The Expanse (2015-)

Într-un viitor în care expansiunea umană în spațiu a produs noi rase, consecință a nevoii de adaptare la mediu, trei persoane aparent fără legătură descoperă sub-rețele diferite ale unei conspirații complicate.

Fanii SF sătui de producții de umplutură se pot bucura în sfârșit de un exemplar ca la carte, ce amintește ușor de un Battlestar Galactica modernizat. Nu urmează decizia aceluia de a insufla impresia de real prin stilul de filmare documentar/reality-show ci utilizează tehnici moderne și multe efecte speciale de calitate reușind să impresioneze foarte des prin scene foarte bine încadrate și credibile fie în spațiu, fie în incinte, fie în natură pe planeta Pământ. Prin cele trei personaje reușește foarte eficient să urmeze stiluri diferite de filme - detectiv, film epic, film despre urzeli politice - în paralel, îmbinate frumos și nu se grăbește să deslușească înspre ce se vor îndrepta cele trei căi, astfel sporind farmecul și intriga. 

Noile rase au sens, cu două un pic predictibile (pământenii și marțienii militari) și cu o a treia foarte interesantă și complexă, unde se pare că scenariștii și-au concentrat toată creativitatea, și anume rasa Belter, urmași ai oamenilor trimiși să lucreze în minerit al unor planete/sateliți cu gravitate foarte joasă. Cea din urmă a dat naștere unor personaje foarte colorate și interesante și unei noi limbi - un fel de pidgin englezesc.

Cu: Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Thomas Jane, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatam, Frankie Adams, Cara Gee, Elizabeth Mitchell, David Strathairn

Also read in English

The Expanse (2015-)

In a future where the human expansion in space has produced new races - a consequence of the need to adapt to the environment - three seemingly unrelated people discover different sub-networks of a complicated conspiracy.

Sci-Fi fans all over, tired of all the meaningless examples of the genre, can finally enjoy a proper production, a slight reminiscence of a modernized Battlestar Galactica. It does not follow in that one's footsteps in using the style of documentary/reality-show filming in order to instill the impression of real but uses a lot more modern techniques and many quality special effects managing to often impress with very well framed and credible scenes either in space or in premises or out in nature on planet Earth. Through the three already mentioned characters, the show manages to make use of very different styles of films - detective, epic and political films - in parallel, beautifully combined and it doesn't rush in revealing what each of the three ways will get to, thus enhancing its charm and the intrigue.

The new races make sense, with two somewhat predictable ones (the Earthians and the very military Martian) but with a very interesting and complex third, on which it seems that the writers have concentrated all their creativity, namely the Belter race, who are descendants of the people sent to work in mining of planets/satellites with very low gravity. The latter gave the opportunity to create some very colorful and interesting characters throughout the (now) 3 seasons and a new language - some kind of English pidgin.

With: Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Thomas Jane, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatam, Frankie Adams, Cara Gee, Elizabeth Mitchell, David Strathairn

The Snowman (2017)

Renowned detective Harry Hole is investigating a series of crimes / disappearances in which the victim is a mother and a snowman is left behind.

An adaptation of a novel by Jo Nesbo from a book series with the same detective Harry Hole, this being number 7. As in any Nordic fiction of recent years, the story is complex with many details and hidden links. The actors are reasonably chosen, with a wasted Charlotte Gainsbourg and an unrecognizable Val Kilmer, a lot of passion and a lot more mystery. You really want to wait until the end to find out what's going on, but more so because the film is not too beautifully put together and the puzzle pieces are kinda forced to fit together. Towards the end it is actually uninteresting.

Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
With: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer

The Snowman (2017)

Detectivul de renume Harry Hole investighează o serie de crime/dispariții în care victima este o mamă și un om de zăpadă este lăsat în urmă. 

Ecranizare a unui roman al lui Jo Nesbo dintr-o serie cu același detectiv Harry Hole, acesta fiind numărul 7. Ca în orice ficțiune nordică a ultimilor ani, povestea este complexă cu multe detalii și legături ascunse. Actorii sunt aleși ok, cu Charlotte Gainsbourg nespusă în valoare și un Val Kilmer de nerecunoscut, pasiune cât încape, mister și mai și. Chiar vrei să rămâi până la final să afli ce se întâmplă, dar mai mult pentru că nu este legat prea frumos și piesele puzzle-ului sunt forțate să se potriveasca împreună. Spre final este chiar neinteresant.

