The Wind Rises

After a long break, it is actually pretty difficult to get back into shape of summarising thoughts about the movies seen. I bet, in a couple of years’ time I will be looking at this review with blood in my eyes… But let’s get closer to the point.

Best movies of 2013

It has been a while since I last posted in this blog, and is there a better way to revive it than to post the list that is overdue by half a year? Of course not...

Despite lack of posts, I have been watching movies, and I indeed have a list of those that I liked. I cannot say that I agree with 2013 Oscars to the fullest extent (I look at you, 12 Years a Slave), but I think I am more or less in line... Anyway, I digress, and here is the list

1. The Great Beauty
Melancholic, nostalgic and relaxed view on the current state of affairs through the eyes of disenchanted in life writer Jep Gambardella is the best film of the year by miles. It is pleasant to watch, it is full of wit and subtle understanding of life which brings answers to the unasked questions of the modern society on the backdrop of beautiful  Rome scenery. A movie I will definitely re-watch in the coming years - not least because "roots are important"

 

2. Only God Forgives

The movie which was not received well during Cannes nevertheless found its way into my personal list, and I don’t really understand the annoyance of critics with this movie. I found the movie to be incredibly deep, with several layers of meaning which are almost impossible to uncover. The camera work is probably the best I have seen since Melancholia – every single frame is a piece of art, carefully calibrated with colours thoroughly sourced. Yes, there are certain overkills (I am talking about the torture scene), but no masterpiece is possible without pushing the boundaries a little too far. And the fight scene is still the best I have seen since the Matrix

3. Lincoln

Pure masterpiece in biography genre. I don’t remember when was the last time I was watching biography and was so captivated by the dialogues, relaxed narration and beautiful camera work. Oscar for the Best Actor to Daniel Day-Lewis describes his work better than I could possibly do in this format. The ability of the plot to keep attention of the audience despite very little action happening on the screen surely is unmatched.

4. Gravity

This movie left me absolutely blown away. Simplest concept was taken as the backbone to the plot, but Cuaron managed to turn it into an incredible story of perseverance and survival in the face of hardest trials. It forces the audience to gasp in awe at the sight of astonishing special effects and to hold their breath together with main characters. It feels like a personal journey to space, leaving you devastated and happy in the end.

5. Stoker 

Blurry and dreamy (maybe the correct word would be “nightmary”) story which has as much ability to surprise (and quite possibly shock) as Only God Forgives. Mia Wasikowska performs incredibly well; every scene with her is a pleasure to watch. The plot is outright captivating, one of very few movies in 2013 where I was truly wondering what will happen next. The final scene which so nicely wraps up the conversion of India is truly a stroke of a master

 

Only God Forgives

Only God Forgive is about Julian, a drug-smuggler thriving in Bangkok's criminal underworld, sees his life get even more complicated when his mother compels him to find and kill whoever is responsible for his brother's recent death. 

What still puzzles me about this movie is the reception of it at Cannes this year. It was booed, and critics almost unanimously called it the worst movie of the festival. Surely, I did not have a chance to see Blue Is the Warmest Colour, the absolute winner this year which received an impressive amount of accolades and seals of approval from everyone. But the more I think of the movie, the more I see its ingenuity and, simply put, greatness.

Something to wait for

Two trailers released soon one after another. Both look incredible, stunning and jaw-dropping; I have been waiting for the sequel to 300 ever since I first saw it. But the trailers look amazing particularly if you compare them with their predecessors:





Compared to


And

Time flies quickly

Iron Man 3

The third installment of the popular franchise, the Iron Man 3 follows the events described in Avengers. “Nothing has been the same since New York”, claims Tony Stark as he battles with anxieties, panic attacks and insomnia. His arrogance and over-confidence leaves his life shattered, his girlfriend in danger and the world on the brink of collapse – and thus he need to start to put himself together piece by piece to save those he cares about.

Even though I generally like the Iron Man franchise – I even remember watching cartoons about him when I was younger – it was never my favourite. It is not as serious, dark or severe as some of the other superheroes movies are. It never attempted to provide a food for brain, however little the comics books can give; jaw-dropping was also not its strongest suit; its goal was solely mindless entertainment. Surprisingly enough, the movies didn’t have a lot of action or explosions. The Iron Man trademark attractions always were badass jokes and charismatic main character who could easily and with a charming smile find a way out of even the hardest situation.

Movie 43

Just a horrible film. Several sketches which attempt to be funny but fail miserably. The plot tries to be politically incorrect, but quickly degrades into bad tasted jokes. The only truly hilarious bits are the first three - the rest just calls for epic facepalm. The jokes tell volumes about a particular lack of sense of humour of screen-writers, and I cannot see how any actor, however brilliant, would possibly be able to pull of a decent performance.

Well, at least they actually do enjoy it, as is obvious from the closing credits. Hugh Jackman plays his part nicely, as does Kate Winslet. The rest of the cast is failing miserably, and it is a shame to see so many good actors in such a failure of a movie-making.

Do not waste your time on this, unless you want a revenge on your girlfriend who forced you to watched Twilight.

1/5

Arbitrage

Arbitrage has solid plot: the story about tough life of high-flying financier entertains. The rich also cry! It remind me of Wall Street 2, but without much of the fluffy staff about good people and worthy causes. Graydon Carter, by the way, played in both movies. The development of the story is grievously slow though, with only a couple of nice unexpected plot turns. Some of the scenes are simply brilliant, like the negotiation in the cafe with Mayfield.

Richard Gere is back into shape; well, he is in a better shape here than he was in Movie 43. Tim Roth plays Lightman again, but still delivers! Funny enough, Monica Raymund is there too.

Overall, smart movie that does not attempt to paint bankers as idiots. 

3/5