Movies watched recently 13

Undertow: This is a raw, gritty thriller that I really like. It's a simple story, gorgeously shot and extremely well-acted. It's a twisted fairytale ( a bit like El Laberinto del Fauno). The dialog is natural and realistic, the characters are fully-developed and the pace is gripping. The acting is excellent: Jamie Bell becomes his character and fully nails the accent, he's the standout in a very good cast. This is the director's movie, though. It's style is distinctive, with effective freeze-frames, small details and quirks in every scene, and capturing images. You really feel like you're inside the movie. The cinematography is inspiring and vivid. The score is packed with tension and also lyrical beauty. The editing is intelligent, and the voice-overs are emotional and fitting. It's a strange, disturbing movie, but I loved it.

Italian For Beginners: This is a great love story, with realistic characters, believable relationships and a romantic heart that will get to everyone. Its style (using the Dogme 95) makes it look more realistic but also seductive in an everyday life kind of way. The story is simple, honest and charming, with involving pace and an uplifting ending. The acting is great by the whole cast, that just gets into character. I can't single out any of the leads. Overall, this is a really good movie that will make you feel good about love and life. I recommend it.
Brokeback Mountain: I really liked this. It's a poignant, touching romance, that uses all the conventional romantic formulas in a gay love story. The screenplay is excellent, with humane characters, beautiful, poetic dialogs and it is subtle. The acting is excellent: Heath Ledger is truly amazing, getting perfectly into character and breaking your heart with his sensibility and fears and Jake Gyllenhaal fills his character with life and is the heart of this love story (you can't avoid to love him). Michelle Williams is also perfectly intense. The direction is gorgeous: during the beginning it captures the Westerns, showing heart-stopping views and revealing close-ups. It also chronicles the characters as they get older subtly and explores all aspects of their life carefully. The cinematography is beautiful, and the score, with its traditional american sound, has depth to this. If the movie has flaws, those are the small episodes that could have been better developed. Even so, this is a beautfiul, affecting love story.

Birth: This is the perfect example of style over substance. The screenplay creates a believable leading character and an interesting exploration of grief, but it has many plot holes, a ridiculous ending and the supporting characters are sketches that lack personality. Nicole Kidman's performance is mind-blowing: her quiet withholding, soft delivery of dialog and intense scenes perfectly fit the movie. Cameron Bright is annoyingly bland and you just can't believe him (probably he was also badly directed). The direction is exquisite, with cold, detached shots in sober colors giving it it's controlled feeling. The soundtrack is hauntingly creepy. It wounds up being mostly a failure: a movie with a tour-de-force performance and good techs but with a meaningless story and nothing to say.

Monsieur Verdoux: This is a dark comedy by the usually sunny Charlie Chaplin, and it doesn't work very well. The basic idea is brilliant (a man who robs and murders widows to support his family) and it has some ironic touches that work. The dialogs have no wit and are perfectly unnecessary, because Chaplin just acts like he's in a silent movie. It gets worse as the story moves: the gags start by being mischievously funny but wound up being flat and the story starts as a dark comedy but develops into a moralistic drama. Technically, it's well-done and fluidly directed, but it's not very good.

2 Days In Paris: This is a very acute examination of relationships and cultural differences. The screenplay is totally hilarious, filled with realistic characters and situations and Woody Allen-esque dialog. It make you laugh because it takes a light-hearted look at extremely realistic situations. The differences between societies are alos fascinating and create a lot of funny moments. The direction is very good, making everything come together organically and filling each scene with little details that make it seem real-life. The acting is perfect by everyone: they are all talented and funny, embodying their characters and delivering their dialog explosively and naturally. It's a fantastic romantic comedy. Monster House: This is a very enjoyable animation movie. It perfectly captures the 80's feeling and has an irresistible innocence. The animation is original, well-done and with charmingly simple lines. The voice-work is phenomenal, specially by Steve Buscemi. The direction is very good, with a slightly shaky camera and "scary" shots very well-used: it's different form normal animation movies, and it's very effective. The screenplay is good: the story is simple and captivating, the supporting characters are amusing, the dialogs are funny and the concept of the house is fantastic, but the leading characters and the chemistry between them is clichéd (Harry Potter, anyone?). Overall, it's a real fun ride for everyone.


