The Wolverine (2013)

Directed by: James Mangold
Country: USA

Review: More than ever, super-heroes movies are a trend in cinema. Sadly, the last experiences revealed that, the more the technology advances, the worst is the film, which usually tries to emphasize the visual aspect in detriment of anything else. Helmer James Mangold (“Walk The Line”, “3:10 To Yuma”), along with the pair of screenwriters, Mark Bomback and Scott Frank, seems to have understood this aspect because “The Wolverine” stands slightly above its’ recent competitors, “Man Of Steel” and “Iron man 3”. At least I could follow a minimally interesting story without seeing action on top of action at every three minutes. Logan (Hugh Jackman), living as a hermit and haunted by his past, is suddenly taken into Japan to meet with Yashida, a long-time acquaintance. In his deathbed, Yashida thanks him for having saved his life in the war, but also proposes to transfer Logan’s powers to his own body in order to become immortal. In this Japanese adventure, Logan falls in love with Yashida’s granddaughter Mariko, who became a Yakuza target; he will have to defeat the malevolent Viper, ninjas, and samurais, with the help of clairvoyant Yukio. With some drawbacks and lack of funny moments (that’s not what I would expect from this super-hero), “The Wolverine” provided us with decent action scenes and didn’t leave a bad impression of the most prominent X-Men's mutant hero.

Post Tenebras Lux (2012)

Directed by: Carlos Reygadas
Country: Mexico / others

Review: Carlos Reygadas’ particular way of filmmaking always caused me mixed sensations; he really knows how to create bewildering experiences but at the same time, there are always some setbacks that make me move away from his complex visions. “Post Tenebras Lux”, which means ‘light after darkness’, is a semi-autobiographical film that was made purposely to baffle us, being presented as a sort of a bizarre dream. The film, shot with rigor, presents a peculiar effect that consists in blurring the screen around the edges to enhance the dreamlike idea. The story follows a Mexican middle-class family that decided to move to the countryside, but the isolation will bring negative consequences to their relationship. The only thing that we have sure is that the early visit of the devil (in an animated form) certainly represents a bad omen, but after that, the film starts an odyssey through the inexplicable by presenting us apparently unrelated situations that I often find myself asking what the hell Reygadas was trying to say. “Post Tenebras Lux” is as much intriguing and captivating, as it is despicable and frustrating. Pretentious or not in its disjointed structure, I cannot deny that I was immerse in the story till the end, but can only recommend it for those who don’t mind to have something to decode in practically every scene. It just aims to our senses without worrying with any particular message or logic.

Blue Jasmine (2013)

Directed by: Woody Allen
Country: USA

Review: Woody Allen did great in “Blue Jasmine”, after the last year’s fiasco “To Rome With Love”. The script didn’t show anything groundbreaking, but Allen was able to reinvent himself by giving it the proper touches to triumph, both as drama and comedy. Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) is a high-society New Yorker who is passing through a nervous breakdown and serious financial crisis after her cheating husband, Hal (Alec Baldwin), has been condemned for fraud. In a desperate attempt to recover, she moves into her sister’s small apartment in San Francisco where everything seems too modest and too imperfect for her aspirations. While Jasmine’s sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), revealed to be understanding and supportive in every way, Jasmine was completely lost in thoughts from the past, which stubbornly persisted in her unconscious. The performances were close to perfection and none of the characters were there by chance or mistake. Their constant changing moods bestowed such agitation, which at no time allowed the story to slip into monotony. At the sound of a swinging jazz, a staple in his films, Allen offers a genuine character study, showing that there are people who aren’t capable of changing, even when they find themselves in the worst situations. By creating a consistent and funny portrait that confronts insane ambition with cheerful modesty, Allen made of “Blue Jasmine” his best work since “Match Point”.

