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Ready or Not (2019)
The approach of this film is interesting. Perhaps it is not the most original, but its execution really surprised me. A wedding, a peculiar family and a crazy night. All of th
The approach of this film is interesting.
Perhaps it is not the most original, but its execution really surprised me.
A wedding, a peculiar family and a crazy night. All of this because of a family curse and a card game.
This film really does not skimp on its dose of violence and its black humor, in this way it becomes a very entertaining product that fulfills its purpose.
Samara Weaving, with Margot Robbie vibes, is by far the best in terms of her acting and her performance.
The satirization of the upper class and the excuse that being rich allows you to do whatever you want is very present.
It has some twists in the plot that are quite good and its ending, far from disappointing, generates sympathy. We manage to empathize with Grace and we are really happy with how the outcome develops.
In short, a good option to spend time, recommended.
Jiok (2021)
Korean series are having a big problem: they take too long between seasons.
Something bad is happening with Korean series, it happened to "Sweet Home" and it will surely happen to "Squid Game"...many years pass between seasons. The same thing happens to "Hellbound" which has an incredible, compelling, striking and dark first season and a second one, which although it is in that line, changes the focus quite a bit and we go from the mystery of the monsters and why they send people to hell to a more apocalyptic plot focused on humans. But all this, 3 years later, makes it lose interest and surely numbers.
I think that the series is correct, the script seems consistent to me and the performances as well. I especially highlight Min and the detective from the first season in the moments that he appears.
In season 2 the mystery is less than in the previous one but it takes it to a more political side. We are shown how the government intercedes between a religious organization and a group of religious fanatics in order to benefit and generate an order that no longer exists. On the other hand, we are shown the appearance of the "resurrected" but in two different ways: Park Jung-ja, who learned from her stay in hell and has a happy ending, unlike Jung Jin-su who did not and his actions lead to becoming another envoy.
The effects are better than in the first season, but as I say, it lacks the mystery that characterized the previous one.
Perhaps its biggest problem is the pace, at times slow, but not boring.
We will see if there is or not a third season, it would seem the most correct, but that does not mean that so much time passes...
This Is the Zodiac Speaking (2024)
After this, how can we not think that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac Killer?
The Zodiac Killer must be one of the most compelling cases in the history of forensics.
A monstrous being, ahead of its time.
When you read the stories you can't help but feel sorry for the victims, their families and the police. No one was prepared for a being of this magnitude.
This miniseries gives us a very interesting point of view.
Arthur Leigh Allen was always the number 1 suspect, all the circumstantial evidence, the fact that he had been in the area of several murders on the same days that they occurred and even his identification by the survivors.
However, he could never be locked up and died prematurely from his kidney disease.
In the Seawater stories there is so much pain, so much darkness lived, so many traces followed that it is impossible not to follow this conjecture. ALA was the Zodiac Killer, without a doubt. Egomaniac, narcissist, abuser, with extremely useful skills and talents... all the combo to do what he surely did.
It's a shame that David has passed away and will not be able to see the end of this story. I am left frozen by the bond with his mother and how she was/could have been an accomplice to this for so many years. A destroyed family, a sister who would clearly be one of the next victims and who was saved by a miracle.
Finally, the hope that the knife he gave to Connie's son will finally reveal that truth that has been awaited for more than 50 years...
The Penguin (2024)
Can a spin-off that nobody asked for be one of the best series of the year? Clearly...
Who would say that a spin-off that nobody asked for could become one of the best series of the year?
It really is impressive what HBO did with "The Penguin", perhaps very much in the vein of "The Sopranos", it is true, but what better approach or compliment could be given?
Colin Farrell in a state of grace giving life to a character that at first is presented to us as ambiguous, ambivalent, sometimes good, other times bad. However, the construction of his character until he becomes what he should be is, at the very least, incredible.
It is impossible to empathize with Cobb, impossible, but nevertheless he is magnetic, he attracts, he generates.
Cristin Miiotti is also exuberant, how a good person can become a victim to later be a victimizer and, when he wants to close his cycle of violence, be a victim again.
