JEBaeza

From my point of view, Sunset Boulevard touches on various uncommon themes and it does it creatively. It also has some twists here and there which I honestly did not expect. The characters are well-written and the performances by William Holden and Gloria Swanson are very good and impressive.

The idea of having a forgotten silent film star and a screenwriter without a stable job as the main characters is very interesting. On one hand, she can afford to have a luxurious life, but her life feels incomplete without working on movies and being a protagonist. On the other hand, he has lost passion for the art and just writes to make a living. From here, the same message applies to both characters: to prioritize what really matters in life. For Norma, she has to accept that fame is not forever and she is no longer what she once was. For Joe, he must learn that money isn't everything, and it is certainly not more important than the relationships with the people you love.

Although it didn't have me on the edge of my seat and it is not the type of film I love, I enjoyed Sunset Boulevard and would recommend it.

I was expecting a lot more from Maestro. The only positives I would take from it are the performances by Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. Cooper did an excellent job and the fact that he learned to conduct an orchestra is appreciated, but I think Mulligan was phenomenal and the best part of the film.

The rest is a complete mess. I have two main problems with the movie. One, there is no story, and that's not even an exaggeration. There are many scenes with no apparent purpose and which add nothing. The rest of them feel so disconnected from each other. It's like someone had a brainstorm of scenes and just put them together chronologically. There is no depth whatsoever; just in the first few minutes of the film, Leonard and Felicia are already in love, and he is suddenly a renowned conductor after substituting someone in a concert, but the concert itself is cut. A few minutes later, they are married and have a kid. It's like they decided to not show the relevant moments of his career and their relationship, but the results of those moments.

Two, where is the music? Besides that one popular scene at the church, there is almost nothing related to his work shown. You'd expect to see him composing or conducting a bit more, but no. They focused more on his sexual orientation than what he's literally known for.

Maestro is very disappointing. I would not recommend it, even if you have the time.

Poor Things was my introduction to Yorgos Lanthimos, and I am happy to say that I enjoyed it and will be watching his previous pictures. From what I have seen, the film is a hit or miss, and fortunately, I am on the hit side.

What I loved the most about it was the artistic direction they took. Every bit of it adds to the weirdness of the movie and takes you to another world. The surreal and colorful production design was mesmerizing. The extravagant costumes and make-up fit surprisingly well. The cinematography, with the extensive use of fisheye and zoom-in shots, was out of the ordinary and felt refreshing. The strange score adds a lot to the experience. The humor is exactly my type of humor and had me constantly laughing. And finally, the story is just great. Bella's character development is among the best I have ever seen. The difference between her in the ending and her in the beginning is abysmal, but the magnificent storytelling makes this change gradual, subtle, and natural. Emma Stone's portrayal is literally perfect and Oscar-worthy. Dafoe and Ruffalo were also excellent as usual.

Poor Things exceeded every expectation I had. I recommend it for the curious, but if you consider yourself as the general audience, I think it's better to stay away.