The Time Being (2012)

Directed by: Nenad Cicin-Sain
Country: USA

Review: Nenad Cicin-Sain has here his debut on direction and screenwriting, but if the former was very well accomplished, the latter evinced some faults that blurred the final painting. Daniel (Wes Bentley) is a painter who is struggling with his own frustration and financial problems. In one of his exhibitions he meets a sinister character named Warren Dax (Frank Langella) who buys one of his paintings and hires him in exchange of several strange assignments. The bitter Warren, despite terminally ill, assumes a challenging behavior with authoritative tones, always avoiding Daniel’s questions about his personal life. Maybe too soon, Warren’s secret is revealed and the film leaves the mysterious mood to enter in a sort of tragic melodrama. We can claim that the concept of selfishness and loneliness of the artist is a bit pushed to the limit here, but I know a lot of people who gave up a normal family life to dedicate themselves to work. Bentley’s performance never matched the level presented by Langella, while in visual terms, the cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. (“Tetro”, “The Master”) revealed a great sensibility for image composition and use of light. “The Time Being”, with its last third of imperfections and hasty solutions, left unclear what were Daniel’s choices, and if he really achieved a wholesome equilibrium. One thing was obvious here: style had a lot more expression than substance.

Wasteland (2012)

Directed by: Rowan Athale
Country: UK

Review: Rowan Athale’s directorial debut “Wasteland” is a heist film, in which I could not identify myself with any character or find anything that stands above the standard patterns of the genre. Its main issue was exactly the lack of something new, aggravated by the unnoticeable performances, bad taste in soundtrack, and an overcooked and sluggish description of a robbery that got me bored all along. The plot starts with a police interrogation and ends in a confession, after Harvey (Luke Treadaway), released from prison six weeks before, has decided to take revenge on Steven Roper (Neil Maskell), the drug dealer responsible for his undeserved arrest. In order to perpetrate his plan, he will count with three friends and will try to calm down his girlfriend who strictly opposes to it. The arguing among the characters seemed too schemed to work properly, which made Mr. Athale's difficulties in terms of script even more visible. The formulaic approach and lack of energy in the scenes and characters, caused “Wasteland” to be even more trapped in its borrowed ideas and contrived plot. A too discouraging ride to be recommended.

What Maisie Knew (2012)

Directed by: Scott McGehee, David Siegel
Country: USA

Review: Set in contemporary New York City, “What Maisie Knew” is an American drama about childhood. Based on Henry James’ novel, the plot is centered on 7-year-old Maisie (Onata Aprile) who was caught in the separation process of her parents. Both want to win her custody, but this seems to be more of a whim than really a sincere intention. Her mother, Susanna (Julianne Moore), is an unstable rock singer who recently married Lincoln (Alexander Skarsgard), a mere puppet in her hands, just to have a chance to keep Maisie around. Beale (Steve Coogan), the father, is an art dealer who is absent most of the time and started a relationship with Maisie’s nanny, Margo (Joanna Vanderham). The film consists basically in showing all these different people taking care of Maisie, who suffers in silence while she observes attentively their behaviors. Becoming a victim of her parents’ selfishness, Maisie will make her own choices to gain the stability she needs in her age. Filmmakers McGehee and Siegel adopted the same unagitated tone along the way, presenting a false sweetness that in some moments were hard to swallow. Sometimes the depth they intended didn’t quite work, hampered mostly due to encounters and relationships that seemed a bit strained along with its expected conclusions. Amongst all this mess involving parents and stepparents, “What Maisie Knew” shows some sensitivity and worth essentially due to the solid performances.

Shun Li And The Poet (2011)

Directed by: Andrea Segre
Country: Italy / France

Review: Italian documentarian Andrea Segre has here a sweet-n-sour debut on fiction, with “Shun Li And The Poet”, a pensive drama that depicts immigration in its modern forms of slavery. Shun Li (Tao Zhao), is a Chinese woman who has been working for eight years in a textile factory in the suburbs of Rome, where she patiently expects the arrival of her son. Under the orders of a doubtful employment agency, she is suddenly moved to Chioggia, a small fishing town that they call Little Venice, to work temporarily in a bar. There, she will become friends with Bepi aka The Poet (Rade Serbedzija), a retired fisherman whose loneliness seems to be relieved with Shun Li’s presence. Their closeness will provoke rumors of all kinds in the town, and soon Bepi starts to realize that to be with her, might not be possible at all. With a keen cinematography, Segre creates a serene portrayal of the situation, almost without any tension. The only scene in which he explores tension had to do with the fishermen’s disagreements. This introspection and subtleness worked well in most of the situations, but there were times that the addition of some guts would have been advantageous. Awarded in Venice, “Shun Li And The Poet” is not a bad film; yet, it could have explored other ways to better denounce this sad reality, perhaps in a grittier manner rather than timid.

