An absolute masterpiece by arguably the best director alive. Like Sergio Leone before him, Flanagan uses the genre only as a palette to tell stories of deep human meaning, with superb craftsmanship, rhythm and sense of beauty. Every movie or series by Flanagan seems better than the last one, but this time he truly outdid himself. I can't recommend this enough, and I'm genuinely thankful for having watched it.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Revenant
(I) (2015)
One for the Ages
27 December 2015
This is a masterpiece. After watching Mad Max: Fury Road, I thought no other film would be able to top it this year, but The Revenant is right up there with it.
Let me start by saying that I have not been a fan of Iñárritu in particular. His films are generally not my cup of tea –even though his talent is undeniable. This time around, however, he truly outdid himself and actually showed that he can soar at the same heights as Kurosawa himself.
The Revenant is a revolutionary piece of film-making in how they managed to use natural light, breath-taking camera angles, incredible action sequences, long shots, stunning locations and previously unseen special effects.
The pace, length and rhythm of the movie are exactly what they need to be for an epic tale of this magnitude. The performances by the entire cast are memorable, and Lubezki's camera-work is peerless.
In short, I find it hard to recall a movie as engaging, realistic and groundbreaking as The Revenant. Beyond its technical mastery, the cast, crew and writers managed to deliver a powerful message about the power of nature, human will and love.
Let me start by saying that I have not been a fan of Iñárritu in particular. His films are generally not my cup of tea –even though his talent is undeniable. This time around, however, he truly outdid himself and actually showed that he can soar at the same heights as Kurosawa himself.
The Revenant is a revolutionary piece of film-making in how they managed to use natural light, breath-taking camera angles, incredible action sequences, long shots, stunning locations and previously unseen special effects.
The pace, length and rhythm of the movie are exactly what they need to be for an epic tale of this magnitude. The performances by the entire cast are memorable, and Lubezki's camera-work is peerless.
In short, I find it hard to recall a movie as engaging, realistic and groundbreaking as The Revenant. Beyond its technical mastery, the cast, crew and writers managed to deliver a powerful message about the power of nature, human will and love.
True Detective
(2014– )
Season 1, a Masterpiece; Season 2, don't even.
30 August 2015
Season 1 is a masterpiece. The writing, directing and acting are among the very best I've ever seen on film or TV. It has everything going for it, from deep philosophical background to character development, cinematography, perfect tempo and the beauty of redemption. Fukunaga proved that he is a great director, while Woody Harrelson and Matthew McCounaghey simply played the roles of their lives so far. In short, True Detective's Season 1 could really be my favorite all-time series.
There are few things as dangerous as success and widespread acclaim. More often than not, whenever a work –be it a film, a series, a book, what have you– meets extraordinary success it tends to attract all sorts of people, ideas and interests that can easily ruin its further development.
It has happened in many TV series, and one of the best examples is True Detective.
After Season 1, the suits –whoever they are– came in. In their infinite middle-man wisdom, they decided that what made the series a success were the shallow, obvious, superficial aspects that are just a means to convey the message. They almost always do that, confusing substance with packaging. And they set off to create a "dark, gritty and slow" season 2. Of course, that is practically all they got. Season 2 has no heart, no spirit. You may want to steer clear from it.
A special mention goes to Vince Vaughn, though, who really gave it his all and managed to offer a very good performance.
Perhaps in Season 3 True Detective will find its way back to art, instead of sinking further into greed and superficiality. We'll see.
There are few things as dangerous as success and widespread acclaim. More often than not, whenever a work –be it a film, a series, a book, what have you– meets extraordinary success it tends to attract all sorts of people, ideas and interests that can easily ruin its further development.
It has happened in many TV series, and one of the best examples is True Detective.
After Season 1, the suits –whoever they are– came in. In their infinite middle-man wisdom, they decided that what made the series a success were the shallow, obvious, superficial aspects that are just a means to convey the message. They almost always do that, confusing substance with packaging. And they set off to create a "dark, gritty and slow" season 2. Of course, that is practically all they got. Season 2 has no heart, no spirit. You may want to steer clear from it.
A special mention goes to Vince Vaughn, though, who really gave it his all and managed to offer a very good performance.
