4439 - BELEZA AMERICANA (1999)

   BELEZA AMERICANA (AMERICAN BEAUTY, USA, 1999) – O filme de Sam Mendes continua a ser uma obra impactante, mostrando um recorte da vida americana, dentro dos padrões capitalistas e morais de uma sociedade já decadente desde esta época. O roteiro explora referências a LOLITA, na relação do personagem de Kevin Spacey e Mena Suvari, e faz uma crítica direta à hipocrisia dos valores militares, com o personagem do grande Chris Cooper. Atenção para o chamado à poesia do cotidiano revelada por Ricky (Wes Bentley). Sam Mendes’ movie is still a striking work, showing a slice of the American way of life, according to the capitalist and moral patterns of a already decadent society. The script explores references to LOLITA, in Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari’s relationship, and criticizes the hypocrisy of military values, with Chris Cooper’s character. Attention to daily poetry revealed by Ricky (Wes Bentley).

4438 - VOZES DA SEGUNDA GUERRA - 6 EPISÓDIOS (2023)

 

VOZES DA SEGUNDA GUERRA (WORLD WAR II FROM THE FRONTLINES, USA, 2023) - The use of colorization adds a new layer of depth and immediacy to the footage, making it feel more relatable and relevant to modern audiences. It allows us to see the vibrant landscapes, vivid uniforms, and blood-soaked battlefields in a way that black-and-white footage simply cannot convey. This technique helps bridge the gap between past and present, reminding us that these were real people who lived through unimaginable hardships. The documentary effectively combines original footage with interviews from veterans who provide firsthand accounts of their experiences. Their stories are powerful and moving, offering insights into the physical challenges they faced and the emotional toll war took on them. The juxtaposition of colorful visuals with these personal narratives creates a compelling narrative thread throughout the film.

4437 - RIPLEY - 8 EPISÓDIOS (2024)

 RIPLEY – 8 EPISÓDIOS (USA, 2024) – Cada um dos 8 episódios de RIPLEY é uma obra-prima, seja por causa da fotografia P&B inebriante, seja pela atuação majestosa do elenco, a começar pelo excelente Andrew Scott e o espetacular time de atores italianos, depois que a trama se transfere para a Europa. Atenção para Maurizio Lombardi, o inspetor Ravini, encarregado de investigar a morte de Richard Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn): ele deveria ganhar um Oscar por toda cena na qual está. Dakota Fanning, interpretando Marge, numa chave bem intimista, é outro destaque. É uma produção magnifica, entrelaçando a história de Caravaggio com a de Tom Ripley, sempre trabalhando com a sugestão, a ambiguidade dos personagens e a chave minimalista. Each of the eight episodes of RIPLEY is a masterpiece, be it for the inebriating B&W photography, be it for the outstanding performance of the cast, including the great Andrew Scott and the spectacular team of Italian actors, after the plot is taken to Europe. Attention to Maurizio Lombardi (inspector Ravini), in charge of the investigation about Richard Greenleaf’s murder: he would deserve a Oscar for every scene he is in. Dakota Fanning, playing Marge in a intimist key, is another highlight. It is a magnificent work, intertwining Caravaggio’s story with Tom Ripley’s, always working much more with suggestion than the obvious, the characters’ ambiguity and a minimalist key.  Netflix.   

4436 - TWO AND A HALF MEN - TEMP 1 - 23 EPISÓDIOS (2004)

TWO AND A HALF MEN – TEMP 1 – 23 EPISÓDIOS (USA, 2004) – Esta primeira temporada, como sempre acontece, os personagens ainda não estão definidos e o roteiro claramente procura o tom certo. Jake é mostrado como um garoto esperto – sua inteligência parece desaparecer ao longo das outras temporadas, e Berta ainda não mostra todo seu potencial nos comentários ácidos. Aliás, Berta não era, originalmente, um personagem regular, coisa que só aconteceu a partir da segunda temporada. This first season, as it always happens, characters ae not defined and the script still clearly trying the right tone. Jake is quite a smart boy – his intelligence seems to wear off along the subsequent seasons, and Berta is only a glimpse of her acid comments. Berta wasn't originally supposed to be a recurring character, but Conchata Ferrel proved to be such a hit with the audience that she became a regular cast member at the start of season two.

