artalmarcelo Reviews

Hugo (2011)

Hypnotic experience in a City that feels like London, but is Paris.

[8/10 · 11 March 2012]

Hugo is an almost flawless movie with one remarkable characteristic: is visually stunning. Colors, scenarios, visual effects, city landscapes, everything is so beautiful that the whole tale becomes hypnotic. Scorsese shows once again how versatile he can be, proving that he deserves his place in the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest directors of all time. There's only a few guys in this business who can get the best out of every genre, and he's undoubtedly one of them. Hugo is a magnificent Dickensian-style tale, surrounded by lovely characters that will captivate you from the very beginning, making you roll into a mesmerizing 2 hours ride. Why ALMOST flawless? Well, you can call me picky if you want, but if part of the attraction of this movie is that it is situated in Paris, then let be in French. The Dickensian touch is great and the accent of the characters is musical, but if you want to use those resources in the film, just adapt the story and make it in London, cause having all these amazing Parisian characters speaking UK English sounds really misleading. I mean, you let it go when it's an animated movie and the main character is a funny little rat, but when actors are real things are different. That didn't prevent me from having a blast, though, but it just didn't feel like Paris, it felt like London.

The Artist (I) (2011)

When Old Fashion is also refreshing

[9/10 · 20 February 2012]

The Artist isn't an homage to old movies, as you may read or hear around. The Artist is considerably more than that, and it's brand new. The Artist is creativity in its maximum expression, going all the way through from screen writing, directing and acting, since the very first minute to the last. The script is really fantastic and the director's vision of how to put that script down to images is even better. In a movie where there are no dialogs, every scene is crucial, and the director seems to understand that. Emotions are so well transmitted through the screen to the audience, that it really makes us think if dialog is fundamental in movie making. Well, the answer is no, when the execution is so perfect, but this is top notch movie making and especially top notch acting, which is probably the main feature of the whole film. The actors in this movie are so expressive that they don't need to talk to make you understand. You'll understand by only watching. You will laugh and you will cry, but more than anything, you'll probably love this movie, just as much as I did.

The Whistleblower (2010)

Painfully good.

[8/10 · 20 February 2012]

This movie is going to make you stand and wish you could have at reach any of the many nasty characters that appear on the screen just to spit on their faces. The scary fact that this film is based on a real story makes it even more visceral and annoying, sometimes unbelievable. I think that the great merits of the movie are basically two: first is the amazing adaptation of the story to the big screen. The whole script was written to deliver a solid thriller and the director has executed it flawlessly, without wholes. The movie feels like a fictional thriller, when deeply inside is more a drama that occurred/occurs in real life. The second major goal of Whistleblower is Rachael Weisz. She acts so well in this movie that hurts. She expresses so well every emotion that you can even feel her pain when you look into her face. This is a hard to accept movie for anyone who still believes in humanity, but it is true. Terrible true stories, when are convincingly told, are also good. Painful, but good.

The Ides of March (2011)

A thrilling political drama.

[8/10 · 20 February 2012]

Ides of March is a smart movie that builds the storyline little by little, step by step, sucking you in until you find yourself by surprise in the middle of a highly intriguing plot, just like the main character does. Among many other virtues, what I liked the most was the unpredictable events and twists the story has throughout its length. George Clooney really knows how to dispose the pieces of the puzzle and surprise the audience when the whole picture finally starts to come together. In other words, he really knows how to tell a story maintaining the tension and the interest till the very last second. This is a very good political drama with outstanding performances, thrilling moments and some exquisite shots, that make Clooney stand as the very good director he has become over the years. There's also a clear message in the movie that I enjoyed a lot. Politics aren't for everyone, and this is the movie that shows you what you need to have to live from politics, regardless of who you work for, a politician, the government or a newspaper.

50/50 (2011)

There's a lot of room for comedy when chances of survival are so high.

[8/10 · 20 February 2012]

50/50 is a fresh and original take on a very delicate subject such as cancer is, especially when it happens to a 27 years old young man. Unlike most of the other movies that have treated a similar story, 50/50 narration focuses only in the humorous aspect of it and avoids the tragic component. There are a few, subtle and very short dramatic moments in the movie, which are completely necessary to deliver a solid and realistic story, but this is a plain comedy 90% of the time, and when it's not, it really doesn't need to go for the low punch to succeed. 50/50 succeeds on involving every character around the patient and elaborating the story-telling through their relationship. In the end, this is a movie about friendship, love and family ties, and even when there's really nothing technically extraordinary about it, the result is very refreshing and entertaining. There are also some very funny gags, one of them a little dark, that made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed this movie a lot.

