a more mature person, when he smokes a joint with Mordur, describing him the awkward moment when he saw his mother (Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir) being hammered by Rolf (Arnar Jónsson), her boyfriend, on the kitchen table.
Whichever the case, Fúsi always shows a grandiose heart and never refuses to help someone when solicited, not even the ones who ruffle him with stupid pranks at work.

The nagging Rolfe constantly urges him to fight the battles of daily life instead of wasting time with stupid war games. So, he decides to offer him dancing classes. His mother strongly encourages him to go but Fúsi couldn’t even get out of the car. However, he befriends with Sjofn (Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir), one of the dancers who asks him for a lift since the weather wasn’t so inviting to walk.
After the second dancing class, they have pad Thai together and get to know a little bit more about each other's lives. Fúsi didn’t know he was falling for a highly depressive woman whose life wasn’t as she had described.

Cruel and humane to the same extent, “Virgin Mountain”, was directed by Dagur Kári, whose impressive first work, “Noi the Albino”, I had the opportunity to watch a few years ago.
Despite slightly tremulous in the last act and the sensation that I already had seen some of its scenes, Mr. Kari finds a way to inject fresh details, bestowing the essential offbeat tones to make it interesting. Gunnar Jónsson excels.

Suburra (2015)

Directed by Stefano Sollima
Country: Italy / France

Once there was “Gomorrah”, a powerful examination about the Neapolitan mafia. Now there’s “Suburra”, another Italian eye-opener, whose title derives from an area of Rome. This film also addresses the Italian crime syndicate but focusing its strong connection with the abusive political system through dirty schemes and games of power, lust, corruption, treason, and revenge.

The story spans over eight days of November 2011, and starts by bringing out the true nature of the parliamentary politician, Filippo Malgradi (Pierfrancesco Favino), a lascivious, prepotent man who relies on the taste of his regular hooker, Ninni (Giulia Gorietti), to find a second woman to participate in their wild sexual sessions loaded with drugs. 
One night, before explaining to his wife how busy he was at work, he goes to a fancy hotel where Ninni was waiting for him with a minor girl, as he has asked. Sadly, the youngster doesn’t resist to an overdose, leaving the other two in the verge of a panic attack. To avoid a public scandal and get rid of the body, Ninni remembers to call the atrocious Dagger (Giacomo Ferrara), the younger brother of Manfredi Anacleti (Adamo Dionisi), the face of a dangerously established gipsy turf.
Simultaneously, a highly respected Mafiosi, Samurai (Claudio Amendola), is looking for the families’ interests in the real estate field, but for that to occur, he needs to convince Aureliano (Alessandro Borghi) to refrain his impetuous actions of violence for a while. To put it simple: peace is imperative among the turfs as Malgradi tries to pass a suburban law that allows the construction of the huge real estate project.
However, Samurai’s intentions are shattered when Dagger, who had threatened to snitch Malgradi, is slain by the tempestuous Aureliano. Manfredi swears to avenge the death of his brother, getting the name of the presumable killer from the well-related Seba (Elio Germano) who was made responsible for his father’s debts by the Anacleti clan.

The director, Stefano Sollima (“All Cops Are Bastards”), certainly took advantage of the fact that the screenplay was co-written by Carlo Bonini and Giancarlo De Cataldo, the authors of the novel that inspired the film. 
Despite the numerous characters, the filmmaker articulates well the relationships between them within a lucid structure, as he diffuses a bunch of situations that characterize the ignominious state of a corrupted society.

Even using a feverish approach, which in some occasions would have benefitted if toned down, he still manages to keep the film controlled for most of the times. The finale, impulsive and slightly unorthodox, ends up being the movie’s weakest part. Nevertheless, this didn’t hamper Mr. Sollima, Bonini, and De Cataldo from expressing directly their discontentment about the Italian political/criminal network through a loud, critical voice.  

Midnight Special (2016)

Directed by Jeff Nichols
Country: USA

“Midnight Special”, the latest cinematic exposure by the adroit filmmaker, Jeff Nichols, is a passable cocktail that contains drama, sci-fi, and thriller in unequal proportions.
Mr. Nichols’ fourth motion picture features Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Adam Driver, Kirsten Dunst, and the young Jaeden Lieberher, in the leading roles. This is their first collaboration with the director, except for the earnest Mr. Shannon, who also starred in his other three dramas - “Shotgun Stories”, “Mud”, and “Take Shelter”, whose scripts I consider more satisfying than the object of this review.