All the supporting actors stand out in their own way, especially Rhenzy Feliz as Victor, another victim of Gotham and this underworld, but who had the chance to leave and out of ambition didn't. His ending is still sad but a logical consequence of his actions.
This world building that is being done around Pattinson's Batman, if done well and without stretching it, is undoubtedly the best we have seen in the genre.
Of the series, little more to say, script, plot, twists, a predictable ending but not overwhelming.
Great technical quality, very well filmed and with HBO quality, what more can we ask for?
Highly recommended and let's hope that the next projects are, at least, at this level.
Arcane: League of Legends (2021)
The best animated series of the decade and Netflix didn't even promote it!
I'm not a big fan of LOL, so when this series was announced I didn't pay much attention to it.
Its premiere coincided with the live action of "Cowboy Bebop" and I don't remember what other series, so I put it aside until I got hooked on the second batch of episodes.
Really one of the best animated series of the decade, being generous...
Great animation, incredible plot, divided into 3 segments of 3 episodes released in consecutive weeks, something rare on Netflix and that has never been repeated. Clearly the format favored it a lot, it was talked about for weeks and months and it was a resounding success in views and reviews.
Vi's story, from her childhood alongside Powder/Jinx, under the tutelage of Vander, with her tragic outcome because of Silcco was nothing more than the kick-off of a story of love, madness and revenge.
Jayce, Caitlyn, Heimerdinger, Viktor, all the political games and the darkness of the plot shine through most of the story. The extreme ambition, the betrayals, the violence justifying everything.
The fight between Ekko and Jinx... god, what a sublime moment in this animation and many others before and after.
It has everything to continue to succeed, characters, plots, stories to tell. It would be good if it didn't take so long between seasons, but as the saying goes, "good things come to those who wait."
I hope that this season 2 that is about to premiere is at the same level and height. That it has character development, excellent animation, that it continues without skimping on the violence shown. All this to continue being a great entertainment show and a great workhorse for Netflix.
Update 11/23/24
A second season that lives up to expectations and much more.
It's hard to understand how we have a product of this magnitude and that is animated in such a sublime way.
Although I think that this second batch of 9 chapters goes very fast, maybe this is the only excuse for not giving it a 10.
Really, the way the series has taken its primary characters is only surpassed by how it supports its secondary characters.
Especially the stories of Ekko, Viktor and all the others.
At times I wanted to stay at the end of the fifth chapter with the hug of Vander, Vi, Jinx and Isha, this fantasy ends up breaking in the next chapter and I think we never recover.
Chapter 7, the best by far of the entire season, is the pause and the biggest "What if..." of the series.
The ending was simply perfect, setting the stage for a future series set in Noxus and perhaps with the return of many of the characters.
In short, Netflix has made what is probably the series of the decade, or one of the best. Without a doubt, it is on the podium of animated series outside of Japan and a reminder that animation is not just for children but a product that can be taken to the limits of imagination and creativity.
You just have to have the desire... and good scriptwriters.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Damien Leone found the formula for success...
Before evaluating a film of this genre, one must put it into context.
Clearly, one is not going to see a deep plot, nor a great development of characters.
One goes for the morbidity, to see gore and, of course, to value the thousand and one ways that Art the Clown kills.
That's why my yardstick for this film is not the same one I would use for "Titanic", "Oppenheimer" or "The Silence of the Lambs".
Having clarified this, I want to highlight what this saga means for the world of horror/slasher, so battered for years, without new ideas and which found in Art a reference on par with Jason, Freddy and Michael Myers.
The film is, like its predecessors, a feast of blood and murders. But it also shows us a character development of the "Final Girl" that is not often seen.
It is reminiscent of "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" but in the form of a parody.
It has black humor, it has some gratuitous nudity, it has memorable murders. In any case, at times, the editing is bad, we go from one scene to another without transition and without any connection, the climax of which is the final scene at Sienna's uncles' house where for a moment We thought it could all be a dream. But no, it wasn't and we started to have strange moments, a mix of cringe and curiosity.
It seems that everything is geared towards a fight between good and evil, but we'll have to wait for the next installments to see this.
Finally, it should be noted that this franchise is mainstream for a reason. It's no coincidence that it always grosses 10, 20, even 30 times more than its budget; this latest installment will surely exceed 100 million.
