The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Perhaps I had too high expectations about this film, which is absolutely understandable just because the incredible cast, but I found film to be nice as an entertaining movie and not much else. But then I should not be surprised as I haven't enjoyed much John Madden movies since his great Shakespeare in Love. Sigh.

Still film is worth-watching for the marvelous cast that deliver good performances in a story about old age that gee can't be more different than my previous reviewed film, Ann Hui's A Simple Life. Film tells the story of a group of British retirees that due to different reasons -most related to financial circumstances- take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel in India, where they find a lapidated building where initially destroys their hopes for a better life but soon enough perspective changes.

Story is funny in a very darkish way, which I highly enjoy, but in my opinion there were too many cliche's and typical stereotypes that made story highly predictable for me, which I don't particularly enjoy, and this time the voyage to a predictable destination was not as enjoyable even when was colorful in many ways more than the good visual imagery.

But who could resist watching a film with Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and more great British actors? Not me and bet that not many of you, so go and watch film for feel-good entertaining purposes, with not much expectations, surely you will have a good time.

Enjoy!!

Watch trailer @MOC

桃姐 Tao jie (A Simple Life)

A movie with a very touching story, so much that when reading reviews by most serious professional reviewers I found they tend to talk more about story than about movie, which is not common at all. Yes story is powerful, but I have to recognize that Ann Hui filmmaking and storytelling abilities plus outstanding performances by Deanie Ip and Andy Lau is what makes story and movie absolutely out of the ordinary.

But we have to recognize that story is so powerful also because is inspired on real-life events, the story of Hong Kong movie producer Roger Lee. This is poignant, bittersweet, heartwarming story is all about old age, about a lifelong life of caring and loving, about death and about the relationship between a man and his amah, a disappearing breed of domestic helpers who devote lifelong service to a single family. Some say that is a simple story and indeed it seems like, but to me story has many layers as nothing is simpler in a tale about a master and a servant, about a maid that takes more care of you than your own mother, a family member that is not recognized as such while serving you but that in this story gets recognition when she needs it most, in the twilight of her life. Beautiful story, very-well told that made me use a lot of tissues after feeling joy, happiness, and smiled with the subtle humor that is amazingly used to prepare viewers for the final farewell.

But film has impressive credentials with high production values, a director that excels when dealing with everyday reality and manages to extract from her leads award-winning performances from veteran Hong Kong actors that look and feel grounded in life and never forced. For some still unclear reason I tend to relate storytelling style more to Japanese cinema than Chinese as film style made me think of a few Japanese films that so beautifully deal with life and death.

As we know film premiered in competition at the 2011 Venice fest were won many accolades, including Deanie Ip wining the Volpi Cup for Best Actress and became Hong Kong submission to Oscar; but film, director and actors swept the most prestigious Asian awards.

You may say that this is a very local story belonging only to Chinese culture, but not me as I know that story applies to many cultures where live-in, in-house maids are a reality, like for example all countries in Latin America, a region where is still common to have had and have lifelong maids that care for several family generations but where is still sort of taboo to talk about this understated family member.

I strongly recommend film as must be seen but have to recognize that it may not be for everyone as believe that audiences from countries without maids, servants will not connect to story much, consequently will be hard for them to sustain the showing of everyday life little details for almost two hours.

I simply loved movie that touched me beyond what I could imagine and me using many tissues was a very positive, heartwarming experience as there is nothing more worth-feeling that movies that shake all your emotions.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Kärlekens krigare (Warriors of Love)

Have seen old movies like this one, but lately seems like not many filmmakers are revisiting the style as probably is not easy to sustain for viewers as has extremely long shots with fix camera, extremely slow-pace, sort of experiential style that no longer is experimental, deadpan expressionless performances, dialogues with no characters in screen and only two actors that pretend to be something they are not. Yes is quite hard to watch this movie that was in competition at 2009 Locarno in the Filmmakers of the Present section.

If visually is hard to watch because the storytelling style, story is quite disturbing and style only makes it more disturbing; still have in my mind some of the dialogue and I hope to fast get rid of as the coldness when delivering the lines is chilling, disturbing and that's how I'm hearing the words again in my head. Awful.

