The Matrix Reloaded

Movie Name: The Matrix Reloaded
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Harold Perrineau, Lambert Wilson, Monica Belluci, Gloria Foster, Jade Pinkett Smith, Collin Chou, Harry Lennix, Anthony Zerbe, Helmut Bakaitis, Gina Torres, Nona Gaye, Essie Davis
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:

The immense success of "The Matrix", obviously generated curiosity about the following project for the Wachowski siblings. They decided to tackle direct sequels to the project that placed them on the map. The film takes place after the occurrences of the first installment, with Neo, Trinity and Morpheus, tracking and liberating more people from the machine slavery, and bringing them to Zion. They're also on a quest to understand how Neo can defeat the ruling of the machine world, and finally liberate the human race. Their quest leads them to the Oracle, who informs them that they have to resort to another dubious character, by the name of the Merovingian, who holds in his power someone who can make their quest successful. In this odyssey, they come across a mighty opponent, in the shape of Agent Smith, seemingly destroyed by Neo in the previous installment, but who manages to return, and multiply himself easily. His intent is solely to thwart Neo's plans and overcome him at any cost. 
What made "The Matrix" such a fresh take on the sci-fi genre, was its interesting mix of styles and sources, making it a film that had the right amount of visual style, humor and ultimately a universe of its own. There was also a deft usage of the right amount of visual effects that did not topple the architecture and essence of the storytelling. This balance, was indeed lost in the sequels, which were shot back to back. The directors had a vast amount of resources at hand, and made the narrative more centered on gratuitously showcasing the pyrotechnics that visual effects can provide, as opposed to making the narrative move further and in richer directions. The story does try to define the canvas in which these characters operate, but it's almost a footnote, in an otherwise crammed film, filled with artificially looking set pieces, some of which showcase some very poorly rendered 3D work. It's a sad waste of a lot of the talent involved in this vast production, but the film does manage to showcase a bit more of a promising (even if it's bleak) universe, and it features some impressive stunt work, which even if it doesn't qualify as good storytelling, is nonetheless a testament to the vision and talent of the professionals who orchestrated some of the sequences. A disappointing effort from a very interesting team of directors. 

Lost in Translation

Movie Name: Lost in Translation
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Sofia Coppola
Starring: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Catherine Lambert, Takashi Fujii, Yutaka Tadokoro, Nao Asuka
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9
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Synopsis and Review:

Following her feature directorial debut, the celebrated "The Virgin Suicides", director Sofia Coppola returned with one of her most celebrated features. "Lost in Translation" focuses on two characters, acclaimed actor Bob Harris, and young woman recently married by the name of Charlotte. They both meet in Japan, Bob to promote/advertise some local products, and Charlotte accompanying her husband John, a photographer who is taking photos of a local rock band. Both Bob and Charlotte are trying to find direction in their lives - him at a time in his life where he wants to understand what the rest of this adulthood is going to be, and Charlotte trying to understand in her early womanhood, who she wants to be. These two lost souls connect and find solace in each other, both seeing each other truthfully in these crucial moments in their lives, and realizing all that they carry within and around them. 
Of all of Sofia Coppola's directorial efforts so far, "Lost in Translation" is probably what captures her particular point of view the best way possible. The episodic storytelling is smarty building the tapestry of this relationship between two strangers, just passing by, at different junctures in their life. It's a film that, taking a note from David Lean's "Brief Encounter", uses the notion of fleeting romance and emotional connection at the core of what is narrating. The writer/director makes these two intelligent and cosmopolitan individuals, strangers in a foreign land, that somehow find each other, and who discover what each other is about, by exploring what this different city and country is all about - it's a discovery type of journey both externally and internally. Both actors at the core of this story are fantastic, with Bill Murray creating a character that is tired, but also acerbic, witty and filled with warmth. It's a role that fits him perfectly, while Scarlett Johansson, in what was her first "adult" role, shines, by creating Charlotte as a young woman filled with potential, self doubt, and curiosity. The music from Kevin Shields and the cinematography from Lance Acord are fantastic, making this film a truly unforgettable experience. Definitely worth watching.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Movie Name: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Bernard Hill, John Noble, David Wenham, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Miranda Otto, Hugo Weaving, Karl Urban, Ian Holm, Sean Bean, Marton Csokas, Bruce Phillips, Harry Sinclair, Alan Howard
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:

"The Return of the King" is the epic closure to the trilogy started by Peter Jackson in 2001, with "The Fellowship of the Ring". It was also the winner of most of the Academy Awards in 2003 and a tremendously successful feature financially (as were the previous ones of course). The film follows suit on the occurrences of the previous tome, "The Two Towers". Bilbo and Sam continue their perilous journey towards Mordor, with the assistance of the ever suspicious Smeagol/Gollum, coming into the arrest of Boromir's brother, who eventually realizes their quest and allows them to continue. Simultaneously Aragorn has to seek the assistance of an undead army of epic proportions to help him with his battle, while Gandalf and King Theoden have to battle the evil forces of Sauron, and simultaneously keep the last human facing city afloat, against colossal enemies. As these battles draw to an end, no one is spared, and in the end, it's up to Bilbo to finally make the decision to destroy the ring and vanquish the source of all evil.
Peter Jackson invested with this trilogy all of his technical and storytelling techniques, to create a believable and actual universe that the viewers could visualize and embrace. "The Return of the King" is the final chapter in this vast journey of bringing such a multi-layered universe to the screens, with a multitude of characters from different sources and with different arcs, all competing for attention and for dimensional existence. The director is successful, as he was in the previous installments, in making this universe feel authentic, real (as much as it can of course), and populated with characters that have motivations, and that ultimately feel humane. The story in itself is rich and a testament to the capacity of J.R.R. Tolkien's writing capabilities - the film, though at times overly long (battle scenes that go on and on for instance), is an exciting ride through the imagination of the writer and of the director, who uses the tremendous amount of production means at his disposal, to paint this fantastic canvas. It's a film where the threads are closed, and where there's enough action, drama and emotion to make it impactful and epic. The cast is uniformly good, with Ian McKellen adding enough humor, gravitas and towering charisma to make this a solid venture. The cinematography from Andrew Lesnie is stunning, as are the costumes from Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor. A solid and entertaining film from a great director.

Kill Bill Vol.1

Movie Name: Kill Bill Vol. 1
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Julie Dreyfus, Chiaki Kuriyama, Chia-Hui Liu, Michael Parks, Michael Bowen, Sonny Chiba, Kenji Oba
Genre: Action, Crime
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:

After his Elmore Leonard adaptation, "Jackie Brown", director Quentin Tarantino returned with one of his splashiest and most successful features, "Kill Bill", written in collaboration with his muse, Uma Thurman. The film follows the story of the Bride, a young woman who used to work as a hired assassin, and who decided to leave that lifestyle behind, upon knowing she was pregnant. Her boss and lover, the feared Bill, never knew of why she left, and tracks her down on the eve of her wedding day. What follows is a bloodbath, which results in the Bride being in a coma for years. When she wakes up she goes on a revenge spree, starting with Vernita Green, quickly followed by the dangerous O-Ren Ishii. 
"Kill Bill Vol.1" is a film that marries a lot of what has influenced Quentin Tarantino's tastes in films throughout out the years. There's a marriage of the B-Movie aesthetic and violence, with French gangster films, Martial Arts, and of course, his immediately identifiable verbiage and colorful supporting characters. "Kill Bill" (both volumes, since they are indeed one single film), is a melting pot of all that Quentin Tarantino seemingly pursues in his career, with a multitude of characters, all of which seemingly have interesting backstories worth pursuing in films of their own. That's always been one of his strongest aspects - the ability to give characters (and consequently actors), richly realized traits and backdrops, where they can draw upon to bring them to life. "Kill Bill Vol.1" is also cartoonish violent, impeccably choreographed, and easily one of the most aesthetically fascinating films of his career. It features a fantastic cast, but Uma Thurman easily makes the action her own, giving her central character a mix of vulnerability, strength and humor, unlike anything she had done before (or has done since). The cinematography from Robert Richardson is stunning (as usual), and the editing of the late Sally Menke is spot on. A fun, emotional and over the top film from one of the most unique voices in cinema. Worth watching.