With all this, how can we criticize this product without looking at the box office?
To Catch a Killer (2023)
Between Silence of the Lambs and an episode of Criminal Minds
Mixed feelings about this Damian Szifron film.
As a Rioplatense, he is a very well-known director since the time of "Los Simuladores" and "Relatos Salvajes/Wild Tales" so I was looking forward to this film.
In an era marked by blockbusters, sequels and sagas, a police/noir thriller like this film is always well received.
Unfortunately, it remains something very pretentious: being between "Silence of the Lambs" and an episode of "Criminal Minds".
Is this bad? Not really.
It has an interesting rhythm but it fails me mainly in the character of Shailene Woodley. I think it is a flat performance in a super interesting character who is elevated as the great genius of the plot, who knows how to read the murderer very well, but who in reality has more shadows than lights. Her chemistry with Ben Mendelsohn is not the best, being this, by far, the best character in the film.
Another weak point of the plot is the villain, who is presented as implacable, unreachable and ends up being one-dimensional, very far from the initial plan.
This film did not do well at the box office, unfortunately it competed with tanks like "Guardians of the Galaxy", "Fast and Furious" or "The Little Mermaid", of course, it ended up being a failure.
I think it suffers a lot from what happened, for example, to "Longlegs", they want to emulate the best of the genre, but it only ends up being a generic copy, nothing remarkable at all.
Porno y Helado (2022)
An entertaining first season, a very bad second season.
A clear case of a series that, without being a big deal, managed to hook more than one person with its first season.
Its freshness, simple humor (very simple at times) managed to capture my attention.
Its initial story, as simple as it was, was well-woven. At the same time, with the appropriate cameos, it managed to become a kind of phenomenon in Argentina/Uruguay and nearby areas.
How did we go from that to this second horrible season? The answer surely comes hand in hand with the meager budget that was clearly given to them.
It is cheaper in every way, script, dialogues, plots, locations where it is filmed. Few cameos unlike the previous season.
All this results in repetitive plots, without grace, with isolated self-contained chapters: the sect of the Rolling Stones fans, the scammer, the storm, etc., etc.
It does not seem that there is a minimum interest in bringing the plot to a good end.
The end? A total nonsense, both the trial and everything that happens, it is absurd, but not absurdly funny but boring, repetitive, without ideas.
The last thing with the DeLorean taxi and Harry paying homage to Doc makes no sense, it goes against everything the series was up to that point.
It seems to me that there is no way to revive the series, it will surely be cancelled and if they are given more budget I can't imagine how they will do the future...maybe they will invent that it was all a dream? It would be the most logical way to fix that horrible ending.
For me the first season is a 7 and the second a 3.
Agatha All Along (2024)
A big surprise for more than one.
Clearly no one had expectations about this series from the beginning.
How did we go from little or no significance to becoming one of Marvel's most solid television projects?
Story, script, character development and all this in the series with the lowest budget of the 10 that the UCM has presented since 2021.
It is a series that strengthens the concepts of WandaVision but also shines with its own light.
Although it takes a while to get us fully into it, from the fourth chapter it solidifies. Its highest point: chapter 7, that of Lillya. It is incredible to think that an inconsequential character could generate so many sensations. Her entire plot with time itself and how she lives the story seems to me a great success.
It is not a perfect series, I think Agatha is a weak point of it. I expected something more from her character and not an evangelization so that she suddenly becomes good. In any case, her relationship with Rio is very well woven and reaches you in depth when we know her story. Of course, his presence is very interesting and sinister. When we see his true face, it is shocking.
However, the charisma of the rest of the characters, especially Billy/Wiccan, elevates this series to the top 3 along with WandaVision and Loki.
As a global package, it is a well-rounded series, everything that happens is explained as the series progresses. In any case, it leaves us with many questions about the future and some plot holes, such as when Agatha takes control of the Darkhold.
It has an interesting ending, a risky bet. It plays everything in chapter 8 and then in chapter 9 it is more of an epilogue that I think suits it quite well (except for the digital effects at the end of Agatha...)
In short: one of the best Marvel series in years, without being a marvel or being at the level of the best of this universe.
