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Gold (2022)
Survive: don't lose your resources, your head or your moral compass
Zac Efron is a young traveller looking to better his luck by working in a compound in the middle of nowhere. He arrives at a desolate railway stop to meet Anthony Hayes, the man who will drive him across the desert to his desired destination. An engine failure during the journey becomes a stroke of luck as it allows Zac to find a huge gold nugget but, unable to extract it, they decide to split up, with the protagonist guarding the location while Anthony returns with an excavator. Our hero will have to survive in the desert for around five days. He'll have to build a shelter, manage food and water, and watch out for unfriendly visitors... Will he make it?
The setting depicts a near future in which global warming and scarcity have had an impact on the planet. The shots are amazing and effectively transport you to this sweltering, inhabited environment. The acting is good (I especially liked Anthony's role) and, as for the story, I liked the way it combined a survival experience with a moral tale. The film has few dialogues, although you shouldn't ignore them because what someone asks for can say you a lot about his personality.
Sleepless (2017)
A flawed popcorn movie
In this film, Jamie Foxx plays Vincent Downs, a Las Vegas police officer who robs a large quantity of cocaine from a stereotypical casino owner. The heist doesn't end well for him, as his son is kidnapped, dragging the action to the Luxus Casino, where the centre of the story unfolds.
The tangle Vincent finds himself in involves the casino staff, the drug mafia and the internal police unit. This situation makes for entertaining fight scenes, but they are ruined by plot errors: 1) having been stabbed a few hours ago, the man alternates between being severely injured and completely unharmed. 2) How does he manage to escape from a closed building such an absurd number of times?! 3) Novak turns the garage into a gassed war zone and they escape alive through a Deus ex machina.
Popcorn films, like this 'Sleepless' piece, aim to provide simple entertainment, aspiring to be a 6 at best. As this one has many errors, I give it a 3 out of 10.
Drive (2011)
Driver had me in the first half
The film creates an appealing atmosphere right from the start: the opening credits in pink lettering and electronic music provide the retro aesthetic, and the frantic night-time getaway of our Driver (Ryan Gosling) adds the action ingredient to this thriller. Then the protagonist meets Irene (Carey Mulligan) and they soon begin an affective relationship, beautifully played by both actors. However, the love story tangles and ends with the driver being forced to retake his criminal work, which leads to a tragic event. This is the turning point of the film - about halfway through the action - and, in my opinion, also the beginning of its decline.
In the second part, the protagonist shows his violent and ruthless side, which contrasts with the mildness of the first part. This contrast is symbolised by the scorpion jacket, which represents the burden of his dark side. This metaphor is an effective device that adds depth to the film, but I think the director's use of this dichotomy is unnatural. The lift scene is the clear example of this, the director (Nicolas Winding Refn) shows the contrast too explicitly for me. Afterwards, I think that the spiral of brute violence is not justified (the hammer, the fork, the barber's knife, the creepy mask...), and that the way the plot unravels is chaotic. The ending, regardless of the convenient outcome of the final fight, leaves you with a pleasant feeling.
Assimilate (2019)
Ordinary reboot
'Assimilate' takes place in a small, quiet Kentucky town where nothing unusual is happening, except for the fact that a couple of guys are filming a web series. On that set, things start to go wrong as the villagers are turning into mindless copies of themselves, so three young friends will try to solve this mystery.
In short, the film is completely forgettable. The story is a present-day adaptation of 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1956). The filmmaking consists of a lousy plot, unnecessary go-pro scenes and annoying sound effects, plus unremarkable performances into the bargain. Although, I must admit that two jump scares got me.
The love story is nice and the cop story is OK, but the main action of the film is just poor. Not to mention the ending, that TV scene - which looked like an old video game - was a totally clichéd finale.
Do Revenge (2022)
A nice high school movie with Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke
'Do Revenge' is a high school film about two teenage girls who do what the title suggests: get revenge. Don't be angry if you find the action a bit irrational, as the characters are going through adolescence. They are not supposed to behave like adults, but are mean and ruthless one moment (sometimes even psycho), and compassionate and sensitive the next. I thought to myself: "Okay, I can live with that, I'm just looking for a good time".
As for the fact that the protagonists are twenty-something actresses as 17-year-old students, it can have a disengaging effect on you (also the colourful costumes and sets). However, I have to admit that the only reasons that moved me to see this film are Camila Mendes and Maya Hawke, otherwise I would never watch it.
The main plotwist was completely unexpected for me. I consider it the highlight of the film, the thing I will remember when I think about it; unlike the ending, which I didn't find surprising, it felt forced. Overall, I think it was an enjoyable high school movie.
The Figo Affair: The Transfer That Changed Football (2022)
Was Figo a traitor? The answer is up to you
I am not a Real Madrid fan, nor a Barcelona fan. I decided to watch this story because I was intrigued by the Figo transfer, which is a very popular topic in Spain and about which I know very little. All in all, I must admit that "The Figo Affair" is a rather interesting documentary that would appeal to football fans, regardless of their favourite club.
The action has many ingredients of a good tale: charismatic characters, vested interests, passion and betrayal. After watching it, I think it is definitely a story that deserves to be shown. Although it was not entirely clarifying, it reveals some unknown aspects of the transfer.
As for the production, it presents very valuable videos of the time, it manages to transport you to that era. I also liked the fact that the film uses Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan because it faithfully represents the reality of this story. However, I think the length of the film is a bit excessive - it could have omitted some parts of the RM vs Barça rivalry that are widely known.
Luis Figo made a move that shocked the football world and aroused both love and hatred. Was he a traitor? Judge for yourself.
Children of Men (2006)
Science fiction premise ends up in a mediocre thriller
'Children of Men' presents the idea of a chaotic world due to an anomalous disaster: the complete infertility of women. In that context, Theo (an ex-activist who is now a government worker) gets involved in a risky task that turns out to be a meaningful mission for humanity. So far so good, we have an action hero story taking place in an original dystopia I personally found appealing. However, the movie didn't live up to my expectations at all.
Despite creating a powerful atmosphere (thanks to a fantastic photography and the use of long-takes), the film fails to engage you because of its poor plot. It is not that there are many futuristic situations that are hard to take in, it is the fact that you continuously witness a series of inconceivable events: narrow-escapes, companions' deaths, random animal appearances, etc. They simply ruin the story! It feels as if the filmaker intended to demonstrate great skill shooting, and didn't care about telling a good story.
Looking on the bright side of things, I like the notable criticism of gun violence and discrimination, and, even though it was a little clichéd, the conclusion was nice.