4435 - O ZOOLÓGICO DE VARSÓVIA (2017)

O ZOOLÓGICO DE VARSÓVIA (THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE, USA, UK, 2017) – O filme é uma mistura de A LISTA DE SCHINDLER e PROPOSTA INDECENTE, com um ponto alto: a atuação de Jessica Chastain e Daniel Brühl. O casal Antonina e Jan é dono do zoológico na capital da Polônia, quando começa a WW2, com a invasão do país pelos nazistas. O zoológico tem, para os alemães, um objetivo científico: a recriação do auroque, uma espécie bovina extinta. Antonina (Chastain) e seu marido, então, apesar das possíveis consequências, se recusa a aceitar a ameaça nazista, facilitam a fuga de 300 judeus bem debaixo do nariz dos alemães. No fundo, esta é uma celebração os heróis comuns em tempos extraordinários. The movie is a blend of SCHINDLER’S LIST and INDECENT PROPOSAL, with a highlight: Jessica Chastain and Daniel Brühl’s performance. The couple Antonina and Jan owns the zoo in the capital of Poland, when WW2 breaks with the Nazi invasion. The zoo has a scientific goal for the Germans: the recreation of an extinguished kind of bison. Antonina (Chastain) and her husband, then, regardless of the consequences, refused to wither before the Nazi menace, and sheltered three hundred Jewish men, women, and children right under the noses of the enemy. At his heart, this is a celebration of ordinary heroes in extraordinary times.

4434 - VIÚVA NEGRA (2022)

 

VIÚVA NEGRA (BLACK WIDOW, USA, 2022) – Scarlett Johansson é obrigatória. Dito isso, e curioso assistir de novo a esse filme e notar, dessa vez, que David Habour, ao lado de Pedro Pascal, fica perfeito representando a figura paterna – lembre-se de Hopper, em STRANGER THINGS. Aqui, ele é o pai substituto de Scarlett e Florence Pugh e também o alívio cômico da história dramática das irmãs, num filme cujo roteiro é vai além dos CGIs típicos da franquia dos Vingadores. Scarlett Johansson is mandatory. That said, it is curious to watch again this movie and notice that David Habour, along with Pedro Pascal, is perfect on the role of a father figure – check Hopper in STRANGER THINGS. Here, he is Scarlett and Florence Pugh’s surrogate father, and also the comic respite of the sisters’ dramatic story, in a movie whose script goes beyond the typical CGI-infused Avenger storyline. Disney Plus.

4433 - O ALFAIATE (2022)

 

O ALFAIATE (THE OUTFIT, USA, 2022) – Para começar, Mark Rylance é obrigatório. Sua atuação é sempre perfeita. Neste filme, passado quase totalmente na alfaiataria da qual seu personagem é proprietário, o roteiro gira em torno de gangsteres e algumas situações irreais que comprometem o terço final da história. Destaque também para Zoey Dutch, filha de Lea Thompson. This was a good movie for the first 90 minutes. Mark Rylance is a fine character actor who excels in this role. The rest of the ensemble cast was also good, but this is Rylance's movie. The cinematography in the confines of a tailor shop is also top-notch. Unfortunately, the last 15 minutes of the screenplay take unbelievable twists that make for a comic-book ending. Zoey Dutch is one of the highlights. Prime.

4432 - A MEXICANA

 

A MEXICANA (THE MEXICAN, USA, 2001) - The Mexican" is not really a romantic comedy like many audiences will expect; it is a somewhat coarse, violent adventure with undertones dealing with forgiveness and the strength of love. Actually, the relationship between the characters of Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts is quite trite. Except for the third act, whenever on screen together, the two characters do nothing but bitterly argue and fight. The performances keep the romance alive; clearly Pitt and Roberts are the right choices for the parts. Brad Pitt progresses into a somewhat comedic role, and he often struggles with it. But I certainly thought his performance was funny. He gives his character the perfect amount of charm and sweetness. Julia Roberts is a little annoying but puts an effective edge in her character. But James Gandolfini is there, and this fact moves the story to another level.

