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.