Perhaps in Season 3 True Detective will find its way back to art, instead of sinking further into greed and superficiality. We'll see.
Backcountry
(I) (2014)
Very Satisfying
13 July 2015
This is a very good example of how to use relatively few resources with great skill to create maximum suspense. The direction is refreshingly good, the pace of the movie is perfectly set, and all the technical and artistic aspects are held together beautifully.
Missy Peregrym delivers an outstanding performance, as does Eric Balfour. The cinematography is more than adequate for the style of the movie, the music is used sparingly and helps setting the mood, and the scenes with the bear are impeccable. Dialogues are also spare, just like they needed to be. You know you are watching a good film when no words are required to keep you on the edge of your seat for long stretches of time.
Little or nothing has been written here about the subtle message conveyed by the movie with the significant little twist at the end – and in the scene with the caribou as well. It relates to the essential message, which is mankind's alienation from the natural world, with all its terror and all its wonder. It has been done before many times, of course, but Backcountry delivers it in a non-intrusive, elegant way.
A very solid opera prima by Adam MacDonald, and a film certainly worth watching!
Missy Peregrym delivers an outstanding performance, as does Eric Balfour. The cinematography is more than adequate for the style of the movie, the music is used sparingly and helps setting the mood, and the scenes with the bear are impeccable. Dialogues are also spare, just like they needed to be. You know you are watching a good film when no words are required to keep you on the edge of your seat for long stretches of time.
Little or nothing has been written here about the subtle message conveyed by the movie with the significant little twist at the end – and in the scene with the caribou as well. It relates to the essential message, which is mankind's alienation from the natural world, with all its terror and all its wonder. It has been done before many times, of course, but Backcountry delivers it in a non-intrusive, elegant way.
A very solid opera prima by Adam MacDonald, and a film certainly worth watching!
Exorcist II: The Heretic
(1977)
Time will do this film justice
14 May 2015
The fact that so many pulled no punches against this very good film at its premiere –as some still do, speaks volumes about our unjustified preconceptions and expectations, dictated by media, marketing and perceptual bias.
This reminds me of other equally unjustified cases from film makers and/or franchises that tend to create the same kind of expectations in some of us. It happened with the sequels to the Matrix, which are both excellent, and also with practically every film by M. Night Shyamalan after The Sixth Sense.
As long as some audiences impair their own sensibilities by prioritizing comparisons of books, music pieces or films instead of fostering their own ability to appreciate a work of art on its own, the message delivered by the work will go over their heads and be lost.
Fortunately, time can heal generational misconceptions. Boorman is a very good director, and this is a film rich in imagery, philosophy, and thought-provoking themes. That they were able to create it even after going through what was obviously a bumpy production process makes it perhaps even more valuable.
Of course the film is not technically perfect, due precisely to those difficulties. But you can tell when something comes from the heart because that doesn't matter at all.
This reminds me of other equally unjustified cases from film makers and/or franchises that tend to create the same kind of expectations in some of us. It happened with the sequels to the Matrix, which are both excellent, and also with practically every film by M. Night Shyamalan after The Sixth Sense.
As long as some audiences impair their own sensibilities by prioritizing comparisons of books, music pieces or films instead of fostering their own ability to appreciate a work of art on its own, the message delivered by the work will go over their heads and be lost.
Fortunately, time can heal generational misconceptions. Boorman is a very good director, and this is a film rich in imagery, philosophy, and thought-provoking themes. That they were able to create it even after going through what was obviously a bumpy production process makes it perhaps even more valuable.
Of course the film is not technically perfect, due precisely to those difficulties. But you can tell when something comes from the heart because that doesn't matter at all.
Lucy
(I) (2014)
A Masterpiece
24 September 2014
"Lucy" is an absolute masterpiece –exciting, enjoyable, and backed by cutting-edge scientific research on fields like quantum mechanics and neuroplasticity. Besson's handles with masterful, seamless simplicity several different timelines and spaces. Both Freeman and Johansson come up with excellent performances, as does the rest of the cast and crew. The film is great from a technical standpoint, but what really matters is the profound sense of empathy that Besson manages to convey. Do yourself a favor and go watch this movie with an open and attentive mind and heart. You might just walk out of the theater a bit more intelligent and appreciative than when you walked in.
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