Perfect Days (2023)

Hirayama enjoys his simple life, even if he spends his days cleaning public toilets.

'Perfect Days' is an unexpected film from Wim Wenders, who came up with the story of a happy case of retirement into simplicity of a character who has known capitalist success and monetary ambitions. The story takes place exclusively in a modern Japan and is full of color and understanding. Recommended only to those who understand and enjoy the appeal of simple pleasures.

Director:  Wim Wenders     

With: Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto, Arisa Nakano

Rating: 8.5/10

Godzilla Minus One / Gojira -1.0 (2023)

In post-war Japan, Godzilla is a new threat awakened by the violence of the war.

'Gojira -1.0' is a dramatic film and a fantastic blockbuster in the same package. It offers a deep message and a group of multidimensional characters with a story that captivates in parallel with the threat of the monster, which normally uses up the potential for intrigue.

Director:  Takashi Yamazaki    

With: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Munetaka Aoki

Rating: 8/10

Perfect Sense (2011)

A scientist and a chef fall in love with each other in the middle of an epidemic that causes loss of the senses.

'Perfect Sense' is a poetic drama, a metaphor of the modern world and the hope for intense and real feelings still being possible. The two protagonists are very well chosen, with a great chemistry and extremely expressive in portraying intense and traumatic experiences, which cause a variety of contradictory reactions. A real gem.

Director:  David Mackenzie   

With: Ewan McGregor, Eva Green, Connie Nielsen, Stephen Dillane

Rating: 9/10

Maniac (2018)

Two strangers are drawn for different reasons to an experimental drug that promises to solve all their problems.

'Maniac' is a sci-fi drama with a very eclectic and imaginative content. The two main protagonists are excellent and very well suited for an association that makes so much sense. Hard to describe in general, Maniac must be experienced.

Director:  Cary Joji Fukunaga   

Production:  Netflix   

Creator:  Cary Joji Fukunaga, Patrick Somerville   

Duration:  miniseries of 10 episodes (6 ore 26 minutes in total)   

With: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sonoya Mizuno, Justin Theroux, Sally Field, Julia Garner, Gabriel Byrne, Jemima Kirke, Trudie Styler

Rating: 9.5/10

Saltburn (2023)

Un student la Oxford este atras de lumea fascinanta a aristocratilor moderni prin prisma familiei colegului sau.

'Saltburn' este o drama usor satirizata despre dorinta umana foarte favorizata pentru mai mult: mai multi bani, mai mult appeal, mai multa popularitate. Pare inspirat de povestea lui Tom Ripley, dar cu mai multa comedie/satira, mai putina adancime si mai mult continut scandalizator. Filmul are multe momente inteligente, in genere imbogatite prin personajele secundare, dar regula pare sa fie lene in scenariu ce incearca sa compenseze prin scene soc.

Regia:  Emerald Fennell   

Cu: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant

Rating: 7/10

Also available in English

Decision To Leave / Heojil kyolshim (2022)

A detective investigating an accident in the mountains becomes obsessed with the victim's wife.

'Decision To Leave' is a police drama directed by the wonderful Chan-wook Park. Intense, multi-layered, the story is far from simple and is original and incredibly believable, all thanks to the emotional subtlety infused by the skillful director.

Director:  Park Chan-wook    

With: Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo

Rating: 8.5/10

Bones And All (2022)

O tanara ce sufera de pe urma unei trasaturi genetice violente incepe o calatorie de cunoastere prin America.

'Bones And All' este o drama horror despre cunoasterea sinelui si acceptarea intregului. Bine jucat, cu cateva scene destul de intense, si o poveste de dragoste credibila, elemente ce privite in izolare par importante, si totusi filmul nu reuseste sa redea convingator mesajul ca oricare din personaje are ceva ce compenseaza oroarea interioara.

Regia:  Luca Guadagnino     

Cu: Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance, Kendle Coffey, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, Sean Bridgers

Rating: 7/10

Also available in English

Bones And All (2022)

A young woman suffering from a violent genetic trait begins a journey of discovery through America.

'Bones And All' is a horror drama about self-knowledge and acceptance of the whole. Well acted, with some quite intense scenes, and a believable love story, elements that, viewed in isolation, seem rather important, and yet the film fails to convey convincingly the message that any of its characters has something that compensates for their inner monster.

Director:  Luca Guadagnino     

With: Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance, Kendle Coffey, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny, Sean Bridgers

Rating: 7/10

Effie Gray (2014)

A dramatization of the love triangle between John Ruskin, his wife Effie Gray and the painter John Everett Millais.

'Effie Gray' is a biographical film, with the usual poetic license applied that presents an interesting episode in the life of names that belong to history. The facts seem of a crude nature, usually associated with gossip, but the interactions and the period in which they take place, offer an interesting angle on an unusual situation.

Director:  Richard Laxton    

With: Dakota Fanning, Greg Wise, Tom Sturridge, Emma Thompson

Rating: 8/10

The Age of Adaline (2015)

Adaline stops aging after a car accident and lives her life reinventing her identity.

'The Age of Adaline' is a drama with fantasy romantic elements. Without containing a complicated or terribly deep story, it manages to induce a bit of feeling and strangely understanding. Good for a quiet winter evening.

Director:  Lee Toland Krieger   

With: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker

Rating: 7/10

The Outsider (2018)

In Japan immediately after the war, a former soldier finds his place in the Japanese mafia.

