Beasts of no nation

Beasts of no nation is a movie directed by Cary Fukunaga, starring Abraham Attah as Agu, a young african boy who finds himself forced by some unfortunate events to become a child soldier fighting in a civil war in an unnamed country, under the command of Idris Elba's character. 

I'm not going to lie, this is a very intense movie experience, with many hard to watch scenes. It is told from the point of view of the boy, who, after losing his family, stumbles upon an army of rebels and is quickly brainwashed to become part of it. He leaves all morals behind and starts to kill in the name of revenge for his family, joining the other soldiers into committing savage acts on any person encountered in their way. The Commandant manipulates him with promises, only to abuse him physically. However, instead of hating Agu for his actions, you can't help but feel sorry for him and some sort of understanding because he is a child who lost his family, doesn't know any better and tries to survive in any way possible.

The kid's performance in the film is incredible, he manages to express such a variety of emotions at his young age, especially that the movie is so brutal, violent and treats themes such as sexual abuse, crime and drug abuse. The most notable is the one where he makes the transition from a scared little boy to a savage murderer, pressured by the situation. Idris Elba is not to be messed with, managing to portray a despiteful leader who puts grenades and guns into children's hands, brainwashing them to become killing machines.

The film has a terrifying dream like atmosphere to it, which sends chills down the spine of the viewer,  but it has a beautiful cinematography. My only concern with the movie is that it is a little bit too long and has a few inconsistencies, but that is not a major problem. The movie manages to draw you in from the beginning, making it difficult to leave until it's end and is all together thought provoking, as these savage acts of murder by child soldiers are a reality, although many don't want to think about it.

As I read about the movie, I learned that it was shot only in 35 days in Ghana, which is such a short time for filming a movie, especially as complex as this one. Moreover, the director got malaria during the shoot. (now that is dedication! or simply bad luck). Not to mention the fact that the cast of the movie has numerous protagonists and all those people needed food, water and other basic needs which are hard to provide at the location. 

All in all, this film is powerful, heartbreaking and brutal all at once, but it depicts a real issue and I think it definitely deserves more recognition. You should definitely give this movie a try!

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.

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.

Thought provoking movies

Here are a series of my favorite sci-fi movies which I found thought provoking, mind twisting, puzzling and generally good conversational pieces.

Her and Ex Machina, besides the fact that are incredibly good movies, they both leave you thinking about the future of technology and how that might affect humans, mostly from an emotional standpoint. Her explores one man's (Joaquin Phoenix) relationship with his OS, which, with the help of a soothing female voice (Scarlett Johansson's) and infinite information generated from the internet it can piece up conversational topics and suitable answers for his questions, making him become emotionally dependent on her, as she tells him everything he wants / needs to hear. The movie explores a spiritual and mental relationship, which seems to work without the physical aspect of the generally accepted notion of one. I find the film's concept extremely thought provoking, as I believe we are not far from this to become reality. (bonus: not only is it a smart movie, it is also visually stunning, with a beautiful color scheme of pink and orange undertones). The second movie, Ex Machina treats a similar theme, in which a man is asked to perform the Turing test on a robot programmed and designed to be a female (Alicia Vikander), to see if the AI can pass off as a human, however he starts to have feelings for her, but the question remains if she can also feel something similar, or if she can just teach herself to respond in the way he wants her to respond, making him easily manipulated.

Speaking of philosophical themes and character studies, I will also include Under the skin, although this one does not feature robots but an "alien", the theme of relationships that don't conform to the norm continue. This movie is more of a meditation on human behavior, how it can be perceived by an exterior presence and how easily it can be imitated and used as an advantage. Scarlett Johansson plays and alien who disguises itself as a women and begins to study the way humans act, luring men into her house for some dubious business. Even though it is slow paced, the ending does raise some questions. 

Ex Machina

Her

Under the skin

Moving towards the themes of time and space, there are a few films that approach time travel and multi dimensions in a smart and of course, mind blowing way. I'm talking about Coherence, Predestination and the more mainstream one, Interstellar. The first two are hard to summarize, but I guarantee they are not disappointing. What happens when a comet disrupts the normal order of life opening the possibility for a group of friends to see the way their different decisions from the present unfold in other dimensions? What happens when you meet yourself at different points in your life, but you have no idea about that? What happens when you are on a planet where a few minutes mean several years have passed on earth and your children are now older then you are?