Dead Man's Burden (2012)

Directed by: Jared Moshe
Country: USA

Review: Set in 1870 post civil war, Jared Moshe’s debut “Dead Man’s Burden” is a well-written independent western that deals with family matters. In noir tones, it tells the story of Martha (Clare Bowen) and her husband Heck (David Call), whose wish is to sell the rural lands where they live in New Mexico, to open up a hotel in San Francisco. They yearn for the deal with Mr.Lane (Joseph L.Taylor), the representative of a mining company who showed interest in buying their land, but this won’t be too simple, especially after the arriving of Martha’s brother, Wade (Barlow Jacobs), ten years after having been cast out by his father. Filmed with precision and evincing good taste on the gorgeous landscapes chosen, Moshe gives us a slow paced but solid story that brought to my mind another recent western, “Meek’s Cutoff”. It stays far from the old times' westerns, in which the shootings are vivid and thrilling, and we have sure that the protagonist will win. Instead, it adopts a more reserved attitude, although without depriving itself from creating intense moments of tension and anxiety, supported by strong psychological factors. The surprising “Dead Man’s Burden” was able to get my attention all the time, having a valuable factor in its favor: it's very hard to guess its characters' outcome.

Matterhorn (2013)

Directed by: Diederik Ebbinge
Country: Netherlands

Review: “Matterhorn” is a Dutch drama with hints of comedy that marks the directorial debut of Diederik Ebbinge on feature film. The story centers on Fred (Ton Kas), a lonely grieving man in his 50’s who lost his wife and child, and whose life since then became tedious. Fred has the strict look of a British man, being a devout follower of his religion and showing some obsessive-compulsive behaviors. Certain day, he decides to dwell Theo (René Van’t Hof), a homeless man who became mentally handicapped after an accident, but then will have to deal with the bad-mouth parishioners, and especially with his own conscience and reality of the past. Even with a sort of stiffness in its development, this low-key comedy showed some charisma thanks to the actors’ commitment, but the humorous absurdness that came out of its plot was not always rewarding. The fact that Fred was considering Theo as a substitute of both wife and son, whom he misses so much, is perfectly acceptable, but I can’t say the same about the cheesy episode involving a jealous neighbor who has been in love with Fred’s deceased wife. With several ups and downs along the way, “Matterhorn” ended up in great style due to the unexpected revelations disclosed, and by stirring some emotion. It won the audience’s heart in Moscow and Rotterdam Film Fest.

 

The Conjuring (2013)

Directed by: James Wan
Country: USA

Review: I cannot say I am an admirer of James Wan’s horror films, which include “Saw”, “Dead Silence”, “Death Sentence”, or “Insidous”, with exception of his new one, “The Conjuring”. The plot was written by the twin brothers Chad and Carey Hayes, inspired on the true events occurred in 1971 at Harrisville, Rhode Island, where an entire family was threatened by evil spirits, after they have moved to a remote haunted house. Luckily, they were helped by the demonologist Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) and his clairvoyant wife Lorraine (Vera Farmiga), one of the most famous couple working and researching on paranormal cases at the time. I found this experience to be pretty scary and disturbing, despite of the familiar atmosphere and cyclical sudden frights. Helmer James Wan did it smartly, giving space for the story breathe for itself without rushes or trying to impress gratuitously, until the chilling finale, in which we could experience the intensity and strength of unsettling images related to an exorcism. With great performances from all the cast, stupendous cinematography by John R.Leonetti, and petrifying music by Joseph Bishara, “The Conjuring” is a fantastic achievement on horror that stands closer to the disquietude of “The Exorcist” than to the unimpressive excesses of “Evil Dead”, being already a solid reference in the genre.

Only God Forgives (2013)

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Country: Denmark / Thailand / others

Review: After the perfectly balanced “Drive”, Nicolas Winding Refn returns murkier than ever with “Only God Forgives”, an immoderately violent and tasteless film, which not even Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas could save. The story centers on Julian (Gosling), a respected drug dealer who operates in Thailand’s underworld, and whose brother was murdered after having raped and killed a 16-year-old girl. That’s when their mother, Jenna (Thomas) arrives in Bangkok to take her son’s body with her, but not without demanding a proper revenge. Her cold and calculative character shocked me through statements and behaviors. This very dark case also involves an enigmatic cop (Vithaya Pansringarm) with a special ability to sing, a sort of punisher who knows everything and loves to make justice with his machete. “Only God Forgives” had so much potential to become a great film but it isn’t in fact. As usual, the dark mood that distinguishes Refn’s works is well done, and Larry Smith’s cinematography gives an authentic lesson on image composition filled with predominant hues of saturated red and yellow, but these aspects were completely turned down by extreme scenes of violence and torture, which became simply unbearable to watch. This is a macabre story filled with immoral excesses, with the exclusive goal of affecting us through pain and darkness. A dreadful and sadistic experience.

