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Capone (2020)
A visceral walk
Mafia films are always equipped with some characteristics that make them welcome in the eyes of the consumer; the aesthetics, the built climate, the ambiance, the movement, the characters ... although they are similar in different productions, each protagonist carries his particularity, it is difficult to forget the construction of Don Corleone, the journey of Antonio Raimundo Montana, Tony Montana to intimate or from the criminal immersion of another "Scarface (1932)", Tony Camonte. All of them have in common their historical mark in the work of each director, but none, perhaps, has as much freshness as Al Capone, this is undoubtedly one of the great names that associate real life with art within this genre, portrayed in several films , assuming his own name or an inspired pseudonym, Capone always comes up with the mysticism of the real character who dominated the Chicago mafia for a period. When launching "Capone (2020)", Josh Trank presents the human side of the character, even if in an imminent state of decomposition.
It seems that mafia films have really moved their classics, actors, characters and directors to the end. If in "The Irishman" the old guard barely changes shots, here this style of overcoat with guns and a hat is even more distant, not surprisingly the film was promoted as the last year of the gangster's life. It is very common in these works for technical constructions to work accurately, without wasting a lot of time in this regard, it is worth ratifying that all period construction works perfectly, costumes, architecture, environment, classic cars that impose all purchasing power, everything works. What is worth thinking about is the style and choice of the film, deconstructing what is so common to the genre is a risk that requires a good background to be taken, after all, mafia film is directly linked to action, plot and power. This risk is assumed when in the first scene the director already shows that human decay is possible for everyone, Capone here is imposing for what it was and not for what it is.
The eye-catching look due to the protagonist's imminent bankruptcy is the gateway to the moment of the film, right from the start the physical incapacity of the character, who suffers from neurosyphilis, is clarified and it is from this that the director signals his direction to the visual aspect . All makeup produced has the objective of shocking the public at first sight and it will certainly work, Fonz (nickname of Al Capone) is horrifying, decadent, depressing and in this footprint the director narrates the journey of the decline of a human life, dictated by a disease that has the cruel equivalence of the criminal's life, withering physically and mentally its carrier. In favor of this, the director plays with everything that is available within the cinematographic language, using metalanguage in order to justify that the suffering is deserved, as it is in Fonz's daydreams that the parallel is made between different moments and different actions, making the protagonist himself question the need for actions; note: it is metalanguage at the service of the cinematographic style and it is the cinematographic style at the service of human reflection, it is this reflexive conflict that takes the film out of its first layer and the text uses this aspect well when using these same daydreams to tell part of the story character and go down a step in his condition, thus bringing the necessary verisimilitude in this regard.
I confess that the most shocking point in the film is the trajectory, attaching to the visual is very shallow, but it is also valid, however, to agree that a good part of the public will be bothered by the wounds, the drool or a defecate here and another one there, but it is the journey that counts and it is also in the journey that the "train" loses stability. The presentation of an important character for the plot is totally out of focus, it is free and serves only to remember that such an aspect also exists in that marginal universe, it would not be missed if it did not exist as it does not take long to "kill the charade" . In the middle the film tries to fit a mood where it doesn't fit, in the middle the film tries to create a suspense that doesn't exist, nobody wants to know if the character has a buried fortune; neither the viewer nor the characters there. Fonze will not remember, he is insane and if he remembered, Josh Trank would remember his days of "Fantastic Four" and I would definitely ask for a chargeback. The conclusion also leaves an empty and interpretive air, valid! but the feeling is that it was not the original cut of the film, it seems that someone stopped the director, every siege was set up for the final point, including drawing that point. Do you know when you attend an athletics event and when the shot is taken to signal the start of the race? It is there that the tension rises, it is as if at that moment of shooting the TV would turn off and you would not see the race, there is an end that does not need to be shown, but there is an end that needs to be seen, it is part of the plot.