Coherence

Predestination

Interstellar

Another one which is full of subtext and metaphors is Enemy starring Jake Jylenhaal. Besides the actual plot, throughout the film there are a few scenes involving spiders, which I read can symbolize women and the character's fear of commitment (pretty cool in my opinion!), or maybe even schizophrenia. It depends on how you want to perceive it.

Enemy

Some other movies that play with your mind, that I've seen and recommend include:

Memento

Requiem for a dream

Inception

Shutter island

The usual suspects

The prestige

Donnie Darko

Mr Nobody

The butterfly effect (just the first one is worth watching)

Goodnight mommy

2001:a space odyssey

Melancholia

After the dark

The game

Cube

Prisoners

All of these movies have unexpected plot twists, not the lame, cliched ones, but keeping-you-at-the-edge-of-your-seat ones. They treat very interesting topics, leaving every viewer to decide for himself what he makes out of it. If you start analyzing them, you might get into some deep realizations and symbolism. If not, they still make up for an entertaining way to spend your time!

Burnt

Burnt is a movie directed by John Wells, starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and Daniel Bruhl. The film tells the story of a chef who is on a quest to get his third Michelin star, while also getting his act together. There is not much more to say about it, as it is filled with tropes and chicles of the genre, the plot is predictable, unoriginal and the dialogue is boring. I find it underwhelming and a waste of a good cast.

The characters are of no good either, they are weak, uninteresting there is not a moment in the movie when you care about their fate. They are flat and one dimensional. Also, talk about the lack of strong female characters in the film industry...

The only thing that remotely saves the movie is its production value. The movie is glossy, it looks good, is fast paced and it probably catches the attention of average audience with a little bit of help from the household names in the cast. Also, Bradley Cooper's performance is good, but there is not much you can do with a spineless plot.

All in all, the movie is neither remarkable nor memorable, it spells everything out for the audience, so go invest 100 minutes in something better.

The diary of a teenage girl

The diary of a teenage girl, written and directed by Marielle Heller is a refreshing coming of age movie based in the 70s about a 15 year old girl at the edge of womanhood, discovering her sexuality by firstly getting involved with her mother's boyfriend, starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarskard and Kristen Wiig. I was really looking forward to see this movie, as I've seen critics praise it, but it actually exceeded my expectations. It targets a smart young audience, but it does not limit itself to that.

Bel Powley's character, Minnie is the main focus, however the two other supporting actors steal the spotlight in their own way. At first, Minnie comes off as a naive teenager whose main purpose is to feel that she is wanted by a man. She gets involved in a toxic relationship with her mother's young boyfriend behind her back, confusing his hedonistic desires for her with love, only to find out that life is not as easy as she thought it would be. Her mother is of no help either, as she is absent and blind to what her daughter is going through, while being busy denying her age by partying and doing drugs (which I think can be understandable for that decade). Alexander Skarsgard's character, Monroe is a vulnerable, sad man who manipulates both of them for his own pleasure, regardless of the consequences. In the end, the coming of age theme serves its purpose, as Minnie comes to her own mature understanding of the world, after a series of troubling events.

I like how the movie avoids the cliches present in this genre of movies and is able to stand on its own feet, with original ideas and well rounded characters. The plot is interesting and the cinematography is beautiful, giving a sense of nostalgia throughout the whole movie. The soundtrack is mostly absent, however this is not a problem, because it works like that just fine. The acting is really good and Bel Powley manages to create a good chemistry with all the characters.

Also, the movie has some cool quotes which really stuck with me like the following two:

"Everything is so loveless and mediocre"

"I always thought I wanted to be exactly like my mom. But she thinks she needs a man to be happy. I don't."

The Danish girl

The Danish girl is a movie directed by Tom Hooper (King's speech, Les miserbles), starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander in a pseudo biopic based on the fictional novel with the same name about one  of the first men known who has undergone surgery for sex reassignment.

I am not a big fan of period pieces, unless they are based in the 50' or 60', because the ones before that I find mostly boring, with rigid dialogue and unappealing costumes. So, I am not going to talk a lot about the movie per se, as I don't think it wouldn't be so good had it not been for the interesting theme and amazing performances from the leading actors. 