4431 - GUERRA NO PLANETA DOS MACACOS

 

PLANETA DOS MACACOS, A GUERRA (WAR OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, USA, 2017) – The film’s real technological achievement isn’t the rendering of CGI forests (though these are pretty good) but the motion-capture apes themselves, huge liquid eyes (“My God! Almost human!” the Colonel shudders) and facial expressions as thrillingly elastic and legible as the human actors who play them. All science fiction is philosophy; here, Reeves asks what distinguishes humans from animals. The twist is that as the apes get “smarter” (and the humans become crueler), they also grow softer, in a reminder that humanity resides in both the head and the heart. Part of the film’s potency derives from the figure of Caesar, the ape leader whose presence is created in motion-capture by Andy Serkis. His face is in fact quite unlike Serkis’s, but this figure has real presence and personality: a grizzled old soldier, whose mouth is always turned into a severe scowl of authority. It’s an engrossing, forthright adventure.

4430 - PLANETA DOS MACACOS, O CONFRONTO (2014)

PLANETA DOS MACACOS, O CONFRONTO (DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, USA, 2014) - The film takes place at least 8 years after 'Rise' and the time jump is much to their benefit. It allowed Caesar to step into his role as leader of all the apes and link between the apes and humans. Speaking of the effects, some of the apes' facial expressions were just devastating. And for me to say that I was on the verge of tears in a movie where apes can talk should sound absurd but its the truth. Caesar's family is present throughout and his eldest son is the one that hit home. When you see him being put into war unwillingly after life changing events you just can’t but help feeling terrible for him. Koba, the corrupt ape who has always believed humans are more dangerous than Caesar thinks, is also a conflicting character. Disney Plus.

4429 - O PLANETA DOS MACACOS, A ORIGEM (2011)

 

PLANETA DOS MACACOS, A ORIGEM (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, USA, 2011) – Like the birds, the apes can be pretty scary when they get organized. That's what these opposable-thumb-possessors have got their hearts set on in this prequel to the 1968 Charlton Heston classic Planet of the Apes and its successors. It's a smart and highly entertaining popcorn thriller from British-born director Rupert Wyatt, cheerfully satirical in the tradition of this movie series, yet unpretentious at the same time. Somehow the scratching, screeching chirpiness keeps it down to earth. The simian star of this one is Caesar, whose movements and characterization are provided through motion-capture technology by Andy Serkis, who similarly played the gorilla in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of King Kong. Disney Plus.

4428 - THE BIG BANG THEORY - TEMP 1 - 17 EPISÓDIOS (2007)

 

THE BIG BANG THEORY – TEMP 1 – 17 EPISÓDIOS (USA, 2007) – Destaque para o episódio14, no qual os rapazes compram uma réplica da máquina do tempo, do filme homônimo de 1960. Como sói acontecer em qualquer série, os personagens ainda não encontraram o tom predominante na primeira temporada.  Attention to episode 14, in which the guys purchase a time machine replica, from the 1960 movie. As it always happens, the characters are still far from their definitive profile. Prime.

4427 - O SEGREDO DE BERLIM (2006)

  

O SEGREDO DE BERLIM (THE GOOD GERMAN, USA, 2006) – O filme de Steven Soderbergh é muito ruim. Ao emular Casablanca, o roteiro se perde numa tentativa de se tornar um clássico contemporâneo. George Clooney e Cate Blanchett têm uma atuação muito abaixo do nível de suas carreiras, e Tobey Maguire ainda parece estar preso nas teias do Homem-Aranha. A fotografia baça não ajuda em nada. É um pastiche imperdoável em que nada funciona. Steven Soderbergh’s movie is pretty lousy. Emulating CASABLANCA, the script gets lost in an attempt of becoming a contemporary classic. George Clooney and Cate Blanchett perform poorly, and Tobey Maguire seems to be still entangled in Spiderman’s web. The bland photography does not help the story in any way. It is an unforgivable pastiche of many other movies. Prime. 

4426 - SEM RASTROS (2018)

  SEM RASTROS (LEAVE NO TRACE, USA, 2018) – Um dos melhores filmes de 2018, essa produção indie é um drama comovente sobre a relação pai-filha, principalmente pelas atuações marcantes de Ben Foster e Thomasin Mckenzie. This film works on all levels. The cinematography has a docu-drama feel, with hand-held camera-work that intimately observes the father and daughter bond. This is pitched perfectly because of the understated authenticity of performance by Foster and McKenzie. It must have been tempting to dramatize the veteran's trauma but here it is expressed entirely through Foster's eyes and silent stare. McKenzie consumes her role, emerging from the cocoon of adolescence to a butterfly, vibrant, caring, and grounded in self-belief. The dynamic between them is the scaffold that raises the story beyond expectations.