Film story has been labeled as the "lesbian Romeo and Juliet"; I can assure you that there is nothing in here slightly resembling the Shakespeare story, as tells about a couple of young women (actress look adult but dress like teens, odd effect) that go to the countryside where the father of Ida lives, slowly and in the most disturbing way (only with words that many times are worst than images) we learn that the father abused her, so they decide to kill him. I watched with most disgust until this moment as afterwards story became really silly and -please excuse my word- stupid. As I will not recommend watching this movie will spoil the story, in the end the women hang themselves to death.

I have seen very disturbing movies, but this one besides being quite disturbing is VERY unpleasant to watch, truly disgusting, no matter the great black and white cinematography. So, I strongly suggest you skip this very unpleasant movie.

Awful!

Watch trailer @MOC

Rompecabezas (The Puzzle)

An objective camera introduces us to a woman moving in her small kitchen doing all sort of dishes with extreme precision and care, as we leave the kitchen we notice there are many people outside which made me think of a typical Sunday lunch, but soon enough as we continue to see how the woman so expertly moves among them bringing the food, how people converse, eat we notice is a home party. A celebration, for her children? her husband? No, is the 50-years-old birthday party for María del Carmen.

Quite a fantastic very-long and chaotic opening for the debut film by Natalia Smirnoff that takes us into a very ordinary Latin American middle class family where the mother lives a common life as the sole household keeper of a family where she is the only woman. If you know Latin America you know this "happy" family and if you don't know this side of the world what you saw -and will see- could surprise you and probably will set your mind in a direction that's not intended, but try to remember that this is a common, ordinary happy family and the word "happy" is the key.

What follows is how María del Carmen (great María Onetto), the woman that so diligently prepared her own 50-years-old celebration, becomes alive, leaves her ordinary everyday happy life, her anonymity as a family member and flourishes as a human being, which in the end makes her a better person, wife, and mother. It's an amazing, beautifully told, uplifting story that I can't say is original but nevertheless is quite compelling and engaging.

Surely I enjoyed this little movie more than most people will as I love to do puzzles which transport me to the only zone where my mind stops thinking, goes blank and allows me to full-concentrate into only one thing. Somehow I was able to feel exactly that with this movie that as any puzzle, has pieces all over and is you, the viewer, who has to put them together to gasp what really this movie is all about besides the ordinary tale of a woman that found peace, solace and motivation in doing puzzles.

Film is impressive as a debut for a filmmaker that used to work mostly in casting as has very high production values, director got amazing performances by well-known Argentinean actors, and clearly presents us with a very interesting director that crafts her work very carefully, taking her time and not rushing. Definitively she is in my radar and will follow her career. Now is no surprise why film premiered in competition at the 2010 Berlinale and collected honors in the fest circuit.

But, yes, there is one important but. Definitively movie is NOT for all audiences and my best reference is that if you liked Pablo Giorgelli's Las Acacias, then surely you will like this movie that has slow pace, lots of silences, mostly expressionless performances, relies in showing common/ordinary situations, has the "feeling" that nothing happens, and at moments, has some soapy melodramatic characters reactions, which cut the smooth flow and allows you to recapitulate, take a breath, to continue looking for pieces of this puzzle.

When reading about movie discovered many relating this movie to Caroline Bottaro's Joueuse (Queen to Play) which I didn't do spontaneously but recognize that the plot essence is similar, a game that propels change in a woman. Here is a puzzle in the other is chess. Having seen both movies I find them different and with my love for French cinema in mind, I have to say that I find this Argentinean French production to be better as Natalia Smirnoff's storytelling technique is highly superior while Bottaro's was definitively mainstream cinema.

