Selma

And we start with the Biopics, that for me is some kind of lazy writing because you have the characters and story you just have to trim it a little to make it interesting, but at the same time if you don’t do it right you get all the hate from people who actually like that person or what that person did, so the first one will be:

I was looking forward to this movie because being somebody who didn’t grow up in the US and didn’t have Martin Luther King shoved in history class I know squat about the guy or what did he do to be so important, I knew about the march in Selma but only what I heard once on Pawn Stars so I thought it would be good to go a little deeper and see people behind it and the speeches and reactions. But oh cruel reality and lazy writers, why do you have to mess up this year? We were going great! Don’t get me wrong the movie is fine but is not at the same level of the other ones.

The movie follows the life of the Dr King during the time of the Selma problems (I’ll call it like that because is more than marches and are not riots) but is not the story of the town for which the movie is named, but as I said the life of Dr King that is almost the end of his story, and there is no footing to see what he did before. I know that all the people in the US know what he did because they students from grade school got the lesson during all “Black History Month” but in the rest of the world we need to get involved reading or watching the movies, and I never did. So the movie feels like the third act of a movie I just arrived really late.

So we watch what the Dr King is doing his team and his family but there are parts where you want to go back to the town, to see what is happening, learn about the people, the government, there is even one scene with Malcom X (character from who I know nothing, I only know he was important) and say that he is going to speak to the town but is all he appears in the movie, no more than 2 minutes, and his speech is not in the movie, just then they say he died. That felt like Poochie in the Simpsons at the end of the show. You don’t give me someone important reduced to just a couple of sentences. But of course we have a 5 minutes scene of Dr King eating dinner with his family where nobody talks, because or reasons.

The idea is there you learn what happened and why the government reacted the way they did, but you feel that the movie needs more, is called Selma so the town should have been the main story, see what happened and how everybody reacted, but is the life of Dr King during that period of time, we don’t see the end or beginning of him, we read it at the end but that’s it because it was after the time in Selma, so let’s skip that part.

The message of the film I looked at it in a modern way, with what’s happening in the US with the police killing people just because they are the wrong color, and that is not cool at all, and yes you look that there are still a lot to work on in the US, but then I look at it not so much as rights and social liberties but more as how could be applied in the modern world, internationally, beyond color or race. And applies perfect to the terrorism against the papers and media, the terrorist are the ones using violence and fear to try to make them quit like the police and the government in the movie. And then in a personal way, about all the people who attacks you for speaking your mind, not only the trolls but also the self-righteous, finger wagers, so called “defenders or free speech” that will call you a bigot just because they don’t like what they read. But that is the history not work of the movie.

This movie raised a lot of dust because they didn’t nominated the Director because it was going to be the first time the Academy awarded a black female director but being honest this movie is not one of the greats of the year. Yes last year this movie would be at the level of 12 years slave but now they left out Nightcrawler that is totally awesome. The reason that “would have been the first black female director to win” is the worst for me, I think that should not guide nobody’s decision to award something. The only to considerate should be “was the movie one of the best of the year?” sadly this wasn’t, yes the message is good and if you take it in a modern context is even better, but that is looking to into it, more that the director wanted to do.

So, should I recommend this movie? Yes, but I recommend that you first watch the movie of Martin Luther King and the one of Malcom X or read their bios, I mean get informed about them because then you would not care for what they do in in the movie, as I said we are arriving to late in the story.

So sad, is a good story but the execution has some problems, from the script. As I said I could be one of the best last year.

Whiplash

OK I was so reluctant to watch this movie because I just saw the trailer and I thought that this will be a movie of the guy crying in a corner “I’m not good enough” and then jumping to fame and fortune, like every movie ever made in the late 80s early 90s but I was misled by my brain (that is usually right) while builds a movie from a trailer.

First I want to say that I try to put posters without reviews from other people, places or magazines, in some like in boyhood is impossible because they had to advertise everywhere that it was filmed along 12 years, but this movie deserves all the praises it has in the poster, also this poster fits great the other one with the drum and the bloody sticks is cool too, but the original is not so great.