Mean Creek: This is a great, very sensitive and poetic movie about being a teenager. It perfectly captures the changes and feelings, the fear of having to choose. The characters are realistic and human, with flaws and problems, but also qualities, the dialog is incredibly natural, the story has a striking simplicity with lots of thoughts running under. The acting is amazing: some of the most natural performances you'll see delivered by a very young cast. They are all brilliant, and extremely charismatic and capture the feelings, always embodying their characters. They have a great, almost palpable chemistry between them. The direction is excellent: Jacob Aaron Estes involves you and gets the ideas and thoughts across . The cinematography is brilliant: the color is rich, while believable, and the hand-held camera is perfectly used to get you into the movie while there also are some revealing, simply beautiful still shots. The soundtrack is also amazing, giving the movie an ethereal feeling and making it even more poignant. Overall, this is a truthful, beautiful representation of teenage life.

Away From Her: This is an impressive romantic drama. It's the story of a couple, married for many years, when she discovers she suffers from Alzheimer's disease. The screenplay is beautiful, with believable, poetic dialog, realistic, well-defined characters and a simple, well-developed story told at the right pace. All it's elements work together. The acting is perfect: Julie Christie is incredibly expressive and fills her character with personality, life, youth and beauty; George Pinsent lets Julie Christie shine, while affectingly portraying Grant, an example of perfectly-suited underacting. The supporting actresses are also excellent. The direction is mature and amazingly captures the suffering and pain of this situation without ever being sappy or begging for sympathy:a rare thing. The sets, wardrobe, cinematography and score are disarmingly simple but make all the emotion flourish and are realistic and well-suited. Overall, this is a brilliant drama with great sensibility and honesty.

Movies watched recently 12

The Darwin Awards: This is just a goofy comedy that will make you laugh, but it's very flawed. The screenplay is obviously hilarious, and some of the solutions presented are interesting, but certain points of the plot are useless (the forced romance, the kid shooting a documentary, etc.) and Siri was very poorly written. The acting is good: Joseph Fiennes and Winona Ryder pair well and have a good comic timing. The cameos are very amusing. The direction has some effective shoots and it elevates the funny moments. The technicals are alright. Overall, this is a fun, but forgettable and flawed movie .
King Kong (2005): I don't like action movie, but I found this intelligent and obviously a work of love, even if it was way too long. The screenplay is good, with a simple love story, moderately well-developed characters, appropriate and witty dialogs. The direction brings it to life with all little details developed: the shots are always lively and well-thought, you can feel the care Peter Jackson put on this. The sets and wardrobe are perfect and amazingly detailed, getting you into the movie. The extraordinary soundtrack and lushly beautiful cinematography also add value to this. The special effects are satisfactory, but not wonderful: they don't capture weight and the dinosaurs are obviously fake. Kong is amzingly expressive and one of the best things in the movie. The acting is very good: Naomi Watts is engaging and transmits emotion, Adrien Brody is smokin' and very expressive and human, Jack Black brings his character's obsessive quality to life and Jamie Bell captures his character and gets him under the spotlight with little screen time. The problem is the (lack of) editing: many of the action sequences could easily have been cut out, because they reduce the emotion and get very repetitive. It is good, but sincerely overrated.

Once Upon A Time In America: This is a very lauded movie about the Mafia. It has a good screenplay, with complex, interesting characters and realistic relationships between them. The dialog is intelligent. The acting is all-around excellent: Robert DeNiro is brilliant filling the screen with his charisma, and all the huge cast is talented. The direction is gorgeous, with evocative images and shots that capture all the feelings of the characters. The cinematography is very good, with subtle changes through the movie and gorgeous images. The complex editing is a bit confusing, but it adds originality to the film and helps building up tension between characters. The Ennio Moriconne is lyrical and really original. This is worth watching (but not the best gangster movie ever).

2:37: This is a gritty indie movie about australian teenagers, with several interconnected story lines with different levels of quality. The story is mostly well-written: the characters are generally well-developed, the pace is involving and the ending is brilliant. Its flaws are in some forced dialog and clichéd characters, but it's nothing too bad. The acting is natural ( mostly by unknowns) and Teresa Palmer delivers an amazing performance, making you really feel for her character. The direction is predictable but well-executed and effective, and the cinematography is really outstanding, using natural light to give the movie a unique feeling. The editing is a bit clumsy: some characters disappear for long stretches of time. The atmospheric soundtrack works well. I think that it could have been less graphic: it wasn't needed. Overall, this is a great achievement for such an amateur film, and it succeeds at showing what high school can be like.

