Demolition (2015)

Directed by Jean-Marc Valée
Country: USA

“Demolition”, a stilted comedy drama written by Bryan Sipe, was conceived by an extraordinary director and showcased a no less extraordinary cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, and Chris Cooper.
Despite these observations, it’s not an extraordinary movie, showing several problems that turn it into an unfortunate stumble in the filmography of the Quebecois Jean-Marc Vallée. 
The latter, who deserves all my respect for works such as “C.R.A.Z.Y”, “Café de Fleur”, “Dallas Buyers Club”, and “Wild”, was unable to assure a compelling chemistry among the characters and eluded us by making us believe that this tearless tale of loss and grief could offer us something more interesting than weird conversation, whimsical behavior, and difficult relationships.

The film opens with a brutal car accident that throws Davis (Gyllenhaal) into a hospital, unconscious but intact, turning him into a widower since his wife Julie didn’t have the same luck.
After taking conscience of what just happened, Davis reacts in a strange way. No tears were shed and Davis even seems not to need any support or solace. The question if he’s in shock or simply indifferent to his wife’s death is inevitable, and the curiosity immediately takes over, just to let us disappointed in the course of Davis’ narration of his life.
Besides having a hard time dealing with frustration and trauma, and doing his best to deviate the eagle eye of Phil (Cooper), his boss and father-in-law, from his questionable behavior, the unstable Davis grows an obsession for Karen (Watts), an unprofessional customer service rep. He also creates a special bond (for the good and for the bad) with the latter’s 15-year-old son, Chris (Judah Lewis).

The film, reminiscing Malick in its narrative and mood, almost follows the steps of its main character in the way that it’s active but a bit lost and off. 
Despite Mr. Valée’s well-thought-out intentions, the scenes oscillate between the strong and the weak, and Davis’ problematic phase is presented with a sometimes-embarrassing phoniness that it’s hard to chew up. 
Likely, it will divide audiences in the same way that made me disoriented in the valley of its qualities and flaws.

Green Room (2015)

Directed by Jeremy Saulnier
Country: USA

“Green Room” is an unsettling horror thriller written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier. 
If the director’s previous, “Blue Ruin”, had already shown a flair for brooding stories and an ability to create excruciating scenarios, his latest work is extremely hard to watch such are the harrowing happenings that involve the members of a punk band during a last-minute performance in a remote Neo-Nazi bar located in the Pacific Northwest.

The four members of an innocuous punk band called ‘The Ain't Rights’ witness a horrifying murder and have to fight in order to survive the unscrupulous group of skinheads that are behind the act.
With the cops on the way, the evildoers set a diabolic plan to cover-up the crime and kill the frightened members of the band, who remain locked in a small green room. 
The skinheads take direct orders from the owner of the place, who certainly didn’t imagine that these young musicians could resist for so long and be prepared for the war.
After finding that the room is connected to an old bunker, they take their chances but the few exits are well guarded, not only by madmen but also by a furious pit bull.

Paranoia and panic can be easily felt when watching this brutal film, which relies on violent attacks, ugly deaths, and a few bizarre characters in order to impress.
Among the cast, we highlight Imogen Pots who plays a doped regular customer who doesn’t hesitate when it’s time to become aggressive, and also Patrick Stewart as Darcy, the owner of the establishment. 
Mr. Saulnier effectively composes the backdrops with saturated colors, and often articulates them with the ominous roars of punk and metal music.
It’s well done, yet might be overwhelming for some viewers.

The Phenom (2016)

Directed by Noah Buschel
Country: USA

I’ve no doubts about the value of Noah Buschel as a film director and a writer. Despite somewhat underrated, he gave us interesting movies such as the indie romantic drama “Sparrows Dance” and the crime thriller “Glass Chin”.
His latest, however, didn’t thrill me much. 
“The Phenom” is a sports psychodrama that showcases great performances from Ethan Hawke, Paul Giamatti, and Johnny Simmons, but leaves something to be desired in the end.

The film is presented with constant ups and downs during the irregular narrative structure, regardless the solid psychological fundament and emotional weight that we can find in the cheerless story of Hopper Gibson (Simmons), a rookie Major League Baseball pitcher who, despite seen as a big promise, is sent to the minor leagues due to his increasingly poor performances.

Dr. Mobley (Giamatti), a maverick sports psychoanalyst, is appointed to get him fixed and withdraw some conclusions. He easily understands that Hopper’s anguish comes from his overbearing father, Hopper Sr. (Hawke), an ex-con and drug dealer of very bad reputation.
Hopper was motivated and in good shape during the time his father was away. He listened carefully the advice of the coach and was more available to his wise girlfriend, Dorothy (Sophie Kennedy Clark), who loved him very much. This scenario changes completely after his dad’s return. From then on, the joy of throwing a strike gives place to apathy, failure, and embarrassment.