Calling to mind Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (conceptually), Shyamalan’s “Signs” (visually), and one of the Italo Calvino’s invisible cities (in the last scenes), the story starts by bringing in the abduction of Alton Meyer (Lieberher), a gentle 8-year-old boy with supernatural abilities, who disappeared from the Texas religious cult ranch where he has been raised under the supervision of the leader pastor. The abductor is Roy (Shannon), Alton’s biological father, who was able to carry his act thanks to the help of Lucas (Edgerton), a state trooper and longtime loyal friend. 
Alton’s mother, Sarah (Dunst), a former member of the cult, is another accomplice of the plan, which consists in taking her child to an uncertain location on a specific day, in which something serious is expected to happen.

Alton is naturally sweet and extra sensitive (he can replicate in real time what they’re saying on the radio) but also has the power of causing massive destruction when frightened or in danger. During the day, he uses blue goggles in an attempt to protect his eyes, which occasionally emit a spectrum of bright light. However, he's getting sicker each day, and this is the time to act.
Meanwhile, the FBI starts an investigation, relying on their smartest and trustful agent, Paul Sevier (Driver), who becomes essential in the communication with Alton, while the pastor sends two men to find Roy’s whereabouts and bring Alton back to the ranch.

Not so enrapturing as it promised, “Midnight Special” instigates you to imagine much more than what is really given. 
Mr. Nichols had some difficulties in giving the best sequence to the mystery set in the first half while the religious connotations of the story felt a bit like a sham.
Despite intermittent in terms of thrills and action, the film, well acted and directed, assures fair entertainment.

Diamond Tongues (2015)

Directed by Pavan Moondi and Brian Robertson
Country: Canada

Leah Goldstein, vocalist of the Canadian alternative rock band, July Talks, gives an amazing performance in this incisive examination of an aspiring actor who tries by many possible ways to become successful in the sometimes-shallow world of the film industry.

Pavan Moondi (“Everyday Is Like Sunday”) and Brian Robertson directed with gusto and a sharp eye, employing a spontaneous approach and endeavoring to create a voice of their own. They actually succeed because Edith Welland (Goldstein), the intriguing main character, makes us totally immersed in her private and professional lives, where we can discern frustration, resentment, pretension, craftiness, rejection, and a bunch of intricacies related to her complex emotional state.

Every scene is meant to reflect Edith’s miserable situation and how she quickly slips into a web of lies and delusion that grows faster than a snowball descending a steep mountain. Everything becomes out of control and Edith cannot control her lies or her life anymore. A couple of genuine encounters with fellow actors allow us to foresee a bad ending for the viperous Edith, whenever she tries to pass the idea of a success she definitely didn’t find yet, almost stealing the others’ conquests for herself.
At the same time that she reveals outstanding acting skills during a tough audition and in her latest project, she also can’t dissemble a compromising lack of confidence in herself. This is so much stronger than her, to the point of preferring to sabotage the gig of her roommate and best friend, Clare (Leah Wildman), than fight in an honest way to excel in her vocation. 
Moreover, she’s pissed off with her ex-boyfriend, Ben (Adam Gurfinkel), who unexpectedly got the male leading role in the same play she’s participating. She had broken up with him due to her intention of prioritizing her career.

Bored and disorientated, she only finds some peace of mind when in the company of her friend Nick (Nick Flanagan), a writer/comedian who never gets tired of advising her to focus on her career instead of wasting energy with other people’s things, and trying to convince her to enroll in acting classes to evolve, meet people, and consequently embrace work opportunities. However, she opts for the easiest and yet unsafe way - giving herself to tricky personalities that claim to work in the film business, or whimsically faking her true identity to steal auditions from other actors.  
Although a number of episodes may suggest an apparent contentment, Edith tumbles in the spiral of false hopes, irresponsible schemes, and dirty tricks that hustle her into a discouraging deadlock. Amidst the variety of embarrassing situations, Edith gradually learns her lesson and assumes her own guilt. 
It's time for a fresh start.
 
Technically, the film doesn’t disappoint, benefiting from the attractive, lustily colored settings and the eccentric vibes drawn by the characters. Still, a few specific scenes in need of more maturation and less precipitation were identifiable. This quibble never made us overlook the consciousness of “Diamond Tongues”, a curious tragicomedy well founded in Mr. Moondi’s sturdy screenplay.

According to Her (2016)

Directed by Estelle Artus
Country: USA / France

Estelle Artus, a first-time French director/screenwriter based in New York, presents a solidly weaved drama, probing the challenging theme of motherhood and how it may radically change lives in accordance to the nature of the options made. 