The cast is fully functional and is directed towards the protagonist, including Louis Armostrong, who appears in an excellent montage. The highlight is Linda Cardellini who plays the boss's wife, the actress goes through all the tension that probably exists when living with someone in those conditions, the worry continues, the dread, the physiological disgust, the need to help, the wear and tear that all that provokes, Mae is the character that puts the viewer in the situation. After watching the film, it is impossible to imagine another person to give life to the gangster, Tom Hardy has this changeable characteristic in his works, forget "Venom" please, a quick search in the actor's filmography and you will notice this physical and mental delivery. It's no different here, it's not just the makeup that translates this, it's the curved and crooked walk, it's the bloody and withering look, but still threatening, it's the hoarse voice of someone who swallowed many cigars, it's the surprise and disappointment of those who go realizing that you no longer have control over your physiological needs. It is dirty, visceral work that sometimes joins the gore and the feeling of decay when flies and humming circulate the character. It may not be easy for some, but for the cinema, in times of pandemic, it brings a freshness in terms of acting. Using an old French theater term, if I saw Tom Hardy after a performance like this I would shout .
Mon inconnue (2019)
Honest use of the cliché still yields a good result
First of all it is important to say that the translation of this film is a crime, "Mon Inconnue" which means "Meu Estranho" came to be called that, it is incredible how the Brazilian distribution insist on "breaking" the films with these horrible titles. That said ...
"Amor À Segunda Vista" is a French production written and directed by Hugo Gélin and it is a romantic comedy. It is a film that presents a somewhat familiar plot, but that surprises with some choices. As much as you kill in the beginning what will need to be done in the end, and the title does not help, the way the plot gets there is what makes it interesting. Many conventions in this type of script are present, but the solutions sought are simple and play in favor of the plot. The script uses the characteristics of the characters to create the "link" in the story, the incident created leads to an outcome and only in the third act does it reveal that it is none of that. The use of the cliché without wanting to be silly or disposable is one of the highlights of the film, after all, it is a love film and love has many clichés, the difference is in the way it will be used. The tone of the jokes is "ok" and the mixture of classic and contemporary mixes well the evidence of pop culture and the historic charm of European buildings.
Another highlight is the cast, which has a good harmony and stands out for the protagonist couple; Joséphine Japy and François Civil are good actors and have already established themselves in French cinema. Music is another positive point, the ever-present piano gives the film a subtlety that suits the viewer (the ears too). Despite having a good presentation and running away from the common end, the director gets lost in the execution and bets on "normal" to conclude his film and sign the couple, some characters come and go and others are dated in the genre, which reduced the excitement at the end.
"Amor À Segunda Vista" is a good option in times of scarcity in romantic comedies, which has a good history and has Parisian beauty in its favor. The film is available on the "looke" platform and free of charge at the Varilux Film Festival. Good session!
The Way Back (2020)
An honest journey
Gavin O'Connor is a director who builds his films on a personal dramatic basis, in Guerreiro we saw the confrontation of the Conlon brothers, played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton ; in O Contador , we follow the professional and personal developments of Ben Affleck 's character. They are stories that tell a verisimilitude very close to the eyes of the viewer and generally the result is positive, and it may, of course, please or not everyone, after all, when we talk about people, we talk about choice and choices are not always right or wrong, they are only choices that will come with future consequences. In this respect, O'Connor has been doing well, the director is experienced with series and playwrights and this is a positive point, when choosing to talk about people in the theater, the feeling is almost mandatory and you develop it with experience or based on much study and development.