Once Upon A Time Was I, Veronica (2012)

Directed by: Marcelo Gomes
Country: Brazil

Review: After “I Travel Because I Have To, I Come Back Because I Love You” from 2009, which achieved great notoriety among the critic, Marcelo Gomes returns but not in the same shape as before, to presents us “Once Upon a Time Was I, Veronica”, a drama set in Recife, Brazil, that tells the story of Veronica (Hermila Guedes), a newly graduated doctor who struggles to find balance in her life. The moving camera with unfocused shots used in the film’s opening scene, depicting several naked bodies in the beach, arouse my curiosity in knowing more about Veronica, but in the end my expectations became defrauded. Living alone with her retired father whose terminal illness is advancing, and becoming affected by the ails of her patients from the hospital where she works, Veronica is passing through a crisis that she would never thought it was possible. Furthermore, her inability to commit herself in a steady relationship is increasing her pain, especially when her father inquires her about that matter. Without knowing what she wants from life, she often sees herself as a patient to be treated, unburdening her pains to an old tape recorder in the same melancholic way. When the film reaches its end, all the issues concerning Veronica’s life remained out of focus, and the urban depression it tried to convey seemed vague. This major problem prevented it from succeed, regardless of any other beneficial aspects that might have been presented.

Traffic Department (2013)

Directed by: Wojciech Smarzowski
Country: Poland

Review: Wojciech Smarzowski returns with the raw and aggressive style that characterizes him to fiercely criticize the Polish police system and much more. “Traffic Department” has been a massive success in Poland, and depicts a period in the life of seven conniving cops whose daily life in Warsaw is outrageously filled with sex, alcohol, drugs, and bribery. If this wasn’t enough, there is also racism and corruption associated with governmental people. The story starts without focus on any member in particular, but little by little we get to know that officer Krol is the man to follow, when he became the main suspect of Sargent Lisowski’s mysterious death. There were plausible reasons behind this accusation but Krol will do everything to clear his name and find the truth. I think that Smarzowski, in his urge to denounce this dark side of his own country, took some scenes to extreme levels, especially those depicting the police officers partying. In the other hand, its sarcastic and sturdy vision on the matter has the goal to open the people’s eyes for a problem with great impact in society. The structure is not always clear in its orientation, and sometimes we need to make an extra-effort to understand all the connections. The hasty and abrupt editing is another factor that may not be for everyone’s taste. Even somewhat faulty in its very own poignant and gloomy way, “Traffic Department” uses a strong determination to make us aware of a brutal reality. 

We Steal Secrets: The Story Of WikiLeaks (2013)

Directed by: Alex Gibney
Country: USA

Review: Alex Gibney has a huge experience as documentarian and “We Steal Secrets”, despite not completely elucidatory, gives a good impression on what was the most scandalous case of secret information leak involving the US Government, perpetrated by a non-profit organization called WikiLeaks. The film not only covers the happenings related to this case, but also makes a bit of character studies regarding the individuals involved with this international organization. The introduction of WikiLeaks’s founder, Julian Assange, was made through the association with the worm attack made to NASA computers’ system in 1989, when the spacecraft Galileo was launched. Assange is obviously the central figure here, and the essential question is putted in these terms: is he a hero, for having revealed publicly so many corruption cases and revolting facts involving the American wars in the Middle East? Or is he a villain, for having compromised the world security, as well as having seized the information in an unauthorized and inappropriate manner? Beyond this hard-to-answered question, there are a lot more, especially regarding the posterior accusations of sexual assault made against Assange, and the curious aspects of his personality. Among several shocking revelations, we still have time to get to know a few curious characters, including the US Army soldier Bradley Manning, and the whistleblower and famous hacker, Adrian Lamo. “We Steal Secrets” is worthily informative but not conclusive.

