Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

directed by Spike Jonze

based on the picture book by Maurice Sendak

screenplay by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers

An adaptation of a 300 word children's classic picture book cannot get better than this. The movie may be entertaining for kids, and like in the book, they may relate to Max, but I believe that young adults and parents will get more from it and appreciate it more. What Jonze does throughout the film is make the audience feel 9 again, and he does it so effectively that the feeling of nostalgia is inevitable. We all have a Max inside and Jonze awakens him. It is so easy to feel what Max is feeling, and so satisfactory to understand his actions and reactions in both the real and the imaginary world.

The movie is so psychologically profound that it complements the study of the book. Loneliness, frustration and anger are the main feelings that drive Max to escape and enter the dark wilderness of his subconscious, where he becomes King and starts his rule with a wild rumpus. The creatures each represent some aspect of Max's personality. He explores his fears with joy and angst, constructs and destroys in order to find catharsis. He experiences self-knowledge.

The film is visually stunning with live-action characters and surreal sceneries that represent the human's expansive, infinite and beautiful mind. Only Jonze could have directed this wonderful piece. The soundtrack, penned by Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is almost like a character in the movie; it is essential to translate the message both Sendak and Jonze are trying to communicate.

Very Recommended.

Rating: 9.25/10

Dazed and Confused (1993)

directed by Richard Linklater
with: Jason London, Joey Lauren Adams, Ben Affleck, Rory Cochrane, Cole Hauser, Matthew McConaughey, Sasha Jenson, and Parker Posey

After an artful and accurate attempt at depicting college life with monotony in Slacker, Linklater decided to take a step backwards in time and forward in rhythm, to depict the lives of confused youngsters who are realizing their high school days are over and therefore, need to use time wisely. Dazed by this feeling, the different stereotypes of high schoolers decide to drink, smoke, drive around town, have sex, hang out and talk, all without a particular purpose except to portray reality with truth, rather than cheesy fantasies.

In this semi-autobiographical piece, Linklater is so honest that Dazed and Confused is probably the most important and significant movie about the last days of high school ever made; it feels real and awakens moments of nostalgia. It is fun and rebelious and represents an entire generation and culture.

Very recommended.
Rating: 8.25/10

Slacker (1991)

directed by Richard Linklater

In indie cult classic, Slacker, Linklater let's us listen and observe the directionless but educated young demographic of Austin, Texas. These group of unmotivated bohemians raise interesting topics that may be considered postmodern (global warming is discussed). These exchanges of ideas between people are usually in the form of monologues, where one expresses their point of view to the other, interested or not, who listens or pretends to listen. The pace of conversation and the rhythm of the movie represent the slacker's apparent way of life: linear, routine and almost boring. But the things said have a three-dimensional structure of required intellect; relevant or not, true or false.

Linklater borrows Luis Bunuel's idea in The Phantom of Liberty, where the story of a character is followed by a passer-by's story and so on until the ending of the movie. So, once a character is out of the scene, they will never appear again. This way, the director gives us a quick and generalized glance of the slacker population with a surrealist and comedic eye. Slacker is clearly about those who think, talk and complain, instead of acting and reacting and for those who embrace irony and absurdity.

Very recommended.
Rating: 8.5/10

Mullholland Dr. (2001)

written and directed by David Lynch

with: Naomi Watts, Laura Elena Harring, Justin Theroux

It's hard to put Mulholland Dr. into words since it is a collection of beautiful imagery and sound that flow so perfectly and violently into the viewer's mind that if one does not let go it may not work. Mulholland Dr. is only for those who enjoy a truly cinematic experience, so complex that even the DVD includes 10 clues to solve the mystery. Because the mystery is not only the one in the movie but in the audience's perception of it. It is one of those surrealist pieces that is paved in dreamlike sequences that do belong but easily seem not to. And the great thing about the movie is that it does makes sense, most things are there for a reason. And when you get to decipher the decisions that Lynch made and when you truly understand its essence and narrative, it can be nearly one of the best movies of all times, because it pretty much dives into the power of the subconscious mind of a character that belongs to the Hollywood filmmaking environment.

