Look out don't miss Lockout

MOVIES

Lockout (2012)

THE BEST

As a fan of antecipation science fiction movies, one doesn't get many chances to see a decent movie per year. From the Terminator saga to Minority Report, and including Surrogates, for example. Well, i'm one of those fans and Lockout is overall the best production in its genre i've seen in months. Let us conced it lacks some scripting density, but it compensates with the cynical humor perfectly carried by Guy Pearce.

Directors Stephen Leger and James Mather are still giving their first steps and they've taken a good one with this work about a man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. to whom is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president's daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.

It may not have the visual appealing of idiotic Hunger Games, but overall it's a much more acceptable movie.




Wuthering Heights (2011)

THE WORST

Emily Bronte's novel seventh adaptation to cinema. It all started in 1939 with William Wyler's version and it has been ten years since Peter Kosminsky's movie starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.

Still working on difficult family bonding, director Andrea Arnold had raised up the scale with previous Fish Tank, but now she couldn't jump higher and sets with an low medium quality adaptation, too pretencious and a low pace induced by all the artistic nature imagering. It just didn't work.

One can suppose it was intended to enhance powerful description, state of mind, suffering, but it happens to display a series of failed cinematic metaphores.

MOVIES

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011)

THE BEST

The most impressive example of an excellent low budget movie. It required not only a poignant script but also a set of perfect artistic performances. It challenges ones dark emotions as it fails to provide a simple answer... about the essence of Kevin's diabolic behaviour and actions.

Eva (Kevin's mother) soon realises her soon is a dangerous and manipulative boy, with the sadistic pleasure of hurting others. No one sees this except her. Her husband (John C. Reilly) thinks he's a normal boy but soon tragic events will change all of their lives.

A powerful psychological thriller, this significantly atmospheric, foreboding, unsentimental and constantly intriguing mystery is a profound cinematic achievement which is reinforced by the versatile and accomplished acting performance by British actress Tilda Swinton in an emotionally complicated role, the unrelenting and expressive acting performance by American actor Ezra Miller, the fine supporting acting performance by American actor John C. Reilly and the impressive acting performance by Jasper Newell as the young Kevin in his debut feature film role.

An incisive, metaphoric and horror-ish psychological drama.




MIRROR MIRROR (2012)

THE WORST

For time to time, some more gifted writers, producers and directors come up with a brand new fairytale. Let's not forget the fabulous lapidary work of Tim Burton, the most prolific contemporary creator. But even him was unable to resist in recreating a famous fairytale (Alice in Wonderland) which proved to be just interesting and not the usual high standard. A set back. Indian director Tarsem Singh falls in a different category and tries to make his way to some sort of epic tales (his previous movie was the Immortals, but the most promising work has been The Fall).

Mirror, Mirror could only generate some box-office success, as it did, due to Julia Roberts' participation. The Queen takes over the movie shrinking Snow White Lily Allen's performance. Overall, it's an incredibly lame, simplistic and predictable movie I'm not sure even little children will enjoy

MOVIES

LÀ PIEL QUE HABITO (2011)

THE BEST

A film with the special signature of Almodovar, meaning you can expect a  narrative of the unexpected, provocative, eager to create unrest among the viewer. Fully succeeded. 

An incursion through the unforeseen mysteries of love and hate. A movie to display a set of philosophical and ethical questions which will not lose interest in a second viewing.

The story of a doctor (Antonio Banderas plays Dr. Robert Ledgard) whose wife barely survives a car accident, with major skin burns. His medical speciality is precisely cosmetic surgery and reconstruction of skin tissues with synthetic material and he puts his best efforts on his wife.It becomes an obsession and we will deal with it in an horrifying way. 

ACT OF VALOR (2012)

THE WORST

Let's try to accept the idea America needs to nourish and preserve the concept of a nation of exceptional men, willing to risk their lives and their sanity for the good of the nation. That being said, and aside all the political opinions one can have about the subject, it's not understandable how this movie became a box office success. 

It's a surprisingly anachronic product - we can see this conceptualisation in the propaganda movies from the forties and fifties. 

Apparently, this film was initially produced for the Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman. It should never have left that drawer.

TV SERIES

CSI -CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION LAS VEGAS (SEASON 12)

THE BEST

A cosmetic change in the casting of this long-running series resulted in a significant  boost in the dramatisation quality. First with Ted Danson, as D.B. Russell, heading the CSI team, and more recently, with Elizabeth Shue as blood and ballistic expert Julie Finlay. Both manage to give depth and some mystery to their characters, Danson playing a caring father and husband – often on the phone explaining his wife he’s caught up with his work – Shue unwilling to commit in any kind of relationship, choosing to avoid meaningful bonding in her life. The murder stories keep up with the traditional surprising outcome. The best of the three CSI series still running.

LAW AND ORDER - SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (SEASON 13 )

THE WORST

According to the rumours, this series was a victim (send out CSI crew to unveil it) of budget cuts, Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler) went home sooner, after 12 years on the job.

The show must go on? Well, not the same thing. Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) is wasted and clearly tired of this job, the new characters are low profiles unable to enhance the stories. After all these years, Law and Order SVU has definitely run out of interest.

MOVIES

HYSTERIA (2011)

THE BEST

Director Tanya Wexler's third movie may be considered extremely feminine considering the portrait of the "age of the vibrator discovery", an important achievement to increase women's intimate pleasure. Hugh Dancy plays a convincing role as Dr. Mortimore Granville, the man with the meaningful contribute for medical science. An unpretentious comedy with very good performances and fair historical reconstitution. It's available on YouTube in full version. You must see it. Please, (don't) get... hysterical.

HUNGER GAMES (2012)

THE WORST

An embarrassing disaster, Hunger Games manages to destroy the idea of an uprising (neither physical nor emotional) against the lords of the Capitol - which probably was served by the author Suzanne Collins as a metaphor of our real world - and presents a display of sadistic entertainment lacking character development and emotional depth.
Romance is a pathetic contingency of the will to survive as there are no bonds between the main characters. Hunger Games results as a good videogame project and poor cinema.

TV SERIES

THE FIRM (2012)

THE BEST

Here's a decent sequel from John Grisham's novel. It's been 18 years since the release of Sidney Pollack's movie, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman and Jeanne Triplehorn.
Specialised in legal drama series, executive producer Lukas Reiter (creator of The Practice) manages to present a very entertaining show with a surprisingly powerful performance from Josh Lucas (recently seen in J. Edgar as Charles Lindberg) playing the talented attorney Mitch McDeer.
A clever and thrilling plot resisting superbly after 12 episodes.

GRIMM (2012)

THE WORST

More stories about demons, werewolves and witches.

Perfect to keep children awake and put grown ups to sleep.

I'm sure it was not intended to have this effect.