Odd Thomas (2013)

Directed by: Stephen Sommers
Country: USA

Review: Analyzing Stephen Sommers’s career, which is filled with uninteresting high-budgeted films such as ”The Mummy”, “Van Helsing” or “G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra”, I became reluctant to watch “Odd Thomas”. But I’m glad I did it, because this adventure on paranormal, deftly combines thrilling and funny factors to become the most engrossing work in the filmmaker’s career. The film was based on Dean Koontz’s novel with the same name, and stars Anton Yelchin as Odd Thomas, a 20-year-old cook with abilities to communicate with dead people and sense the danger in town, as he sees horrendous ghostly creatures known as Bodachs who appear exclusively in times of imminent death. With the help of his girlfriend Stormy (Addison Timlin) and the chief of the local police (Willem Defoe), the only ones who shared his secret, he will investigate a strange case, which by all indications might lead to a massive killing in a public space. A bad start seemed to put this film at the same level than the ones mentioned above, but the interest grows with the time passing, and “Odd Thomas” becomes solidly entertaining. The humor worked perfectly, the surprising moments were abundant, and the characterization and special effects showed a good taste. And so, with flaws and all, the film surprisingly managed to create positive impact, opinion shared by Koontz himself who said to be pleased with the adaptation of his work. 

Pacific Rim (2013)

Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro
Country: USA

Review: Guillermo Del Toro continues his extremely graphical career on cinema with “Pacific Rim”, another sci-fi film filled with destruction scenarios and insensate battles between monsters (in variations of sharks and dinosaurs) and giant robots. The film puts so much energy in the fighting scenes that I had difficulty to know what was going on in them.  Actually, its imposing score, together with the rumble of the battles, can lead to a terrible headache. There are some interesting characters, like the crazy scientists or an extravagant trader from the black-market, but not even them could save the movie from its unemotional story filled with banality. As usual in this genre, the exuberant visuals became tiresome and repetitive in a short time; and the washed-up plot was completely smashed by its meticulous eye-catching details or by its unpleasing fights. I wished Del Toro had adopted a weirdest, dark mood, in the same line of Shynia Tsukamoto’s “Tetsuo”, but unfortunately he chose something closer to “Transformers”, although technically much better. If you’re a fan of fierce action and exhaustive special effects, without minding if the story is fresh or appealing, then this is a film for you. Otherwise, skip it, because this is more nauseating than riding a roller coaster for ten times in a row.

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Country: USA

Review: The sad and real story of Oscar Grant, a 22-years-old Bay Area dweller, who was fatally shot by a policeman in a local Rapid Transit station, was in the base of Ryan Coogler’s fantastic directorial debut. The tragic events, captured by numerous cell phones and digital video cameras, were subject of impetuous protests against the policemen involved. The story was able to catch my attention in such a way that I simply could not take my eyes off the screen. Michael B.Jordan, Melonie Diaz, and Octavia Spencer, bestowed a deep intensity in their performances, enhancing the realism of the scenes. Coogan’s direction was another crucial factor in this aspect, encouraged by a skillfully hand held camera and decent digital treatment. I didn’t find any type of exploitation in dramatic terms; only the inevitable emotional weight associated to the facts. We were spared to see the tough moments of a mother saying her daughter that her dad is dead. But I kept wondering how hard this situation must be. All those scenes, so powerful and full of soul, could hit you hard, and that’s why “Fruitvale Station” is so valuable, absorbing, and yet revolting in its story. This new gem of the independent cinema is an absolute tour de force, and is very much recommended. The film deservedly won the audience award and the grand jury prize at Sundance, as well as the Avenir Prize at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section.

A Field In England (2013)

Directed by: Ben Wheatley
Country: UK

Review: English filmmaker Ben Wheatley confirms, once and for all, his immense versatility and creative quality with the puzzling and odd “A Field in England”. After the triumphant “Sightseers”, one of the brightest dark comedies recently released, he now turns toward a totally different approach. A sort of avant-garde experimentalism was used, featuring a grotesquely appealing cinematography with foggy, rural landscapes in black-and-white; a more significant usage of sound, whether isolated or in the form of troubadour songs that helped to create the ambiance; a rough humor that matches perfectly with the harrowing story depicted; and a wildly violent side that not even his bleak “Kill List” can come close. The story is carried in a baffling way, when during the 17th century English Civil War an alchemist called Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith) joins a group of deserters who were compelled to find a mysterious treasure under the orders of the tyrannical Irishman O’Neill (Michael Smiley). Without anything to eat in the fields except hallucinogenic mushrooms, the characters set off on a trip into obscurity, threatening one another while trying to understand the evil forces that surround them. The hypnotic “A Field in England” gets into your senses with all the screams, madness, and visceral behaviors of its characters, being a violent art-house film with no limits for the mind that is closer to the insanity than to reality.Its audacity proves Wheatley as a consistent director who showed not to be afraid of taking bold and risky moves.