For more well-made stories, money for the writers, less special effects, more character development. It wasn't that difficult MARVEL!!
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Sony made the best romantic trilogy in the history of superheroes.
It's incredible that this saga has 3 films and Andrew Garfield's Spiderman or Henry Cavill's Superman don't.
Clearly the explanation is not in terms of the critics, which destroyed the previous films. The issue here comes down to the box office. Obviously if the first one makes 800 million and the second 500, we're going to have a third part.
Where to grab this nonsense made into the final part of the trilogy?
I think it's the worst of the 3, although it has more action at times and perhaps even a little more gore than the previous ones, it loses all trace of character development to summarize everything in a romance between Eddie Brock and the symbiote.
Although the film starts well and is decent until the middle, already at the entrance to Las Vegas and the whole scene with Mrs. Chen ends up sinking the little we had.
The blessed codex... only God knows what happened between the events of the first movie and the moment when Knull realized he could get out of his prison.
Let's continue with Otto Hightower's family, another huge nonsense, at times I thought I was in a 2000 Ghost Rider movie or something like that.
All to end up in a symbiote Avengers style ending, which while it has good moments, is nothing more than a CGI parade to give us a little action at the end.
Special mention to Tom Hardy who makes no effort to act in this installment.
Lastly I want to highlight the 15 minutes of final credits of the movie!! And also the 2 infamous post-credits scenes.
Clearly it is an ending on par with what this saga was, from bad to worse and from worse to much much worse.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
The great saga of our time, thank you Villeneuve!
If Villeneuve was missing something, it was to confirm that he is the person who should adapt legendary science fiction sagas.
With Blade Runner 2049, he managed to make it better than the original, and in his two Dune films, he achieved a phenomenon that I only remember with The Lord of the Rings.
More colossal, more majestic, less slow and with more action than the first part.
A Paul Atreides played by Chalamet in a masterful way, you buy everything, it is the path of the twisted and bizarre hero (a lot of Eren Jaeger vibes, we can already see where Hajime Isayama was "inspired" by). You see how he goes from being a man more like his father to being a conqueror, someone who wants to achieve everything no matter what.
Great performance also by Rebecca Ferguson, incredible, another drastic change of register in her performance that convinces you from beginning to end.
Zendaya is fantastic, Bardem is the comic relief but the creator of the meme of the year.
In short, we are facing a new masterpiece from this director who in the last 15 years has not stopped making films that are impeccable.
If I had to find a fault, it is how certain things in the plot are passed over quickly and taking for granted information that may be relevant, it is difficult to see the Sardaukar fall so easily and never have it explained why. I guess 3 hours is not enough for everything...
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
A horror as big as Woody Harrelson's wig.
After watching the first Venom movie, I thought that maybe this franchise could have a good direction, never forgetting that we are in a Spiderman universe without Spiderman.
Although it was not R-rated for adults, it could be a good time and we could skip this part.
In the post-credits scene, seeing Woody Harrelson's Carnage in a horrible red wig, I imagined that what was coming would be terrible.
Unfortunately, I was not wrong.
It is not just that there is no blood in a plot where Cletus Kasady himself is involved, nothing more, nothing less than the villain par excellence of Spiderman and also of Venom.
It is that it is a meaningless movie, without reason for being, with a terrible script, terrible performances and a CGI from the PlayStation 2 (with all due respect).
Movies like these made us lose interest in this cinema, of course helped by the pandemic we are experiencing among many other things. I just hope that "The Last Dance" closes well and that's it.
WE DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY MORE RANDOM FILMS, EITHER FROM DC OR MARVEL.
Thank you very much...
Uzumaki (2024)
It seems like we'll never get the adaptation of Junji Ito's material we deserve.
How difficult it is to evaluate this series with all the problems it had.
It seems that Junji Ito's works have a curse on them that prevents there from being an adaptation that satisfies 100% of the fans.
How can we have a first chapter with such incredible animation, with rotoscoping, many frames per second, with a dynamic that hypnotizes, and then have a second chapter that seems to have been made in paint or power point.
All this having had 5 years since this anime was announced!
Of course it is impossible to analyze this series without taking into account all its production problems and how it was preferred to release this material instead of directly canceling the series.
