Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is a biopic directed by Danny Boyle starring Michael Fassbender as the title character, with Kate Winslet by his side as head of marketing Joanna Hoffman, the cast being rounded up by Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels among others. The movie is divided into three big scenes presenting tensional moments backstage before three major product launches, inviting the audience to take a peek at Steve Jobs' intriguing personality and the people surrounding him. 

I have to say this is a really good movie! I love the fact that the filmmakers used different styles of shooting to portray each period of time, namely 16mm for 1984, 35mm for 1988 and digital for 1998, a smart idea to show the passing of time. Moreover, I like the symmetry and simplicity of using three major locations for most of the movie.

Although there is not much action, the tension builds up every scene due to powerful performances from the actors and good screenwriting. The dialogue is smart and interesting, really letting us get a glimpse of what was going on in the mind behind Apple. Michael Fassbender was amazing in this role, he successfully managed to portray a character who can be hated but pitied at the same time for the way he treats those around him. He knows his worth and he never lets those around him forget about it, pushing them aside at the same time. Kate Winslet was also really good in her role of advisor, coworker, moral support and confident of Steve, who has been besides him the whole time.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie more that I thought I would, mainly because of the choice of presenting the story, relying on emotionally charged sequences before important product launches during his career, as well as smart dialogue and powerful performances. 

Bridge of spies

Bridge of spies is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks as James B. Donovan, the charismatic, skillful lawyer who, during the Cold War, is assigned to represent a soviet spy caught in the US and soon he begins to feel the pressure and anger of the revolted americans regarding the case. In parallel, there is an american pilot who is caught by the Russians and soon, the main character finds himself forced by the government to make a trade between the countries. The movie follows true events, based on a screenplay written by the Cohen brother.

I would say this is a classic Oscars movie, including a historical event, one of America's favorite actors, suspense, scene repetitions for emotional impact and Spielberg's style is easy to spot. The film looks really good, the scenes are fluid and beautifully shot, I enjoyed the chromatic of the picture, while Tom Hanks' performance is great. 

I didn't mind this movie, it is a very good movie, just that it's not one of my favorites. It has every ingredient to be an Academy contender and maybe this is the issue for me, it brings nothing new to the table (some will say this is a strong point). I feel like this will mostly be enjoyed by my parents. :) I do appreciate the history lesson and I never say no to a Tom Hanks movie, but probably I will not watch it again, as Spielberg's style and theme choices are not really my first options when I want to watch a film.

One of the best things about it is probably the performance of America's sweetheart, Tom Hanks in the main role, who manages to give a soft edge to the character, followed by the performance of Mark Rylence in the role of the soviet spy. I guess I mostly enjoyed the dialogue between the two and the scenes where both of them are together. Also, Spielberg does an impressive job directing the movie, as always, with long takes and face close ups just at the right moments.

All in all, Bridge of spies is a good Spielberg movie, worth seeing for good directing and an interesting history lesson, resolved with words, not action.

The big short

The big short is a biopic directed by Adam Mckay, starring an ensemble cast including Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling, telling the story about the few smart guys who saw coming the collapse of the economy in 2008, which nobody apparently couldn't predict, and the way things were handled before the crisis.

My thoughts on this movie...hmm difficult to say, since I need to gather my thoughts and put everything piece by piece! As a whole, it was a very good movie, but I guess a little bit difficult to understand, as I have 0 knowledge of economy and economical terms. 

The movie in itself does not have any cliffhanger or unexpected plot twist as you know either from your knowledge, or the beginning of the movie how it will end, but it still is very interesting to watch because of the quirky characters, good performances  and manner of telling the story. Throughout the plot there are some cuts with certain cameos from celebrities who explain important terms to the audience so you at least understand some of the action, but I found those rather distracting from the actual movie. Also, there are a few montages depicting the pop culture of each year portrayed in the movie, which also contribute as distractors from the story, as the movie would have been fine without. 

The performances were very good, particularly Steve Carell, who had the strongest and most nuanced one of them all, in my opinion. Brad Pitt was a little bit unrecognizable with his daddy beard, Christian Bale was weird but good at the same time, playing a character with some signs of Aspergers, lacking social skills or empathy, but who is very good with numbers, actually being the one who predicted the collapse and Ryan Gosling was playing his typical confident self, doubling as the narrator of the movie. Another distractor throughout the film is the fact that there are many scenes when the characters break the forth wall and talk to the audience, but this technique doesn't always work out, turning a couple of scenes from good to silly and it feels like you are watching a mockumentary.

I noticed every year there is a trend going on in cinema, just as in fashion about the themes of the movies. This year I would say the economic collapse of 2008 has been a big topic in Hollywood, with both this movie and "99 homes", which is also very good and I recommend you watch it after this one, as the latter presents, let's say, the "aftermath" of the financial crisis. 

All in all, The big short is a good film that manages to turn a not-so-very-interesting-subject as the financial crisis into a bearable and even entertaining movie.

Spotlight

Spotlight is a movie directed by Tom McCharty starring Marc Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel Mcaddams, Stanley Tucci and some other good actors, following the true story of The Boston Globe's section, Spotlight, whose news journalists shone some light on a controversial topic about the Roman catholic priests who sexually abused many children in Boston and how the church covered up the scandals. I advise you not to do too much research about it before seeing the movie, it's better to discover it during the film, because as the case builds up, it gets more shocking.

I like this movie for the fact that it focuses on telling an important story and tries to do it as truthfully as it can, without any distractors. There is no high production value, it looks all right without trying too hard, relying only on good directing, a smart script and great performances from the ensemble cast and that's enough to get a great picture. I got the feeling that it actually looks borderline indie, or that you are watching a documentary, as the performances are very subtle without any dramatic exaggerations, which adds another cool layer to the film. All of the actors are fantastic, but for me Mark Ruffalo stood out with a slightly different performance than usual that worked well for the film.

All in all, the movie managed to tell its story without patronizing the audience in any way and it is a really well directed biopic that I recommend.

Room

Room is a movie directed by Lenny Abrahamson, starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and her 5 year old son who are held captive in a small room by a man who kidnapped the woman when she was only 17. The film very well depicts the psychological consequences an event like this has on a person's mental health and especially the one of a child, as well as its extension to the girl's parents.

The movie is well constructed, with a deep and powerful script and fantastic performances. There are many emotional scenes throughout the film and some of them, I admit, brought some tears to my eyes and the credit mostly goes to the stellar performances of both Brie Larson and the kid. She  manages to bring such a diverse range of emotions from motherly love and care to desperation, frustration and the feeling of lost hope. 

However, Jacob Trembaly stole the spotlight at the young age of 9! I can imagine it is really hard to work with a child on set, especially when he plays such a big role in the movie, but he really managed to deliver. I have no idea how they made him express such rough, strong emotions, but I can see a bright future for him in acting.

The first act of the movie can be viewed as the typical kidnap movie, without the cliches of the genre, but the second act is even better because it deals with the afterward emotions, which I haven't seen too often portrayed in cinema. I also enjoyed the fact that the movie is not romanticized or sugar coated and I love the fact that it has the child's point of view, which gives it an interesting perspective. 

All in all, this movie definitely deserves some Oscar recognition and I hope the Academy will show some love for Brie Larson, as they overlooked Jacob for a nomination. Go check out the movie, it's one of the best in the motion picture category.