Weirdly, the analyst became analyzed and, apparently, there’s not much more to be said about Hopper’s case.
It’s a shame the film didn’t take a more satisfying course because it had the potential to do so.
Whenever present, Ethan Hawke is the one who keeps this well-directed drama alive, but the script and narrative needed to be strongly shaped to make the difference.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Directed by Taika Waititi
Country: New Zealand

Following up the indelible “What We Do in the Shadows”, one of the most gratifying parodies from last year, “Hunt For Wilderpeople” is another hilarious comedy from the New Zealander Taika Waititi, who is now confirmed as a first-rate director in the genre. 
Although labeled as a comedy, the film is also an enthusiastic and highly entertaining adventure, nearly a rustic western, containing the right amounts of action and drama to become simultaneously animated, funny, and heartwarming.

Mr. Waititi doesn’t need much more than a sharp-witted screenplay, which he wrote based on Barry Crump’s book ‘Wild Pork and Watercress’, suitable actors for each role, and considerable amounts of goodwill and cheeriness to make this film work wonders.

The story focuses on the fat young Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), a gutsy and difficult orphan who never stops running away from the juvenile centers or foster homes he's sent to. However, his rebellious posture will change for the better when feeling genuine care and love coming from his new foster aunt, Bella (Rima Te Wiata), who lives with the grumpy foster uncle Hec (Sam Neill), an inveterate pigs' hunter.
Sadly, Bella passes away, leaving Ricky under the orders of the Child Welfare Services once again. When ordered to return to a caring home, the wild kid hides in the dense New Zealander bushes, dragging the reluctant Hec with him. The latter, after giving it some thought, decides to protect him from a few relentless yet ridiculous pursuers. An eventful and unforgettable adventure starts, replete of both dangerous and friendly encounters. 
Ricky, an eternal fugitive turned into a national hero, and his brave uncle, unjustly accused of being a pervert, even seem to have the same blood when consumed by the adrenaline of a thrilling escapade.

With numerous effective jokes, an irascible fight against a huge savage pig, and a spectacular car chase, “Hunt For Wilderpeople”, a bracing fantasy for all the family, will provide you with many occasions for out-loud laughs.
It’s already one of the best comedies of the year.

Creepy (2016)

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Country: Japan

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “Creepy”, which was based on Yutaka Maekawa’s 2012 novel of the same name, flaunts some creepiness but fails to maintain the focus while leading us to a defective finale.
Mr. Kurosawa’s flair for horror-thriller is widely known (“Cure”, “Pulse”), but throughout his long career (more than three decades), his successes are more intermittent than solid. In fact, his only memorable film is a poignant drama, “Tokyo Sonata”, a reference that prompts me to suggest he should give another shot in the genre.

“Creepy” has a stimulating start, showing us the brave and clever Detective Takakura (Hidetoshi Nishijima) being wound by a young psychopath who managed to escape the correction facility where he was being interrogated. 
The incident pushed him away from the crime investigation and made him chose a teaching career instead. One year after, the expert in criminal psychology moves into a new house with his good-hearted wife, Yasuko (Yûko Takeuchi), who is resolved to build friendly relationships with the neighbors. However, the couple finds themselves surrounded by an antisocial woman on one side, and a sinister man, Nishino (Teruyuki Kagawa), on the other. Despite the odd behavior, Yasuko opens the door of her house for Nishino and his daughter, Mio, who discloses some eerie secrets about her father.

The one who doesn’t trust him at all is Takakura who, meanwhile, agrees to give a hand to his former colleague, Nogami (Masahiro Higashide), in an unsolved case from 6 years before when three members of a family disappeared without a trace. The only relative who’s alive is Saki Honda (Haruna Kawaguchi), carefully approached in order to recall a mysterious man who may be related to the disappearances of her parents and brother.

The two fronts of the story - the bizarre neighbor and the Hondas’ case - are predictably related and the film keeps revolving in psychological strategies and abhorrent exposures until we reach the implausible and vulnerable ending. “Creepy” was sharply shot/photographed and its suspenseful undertones are acceptable, however, a more lucid approach was expected from Mr. Kurosawa who, at least, could have tried to camouflage the obvious a little harder.

Honor Thy Father (2015)

Directed by Erik Matti
Country: Philippines

“Honor Thy Father” is a pertinent Filipino drama/thriller about a family involved in a fraudulent financial scheme that unexpectedly puts their lives in danger. It also addresses religious fanaticism and deception, the gap between social classes, and criminal activity with a sharp eye, only to wobble slightly as it reaches the last part.
The director, Erik Matti, who already had shown favorable capabilities in the 2013 crime thriller “On the Job”, wrote the screenplay together with Michiko Yamamoto and gave the proper instructions to the popular Filipino actor John Lloyd Cruz who played the leading role.

