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The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
Why was Baruchel cast??
A generally pleasant movie to watch, with a solid cast and even amazing narrator (McShane), and all this was blown by Baruchel's performance.
I can't comprehend why was this man cast.
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Somewhat like heroine
This film got me all confused -not for the film itself, but- with what is the final outcome, where it stands if we judge it. A really nice concept for plot, a very good cast with very good performances, great costumes, photography, and soundtrack. If I were to give it a grade depending on the above, I'd give it a 9, or 9.5. Yet again, if I'd to do the same with the direction and scenario, it would take a 4, maybe 5 on a good day.
This film of almost 3 hours length, greatly fails to fill in its pace and storyline for something that was not necessary. I really felt that the whole film could have been shown from one "world's" prospective, and have the others at the end to shower us with a cinematographical explosion to close the film with a great way to validate its point and meaning (which was indeed a nice seed to think, but nothing extraordinarily philosophical or very deep).
As quoted on the title, something like heroine, a good looking and well made box, having many other smaller boxes inside, of great quality, and so on and so on, and at the final box, hundreds of shiny marbles before we find the purposed object of the hole thing; a somewhat clissé catchy philosophical quote written and wrapped on a fortune cookie paper.
To be fair though; must I once more praise the very good performances, cast, music, cinematography, photography and costumes.
Calvary (2014)
Truly stunning
By far the best film I've watched the last quadrennia. I really do not know where to begin describing this film, an absolute revelation. Most of the basic categories are at least very good to say, with a good soundtrack, exceptional photography, dialogue, monologues, plot pace, performances and finally; direction.
I'll start with the trailer. A promotion that gives us only the necessary to get only one idea (the basic) of what is the film about and nothing more than that, and at no point gives away all the plot as most Hollywood trailers do. To the film; this director literally screws you down on your seat from minute one. And then, I got to watch the most harmonically stoic storyline unwind calmly, with a great deal of realism, stoicism, humour and wit, this director manages to keep the viewer interested with a very, very simple plot. No hysteria, no stress, no agony, no explosions, no unnecessary nudity, yet and while it is calm; we have a wee healthy suspense on who might be the antagonist, and at the same time McDonagh has got me to Ireland. The photography and the shots takes are simply breathtaking, while I got to see how an Irish town lives, their culture, their point of view. All the characters are "active" each one of them with his own personality, characteristics, personal drama, history and background, with an eye for the detail by the director and the script.
This film get's the viewer to think, to sympathise, to philosophise and genuinely smile with the disarming simplicity of reality.
Divergent (2014)
Did they actually published this?
Before start with the analysis, just to give a quick opinion for those who don't wanna spend much time reading: If you older than 13-14, don't waste your time.
I am not quite sure how long has it been since I've seen such a bad film, and by bad, I mean bad. This movie has nothing. No photography, no costumes, no soundtrack, the direction is at best mediocre, and the storyline does not even exist. 1h45m of static, stuck and non- progressing plot, with the saving part at the end, saving the city in 10 minutes and that's it. First of all, whoever wrote this should be at least ashamed. A boring, blunt, cliché and repetitive classic storyline about a little girl that can not fit the society and wants to be different and not in types?? I mean, what is the target group here? 13 years old teenagers? Furthermore, the whole film has absolutely no sense. The main problem of the character is that she is not clearly oriented into a faction because she is intelligent, brave, has compassion and she's kind. What a nonsense.
Further more into this, the acting is just terrible, like if someone would pick a random person and ask him/her to say these lines. Only exception is the death scene with the mother of the heroine where the acting is bad/mediocre. All the rest is not even acting. No dialogs, no strong scenes, not even one monologue, nothing.
2 stars only for the fact that this was not shot in a camcorder, and for casting Winslet (what was she thinking...)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Industrialised and very 10's like
I would rather skip the part with the major conflict most people have about chopping the book into pieces in favour of the film, and go straight to the feeling I got while watching it. What both my wife and I felt in almost every scene, was "what the hell?" and almost anger. First of all, this is not a fantasy adventure any more, but an action movie. Legolas goes all pew pew, martial dancing, etc. etc. The film has literally action scenes. Almost no photography, no scenery, no music, and most importantly; no logic in the progression of the plot.
Most scenes were extended to the limits of a nervous breakdown (e.g the barrel-river scene) and the characters/plot would got stuck for nothing, or because someone did something foolish. I mean, the whole film goes with countless "Pippins throwing stones into wells" only to have something to go on. In addition almost no major turn has any logic or reason. For example, the eagles that saved the fellowship, dropped the dwarfs just before their target on a dangerous place, when they could just as easily leave them a bit further, and to make things even worse, Gandalf abandons the fellowship before a death forrest only to go to Radagast (who does not even appear on the novel) to tell him to find Galandriel and then confront alone the strongest Ainur in existence in his own territory.
Only reason to rate this 5/10 is the novel, the (very good) SFX and a couple good photography scenes.
Postman Pat: The Movie (2014)
Rather disappointing
Both my son and I, anticipated for the movie as we have loved the series, but after watching it, got let down. It has a rather OK "starting point" for the storyline, which consumes all movie with, and just finishes all well out of sudden. More like 5 min intro, 75 min gap and 5 min happy ending. Most annoying part was that this movie is rated universal by both MPAA and BBFC, something rather questionable, considering a whole theater of 4 and 5yo crying because one of the most peaceful and kind heroes, turned into a big bad mean monster for 70+ minutes, letting every parent to explain what's up. Nothing to do with the series, completely different feeling, mentality and atmosphere. 3* max.