Meadowland

Last night, as I was browsing through Indiewire's articles I came across a title like "Scorsese definitely recommends this indie movie" which I immediately clicked to see what it was about, cause indie pictures are my jam. I watched the trailer really quickly and decided it is a film that I will probably enjoy.

Well, Scorsese was right! :) Meadowland is a directorial debut of Reed Morano, starring Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson and Elizabeth Moss, just to name a few. I am not going to get too much into detail about the plot, as I would like to let you discover it on your own, but mainly it is a story about two parents who try to cope in their own way with the disappearance of their son. It is a psychological drama amazingly acted and beautifully shot which will absorb you from the beginning. I'm not going to lie, there are a few scenes difficult to watch and heartbreaking at the same time. I love the fact that it is unpredictable, you never know how that characters will act or where the story is going and towards the end, Wilde's character embarks onto something that could lead to serious damages.

I strongly recommend you give it a try because the main actors do a terrific job, I believe this might be Olivia Wilde's best performance yet and Luke Wislon does not disappoint either. If you are into movies which treat psychological issues like loss, mental disorders and depression and do not spell everything out for the audience, then this film is a good fit for you!

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a movie directed by John Crowley after Nick Hornby's screenplay, starring Saoirse Ronan as the main character of Eilis Lacey, a young, Irish woman who, during the 50s, decides to immigrate to USA from Ireland in the hopes of making something out of herself, leaving her friends and family behind.

I was pretty excited to see this movie, as I remember reading Slam by Hornby a few years ago and really enjoying it and also I love his past work as a screenplay writer in An education and most of all, Wild, so I thought the film shouldn't be bad since he is involved in it. Not to mention the fact that I enjoy any movie or series based during the 50s in America for the fashion sense and elegance of the people in that time. (shoutout here to Mad Men)

In my opinion, the movie is very good and it did not disappoint me at all. The story is told in a soft manner, although some if the subjects treated during the movie are not so easy to swallow. Saoirse Ronan did a great job with her delicate but also strong at times performance and hopefully she will be considered for an Academy Award because she deserves it. Her costar and love interest in the film, Emory Cohen did a very good job as well, portraying a young american with Italian roots and a big heart, who quickly falls in love with Eilis.

Comparing Brooklyn to The immigrant (although this one is set in the 20s), as they treat similar topics, I definitely enjoyed the first one more, probably because the mood and tone of the movie, with more lightning, colors and a bit of humor here and there.

All in all, Brooklyn in a must for anyone who loves period pieces, or just a well acted drama set in the 50s with an interesting story and really good costumes! (just take a look at the photo)

The intern

The intern is a movie directed by Nancy Meyers, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway as leading roles, about a retired 70 year old widower, who, because of a lack of better things to do with his time and a desire to stay active, decides to respond to a senior intern opening at a online fashion site based firm run by Hathaway's character.

This movie sounds like a classic feel-good comedy, possibly full of cliches, but it's surprisingly good. It has a little bit more depth than expected, but not too much, just enough to make it stand out from the other comedies about generation gaps and old people facing technology gags.

The chemistry between the two leading actors in incredible and I think this is the reason that I enjoyed this movie so much. De Niro is still in great shape, making a warm, lovable, thoughtful character, while Hathaway gives a bit of edge to her uptight, introvert character, which could have resulted in being too one dimensional, boring and cliched. The two make a good fit for each other, while the rest of the cast completes it nicely. After seeing Adam Driver and Anders Holm (who plays the husband), I was expecting Black Anderson to appear as well, to complete the trio from Workaholics, but sadly he didn't make a cameo.

Also, the movie looks good, with the lightning and directing, giving it a cool New York, Brooklyn vibe that I like to see in movies.

All in all, this film is fun and enjoyable to watch on a Sunday afternoon when you are looking for something light, especially for the awesome chemistry between De Niro and Hathaway.

The walk

The walk is a movie directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Joseph Gordon Levitt as the leading role, portraying Philippe Petit, the man who walked on a wire set between the Twin Towers of World Trade Center in 1974.

From my point of view, the movie is shot in a very theatrical like manner, at least in the first half of the movie, which I did not find as interesting as the second, to the point where I almost gave up on the film. Gladly I didn't, because the second act is amazing! So full of suspense and incredible images. Although there is plenty of CGI, it's a beautiful mix between that and real shots.