Mr. Cruz gives an earnest performance as Edgar, a modest former miner who recently has been living in the city in great style and surrounded by luxury. Not because he did great at work or won the lottery, but because his wife, Kaye (Meryll Soriano), is thriving due to an elusive financial scheme launched by her father, that forces her to drag more investors into swampy ground.
Kaye seems to have been born for that job. She loves to feel active when convincing people to invest, and superior when in the presence of large amounts of money.
Besides leading the scheme, Kaye is a fervent devotee of the Church of Yeshua whose header, bishop Tony (Tirso Cruz III), tries to extract as much money (in the form of donations) as he can get from the parishioners. 
The only one who attends the gatherings with suspicion and indifference is Edgar. However, he goes with the flow just to please his whimsical wife.

The couple’s happy days come to an end when Kaye’s father is assassinated and the money disappears. Naturally, the situation provokes the chaos among the wrathful villagers who claim their money back.
Since Kaye doesn’t have a solution for the problem, the crowd opts for looting her house. Not satisfied, a threatening couple takes further action, kidnapping their daughter, Angel (Krystal Brimner), as a warning, and then Kaye, as a guarantee that they will receive the six million they’re asking for.
Edgar has to think and act fast to retrieve his beloved wife alive. After a failed attempt to rob a bank, his only chance is to break into the church that had denied the financial help he needed.

“Honor Thy Father” is a claustrophobic tale that conveys all the distress felt by its characters, a punishment for their atrocious greediness. It’s also timeless because, sadly, scheming people and churches like the one described here are still spread around the world.
The pace increases as the intensity grows, but the film loses something in its last act where the action assumes preponderance, and the climax shows us how ignominious life can be sometimes.

Land and Shade (2015)

Directed by: Cesar Augusto Acevedo
Country: Colombia / other

Coming from Colombia and deserving special attention worldwide, “Land and Shade” was distinguished with 4 prestigious awards at Cannes (Golden Camera, France 4 Visionary Award, SACD Award, Grand Golden Rail) and also conquered other trophies in Mumbai, Thessaloniki, and San Sebastian. I must state that it justified all of them. 

The writer/director, Cesar Augusto Acevedo, did a staggering work and is already marked as the next man to watch out due to this astounding debut feature. 
The incisive drama gradually attains high emotional levels at the same time that catches the viewer with its powerful, well-guided storyline and striking imagery. Joining the celebrated Ciro Guerra, who has been the summit of the Colombian modern cinema with gems such as “The Wind Journeys” and “Embrace of the Serpent”, Mr. Acevedo assures a place in the podium of the country’s cinematic creators, together with William Vega, artisan of another outstanding debut, “La Sirga”.

Don Alfonso (Haimer Leal), an old local farmer, returns to the secluded land he had abandoned many years ago when he was told it would be gradually discontinued of its landscape and factories to be turned into a huge sugar cane plantation. After 17 years, he agreed to go back in order to take care of his dying son, Gerardo (Edison Raigosa), a former sugar cane worker who has trouble breathing due to the continuous inhalation of dust and ashes along the years, consequence of the daily burn of the fields, which is a regular practice of the harvesting. 
Besides his bedridden son, Alfonso meets his sweet 6-year-old grandson, Manuel (Felipe Cárdenas), and his sympathetic daughter-in-law, Esperanza (Marleyda Soto), and re-encounters his embittered ex-wife, Alicia (Hilda Ruiz), who keeps stubbornly refusing to leave the property she was able to save. In a cold way, she gives Alfonso all the instructions about the tasks to perform in her absence. While he’ll stay home cooking, cleaning, washing, and keeping an eye in Gerardo and Manuel, Alicia and Esperanza are going to the fields to work and bring some money home. This is an extremely tiresome and underpaid job, which clearly starts exhausting the women.

Realistic and constructive, “Land and Shade”, is made of dualities and doubts. 
It’s simultaneously sad and vitalizing, portraying the dim indoors as gloomy and suffocating while some outdoor scenes, regardless the real circumstances, often pulse with light, a kite, and chirping birds. The doubts had to do with the choices of each character. Everyone ponders: staying or leaving? That’s the question. 
To balance the agony, sacrifice, and misery of this broken family suddenly united by an imminent death, the film counterpoints with solidarity, humanity, and forgiveness.
This is one of the most intense movies I’ve seen lately, and both director and cast consciously and confidently paddle toward the right direction, escorting the film to a triumphant realm.

