Reviews

'I'm your man' is funny, it's charming, it's entertaining but also insigthful when it needs to be, it's exactly what I wanted from the film's description.

In order to obtain research funds for her anthropology studies, Alma reluctantly accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment: for three weeks, she is to live with Tom, a humanoid robot created to make her happy.

Tom meets Alma at "a bar" which we quickly learn is an event designed to capture romantic feelings, a façade to initially test the A. I. flirting mecanisms and interactions with humans, the whole ordeal is a failure and this is just the beginning of Tom's rocky relationship with an unenthusiastic Alma.

Although Tom is design to be her dream guy, the "socially awkward" robot interactions of the first half of the film are some of the most funny and meaningful parts of the film. Tom is full of corny compliments, he's protective, he plans her ideal date nights, he does all her household chores, he is perfect... he's boring. But we quickly learn Tom's system is designed to learn from her responses and will truly become her ideal match... or will he?

The film definitely touches many themes we have seen explored before, but it displays their elements very cleverly even mixing some moments of tragedy but with a more optimistic approach to story than I initially expected from the film. 'I'm your man' escapes the cliché of technology turning against humanity and has more of an emotional approach to the characters bond, as the main conflict doesn't necessarily lies on Alma's 'abusing' the system with this relationship which leads to their downfall but more on her current inability to open up- overcoming her history and a new chance to accept that type of interaction into her life (again), with someone who may not entirely comprehend her emotional baggage at first... but he may be able to if given the chance.

Maybe the parts related to Alma's past and current job situation wasn't was interesting to me as the main relationship was, but the themes of her scientific work definitely added a layer of depth to her relationship with Tom. The film has the ending everyone expects though... it is the type of thing we have seen before, but the last scene is quite impactful.

Maren Eggert and Dan Stevens are great leads for this film, they have a lot of chemistry and even the akwardness of their interactions is insanely entertaining. I didn't even know I liked Dan Stevens until I saw him speaking german and acting robotic.

'I'm your man' is a good choice if you are looking for a fun rom-com with a bit more phylosophical depth to its plot.

Alex is a college freshman who joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive physical and psychological journey to make it to the top varsity boat, no matter the cost.

'The Novice' is an incredibly engrossing film, I would compare it to stories set on obsession, search for perfection, and competition, like Black Swan or Wihiplash.

Lauren Hadaway did a great job with this directorial debut creating a very tense and engrossing environment for the story to develop. Alex clearly shows signs of OCD, with actions that depict her intrusive thoughts, her obsessions which drive her to compulsion in her sport, and Hadaway captures it in a hectic and intense ways, you really feel like you are in her brain. The cinemanography is fantastic, the landscapes and the close-ups are some of my favourite elements of it capturing both the isolation and the overwhelming nature of Alex's compulsion.

Isabelle Fuhrman is great as the lead, she an actress I haven't follow as much since her debut in Orphan, but I will definitely check out what she has been up to in the last few years. Her characters is complex, you feel sorry for her, you cheer for her as you meet other characters because you empathize with the story she is telling you, even understanding the destructive nature of her behaviour... but there is a lot more to more to it than you expect from the start.

Maybe I expected a more tragic or explosive ending for the type of story, but I am glad the writer took a more realistic approach to the story.

Highly recommend this film.

Frustrated by dating apps, Noa takes a chance and gives her number to the charming Steve whom she meets one night at the supermarket. Fresh presents the young woman's challenging battle to survive the unusual appetites of her new boyfriend.

I wish I hadn't seen the trailer, read so much of the synopsis, and read headlines pointing out its "problematic" elements of Fresh, because I feel like I could have loved this movie for its wow factor, so that's my recommendation... see her investigating as little as you can.

Disguised as a romantic comedy at first, Fresh's plot is very disturbing from a thematic point of view, but with a light tone in many thriller scenes it becomes a black comedy, there are interesting character dynamics and unexpected twists.