'The Outsider' is an interesting dramatic thriller. It brings the John Blackthorne type of character (Shogun) in a quasi-modern Japanese context and in the time of Yakuza honor that preserves somewhat the old samurai tradition. Well made, the film doesn't have much dialogue, and the little it has generally belongs to the unlikeable characters, and it manages to attract interest through mystery and the portrayal of human feelings of friendship and loyalty.

Director:  Martin Zandvliet     

With: Jared Leto, Tadanobu Asano, Kippei Shîna, Shioli Kutsuna

Rating: 7.5/10

Mississippi Grind (2015)

A gambling addict befriends a young poker player in an attempt to change his luck.

'Mississippi Grind' is a dramatic film that sometimes uses humor to show the power of camaraderie. It is a subtle film, not very fast, which is built on the idea of ​​the nature of man who chooses his fate, but likes to seek company.

Director:  Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck    

With: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds, Yvonne Landry, Anthony Howard

Rating: 7/10

Persuasion (2022)

Anne Elliot is put in the situation of seeing her ex she rejected 8 years ago in awkward social situations.

'Persuasion' is the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. Netflix's current attempt to give it a new, more modern air for the TikTok generation is not popular amongst fans of the classic , but the effort is admirable, especially in view of the fact that it succeeded, because the new generation of readers do not have a taste for Austen, a modern film adaptation could not have tried to follow the same style.

Director:  Carrie Cracknell   

With: Richard E. Grant, Dakota Johnson, Henry Golding, Ben Bailey Smith, Yolanda Kettle, Lydia Rose Bewley

Rating: 7.5/10

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

A couple made of a model and an influencer wins a cruise on a luxury ship.

'Triangle of Sadness' is a difficult film to describe. Essentially a satire, it has comedic but also dramatic elements, with a strong message that doesn't try to be subtle. Well acted by the whole extended team of actors, well thought out and with a dialogue that's rich in subtleties.

Director:  Ruben Östlund      

With: Thobias Thorwid, Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Jiannis Moustos, Woody Harrelson

Rating: 10/10

Somersault (2004)

A teenager runs away from home into the Australian mountains and lives through experiences that teach her the nuances of feelings.

"Somersault" is a diaphanous drama, which very subtly shows us different phases and layers of female growing up. With imperfect, even unwanted experiences, mixed with subtle understandings and experiences, Abbie Cornish impresses incredibly in the main part.

Director:  Cate Shortland     

With: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, Lynette Curran, Damian de Montemas

Rating: 8/10

Doraibu mai kâ / Drive My Car (2021)

An actor who lost his wife is hired to direct a production of Uncle Vania in a location where he is assigned a driver.

'Drive My Car' is a successful film based on a story by Haruki Murakami. It has a slow development, which will not be to the liking of many, despite the admirable cinematography (something that cannot support an entire film by itself), uses a lot of symbolism and lasts 3 hours. It is built around a multitude of feelings such as regret caused by the lack of communication despite a common front, and regret, regret and .. grief, as well as an interesting contrast of that to the case where two completely different people (the 2 main characters) manage to communicate and understand each other almost effortlessly. The parallel with staging the theatre play with a mixture of individuals who do not understand each other (some speak only Japanese, some only Korean, others only sign language) and which manages to be an almost harmonious success is again interesting.

Director:  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi   

With: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tôko Miura, Reika Kirishima, Masaki Okada

Rating: 8/10

Fall (2022)

Two adventurous best friends climb a 2,000-foot radio tower.

'Fall' is a dramatic thriller/horror film. Uneven in its execution, but without any monotony, the film keeps the viewer's adrenaline at a (too) high level in the first half and then goes on to cause a heart attack in the second. With a central idea that seems lacking in layers and depth, the film offers plenty of it.

Director:  Scott Mann     

With: Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Mason Gooding, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Rating: 8/10

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Two lifelong friends go through a problematic episode when one of them decides that he no longer wants to be friends with the other.

'The Banshees of Inisherin' is a tragic-comedy film by Martin McDonagh. The elements of comedy are present to a good extent, based on simple dialogue, and the expressivity and Irish-ness of the actors, but the drama gradually increases, taking on considerable dimensions towards the end. The film touches on many themes, but loneliness and human selfishness (intentional or incidental) are primary, showing the consequences of isolation and lack of social options. The film starts with seemingly superficial intentions, but the foreshadowing is obvious from the beginning (the policeman's news, the old woman with banshee traits) as a warning.

Director:  Martin McDonagh   

With: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Pat Shortt, Barry Keoghan

Rating: 10/10

Nanny (2022)

A young immigrant works as a nanny to collect money to bring her son to her.

'Nanny' is a dramatic film and uses elements of horror and fantasy to create a sense of threat and warning for an idealized future. Visually, Nanny is flawless, impressive and with rich and meaningful chromatic effects. As a message, the film manages to be very confusing and create the impression of deception through an ending that does not seem correlated with the foreshadowing that seemed intended throughout the film, even from its beginning.

Director:  Nikyatu Jusu      

With: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector

Rating: 6/10

Out of the Furnace (2013)

After the disappearance of his brother, Russell Baze decides to take things in his own hands.

'Out Of The Furnace' is a drama with some thriller bits mixed in. It contains some strong performances from the main actors and then some, but it will be tricky for the audience to keep emotionally involved in a story that would not have happened without the unfortunate and completely avoidable decisions of some of the characters. But the acting of the actors alone could be reason enough to see it to the end.

Director:  Scott Cooper     

With: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Willem Dafoe, Forest Whitaker, Boyd Holbrook

Rating: 7/10