4425 - POBRES CRIATURAS (2023)

 

POBRES CRIATURAS (POOR THINGS, USA, 2023) - The film explores themes of personal transformation and breaking free from societal constraints. Close-up shots capture Stone's expressive eyes and facial expressions, revealing her ability to access a deeper sense of humanity. Driven by a courageous and physically committed performance from Stone, the film follows her journey as Bella Baxter, at the start of the picture a barely verbal blank slate, who embarks on an autodidact voyage of discovery to become the ultimate self-made woman. Stone’s virtuoso use of her body – the way it inhabits space, the way she gradually masters her gangling, string-like limbs, the guilelessly open play of emotions in her face – is one of the most crucial elements in our experience of Bella’s journey. That journey is supported by a deliciously eccentric score by Jerskin Fendrix. An uneasy, detuned four-note motif played on flayed violin strings opens the film and returns in various incarnations throughout, sounding at one point like a hippo mating with a harmonium. The gradual build of intricacy and sophistication in the music brilliantly mirrors Bella’s intellectual growth.

4424 - OPPENHEIMER (2023)

 

OPPENHEIMER (USA, 2023) – Vencedor de 7 Oscar, o filme de Christopher Nolan é realmente um estouro, desde a atuação soberba de Cillian Murphy ao roteiro e fotografia perfeitos. The screenplay is dense and layered, cinematography is quite stark and spare for the most part but imbued with rich, luscious color in moments (especially scenes with Florence Pugh), the score is beautiful at times but mostly anxious and oppressive, adding to the relentless pacing. The 3-hour runtime flies by. All in all, the movie is a masterpiece, intense, taxing but highly rewarding watch. This is film making at its finest. Prime.

4423 - TWO AND A HALF MEN - TEMP 5 - 23 EPISÓDIOS (2005)

 

 TWO AND A HALF MEN – TEMP 5 (USA, 2005) – Destaque para o episódio 5, no qual Alan participa de um estudo preliminar de um remédio para ganhar um dinheiro extra. No episódio 17, temos uma paródia do CSI, durante o casamento de Evelyn com Teddy. The highlight is episode 5, in which Alan becomes part of a drug study to make extra money. Episode 17, also great, is a parody of CSI, during Evelyn’s marriage. 

4422 - TWO AND A HALF MEN - TEMP 4 - 23 EPISÓDIOS (2006)

   

TWO AND A HALF MEN – TEMP 4 (USA, 2006) – O episódio mais engraçado é o 7, no qual Alan revela seu fetiche, quando vê a filha grávida de Berta. Destaque também para o último episódio, em que Teddy (Robert Wagner) aparece como namorado de Evelyn. The funniest episode is number 17, in which Alan reveals his fetish, when he meets Berta’s pregnant daughter. The last episode is also great – we are introduced to Teddy (Robert Wagner), Evelyn’s boyfriend.  

4421 - O HOMEM DUPLICADO (2013)

 

   O HOMEM DUPLICADO (ENEMY, Canadá, 2013) ­- Jake Gyllenhall plays Adam, a university lecturer nearing the end of his relationship with his girlfriend Mary. One night, when watching a film, Adam spots a minor actor who looks just like him. Consumed by the desire to meet his double, he obsessively tracks down the actor and engages him in a complex and dangerous struggle. Dark, gripping and pulsating with atmosphere, ‘Enemy’ is a haunting and provocative thriller based on the novel ‘The Double’ by Nobel laureate José Saramago. The story is an open discussion about identity in the present time. DVD.

4420 - ANATOMIA DE UMA QUEDA (2023)

ANATOMIA DE UMA QUEDA (ANATOMIE D’UNE CHUTE, França, 2023) - ANATOMY OF A FALL is roughly structured like a courtroom thriller, with evidence collecting and interrogation that eventually leads to a lengthy trial; the title and some of the advertising even hark back to Otto Preminger’s 1959 classic, Anatomy of a Murder. But Triet lets us know early on that this won’t be an ordinary procedural. She stretches unlikely moments while brushing over the kinds of turns that in more conventional hands would become key passages, thus weaving the idea of uncertainty into the very fabric of her film. The nominal question hovering over the story is whether Sandra actually killed Samuel or whether a depressed Samuel threw himself out of the window. The underlying (and more important) question, however, is whether we can ever know or fully understand the truth. Prime.