King Jack (2015)

Directed by Felix Thompson
Country: USA

“King Jack”, an independent drama written and directed by the debutant Felix Thompson, shows enough good attributes to deserve a look.
The film isn’t flawless, but its characters are well shaped and the story tries to withdraw something positive from a set of negative experiences endured by a fatherless 15-year-old boy.

Jack (Charlie Plummer) is known in his modest little town as ‘Scab’, a nickname earned very early thanks to his big brother, Tom (Christian Madsen), with whom he maintains a distant and often strained relationship.
Jack has been terribly bullied along the years by Shane (Danny Flaherty), an older local who, together with his friends, chases him everywhere and beats him up hard.
Despite trying to avoid Shane, Jack sticks to a rebellious attitude and answers back to the provocations through unimaginable ways. To give you an idea, the film opens with a scene where he writes in big letters the word ‘c**t’ on the home of the bully. 
Apart from this persistent distress, Jack’s time is spent at school, where he fantasizes with the indifferent Robyn, or in the company of Harriet who has a crush on him.

The real adventure starts when his unfamiliar 12-year-old cousin, Ben (Cory Nichols) arrives to stay for the weekend. Jack immediately makes very clear he’s no babysitter, and smoking a cigarette with a stylish superiority, gives Ben all the instructions on how to behave and who not to talk to. Soon, they become buddies but their friendship is put to a test when Ben is made hostage and ‘tortured’ by the ignoble Shane. In the course of this extreme situation, he ultimately resorts to Tom to save his cousin. Anyway, he knows he’ll have to deal with brutal retaliation.

Mr. Thompson’s efforts in drawing something truthful were achieved thanks to a solid camerawork and the young Plummer’s performance. Even if no particularly fresh ways were used to examine the topic, there’s something that deserves to be explored in this coming-of-age film, this year's audience winner at Sundance.

Love and Friendship (2016)

Directed by Whit Stillman
Country: Ireland / other

In “Love & Friendship”, Whit Stillman (“Damsels in Distress”) presents us a witty dramatization of Jane Austen’s epistolary novel ‘Lady Susan’, dated from 1871.
In this period romantic comedy, he pragmatically takes the first minutes to introduce the characters one by one, giving us, at the same time, a well-adjusted orientation in order to proceed with this funny tale.

Lady Susan Vernon (Kate Beckinsale), a widow of questionable reputation, arrives in Churchill to stay some time with her in-laws while beginning a campaign in order to find a wealthy husband for her daughter, Federica (Morfydd Clark), and for herself.
She feeds the spreading rumors that her personal choice falls on Reginald DeCourcy (Xavier Samuel), her sister-in-law’s attractive brother, with whom she engages in long conversations and strolls. He ends up deeply infatuated but is promptly rebuked by his father who is concerned about the family reputation and future.

In the meantime, and invoking the fifth commandment: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother’, which she mistakes by the fourth, the charming but scheming Lady Susan literally forces her daughter to accept marrying to the silly, chatty, wealthy, and hilarious Sir James Martin (Tom Bennett), who aids his future mother-in-law with money and a new carriage. ‘Nobody knows the embarrassment of a young girl without a fortune’, she says. However, the bashful Federica is anguished with the idea and seeks Reginald to take the weight out of her chest.

The story takes a spin and evolves into unexpected directions, always carrying flattering tones, beneficial seductions, and polite conversations.
Moreover, the amusing “Love & Friendship” is brilliantly acted (Ms. Beckinsale and Mr. Bennett truly excel) and shot, under the attentive direction of Mr. Stillman who knows how to consciously place delicious characters within irresistible frames. The pic is constantly adorned with warm colors and the right props of the period.

Eye in the Sky (2015)

Directed by Gavin Hood
Country: UK

Helen Mirren gives another remarkably centered performance in “Eye in the Sky”, where she plays Col. Katherine Powell, a military officer in command of an operation to capture terrorists in Kenya.

The intelligence has strong reasons to believe that a dangerous woman called Susan Helen Danford, a British citizen now radicalized by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab, is hidden with her radical husband in Nairobi where they lead terrorist attacks from a well-identified house.
From the Northwood Headquarters in the UK, Powell supervises the delicate multinational mission, counting on the information provided by the American drone surveillance team that operates from Nevada, and Farah (Barkhad Abdi), a Kenyan undercover agent who is stationed in Nairobi and controls a spy insectothopter (a miniature drone with the form and size of a dragonfly) that is intended to invade the terrorists’ refuge. 
Besides confirming Danford’s identity, the drone also shows that a suicide attack is about to be carried out. This particular circumstance impels Col. Powell to modify the mission’s classification from ‘capture’ to ‘kill’.
 