In The Way Back, the director revisits this trajectory with a depth that overlaps the canvas. When presenting your new work, it is clear that the main proposal is not to entertain, it is to make you reflect. In his new feature we follow the trajectory of an ex-athlete who was considered a phenomenon in high school and who, when he became an adult, left the sport and stopped in the construction industry with serious problems of alcoholism, however at some point in the plot he is invited to direct the same team that was featured, assuming the position of coach. It is a narrative that seems pre-designed and very common, but what differentiates one work from another is the choices. Some clichés are present, a film that involves sports has its logical structures embedded in the package, most of the time. The comeback, the losing team's challenge to become victorious,
Aligning his proposal with a musical score without many variations, with piano and guitar stretching the notes until he "lacks air", the narrative develops to the tired eyes of its protagonist, with a camera that often varies between the closed plane and the close-up to show such tiredness. With the sound of the notes extending in the background we enter Jack's life ( Affleck), which at some point hooks the viewer by feeling. There are several who are building this character, making the experience very intimate. Alcoholism is just one of the problems that started as an outlet, Jack is lonely, bitter, spiteful, funeral and the elements mentioned above evidence this, from there you wonder: "I can meet a Jack" or worse " I can be a Jack ", are questions that arise out of necessity through the director's choices, talking about people is always more important than talking about anything else. The impression we have is that the script was decoupled throughout the production, according to the tone, because in all the layers presented, not only by the protagonist, but by all the other characters that make up that nucleus. Each of them has its importance inside and outside the production, after all, who does not seek recognition, a victory, erase a bad memory or distance themselves from what the others wanted you to be, but deep down that was not what you wanted? It is a very intimate footprint in this regard and it has several weapons to hook your audience.
Adding everything that has been said so far, an element that made this film special was the choice of its protagonist, over the years Ben Affleck has come across some things mentioned here, in particular, his problem with alcohol. The honesty of the actor in coming across that character that in the first minutes only makes him drink all kinds of drinks that have some alcohol content, and the director makes a point of showing this tirelessly, so that it is registered that that problem is "solid", it is impressive. You see the destructive feelings that addiction causes, with all ownership and sincerity of those who have already lost in personal and professional life, Affleckunderstands the terrain you tread well. This is one of the goals of art, to pass that needs to be said, but in a way that is felt, they are choices, they are paths and here the choice to bring the protagonism, a real life protagonist of that problem and use the cinematographic language to convey it those who assist and cause the reflections it proposes, is gratifying.
The Way Back is a film that surprises by the subtlety in the tools of the script, which plays when using clichés without that artificial tone and involves the viewer by breaking narrative expectations when presenting a film that involves sport. It is honest, it is integral, it is reflective and it is a dramatist that can lead its protagonist to be among the awards this year that will certainly be lacking in many competitions. Point for the director, point for Ben Affleck , who certainly did a good therapy for his personal struggle. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Warner migrated the release of the film to the digital platforms "Looke and Google Play Filmes", it is to enjoy a good film in a "parca" time.
Sergio (2020)
A simple presentation of a great figure
Netflix continues to expand its biographical catalog and this time we are introduced to Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN secretary who was considered by many to be the only man capable of solving what no one could do. Curiously, Sergio was not a diplomat, so to speak, his father was, hence his vocation, but Sergio never represented a country, much less Brazil, he was known as "the UN" and was quoted to succeed Kofi Annan; it is a question that is very divided and still raises a discussion between people in the environment. Returning to production, it should also be said that the film is the second work by director Greg Barker that involves the protagonist, in 2009 the director released a documentary on HBO, both were inspired by Samantha Power's book "The man who wanted to save the world: a biography of Sergio Vieira de Mello "and approach a less practical view of the situation / performance and bring much of the accounts of his wife, Carolina Larriera (played by Ana de Armas), who was only known as a wife years after the secretary's death. Bringing that into the documentary caused less discomfort than in the film, and there was a problem here.