I'm So Excited (2013)

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar
Country: Spain

Review: Most of filmmakers get better with the age, as a result of experience and maturity gained through many different aspects, but this seems not to be the case of Pedro Almodóvar. His new sexual comedy, “I’m So Excited”, is an uneven and humorless private party, with alcohol and drugs included, on board of a plane to Mexico with serious problems to land safely. Its characters were simply uninteresting and shallow, consisting in the passengers of the first class plus the flight crew composed by a bisexual pilot, a straight co-pilot, and three gay stewards. The jokes, as expected, were all made around the subject of sexuality, but just a couple of them were able to pull out some chuckles. It seems that Almodóvar is self-content in showing us his shabby, flamboyant fantasies, without being aware that he is becoming repetitive, highly predictable, and tacky. Lacking substance or anything palpable, this is probably the worst film in the career of a filmmaker who, a few years ago, had the genius to create “Talk To Her” or “All About My Mother”. In case you are a fan of Antonio Banderas or Penélope Cruz, you can always stick to the first five minutes, in which they appear in just another ridiculous scene. Strictly disapproved!

The Heat (2013)

Directed by: Paul Feig
Country: USA

Review: Paul Feig’s new comedy “The Heat” is even weaker than his previous “Bridesmaids”. It puts together Sandra Bullock, as an ambitious FBI agent, and Melissa McCarthy, as an impolite cop, with the mission of bringing down a drug lord. It is excused to say that their initial incompatibility turned out in the best friendship (how many times did we see this before?), but their actions never led to anything funny or substantial. What was meant to be explosive and energetic, fell once again in the trap of clichés and silly humor with very small doses of satisfaction. Unrealistic in many aspects, starting with McCarthy’s behavior as an agent of the law, the film was slightly better in its dialogues filled with vulgarity, than properly in the situations created. I can point one exception to this fact, when a tracheotomy was made to a choking man, capturing my attention for the intensity of the images. As for the rest, this stereotyped comedy, which expressed as much confusion as stupidity, never showed anything special to make the difference. Bullock’s performance was powerless, while McCarthy showed her capabilities by giving an authentic lesson on how to be dangerously unstable, but unfortunately the plot didn’t show consistency, charm, or wittiness to help us remember her. Simplistically boring!

Paradise: Faith (2012)

Directed by: Ulrich Seidl
Country: Austria / Germany / France

Review: Ulrich Seidl’s ability to disturb through psychological aspects is wide known, and the second part of The Paradise trilogy confirms exactly that, this time associated to faith issues. Nothing could have been more convenient than join in the same house a religious fanatic woman, Anna Maria (Maria Hofstatter), who is literally in love with Jesus (really?), to the point of masturbate herself with a crucifix, and her Muslim husband, Nabil (Nabil Saleh), who became paraplegic and returned home after an absence of two years just to realize that his wife got insane. Beyond this fact, we can follow Anna Maria going door-to-door, carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary and trying to convert immigrant people to Catholicism. Every scene was depicted with a deep mockery associated to its human decadence, and revealing a bizarre side that is quite common in Seidl’s films. Great part of them were ludicrous, with often unintelligent dialogues, and evincing the same tireless urge to shock us somehow. Contrary to what may seem, this religious battle of Anna Maria with herself and with the world, didn’t bring anything significant to be debated, being just an art-house exercise punctuated with enough strong sexual content and profanity. Through confident static shots and an impeccable direction, Seidl shows his admirable technical skills, but there’s not much to take from “Paradise:Faith”, which showed too much degradation to be likable, in addition to its opportune plot manipulations.