Tale of Tales

Movie Name: Tale of Tales
Year of Release: 2015
Director: Matteo Garrone
Starring: Salma Hayek, Toby Jones, John C. Reilly, Vincent Cassel, Shirley Henderson, Hayley Carmichael, Bebe Cave, Stacy Martin, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Jessie Cave
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review:

Italian director Matteo Garrone made a splash with his film "Gomorrah", an unflinching look at crime in Italy, which gave him the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival of 2008. He followed that with the film "Reality" and then this unexpected and sumptuous, "Tale of Tales", which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. The film is a loose adaptation of the novel by Giambattista Basile, and is comprised of three different storylines that eventually converge into one. All of these stories are populated by fantastical creatures (very much like Terry Gilliam's "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen). In one of the stories, a Queen sacrifices the life of her husband, all in the effort to be pregnant and have a child. Her husband vanquishes this mythical under the sea creature, whose heart makes the queen instantly pregnant (alongside with the virgin who also touched the heart of that creature). In another story, a libertine King, gets enraptured by the singing voice of a woman, who he is unable to see since she flees and hides. He doesn't realize that the woman, Dora, and her sister, are both elderly and live in almost seclusion. He insists in wanting to be with her, and Dora agrees to do so, but only during the still of the night, with no lights on. The King however, manages to capture a glimpse of her, and has her thrown out. Dora manages to survive, and is nursed by a witch. When she wakes up, she looks young and stunning. The third story focuses on a king, who lives with his daughter Violet. They have a loving relationship, but the king starts focusing on a flea, that he starts feeding until the creature gains immense proportions. When the flea dies, the King is heartbroken and decides to skin the creature. He also offers to give his daughter as a bride to whoever is able to guess the source of the tanned skin.
"Tale of Tales" is an interesting film, one that feels like an exercise in style and art direction, more so than the analogies that it tries to capture. The film also utilizes a well recognized international cast to craft this storytelling, though each one of the stories, comes with a sting and an underlying darkness that is alluded to in fairytales, but never quite as well captured/staged. This type of chapter driven storytelling always produces uneven cinematic experiences, since the characters are never quite given the dimension they should - these archetypes always feel like rough sketches. In this case, Garrone seems to have focused heavily in the production design by Dimitri Capuani and exquisite costumes from Massimo Parrini, and while the stories are sufficiently engaging, they are never more than superficial. This film is a testament that at times, it's preferable to focus on one chapter and make it work and give it enough depth, than to paint a beautiful, yet hollow canvas with good actors and generous production values. 

The Predator

Movie Name: The Predator
Year of Release: 2018

Director: Shane Black

Stars: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski, Mike Dopud, Niall Matter

Genre: Action, Adventure

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis & Review:

Following the hilarious, but little seen, "The Nice Guys", writer/director Shane Black returns, with his take on the Predator, coincidentally, a sequel that harks back to the original from 1987, directed by John McTiernan, where he was an actor. The film immediately introduces us to an active fight going on between two Predators, with one of them escaping to Earth, and crash landing in the middle of a ransom exchange taking place. The team assigned to handle that situation, is placed in direct contact with that Predator, and that small pod that he escaped from. The lead of that force, Quinn McKenna, fearing no one will believe the incidents, ships some of the artifacts he managed to get from the alien vessel to a PO Box back in the US. However due to lack of payment, all those materials, find their way to his home, particularly to the hands of his 12 year old son. The captured Predator is intent on recapturing the artifacts and his crashed spaceship, which becomes increasingly more complicated when his Predator foe, follows him to Earth and goes on the same quest and rampage. It's up to McKenna and his battered group of veterans, to prevent the Predators from destroying everything in sight, and from taking his young son as a prized possession.
Shane Black is an interesting writer/director, in the sense that he always manages to capture a dynamic and humorous tone between the characters and situations he stages in his films. The action in his films always comes wrapped up in this arresting and highly enjoyable banter between characters that are seemingly at odds, but that manage to co-exist. "The Predator" could have been a perfect terrain for his brand, but it's a film that falters on dizzying amount of levels. The screenplay, while interesting in parts and mining the Predator lore for new paths, lacks spark, bite and humor, and not even Keegan-Michael Key can crack a joke convincingly. The story also feels contrived and disjointed - events occur, characters suddenly and dramatically alter themselves, all for the purpose to allow the story to continue from one set piece to the other. The most puzzling aspect of this film is the complete lack of charisma and chemistry between the actors that are supposedly trying to save the young McKenna, not to mention that they all look as if though they're playing stereotypes from a rejected version of Oliver Stone's "Platoon". The cast ends up faring particularly terribly, with Boyd Holbrook making a case for no one to ever cast him as a lead of anything, Jacob Tremblay equally making a bad impression, after his great performance in Lenny Abrahamson's "Room", and Thomas Jane being a shadow of his former self. The film fares positively in casting Sterling K. Brown, and in some of the action set pieces that are excitingly staged, but it's frankly too little for a director with such promise.

