Larrok

I liked both "Pasolini" by Ferrara and "La Macchinazione" by Grieco, even if not excessively, although they are quite different. What do you think of the latter?

I really liked the first "Unbreakable," it was truly engaging; "Split" had a great idea and an amazing performance by McAvoy, but it could have been developed better; this "Glass" is definitely the worst of the three, it left me absolutely nothing. My brain rejected it as unnecessary, to the point that I literally don’t remember anything that impressed me positively. In conclusion, in my opinion, they could have stopped at the first; I’m quite intolerant of sequels, with rare exceptions, I prefer stand-alone films, and as it happens, I enjoyed "The Visit."

For me, Garrone's peak remains the trilogy "L'imbalsamatore"-"Gomorra"-"Realit y". Each one more powerful than the last. I didn't mind "Il racconto dei racconti" either, despite having an almost absolute idiosyncrasy towards the fantasy genre. With "Dogman," the level has risen once again, only to plummet disastrously with the latest "Pinocchio," which I consider his first real misstep (but I hope it's just a sort of interlude/divertissement).

Among Woody's films from the last decade, "A Rainy Day in New York" ranks low on my list of preferences, but it doesn't deserve a total hatchet job (let alone censorship). The most successful ones from recent years, in my opinion, remain in this order: "Blue Jasmine," "Midnight in Paris," "Irrational Man," and "Café Society." Here we have, on one side, the usual pretty girl with a fresh-faced, naive, college student look, dressed in a cute cardigan (à la Emma Stone), and on the other, the typical frustrated intellectual, cultured, misunderstood, and sensitive, etc... as usual, they are together at the beginning and not at the end; the soundtrack is the usual old-style and the cinematography by Storaro is stunningly perfect (perhaps too much). It's yet another non-essential dive into the world of the detestable (at least for me) upper-middle-class New Yorkers, with characters that are increasingly empty and dialogues that are ever more sterile and recycled. Even the gags come off as rather lackluster. P.S.: I think this Selena Gomez, who moves from Jarmusch to Allen with such ease, must have a really fantastic agent.

Reflecting on this movie, which I think flows wonderfully, the scenes that immediately come to mind are: Hoffa harshly insulting everyone in the room and then privately trying to smooth things over with Sheeran, swearing that he wasn’t targeting him (hilarious); Sheeran at the reception trying in vain to reason with Hoffa, making him understand that the higher-ups aren’t joking and he needs to get himself in line; and the phone call from Sheeran towards the end of the film, where he lies shamelessly while you can see in his eyes how much he feels like crap. But I could go on. For me, it's one of the best films of 2019.

Excellent work, two hours that fly by as if it were half an hour, despite the theme being one of the less easily addressed; the right pace, impeccable cinematography and direction. Once again, Roman has taught the young ones how to make a great film. Master. PS: in the scenes of Dreyfus on Devil's Island, it's impossible, at least for me, not to think of the legendary Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman in the unforgettable finale of Papillon.

The cinematography and direction are of a high level (for example, the contrast between scenes with warm colors and others with cool colors), but then again, we are talking about Soderbergh, not Uncle Peppino. The dubbing with Cotillard speaking in Italian with a "French" accent is RIDICULOUS, but aside from that, perhaps the issue with the film is that in its extreme scientific accuracy, it leaves little room to empathize with the characters; at least, that’s how I felt. Overall, it’s surely sufficient, and in hindsight, in light of what is happening now with Covid-19, the final scene showing the transmission from bat to pig is truly unsettling. Not a film for hypochondriacs.

The direction is superb, with a masterful use of cinematography and soundtrack, and sound in general. There are cinematic movements and visual effects that are truly iconic (just look at the upside-down shot during the car ride to the village, or the sudden focus changes, or the effects that simulate altered states from acid). A film with a devastating emotional impact. Ari Aster, finally a young director who makes me appreciate horror after the already excellent Hereditary... I was starting to think I had a problem with the genre (and maybe there is a certain idiosyncrasy), but after watching films like this, I realize that it's the average quality of current releases that is truly low.

It certainly can't be called a terrible film, if only for the excellent cinematography, the great performances of the two main actors, and Bertolucci's meticulous camera movements; however, as far as I'm concerned, I can't rate it higher than 3 stars due to a lackluster screenplay that sparked little interest in me, often pointless and boring dialogue, and poorly developed supporting characters, especially the director, who even gave me hives. The soundtrack, in my opinion, is not quite suitable and sometimes over the top.

Third excellent film in a row from Zahler, who hasn't missed a beat so far. More cruelty, more social criticism, more hopeless characters in a nightmare world with its tragic realism. The scene with Jennifer Carpenter wrecked me. The two hours and 40 minutes do not weigh down the flow of the film.