An assault on the senses
Amadeus is a police detective who is tone deaf and also detests music. When a group of renegade musicians begins staging very avant-garde percussion performances around the city, Amadeus begins investigating. This film is quite funny, a bit ludicrous (by intent), and very poignant. The Swedes sure can make some great movies. Another great Magnolia release!
Sound of Noise gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
Writer: Ola Simonsson, Johannes Stjärne Nilsson
Starring: Bengt Nilsson, Sanna Persson and Magnus Börjeson
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Metacritic: 72 out of 100
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Extraterrestre (2011)
So what happened last night?
Julio wakes up in a strange apartment with a strange woman. Neither of them remember much about the previous night's exploits. And to make things even more confusing, apparently aliens invaded earth while they slept. From the director of Los cronocrimenes (Timecrimes) comes a lighthearted approach to the alien invasion genre. The bigger sci-fi concepts sreve as the backdrop for what it really, a romantic comedy. This film is funny and endearing. Great writing, great acting and great cinematography make this film more than just a sci-fi flick or just a romantic comedy. Most definitely one of my new favorite movies.
Extraterrestre gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Writer: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Michelle Jenner, Carlos Areces, Raúl Cimas and Julián Villagrán
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Metacritic: N/A
Julio wakes up in a strange apartment with a strange woman. Neither of them remember much about the previous night's exploits. And to make things even more confusing, apparently aliens invaded earth while they slept. From the director of Los cronocrimenes (Timecrimes) comes a lighthearted approach to the alien invasion genre. The bigger sci-fi concepts sreve as the backdrop for what it really, a romantic comedy. This film is funny and endearing. Great writing, great acting and great cinematography make this film more than just a sci-fi flick or just a romantic comedy. Most definitely one of my new favorite movies.
Extraterrestre gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Writer: Nacho Vigalondo
Starring: Michelle Jenner, Carlos Areces, Raúl Cimas and Julián Villagrán
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Metacritic: N/A
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
A new Spider-Man?
I was sad that Sam Raimi's trilogy fell apart at the end. But even Spider-Man 3 is better than this film. The first half of this film is unbearably slow. Andrew Garfield makes Peter Parker look like a total douche. Sally Field and Martin Sheen are too recognizable from other work to be believable in their respective roles. Once the action starts (about an hour into it) the film gets good. But the first half fails to make an impression. The stunts and effects are good, but overall, this film is a big waste of time. It could have easily been 30 minutes shorter, and thus much better.
The Amazing Spider-Man just barely manages to get 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer)
Writer: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent,Steve Kloves
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 66 out of 100
I was sad that Sam Raimi's trilogy fell apart at the end. But even Spider-Man 3 is better than this film. The first half of this film is unbearably slow. Andrew Garfield makes Peter Parker look like a total douche. Sally Field and Martin Sheen are too recognizable from other work to be believable in their respective roles. Once the action starts (about an hour into it) the film gets good. But the first half fails to make an impression. The stunts and effects are good, but overall, this film is a big waste of time. It could have easily been 30 minutes shorter, and thus much better.
The Amazing Spider-Man just barely manages to get 2 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer)
Writer: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent,Steve Kloves
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 66 out of 100
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Hodejegerne (Headhunters) (2011)
My baby's got a secret
Roger Brown has secrets. He uses his position as a corporate headhunter to gain intel on prospective hires. And the intel he seeks is about art - do they have precious artwork? If he finds out that they do, he steals and fences to fuel his luxurious lifestyle. Then Clas Greve enters the picture. And the next two hours is one big Norwegian thrill ride. Scandinavians (Danes, Swedes, Norwegians) can make some really great films. Such as Let the Right One In, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, The Trollhunter, and others I've seen in the past couple of years. Hodejegerne is very intelligent, yet not too cerebral to be inaccessible to the average movie goer. But, sadly, a Hollywod remake is in the works which as most remakes do, will pale by comparison to the original.
With more plot twists that a pretzel, Hodejegerne thrilled me and gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Morten Tyldum
Writer: Lars Gudmestad, Ulf Ryberg
Starring: Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 72 out of 100
Roger Brown has secrets. He uses his position as a corporate headhunter to gain intel on prospective hires. And the intel he seeks is about art - do they have precious artwork? If he finds out that they do, he steals and fences to fuel his luxurious lifestyle. Then Clas Greve enters the picture. And the next two hours is one big Norwegian thrill ride. Scandinavians (Danes, Swedes, Norwegians) can make some really great films. Such as Let the Right One In, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, The Trollhunter, and others I've seen in the past couple of years. Hodejegerne is very intelligent, yet not too cerebral to be inaccessible to the average movie goer. But, sadly, a Hollywod remake is in the works which as most remakes do, will pale by comparison to the original.
With more plot twists that a pretzel, Hodejegerne thrilled me and gets 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Morten Tyldum
Writer: Lars Gudmestad, Ulf Ryberg
Starring: Aksel Hennie, Synnøve Macody Lund and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones)
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Metacritic: 72 out of 100
Friday, November 2, 2012
Cloud Atlas (2012)
Have we met?
Several different stories from different time periods, past, present and are woven together. Each story is bound to the other by common elements - a piece of music, a birthmark. I read the book of the same name by David Mitchell and have been jonesing to see this ever since I heard it was being translated to the big screen. And the filmmakers didn't disappoint. Cloud Atlas could have been really good (which it is) ot not so good. Everything about this film was great - the acting, the sets, the cinematography, the FX, everything. One mark of a truly good film is wanting to see it again. And I lay down to sleep last night, all I could think about was this film and how I wish to see it again.
Cloud Atlas earns its 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski
Writer: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski
Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae (The Host), and Hugh Grant
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
Metacritic: 55 out of 100
Several different stories from different time periods, past, present and are woven together. Each story is bound to the other by common elements - a piece of music, a birthmark. I read the book of the same name by David Mitchell and have been jonesing to see this ever since I heard it was being translated to the big screen. And the filmmakers didn't disappoint. Cloud Atlas could have been really good (which it is) ot not so good. Everything about this film was great - the acting, the sets, the cinematography, the FX, everything. One mark of a truly good film is wanting to see it again. And I lay down to sleep last night, all I could think about was this film and how I wish to see it again.
Cloud Atlas earns its 4 out of 5 Poblanos!
Director: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski
Writer: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, and Andy Wachowski
Starring: Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae (The Host), and Hugh Grant
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
Metacritic: 55 out of 100
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