For the story’s central character, Veronica (Irina Abraham), an internationally acclaimed pianist born in Belarus and settled in New York, the things were a bit taken to the extreme since she completely put her professional life aside to take care of her son, Keoshka.
Veronica only talks about herself with her octogenarian mother, who lives in Minsk, because she didn't make a single friend in the city in four years.
The few occasions to socialize are when she accompanies her husband, Paul (Pascal Yen-Pfister), an ambitious French stockbroker, to his habitual dinners with friends. Most of these gatherings take place in the apartment of Paul’s cousin, Adele (Nathalie Bryant), a spiteful socialite who sent her 8-year-old son to a boarding school in order to keep her job and constantly disdains Veronica’s new lifestyle and immoderate mother-child attachment.
Clearly, Veronica feels overwhelmed in the face of Adele’s cynical commentaries, a situation that is aggravated by Paul’s scornful posture. Actually, Paul is a very curious character whom we never see showing any type of affection for his kid. Besides, he has never coped with Veronica’s decision of sacrificing her once brilliant career to become a homestay mother. 
Progressively, a suffocating pressure infiltrates in the family.

It's devastating to see Veronika struggling with herself when she’s forced to hire a nanny to stay with Keoshka for a couple hours, the time she joined Paul and his friends at a local bar. However, the scene with the nanny was the film’s weakest moment since the unlikely sympathy that arises from the women’s interaction feels phony and obtuse. 
If the tension already reigned in Veronica and Paul’s kingdom, it reaches its peak when the unsatisfied husband becomes deeply fascinated with an old acquainted, Amanda (Eloise Eonnet), a younger and narcissist emergent pianist and singer. 
Ms. Artus approach at this particular point was more suggestive than direct, gaining some points in the intrigue’s development.

Enveloped in an inviting indie ambiance, “According to Her” showcases outstanding performances and is packed with rich visual and emotional details.
The camera soars over a demanding New York at the sound of convenient classical pieces that alternate between orchestrated and solo-piano, giving a deeper perspective to Steven Latta’s radiant cinematography.
Even if too radical in its conclusion and exhibiting a handful of scenes with some margin to be improved, the film, spoken in three different languages, spread an appealing charm while effectively conveyed its message.

Endless Night (2015)

Directed by Isabel Coixet
Country: Spain / France / Bulgaria

“Nobody Wants the Night”, a Spain/France/Bulgaria co-production, is a bummer of a drama directed by Isabel Coixet from a screenplay by Miguel Barros.  
I consider it one of the worse, if not the worst feature from the Spanish filmmaker whose uneven career comprises solid dramas such as “My Life Without Me”, “The Secret Life of Words”, and “Elegy”, but also other totally dispensable dramatic exercises, cases of “Yesterday Never Ends”, “Maps of the Sounds of Tokyo”, and “Another Me”.
Last year, the tolerable rom-com, “Learning to Drive”, starring the great Patricia Clarkson and the sober Ben Kingsley, seemed to bring Ms. Coixet back to acceptable standards. But unfortunately, “Nobody Wants the Night”, a disastrous blend of soapy drama and futile survival adventure set in 1908, proves the contrary.

The gifted French actress, Juliette Binoche, who did great in last year’s “The Clouds of Sils Maria”, was helpless to give depth to the character of Josephine Peary, the obstinate wife of the Arctic explorer, Robert Peary, who is trying to be the first man to reach the North Pole.
The super confident, Josephine, rejoices while hunting a bear and is very persuasive when she wants something. An insatiable yearning for her husband makes her embark on a perilous journey to join him. In the company of an experienced Irish guide, Bram Trevor (Gabriel Byrne), and a few Arctic indigenous, she hits the snowy and rocky landscapes with tenacity and recklessness when it comes to facing the hardships of the bitter winter.

Even losing her faithful guide in the way, the impulsive Josephine arrives at the shelter where her husband should be, but only finds one of his fellow travelers whose fingers were eaten away by the cold, and Allaka (Rinko Kikuchi), a smiley Eskimo woman who was also eagerly waiting for Robert Peary.
Expecting a severe aggravation of the weather for the following weeks, everyone departs with the exception of Josephine and Allaka who decide to wait for Robert, the man they both unconditionally love.

If the first part was bad, the second was abominable. 
The verbal interaction between the women is often irritating and dull while they keep trying to overcome the cultural barriers that make them apart.
At the time when their lives become threatened, they finally understand there's no other alternative besides stand together and unite forces in order to survive. During this last segment, both sentimentality and artifice take over the scenes until we get to the meager conclusion.
The cinematography, by Jean-Claude Larrieu, is the only positive aspect of a poor adventure-drama whose script is the weakest link.

Hardcore Henry (2015)

Directed by Ilya Naishuller
Country: Russia / USA

“Hardcore Henry”, the super-violent directorial debut feature from Ilya Naishuller, is a pointless silliness that received wide acclaim in Russia, its origin country. 