 

4419 - O PIANISTA (2003)

 

O PIANISTA (THE PIANIST, USA, UK, 2003) - Brilliantly directed by Roman Polanski and starring an amazing Adrien Brody, The Pianist is bound to garner comparisons to Schindler's List, for obvious reasons. However similar the subject matter, the approach is different. While Schindler's List was filmed in a beautiful, crisp black and white that offered many incredible images, The Pianist was filmed with almost muted color. Schindler's List featured what has been argued as a complicated hero. Oskar Schindler did save many Jews, but not without battling his own materialistic demons first. The Pianist's Szpilman is a sympathetic character throughout. His plight was desperate, and the demons he fought were over his own guilt in surviving a fight that eventually turns into a primal will to live.

4418 - MATADOR DE ALUGUEL (1989)

 

 MATADOR DE ALUGUEL (ROAD HOUSE, USA, 1989) – Muito melhor do que a versão mais recente, MDA é um daqueles filmes despretensiosos que se tornaram referência de uma época. O ar blasé de Patrick Swayze, num personagem mezzo leão de chácara, mezzo filósofo, contribui para uma reflexão inesperada sobre o sentido da violência, coisa bem atual até hoje. Much better than the most recent version, RH is one of those unpretentious movies that have become reference of a period. Patrick Swayze’s aloofness, playing a character half wrestler, half philosopher, contributes to an unexpected consideration about the sense of violence, something deeply present nowadays. Prime.  

4417 - DIAS PERFEITOS (2023)

 

DIAS PERFEITOS (PERFECT DAYS, Alemanha/Japão, 2023) – Wim Wenders fez um filme perfeito em vários sentidos, principalmente por ser uma homenagem ao cinema de Yasujirô Ozu e por simbolizar a complexidade da vida de uma forma simples. De certa forma, DIAS PERFEITOS lembra PATTERSON, de Jim Jarmuch, com Adam Driver, ao valorizar os momentos mais simples da vida, mas acrescenta um elemento nostálgico traduzido pelas fitas cassete e pela câmera analógica do personagem principal. Há outros aspectos: a rotina do personagem principal refletindo o Mito de Sísifo, a invisibilidade social, o minimalismo, a utopia de viver o aqui e agora, a busca pela ataraxia através dos pequenos gestos, uma aceitação nietzschiana do eterno retorno, a fotografia como meio de reconhecimento da realidade, a solidão cósmica numa megalópole (as cenas do jogo da velha mostram isso), até a cena final, ao som de Feeling Good, com Nina Simone, indicando a aceitação da alternância emocional da vida de todo mundo. Wim Wenders has made a perfect movie in several aspects, mainly because it pays tribute to Yasujirô Ozu’s cinema also symbolizes life complexity in a simple way. PERFECT DAYS parallels JIM JARMUCH’s PATTERSON, with Adam Driver, in many ways, but adding a nostalgic element translated by the cassette tapes and the analogic camera. There are other elements: the main character’s routine mirroring the Myth of Sisyphus, social invisibility, minimalism, the utopia of living the here and now, the search for ataraxy through small gestures, the Nietzschean acceptance of the eternal return, the photography as a means of recognition of reality, the cosmic solitude in a big city (the scenes with noughts and crosses show this), until the last scene, with Nina Simone singing FEELING GOOD, indicanting the emotional alternance in everybody’s life. MUBI.  

4416 - CAÇADORES DE OBRAS-PRIMAS (2014)

  