This is the original poster, as you can see looks too dull and boring

The story follows Andrew who wants to be a jazz drummer or percussionist, or whatever they are called, how is difficult to improve yourself and the pressure of a demanding teacher. That is basically your plot, but what is great in the movie is the way this plot is taken, the characters involved in it, what they project to the viewers, and of course J.K. Simmons that guy should get an Oscar every year, because no matter how horrible can be he wins you over, being J.J. Jameson or Cave Johnson CEO of Aperture science he is great and seals every moment.

This movie portrays not only the way someone could endure the pressure of pursuing his/her dream but also the inner growth of overcoming all the obstacles, and the way a goal can becomes an obsession reaching toxic levels.

The music is great, not like in Birdman where the improvised jazz drums just make it feel longer and you wanted to stop in this one is well thought and well planned jazz so every time you hear the songs is great and you could hear the same 4 seconds over and over and not get tired, because you will hear them more than once, but is cool.

The character of J. K. Simmons threw me back to the time I was in college yes there where lots of teachers who didn’t made their job and just let everyone pass their classes but there where that few teachers who pushed you over the edge and was make it or break it with them, this is more common in art schools than in more conventional colleges because your grade is in the eyes and ears of your teacher and not in a formula.

All the actors make great parts, but again every time J.K. Simmons appears on screen he steals the moment. But our main character makes a fine job sustaining the movie by himself. People might say “there are just 2 characters in the movie” or “there are no important women” well tough the idea is to portray a man focus on his quest and an obsession, in other words, a tunnel vision and that closes the world around you, which was masterfully accomplished here.

So, who would I recommend this movie? Well people who like good music, hear it or play it, people who like good acting, people who studied some way of art in a formal way, not like a hobby, also people pursuing their dreams, so basically everybody. Yes I recommend this movie to everybody.

And I demand an Oscar for J. K. Simmons!

Lego Movie

Everything is Awesome! If you haven’t seen this movie go watch it now, Best movie of the year, great for everybody.

That’s my review :D

Well you want a longer review? Here it is.

Many people might see this movie and think “is a 90 minutes Lego advertisement” and it is, but is the best advertisement ever!

Every line of dialog is great for the plot and the character development; also it has critique on today’s society.

During the movie you see the main character, that he is trying to fit in in a society, but not because he is better than everybody but because that is what the instructions say, you know, Lego toys come with instructions so you can build the race car once and then put all pieces in a box so you can start to free style :P

But the movie works in lots of levels, from advertisement because you want to go and buy lots of Legos and build that giant robot you never could because of lack of pieces, to kids because is a funny movie with a simple plot and great characters, to teenagers because has the “find you place in the world” message and has a personal and spiritual quest. To adults because the comedy is everywhere and there are jokes everybody can appreciate about modern society and you can look at it as a criticism. And that is the great of this movie; it makes you care for those little plastic people with little mobility.

Also when you learn that is all computer generated you realize that there was a lot of work on it, they developed a software that builds with the Lego blocks that already exists so that means that you can build anything you see in the movie (also they sell it too, that exact thing you want)

So we have a great script, well voice acted, animated great, and one of the biggest box-office of the year. And is not nominated for best animated film, leave alone best film of the year. It only got nominated for best song, that to me is the best song of the year.

Yes I might be over doing it and seeing more than what is there and some boring people won’t be able to pass of the point that are toys or that is animation, I mean the academy thinks that, but is a great movie, to remind us that the movies are supposed to be fun and take us out of the world for a while.

What do I conclude? Lego movie is great, go watch it, did you watch it already? Well watch it again, I never get tired of it!

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

Nightcrawler

The only thing that I could say about this movie before I watch it was “At least there is a car crash” that was my selling speech for me about this movie and that was almost enough because last year we didn’t had that, but man do I was missing some of the movie.