Drive (I) (2011)

The art of telling a story through images.

[9/10 · 2 February 2012]

This is a great example of why cinema is an art, of why stories get compellingly better when they are told brilliantly in a succession of magnificent images. This is what Driver is, a string of unbelievable, unexpected and harmonic sequences, and It needs basically nothing else than that to shine. This is what movies are about: telling stories through images, and when someone does it at its best using a vast combination of resources, it's amazing how suppressed dialog can get. The saying states that one image is worth 1000 words, and Driver is a wonderful example of it. The director here doesn't play around, just like the main character. Every car sequence, every slow motion shot, every unpredicted action scene, every expression in the characters' face captured by the camera, every single part where music plays, seems to be perfectly crafted and polished. Yeah, OK, may not be an original story, and that's the only reason why this movie is not a 10. However, it's a good reminder that the key element in movies are is not to have an original story, but mostly how it is told. The art of telling stories through images clearly deserves more than the 7th place this time around.

In Time (2011)

The right concept in the wrong hands.

[5/10 · 2 February 2012]

I'm still asking myself what would have been of an idea like this in the hands of Spielberg, Riddle Scott, Nolan, among others. Probably a great experience. Well, sadly, those guys had nothing to do with this movie, and instead, we received a movie with nothing but holes. All kind of holes. You shoot them, they are there. I'll mention lame dialog, terrible acting and a nonsense chain of events that ultimately makes you think you are wasting your time watching it. It's really a wasted opportunity, cause such a rich idea could have had one visionary guy behind, like one of the above mentioned (and those are only few examples, but there are MANY), who would have made sure to tell a story that makes sense and take the most of an original initiative. I've said this many times already: ONE IDEA IS NEVER ENOUGH. Good ideas have to be surrounded by substantial execution: a good script, good acting, good photography, etc… Here the concept is brilliant, genius, but the execution is poor.

Real Steel (2011)

Steel is probably the only real thing in this movie

[5/10 · 2 February 2012]

The rest of it, it's just too unreal. So this proposal may work for kids and I don't disregard that fact, but there's nothing solid for an adult in it, other than the beautiful Evangeline Lilly, or I guess Hugh Jackman for girls. And please consider I have no preconceived ideas about this movie, I watched Transformers and I actually thought It was pretty good and entertaining, but this one here didn't feel that way. First off, sentiments. If the relationship between the father and the son is important for the story, develop it, and if not, just don't put it in there, but to see characters showing great feelings for each other out of the blue and with no explanation whatsoever really reminds me of a B-class 80's action movie. Well, this is not a B movie given the budget and these are not the 80's. This movie spills cheese all over in the wrong decade.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Not memorable.

[6/10 · 27 January 2012]

It's a creative story. It's very well acted as well. It starts out funny and keeps it up for like an hour or so, until you find out that it's going nowhere, or at least, the place it ends up going is too predictable. I built high expectations in the beginning and those weren't met in the end. I couldn't figure what was wrong with Lars. There's no indication whatsoever of why the guy is the way he is, and somehow I was expecting that to be revealed. I don't think I was expecting a lot, Lars is the main character… It's not terrible, it just falls into mediocrity after bringing a very interesting premise. You won't find this one memorable. That's all.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Sick and controversial doesn't necessarily mean good.

[6/10 · 27 January 2012]

It's one of the sickest movies I've seen, no doubts about that, and I don't even want to know what other twisted things fly around Almodovar's brain, but other than that, I didn't find it to be great at all. Almodovar likes putting out controversial and provoking story lines, there's no surprise about that, and he generally manages to deliver a solid experience. This time around, though, I kind of felt that the movie was only standing by its sick and controversial main subject, and all the other things were just hanging apart. Well, for me it wasn't enough, I think there's lack of development on both the story and the characters, and by the time I guessed what was happening, I was also able to predict the end of it. In the end, felt predictable and hollow, but managed to keep me there watching, just to confirm that what I thought was going to happen, effectively happened. However, this movie is interesting for those like me who already forgot that Antonio Banderas can be a good actor, if he doesn't occupy half of his brain on getting the English accent right. When the guy feels free to express himself in his mother tongue, then he delivers (just like Penelope Cruz), and this is the case.