Books read recently 5

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: This is a very touching and affecting read. It's written almost as a play: the characters are shaped through realistic dialog and the scenery is evocatively described. It's a very simple and short book, that will grip you and make you feel for the characters, who are human and beautiful. It's thought-provoking and it has a great epic feeling about it. The story is well-told, at the perfect pace, and it perfectly analyzes these men's lives. The ending is brilliant and raw. I recommend this for its humanity and simple, raw portrait of life.


Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Patterson: This is an excellent book.The characters are believable and intelligent, and the relationships between them are well-developed. The writing is appropriate for its age group and effectively conveys emotions and feelings. The plot is subtle and realistic, with a positive message delivered naturally. There are a lot of themes developed, adding depth to this story and successfully drawing you into this world. It has a great pace, that will keep you wanting to know what's going to happen, and gives you emotional blows at the right time. It's a book that everyone can enjoy!

My Blog Turns One Year Old!

And to celebrate, you get a list of my favorite performances.

I'm in a listing mood, so here it goes. These were performances that touched me, fascinated me and kept me glued to the screen. They had something uncommon about them: these were not just actors playing their parts, these were real people living inside the screen.

John Hurt in The Elephant Man:His portrayal of John Merrick, cruelly nicknamed "the elephant man" is the most touching performance I've seen. He made his character humane and sympathetic, transmitting all emotions subtly and beautifully. Physically, he fully transforms, but still, he's able to show what's under all the make-up. It's the type of performance that reaches deep within you and I'll never forget it.


Al Pacino in The Godfather Part I/II: Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone, the son of a Mafia boss who is forced to become the Boss perfectly. His transformation is wholly believable: the character always keeps his core, but changes a lot. With his subtle use of body language, unforgettable dialog delivery, expressive, focused eyes and sexiness, he creates a man who's trapped in his own life but still tries to keep his values and family intact. No one else has ever given a performance like this.


Nicole Kidman in To Die For: Suzanne Stone really is an unforgettable character. This ice-cold, ambitious woman, who'd do anything-really anything- to be in TV is awesomely played by Nicole Kidman. She sugarcoats the character, while allowing you to see what's inside. She never gets out of character, creating a unique body language that shows the character's fake nature, expressive eyes that create a full-fleshed person, and using a soft, mellow voice to deliver her dialog. She elevates this film and creates the most fascinating mean character. You just can't take your eyes off her.


Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Clementine Kruczynski is an extroverted, impulsive, foul-mouthed young woman. It's an extremely risky character, who, in the hands of someone less talented than Winslet, would have become an hysterically over-the-top caricature. Instead, she makes her character fascinating, with her ordinary beauty, unpredictability, and quirks hiding a sensitive, confused girl. She's able to show all this with a single look. It's a unique mix of entertainment, humor, sensibility and raw emotion. You can't avoid loving her.


Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense: Cole Sear is a troubled kid: he can communicate with the dead, and because of this he's picked on at school. Haley Joel Osment becomes Cole, it's as simple as that. He plays him with rarely seen intensity, without making this boy cutesy or precocious (which happens so many times with young actors). He is perfect in every aspect, but what really stands out are his eyes, permanently teary and expressive. When he's delivering his dialog, he captures all the cracks and nuances in his character's feelings. It's an imposingly natural performance, and Osment is a scene-stealer here.


Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands: Johnny Depp gives a pitch-perfect, heart-felt performance here. Edward, the shy man created by an inventor, deeply desires to love and touch, but he can't. This gives the performance its undercurrent of sadness, that becomes heart-breaking by the end. The awesomeness of this resides in the amazing mix of hilarious slapstick comedy and raw emotion, both of them beautifully played. This is the type of performance you feel, the type of performance that reaches a higher level.


Julianne Moore in The Hours: Any of The Hours leading ladies could be here, honestly, but Julianne Moore was the most impressive to me. Her depressed housewife is just like I imagined this character to be. She's likable even if she leaves her family: you can't help but understand her and root for her to be happy. She captures depression without ever being melodramatic or getting out of her part even for a second. She's sympathetic without begging for sympathy, and makes her storyline even more affecting. The chemistry she has with the camera is divine: she's not a showy performer, she simply becomes this woman. The magic of this is contained in little moments, looks, sentences that build up to create a woman.