Sebastian Stan and Daisy Edgar-Jones, fantastic in this movie, have great chemistry and play fun characters who are smart and keep you guessing what they're going to do next. As your characters progress, your relationship changes and grows, I just wish some elements would stay a mystery longer so the plot would be less predictable. Mimi Cave is a great director, I'm so excited to see her grow up and can't wait to see her next project, the horror elements are subtle and you become more aware of them as the movie unfolds.

Maybe because of her tone, she doesn't take the things she stands for so seriously and might "offend" some people, but she seemed smart to me. Explore one of the greatest universal fears, but with a dose of comedy. It's a bit of an extreme movie, but Fresh is worth it if you can handle dark themes.

One of the great surprises of 2022.

David (Mark Ruffalo) is a lonely landscape architect found himself attached to the spirit of Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon), the beautiful woman who used to live in his new apartment. They're both unhappy with it, but the only way to solve their situation is to figure out what happened to Elizabeth and why she is still there in the first place.

'Just like heaven' is a charming and sweet supernatural rom-com with a pinch of enermies-to-lovers, that mostly fulfills genre expectations.

The film could have taken the opportunity to reflect more on Elizabeth's family grief, and the strange concept of loss in her particular situation, but the focus is mainly in her workaholic ways and lack of emotional attachment, which gave her enough character development to keep the story moving. David's story was quite interesting, I wish they had added more conflict considering her past experiences, but it was quite moving and it explains a lot about him. Reese and Mark are adorable, I love their banter and they have anough chemistry to make them realistically fall for each other while understanding each other's flaws. The film has some fun mysteries as the female lead is trying to figure out her life before her passing, and the twists and turns of the plot keep you engaged and wanting more.

Yes, it's a bit corny, the small visual effects are cringey, but it's an ok rom-com to watch in 90 minutes.

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A group of young people plan a party during a hurricane in a mansion on a remote island. The celebration takes a grim turn when the guests begin to die, one by one. Bodies, bodies, bodies is an entertaining horror comedy with a cool young cast, but unfortunately it not my cup of tea.

As much as I enjoyed the humour of the film, the commentary on Gen Z, the discourse, their awarness (or lack there of) social issues, and the way they comunicate, as much as I liked the intrigue throughout the film and the crazy situations in which the characters got, I hated the ending of the film, and that has a weight on my final rating (I GET IT, but I hate it). Certain mysteries of the film were incredibly engaging, I didn't enjoy the film as much when we got to see exactly what was happening.

Rachel Sennott is so great, she is becoming one of my favourite young actresses and her scenes are certainly a standout of the film, but it is Lee Pace plays the most fun character in my opinion, the tension and awkwardness he brings into the story are awesome. The rest of the cast is just okay.

You will enjoy this film if you like horror comedies.

What a disappointment.

When the patriarch of a wealthy and powerful family suddenly passes away, he leaves his daughter Lauren with a shocking secret inheritance that threatens to destroy the family.

The concept for this movie is one we have seen before in different forms but this execution is mediocre at best. In my opinion, they tried too hard to make a "money problems" family drama which just felt flat and they haphazardly added other elements of the plot to make it obvious how we were suppose to feel about the characters, which felt forced and kind of gross.

I give Inheritance credit for its mystery unfolding and the way it keeps you guessing what happened, but I found some of the twists cliché and odd, we could have gotten a much more interesting psychological study instead.

The casting was off for the lead, Lily Collins is way too young to play a powerful NYC prosecutor, it's not only her age, the role just doesn't fit her, I just didn't find it believable at all. I love seeing Simon Pegg in anything... he doesn't save this doomed film, it's impossible.

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Bullet Train was one of my most anticipated movies of 2022 and it wasn't everything I wished for it to be.

While the film is filled with colourful characters, the setting, design and premise was quite interesting at the beginning, Bullet Train unfortunately ended up feeling as an increasingly ridiculous action display without much story there for the most part. I am not trying to sound pretentious, I understand some movies are just meant to be fast paced and action-packed, but I needed something else so that it wouldn't feel just like noise by the end of it.

The performances are a standout, this isn't the best Brad Pitt has been, but he is functional to the story and believable as the capable yet desperate protagonist Ladybug.

Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson are surprisingly great as the unlikely twins Lemon and Tangerine, the relationship between the two characters felt to me like the direct connection with the audience throughout the film, this is the only emotional arc I actually care about (did I find Aaron hotter than Brad Pitt too? Wow, never thought the say would come).

Horror movies tackling social issues have been trending and No one gets out alive is a good example of one which also includes a somewhat original mythology mixed with some traditional haunting elements, and good acting performances.

Ambar is an immigrant young woman who arrived to the US in search of the "American dream". Desperate without documentation, lacking money to survive and wondering how she is going to pay rent, she is forced to move into a boarding house where odd things start happening, soon she finds herself in a nightmare begins that she cannot escape. The film has something to say about the difficulties faced by undocumented migrants and the dangerous situations they are put through with a supernatural twist. It's easy to feel Amber's despair and anxiety as everything seems to go wrong and there are some creepy visuals as she starts to lose a grip of reality. The house was just horrendous, the entire setting and make up /visual effects are well-done. The ending... I don't know, it's not terrible but it's a type of open ending which seems to be in fashion these days probably due to the success of big franchises (there is another recent Netflix release which had a very similar ending).

If you liked this movie I recommend Our House (2020) on Netflix.

In Countdown a group of young people download an app that is supposed to tell them how long they have to live. It's all laughs and giggles until one of their number gets only a few hours, and then promptly they are dead on time. This is one of the many films that tried to modernize the concept of Final destination... but they don't get quite there, it ends up being just another generic and forgettable horror movie.

Granted, Countdown has some good moments of suspense and some interesting scenes of supernatural action, but unfortunately it fails on the dramatic parts of the story and the comedic characters are cringey af. The attempt to establish the relationship between the protagonist and her sister feel forced, the main couple's regrets from their past feel shoved into the story, even the attempt for a romantic relationship which doesn't go anywhere and is a bit dull.

This movie might work as a mainstream horror movie to switch off the brain, but there are better versions of this movie out there.

Heat is much more than an amazing cat-and-mouse crime tale, the viewer gets involved in the characters personal lives, their relationships and their family problems, it ends up being a story on loneliness and alienation too.

Pacino plays Vincent Hanna, a workaholic detective obsessed with bringing down Niel McClauley, played by De Niro, a skillful and methodical thief who always seems to get what he wants. Vincent and Neil's dynamic, one in which villain and hero respect, and almost admire, each other skills as they they keep trying to one-up the other, it's one of my favourite ever. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are incredible, as usual. I love the type of "classy villain" De Niro plays in this, his personal story was incredibly engaging, he is my favourite. This films is packed with talented actors though, all the performances are awesome, but a big shout out to Val Kilmer as Chris whose storyline is also so compelling.

The robbery/heist scenes are great. The cinematography focusing on LA City landscapes in fantastic. The scene at the airport is one of the best ever, suspenseful and with an incredible emotional ending. It's beautiful.

There are good reasons for why Heat is a classic... and you should definitely watch it if you haven't already.

Official history (def.): The official history is the narration of the facts with the purpose of justifying the actions and decisions of a regime or doctrine and often advances to the interested reinterpretation

Powerful and though- This story shows a perspective little explored in fiction about dictatorships. Choosing to tell the story from the place of an appropriating mother, who does not know the truth about her daughter's origins, and not from a grandmother of missing grandchildren/children, makes the dark reality unfold little by little, we accompany the path of discovery of the protagonist, and I was very moved. A very empathic look at the situation, but also claiming where it should be.

Ignorance is bliss, and above all a privilege, for Alicia the protagonist of this film who believes and teaches "the official history", but facing the truth, the testimony of one of her best friends and the natural curiosity about the origins of her daughter bring the harsh political reality closer to home. I think this is the first time I've seen Norma Aleandro in a movie, and I understand why she is so admired and loved. I feel that I encapsulate everything very subtly... the doubt, the fear, the empathy, the determination to find the truth but also the pain of facing it, the change in his somewhat disinterested nature, which could even be called apolitical, that change his way of see the world. This path of discovery keeps the movie interesting and I will definitely be looking for other of her movies.

