Lone Survivor (2013)

Directed by: Peter Berg
Country: USA

Movie Review: Based on true events, “Lone Survivor” tells the ill-fated story of four soldiers, members of Navy-SEAL Team 10, who went to Afghanistan’s Kunar Province with the mission of capture/kill a dangerous Taliban leader. The 2005 mission known as ‘Operation Red Wings’ was a complete failure, and only Marcus Lutrell, performed without great brilliance by Mark Wahlberg, escaped with life from the hellish mountains populated with numerous and ferocious Taliban who came out from all directions. The troubles arise when the team loses communication with the base, after has accidentally bump into two youths and an elder Taliban, deciding to release them afterwards as a good practice conduct. Peter Berg (“The Kingdom”, “Hancock”) was able to depict the soldiers’ despair and bravery in a raw manner, capturing some beautiful images among the devastating scenarios of war, but the film loses some grip as the story reaches its final part. I think those final minutes took the film to where I didn’t want to, sweeping some of the good thing it had done till there. Even so, this terrifying journey is worth watching, and for several occasions I felt this nightmare as if I was there in the middle of the mountains, witnessing my companions dying little by little. Far from essential, “Lone Survivor” shall please war genre fans, serving simultaneously to reinforce that this conflict shouldn't be against a country and its people, but against its fanatic minority factions.

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August: Osage County (2013)

Directed by: John Wells
Country: USA

Movie Review: Counting with George Clooney and Weinstein brothers as producers and based on Tracy Letts’ celebrated play with the same name, “August: Osage County" cinematic adaptation by John Wells was part satisfying and part disappointment. In the summer heat of Oklahoma, the three Weston sisters, Barbara (Julia Roberts), Ivy (Julianne Nicholson), and Karen (Juliette Lewis), reunite with their drug-addict, poignant, and sick mother, Violet (Meryl Streep), for her husband’s funeral after he has committed suicide. The story can be resumed by the following formula: failed marriages + meanness + secrets + fucked up parents/children relationships = solitude. John Well’s direction oscillates between raw and stagey, and the cast saves the film from bitterer outcomes. When tension is forced everywhere and on every single character, I involuntarily just stop to care about them, but then the genius of Meryl Streep came up again, taking the film to those sarcastic, funny places, where we can’t help having a happy laugh, even in sad circumstances. Julia Roberts wasn’t bad at all as bossy, aggressive and angered daughter, but for my second best performance I pick up Margo Martindale who played Violet’s sister in a very funny and natural manner. Comparing with two other 2013 films that are both directly and indirectly related with dysfunctional families, “August: Osage County” was wittier than “Cold Turkey” but less assertive than “The Way Way Back”. Definitely, it will be better remembered for its stinging humor rather than for its dramatic side.

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Directed by: Peter Jackson
Country: USA / New Zealand

Movie Review: The second part of Hobbit’s trilogy, “The Desolation of Smaug” was released in early December, following the example of the other episodes of the saga, with slightly better results than its precedent “An unexpected Journey”. The fierce battles to retrieve the dwarf kingdom of Erebor continue - in one side, the new ring holder, Bilbo Baggins, his 13 Dwarves friends, and the good wizard Gandalf; in the other side, the misshapen Orcs, the spiteful and gigantic dragon, Smaug, and the most accomplished fighters and sometimes helpful, Elves. By comparing this one to the first part, I can tell that a much darker side has been set up in detriment of festive humor, to the story’s benefit. The forests surrounded of darkness and shadows and the sinister atmosphere adopted, created a better impact, together with a hand of memorable scenes that filled our eyes with its colors, fierce fights, and magical fantasy. I’m remembering of giant spiders’ attack, some action moments involving the Elves, or the awakening of the dragon, so concerned in protect his occupied land and treasure from thieves. Other situations, in turn, were not so accomplished, like the battle in the river that immediately accentuates the notion of digital sceneries. “Desolation of Smaug” improved in many aspects where “An Expected Journey” failed, and Peter Jackson’s effort was noticeable to make the things right. Nevertheless, the film wasn’t always balanced, and most of all, was completely unable to surprise us along its invariably long 160 minutes of action.

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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA

Movie Review: Iconic filmmaker Martin Scorsese, inspired by the memoir of former stockbroker from Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, creates an effusive portrait of a world of shame, pelted with heavy drugs, sex, and luxury. The film was very efficacious in the way it shows the ability of these cunning 'wolves’ to deceive vulnerable people for their own profit, and Scorsese did it bluntly and wryly. The first hour was irresistibly hilarious, denoting a bouncing pace and establishing wittily the foundations of the story, which captured my attention right away. In the following two hours the excitement was maintained, even considering some ups and downs in the narrative, along with a few purposely overdone scenes of delirious partying and a risky yet funny boat trip, which not everybody will go for it. The performances were astonishing, with a perfect DiCaprio in the front (it’s been the fifth collaboration with Scorsese), well followed by Jonah Hill, P.J. Byrne, and a brief but unforgettable appearance by Matthew McConaughey as unrestrained boss, Mark Hanna. What is ironic here is to realize that artful men like Belfort will continue to take advantage of his corrupt past life to profit, from selling books to giving motivational speeches. But you know what? It always feels good when these big bad wolves are unmasked, so the world can see what they really worth. I wouldn’t say this is Scorsese’s best film, but is surely a special one.