James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause: This searing portrait of being a teenager is raw and true. It's obviously a deeply felt performance, with James Dean blending with his character forever. The special touch of this is its deep clinging for affection and search for a beautiful world. His confusion and fear come off perfectly with his whimsy moments, aggressive delivery of dialog, dreamy stare and self-aware movements. Everyone can relate.


Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: Annie Hall is the core of this movie, with her apparent simplicity and loveliness. Diane Keaton makes her imposingly funny while also believable, infusing her with vital little quirks and, above all, a darker side. She never makes her dramatic, going with the spirit of the movie, but explores Annie's insecurities, issues and obsessions through dizzy body language and fast dialog delivery. It's a simply human character, while also being one of the most hilarious nes ever portrayed. Oh, and some of the lines she speaks are just immortal.


Jamie Bell in Billy Elliott: This was the first acting performance I really loved. Jamie Bell filled this role with youthful energy and life, doing brilliantly expressive dance scenes and presenting a very realistic, natural 11-year-old boy with ease. You like this character from the moment you see him and you root for him. His chemistry with the other cast members is perfect and is dialog delivery is remarkable. He has natural charisma, holds the screen and fills this movie with feeling, without ever being unnatural or sappy.

Movies watched recently 11

The Painted Veil: This is a beautiful romance with excellent acting and gorgeous images. The screenplay is good, realistically portraying the relationship between a young couple and their development as people. The setting is also superbly developed, exploring chinese society subtly and intelligently. Its flaws are that the dialog could have been a bit less pompous in some scenes (but it's mostly fine) and the ending scene wasn't needed. The acting is immensely powerful. Naomi Watts left me in awe: she embodied the character in all little details, creating a real person with nuances. Edward Norton was also good, with some brilliant scenes and always convincing: they have a brilliant chemistry between them. The supporting actors are also good. The direction captures beautiful images and allows the characters to develop. The cinematography is inspiring: the color is vivid and beautiful, and it absorbs you. The soundtrack is very beautiful, completing the movie without being intrusive. Overall, this is a movie I'd recommend.


The House Of Mirth: I thought this was a very boring movie, with a good leading performance. The screenplay is clichéd and doesn't fully develop, with disinteresting characters and bad dialog. The basic story line is fine, but the pace ruins it. The acting is mediocre by everyone except Gillian Anderson, who gives her clichéd character life and feelings, using great body language and edgy delivery of dialog. She makes this not a total waste of time. The direction is unremarkable, and the technicals are genuinely bad. The cinematography makes this look cheap, the editing is not swift and doesn't allow supporting characters to develop, spending time repeating the same things. The (almost) lack of soundtrack doesn't fit here. Overall, this is not worth-watching.

Les Invasions Barbares: This is a good, though flawed movie about Canadian society. The screenplay has some very good dialog but the storyline is too static, as the relationships between characters never really develop. Rémy Girard was excellent, with funny delivery and convincing emotions, but Stéphane Rousseau isn't believable. The supporting cast is unremarkable. The direction is quite good: the beginning is absorbingly well-done and there are some really beautiful shots. The technicals are fine but ordinary. This succeeds at portraying a fragile society and intellectuals, but not at showing human relationships.

Books read recently 4

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer: Jonathan Safran Foer's first book is not as good as his second, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close but it's a very good book. The story is elaborated but easy to follow, covering a lot of themes and styles equally well. He shows mastery of English in the segments narrated by Alex, which are quite funny though make him sound idiotic in the beginning. The history of Jonathan's family is very colorful and well-written. The pace is not very good, with big differences in intensity.Some of the characters aren't very well-developed, but others are amazing. The ending is just perfect and heartbreaking. Overall, I enjoyed this and recommend it: it's honest, funny and original.

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: This contemplative story is extremely well-written and it has some very good characters, though it repeats itself sometimes, getting lost in beautiful writing. You can relate to the characters and there are some interesting themes about women and 20th century society. The stream of consciousness technique gets you into the characters' minds and allows you to see the same scene by various points of view, but it has a problem: the thoughts seem to repeat themselves over and over, which gets boring. This is an effort to read, but it's ultimately rewarding.

