The lobster

The lobster is a movie directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Colin Farrell and Lea Seydoux in a satire about love and our society's obsession with couples. The action takes place in a dystopian world where people who are single are sent to a Hotel where they have 45 days to find a partner with whom they share a similar trait, or they will be turned into an animal. In order to extend this period, they go on regular hunts to shoot loners who do not want to be part of a couple.

Yorgos Lanthinos is the one who directed the Greek Dogtooth, which is one of the most bizarre movies I've seen and definitely not for everyone to enjoy. However, The lobster is more accessible to a larger audience, but still I would say it is an acquired taste, as it is more a comment on society rather than a typical Hollywood movie. Both the dialogue and the characters are rigid and weird, the score is great as it manages to create tension and an eerie vibe for every scene and the cinematography is beautiful, reminding me a little bit of Wes Anderson, with lots of symmetry and a composed color scheme.

All in all I will say this is much better viewing than anyone might expect and even if you are not into philosophical type of movies, you might be surprised of how much the story draws you in!

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!

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.

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.