It is a movie about a woman's dream of becoming an actress, (Betty/Diane Selwyn interpreted by Watts), and a dream based on that dream, and the reasons of why she dreams that, and the clues of why her psyche works the way it works in her dream and in her real life. And this is all purely natural and understandable, so humanistic if you are empathetic about her life situation. She is jealous about her ex-partner (she left her for a man, a movie director played by Theroux) and successful actress (Camilla Rhodes/Rita played by Harring) that she makes a decision that she regrets. It is all so detailed and meticulous that a lot of events and objects that may seem insignificant or out of place are most important to understand it. I won't go further because I could end up writing one thousand pages on particularities and personal assumptions and I do not want to spoil it or mislead you. I encourage you to watch it as many times as necessary until you understand it.

Must see.

Rating: 9.75/10

It (1990)

directed by Tommy Lee Wallace

based on a novel by Stephen King

with: Harry Anderson, Richard Masur, Tim Reid, Richard Thomas, Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Tim Curry, Seth Green, Brandon Crane, Jonathan Brandis, Olivia Hussey

I remembered being excessively frightened by this movie when I was a kid. I had nightmares with Pennywise and I was afraid of sewers for a while. Agh, scary memories. I decided to watch it again to finally get over it a few days ago and it still contains some of the fearful ideas it used to have in the nineties. It is a horror movie, not for kids, but childish in many ways. It is scary, not explicitly but idealistically, and it is long, with over 3 hours of footage. It is so early nineties that it is hard to dislike. The director made some really good decisions when making this film. The clown almost always looks directly at the camera, which reminds the viewer that he is in a movie, but that at the same time he can almost reach out and eat you. It has some very cheesy moments, some funny moments, and some family-friendly scenes that change the rhythm of the movie. At the same time it contains horrifying, imaginative moments that will traumatize some of the younger kids who are attracted by balloons. In essence the movie is only about childhood fears, overcoming them and being haunted by them sometimes in adult life. It is about living in a particular context that influences your future adult life. Everything is about context and about childhood memories. The last 30 minutes are absolutely terrible (they ruined the good second impression I was having), conceptually and cinematographically, but overall It is a good enough and creative adaptation that will keep you with your eyes open for a few hours.

Worth a look.

Rating: 6/10

The Hangover (2009)

directed by Todd Phillips

with: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha, and Jeffrey Tambor

The Hangover is a funny movie, which is something that funny movies have been lacking lately, like Funny People, which does have a funny cast, but fails to be funny. The Hangover also has a a very funny cast, Zach Galifianakis (Alan) in particular. This film is unique, it is very well scripted and detailed, and everything flows naturally, with no need to think, but only to imagine oneself in a similar situation. This movie doesn't necessarily have the best one-liners and jokes, but it does have some hilarious situations that seem so unlikely to happen, that it becomes intriguing and almost mysterious, it makes you want to jump in the screen and help them in their quest to recover their lost memories, erased by a drug called roofie (who Alan put in their Jaggermeister shots thinking it was ecstasy), the same that at the end helps them solve their main issue: find the bridegroom and their best friend, Doug.

The Hangover is another Las Vegas comedic road trip adventure of craziness and male-bonding, drunkenness and carelessness, but it is actually funny in most parts, even when the credits are rolling. And Mike Tyson has a tiger in it!

Recommended.

Rating: 7.25/10

Moi Aussi, Geraldine! (2009)

This is my first short film. It was shot with a Canon Vixia HFS100 in Mexico City and Valle de Bravo, Mexico, during a summer weekend. It is a surrealistic and experimental piece that started with a dream. I hope you like it and comment. Thanks!

Eagle vs. Shark (2007)

written and directed by Taika Cohen
with: Loren Horsley, Jemaine Clement

New Zealand's Eagle vs. Shark is noticeably in the same vein of Napoleon Dynamite. But with some (Wes) Andersionian-like witty humor, aesthetics and psychological analysis of the characters, it ends up being a unique mix of entertainment. It is a comedic romance between two socially inept characters. Lily, an innocent girl who lives with her brother and whose parents are dead, works at a fast food restaurant, plays the guitar timidly, watches documentaries on sharks (who are lonely predators like her) and has a secret crush for Jarrod, a systematic, meticulous, perfectionist, candle maker, collector of childishly creative objects and video game enthusiast with low self-esteem, who seeks his father's approval (who only praises his dead son) and works at a tech shop.

Taika Cohen does a great job when shooting these characters. Most times alienated from the rest of the cast, and when being part of a collective, like Jarrod's favorite animal costume party, the others are as awkward or even more. Jarrod focuses his energies in training to fight his high school nemesis, a Samoan who bullied him. Lily puts all her effort and patience in trying to catch Jarrod's attention and to be with him. Jarrod's mentality and training techniques are absolutely hilarious. Lily's methods to woo him are just too cute and honest.