Contagion (2011)

I'll wash my hands after this review.

[8/10 · 27 January 2012]

Probably many will watch this movie using "Outbreak" as a benchmark. For those, it's fair to say this is a completely different movie. Outbreak is an excellent movie that treats an epidemic outbreak from a very fictional standpoint, and Contagion is a movie that treats the same but with a very realistic approach. Put this way: in Contagion, heroes just pass by, like in real life. This is not necessarily bad, because Steven Soderbergh managed to tell the story in a magnificent way. This was a tough movie to make, cause there's 5 or 6 equally important characters whose stories have to be told, and the director does it without missing a single spot. I really liked how the story developed from different angles. This a serious, realistic and especially very well acted and directed movie. Of course it feels a little more informative and far less emotional than Outbreak, but it was intentional. They wanted to make a movie to show the world how an epidemic outbreak impacts the world, and they did it pretty well.

13 (I) (2010)

Embarrassing movie.

[3/10 · 16 January 2012]

Terribly directed. Seriously, a real disaster for someone who could gather 3 or 4 famous actors and convince them to get in this project. The music! Hey, director, there's no need to fill every single minute of the movie with loud music, cause not every moment is intense or thrilling. YOU DON'T ACHIEVE DRAMATIC SCENES BY ONLY PLAYING MUSIC ON THE BACKGROUND, and especially if the music doesn't really fit at all with what is happening. Acting is very bad as well, with a few exceptions, like the main character (he does it well) or Mickey Rourke. The story is not bad, maybe needs a couple of twists to get a little more believable. The problem here is direction. Maybe is inexperience, maybe is very bad taste, but the final outcome is embarrassing. I couldn't avoid feeling that way.

Margin Call (2011)

A must see for traders. A worthy seeing flick for the rest of the audience.

[7/10 · 15 January 2012]

The movie is very well scripted and directed. The main theme is absolutely realistic and even when may appear to be crazy, this is exactly what happened in 2008 to Lehman Bros., among others. The personalities, the dialogs, the language, THE MONEY, everything you are going to see in this movie is 100% true, and it's a pleasure to have a director who got committed to reality without falling in the occasional "commercial" twists sometimes the distribution companies oblige directors to go through, to make it more massive. Acting is as superb as it gets. This one here is going to suck you in until the last sudden and abrupt minute, cause if there's a flaw, that comes at the end. I think they didn't know how to conclude the story and there's no resolution for most of the characters. In the end, this movie feels like a one night stand with a super model, where your sexual act gets interrupted just before you finish. You know what, that night will still be memorable, but you know It could have been much better!

Killer Elite (2011)

Terrible script, outstanding action scenes.

[5/10 · 15 January 2012]

The screenplay of this movie is really bad. I know this is "based" on a true story, but having a real story to tell seemed to turn into an excuse to freely describe the events in a non-realistic and non-interesting way. So this story could be very true, but for the way it's told, it really doesn't make any sense. One new scene every 2 or 3 minutes; 1 minute conversations in which the characters meet, describe the situation and decide what to do; unknown characters popping up in the middle of the story without explanations. There's huge lack of elaboration on everything but on the action scenes, cause the director seemed to take those shots seriously and dedicate the time is needed to make them outstanding. Really, when the action is there, this movie rocks. This is a true story in which action is crucial, but occupies probably only between 25% and 30% of the playing time. The other 70% is extremely flawed. By watching it, you can tell the director disregarded everything but the action here, and the truth is that when there's no action, this movie doesn't make any sense, and that's something you don't fix neither by having true events, nor having DeNiro in the credits. You have to take time to describe the events to the audience. The excellent action parts are not enough to save this one.