For my part, I am grateful that it has been published, since it is a fascinating story and I love it. However, that does not mean I will stop highlighting each of the things that I consider were wrong.
The drop between the first chapter and the others is not only in animation, but also in how the story is told. We have a lot of cuts, rushed plots, some of them disorganized and meaningless. We go from the end of the second chapter with Kirie's fall in the lighthouse to starting the third in the hospital without any connection.
Beyond all that has been said, I consider that the part in the hospital with the pregnant women and Shuichi's mother were high points. At the same time, the original ending seems super coherent and poetic to me, as well as the continents on earth or the stars in the universe, everything inevitably tends to return to the original order. Just like it happens with the city of Kurouzo in the series.
It's a shame that we had this adaptation, even so, it has its redeemable things. I only hope that future works adapted from Junji Ito have more quality and, above all, much more love.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (2024)
Eradicate one stereotype to impose another.
What a beautiful mess Netflix has gotten itself into with series like He-Man, She-Ra and, of course, this one in question.
Tomb Raider and Lara Croft are icons of Pop culture. Almost 30 years ago when the first game came out, times were very different from now. A female character, fictional, strong, with a clearly sexualized and unreal physical appearance for what it was proposed she could do.
Over the years this image has been changing until reaching the deformation that comes from the hand of this series.
Not to be confused, Lara Croft was and will always be an example of an empowered woman beyond everything. What they have wanted to do with the latest games and in this series is to "adapt" her to more appropriate standards, but that is still going against the nature of the character. In this desire to eradicate certain stereotypes, others end up being generated.
The main detractors of the series will say that this Lara Croft does not represent the essence of the character. She loses her curves for a more "consistent" appearance, which is understandable, but we must also remember that she is a fictional character, that is, FICTION.
On the other hand, the character development that she had during the games does not seem to have existed. We have a Lara who is at the same point as in game 2 and therefore has not evolved.
As final points in this, two things: she is assigned a gender identity that does not correspond with the reality of the character (something that does not bother me in particular but I have to point out), the other, we see an extremely vulnerable and dependent Lara, who cries every chapter because they have wanted to "humanize" her but that goes to the detriment of what she represents.
Because of what was mentioned above, this series had everything to be hated by detractors. If we add to this, poor animation (very bad at times), with a terrible, predictable, boring script, the combo is lethal.
A ridiculous villain who is defeated in chapter 7. In the eighth and last episode, the highlight is a fight against a dinosaur. It makes no sense that while the world is coming to an end, Lara and Jonah play a puzzle to solve the whole plot.
At the same time, an ending with a cliffhanger that no one cares about, of a character who did not appear in the entire series.
For all this, and more, I consider this series to be bad, boring, with an unnecessary line, which only wants to eliminate stereotypes of female beauty to replace them with others that are equally reprehensible.
The reflection in all the reviews and critiques of the series is notorious.
Monsters (2022)
Two very different seasons from each other.
Two completely different seasons.
On the one hand, the first one, the Dahmer plot with a great Evan Peters and focused more on the morbid side.
On the other hand, the second, totally out of the register of the previous one and on which I want to focus.
It has an approach that I did not like at all and that is to give the brothers a context of almost sickly closeness. It seems to me that they try to force situations that do not contribute more than to hate the characters and not focusing on the facts. More importance is given to certain aspects of the plot but not, for example, to the fact that the second trial was the most biased that has been seen in a case like this.
Being such a media case, it had many highlights but they prefer to go more on the side of sensationalism and yellow journalism than to tell the facts objectively.
There are great performances on the part of Bardem, who undoubtedly shines. Special mention for Nathan Lane who portrays a Dominick Dunne who undoubtedly has a very sad story behind him. But, above all, the one who stands out the most is Cooper Koch, who has moments that are truly worthy of nominations.
Beyond the performances and the biased script, the epilogue left me stupefied. I don't understand what the idea of his representation was. It leaves us with the feeling that the parents were innocent and the children had everything planned and that's it. It's something that doesn't fit in at all with the story and much less with what was being presented in the series.
Personally, I prefer the 2-hour documentary that is also on Netflix and where everything that happened is told from another angle.