CAÇADORES DE OBRAS-PRIMAS (THE MONUMENTS MEN, USA, 2014) – No fim da WW2, um improvável pelotão de especialistas em arte tem como missão recuperar obras roubadas pelos nazistas. O argumento é fascinante, o elenco é maiúsculo, mas o roteiro não funciona. George Clooney dirige e atua junto com alguns nomes obrigatórios em qualquer produção: Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett. Todos desperdiçados em papéis pouco desenvolvidos, sem força e inúteis na construção da trama. Além disso, o humor limitado tende a diminuir os fatos históricos e seus participantes. Há uma mistura de BASTARDOS INGLÓRIOS E ONZE HOMENS E UM SEGREDO, sem o elemento crucial do trabalho de equipe: aqui, os personagens agem quase independentemente, desmontando, assim, a construção de uma história que prescinde do tom humorístico dado pela direção de Clooney. After WW2, na unlikely platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from German thieves and return them to their owners. The argument is fascinating, the cast is great, but the script simply doesn’t work. George Clooney directs and plays along with some mandatory names in any production: Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett – all wasted in uninspired roles and useless in the construction of the plot. In bringing together elements from INGLORIOUS BASTARDS and OCEAN’S ELEVEN, the movie leaves out the team work: here, the characters act almost independently, disassembling a story in which the whimsical element is completely out of context. Netflix.    

   

4415 - HOLLYWOODLAND (2006)

 

HOLLYWOODLAND (USA, 2006) – Oscar de Melhor Ator em 2033, por O PIANISTA, Adrien Brody é obrigatório. Aqui, ele é um detetive investigando a morte de George Reeves, marcado definitivamente como Super-Homem durante as temporadas de AS AVENTURAS DO SUPER-HOMEM na TV americana. O filme trabalha com flashbacks mostrando a carreira de Reeves, alternando com as investigações depois de sua morte. Brody tem uma atuação perfeita, como um daqueles detetives clássicos americanos, meio rebelde, mas obstinado pela solução do caso. Por outro lado, Reeves é vivido por Ben Affleck – o que dizer sobre isso? Affleck é um não ator, alguém incapaz de dar qualquer credibilidade ao personagem sob sua responsabilidade. Diane Lane é Toni Mannix, de quem Reeves se torna amante, numa tentativa arrivista de conseguir melhores papéis nos estúdios. Best Actor in a Leading Role winner for THE PIANIST, Adrien Brody is mandatory. Here, he is a detective investigating George Reeves’s death. Reeves was indelibly type casted as SUPERMAN during THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN on American TV. The movie has flashbacks showing Reeves’s career, and the investigations after his death. Brody has a perfect performance as one of those classic American detectives, at the same time rebel and determined to solve the case. On the other hand, reeves is played by Ben Affleck – and what to say about it? Affleck is a non actor, someone unable to give any credibility to any character under his responsibility. Diane Lane is Toni  Mannix, of whom Reeves becomes the lover, in an arrivistic attempt to get better roles in Hollywood.  

4414 - PRISCILLA (2023)

 PRISCILLA (USA, 2023) – Sofia Coppola costuma filmar com uma certa distância da história e dos personagens – e isso dá ao espectador uma posição privilegiada em relação ao que se vê na tela, convidando-o a se envolver com o filme. Assim é PRISCILLA, um conto de fadas às avessas. Dificilmente, no showbiz, achar-se-á uma relação tão doentia quanto a de Elvis e Priscilla, na qual uma jovem do meio oeste americano é jogada num torvelinho tão intenso quanto os primeiros anos de ascensão de Elvis no cenário pop americano. Jacobi Elordi está correto no papel do Rei do Rock, e Caillee Spaeny interpreta uma Priscilla refém de sonho que se transformou rapidamente em pesadelo. Sofia Coppola generally films with some distance from the story and the characters – and this provides the audience a privileged position towards what is seen on screen, inviting them to get involved in the movie. PRISCILLA is a fairy-tale in reverse. Hardly in showbiz will we find such a bizarre and sick relationship, in which a girl from the American mid-west is thrown inside a whirlpool so intense as the first years of Elvis’ ascension in the pop scenario of the time. Jacobi Elordi is correct as Elvis, and Caillee Spaeny plays Priscilla as a hostage of a dream that quickly turned into a nightmare. HBO Max. 