There is an exaggerated romanticization in the plot that causes a dislike and breaks the expectation, the majority of the public does not know the character and much less its importance for the world. There is a very strong gap in the understanding of some people when it comes to human rights, a film like this, at a time like this, was a good tool to present, in fact, what human rights are, but the opportunity was wasted and only those who want to allow themselves to go after it and obviously the slice will be small, mainly due to the protagonism of Wagner Moura, who for some reason, is questioned for his personal and professional ideas. The script, which opts for non-linearity, bets a lot on the romance between Sergio and Carolina as a transition tool between events, some things are good, like romanticism in the middle of war, others are exaggeratedly explored like romanticism itself in the middle of war, a cut 2 seconds in the current time to return to a flashback? It's too much! 2 seconds in the present, cut to the past, 2 seconds in the present, cut to the past; it is not wrong for the choice, but it is tiring for the execution, mainly in the climax of the film, you ask for more time from the protagonist, at least in the climax and even so the romance takes the front line, there are characters there that had to make incredible decisions and everything is left out, for example the regrowth officers.
A positive choice in the production is that the director did not want to transform the protagonist into a saving superhero, even though many real-life people agree with this, the choices and their consequences are exposed honestly along the way, especially in dialogues with his friend and confidant Gil Loescher (played by actor Brian F O'Byrne). The director is also correct when using the budget in the locations and moving away from the war spectacle that exists in the films that have the war as a background, the characters live with the sounds of explosions, bursts of ak-47 and mention this, but nothing is shown, it is more impactful to know that so many people live with it than to see gunshots injuring bodies. For a documentary filmmaker, Barker performs the direction of his cast very well, it is clear that several scenes had to be recorded several times, especially with the local cast, especially in East Timor, the professional cast receives a lot of attention too, you notice in the editing that in the same scene there are different plans, it can be seen because of the lighting, something was not good and everything was redone, aesthetically it loses a little, but this concern with the final product has a greater dignity.
The biggest star of the cast is Wagner Moura, Sergio, the actor who invested in his international career and ventured out as a producer, manages to further remove the "latitude" of his characters. Sergio is a role that married very well with Moura, the serenity and firmness of the character is a characteristic that the actor manages to print very well. Ana de Armas is yet another positive result, even though she is labeled as the "suffering girl" at times, the actress is talented and deserved much more. There is a scene in the rain that the couple stars that had absolutely nothing to do with the film, even if the focus is on the relationship of the two, everything was absolutely clear and the scene before that could be extended with more vigor, so that remember "Diary of a Passion"?
Sergio is a film that has the mission of presenting one of the biggest names in the history of the UN, but is lost in his choices, holding on to individual issues and the talents involved in the production. certainly ignorance will also hinder the performance of the film here in Brazil, human rights and Wagner Moura are names that, through pure ignorance, share part of the opinions, but if you allow yourself, here you can start what really human rights, there are people around the world who suffer from war and its derivatives, there are people around the world who deserve someone who at least tries to fight for them, who at least deserve to stop to die without any guilt, Sergio opens this gap to knowledge, you just need to.
Extraction (2020)
A tribute to the genre
Whoever was born in the 80s grew up with a very strong incentive for action films, due to the influence of parents, the trend in the industry, the television network, investment in rental companies, everything conspired in favor of the still inexistent term "shot, punch and bomb ", It was undeniable the happiness to see the films with stars of the genre. Currently, productions are very restricted when looking for some quality or some component that attracts all the attention and transforms the film, in fact, good; there are examples, of course, but with the number produced, the result should be better. This conspired for a feeling of emptiness in the hearts of fans of this iconic genre and when we come across a good production, the heart beats with happiness, that's the truth! Who hasn't been thrilled with John Wick? Action films can be very chic, just that the cinema made use all the good in your favor.
The Rescue is an adaptation of HQ Ciudad, written by Ande Parks and the Russo brothers and is a project with long dates. Before it was released, the intention to take it to the cinema already existed, but many things have changed since then. The story narrates a mission by a black market mercenary whose objective is to rescue the daughter of a South American drug dealer, this in HQ; when starting the project, in 2012, the protagonist would be the star The Rock and the direction and cast was completely different, but everything changed, who took the lead was Chris Hemsworth, another thing was also the setting, exchanging south america for india and Thailand. The new chairman was Sam Hargrave, who has a long career as a stuntman in Hollywood and has acted as a stuntman and stunt coordinator in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, these names generated great expectations and the result could not have been anything else, one great action movie.