Mr. Naishuller moves in every direction – sci-fi, action, thriller, horror, and even war – trying to convince us of his capabilities through the creation of anarchic scenarios and the manifestation of pseudo offbeat attitudes. Sadly, the best he could do was turning this dystopian nonsense into a terrifying bad movie.

The story is totally told from the perspective of Henry, whose eyes we never see because they are represented by the annoying handheld camera that frantically moves and zooms around.
When Henry wakes up in a space lab’s water tank he can’t speak or remember how he got in there. Estelle (Haley Bennett), the scientist who’s replacing his limbs and reconstructed his body after a harrowing accident, says she’s his wife. All of a sudden, the lab is attacked by a telekinetic villain, Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), but the couple manages to flee, landing in Russia where more mercenaries are waiting for them.
Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) is an enigmatic British ally that rescues Henry while Estelle can’t help being kidnapped by Akan’s persistent troops. 
As a man of many lives, Jimmy is permanently in contact with death. Thus, he wants to make sure he gives the right orientation to Henry, who must find a man called Slick Dimitry and take his heart since it contains the fundamental charging pump that could keep him alive. 
He sets off on an excruciating journey with a triple objective: to prolong his life, rescue his wife, and exterminate the enemies.

The film shows an uncontrollable eagerness in shocking us through savage acts perpetrated by the despicable characters. It uses and abuses of chaotic situations that are often accompanied by a hardcore musical score (just to match its title).
Parched in terms of message and tastelessly directed, the barbaric “Hardcore Henry” feels gratuitous in its brawls, disorganized in its structure, muddled in its storytelling, and compromising as an entertainment.

Sing Street (2016)

Directed by John Carney
Country: Ireland / UK / USA

Dedicated to brothers everywhere, “Sing Street” is an Irish comedy-drama, directed by John Carney (“Once”, “Begin Again”), which straddles the line between homage and romance. If he did great in regard to the former, a wonderful tribute to the pop-rock scene of the 80’s, he stepped into crowd-pleasing territory in the latter.

Nevertheless, he comfortably shapes compelling characters and give them appropriate dimension by placing them amidst realistic situations that combine daily life problems, relationships, and talents. Then, and in a smart way, all these aspects are even more enhanced through the addition of appealing pop-rock original songs that are played by one or more personas. 
“Sing Street” employs this formula and goes even a little bit further by addressing themes such as family and school bullying.

The film, set in Dublin in 1985, opens by giving a perspective of the tense atmosphere lived at the Lalor’s. The catholic family is having some troubles in living peacefully together because the patriarch, Robert (Aidan Gillen), a broke architect, seems unsatisfied with his life while his wife, Penny (Maria Doyle Kennedy), is having an affair. They have three children: Anne, who doesn’t have great expression in the story, Brendan (Jack Reynor), a depressed loser who doesn’t know what to do with his life, and the sensitive Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who at the age of 15 resolves to form a pop-rock band after meeting the beautiful Raphina (Lucy Boynton) whose dream is to become a model. 
Enthusiastically, Conor, the vocalist, and his new friend Darren (Ben Carolan), the producer, make an important acquisition for the band: the multi-instrumentalist Eamon (Mark McKenna), who becomes his right hand in the composition process. The other three members arrive naturally, and they both agree on the name Sing Street for the band. Influenced by Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, The Cure, and many more, they record a first song entitled ‘The Riddle of the Model’, obviously inspired on Raphina who agrees to participate in the music video.
Despite having a cool dude as a boyfriend, Raphina becomes closer to Conor, giving him hope by responding affectively to his passionate impulses.
In the meantime, and besides the amorous frustrations, the brave Conor tries to find non-violent ways to deal with the frequent intimidations he’s been suffering at the new school. The villains are Barry (Ian Kenny), a troublesome boy, and Brother Baxter (Don Wycherley), the ridiculous school principal.

Carrying a strong, positive message, the film, so wonderfully captivating at times, ends up disappointing heavily in its finale. 
The talented Mr. Carney blurs the painting with the ultimate stroke. An unlikely conclusion that was more impetuous and strategic than genius.

The Jungle Book (2016)

Directed by Jon Favreau
Country: USA

The versatile filmmaker Jon Favreau moves dexterously among different genres – the comedic fantasy “Elf” was an agreeable option for Christmas; the sci-fi action thriller “Cowboys & Aliens” was a sort of prank that didn’t work so well; the unparalleled “Iron Man” is a reference in the cinematic Marvel universe while its second installment lowered the expectations of something big; the comedy “Chef” put some heart and soul in an engaging story whose main character is played by himself.
Even with ups and downs, Mr. Favreau shows an innate talent that is now transported to the computer-generated imagery adventure of Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”, a realistic remake of the Walt Disney’s 1967 animated film.