JGL was very good in this role, as he is in all of his movies and it's obvious he only chooses passion projects with interesting characters or story lines. I did not mind his French accent in this film one bit, 'tho I have heard people complain about it. He speaks impeccable French and his accent is believable, so there is nothing to complain about, right? It's funny how when an American speaks with an English accent it's no problem, or the other way around, but when he does a french accent it is a tragedy?!

Don't get fooled by the fact that it is a true story and you already know how it will end, because the journey is incredible and the moments when he is up the wire are full of tension and suspense, probably leaving you on the edge of your seat grasping for air. There are also moments when, with the use of smart story telling and directing, the audience seems to actually enter the mind of the protagonist, which is pretty cool.

To wrap up, you should see this movie because it tells an original story of a man who did something you don't see everyday, using traditional methods, but well crafted, acted and directed.

Everest

"Everest" is a movie directed by Baltasar Kormakur, starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Robin Wright, Keria Knightley and many others. The story follows separate groups of people who want to reach the top of mount Everest during the same period of time, but a nasty snow storm comes and leaves them with devastating results.

I have mixed feelings about this film, particularly because of the emotional impact, or the lack thereof. I admit that it has some brutal scenes towards the end, but I think it had more potential to explore this side of the story, and had it been done the right way, it could have been three times more powerful on the audience. My view is that, since there were so many characters, it's hard to present them well enough; you don't get to experience in depth the reasons behind their wishes to climb the summit.

My second issue with the movie is that it was pretty slow paced in the first half, trying to introduce all these characters that you are supposed to care about for the sake of the ending.

The performances were good and the cinematography breathtaking at times, so just for the shots of the mountain alone, you should go see it.

All in all, Everest is a good movie and I recommend it, especially for those who like films about risk takers who go on adventures and try to push themselves just so they can experience something most people don't.

The martian

"The martian" is Ridley Scott's latest movie inspired by the book with the same name written by Andy Weir and boy is it good film!

It stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut botanist who is left on Mars by mistake when his crew believes he is dead during an emergency take off. He is left with only his wits and a few supplies and he has to figure out a way to survive four years until the next manned mission on Mars can save him.

I've read the book 3 months before the movie came out and l was so pumped for the release because the plot of the book and the ingenuity blew me away! Gladly, I was not disappointed one bit by the picture.

Matt Damon is excellent, in my opinion one of his best roles in a while now. Donald Glover is a funny breath of fresh air, while the rest of the cast did a great job as well.

What I loved about both the book and the movie is the fact that one would expect the mood to be all sad and depressing, but on the contrary, there are many funny moments and the main character never loses hope. Also, in the book everything is explained to the smallest scientific detail, which was well transferred to the movie, however some parts were cut, which I think were better off like that.

The shots of the movie were amazing, both the ones on Mars and the ones in space, with beautiful panoramas and a nice portrayal of no gravity on the spaceship. 

All in all, I loved every single minute of this movie, it is entertaining from start to finish, the science seems legit, performances spot on, funny, interesting and beautifully executed. Go see it now!

Wild

“Wild” is a movie directed by Jean Marc Vallee, starring Reese Whiterspoon and Laura Dern, about a young woman who sets to go on a 1000 miles hike to rediscover herself and resolve some personal issues. (Oh boy  how I love this type of movies!) An interesting aspect about this film is the fact that the story is told in a non linear way, so it intertwines shots from the present, when she is hiking with shots from her past, presented as flashbacks that she has during her journey.

I really liked Jean Marc Vallee’s previous film “Dallas buyers club” and I was really curious by the plot of Wild. However, I was reluctant when it came to the leading actress, since I was not a big fan of hers. After seeing this movie I actually started to like Reese Whiterspoon and I think she did an incredible job with the character. It is believable and really well portrayed.

The cinematography of the movie is really beautiful and the story all together is excellent. The performances are spot on and as a plus, the film has a great soundtrack featuring Simon and Garfunkel songs, which I thought was a big bonus.

All in all, I really enjoyed this movie and in my opinion it is one of the best movies of 2014, so you should definitely check it out. It’s captivating, heartbreaking at times and actually motivating!After seeing it, I went and bought the book and now it is one of my favorite stories, really inspiring.