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diegojosmer
Reviews
The Tale (2018)
Bravery.
I'm blown away by the sole power of this film. This is the most direct and personal take at a film that tackles trauma and abuse, simply because the actual survivor tells it how it is. We believe speaking out is simply as just telling someone, but this film shows how accepting is the real difficulty. Our memory thinks what it thinks to survive, so how can the truth be differentiated from what we tell ourselves. Laura Dern and her younger counterpart blew me away, as well as the sincerity and bravery by which Jennifer Fox tells her story.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Stunning
Going into If Beale Street Could Talk, I knew it would be a good movie since Barry Jenkins directed it and Moonlight was incredible. But what we actually got was an absolute masterpiece. I still can't believe this didn't get a best picture nomination at this year's Oscars.
We're all mostly aware of what's being said about this film, that the performances are incredible. And it's true. Regina King should win that Oscar, and I think she will. Our two leads were so moving as this characters going through something so rough.
The writing is stunning, it's a truly intimate but epic story. Every scene has a purpose and an emotional value, building these characters and relationship in a beautiful way.
The way they shot this story was what I loved the most about the film. It's incredible cinematography that fits with an incredible story. Every shot fits into the overall tone and just enhances the writing. Complementing the visuals and the writing, we then have the score which has been the only score I've ever decide to listen later just for the fun of it. It's incredible (I know I've been using that word for the whole review but it's the only word that describes this movie).
If Beale Street Could Talk is a work of art. It's only January but it definitely will be in my favorite movies I watched on 2019. I'm sad it only got 3 nominations at the Oscar but I'm definitely hoping it wins them all.
First Man (2018)
Cinema at its best
Damien Chazelle is one of the greatest current directors, and this movie just reaffirms that. First Man was such an incredible emotional and visual experience, that I'm amazed at how they did it.
Chazelle is my favorite director, and when First Man didn't get to any theatres on my city I was so disappointed. This is a movie that NEEDS to be seen on a big screen. Neil Armstrong isn't a character I'm really interested in, but this movie changed the way I saw him completely. Many of the critiques this movie had was that it was kind of "emotionless", which I completely disagree in. Armstrong was such a reserved guy that this movie does a great job at studying his character and the way he sees and feel the world. The performances by Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy we're moving but also they have a lot of depth that is unraveled once you analyze the film after it's done.
The way this film is shot and edited gives it such a realistic feel that moments after the film ends you start to release this feeling of tension carried throughout the whole movie. Some criticized that it is too "shaky" but that's an aspect I loved. I saw many interviews with Chazelle where he talks about the whole filming process and the way he interpreted the story is transmitted with the filming style. He wanted to create a documentary like film that showcased the life of Armstrong as well as the risks of the space race, and working with the DP he achieved it. The space launch sequences gave me an anxiety lever that I've never felt in a space movie before.
I truly could continue to talk about how great this movie is, but you just need to experience it in order to understand. I cannot wait to see what this incredible director does next.
Spotlight (2015)
Deserving of All the Awards
Spotlight is such an important and powerful film. This is the story of a team of Boston Globe journalists who discovered how the church was hiding many pedophile priests giving them no real punishments. This film won Best Picture about three years ago and it totally deserved it. What makes this movie so great is that it decided to showcase the complete journalism process, the way we start to see our four reporters start to uncover the truth is amazing. It's not about the drama or the personal struggles of a particular character, it's about how a journalist does his or her job, and why it's important. Apart from that, it doesn't shy away from the subject matter of pedophiles. On one particular scene Sacha, the character amazingly played by Rachel McAdams, says: "Language is going to be really important here. The word 'molest' isn't going to be enough". And that's totally it, we get the hard and difficult truth of the actual events that happened with no sugarcoating.
The overall look and tone of the film was beautiful, there are a couple shots that took my breath away. And this top level of filmmaking complements the top level acting from the whole ensemble.
This movie is so real it actually terrifies me about the situation they uncovered. It's the truth, which can be really hard and disturbing, but it's the whole truth.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Emily Blunt is Practically Perfect
It's safe to say that going into Mary Poppins Returns, everyone is scared or intimidated. The original film is a classic and doing a worthy follow up is hard. But I think that Disney and Rob Marshall really did it this time. The movie takes place a couple of decades after the original film, and from the first second I was so glad to be back in that world.
Emily Blunt is absolutely amazing as Mary Poppins. She nails the beauty and grace of her, but also the at times strict and vain manners of the character. I really hope she gets more nominations this awards season for either this character, or for her performance from A Quiet Place. She has definitely shown how good of an actress she is during this last years. Apart from her, the rest of the cast was amazing. The kids especially really surprised me.
I'm a sucker for a good musical, and this movie goes all in into creating amazing musical sequences that leave you smiling at the screen for a couple of minutes. Trip a little light fantastic is the sequence most talked about in the movie, and deservedly so. The sequence is absolutely mesmerizing, there are all types of effects, dancing, singing, funny moments, and a whole lot more in a span of five minutes. The story is similar but different at times to the first, there are definitely new things that will surprise the audience.
Mary Poppins Returns is such an enjoyable and fun ride that you must definitely see if you either like the classic film or just movie musicals.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
So Relatable
The Edge of Seventeen is a movie I stumbled upon. I did not know what to watch next and saw this movie available to stream. Once I started watching I absolutely fell in love with this movie. It's a coming of age story that could not be more real about the life of a teenager. The movie is awkward, funny, sad, frustrating, and emotional, and that's exactly what being a teenager is. Hailee Steinfeld perfectly plays a character that I've seen has been labeled unlikable. I read other reviews and some just say that "she is unlikeable and thinks she's way hotter and funnier than she really is." And that's absolutely right, her character, Nadine spends most of the movie not knowing why she feels so frustrated. She just is. And me being a teenager myself I know that is absolutely accurate. Sometimes I just feel angry because I do, and sometimes I'm really anxious and awkward without wanting to. This is the first movie in which I have really seen myself reflected onscreen. The main character is a teenage girl, but this movie is so greatly written that it isn't only relatable to girls but to all teenagers in general like it happened to me being a guy. The whole arc the character goes through is not about her changing everything about herself, but about recognizing that everyone has problems and everyone feels all of those emotions she feels. The dialogue was perfectly written, it reflected everything about being this age. The performances were amazing, Hailee Steinfeld is a really talented actress.