In the Cut

Movie Name: In the Cut
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Jane Campion
Starring: Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Damici, Kevin Bacon, Patrice O'Neal
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:

After the muted response to the underrated "Holy Smoke", celebrated director Jane Campion premiered "In the Cut" in 2003, at the Toronto Film Festival. The film follows the story of Frannie Avery, a high school teacher, who may have witnessed a murder, and who becomes amorously involved with the main detective running the investigation. Frannie is a quiet and somewhat shy woman, close to her much more outgoing and extroverted sister Pauline, and they both find themselves wrapped in this potentially fatal investigation. While Frannie's involvement with Detective Malloy deepens, so do her fears that he may actually be the man responsible for the killings that are occurring in the city, and that are getting progressively closer to her.
Jane Campion is one of my favorite filmmakers currently working. She has a distinct point of view, one where her universe is inhabited by women who are at times at odds with a patriarchal society that does not understand or actually fears their point of view (and their sexuality). "In the Cut" is a perfect example of that - Jane Campion makes Frannie a woman who despite her experience in life, is opening herself to a new partner, and a potentially harrowing experience, but who wants to do it on her own terms. She's a woman finding her voice, her wants, desires, but in the context of a thriller, where a dangerous individual is murdering women (for all intended purposes, castrating the emergence of their voices). It's a film that in a way, shifts the paradigm of the erotic thrillers of the mid 90s (jumpstarted by Paul Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct" in 1992), and places the entire focus on the woman who potentially witnessed it all, and how that becomes the essence of the film. The relationship between these two disparate individuals, that connect, without much knowledge of who they are, but who try to make that connection flourish and work. The film does have its shortcomings, in the sense that the characters are not fully realized, and feel a bit under-nourished, but it's a beautifully shot film by Dion Beebe, featuring three accomplished actors in the central roles, namely Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh. For Meg Ryan this film was a change of pace (her part was originally intended for Nicole Kidman), whereas for both Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Jason Leigh, this cemented their continuous interest in diverse and richly layered parts. An underrated film from a great director and artist.

The Nun

Movie Name: The Nun
Year of Release: 2018

Director: Corin Hardy

Stars: Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Ingrid Bisu, Charlotte Hope, Sandra Teles, David Horovitch

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis & Review:

As "The Conjuring" universe keeps expanding, different releases featuring characters from that series pop up in order to maintain the franchise alive. Following "The Conjuring 1 and 2" and the "Annabelle" films, "The Nun" is another offshoot from that series which is being shepherded by director James Wan, with directing duties being assigned to different professionals. "The Nun" introduces us to a monastery in Romania, where a dark entity is plaguing the nuns that inhabit it. Following a gruesome suicide from one of the nuns, a priest experienced in the paranormal is sent to that remote region, with a young nun as his apprentice/help. Once in Romania, both Father Burke and Sister Irene, find the help of a local guide, a French-Canadian expat, with the nickname of Frenchie. He promptly drops them by the monastery, where the supernatural events immediately start occurring, testing the faith, resources and sheer survival skills from both Father Burke and Sister Irene.
What has been largely successful in the offerings of this particular universe, has been the ability from James Wan, to build horror/suspense, which builds progressively, allowing for the characters to exist and create a bridge with the viewers, before introducing elements that are supernatural. He also smartly plays a stylistic ploy, which places the films squarely in the decade they take place, something that his strong casts usually play off remarkably well. The offshoots of the main films have had mixed results. If the first "Annabelle" was a miss, last year's sequel was a vast improvement. "The Nun" from Corin Hardy, is another step back in terms of quality. The film is successful in conveying a sense of remoteness and isolation, but is too intent in showcasing the supernatural angle of the locale, something that removes the subtlety that has been a key offering of the more successful films of this series. There's also a visual and stylistic tone throughout the film that is very disconnected - there's a contextualization throughout the narrative that alludes the story takes place after WWII, but the mix of production design, digital effects and real effects, never quite gels, making the film feel amateurish in certain sections and hard to pin point when the action is actually occurring (according to the timeline of "The Conjuring" it would be the 1960s). The actors sadly don't have much to do, with Demian Bichir playing a priest who carries the guilt of a failed case (but who has little else to do) and the young Taissa Farmiga, playing Sister Irene, a strong and resourceful heroine, who tries her best to overcome these challenges, but whose story never gets properly investigated. What has made "The Conjuring" films successful, is the fact that they are stories of every day people battling extraordinary events - these offshoots try to be more about the supernatural entities, making the human element of the stories secondary. Time for James Wan and his creative team to put their lessons from "The Conjuring" into practice and hopefully elevate the creative results from these endeavors.