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Computer Chess (2013)

Directed by: Andrew Bujalski
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Computer Chess” is definitely one of the weirdest films of the year. An offbeat indie comedy that takes us to a hotel in the early 80’s, time amazingly recreated and painted in an old-fashioned yet appealing black-and-white, where we can follow a group of obsessive computer nerds gathering for a weekend chess tournament intended to software programmers. You won’t learn how to play chess here, and is not required that you know something about it; despite of the several mentions to the strategy board game, the film simply focuses on weird people whose strange behaviors and difficult human relations project us to a completely different dimension. The characters were definitely smartly built, but for me the film only had positive outcomes now and then, never constructing a sufficiently solid narrative sequence to get me totally involved. The inclusion of a therapy group that was having their private sessions in the hotel and their posterior contact with the nerds, was determinant to create some more disarray in the plot, getting away from complex technological considerations about hardware and software (was this really possible?). “Computer Chess” is sometimes intriguing and challenging, but other times can be also dense and pointless. By presenting an irreverent posture within an original context, the film becomes peculiarly watchable, but I never found true valuable aspects that make me want to watch it a second time.

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Wrong Cops (2013)

Directed by: Quentin Dupieux
Country: USA

Movie Review: If the plotless adventures of “Wrong”, released last year, were in the edge of being watchable with its purposely ambiguous machinations, “Wrong Cops” is simply unbearable, being a satirical film about police corruption that was taken to the extremes of ridiculousness. After a promising start, the film quickly falls in such stupid and childish situations that are nothing more than forced and unfunny attempts to shock, making me gradually exhausted and completely drawing out any effective surprise factor with its obnoxious characters and cheap jokes. Some good ideas, like a cop selling rats stuffed with weed that he buys from the Chinese, are wasted in the whirlwind of other inconsequent scenes and impertinent humor. In the end I had the perfect notion that film director Quentin Dupieux (also known as Mr. Oizo in the world of French electronic music) dug a big hole with absolutely nothing inside, since most of the scenes seemed unfinished, contributing for the glaring disconnections evinced in the poor script. So, how could I recommend a pretentious, hollow movie? If you’re searching for a smart, balanced, and funny story, don’t waste your time with these imbecilities. “Wrong Cops” is just another wrong film taken out from the wrong mind of Dupieux who seems incapable to create something more coherent or smarter than this cartoonish foolishness.

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The Towrope - La Sirga (2012)

Directed by: William Vega
Country: Colombia / others

Movie Review: Art-house Colombian drama “La Sirga” is a dazzling feast for the eyes, punctuated by heavy silences, occasionally broken by howling wind blows that causes rattling sounds coming from the corrugated zinc of ‘La Sirga’, an old hostel placed in a remote swampy field near La Cocha lake, Southwest Colombia. The film, written and directed by debutant William Vega, follows Alicia, a 19-year-old Colombian girl who is fleeing from the guerrilla war that victimized her family, arriving to La Cocha to heal her psychological wounds, which are reflected in her nocturnal somnambulism. Reticent uncle Oscar, who warns about the rough work required in the area, will accept her in his house as a member of the family, despite of peeking into her room every night when she undresses, along with his son Fredy. The magnificent cinematography composed of grey skies, luxury vegetation, soaked fields, and foggy atmosphere, probably won’t be sufficient to please every audiences. The same analysis applies to the quiet pace and story’s development, which associated to the elusive plot, can be seen as a setback. Intended or not, the fact is “La Sirga” will stick to your mind, not for its floating narrative or impenetrable metaphors, but for its images and sound. William Vega showed to have the film controlled in every moment, addressing traumas of war and consequent human response in a subtle and original manner. Uncertainty is what reigns in realistic “La Sirga”.

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Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Country: USA / others

Movie Review: “Saving Mr. Banks” is centered on 1961 troubled Walt Disney Studio’s cinematic adaptation of the famous novel ‘Mary Poppins’, written by Australian-born British author P.L. Travers. In a delicate financial position, traumatized-by-childhood Pamela Travers (Emma Thompson) is advised to travel to America in order to meet Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) in person and work with his staff to prepare the film. A big headache for all of them, since her cockiness, unconscious rudeness, and pickiness, got everybody intrigued and frustrated, with exception of Ralph (Paul Giamatti), a driver whom she had a special consideration. Flashbacks to her inscrutable past are presented, making us better understand her personality and the importance of Poppins’ existence as well. In the end, Disney’s psychology, care, and understanding were able to soften a shielded Pamela and relieve her from her hardest pains. The film was elegantly presented and directed by John Lee Hancock who has here his best work so far, after the sloppy “The Blind Side” released four years ago. Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks gave another ‘explanation’ of why they already won a couple of Oscars each. The moderate, well-mounted “Saving Mr. Banks” has its little problems, especially sentimental ones, but has its gravitas on the heart and bestows the spirit of the old, affectionate, and tuneful Disney films.

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