Our little hero, Mowgli, perfectly impersonated by the newcomer Neel Sethi, faces hard times when he’s mercilessly hunted by the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan (Idris Elba). 
In order to live in safety, Mowgli is forced to separate from Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito), the wolves that raised him when he got lost from his parents in the jungle. The agile black panther, Bangheera (Ben Kingsley), his faithful protector, shows him the way to his own kind. However, the sensitive kid faces some heavy challenges during the journey throughout the beautiful yet perilous jungle. He’s deceived by a giant sibilant python and kidnapped by impish little monkeys that take him to the dark temple of their master, the ancient and enormous orangutan, King Louie (Christopher Walken). 
Gladly, he also finds sincere friendship and fundamental assistance in Baloo (Bill Murray), a funny, lazy, and honey-addicted bear that doesn’t mind to set aside its regular naps and fight the fear of heights for his new buddy.

Favreau used the technology in his favor, creating stunning images that were never showy but rather closer to reality. 
There’s a lot to be liked in “The Jungle Book”, and that comes from the brain and good taste used in the approach, even with Mr. Favreau’s indecision if he wanted to turn the movie into a musical - a couple of brief swinging jazz pieces were thrown in, but despite sounding nice they can’t really be considerate an asset.
Boasting delightful details within a simple narrative, this is an utterly magical tale whose every single animal, no matter which size or nature, has the power to captivate us somehow.

The Treasure (2015)

Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Country: Romania / France

There’s a cynical ridiculousness in the low-key “The Treasure”, the fourth fictional feature from Corneliu Porumboiu, author of “12:08 East of Bucharest” and “Police, Adjective”.
I confess I expected more from the Romanian director/screenwriter, especially if we take into account the more valuable cinematic treasures mentioned above.
All the features that characterize Mr. Porumboiu’s directorial approach can be found in his new deadpan comedy, which starts in a curious way, becoming overdetailed in its midsection, only to resuscitate in its laughable final part. 

Costi (Cuzin Toma) is a caring father, despite arriving late at school to pick up his son, Alin (played by Cuzin’s real-life son, Nicodim), a Peter Pan enthusiast who’s often beaten up by another kid.
When his neighbor, Adrian (Adrian Purcarescu), pays him a visit with the intention of borrowing 800 Euros, he never imagined how his monotonous daily life would turn into a singular adventure with an authentic treasure hunt.
Adrian discloses he wants the money to rent a metal detector and hire someone professional to operate it, envisioning spotting an old treasure that was buried by his grand-grandfather in the garden of his propriety located in the countryside, province of Ostenia. 
Even if financially unstable, the intrigued Costi manages to skip work and get the money, heading immediately to a company where he negotiates an acceptable price with Cornel (Corneliu Cozmei), a metal expert.

The neighbors set off to the country, eager to find and split a fortune in gold, but also aware of the necessity to report whatever they may find to the authorities, having the right to keep just 30% of its value. So, Adrian’s plan consists of selling the gold to the gypsies who would melt it, evaporating any trace of its provenience.
Once arrived at the place, they are joined by Cornel, whose character clashes with Adrian's. An eternity goes by just to read the detector’s data and to discuss what are the chances of the beeps coming from the device refer to gold, silver, copper, or aluminum.

The plain, absurdist script contains a few wry commentaries on politics, economics, and history, keeping the film minimally interesting. However, the dragging excavation and the moments that preceded it were a bit discouraging in terms of fluidity, almost putting me to sleep before the ultimate stimulus.

Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015)

Directed by Amy Berg
Country: USA

American filmmaker, Amy Berg, continues to do what she knows best: documentary films. Titles like “Delivers Us From Evil” (an Academy award nominated), “West of Memphis”, “An Open Secret” and “Prophet’s Prey” deserved every accolade they got. In 2014, “Every Secret Thing” probes fiction and mystery with disastrous results. Her new documentary about the iconic singer Janis Joplin, graciously entitled “Janis: Little Girl Blue”, is probably the less riveting but still properly built.

To let us know both the successes and defeats of this incredible talent of the blues-rock-soul scene of 60’s and 70’s, Ms. Berg uses the classical approach, interweaving archival footage, a strong narration by Cat Power, and interviews with many personalities close to Janis. From band mates to producers to former boyfriends and lovers, everyone gives a valuable contribution so we can better understand the sadness behind the contagious energy present in the performances of ‘Pearl’, as she was known among her friends.