Europa Report (2013)

Directed by: Sebastian Cordero
Country: USA

Review: This low-budget sci-fi film told in flashbacks, directed by Ecuadorian Sebastián Cordero, fictionalizes a documentary about a space expedition to Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, made by a crew of international astronauts in a spacecraft named Europa One. The events are narrated by Rosa, a pilot, as well as by the CEO of the private enterprise responsible for the launch of the mission. Great part of the information is showed by video footage with constant interruptions and noise that feel real, passing the idea of how the communication systems were sensitive on a moon exposed to radiation and with a lot to investigate, not only at surface. The almost primitive interiors of the spaceship (remembering the 80’s), as well as the beautiful and crafted outer images were a lesson to many high-budgeted films that simply overdo this crucial aspect. The cast was not outstanding, while the plot revealed some issues and questionable choices (gravity matters included) that could have been avoided, although it creates the right amount of tension and gripping to make us hold our breath once in a while. Gladly, “Europa Report” tried to create fear by exploring the psychological factor associated to the unknown, instead of wasting time with scary aliens. Being a different sci-fi, it will give rise to divergent opinions among the aficionados of the genre, but considering the film’s budget, I can say that Cordero did a competent job.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Country: USA

Review: The adventures of the Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) and his Comanche friend, Tonto (Johnny Depp), are adapted to the screen by the hand of Gore Verbinski, in a production of Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. With the old West as background, the duo will have to join forces to defeat Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner), an irascible outlaw and killer. By adopting a similar posture used in his Pirates of The Caribbean's trilogy, Verbinski misses the chance of creating a more suitable mood for this kind of tale. Without a rich plot to stand out, “The Lone Ranger” relies on clumsy fights, dull facial expressions, and silly humor to succeed, but this ungracious approach in tones of comedy didn’t achieve its purposes. The dialogues and intrusive musical score didn’t help either, and despite the motion that brings to the screen, it just revealed to be an ode to incoherence and exaggeration in the action scenes. The exhaustion provoked by its overextended duration, along with its fractured structure, makes this an almost unbearable experience that has the visual side as stronger aspect. Closer to slapstick routines than to real adventure, “The Lone Ranger” is a failure and doesn’t make justice to one of my childhood's favorite animated series.

The Way, Way Back (2013)

Directed by: Nat Faxon / Jim Rash
Country: USA

Review: The Way, Way Back” is a refreshing coming-of-age drama that takes its subject matter a step up when compared with other recent releases of the same genre. The film follows 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James), a shy and sensitive boy who went in a summer vacation with his mom, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s daughter. Once there, he will struggle to come out from the shell where he was hidden all the time, not just realizing that his mother was increasingly drifting away from him, but also that something was not right with his own attitude. Everything will change for better when he get to meet Owen (Sam Rockwell), the local water park’s manager who offers him a job there. The film was written and directed by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, whose screenwriting abilities could already be witnessed in Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants”. This duo, who also performed a small role, couldn’t avoid the clichés associated to this kind of stories, but managed to dissimulate them in such a way that we almost forget they are there. This aspect was achieved due to not even one uninteresting character in the plot and the amazing performances from all cast, with a special mention for a cool Sam Rockwell. Despite one or another slip, which includes the final moments in the water park, “The Way, Way Back” is ideal for a good summer watching, providing enough bittersweet moments to grab your attention.

New World (2013)

Directed by: Park Hoon-jung
Country: South Korea

Review: Park Hoon-jung’s directorial sophomore causes mild entertainment throughout its occasional violent scenes, snitches, betrayals, bribes, and obscure collaborations between police and members of the most fearful organized crime organization in Korea called Goldmoon. Taking advantage of Goldmoon's big boss's death, police chief Kang (Choi Min-sik) looks forward to dismantle this syndicate from inside and launches a strategic operation named ‘New World’. For that task, he will count with Ja-sung (Lee Jeong-jae), an undercover police who has been infiltrated in Goldmoon eight years ago. The problem that arises, beyond two dangerous candidates who are fighting to occupy the position of chairman in the company, is that Ja-sung seems to wobble after so many years living like an influential gangster. The story, compellingly constructed and shot with rigor by Hoon-jung (screenwriter of “I Saw The Devil”), wasn’t so fresh as required for this genre. He adopted a more conservative attitude rather than innovative, and the energy that was canalized for several scenes was not always successful. The physical fighting scenes are a good example, seeming more unnatural dances of stretched arms and legs, than real fights. Despite these setbacks, “New World” was able to keep me aware of its games and twists. With solid performances and an appealing cinematography, it is a perfectly watchable crime thriller that still presents a few valuable ingredients.