The ending left me a little hesitant, perhaps I was expecting something more emotional and happy for those involved, perhaps I was waiting for a closure that was never going to come.

I ended up tearing up a bit anyway... I can't deny it.

A promising premise that didn't deliver.

From a technical pov, I believe the movie was really well shot and directed, with some nice cinematography. The cinematography enhanced the setting of the terrifying woods creating a tense atmosphere. The use of light and darkness for suspense was quite clever and I founf myself holding my breath in specific scenes.

Unfortunately when it comes to the plot, the movie feels quite flat, unoriginal and repetitive. While the initial setting was promising, and I certainly appreciate the effort to make the characters tridimensional and highlight their emotional bond. The acting is pretty good, Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine certainly have chemistry on screen, which made their mother-daugther relationship very real. However, the movie falls apart on its way to the third act.

I don't feel like the movie exploited the symbolism as much as it could, so much wasted potential, it did end up falling in a lot of horror clichés.

Would I recommend it? I don't know, if you're looking for a good family drama-horror mix, with all its problems The Babdook is far more satisfying in most aspects.

7.5/10

Don't Breathe is a 2016 suspense film directed by the Uruguayan Fede Alvarez and co-written by his usual partner Rodo Sayagues and takes the prize for the biggest surprise of the year.

The story follows a group of friends who decide to break into the house of a seemly harmless blind man that they think is hiding a fortune. But when the blind man turns out to be far more dangerous than they expected, trapped inside the house they must find a way to escape.

One of the greatest things about this movie is its characters. On one side we have Rocky a young woman wanting to start a new life on another city and give her little sister the life she deserved, and on the other we have The Blind Man a war veteran who is trying to get by and continue with his life after the death of his daughter. Of course our perception of the characters gets a bit altered once we face the fact that our protagonist Rocky and her Friends are common thieves, that are going to break into his house even when "is messed up to rob a blind guy"; and after we see that the Blind Man is willing to do ANYTHING to protect his home. This leads to an amazing cat and mouse chase inside the house that will surely take your breath away a couple times.

The cinematography and camera work is just perfect for this kind of movie. The long tracks following the characters really makes you feel the fear and claustrophobia, the movement and close-ups of the Blind Man made him look almost inhuman sometimes. Fede did an amazing work making it look this realistic and scary. I must also point out some incredible night vision scenes that blew my mind. Very innovative in most the technical points.

Including some very creepy scenarios this movie does not go away without its punch, but even when we are witnessing horrific acts the moral dilemma stills there, there are reasons behind every action, and that does not let the sympathy fade away. To me that fantastic character building and if a movies lets you wondering who was on the right or wrong at the end of it shows good character construction. However after all this praise I must admit the story has its plot holes, specially leading to the end of the film when big things are finally revealed to us, but fortunately it does not take away the enjoyment of the film.

Overall: Is this movie A MUST? I'd say so, if you want a well-done suspense film.

9/10 The final scene left me thinking, I don't know if that's something bad or good.

When I finished watching it, I felt the ending didn't make justice to the movie but it made me go instantly to the internet to read other people's interpretations/opinions. That means something, it wasn't a completely random ending because many people share interpretations... it was left to interpretation.

I admire Alejandro Iñárritu for taking risks and made a movie that could've gone terribly wrong, but ended up being awesome. Birdman is a masterpiece, watching it is an experience. A must.see

It last almost 2 hours, and I wanted more, I'd definitely watch 60 min more of that movie, because it was beautiful to watch, incredibly funny but somehow depressing at the same time. The story was incredible, so entertaining; wonderful characters with smart dialogue and the acting on point, ALL the actors were amazing in their roles.

I recommend this to everyone, but specially to fans of movies and theatre. And it'll sound weird, but... I think fans of big superheroes franchises need to watch this movie (even when Birdman is not a superhero movie). because this is what happen to the actors after the movies end.