After a complicated process to get clearance from her superiors, Powell proceeds with the mission, instructing the USAF pilot Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) to advance with his Reaper drone and destroy the target.
However, Watts sees a little girl selling bread right in front of the house and refuses to obey the orders.
Negotiations begin in order to minimize collateral damage, but assuring that the terrorists don't escape. Question: Does the life of an innocent child worth more than the death of these priority targets?

Slightly better than “Good Kill”, Andrew Niccol’s 2014 drone thriller, “Eye in the Sky” is imbued of a tension that is already familiar. 
Director Gavin Hood (“Tsotsi”), working from a screenplay by Guy Hibbert, seemed to have planned everything so that the ending could reach our hearts. Despite this sensation, the film succeeds by presenting two valid sides: one didactic, which shows today’s modern technology and warfare clinical procedures; and another, far more unsettling, that shows little respect for human lives.

The Wailing (2016)

Directed by Na Hong-jin
Country: South Korea

Na Hong-jin, the successful writer/director of the action-packed “The Yellow Sea” and “Chaser”, returns with a supernatural thriller that guarantees creeps and laughs in equal amounts.

Do Won Kwak plays the main character with aplomb. He is Jong-Goo, a small village cop whose qualm about unexplainable occurrences don’t refrain him from investigating a mysterious and quiet Japanese stranger (Jun Kunimura) who everybody says is an evil ghost. After this man’s arrival, a few brutal crimes, associated with a patterned ritual, started to happen, making him the main suspect, although without proof. The villagers also believe he raped a young woman (Chun Woo-hee) who became deeply affected and, since then, keeps wandering throughout the village with no apparent direction.
There’s a laughable foolishness, perhaps even a slight naivety, in Jong-Goo that arises sympathy. As a vulnerable man, he’s often tormented by nightmares and is not afraid to scream whenever startled.

A strange force possesses one villager at a time, making their bodies rot and impelling them to commit harrowing massacres, which frequently aim their own families. It seemed obvious that Jong-Goo and his partner nothing could do about it. However, when his daughter starts to evince abnormal behaviors and becomes violent, he accepts the help of a noisy shaman (Hwang Jung-min), who despite knowledgeable and available is also fallible. 
Meanwhile, he befriends with a young deacon whose curiosity about demons is larger than his faith.

The frequent presence of animals, shadowy figures, heavy rain, and hypnotic rituals are part of the ominous scenario, beautifully captured in Hong Kyung-pyo's cinematography and intensified through a powerful score. Once in a while, we are presented with a stunning landscape to break the tension, or that tension is broken by an unexpected humor, as in the scene that invokes a typical zombie attack.
Never tacky in the execution, “The Wailing” is rousingly entertaining and shall attract the ones who love to be shaken by the power of horror, crime, and action.

The Ones Below (2015)

Directed by David Farr
Country: UK

The effective thriller, “The Ones Below”, deals with two neighbor couples expecting their first child and the terrible happenings that follow the loss of a baby.

The Londoners Kate (Clémence Poésy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore), after giving it a good thought, are going to have a child and are feeling great about it. When not working, they carefully plan every detail while moving into the upper flat of a townhouse that was divided horizontally into two.
The ones who live below are the English-Finnish Theresa (Laura Birn), and her successful husband, Jon Baker (David Morrissey). They’re living a dream since she's finally pregnant after seven years attempting to conceive.
Kate develops a strange curiosity for Theresa, who seems very sympathetic, carefree, and enjoying a stupendous phase in her marriage and life.

The women eventually become closer, but the first meeting of the couples comes draped in tragedy. Kate invites the Bakers to dinner, but the couple doesn’t seem so happy as before. Theresa shows to be unstable and drinks a few glasses of wine, despite forbidden by Jon, who in turn, adopts a judgmental posture that visibly bothers the hosts. He acts violently after Theresa falls down the steep stairs. This anguishing incident makes Theresa lose the fetus.

From this point on, the couples cut relations and the Bakers depart to Germany. They return a few months later, willing to forget what happened and ready to make amends with their neighbors. Theresa even shows availability to take care of Kate's newborn, Billy. However, abnormal behaviors and frightening occurrences put Kate and Justin alert, as the story grows creepy in its conclusions, embracing an impenetrable darkness.

Even without blowing your mind with his statement, David Farr, who co-wrote the screenplay of “Hanna” five years ago, had a favorable directorial debut. This slow-burning thriller was able to cause a good impression and got my attention from start to finish, also thanks to the consummate performances of the well-selected cast.

Money Monster (2016)

Directed by Jodie Foster
Country: USA

Jodie Foster leans on two of the most revered Hollywood actors, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, to bring her new showy drama, “Money Monster”, to the forefront.
Despite the stars and the pertinent topic, which targets Wall Street and its financial uncleanness, Ms. Foster stubbornly opted for a standardized approach that frustrates both our expectations and the film’s ability to find a proper voice of its own.

