Movies watched recently 16

Half Nelson: This is an original spin-off of the traditional inspiring teacher-student relationship. The screenplay is very good, with realistic dialog and characters, slowly developed and their relationships are very well-built. The technicals are excellent, specially for an indie: the cold, dirty colored cinematography, the simple, involving editing and above all the mysterious, heartfelt music create a great ambiance. But the true highpoint of this movie, as everyone says, is the mind-blowing acting. Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps are perfect examples of how natural performances are emotionally affecting. Gosling shows why he's considered one of the best of his generation, shaping up a human character who's never wholly likable or unlikable, just a man struggling with himself. The direction is unexpectedly mature, blending all these moments together using a unique vision: urban, poetic and truly raw. It's a very good movie.
Down In The Valley: This western set in modern LA had everything to be great, but all of the qualities get lost in the embarrassingly bad second part. This seems to be composed by two movies: the first one is a subtle, beautiful meditation on love, reality and delusions and the second is a failed try to criticize American society. Technically, this is frankly good, with a dream-like cinematography, a fitting country music soundtrack,gorgeous, exhilarating shots and two excellent performances by Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood. He is perfect as a seriously disturbed man who believes to be a cowboy and she poetically captures teenage rebellion and passion. The screenplay is what ruins it. After there's an unneeded twist, this becomes a lame hostage drama with nothing to say. All the film loses its meaning, which is just a shame.
A Love Song For Bobby Long: I really enjoyed this. Granted, it's no masterpiece, it's a bit corny, but it's mostly heart-warming and feel-good. The story is simple, with few but interesting characters, amusing dialogs and touching revelations that aren't (too) exaggerated. The acting elevates this: it's genius to get John Travolta playing a vaguely unlikable has-been, Gabriel Macht also shapes up convincing emotions but the star of the show is Scarlett Johansson, playing a young, white trash woman. She's the heart and soul of this movie, filling it with emotion and involving you: she fills the screen. The technicals are also good, with a fine soundtrack, good editing and great nostalgic cinematography. The direction is also effective, not any innovative but making this feel extremely cozy. Overall, it's a nice, feel-goo film, and we all need those.

In This World: this is a raw, gritty, though flawed movie. It's about illegal immigration, it uses amateur actors and a documentary-film style, which is sometimes too showy. The story is simple and very affecting, showing a realistic situation so many of us ignore. The acting is extremely natural: the actors seem to be actually playing themselves. Though there's no denying Michael Winterbottom has a distinctive visual style, he overuses it. The documentary style fits perfectly some scenes, making you feel like you're withing the movie, but other times it's just intrusive, like he's saying "This is a really really gritty film" which is not needed at all. It's still a good movie.

Movies watched recently 15

Bagdad Café or Out Of Rosenheim: This is a good indie movie. It has a simple screenplay, with decent characters, beautiful relationships and a lot of metaphorical meanings. I really enjoyed the acting, with Marjanne Sagerbrescht and CCH Pounder portraying opposites beautifully. The direction is excellent: it manges to show many emotions and a subtle morale without much dialog. The cinematography is also beautiful, as is the theme song. Its flaws are a slow beginning and a cheesy ending, but between those there are big amounts of humanity and friedship. You will find yourself charmed and amused by these characters and all their beauty!

Proof: This is based in a play and it notices. It has few, but well-developed characters , it focuses on dialog, which is intelligent here, and it's very involving. It tackles an interesting issue-madness and genius- with a lot of emotion. The acting really carries this movie: Gwyneth Paltrow is fantastic here, fully embodying her character (remarkable delivery of dialog and chamaleonic body language), making Catherine and her struggles human, Hope Davis does her usual great supporting role, Anthony Hopkins is charismatic and Jake Gyllenhaal is impossibly cute. The direction was just about average: the time jumps were a bit clumsy and sometimes the music became intrusive, but it mostly involves you. This is perfect if you're looking for a n emotional roller-coaster with realistic characters and great acting.
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut: This is an impossibly funny movie.Like in the TV series, the humor is risky, cultural but very simple and obviously it works perfectly. The gags follow quickly but they are intelligently supported by a wild, surreal story that keeps you interested. The characters are all hilarious, with their squeaky voices and amusingly childish look to show a lot of personality and quirks. The songs are addictive- extremely bad singers create an hilarious effect with the silly lyrics. Overall, it's a brilliant satire to America done with a lot of laughs.

Todo Sobre Mi Madre: This is a powerful, very human drama. It has an impressive screenplay, about a woman confronting her dark past: the characters are outsiders from society but you get to understand them, the dialogs are realistic, the cultural references are metaphorical and, above all things, this has pure emotion. The direction is masterful: Almodovar has a unique style, introducing humor and showing rawness through creative camera angles, shots and editing. The acting is excellent: Cecilia Roth creates a subtle character and gets all her emotions across heart wrenchingly and all the supporting actors are fitting and fully believable. The technicals are very professional. This is a beautiful story about redemption and dignity.