After explaining why she likes music so much and how this was the perfect vehicle to express her feelings, we are faced with ugly realities that characterized her youth, especially the traumatic high school days, when angry boys pick on her to win a contest called ‘the ugliest man on Campus’. However, Janis never attempted to change her ways, embracing progressive ideas and a particular way of dressing with bold individuality.
In 1966, she literally fled from her conservative hometown, Port Arthur, Texas, and from her parents, who wanted her to become a teacher, to give wings to a creative freedom when singing in the clubs of San Francisco. There, she formed the successful Big Brother & The Holding Company whose highlight performance was in 67' Monterey Festival. Her popularity turned out to be bigger than expected provoking some adverse reactions in her band mates, Peter Albin and James Gurley. The band didn’t last much longer and Janis, feeling guilty and depressed, started her solo career with a new band, carrying a constant interior conflict that found some delusive ease in alcohol and heroin, a problem that tended to aggravate.

She seemed to have the strength to kick the addiction when she met the love of her life in Brazil. According to her words, David Niehaus made her feel like a woman for the first time, not a pop star. However, he decided to proceed with his scheduled trip to Africa, leaving her in a grievous state that brought back the dependence on drugs.
Janis stepped into the famous Woodstock Festival bearing a visible emotional instability and counting on the support of her new friend and lover, Peggy Caserta, who wasn’t exactly the help she needed to get rid of her obstacles.

“Janis: Little Girl Blue” was competently directed and structured, but I was unable to feel a similar arresting empathy and vibrancy of other recent documentaries about musicians such as “Cobain: Montage of Heck” or “Amy”.

The Invitation (2015)

Directed by Karyn Kusama
Country: USA

The atmospheric thriller, “The Invitation”, deserves to be seen, especially for its frenzied final part and twisted conclusion. 

The story, written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, was slowly cooked by the director, Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight”, “Aeon Flux”, “Jennifer’s Body”), who plays with overwhelming silences, inquisitive looks, and acute expressions of preoccupation and pain, observed on the faces of the diversified characters.
Ten years ago, the same screenwriters and the director had worked together in the obnoxious “Aeon Flux”. Their recent collaboration shows a considerable increase of maturity in their working processes.

Logan Marshall-Green was effective when playing the central character, Will, an agitated yet cautious man who’s still in a process of healing from an inexorable trauma related to the death of his son. Strangely, Will and his sympathetic girlfriend, Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi), received an unlikely invitation from his visibly disturbed ex-wife, Eden (Tammy Blanchard), and her cynical new husband, David (Michiel Huisman), for a reunion of friends in their secure house located in the Hollywood Hills. This residence belonged to Will and Eden and was exactly here that, two years before, an unclear accident took the life of their little boy.  
Among the long-time friends, who didn’t see one another since the accident, two new faces were invited. Sadie (Lindsay Burdge), a tactless girl they met in Mexico, and Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch), a cunning storyteller, are nothing less than creepy in their words and behavior, making Will wonder about the real reason for the dinner party. Some other determining aspects, which served to magnify his suspicion and also to make us guess what would come next, includes the watching of an improper video along with the repetitive use of words like freedom, pain, belief, and cure, as part of the odd conversations. 

Moving forward in a controlled, unhurried pace, the film withheld the most gripping scenes for the last 20 minutes, where the panic and the horror filled the well-suited bloody scenes. 
This probably sounds ironic, but the helpless Will is going to carry, not just one, but two traumas for life.
“The Invitation” managed to be occasionally disconcerting, haunting us with a dusky creepiness, and responding decently to the expectations. However, it’s not less true that we're before a smart manipulation that would be better considered if less revealing.

Neon Bull (2015)

Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
Country: Brazil / other

Gabriel Mascaro’s unadorned sophomore feature, “Neon Bull”, brings to the big screen the lives of a few individuals connected to the Vaquejada, the typical rodeo of the Northeast Brazil.

Iremar (Juliano Cazarré) is an experienced bull handler who prepares the opulent white animals before being released in an arena where two men on horseback will persecute and throw them on the ground with a violent tail tug. This is what he does to make a living, but his real dream is to become a fashion designer. In his spare time, he goes to swampy fields where he collects pieces of broken mannequins and other discarded props that he uses to feed his fashion fantasy.
Usually, he has the company of Cacá (Alyne Santana), a sharp-tongued adolescent girl who love horses and whose mother, a dancer named Galega (Maeve Jinkings), is also the driver of the truck that transports the bulls and serves as their improvised home. Iremar and his funny assistant, Zé (Carlos Pessoa), also live in the truck. 
The men have such a great relationship that they share a porn magazine, which has two functions: Zé uses to masturbate while Iremar uses what’s left of it to design his clothing models on top of the naked girls. 
Despite these curious behaviors, everyone shows respect for one another, even if it’s discernible some tension in the way they talk, which happens to be more a natural thing than a confrontation. Many of these verbal tensions come from Cacá’s stubbornness and wry commentaries that leave her mother and the men frequently out of their minds.