We don’t have to wait too long for the action to begin, but that same action doesn’t take us beyond an insubstantial soap opera. 
Lee Gates (Clooney), the loquacious host of a popular TV-show entitled “Money Monster”, is made hostage during his live show. The responsible is Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell), a humble laborer disguised of a deliveryman who invested all his money in the IBIS Clear Capital's stock, just as Lee had advised in the previous edition. Considered a safe investment at the time, IBIS suddenly crashed, apparently due to a computer glitch, which led Kyle to the ruin. 
The infuriated man, feeling he was set up and wielding a gun, demands honest answers and forces Lee to put on a vest laden with explosives.
With nerves of steel, Patty Fenn (Roberts), Lee’s longtime director, is the one who maintains the men calm by getting some valuable answers.
Diane Lester (Caitriona Balfe), IBIS chief communications officer, becomes a key identity, disclosing some sensitive information that will take them to the root of the problem: her boss, Walt Camby (Dominic West).

Already pelted with extremely fabricated circumstantial details – a security guard who wasn’t doing his job, a producer who was having sex with a co-worker during the show, the ineptness of the cops – the film went completely astray in its last part, where everything seemed unnatural and tendentiously sentimental. 
Moreover, whenever Dominic Lewis’ musical score attempts to infuse some more emotion to the story, it ends up doing the opposite, increasing the commercial tones of the film and creating a thick barrier between the characters and me.

Honeyglue (2015)

Directed by James Bird
Country: USA

“Honeyglue”, a lugubrious romance written and directed by James Bird, got trapped in its own melodramatic tones and couldn’t free itself from that sticky viscosity. 
Fastidiously overstaged, the film never manages to convince and takes a steep decline after just a few minutes.

Morgan (Adriana Mather) and Jordan (Zach Villa) introduce themselves through video footage, adding that what we’re seeing is a digital love letter to each other and a farewell statement. Both have their heads shaved and they convey both assurance and a weird sense of fate.

The narrative immediately winds back to tell their peculiar love story. 
The couple met at a nightclub where Morgan, who was only given three months to live due to a galloping brain tumor, gets super curious about Jordan, a boy dressed as a girl. It was her birthday, and he seemed as much attracted to her as she was to him. Despite the instant chemistry between them, she gave him the wrong phone number while he stole her wallet. The next day, Jordan regrets the bad deed and pays her a visit to return her belongings. However, her parents get shocked with the way he dresses and talks.
Despite this prejudice, the couple falls in love and decides not only to get married, but also live the three months left doing everything that might come to their minds. The enthusiasm leads them to rob a little store, to pay a visit to Jordan’s estranged mother, and to become the center of the attention in a bar – the most contrived scene of the film.

I can’t find a good reason to recommend “Honeyglue”. 
If a story of this nature doesn’t touch you in the heart is because something is wrong with it. The ideas of tolerance, acceptance, and love are conveyed with a deplorable lack of freshness, likely because Mr. Bird has never found the adequate bright tones to do better than overload us with predictability and tedium. Actually, here, the word bright can only be associated to the tonality of its cinematography.

Couple in a Hole (2015)

Directed by Tom Geens
Country: Belgium / France / UK

“Couple in a Hole”, Tom Geens’ directorial sophomore feature, is a haunting experience somewhere between the mystery and the psychological drama, whose tones are absorbed with a certain apprehension.

Doing much with little, the Belgian writer/helmer invites us to peek at a Scottish couple, John (Paul Higgins) and Kara (Kate Dickie), who live like two cavemen, secluded in a French mountain, after they had lost their son in a tragic accident.
Apart from the civilization, which is not so far from the hole they inhabit, the couple barely eats to survive and is considered in danger with the approximation of the winter, which always brings an agonizing cold and devastating hunger.
John pursues rabbits and picks herbs, mushrooms, and occasionally worms that his wife gobbles up with pleasure. Kara does the opposite. She rarely leaves the hole because of anxiety and panic. However, she’s making an effort to get out more with the help of her forbearing husband whose true will is to get back home, abandoning that place forever. Lucid of their situation, John is visibly tired of that life, but the highly traumatized Kara, who refuses any help from strangers and often suffers from hallucinations, stops his intentions. She says she feels the presence of her son and can’t leave. The anguish took her mind.

When happily celebrating a rainy day outside, Kara is bitten by a poisonous spider, a situation that requires an urgent application of medicine. This setback forces John to look for an antidote in the village, getting the desired help from Andre (Jérôme Kircher), a stubborn but generous local farmer who had tried to establish contact with him before. After that, Andre keeps coming to the mountain in order to offer them food. Famished, John tries to cast him away, but ultimately cannot resist the homemade delicacies. The two men become friends but their wives, for different reasons, oppose vehemently to this connection.