The Believer (2001)

Pointless

[5/10 · 14 January 2012]

Ryan Gosling is a great actor with a huge present, an even more promising future, and a past I'm digging into. That's why I decided to go checking on this movie and he certainly didn't disappoint as an actor, but the movie was not compelling at all. I missed the point of it, if there's any. There's no explanation whatsoever of why the main character is the way he is. The story presents a conflict since the very beginning that is expected to be explained as it develops, but it never does. Why is the guy the way he is? You'll never know. He just is. What does his father or his friends have to do with the plot? Nothing, they are just there and mean nothing. That's something I've been good with for the first 40 minutes, cause the movie is pretty entertaining, but when I discovered that it was going nowhere, I felt kind of tired of it. In the end, It just felt pointless and hollow, to be honest, like if the whole neo-nazi theme was just a hook to attract the audience, without a real good story to tell. Acting is good, and I can't say you don't have a good time for the first half of it, but then it turns into disappointment. Just mediocre, that's what it is.

The Help (2011)

The modern version of "To Kill a Mockingbird"

[8/10 · 14 January 2012]

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of the most touching, beautiful and insightful books I ever read. If you have ever read the book or watched the movie, then you'll find the similarities. This is a beautiful, touching and insightful story as well. May not be original, and that's why it's only an 8 for me, but is so well told and so well acted, that really makes the difference. The story of those who did make the difference in times of injustice should always be told, being fiction or real, cause there's values to transmit and lessons to learn. This is what the Help is about, a lesson of how to live and let others live. A beautiful movie.

Moneyball (2011)

Safe bet where to put your eyes for 2 hours

[8/10 · 8 January 2012]

Old recipe never fails. Real story very well scripted with a huge star it's a good deal, especially if it's about a popular sport. I felt for moments like watching the brilliant "Any given Sunday", cause the movie takes you deep into baseball, showing how the sport looks from the inside. It also felt like "Jerry McGuire" from time to time. I'm not a big fan of Brad Pitt. I believe the guy is an average actor, and this is pretty much an average role he has to play as well. He doesn't have to cry, he doesn't have to express any extreme feeling. He just needs to act a little crazy and a little angry from time to time, make women take a deep breath, and that's it. Piece of cake for him. If you are a baseball fan, you are going to love this movie. If not, just like me, you are going to have a really good time watching it.

13 Assassins (2010)

Reward comes in the last 40 minutes

[6/10 · 8 January 2012]

I couldn't avoid feeling that the first 90 minutes were extremely slow. Long dialogs where only a few words get said, long shots of face expressions in fixed angles, and overall, a non-complex story that seemed like never taking off. In other words, I felt like this movie was a broken record for 90 minutes and then, the last 40, that finally made justice. To put it in perspective, the last 40' felt like the Samurai version of "Saving Private Ryan's" last battle. And it was good, but nothing I've never seen before. To me it was just OK, but I also have to recognize that I already had this kind of disappointment with oriental movies. I guess it goes with the person. I felt this movie was a long stretched bubble gum with the flavor at the end of it. If you only want the sweet part, then start from the other extreme and play it backwards.

Warrior (2011)

Who was Rocky, again?

[9/10 · 7 January 2012]

It turns out that I went to the movies to see MI4 (great movie, by the way), and on my way back home, I stopped by in the movies store to rent a DVD and fill my lonely night. It turns out that I rented a masterpiece. You will see a deep story that on its surface bleeds action. You will cry, laugh and shout from your seat out of spontaneous emotions. With every discussion between the characters, with every non expected punch, you will feel like you are in the movie, like you are part of the story. Believe me if I tell you I didn't want this movie to finish. Believe if I tell you that this one makes "The Fighter" look like an average movie. Believe me that for a moment I forgot who the hell Rocky Balboa was, and all the sudden, the credits were just rolling up.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Long live MI franchise

[8/10 · 7 January 2012]

Hat off to Tom Cruise, who bought the rights to keep this franchise going on the big screen 15 years ago, and did nothing but make it better and better since then. MI 3 was already a blast to me, but it's really amazing that a franchise keeps it so fresh in the 4th installment. Seriously, how many franchises in the history of movies got to deliver so well in their 4th attempt? Well, MI 4 does. There's no easy money here. There's no use of the brand to fill the arcs and give a damn about the product. There's hard work from producers, actors, directors, scriptwriters, screen players, a whole orchestra trying their best to deliver fresh and top notch entertainment. New characters, new gadgets, subtle twists and a whole lot of unbeatable action makes MI one of the best action franchises ever in the history of movies. Ghost protocol is what every action movies fan is expecting and more. It's a long movie that seems like half an hour, it's fun, smart and highly rewarding. Tom Cruise knows what movies are about. As an Indiana Jones and Steven Spielberg's fan, I gotta say I would have loved to have a 4th chapter that was what Ghost Protocol is to the MI franchise, instead of the crap we got. It really does not get better than this. 2012 action movies have a hard benchmark to compare with. Keep it coming, Ethan Hunt.

