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.

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.

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.

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.