Even occasionally infusing a spontaneous humor, “Neon Bull” is a tough watch due to the constant violence that takes both the physical and emotional forms. This factor is counterpointed by explicit images of intense sexual pleasure, when Galega accepts a newly arrived attractive cowboy named Junior (Vinícius de Oliveira, the kid from “Central Station”) as her sexual partner, and when Iremar becomes physically attracted to a pregnant woman, Geise (Samya De Lavor), a perfume seller during the day and a security guard at a knitting factory during the night.

All these dualisms - violence and pleasure, ugly and beautiful, hostile and respectful, reality and dream - make “Neon Bull” such a powerful drama, enhanced by a confident structure and fabulous acting from the cast of professional and non-professional actors.
Mr. Mascaro, even bolder than in his debut feature, “August Winds”, doesn’t refrain from showing whatever he has to, good or bad, to guarantee that the characters’ painful reality is passed to the viewers. The images captured by the cinematographer Diego Garcia are fiercely expressive, showing a mix of compositions that keep alternating between atrocious, brisk, laid-back, and carnal. Some of them can be pretty disturbing with its intensity and rawness, being so hard to digest but also to forget.

The movie’s less positive aspect has to do with a couple of scenes attempting to shock in too obvious ways. Still, this transient quibble doesn’t remove the power of the tale. 
Mr. Mascaro, with his very personal vision, didn’t take the bull by the tail but rather by the horns.

Triple 9 (2016)

Directed by John Hillcoat
Country: USA

Australian filmmaker, John Hillcoat, is known for sturdy crime thrillers where the violence usually plays a preponderant role.
Two of his first movies feature the acclaimed musician Nick Cave – screenplay and soundtrack in the spellbinding Australian western, “The Proposition”, and also in the macabre “Ghosts…of the Civil Dead” in which he also plays the main role. 
In 2009, he managed to conquer the masses with the passable post-apocalyptic “The Road”, just to fail to impress with “Lawless”, his third collaboration with Nick Cave who adapted Matt Bondurant’s historical novel, ‘The Wettest County in the World’.

Hillcoat’s brand new film, “Triple 9”, can’t be compared to the ones mentioned in the early phase of his career for the simple fact that its approach is indistinguishable and complicated, regardless the sustainable script by Matt Cook that definitely deserved a different treatment, and a great ensemble cast that includes Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Aaron Paul, and Clifton Collins Jr.

The narrative starts swiftly with a bank robbery in broad daylight perpetrated by an organized gang of five men - Michael (Ejiofor), Russell (Norman Reedus) and his brother Gabe (Paul), and two crooked cops, Marcus (Mackie) and Franco (Collins, Jr.). The gang operates for the Russian Mafia, under the orders of the merciless Irina Vlaslov (Winslet is even more attractive when not playing her usual sweet characters). After the accomplished first job, which consisted in retrieving a safe deposit box with sensitive information about a Russian Mafia boss, she refuses to pay the men, forcing them to a second job, even riskier than the first one. In order to get what she wants, she orders the death of Russell and blackmails Michael who, having a son with her sister, decides to persuade his mates to do the job and, this way, guarantee he’s going to keep seeing his child.

What they didn’t expect was that the incorruptible detective Chris Allen (Affleck) would be investigating the case, strongly backed up by his cool uncle Jeff (Harrelson), a tough Sgt. Detective who happens to be the most interesting and funniest character of the cast. Jeff loves his nephew, maybe as much as to smoke weed, and sporadically makes incredible speeches about the sixth sense of the cops.

Moving at a galloping speed but lacking emotional depth, “Triple 9”, saturated with grueling violence and addiction, dizzying speeding cars, and tedious shootouts, scantily shapes the underground schemes used by the international organized crime and the traditional bad cops vs. good cops. These mean streets and the guys who populate them aren’t explored with a consistent vision or exceptional intelligence. Therefore, skipping it won’t be an issue.

Rams (2015)

Directed by Grímur Hákonarson
Country: Iceland

The piercing Icelandic drama, “Rams”, is a wonderful examination of obsession, bringing us an ironic tale in which two estranged brothers and sheep farmers compete avidly to win the annual competition for best ram that takes place in their tiny mountain village.