The movie has wonderful music that sets the mood. It has unexpected animated sequences that would rarely be seen in Hollywood. It has quirky outfits and detailed mise-en-scenes, plus some memorable phrases and absurd geeky humor that won't disappoint.

Recommended.
Rating: 8/10

Taking Woodstock (2009)

directed by Ang Lee

based on the novel by Eliot Tiber

with: Demetri Martin, Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano,

Taking Woodstock revisits the three day experience of half a million people who gathered to be in peace and freedom while listening to music. The hippie scene of the 60's, which is directly linked to drug use and antiwar protests, is accurately portrayed in the movie, as it is based in original Woodstock footage and testimonials.

When I was in the theater watching the movie, three old ladies, who were original Woodstock goers, were melting in memories and laughter, they said things like 'oh, that brings back some memories' and everyone seemed to respect them for being part of that, for being part of an event that changed the world.

The movie has two main focuses. One, the organization, planning and issues with the place and event where Woodstock took place. Two, the liberation of a young man's mind as he experiences with drugs and sex.

Ang Lee's vision of Woodstock is better than I expected. It is liberal, as it should be, and reminiscent of the times, entertaining and somewhat informative. I expected less of this 40th anniversary celebration for the big screen. The movie is not revolutionary as Woodstock was, but it has eye catching visuals, especially when representing the LSD trip.

Slightly Recommended.

Rating: 7.25/10

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

directed by Quentin Tarantino

with: Brad Pitt, Christopher Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak

Inglorious Basterds is the most original war movie and Tarantino's best. He decides to create a fictional version of fun-packed violent and witty vengeance based in three characters that represent an entire ideology. The Nazi detective (Waltz), the southern-accent heroic american soldier (Pitt) and the attractive and vengeful jew (Laurent). These three dominate the screen and create a world that is so appealing to anyone who loves suspenseful, progressive, and violent filmmaking with cinematic and narrative perfection. This movie belongs to a genre of its own, as it is incomparable and hard to define; extremely fresh and innovative.

Tarantino is a geek. He knows so much about filmmaking that he can play with it, he makes his own rules, he has fun. It's groundbreaking, no one else could have done it. He has a vision of his own and Inglorious Basterds very well represents it. I won't say more, just watch it!

Must see.

Rating: 9.5/10

Blindness (2008)

directed by Fernando Meirelles

with: Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, Gael Garcia Bernal, Danny Glover, Alice Braga

based on a novel by Jose Saramago

An epidemic of white blindness is spread in a city, infected people are being held in quarantine. An allegory of the modern world.

At first, I was hesitant about watching this movie because I had read the book and had found it very enjoyable for its well written prose and intelligent allegories that teach about human nature. I thought it was extremely hard to make a film about it and that anyone who tried would fail, even Meirelles, who I like. It surprised me because the film does stick to the essence of the book and it does contain the important parts and it's entertaining. I felt at some points that it was too Americanized, like if Meirelles was given a list of necessary things that chaotic and dramatic movies must contain in order to be more accepted (and it wasn't). It is not as honest as 'City of God' or 'City of Men', but it's acceptable. It is cruel and violent enough to represent the ideas of the book, but never too morbid or gruesome to be considered offensive. I disliked the cast and their acting, but in general, it is a good movie. Read the book!

Approach with caution.

Rating: 6.75/10

Everything is Illuminated (2005)

directed by Liev Schreiber

with: Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin

based on a novel by Jonathan Safron Foer

A young jewish American, meticulous and dedicated collector of family related objects, goes to Ukraine in the search of his immigrant grandfather's past.

The film starts off almost as a stereotypical satire of ethnic comedy, but slowly evolves in the form of a serious obscure drama in a very effective way. The clash of cultures is interestingly portrayed, of course, not with an informative or social eye, but for mere entertainment, and it works out perfectly for American audiences. The movie has a great visual style, that when combined with the wonderful score, everything that surrounds the sequences seems to be adequate. I like this film because it is about the consequences of extreme human curiosity. It explores coincidences and destiny and how people always want to understand their roots and origins, to comprehend who they are. It narrows the gap of ethnic differences to help us understand that we are all truly not very different from each other.