I strongly recommend movie to those that like Latin American great cinema and the particular storytelling style described in previous paragraph. Then, this is a movie that all women of certain age should watch as story definitively will uplift your spirit.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Cчастье моё -Schastye Moye (My Joy)

An impressive feature film debut by Sergei Loznitsa that marveled my eyes beyond the huge expectations I had as everything I visually and auditively admire in cinema is found here, long takes, fix camera, hand-held camera, outstanding compositions, excellent framing, light, absence of light, playing with shadows, darkish palette and long-very-long silences. As a matter of fact, I'm sure that if I turn off audio, will understand everything that happens, that's how powerful images are and how inconsequential words are in this film.

Camera is by none other than Oleg Mutu, better known to me for his amazing work in outstanding 4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days) and Moartea domnului Lazarescu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu), and with Loznitsa direction becomes truly masterful, not almost perfect but unbelievably perfect.

Then there is no time in film, so many might see a collection of stories joint by the main character that's always present in the present; not me I saw something else, but timeless narrative is done so impressively flawless that mixing up past and present also becomes inconsequential to what you will see as in this tale there are no reasons, just isolated facts that give a portrait of what might or might not be truth, but definitively portraits human behavior of the not-good kind. A behavior set in Ukraine or Russia here, but that applies everywhere.

While watching and very early in film I saw Tarkovsky imagery but once the main character grows a beard it became Loznitsa imagery. In story I saw Haneke, yes Him, as he also portrayed (less graphically) similar behavior in The White Ribbon; but Loznitsa broken-ish narrative with necessary and graphic violence belongs to him. This is a unique style (or non-style as Loznitsa calls it) and the only practical consequence I have is me "dying" to see his next film, In the Fog.

So what's story all about? Reality after years of incomprehensible war and the consequences in the population, abuse of power, petty thieves, sexual abuse, authority incompetence, lying, passiveness, violence, killing, and many more nouns related to behavior of the not-good kind.

Some say that this is a movie that everyone should see and I agree, but I know that not many people stand more than two hours watching very slow-pace, not really knowing what's going on, expressionless performances, very little emotions while doing whatever they do, long silences, long shots, etc., so definitively this movie is not for everyone but for those that LOVE visual movies and can wait until the end to decode the story -everything- they saw.

If you haven't seen this 2010 Cannes in competition film I strongly recommend it to you as one must be seen movie that you can revisit as many times as you wish, just to marvel yourself on how magnificent cinema can be.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Entre Piernas

I wasn't going to write about this awful movie but then maybe I'll be doing a favor to many when I say that this movie is one to avoid, skip as is SO bad in every sense that yes, had to fast-forward just to see what happens with the lesbian interest story. Then film borders porn on the male/female sex and fantasy scenes plus lesbian scenes are obviously done for male audiences.

With absolutely horrendous acting, terrible script and terrible directing film tells a story that looks like the Mexican version of the mix of the plots of Imagine Me and You plus The Sex Monster , more the later than the first, but script even duplicated some situations of the first. The result is truly awful.

If you like lesbian interest movies and wish to see "everything" then the only way to see movie is to fast-forward to the two women moments as otherwise is impossible to endure the movie. By the way movie is available to watch for free -available only in Spanish-, so browse the net and you easily will find it.

Awful!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Un Monstre à Paris (A Monster in Paris)

With an entertaining story and great animation Bibo Bergeron movie is excellent for having a great escape moment, that's it if you enjoy animation from where has become the most cutting-edge animation in the world, France.

I was not lucky enough to see the film in its French version, so I missed the voices of Ludivine Sagnier and François Cluzet among other French actors and had to conform myself with the English version that included Vanessa Paradis doing the English version of her original French version of Lucille. I suggest that if you can watch the original version as always there is something "lost in translation". Nevertheless English version has Sean Lennon playing the singing voice of Francœur, which is a nice positive surprise.

Film tells the story of a "lovely" monster (a huge flea) that terrorizes 1910 Paris citizens and how Lucille, Emile and Raoul join forces to uncover the "real" monster in the story.

Film was nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Original Music at the 2012 César Awards and was screened in several film festivals where collected some honors. Was listening to the French original score and definitively sounds a lot better than the English version, perhaps I should watch movie again in French.

It's a feel good story and movie that will entertain younger and younger-at-heart audiences and as such I do recommend it.

Enjoy!!

Watch trailer @MOC