Movies watched recently 10

The Big Sleep: This movie has an unique cool sultry mood, witty dialogs and chemistry between the two leads, but the plot is contrived and impossible to understand. The screenplay is very bad: the plot is too complicated and the pace is all wrong. The dialogs are witty and full of innuedo, though not some of the best I've seen.The direction and cinematography are very good, giving this film a uniqe mood. The acting is fine by the two leads, who play their usual roles without much brilliance. I don't understand why this has become a classic.

Girl, Interrupted: This is a decent adaptation and a very good movie. The screenplay keeps close to the book during the first half, and then differs from it (that's the weakest part, because it feels a bit forced). The narration is flawed, but the dialogs are excellent, the characters are human and beautiful and some scenes are incredibly touching.. The acting is really impressive. Winona Ryder is unforgettable, with her expressive eyes capturing her character and a perfect delivery of the dialog getting you to understand Susanna. The supporting actresses are also excellent: Angelina Jolie shows her acting chops keeping her character believable and having some really standout scenes and Brittany Murphy lets the wounds of her character be seen using subtle, effective acting. The music and grim cinematography work her. This is a good movie with really great acting.

Good Bye Lenin!: This is a sophisticated comedy/ touching drama. The screenplay is very good: it's an original story with interesting themes, honest emotions, witty dialogs and full-fleshed characters. The acting is very good: Daniel Bruhl gives a strong performance, capturing is character's mixed feelings and utopia, and Katrin Sass uses her expressive eyes to show her character's difficult emotions. All the supporting cas is also good. The direction is simple but it has some very good shots that are able to capture the whole scene unforgettably. The piano soundtrack is fitting and remarkable and the cinematography is also beautiful. One of the flaws of this movie is the narration, which is redundant and over-done. Even so, this is a very enjoyable film with a thought-provoking subject.


Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind: I LOVED this movie. It's an honest, thought-provoking portrayal of love, human relationships, feelings and memory. The screenplay is amazing: realistic feelings are involved in a wild story that explores the leading character's mind perfectly. The characters are fascinating and human and the dialog is witty and believable. The acting is inspiring: Kate Winslet delivers a unique performance that has become one of my favorites: her character could have become ridiculously over the top, but she's able to make her charismatic and extroverted while expressing emotions rawly and delivering her lines unforgettably. Jim Carrey plays a very different role from his usual greatly and the two leads have pure chemistry. Kirsten Dunst also delivers a very convincing performance. The direction and editing are very inventive and creative, making the movie dizzy, romantic and intelligent. The music is brilliant: Jon Brion's soundtrack is a knock-out and Beck's theme is nostalgically fitting. In the end, it's "just" a beautiful love story, extremely well-told and original.

Girl, Interrupted
The Big Sleep

Movies watched recently 9

The Outsiders: This is one of Coppola's worst, though it's still a good movie. The screenplay tells an interesting, though simplistic and very flawed story, using developed leading characters and some good dialog to make this touching. The acting is very good, specially by C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Diane Lane and Ralph Maccio, who are natural and affecting. It's well-directed, with some beautiful shots of nature relating to human feeling. The soundtrack and editing are quite good, but unremarkable. The problem is the cinematography, that looks amateurish, not any epic (this reduces the emotion of the movie a lot) and just doesn't fit here. This is a decent movie, but by no means unmissable.
Uptown Girls: This is a common mainstream comedy. The screenplay has an interesting, potentially funny basic story, which should have been more explored; instead, there are too many clichéd subplots. Although the physical humor is just useless, the two leading characters are well-written enough and the dialogs between them are funny. The acting is quite good by Dakota Fanning, who shows precocious understanding of her character's behavior and precise comic timing. Brittany Murphy is not too annoying and can make her character vaguely understandable. Technically, this is just unremarkable and mediocre. This is light fluff.

An American Rhapsody: This is a purely beautiful drama with a powerful screenplay and brilliant acting. It's an honest tear-jerker with a poignant story that covers a lot of themes seriously. It's an absorbing story that's very well-told. The pace is perfect, the characters are all full-fleshed and flawed, but still likable. The acting is amazing: Scarlett Johansson captures her character's emotions using her eyes admirably, Kelly Endresz-Banlaki has intuitive talent and she's very realistic, Nastassja Kinski has perfect body language and Tony Goldwin delivers an effective interpretation of a character that could've been a cliché. These last two master the accent and can speak in hungarian. All the supporting actors are also mind-blowing. The direction visibly comes from the heart, and the shots are all beautiful. The cinematography, sets, music, capture the very different feelings of the countryside and the american suburbs. The use of hungarian, and black and white color in some sequences made this more realistic. It's not a masterpiece of film-making, but it's an honest, well-told story.