The Devil's Double (2011)

It's just OK

[6/10 · 4 December 2011]

The problem in this movie is the script. There's an interesting story to tell on it, but the script fails to make it as good as it could have been. Starring is good, direction is OK, but the way the story is told isn't really engaging at all. In the end, the movie feels like an excuse to show some of the terrible things this maniac used to do to others, but there's no deep development on any of the characters and the story ends up being just a string of random events. In movie making, stories are important, but most important is the way they are told. Good stories can always fall down on bad storytelling. This one here may not be terrible, but it's just OK. Could have been great, though. Wasted opp.

Bunraku (2010)

One of those pleasant surprises...

[9/10 · 1 December 2011]

Didn't see this one coming... and boom, best movie I've seen in 2011. May remind some of Sin City because of its singularity and creativity, but it's a different technique, and it works so good. From start to the end, from its storytelling to the magnificent fighting sequences, everything is just great on it and it's something you've never seen before. This is like seeing an action show of Cirque du Soleil. As weird and spectacular as it sounds. Colors, music and body language are all well crafted in this amazing spectacle, that most people, and specially those who stay home to watch the Oscars ceremony (including critics) won't get. I've seen this happening before, a movie that with the years slowly becomes good for the masses.... Those that believe the story is shallow, should read into the details to find out there's substance on it. Banners that look like republican ones in the European 30s and 40's. Red outfit for soldiers may mean something???? Two heroes equally balanced, one most oriental and other most occidental, teaming up to fight tyranny? Of course is an action movie and not a political essay, but didn't find it shallow at all. Sad but true, evolution of art was historically rejected in every discipline. This one here, is evolution in movie making.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Sometimes an idea is not enough

[5/10 · 13 June 2011]

Especially in Science Fiction, to have a great idea is not enough. You have to build a story around that idea, cause if you don't, then the whole picture feels like it's out of place. I think this move was originally a great idea that didn't work just because they didn't find a good story to tell around it. As a result, when I watched it I felt it was too unreal. When you are in front of a good sci-fi movie, you really don't stop to think if it could be true, but you think yourself ¨what an amazing story¨. That doesn't happen here. Here, the guys with hats, the doors, and the whole fantastic environment around a real city feels like out of place. Feels like if in Driving Miss Daisy suddenly the car flies away. Good crazy ideas with great stories: Matrix, Inception, Stranger than Fiction, Cold Souls, The 13th Floor and Dark City (among others). The Adjustment Bureau is not in that group. A good idea in a bad story.

True Grit (2010)

And one day the Coen brothers went into classic storytelling!

[8/10 · 13 June 2011]

Pretty straight forward: Coen brothers show that they can tell a story without going deep into the antihero thing that was starting to bore me. So finally they decided to shoot a movie where the hero is really a good one, without reminding us how extremely mediocre life is. And you know what? They did it pretty well, in such a difficult genre like western is. They way they told the story was sincerely great and for the first time ever I get to the end of a Coen Brother's movie and feel that it was concluded. All the rest is obvious. Do I have to flag that Bridges and Damon are good performers? Guess not. The girl does it well also. This is a good western and Its strength is how well the story is told.

The Mechanic (2011)

It works

[7/10 · 13 June 2011]

Some things may not make sense and the storytelling may feel extremely fast paced, but you know what, in those moments where 'The Mechanic' promised to entertain you, it does it at its best. And don't get me wrong, cause I'm not a Statham's fan. I didn't like 'The transporter' cause the acting (especially the bad guy) was way too unreal. I didn't like 'Crank' either cause the directing was really bad. 'The Mechanic' is not a movie focused on the story but on the action, and that's where it shines. The action scenes are really sublime and they don't stop until the last minute. Actors also fit in an interesting story. Again, the director chose not to develop the story but to give an explosive experience, and I believe he achieved it. Don't look for a deep experience here and you won't be disappointed.