The film pulsates with uncanny vibes, thanks to the stimulating performances and the ominous woods that overload even more the shadowy story.
The revelations and disclosures are a bit too predictable for us to elevate this indie thriller to a superior category. Nevertheless, mysterious energies are successful emanated from the scenes and a fair watch is made certain. 
Mr. Geen is a director to keep an eye on.

Chevalier (2015)

Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari
Country: Greece

Male competition is trenchantly satirized in the slow-burning “Chevalier”, a deadpan Greek comedy directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. She got the precious help of the inventive screenwriter Efthymis Filippou, the one responsible for the eccentricity of the stories behind Giorgos Lanthimos’ films – “Dogtooth”, “Alps”, and the recent “The Lobster”.
Therefore, if you’ve seen the cited films, you know what kind of mood to expect from “Chevalier” whose zaniness and strangeness are not so appealing as the wittiness of “Attenberg”, the director’s previous.

Our eyes are turned to six buddies who embark on a peculiar fishing trip on a luxurious yacht, not to relax or spend some time together but rather to compete with each other, playing silly games that will determine who’s next to wear the prestigious Chevalier ring.
As the minutes pass, we are presented with multiple frictions among the men. 
They make the odds about who’s going to win, and each one of them, with no exception, will boast the victories or cry the failures. As humans, they try to conceal their most inner fears by embracing pride, cynicism, and an obstinate competitiveness. 

Succeeding in the goal of establishing the film as a provocative statement of masculinity, Ms. Tsangari did a competent job, commanding the male pawns with control and insight. However, her tones are invariable, since both the pace and the ridiculous posture were maintained without attaining a particular peak. 
Most of the viewers will have to find some patience if they want to keep focused on this men’s war. 
I dare to say that the idea was much bigger than the final product.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Directed by Shane Black
Country: USA

The name Shane Black may not ring a bell for the common mortals, but he is the writer of the four installments of “Lethal Weapon” and the director of “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “Iron Man 3”.
With this said, it’s quite clear that Mr. Black has a propensity for mixing action, crime, and comedy, and “The Nice Guys”, with whom he co-wrote with Anthony Bagarozzi, confirms exactly that.

The film, set in a fervent L.A. in 1977, puts side-by-side Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, respectively playing Jackson Healy, a violent, solitary ‘fixer’, and Holland March, a private-eye with an uncontrollable appetence for booze. After an initial commotion between the two, they team up to find Amelia (Margaret Qualley), an activist, emerging porn artist, and fugitive, whose mother, Judith (Kim Basinger), a high-ranked executive in the US Department of Justice, tries desperately to locate her. It happens that Amelia disclosed important information about the pollution infractions committed by the Big Three Detroit automakers. All the revelations were recorded in an experimental porn film, which was apparently destroyed by a fire. However, another copy of the film is being hidden, and as a consequence, Amelia is being fiercely hunted.

The incendiary duo, alluding to Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, get an unlooked-for but valuable help from a 13-year-old girl to accomplish their tough task. The girl, Holly (Angourie Rice), happens to be Marsh’s clever daughter who, like her father, has an eye for detail and a special ability to clear up undesirable situations with casualness.

“The Nice Guys” evolves at a brisk pace, showcasing a few hilarious scenes and achieving an efficient balance between the rousing violence and the farcical gags.
Both the central characters, plus the kid, are funny in their own way, but Gosling is particularly amusing while fueled (or slumbered) by neat scotches.
Moreover, and regardless an adversity here and there, the film also succeeds by throwing in some surprises and for adopting an unembarrassing, easygoing posture.
Just let yourself go with the flow!

The Bride (2015)

Directed by Paula Ortiz
Country: Spain / Germany

Paula Ortiz’ sophomore feature, “The Bride”, is a good enough dramatization of Federico Garcia Lorca’s 1933 Spanish tragedy “Blood Wedding”.

The screenplay, written by Ms. Ortiz and Javier García, is packed with emotional charge and suffocating atmospheres in a film that exhibits arid landscapes, eroded houses, and a love triangle that ends up in a terrible adversity. 
Despite the mediocre musical score, the final product can be pronounced as artistic due to the beautiful cinematography, efficient camera work, and a well-streamlined editing. However, Ms. Ortiz could have dropped the intense theatrical approach in favor of something a bit more cinematic and even contemporary. Moreover, the two male protagonists, Álex García and Asier Etxeandia, couldn’t match the performances of Inma Cuesta and Luisa Gavasa.