The Menendez Brothers (2024)
Far from the sensationalism of "Monsters", a case that deserves a fair closure.
What a difficult story to tell!
It is very difficult to separate what was a parricide, apparently quite premeditated, if the family context is as it is presented.
This documentary seems to me to have a vision quite contrary to what was the miniseries presented on Netflix as "Monsters" putting the Menendez brothers on par with Dahmer.
It is a case that to this day continues to divide people, but what we will all agree on is that it was a media show where the brothers had no opportunity to defend themselves.
After the Rodney King case, after OJ Simpson, it was impossible for them to come out innocent of the crime they were accused of.
These two hours perfectly portray the feeling of many of the jurors of the first trial, of the prosecution lawyer, but above all, of the brothers themselves.
Clearly a case that if it happened today would have a totally different outcome. Brothers, victims of an era and also of their own decisions.
Hopefully, with the latest statements from people linked to Menudo, a final point can be put to all the events of this story. I think that all the parties involved deserve closure.
The result? We will see...
Anthracite (2024)
Entertaining and with many conveniences...
Every time a French series or movie comes out, it is interesting to observe and see what the Gauls offer us.
They generally have a lot of strength in the script and dialogue which makes the experience enjoyable.
What happens with "Anthracite"? I quite liked it, it is a very dynamic miniseries, perhaps supported by a "great script" such as the search and obtaining of information by Ida and her networks. Personally it doesn't bother me so I let it go.
It has many plot twists, some believable, others not so much. It happens to me that there are quite a few holes in the script and casual moments...very casual.
In any case, the plot is connected in several stories and we have quite interesting characters like Jaro, Romeo, Giovanna, etc.
The main mystery is quite camouflaged and it is not until the end that we are certain of what is happening (for a moment you might even think that supernatural things are happening). But...unexpected plot twist in the last 25 mins when we realize that Jaro's uncle is dirtier than a potato and they do not show a completely off-kilter, perverse and sick plot that perhaps contrasts a little with how the series came (not I forget the scene between brothers,,, without words).
Another thing I didn't like was the final resolution of the plot of Romeo and the doctor...in particular I think he should have died because the plot called for it, although I understand his entire journey and how he is the only one who makes heavy decisions. At the end of the series when he leaves the town of all his life.
In any case, it would be a good one to marathon and luckily Netflix brings us, something that is more difficult with other Streaming services.
Civil War (2024)
A not-so-dystopian dystopia in a not-so-future future.
Alex Garland's cinema always surprises, from 28 Days Later, through Ex Machina, Men or Anihilation, he has always been a filmmaker who approaches science fiction from a raw but also stylized perspective.
However, with Civil War we have a different story, a not-so-dystopia in a not-so-future future and perhaps much closer than we think.
A hard and pure "road movie" where the emphasis and focus is not on the war or its whys or its details. It is the story of Lee and Jessie and how they cross paths, going from the hardness of the first and the innocence and naivety of the second and then reversing this dynamic and ending the other way around: it is Jessie who becomes what Lee no longer wants to be.
Soundtrack that at times you don't understand what it's about but a sound and photography that if it weren't for Dune would surely make it worthy of an Oscar.
It is a film wrapped in controversy, of course, how is a British person going to talk about a civil war in the US? Of course, from the United States you can make movies about Napoleon or other universal figures and it's not a problem...let's go...
In particular, I really liked that story where the end justifies the means, where nothing intervenes no matter how cruel it may be and the objective is simply the scoop...any relationship with reality is mere coincidence...
Venom (2018)
A Venom without blood is like a beer without alcohol, tasteless...
In the category of unnecessary films that nobody asked for, perhaps, comes the only Sony disaster that barely escapes...because "Madame Web", "Morbius" and possibly "Kraven" (which is released this year) are the worst of the genre without a doubt.
Making a Spiderman spin-off without Spiderman is something similar to what was done with "Joker" although without as much success...
Without a doubt, Eddie Brock and his alter ego Venom are interesting, even more so if we add that he is played by Tom Hardy. The actor's charisma plays in favor of a story that has good moments, no doubt, but that has two defects: a terrible script, and the absence of the R rating. A Venom without blood is like a beer without alcohol, tasteless, without the substance that makes it interesting.