    

4413 - MATADOR DE ALUGUEL (2024)

 

 MATADOR DE ALUGUEL (ROAD HOUSE, USA, 2024) – Apenas Jake Gyllenhaall, mesmo assim até certo ponto, salva essa refilmagem do ótimo ROAD HOUSE com Patrick Swayze, de 1989. Aqui, tudo é muito ruim, do roteiro preguiçosamente adaptado para gradar aos fãs de UFC, passando pelas atuações ruins de um elenco de apoio muito fraco até uma coreografia sem inspiração das brigas. O filme se afunda completamente em função dos péssimos diálogos, personagens desinteressantes e um roteiro adaptado tão ralo que dá para ver através dele. Não perca tempo com esta refilmagem – assista ao original e será recompensado. Just Jake Gyllenhaal, and even up to a certain point, saves this remake of the movie with Patrick Swayze in 1989. Here, everything is lousy, from the lazy script, adapted to please UFC freaks, until the bad performances of a weak cast and uninspired fight choreographies. The movie overall falls completely flat with awful dialogue, uninteresting characters, and a storyline so thin you can see through it. Don’t waste time with this remake – watch the original and you will be rewarded.

4412 - À PROCURA DO AMOR (2013)

 À PROCURA DO AMOR (ENOUGH SAID, USA, 2013) – Este é o penúltimo filme de James Gandolfini, e James Gandolfini é obrigatório. Esta comédia romântica tem ainda Julia-Louis Dreyfus, fraquíssima, especialmente quando contracena com Jim, cuja presença solar dá à história tudo que Julia, talvez involuntariamente, ajuda a destruir com sua atuação preguiçosa. O roteiro é de uma simplicidade palmar, e apenas Jim dá uma dimensão sentimentalmente dramática a um filme cujo protagonista mereceria muito mais. This is James Gandolfini’s penultimate movie, and James Gandolfini is mandatory. This romantic comedy still has Julia-Louis Dreyfus, especially weak when shares the scene with Jim, whose solar presence provides the story with everything Julia, maybe involuntarily, helps to destroy with her lazy performance. The script is extremely simple, and just Jim gives a dramatic dimension to a movie whose leading actor would deserve much more.  

4411 - ZONA DE INTERESSE (2023)

ZONA DE INTERESSE (THE ZONE OF INTEREST, USA, UK, 2023) – Uma família alemã tradicional vive tranquilamente numa casa espaçosa, com jardim, piscina, empregados e confortos. O ano é 1943. Estamos vendo a rotina diária de Rudolf Höss, de sua esposa e filhos. Ao fundo, é possível ouvir gritos abafados e ver o topo dos telhados de algumas construções e o rastro de fumaça saindo de chaminés. Estamos ao lado do campo de concentração de Auschwitz, cujo lado de dentro nunca é mostrado. O diretor Jonathan Glazer optou por planos médios e abertos, sem closes, e isso tem um efeito ainda mais dramático nesta tradução fílmica da banalidade do mal e de como ele, o mal, pode se incorporar à mais simplória forma de vida. Raramente um filme teve um impacto tão profundo no espectador, porque reflete um risco permanente e perturbadoramente presente até hoje. A German family lives in Peace in a dreamy roomy house, with garden, swimming pool, employees. The year is 1943. We are observing the daily routine of Rudolf Höss, his wife and children. In the background, screens are heard, the top of some buildings are seen as well as the smoke coming out of the chimneys of Auschwitz camp. Director Jonathan Glazer chose medium shots, without closes, and this has a dramatic effect in this filmic translation of the banality of the evil and ho it can be incorporated to the most simplistic way of life. Rarely has a movie such impact on the viewer for it points to a permanent risk we face today. Prime.   

     

4410 - O BALEIA (2023)

 

O BALEIA (THE WHALE, USA, 2023) – o Oscar de Melhor Ator para Brendan Fraser foi totalmente justo. Sua atuação no filme de Darren Aronosfsky é impecável. Desde a primeira cena, Charlie, um professor de redação isolado em sua casa por causa da obesidade e pelo preconceito, é um personagem emocionante, marcado por profunda culpa e sofrimento sem fim. Fraser faz um trabalho notável, sensível, delicado, e é isso, apenas, a razão do filme, cujo roteiro é, convenhamos, muito fraco. A história de Charlie está muito aquém da atuação majestosa de Fraser. The Best Actor Oscar for Brendan Fraser was totally fair. His performance in Darren Aronosfsky’s movie is impeccable. From the first scene on, Charlie, an online writing instructor isolated at home for being obese and for being marginalized, is a touching character, scarred by the profound wounds of grief and guilt. Fraser does a great, sensitive and delicate job, and it is the only basis for the film, whose script is very weak. Charlie’s story is evidently below Fraser’s majestic performance.