Three childhood friends, a woman and two men, see their lives dangerously standing at the edge of an abyss when two of them decide to marry each other. The bride (Cuesta) and groom (Etxeandia), whose names are never revealed, are apparently happy and exchange promises of eternal love. Yet, the reality is quite more complicated than that, since their friend, Leonardo (García), who’s already married to the bride’s cousin (Leticia Dolera), can’t hide his true love. The bride is also divided and can’t refrain the uncontrollable attraction that is triggered whenever Leonardo is around. 
So, it's no surprise to anybody that the wedding is a big mistake and is condemned to fail.
On her wedding night, Leonardo takes her on horseback to the woods in order to commit the sin that will ruin their lives forever.
The supernatural component is successfully added with the presence of the spirit of an old hag who distributes glass knives so that justice can be done.
With reference to the performances, the groom’s bitter mother (Gavasa) was the one who impressed me most.

Appealing to the senses, “The Bride” conveys fate, guilt, and anguish with relentless fixations but fails to build an impactful crescendo. Curiously, the beginning of the film is much more capable than the ending because something is lost in the middle. Still, this was decent enough to deserve a peek.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Country: USA

Would you like to see some your favorite superheroes fighting one another? For example, Iron Man against Captain America? If yes, this is the film for you.

The team responsible for the previous installment rejoined forces to maintain that successful spirit alive, but “Captain America: Civil War” falls short when compared to “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. 
The Russo Brothers, directing from a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, did their part with enough spectacular action scenes, including well-choreographed body fights, impossible chases, and the use of a large number of superheroes and superpowers. Still, the film stands on the threshold of satisfaction.

The Avengers can’t be blamed for doing their job, which consists of keeping the citizens safe from danger. However, sometimes they cannot control their actions to the point of avoiding some destruction. Here and there, it happens that innocent people die when in the wrong place at the wrong time.
These ‘mistakes’ arise guilt in some of our heroes, especially Stark, who feels responsible for the death of a young kid named Charles Spencer. 
When the secretary of state announces that the UN is going to establish a panel to oversee and control the Avengers, voiding the initial Sovokia accords that gave total power to the vigilantes, the team is divided. Stark, moved by remorse, decides to join the governmental regulation while Steve Rogers, in turn, is aware that nothing can be done to avoid these accidents when they attempt to capture the enemies. 
Both men will lead their superhero teams, which unexpectedly include names such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Ant-Man.
Meanwhile, the UN building in Vienna, where the accords would be ratified, is bombed and the main suspect is the super-soldier, James "Bucky" Barnes.

The film entertains on a small scale as it displays its numerous heroes and the great cast.
What the Russo Brothers don’t know is that the more superheroes they add, the more muddled the movie becomes. 
The other issues with this action-packed adventure are the following: the formula is becoming exhausted, the duration should be shortened by at least 30 minutes, and Tony Stark is losing his humor such serious is the situation he faces here.
And yes, I’m disappointed!

Chronic (2015)

Directed by Michel Franco
Country: Mexico / France

I can understand why the ‘best screenplay’ was given to “Chronic” at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, since this English-language drama, directed by the Mexican Michel Franco (“After Lucia”), is an intriguing character study. 
However, that same screenplay that gradually immerses us into the story, sharping our curiosity for such an unreadable character, loses its composure with a finale that deserved a better way out. 

“Chronic” also works as a showcase for Tim Roth’s acting skills. He plays the film’s central character, David Wilson (Roth), a home caring nurse who meticulously and passionately dedicates himself to terminally ill patients. The same proficiency that we already had the opportunity to observe in “Pulp Fiction”, “Reservoir Dogs” and “Four Rooms”, all by Tarantino, and Tornatore’s “The Legend of 1900”, was used.

David is extremely persevering and zealous in his work, but sometimes undisciplined in the eyes of the patients’ relatives. He takes care of them with such a resolute dedication that not everybody is able to understand. In spite of creating strong bonds with them - a sort of dependence, he never asks anything in return. It’s right to say that David needs his patients as much as they need him.
In a very particular case, he allows John (Michael Cristofer), an architect who had a severe stroke, to watch pornography on the computer in order to stimulate the senses and the body. This questionable behavior, when discovered by John’s children, cost him his job at the nursing agency and brings him a lawsuit founded on sexual harassment. 
Despite this maniacal devotion to work, David, who gets visibly bored at home, has serious problems in his private life, starting with his estranged daughter, Nadia (Sarah Sutherland), with whom he lost contact a long time ago and now tries to reconnect with.

Even carrying a touching humane side, the film is set in cheerless tones and becomes hard to watch due to its languid pace and raw approach. 
There’s a certain ambiguity, almost like a secret that we expect to be revealed, that keep us wanting to know more about David.
The ending, abrupt and unsatisfying, prevents “Chronic” from being a stronger achievement.