The main focus goes on Eddie Redmayne's heartbreaking performance who gives the character elegance and sincerity, proving yet again he is a good actor who lets his work speak for himself. However, I think Alicia Vikander deserves the spotlight for this picture. Rarely have I seen such a strong female character in a movie, with a story arc even more interesting than that of Lili's character and transformation. She slowly realizes her marriage falls apart and there is no going back, yet she is supporting of her husband in his search to become who he actually is, no questions asked.

I liked the theme of the movie and I believe the producers found a good moment to release it, as Caitlyn Jenner opened the conversation on this subject. It really is thought provoking in regards to gender roles, but I really enjoyed the way Edde Redmayne put it in an interview, saying that things are not black or white, male or female, but that there is a spectrum and people can be anywhere on it, which I find to be well said.

I suggest you watch this movie, not for the way it was made, as there is not much to say about that,  it's a regular film, but for the thought provoking theme and stellar performances.

Sisters

Sisters is a comedy movie directed by Jason Moore, both produced and starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as (you guessed it) sisters who reunite after hearing that their parents decided to sell their childhood house and decide to throw one last party there.

I love this duo of Amy and Tina so much, from their series in which they starred (Parks and rec.; 30 rock), to their hilarious jokes while hosting the Golden Globes twice in a row and both their books (Bossypants by Tina and Yes please by Amy). The two of them have amazing chemistry together and are super funny.

The movie was really fun to watch, I really enjoyed it, with many laughs and a cool supporting cast. It doesn't have a profound, deep life message or anything like that, but you gotta watch it for the acting, jokes and chemistry of the two leading ladies. The characters portrayed by them are a little bit one dimensional, as Fey is the cool party animal who had a lot of fun in collage but now is a mess and Poehler is the opposite, the helpful, not so popular in collage sister who now has a good career and stability, but this actually works for the film, as you don't need too much backstory, it's not that kind of movie.

The first act I would say is better than the second one, because in the second part, the movie gets a little bit to crazy, with gratuitous vulgarity and exaggerated jokes.

All in all, I would recommend this movie because you shouldn't miss a film in which both of them act together, it's a treat with many smart funny jokes and witty remarks.

Top 10 favorite movies of 2015

The following is my lift of top 10 movies that i most enjoyed in 2015.

10. Everest

Read my review for this one.

9. Brooklyn

Read my review for this one.

8. Dope

Just as the name suggest, this film is pretty dope, with a smart plot, a cool cast and a really well written script.

7. 99 homes

Michael Shannon does it again! With his hypnotizing look and good acting he will draw you into the plot from the first scene, nicely complemented by Andrew Garfield's performance.

6. Me and Earl ant the dying girl

This movie has a Wes Anderson vibe from start to finish, which I really enjoy since he is one of my favorite directors. It's not just a classic coming of age film, it's also a reflections how teenagers cope with loss and how it affects them and the ones around them. A must watch for viewers who like warm tones, symmetry, smart dialogue, a good soundtrack and many pop culture references!

5. Goodnight mommy

This one is a small indie Austrian horror film with little dialogue but intense and suspenseful scenes. If you pay attention throughout the movie it's not difficult to guess the ending, but that will still keep you on the edge of your seat. The suspense is build in a slow manner, but the second act is worth the wait.

4. Sicario

Go read my review for this one.

3. Meadowland

Go read my review for this one.

2.Ex machina

I definitely did not expect to have so much fun watching this movie. It is a little bit on the indie side, with not so much commercial success, but that doesn't make it any less good. I'm a big fan of Oscar Isaac and he impressed me once again in his role. The plot is full of cliffhangers, with the viewer switching sides for different characters at different points in the movie. Definitely a must watch for anyone!

1. The martian

I have reviewed this before on my blog, but I will say it again: I love everything about this movie! (and book as well) The plot is incredibly interesting in my opinion, from what I've read the science is also legit, the cast in really well chosen, the cinematography is amazing and the overall atmosphere of the movie is positive, humorous and enjoyable. Hopefully a few Oscars will go towards it's direction.

Also shoutout to Infinitely polar bear and Coherence which I will put on my list as a honorable mentions because I've seen them in 2015, although they came out in 2014.

There you go, these were my favorite films of 2015. Tell me if you agree and which is your top 10 for 2015.