What can I say about this movie? Really, I don’t know. Because I don’t want to give away anything of the movie, that is the reason of this whole paragraph, me to find out what to say about this movie without saying anything at all.

The story of this movie is centered in reality, the problems, solutions, people and situations are realistic, but always with a hint of movie magic, and we need that in a movie, is like a spice that if you use too much you ruin it, but with just the right hint makes reality way more interesting.

The movie is about the nightcrawlers, they are people who sell video of news to the stations, because they are all night hunting for those shots. In specific is the story of Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is a very determinate person wanting to do something with his life, but still doesn’t know what or how. So we see how his ideas and decisions mark his path, and that is his story. Different to birdman that we have many storylines and follow lots of people here we just follow Lou and learn about the rest in conversations they have with him.

The story has everything a good self-contained story has, the actors are great playing their parts and we don’t have dead moments, every point is part of Lou’s growth as a character, not only as a person but also professional. There are a couple of jumps in time but are totally well made, you feel that you know what happened in that lost time, not only know, you can almost imagine the scene, which says a lot about the movie. By the end you know so well the characters that you can make up what happened before and after the move, or maybe is just me :P

This movie will talk louder to people how have experience using cameras for a living. Not as much the ones making their own little Indy film but the ones making documentaries and working in news in countries where they have this kind of nights every night

As I said this movie has a great character development, a well-made story, great acting, cinematography goes perfect with every moment, and you have tension where it should be and the main character is one step ahead of the spectator all the time.

This movie should have been nominated for a lot of awards. But then again there is no Lego Movie so the Academy is a joke.

Grand Budapest Hotel

What? Is February already? That only means 2 things:

1 that I have been slaking a lot

And

2 Marathon writing!

The person that says that they can’t write under pressure they are no writers, because under pressure is the only way a writer can have anything done :P

This will be like in school when I made a whole script in one sitting, well I don’t have my 2 litters of Pop, my Cheetos and candy but I have put myself a deadline and I’m going to make it, I hope :P

So without any more rounds here it is:

Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson does it again! No, seriously is the same movie again :P same style on shots, photography, characters, script, is not wrong but feels like the same.

The movie starts with a flashback, in a flashback, in a flashback, and that is kind of bad because you have like 2 narrators in some parts of the movie and sometimes gets redundant, because they say something like “I was intrigued by that man” and then the other says “why would he be intrigued?”

The movie has a good light comedy line that always keeps but as always because it is a light comedy should have also some dramatic moments, moments to make it more serious or almost sad. But that is good because as it’s said “the dark makes the light seems brighter”

The characters are well developed with what is happening and of course they keep their traits and manners no matter in what situation they are, what gives way for good simple comedy and clever dialog. What remembers me the times of radio comedy or early times of TV what is created by a good script because if you have comedians improvising it is fast like a tennis match, but here you have the pauses you need and the silent and body reactions of a planned scene. The point where one character changes ethnicity from one flashback to another is a point that many people has discussed and I can see why people feel thrown out of the movie. Because of course nobody changes ethnicity during their life but here it happened and even some people lost track of the movie for a couple of minutes until it they got the change in actor, that is a problem from casting and direction because you cast people to look similar to make the same character, but any way, was a mistake.

But then again as I said, is basically the same movie Wes Anderson has been making, the locations made look like sets, strong colors in the back to make contrast with the characters, clever dialog on good characters with quirkiness and little details, and is good, like the others. But that is my point you don’t award somebody for making the same over and over even if they are making it right, for that you give special awards, you award something that is amazing and blows your mind, like when they awarded John Wayne for “True Grit” he said “I should have wear an eye patch years ago” but the award was because they were used to watch him as the good white hat cowboy, and there he was the drunk mean old man, and made it great. So to prove you have a wide spectrum in what you do.

The movie is good of a week end that you are in the mood to watch a light comedy, nothing special but entertained. Is clever and the characters win your sympathy so you care for what’s happening.