If they had opted for a more adult approach as happened in "Logan" or "Deadpool" itself, surely this movie would have been seen with different eyes.
Sony's attempt to capitalize on Marvel's success up to that point led to this film doing relatively well at the box office but with a dreadful second part. The third and final part will be released in a few days and I really don't imagine it will be the best film of all time...
The crisis of comic book adaptations will really continue until someone comes up with an interesting idea...
The Wild Robot (2024)
The closest thing to Studio Ghibli that we will see.
We are in the presence of, surely, the animated film of the year.
What "The Wild Robot" is achieving is incredible... eclipsing "Inside Out" in critics and that is very interesting.
It is the adaptation of the first book of Peter Brown's work and it really deserves all the praise it is receiving.
When one sees this film, it immediately has reminiscences of the work of Studio Ghibli... which is a lot.
Simple story, but full of heart, learning, an experience that can be lived with children but also adults.
It has a development where we are naturalized, and sometimes trivially, what death, life, cycles, motherhood are...
Are we what we are because we were programmed for that? Or are we what we learn and live?
We empathize with Roz, also with Brightbill and Fink... loving, letting go, waiting. It really is a film with moments to shed a tear but never ceasing to be faithful to what it sets out from the beginning.
Excellent animation, very much on par with what we saw in "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish", being Dreamworks, we know that the quality is assured.
My only but perhaps is the ending, where one would expect something darker and not so bright but well, let's remember that it is a film aimed at a younger audience and it is understandable...
In short, even with 2 months ahead, this film is positioned as one of the best (if not the best) in the animated field.
I look forward to the next parts to share more of this beautiful story.
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
Unmeasured hatred for an unnecessary sequel.
Unnecessary sequel? No doubt.
Great movie? Not at all.
A terrible movie? Not at all.
The second part of Joker already came with controversy at the box office and critics.
I wonder... what did we expect to see?
It had already been made clear in Joker 1 that Arthur Fleck is not the Joker who fights Batman in Gotham; he is just a poor bastard who on a bad day exploded into madness.
Therefore, why does it make so angry that the movie had the direction it had? The search is understandable, the ways are not shared, perhaps it is slow at times, perhaps the fact that it has a lot of musical content also played against it. Musical content that in reality is nothing more than Arthur's distorted reality while he imagines a happy and ideal world with the person who uses and deceives him, seeing in him something that is not.
What I see is a continuation of what was presented in the previous film: a broken man who suddenly is the symbol of chaos, anarchy, violence and who ends up being consumed by that. Phoenix's performance is up to par, Lady Gaga is not out of place and the events revolve between Arkham and Judgment Day.
I think that too many expectations were placed on this film and the hate is excessive.
The Joker is a symbol, in this case, played by Arthur Fleck, but he is not the Joker, he is just a broken guy. He is so destroyed that in the end he ends up being killed by a man who is possibly Heath Ledger's Joker. This would determine a perfect circle of rise and fall of a character, with the resurrection of the symbol in the form of a maniac killer who will shake the foundations of Gotham.
Therefore, I personally applaud Todd Phillips' search to do something different and not what the previous film was.
In success, or in error, it was attempted... unfortunately, the result was not what was expected and that is why we are at this point...
Joker (2019)
A good film that is far from being the work of art it is claimed to be.
Mixed feelings about this movie.
It was, for a few years, the highest grossing adult release.
Using a name that was sure to catch the eye and with a lead actor like Joaquin Phoenix who is always a guarantee.
The result? A critical and box office success... but is it really good enough for that?
That's when I dissociate myself a bit and think that what we saw in Joker 1 is nothing more than a hybrid of several movies including "Taxi Driver" or "The King of Comedy" to which this character was inserted.
Is it bad because of that? Not at all. Is it a work of art? Not at all.
This movie, with a misleading title, is supported by a good script and a formidable performance by Phoenix, so much so that it earned him a well-deserved Oscar.