It is funny, clever and easy to enjoy. More American films should be like this.

Very Recommended.

Rating: 8/10

This is England (2008)

written and directed by Shane Meadows

with: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham

The film is about 11-year-old Shaun, who, after being bullied many times, runs into a gang of skinheads who later on become his friends. Shaun is grieving for his recently deceased father who was at war and needs an escape, just like the rest of the gang and like any youngster growing up. Shaun experiences with drugs, alcohol, women, violence and attire.

This film is a bittersweet semi-autobiographical piece based on the personal experiences of Shane Meadows. It basically tries to show the essence of the skinheads in the most honest way, which is different from the usual preconceptions people relate to the movement. It contains positive social and civil aspects, which are not very often portrayed in these type of movies. It explains the reasons why people join a gang and how it helps them improve their lives and self-confidence and how things can go wrong, and that is why I like this movie. It explores more than the superficiality (war, violence, racism, nationalism, drugs, freedom, crime) and submerges itself into the psychological aspects of the characters, offering explanations to each of their behaviors and actions. If the viewer feels like a member of the group, it's because the director filmed it in such a way that it makes you feel closer to them and relate and understand each one of them. It feels realistic.

Recommended.

Rating: 7.25/10

Contempt (1963)

directed by Jean-Luc Godard

with: Michel Piccoli, Brigitte Bardot, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang (as himself), Georgia Moll

Contempt is a very interesting film in Godard's career. It is a cynical and realistic viewpoint of the filmmaking business, where the writer, producer and director have personal interests that differ from each other and particular reasons for participating in a project (in this case, Homer's Odyssey).

Commercial cinema is always run by money and this may create conflicts with anyone who is involved in it. Director Fritz Lang wants to create an art film, while money-driven American producer played by Palance, tries to make a more mainstream version of it. Writer, interpreted by Piccoli, is in it for the money so that he can improve his marriage, but at the same time his wife is wooed by Palance and her love for her husband starts to fade.

Godard himself went through similar issues while filming Contempt, and they are noticeable in the film. This was the first movie where a producer offered him a big budget to shoot and produce, and a famous cast, with beautiful and talented Brigitte Bardot as the biggest star. Godard didn't have as much creative freedom as he did in his past films but it is still very Godardian. It was a new experience for him that influenced his following movies.

Essentially, Contempt about the fading of a marriage. It is honest, witty, entertaining and sad, with attractive imagery and great editing. And Fritz Lang is in it!

Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9/10

Acid House (1998)

directed by Paul McGuigan

with: Stephen McCole, Kevin McKidd, Ewen Bremmer, Gary McCormack

Acid House is difficult to describe. It is a trilogy of short stories written by Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting). It is so emotionally and physically violent and hateful that viewers may even suffer while watching it, if they can finish watching it. It is supposedly based in 'bad acid trips' and it feels like hell. 

The movie starts off well with the first story, 'The Granton Star Case'. The director seems to be somewhat creative and humorous. It is about a young man who has probably the worst day of his life. He gets kicked out of his house by his parents who hate him for being an obstacle in their masochistic and psychotic sexual practices. He is kicked out of the soccer team and dumped by his girlfriend. He has an encounter with God himself who turns him into a fly and then the story gets interesting...

'A Soft Touch', the second story, and the most disturbing and depressing (not only of the movie, but probably of all stories I've ever heard of) is about a couple who get married, have a baby and move in to a new apartment. Their neighbor complicates their relationship and causes an inhumane and unthinkable series of events that touch the weakest fibers of human feelings. 

The final story, 'Acid House' is about a guy who takes acid and is struck by lighting. His soul (behavior, knowledge and attitudes included) is transferred to a baby's body, and vice-versa. Imagine the baby (with an adult's mind) interacting with 'his mom' and the adult (with a baby's mind) interacting with 'his girlfriend and friends'. 

I like this film because it shows us how far film can transfer emotions. It is an effective film and I appreciate it for its power, it takes us to places unimagined. I dislike this film because I think it goes too far just for the sake of showing impacting imagery with disturbing ideas about life. It is completely nihilistic and it may be a pathetic or a pleasant experience, depending on the mood. It is a love/hate relationship. Oh, and it does have a good soundtrack with songs by Belle & Sebastian, Oasis, Primal Scream, The Chemical Brother and others. 

Approach with caution. 

Rating: 5.5/10