Regie: Tomas Alfredson

Cu: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K. Simmons, Val Kilmer

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Falling Inn Love (2019)

O arhitectă americană ce muncește prea mult câștiga o pensiune în Noua Zeelanda și asta aduce multe schimbări.

O comedie romantică foarte ușoară și trasă de păr cu doi protagoniști perfecți (o veți recunoaște pe cântăreața Christina Milian) și optimiști și cu mult soare. Nu e complet lipsită de farmec dar e doar potrivită pentru zile de suferință când ai atât de puțină energie că pur și simplu nu poți trece prin procesul de a alege ceva mai bun decât ceea ce este imediat disponibil.

Regia: Roger Kumble

Cu: Christina Milian, Adam Demos

Rating: 5/10

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Falling Inn Love (2019)

A workaholic American architect wins an inn in New Zealand and this brings many life changes.

A light silly romantic comedy with two perfect and optimistic  protagonists (you will recognize Christina Milian, the singer ) and a lot of sun. It is not completely lacking in charm but it is only suitable for suffering days when you have so little energy that you simply cannot go through the long and complex process of choosing something better than what is immediately available.

Directed by: Roger Kumble
With: Christina Milian, Adam Demos

Rating: 5/10

Watchmen (2009)

An unofficial murder investigation and its follow up after the death of a well known superhero in the year of 1985.

No idea why I've been hearing dissatisfied  rumours about this because the movie is simply brilliant. After the first 5 minutes I found myself praying that it would continue in the same note, line, rhythm and subtlety (yes ... you read that right :P) and that's because the first most important scene is mindblowing, with a genius's touch. A lot of action, mechanical fights, zoom ins, slow motion, tough attitudes, and all with an adorable and ironic musical background of Nat King Cole's "unforgettable" Unforgettable. So my expectations were again exceeded. Even the moments that should by definition be ridiculous somehow end up being meaningful and important and everything comes together beautifully, coordinated, without any boring moment. Nothing you'd expect from a superhero movie can be found here except the costumes. The music is great and it contains surprising 70s oldies titles (Jimmy Hendrix, Leonard Cohen and then some ...), almost every time chosen in a tone that's opposite to the scene in progress. Blunt lines, sometimes funny, sometimes only ironic. Imperfect people, with human lives, insecurities, mixed feelings, who become invincible when they hide behind their everyday masks (only one exception - of course - but we'll allow it) and a perfect villain - cold and calculated and difficult to spot - built on the premise that the line between good and evil is very thin, which is quite rare in this genre of films when everything is usually either black or white ... And the director does not try to hide the more ugly and difficult to digest realities for the sake of the more sensitive and easily offended public which seems so common/normal these days. Ah and I loved the line "Hitler was a vegetarian too". I didn't know that : P.

Directed by: Zack Snyder
With: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Carla Gugino, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

This is a translation of an old post, see it here

The Dark Tower (2017)

Un băiat cu probleme are viziuni despre o lume paralelă și ajunge să facă echipă cu cowboy-ul gardian din acea lume într-o luptă împotriva unui vrăjitor malefic.

Fad, lipsit de imaginație și plictisitor. Unii ar putea considera asocierea numelor lui Stephen King, Matthew McConaughey și Idris Elba ca un pariu deja câștigat dar de fapt este un eșec total. Nici măcar efectele speciale nu reușesc să îl salveze deoarece nu fac altceva decât să accentueze ridicolul poveștii.

Regia: Nicolaj Arcel
Cu: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey

Rating: 5/10

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The Dark Tower (2017)

A troubled boy has visions of a parallel world and ends up teaming up with the cowboy-like guardian figure from that world in a fight against an evil warlock. 

Bland, unimaginative and boring. Some might consider the association of the names of Stephen King, Matthew McConaughey and Idris Elba a safe bet, but in fact it's just a total failure. Not even the special effects manage to save this because all they do is emphasise the ridiculousness of the story.

Director: Nicolaj Arcel
With: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey

Rating: 5/10

Young Adult (2011)

A writer of young adult novels returns to her hometown intent on winning back her high school great love.

An easily enjoyable movie as it ingeniously combines painful truths with comedy and irony. The main character is a sort of anti-heroine with all kinds of problems, including mental ones. She is an immature adult, used to getting their way effortlessly (due to a privileged childhood and her popularity during high school), with illusions of grandeur, who creates logical fantasies about her potential other half, likely just an escapism attempt after difficult to accept events in her personal life. Charlize Theron is adorable as the aforementioned heroine, very believable and easy to pity. Her new friendship with a former colleague, initially quite difficult to imagine, is one of the strengths of the film, and probably the only opportunity for the character to show her true face and feelings.