I was genuinely surprised about how great this movie was. It's such a relatable and heartwarming story that at times may feel a little irritable or all over the place, but that's just what being a teen is.
Up in the Air (2009)
Amazing Cast and Direction
I watched Up in the Air because I'm a big fan of Anna Kendrick and wanted to see the role she has earned the most praise for in her whole career. I must admit that it did not disappoint. Apart from the great performances by our 3 leads, one of the things I loved about this movie was the directing. Jason Reitman, who also co-wrote the script, has a really great way to capture intimate and tender moments between characters. The story is all about connection, and the directing of the movie captured that. There is particularly one sequence at the end, the wedding (for those who've seen it), that was shot beautifully. That whole sequence wasn't about getting those cinematic artistic shots, but about capturing the emotion the actors are showing. The only problem I have with this movie was that I believe the ending could have been fleshed out a little bit more. The resolution to the arc of our main character wasn't really there for me. Nonetheless this was a movie I deeply enjoyed and want to see again to try and analyze the story and performances better.
The Descendants (2011)
A Story About Family
The Descendants is a story about grief and family at its core. George Clooney stars in this movie that captures the life of Matt King and his two daughters after a family tragedy. The film tackles many subjects such as grief and how we cope with it, forgiveness, and the different good or bad ways a relationship can develop. While the film has those subjects at its core, it really lets the viewer decide what to think about the way our characters forgive. Its a subjective story that lets you thinking and really moves you. The performances are not over the top, instead the performers focus on transmitting the story in the most real way possible. I think the ending could have been a lot stronger but the one we got really leaves you satisfied with the emotional arc the film had.
The Descendants is a great "piece of life" movie with a beautiful and intimate story that cannot be missed.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
The Title Says It All
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel says it all on its title, this show is MARVELOUS. I watched season 1 last year and enjoyed it, it was funny and emotional. Season 2 just came out a couple of weeks ago, and it was better and funnier than the first. This season truly made me love this show. The 1950s setting is done amazingly, and the music and costumes just give another level of feeling. Amy Sherman-Palladino is the creator of Gilmore Girls, one of my all time favorite shows. The writing in this series is so clever and so witty, you will laugh out loud for a lot of scenes in every single episode. The performances by Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein are incredible, I'm so glad they were recognized at this year's Emmys.
This show truly is a must watch, you'll completely fall in love with everything in it.
Roma (2018)
Stunning
Roma is a breathtaking masterpiece. I had been waiting to watch this movie for two reasons: the first was that I've been following the award season coverage and knew that Roma would be a mayor player this season; the second was that Alfonso Cuarón is one of the leading Mexican directors in the industry and me being Mexican I was dying to see a film that reflected the culture of this country.
The movie follows the life of a Mexican domestic helper who has a special bond with the family she works with. The main thing about the movie is how beautiful and cinematic it is. This is a deeply personal and intimate story, and the cinematography by Alfonso Cuarón captures that and more. I was a little worried the film being black and white, but the end result I can only continue to describes as beautiful.
The story itself was slow pacing, but that's the reason why the movie works so well. It's a slow burn that just keeps going until you realize you deeply care for our main character. The way the story builds is a really great way of Alfonso Cuarón showcasing how perfectly he can construct a story.
Unfortunately, the city where I live in had no theatre showings so I saw it on my tv. This is quality filmmaking at its best, and if your have the chance to see it on a theatre you definitely should grab the chance. Alfonso Cuarón has continued to show how much of a master he is with a camera and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Aquaman (2018)
Probably the only one
So yesterday I got the chance to see Aquaman, and I truly did not know what to expect. I had only seen the first trailer, but went into the theatre since I really enjoy DC/Marvel/Superheroe movies. Unfortunately this movie just wasn't it for me.
The main driving factor is the screenplay, or mainly the way the plot was taken care of. The beginning of the movie really threw me off since there was almost no exposition of the characters. I'm aware Aquaman and Mera were technically introduced in Justice League, but that doesn't change the fact that I think a couple of minutes to further present the character interactions would've helped.
Then there's the fact that I felt that some of the action sequences just threw too much into the situation. The film is a great achievement of CGI and Visual Effects, but sometimes less is best. And I'm not talking about the Atlantian effects, because those were perfect and stunning, I mostly refer to the last action sequence where the writers mostly knew the studio would give them millions of dollars, so they decided to go all in.
I applaud James Wan for presenting the underwater scenes in such an amazing way but the "real-world" scenes needed to showcase the same amount of quality as the underwater ones, which left the movie feeling really unbalanced.
Something that had never happened to me is being irritated by the score/soundtrack. I think the score did not know exactly what it wanted to do with the movie, and there was no real consistency with the way it wanted to musicalize the film. What was truly absurd was how in the middle of the movie after an intense and big action sequence they decided to throw in an upbeat Pitbull song. I started laughing out loud because I couldn't believe they decided to include that.
This movie just didn't work to me as a whole and I got tired in the middle of the movie because of how much was happening. If you're a fan of superheroe movies and love those big budget all in action sequences, then you probably will leave the theatre really satisfied.