The Royal Tenenbaums: This is a very original, extremely well-done dark comedy. It's the subtly told story of a troubled family of have-beens: all the characters are quirky and interesting and the relationships between them are slowly, though beautifully developed. The fairytale-like narration makes this by turns touching and darkly humorous. The dialogs are great, and all that's left unsaid makes them more realistic. The acting is impressive: I adored the entire cast and the chemistry between them. Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wislon, Gene Hackman and Ben Stiller were standouts for me. The direction is simply gorgeous: the shots are (physically and emotionally) distant from the characters, allowing the plot to develop and humor to flourish. The rock'n'roll music, antiseptic cinematography and clean editing work perfectly. This is not a very funny comedy, but it's a great character study.

Les Choristes: This is a pleasant story about a teacher who's successfully able to make his student's lives better. It's unpretentious and simple, with touching, believable characters, even if clearly divided in goodies and baddies. It works here, giving the movie a dreamy feeling. The acting is good: the adult actors are fitting and perfect parts and the kids are charismatic. The direction is beautiful even if common, holding a particular charm that's similar to Chocolat.The cinematography and editing are neat.
Almost Famous: This is an excellent movie that feels like a labor of love. The story is fascinating and it captures rock'n'roll spirit perfectly. The characters are very well-built: they are simply human and they feel raw emotions. The subplots are all developed. The dialogs feel real. The acting is brilliant: Kate Hudson is perfect, capturing confusion, angst, love and beauty, creating one of the most beautiful characters I've seen. Patrick Fugit and Frances McDormand realistically capture their characters feelings and get you to actually feel them. The direction is pitch-perfect: the shots feel edgy, create a great ambiance that reminds you of the 70's and allow you to feel and understand this movie on many levels. The soundtrack is great, using some of the best rock'n'roll songs, that highlight the characters and their feelings. The 70's look cinematography and the fluid, natural, unobtrusive editing elevate this movie to a classic status. This is unique for you can truly feel this movie.

Casablanca: This is a great, truly romantic classic. It has a wonderful nostalgic feeling about it, it's technically perfect, well-acted and directed. The story is widely-known and extremely well-told. It equilibrates romance with politics perfectly and it's intelligently nuanced. The dialogs include fabulous lines and poignant moments. The acting is very good: Ingrid Bergman is intense and realistically torn, Humphrey Bogart portrays is typical character, Paul Henreid is believable and Claude Rains portrays his unique character admirably. Michael Curtiz gets the perfect shots and he's able to make this authentically romantic. The score is beautiful, the cinematography is gorgeous andthe editing is unobrtusive but effective. This is a masterpiece.

Movies watched recently 8

Blue In The Face: This follow-up to Smoke is very different and it's not as good, in my opinion. This hasn't got a storyline, it's basically a group of sketches stuck together. That's not too bad, since they're actually funny and the acting is good. The characters are well-developed for such a short period of time. The direction is simple but appropriate. The problem is that it often seems vague and pointless, like this is just a group of people improvising, so even if it's entertaining, it's forgettable. This is also related to the very bad editing, that just seemed random.

The Simpsons Movie: This is simply hilarious. It feels like an extended Simpsons episode, and it is able to keep the good pace of those and it's permanently funny. There isn't a minute in which you don't laugh. The story is entertaining and it satirizes America greatly. The animation, voices and characters are as good as in the TV series. It's hugely entertaining and it has some of the most brilliant touches in an animated comedy I can remember.