The ending is a bit controversial, given the impression that there was actually no problem, but I think the author's intention (Diablo Cody of course) was to emphasize that if the person in question wasn't someone like Charlize Theron, the situation would be just plainly sad.

Writer: Diablo Cody
Directed by: Jason Reitman
With: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser

Young Adult (2011)

O scriitoare de romane pentru adolescenti se intoarce in orasul natal sa recucereasca marea sa iubire din liceu.

Un film usor si placut de urmarit deoarece imbina ingenios adevaruri dureroase cu comedie si ironie. Personajul principal e un fel de antieroina cu tot felul de probleme, inclusiv mentale. E un adult imatur, obisnuit sa primeasca totul pe tava (datorita unei copilarii privilegiate si popularitatii din liceu), cu iluzii de grandoare, care isi creeaza fantezii logice despre potentiala sa jumatate, probabil ca escapism dupa evenimente greu de acceptat din viata personala. Charlize Theron e adorabila ca mai sus mentionata eroina, foarte credibila si usor de compatimit. Prietenia ei noua cu un fost coleg, greu de imaginat initial, e unul din punctele forte ale filmului, si probabil singura ocazie a personajului in care isi arata adevarata fata si sentimente. 

Finalul e un pic controversat dand impresia ca nu exista de fapt vreo problema, dar cred ca intentia autoarei (Diablo Cody desigur) a fost sa accentueze faptul ca daca persoana in cauza nu era cineva ca Charlize Theron, situatia ar fi pur si simplu doar trista.

Scenariu: Diablo Cody
Regia: Jason Reitman
Cu: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser

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The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015-)

A London inspector investigates crimes in the 19th century, crimes that have similarities to elements of Victor Frankenstein's story.

An interesting concept where Mary Shelley's book and the circumstances of its production are real but interwoven with fictional details and they help create a whole new fresh story managing to avoid it becoming ridiculous in any measure. The series has an intense first season, quite realistic in the style of the crime and investigations genre which is then followed by a tad weaker second season, mainly because of its slight obsession for melodramatic, however it still remains interesting to watch. The period is very well portrayed, with all the horrors of the time and Sean Bean is credible in the skin of the unfortunate inspector.

With: Sean Bean, Tom Ward, Richie Campbell, Ed Stoppard, Eloise Smyth, Vanessa Kirby, Ryan Sampson, Laurence Fox

The Frankenstein Chronicles (2015-)

Un inspector londonez investigheaza crime in secolul 19, crime ce au similitudini cu elemente din povestea lui Victor Frankenstein.

Un concept interesant unde cartea lui Mary Shelley si circumstantele producerii sale sunt reale dar intretaiate cu detalii fictive si ajuta sa dea nastere unei povesti complet noi fara a o da in ridicol. Serialul are parte de un prim sezon intens si tipic stilului politist, realist ca apoi sa fie urmat de un al doilea sezon un pic mai slab din cauza usoarei obsesii pentru melodramatic dar care ramane inca interesant de urmarit. Perioada este reprezentata foarte bine, cu toate ororile vremii iar Sean Bean este credibil in pielea inspectorului incercat.

Cu: Sean Bean, Tom Ward, Richie Campbell, Ed Stoppard, Eloise Smyth, Vanessa Kirby, Ryan Sampson, Laurence Fox

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The Cure/ Kyua (1997)

An investigation into a series of unusual crimes where the guilty have no recollection of the events.

Catalogued as horror. It starts as one. It really seems to be one. Couldn't be further away from the truth. It continues as a philosophical discussion, interrupted from time to time by ... horror elements. Then there's the psychological ... thriller side of it. Then we're back at the philosophical discussion again. And then it's over. Obviously without any explanation. And it's only natural to be that way as this was a philosophical discussion and you're meant to think hard after it. And then you think and you think ...

Seriously now, my description is quite pragmatic. But a film that's so profound and meaningful just cannot be described in a few words (sentences). The reality it evasively (apparently) describes is genuine, and quite painful. It all makes sense under the premise that within us, even within those of us who think ourselves to be (supposedly ...) clean, without guilt, there is and lives a monster, which can be brought to the surface, and once Pandora's box is opened, control becomes a completely foreign concept. Pure philosophy ... and yet what can be more horrific (:P) than the complete lack of control and individuality even in the presence of one's consciousness?

Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

With: Kôji Yakusho

This is a translation of an older post, see it here