But beyond the nods to Gotham, the Wayne family and Bruce himself, this movie makes it very clear that it is not about the Joker that we venerate as the best Batman villain. So much so, that the second film is so criticized for that very reason, although these clues were already given here. It is the story of a sick man, mistreated by society, his family, by everyone. With only one person who valued him as he was. "Happy" his mother called him and he thought he lived in this world to make others happy. No, in reality he is a broken, deranged man, who has delusions and who on a bad day ends the lives of 3 people and continued with his homicidal rampage until the great final act and the murder of Murray Franklin and his subsequent arrest. He is not a serial killer who enjoys hurting others.
For all these reasons I do not consider this film a work of art worthy of cult status, nor do I consider its sequel to be the infected garbage they want us to believe...
Dorohedoro (2020)
A very abused series, it's incredible that we haven't had a season 2 in five years.
Surely one of the most mistreated series of recent years.
How sad it is to see that almost 5 years after the premiere of Dorohedoro we still don't have a season 2.
About the series, not much is revealed, it gets straight to the point, and that is appreciated.
Caiman as the main character and Nikaido as his partner have an incredible chemistry and make this series a delight.
But not only them, because the entire antagonist family is fabulous.
With a violence that is rarely seen, an animation by MAPPA that is always a guarantee and an aesthetic more similar to Hellraiser and the Xenobites than to any other animated thing that has been seen.
The chapters are dynamic, have humor, at times it does not take itself seriously and becomes extremely bizarre. However, this is what makes this series interesting, its characters and the construction of the world. I really hope that 2025 finally brings season 2 and allows us to enjoy this gem that has a lot to offer.
The Substance (2024)
Beauty is not just what you see.
Perhaps one of the most controversial films of the year and one of the best.
What "The Substance" has generated is something very interesting.
A simple premise, a correct and very well-carried development, a controversial and divisive ending. We have all this in just over 2 hours of film.
Demi Moore at 62 years old is incredible, it really is one of her best performances. She, challenged by time, beauty and oblivion, basically plays her life story.
What would you do if you could go back or be your best version? Wouldn't we all do it? A fierce criticism of the current world, spectacle and non-spectacle. Where women have a period of expiration, where men can do and undo at will. You may like it more or less, but it doesn't leave you motionless.
On the other hand, Sarah Margaret Qualley playing Sue, with her overwhelming beauty and an impressive performance, representing Elisabeth's alter ego.
Coralie Fargeat's direction is impeccable, you may like it more or less, but it is very solid.
As for the negative points, perhaps the length of the film is a bit excessive, and could have been resolved much earlier. There is also its ending, which divides, although for me it is quite poetic: is the best version of the best version a monster who is the only character who is accepted as he is? That final act with all the blood is nothing more than an allegory of the reality of celebrities and what they offer us every day and which we consume with great pleasure? What is left of the star at the end? Just a name on the floor that fades away with time...
The fact that it is a film that gives so much to talk about and to debate only proves that it is a must-see material...
The Last of Us (2023)
When a series lives up to the hype, it's because it did it right, right?
As a fan of the game, I was very scared when the series was announced. After seeing Pedro Pascal as Joel, my hype increased, even more so knowing who else was behind it.
It's a great series, there's no doubt about that. HBO quality, good source material, actors, etc.
However, it wasn't a series that was devoid of controversy, I think, unfairly so.
The plot is very similar to the game, with a chapter 3 that generated a lot of controversy, but I, personally, loved it.
What criticism would I make to lower the score of a series that I liked so much? It's a series about infected people... without infected people. And this is a big problem. Although the human plots are full of tension, we don't feel the absolute terror and anxiety in the series as we do in chapter 5, one of the best.
I also felt disappointed by the ending, the construction of Joel's character, his relationship with Ellie. The fact that he projects her as his daughter and doesn't allow anything to happen to her. The feeling I wanted to see (as it happens in the game) is a Terminator-style Joel, Berserk mode, unstoppable, and that didn't happen to me.
Beyond those details, it has a good development of events, of the place, the events. You try to empathize with the characters, sometimes we can, sometimes we can't. It's a cruel, grey world, without laws. Survival of the fittest and avoiding infection. That's how a series of this style should feel.
In a few months we will have a second season that promises a lot, the big question is if they will dare to do what happened there or will they modify the plot. I look forward to that.