Hulk

Movie Name: Hulk
Year of Release: 2003
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, Nick Nolte, Paul Kersey, Cara Buono, Kevin Rankin, Celia Weston, Lou Ferrigno, Todd Tesen
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review:

After the critical and commercial success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", the always fantastic Ang Lee decided to tackle something decidedly different in his career, his first comic book feature. The film is an adaptation of the Marvel comic book, and follows the story of scientist Bruce Banner, who survives an accidental experiment on his laboratory, an accident that leaves him with a serious side effect. Every time Bruce gets angry, his metabolism alters, and he becomes this immense creature, someone possessed of limitless strength, and invulnerable to nearly everything, the giant and destructive Hulk. This creature of immense power gathers the attention of the army, who is intent on destroying him, under the direction of General Ross. Only Betty Ross, Banner's love interest has a way of calming him down and keeping the Hulk in check. 
Ang Lee is a tremendously talented director, who has made a career of unexpected choices and turns. Much like his initial work in Taiwan/New York, "The Wedding Banquet" and "Eat Drink Man Woman" was followed by the period piece "Sense and Sensibility", "Hul" followed his return to his roots. The director tried to give the film a humane dimension, by making Bruce Banner's issues associated to a distraught parental figure, played with abandon by Nick Nolte. This over the top aspect didn't exactly marry with the almost literal stylistic approach the director adopted in terms of transitions between scenes and set pieces. It's a film that is interesting, and visually compelling, even if the render of the creatures feels at times too artificial. In the end, the cast makes the film engaging and compelling, particularly the duo comprised of Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, both excellent actors who give their characters depth and range that sometimes isn't associated with comic book properties. The cinematography from Frederick Elmes (who usually works with David Lynch) is great, as is the score from Danny Elfman. An uneven film from a fantastic director.

Children of Men

Movie Name: Children of Men
Year of Release: 2006
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Danny Huston, Pam Ferris, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Peter Mullan
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:

Director Alfonso Cuaron followed his successful "Harry Potter" foray, with what turned out to be one of his best reviewed films thus far. The film is an adaptation of a novel by P.D. James and takes place in the nearby future where women have become infertile, and where society is at the brink of social and economic collapse. The film focuses on Theo Faron, a former activist, who following a dramatic occurrence with his family, has become something of a recluse, staying mostly to himself, save for his good friend Jasper. His estranged wife Julian resurfaces, asking him to help transport a woman who needs papers and a safe passage out of London. That woman carries within her the seed for a new beginning, something that is of interest for different factions. It's up to Theo to navigate the dangerous waters ahead and safeguard the precious Kee.
Alfonso Cuaron is one of the most interesting directors working today. His technical prowess is fine tuned to each project he tackles, but what is really surprising about his features, is how the themes of family and individual growth and sacrifice come across in his narratives. "Children of Men" is a fantastic example of a film where the director manages to create a near future inhabited by economic uncertainty, immigration problems, social inequalities, all reflecting the fears of our current society, but also giving it a vibrancy and heart that makes it authentic and plausible. It's ultimately a film about the gift of life, and how that is the most powerful thing that humanity carries within itself. It's also a film impeccably shot, courtesy of Emmanuel Lubezki, edited (by the director and Alex Rodriguez) and featuring a fantastic performance from the always underrated Clive Owen. A great film from an ever evolving director, who is never afraid of challenging himself.