Gummi and Kiddi, magnificently played by Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theodór Júlíusson, respectively, have their houses placed at a very short distance. On the idyllic green fields that surround them, they breed the most robust sheep in Iceland, a tradition they took from their ancestors. 
Due to unclear reasons, the unmarried brothers don’t speak to each other for 40 years, time when their parents decided to put the farm in the name of Gummi, a pacific, if sly, farmer who gets along with everyone in town. Kiddi is exactly the opposite, being anti-social, often rude, and constantly drowned in alcohol. Lately, he gets so drunk that his brother, who fears him, has to save him from dying frozen in the ditch. Kiddi has never thanked him and pays him back with a few more threats and harsh words.

Even before the disappointing second position in the competition, Gummi, finds that his brother’s sheep are being fatally struck by a disease, which later on is confirmed as scrapie. Gummi promptly warns the authorities, which decide to exterminate all the animals after spotting two other sheep farms affected with the contagious disease. This drastic measure is necessary and irreversible, even taking into account that it’s also a huge financial setback and a trauma for the farmers who’ll have to destroy the tools they had been using, burn all the hay stored in their barns, and wait two long years in order to buy new sheep.
Apparently, all farmers acquiesce with the order, understanding the risks of a widespread contamination, except the crabby Kiddi, who refuses to cooperate in the cleaning.

Gummi decides not to wait for the authorities, and against the regulations, takes action by shooting 147 sheep with a pistol. After the painful practice and pretending to be emotionally ruined, he fools the sanitary inspectors, hiding his best ram and seven sheep in the cellar where he attempts reproduction. 
Meanwhile, he manages to clean Kiddi’s barn after taking him to the hospital with another booze crisis.
After being discharged from the hospital, Kiddi discovers Gummi’s secret, and the story makes a complete U-turn. The brothers, in their uncontrolled obsession, decide to work together for the first time in order to save their prestigious animals.

Written and directed by Grímur Hákonarson, who’s also a skilled documentarian, the detailed and well-photographed “Rams” feels authentic and tragic.
Built with the proper tension and purpose, this moving drama may be seen as a lesson for life where the bad and the good intertwine. The unexpected ending, suggesting further thought, shows that sometimes the understanding and tolerance among people come too late and not always for the best reasons.

Everybody Wants Some (2016)

Directed by Richard Linklater
Country: USA

Celebrated filmmaker, Richard Linklater, takes us to a modest Texas college at the beginning of the effervescent decade of the 80’s to tell us an energizing tale about a bunch of students who have in common the fact of being baseball players and love beautiful girls and exciting parties.

If “Boyhood”, shot over 12 years, was a richly intense and incredibly realistic drama, “Everybody Wants Some” is something totally different. To start, it’s a comedy, and a very American one in every sense, following the same lines as the 1993 success “Dazed and Confused”. It’s the type of film with which there is not much to learn, and still, we can’t take our eyes off the screen and pretend that nothing’s going on. Nostalgic in a positive way, the film is suffused with numerable feel-good situations that are sufficiently funny and vitalizing to retrieve the unforgettable vibes of that bygone era. The accurate visuals as a part of the unimpeachable period recreation and the lively performances by the boys did the rest.

The cute freshman, Jake (Blake Jenner), exhibiting a relaxed and content disposition, arrives at the campus where he introduces himself to his baseball teammates. The simple fact of being a pitcher is enough to provoke some initial friction in some of the old-timers, who end up accepting him with authority but also friendliness. Among the vets and freshmen there are a few who deserve a special mention: the seductive Finnegan (Glen Powell) who loves to talk about his penis with the girls; the competitive Glen McReynolds (Tyler Hoechlin) who freaks out just for losing a ping-pong game; Jay Niles (Juston Street) who was transferred from Detroit carrying a risible bad temper; the cool dude, Willoughby (Wyatt Russell), whose biggest happiness is to smoke weed with friends; the weird Nesbit (Austin Amelio), champion of the silly knuckle-flicking game; and Billy Autrey (Will Brittain), also called Beuter, who is the most restrained of the guys due to his serious commitment with a girlfriend who says she may be pregnant.

With three days left before the beginning of classes, the enthusiastic guys have plenty of time to hang out together in bars and parties, where they drink, dance, and enjoy the company of beautiful young ladies.
The inevitable true romance is reserved for Jake and Beverly (Zoey Deutch), a smart first-year student of theater and dance.

As a curious observation, we conclude that there are no heroes or villains here, just likable characters with their very own personalities.
Mr. Linklater totally discards any type of drama as the little conflicts among some of the friends are easily and quickly forgiven and overcome. What he actually should have done was to give a bit more preponderance to the music throughout the film. 
However, he shows how to turn an apparently trivial script into a good movie, just by creating the adequate spirit, as high as the title suggests. 
“Everybody Wants Some” is a new American classic bursting with feel-good energies and the unequal grace of youth.