When cinema is made with passion and by those who understand it, it is another level, not that others do not know, but being specific here, I refer to what the film proposes, action. the script is simple and common, the protagonist who is almost an army, traumatized and usually drinking, leaving for a mission that may be the last; there are many films with this premise and it is normal to some extent, what will differentiate is how it will be presented and developed, how the aspects will be addressed, the relationship between the rescuer and the rescued is an example of this, and how the setting will be built. I can say that the choice of a director (even if he is new to the chair) experienced in what is really action in the lens, was the biggest hit of this film, without a doubt. The realism presented is impressive from the first minutes, it does not take long for the director to put the camera in his hand and go out with everything, his experience helps to put himself in the right point of the take, in the exact rotation. By opting for less stuntmen on the scene, the audience's approach was also greater, the protagonist is present in many scenes that usually the face would be hidden, the style of filming also deserves to be highlighted. Hargrave uses several techniques to embody his film, the camera in hand already mentioned is used at various times to bring this realism, for sure the director lay down, knelt down and got up running to follow everything he wanted to capture, the dense scenery of an Indian city with those tight streets, full of people, cars, boxes, animals and everything that can be placed there, contributed a lot to the frantic and agonizing rhythm. There is an excellent sequence plan, another sequence that looks like a video game cutscene; the camera takes the action from the front, turns to the side, climbs, turns, swings, a door opens, shows the action of the character (engaging a gear), turns the look again, turns forward and continues, it is sensational.
The action scenes with hand-to-hand combat are of a high level too, everything is organic and no matter how much you look for a defect it is difficult to find, again, the camera works well in the movements and everything happens, fight with a knife, shots with different weapons , neutralization sequences that make everything more plastic, shot in the foot, in the body, in the head, rotate the gun for better positioning of the body, change the type of weapon, return to the knife, go to the hand ... phew !!! It's really frantic. I couldn't imagine this film in America, the locations contribute a lot to the geography and the profile, the feeling of crowding at all times causes a claustrophobic effect and the yellowish filter causes a mixture that warms everything, that place looks like a hell of hot. At various times I found myself making comparisons with John Wick, for the plasticity, ignorance and at the same time, the subtlety in worrying about the details to make everything perfect in the eyes of the viewer.
The cast is very lean and obviously pulled by its biggest star, Hemsworth is an actor who has shown himself to be quite versatile, including in comedies. Here he is very well and has his role outside the MCU, I am not surprised if he stops being Thor, for some, and becoming the "rescue guy", the commitment to production brought an excellent result. David Harbor is another name known to the general public, but his character is very shy in production and has no prominence. On the other hand, Randeep Hooda, who plays the kidnapper's coast guard, deserves more attention. Hooda is very well known in the Hindu scene and brought a commitment equal to that of the protagonist, most of the best scenes involve his character and, as I said, the result is very good. The rest of the cast follows a well-defined acting pattern that does not compromise on anything, there is no one to say "this actor is too bad", despite having a very caricature tone in some. I understand that it was due to the Indian style, many actors work in Hindu cinema and have their own characteristics, the lack of custom in watching Bollywood films creates a certain visual barrier, I recommend even paying attention to this industry, which like any other, it has its mistakes and successes.
The Rescue is a film that arrives to fill a gap and finally marks a hit by Netflix in blockbuster-like productions, pushing the mind, for example, Squadron 6. It is a great choice for today and is very worthwhile increase, especially if you are part of the generation that had a lot of fun with the eighteenth-century troglodytes. It draws attention for the already praised work of the director who, like Chad Stahelski, goes on the radar. At the end of the film, I only had a smile because the air was gone.
Anna (2019)
An action with style and personality
Luc Besson walks through his career and pays homage to the strong women in action films by introducing us to Anna. Good scenes, twists and turns and a great cast embodying the production.