Ratatouille: This is a very good family movie. The animation is simply excellent: it captures the textures and movement perfectly and it creates a gorgeous animated Paris. The story is the characteristic Disney tale of the underdog, so it's predictable, but the characters are original, the jokes are fresh and the subplots are interesting. The direction is very stylish and the action is fluid and very enjoyable. The editing and soundtrack work very well. I recommend it.
A River Runs Through It: This is a beautiful movie in every aspect, even if it is predictable. Technically, it is just perfect: the direction is precise, with traditional, but breathtaking shots, the cinematography highlights the natural colors making them gorgeous, the editing is simple and effective, the soundtrack is fitting, the sets are amazing and the costumes are realistic. All this gives the movie a nostalgic, lovable feeling. The screenplay tells a solid story using a simple progression and few characters, that are mostly fleshed-out. There are several amusing scenes, the dialog is good and the narration is compelling. The acting is excellent: all the actors do a good job, portraying believable characters with charm, specially Craig Sheffer, Emily Lloyd, Tom Skerritt and Brad Pitt. Overall, this is a bit forgettable and it has already been seen many times before, but it's entertaining and visually breathtaking.

Point Break: This is the typical bad action movie : it uses all the clichés it possibly could and, in my opinion, it's badly done. The screenplay is the typical story about FBI guy chasing the baddies, though it could have had a philosophical edge, that's just not developed. The dialog and story progress are just laughable. The direction and editing are terrible: they are way too fast and never thrilling or exciting. The acting is mostly really bad: Keanu Reeves holds the same expression through the entire movie and Patrick Swayze is laughably unrealistic. This could work if it was a comedy or a satire.

Books read recently 3

The History of Love by Nicola Krauss: I enjoyed this book, it's good and worth-reading but not a masterpiece. Nicola Krauss has a beuatiful, sensible writing style and the voices she creates are touching and believable. The narrative is skillfully built to a pitch-perfect, simple, affecting ending. It has humor, drama and raw emotions. All that stops it from being truly great is its shortness (the story could and should have been more deveploped) and the not engaging, barely existent supporting characters. Even so, it's a good read and I recommend it

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: This is an odd, quirky book that doesn't fulfill its potential. Charlie's voice is somewhat forced, though sometimes very poetic and also the letter format doesn't fit. The supporting characters are much more interesting and their struggles are often touching, but some are lame clichés. Itt also doesn't semm real that Charlie would be accepted and have a group of older, cooler friends. Besides, all the issues he faces-basically, everything that could happen-are just too much. The development of the story is mostly compelling, but the ending is forced. So, this is a n author that shows potential but this book just lacks balance and realism. By the way, Charlie is not a normal teenager- he seem to have some disorder such as autism.

His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman: This is a compelling fantasy story with thought-provoking themes. It's well-written and all the philosophy is fascinating, though I think it's too long and, sometimes, frustrating. The characters arere strong and humane, and Mrs Coulter is actually a brilliant character. The writing style is fitting and very good. The descriptions are well-done but the action is dull and the emotions never really came across except in the ending.It's original and worth-reading if you like fantasy, but it's not an essential.

Movies watched recently 7

Saved!: This is a very intelligent religious satire. It has an inventive screenplay, that uses the typical teen comedy story but creates believable characters and some serious subjects. The dialogs are also very funny and, sometimes, thought-provoking. The storyline develops at the right pace and has a positive message. The actors are talented, specially Jena Malone who is pitch-prefect and Eva Amurri, who's really hilarious. Macaulay Cullkin is also unexpectedly good. The direction is interesting: the director gets the most out of his actors and shoots this movie by turns sensibly and destructive. The soundtrack fits beautifully and the cinematography gives the movie a clean, fluffy, american look. This is a thoughtful, uplifting, original comedy.

Smoke: This film works just like a good Paul Auster novel- believable characters, entertaining situations, touching relationships, interesting subplots and life-stories, some humor and a positive message. I really enjoyed it. Not just the screenplay was good, the actors also did a fine job. It's a terrific ensemble cast, with realistic, beautiful performances by Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Harold Perrineau (though he looks too old for his character), Stockard Channing and Forest Withaker. The technicals are average, but this is just delightful and it has a beautiful ending.
All About Eve: This is a brilliant classic. It's an unique character study that shows the world of show-biz perfectly. The characters are fascinating and the relationships between them are realistic and the dialog is highly quotable, witty and nuanced. The performances are hauntingly perfect: Bette Davis gives one of the best performances you're likely to watch. She captures her character's emotions and fears, has amazing chemistry with the other actors, delivers the dialog memorably and you simply can't take your eyes off her. Anne Baxter plays bitchy while being humane and the supporting cast is very well-chosen. The chemistry between the two leads is just palpably real. The direction is simple and effective, focusing on the facial expressions and letting the screenplay breathe, while having some brilliant shots. The cinematography and costumes are also good. This is a true classic and it's inspiring.

