A Murder at the End of the World (2023)

An eccentric technological genius and his wife invite a group of people - exceptional in their field - to an isolated hotel in Iceland, where a murder takes place on the first night.

'A Murder at the End of the World' is a dramatic miniseries that follows a more unorthodox and very modern forensic investigation. With a group of actors that are well known but not too mainstream, and rarely seen on the screen, the series is ambitious from the first moment and follows a line of slow but determined development and is imbued with memory scenes that highlight the emotional weight of the facts the main character has to bear. With some imperfections in the script, especially related to the moments when some characters call others geniuses with no real proof, the geographical situation, and the subtle and skillfully quiet cinematography create an experience worth savoring, even with the week-long wait for each new episode.

Director:  Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling    

Production:  Hulu  

Creator:  Zal Batmanglij, Brit Marling   

Duration:  miniseries of 7 episodes (~1 hour each)  

With: Emma Corrin, Brit Marling, Harris Dickinson, Raúl Esparza, Clive Owen, Joan Chen, Edoardo Ballerini, Alice Braga

Rating: 9/10

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

The fate of the Universe rests in the hands of special operatives Valerian and Laureline.

'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' is a sci-fi adventure film by Luc Besson. Full of activity, varied characters, a very colorful and tireless imagined world, the film is fun, but maybe a little unnecessarily tiring. Interesting, but not special. Unfortunately, the main characters lack that special something (found in abundance in Lelloo or Korben Dallas from The Fifth Element) to make this worthwhile.

Director:  Luc Besson       

With: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen, Rihanna

Rating: 7/10