Movies watched recently 6

New York Stories: These three stories are very different in all aspects, and they make an interesting puzzle. Martin Scorsese's segment is perfectly directed and excels at portraying obsessions; the acting here is also very good, and the relationships between characters are affecting. Coppola's part lacks in content what it has in style: the story and acting are pleasant, I really don't care for the direction, but the visuals are arresting. The last story, Woody Allen's is simply hilarious. The acting is very good, the story is absurd, filled with clever lines and interesting characters. This is worth watching.

La Messa È Finita: This movie lacks the joy, humanity, and positive feeling of other Nanni Moretti films. I found it boring and the leading character annoyed me, but as a social portrait it's good. The story is too sketchy and I didn't find it gripping but some if the secondary dramas are interesting. The acting was good, all the actors were believable. The direction adopted a gritty, very fitting style, it was probably the best thing in the movie. Technically, this is decent and the soundtrack is good.
Les Quatre Cents Coups: This is an unique movie about growing up misunderstood. It is subtle, poetic and beautifully told. It feels honest and realistic: the screenplay is very simple but thoughtful and with strong characters and true emotions. The direction is breath-taking, with amazing shots that convey a lot of thoughts and feelings. The acting is brilliant: Jean-Pierre Léaud is incredibly natural and poignant and all the supporting cast is perfectly chosen. The simple, fluid editing fits and pulls you in, the touching soundtrack makes you relate to the characters and the cinematography is simply amazing.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix: This movie is worse than the book, as expected, and I didn't like all of it. The screenplay follows the main lines of the book, even if it doesn't live up to its potential. The acting is very good:Imelda Staunton delivers the best performance yet in a Harry Potter movie, being deliciously malicious and wholly capturing her character. She eclipsed everyone else every time she was on screen. Evanna Lynch, Helena Bonham Carter and Matthew Lewis also capture their characters well, which was quite difficult. Rupert Grint keeps the same awkward charm of always, and Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson's acting is getting better. The direction has some great moments, such as the beginning, but it gets worse and the ending has way too much CGI and not enough magic. The art direction, is, as usual, gorgeous and the cinematography is very good.The pace is fast, and the editing is pretentious. This is just for Potterheads like me.

Shrek the Third: This is probably the worst of the Shrek movies, though it's still funny and very watchable. The biggest problem is that the story should have been simpler. Other problem is that the jokes are getting repetitive. Even so, the animation and voice work is good, and most of the jokes work. This means it's enjoyable and quite fun to watch.

New York Stories

Books read recently 2

The Nanny Diaries by Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin: This is an enjoyable summer read. It's not too sugar-coated, the plot is simple but with substance, the characters are believable and the writing is straight to the point. The leading character is sympathetic and her struggles feel true, the kid she takes care of is realistic and Mrs. Ex is enkoyably mean. The mesage is positive and it's really upbeat. Even so, sometimes the story drags and gets repetitive and the writing can feel like a telegram.


Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre: I really didn't like this book: to say the truth, it annoyed me a lot. The leading character is stupid and doesn't seem to have feelings, so his writing style is really irritating. The story was silly and not subtle at all. The turns of the story felt forced and the supporting characters didn't have dimension. It's boring and disinteresting.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson: This is a delightful memoir that's huge fun. Bryson's writing style is addictive: he has a great sense of humor, he transmits the feeling of being a kid while describing America precisely. There are many funny scenes and it's easy to relate to the characters, so this is never boring. I really recommend it, it's a treat!

Skin and Other Stories by Roald Dahl: This book has some brilliant stories, with remarkable twists, dark humor and hilarious characters: these are chilling and terrifically enjoyable. Other stories are unremarkable, but still quite nice reads with interesting concepts and ideas. One or two stories aren't good, frankly: they aren't any fun to read and the story is messy. There isn't a connection between stories. If you get a chance, pick this up, but it's not Roald Dahl's best.


The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: This is a unique, incredibly original love story that's profoundly touching. The science fiction concept is easy to follow but it makes you think and creates a lot of suspense; you really care for the characters and understand them. Their development feels real and all the situations they face are well-described, even if sometimes they could have been more developed. The plot has a lot of heartbreaking moments and the ending is very poignant. The writing is simple but effective, and both voices used are distinctive and beautiful, as they change and develop. A very good read.