Mother (2017)

O relație se deteriorează treptat odată ce străini sunt invitați sa împartă căminul cuplului.

Un film metafora de la un cap la celalalt. Folosește simboluri religioase pline de însemnătate atat pentru oameni religioși cât și pentru atei. E păcat ca filmul a fost respins întocmai pentru acest conținut de oameni ce nu pot sa discearnă adevărul de doctrina.
Chiar și lăsând religia la o parte, filmul este o exagerare poetica a trăirilor unor anume tipuri de femei ca urmare a nașterii unui copil sau deteriorării treptate a ceea ce considera drag.
Sentimentele de sufocare psihologica și panica și teama de o soarta de Cassandra sunt atât de palpabile ca filmul este dificil de urmărit dar cu cinematografia sa atât de impecabila și cu măiestria lui Jennifer Lawrence , cu greu te poți abține sa nu continui.

Scenariu/regie: Darren Aronofsky
Cu: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson

Rating: 10/10

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Mother (2017)

A relationship gradually deteriorates once strangers are invited to share the couple's home.

A metaphorical film from one end to the other. It uses religious symbols full of significance for both religious people and atheists. It is a shame that the film was rejected precisely for this content by people who cannot discern the truth from the doctrine.

Even with leaving religion aside, the film is a poetic exaggeration of the experiences of certain types of women as a result of the birth of a child or the gradual deterioration of what they consider dear.

The feelings of psychological suffocation and panic and fear of a Cassandra-typed fate are so palpable that the film is difficult to watch but with its impeccable cinematography and direction and with Jennifer Lawrence's mastery, you can hardly refrain from continuing.

Screenplay / Direction: Darren Aronofsky

Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson

Lady Chatterley's Lover (2015)

Lady Chaterley falls in love with a man from a lower social class after her husband returns paralysed from war.

The well-known story of written origin is adapted as accurately as possible in a more contemporary screenplay.

A bit rushed in order to fit in an hour, it lost much of the important details of the novel. Nothing factual really, only some personality traits for some the characters, with Mellors (the above mentioned lover) particularly affected. 

Portrayed with great passion by Richard Madden, it seems to me that many elements of Mellors' personality, such as his conversational wit and rough on the edges talent (i.e. quick, harsh and clever lines), do not translate almost at all into the film. The film manages to keep some of the word exchanges of a more childish nature, which, in the absence of their whole context, do not seem to be anything more than just that. Love is blind but not really that blind, and that is not properly explained in this version of the film. It is not the fault of any of the actors, all of this comes from the script, probably written by someone who did not understand the book. 

Connie, on the other hand, is transposed to the screen by such a delicate Holliday Graingier that I actually forgot that in the book she wasn't quite so perfect.

Even Clifford's character suffers from the lack of detail, but the talented and very versatile James Norton manages to do a lot with very little.

Screenplay: Jed Mercurio (after D.H. Lawrence)

Directed by: Jed Mercury

With: Holliday Grainger, Richard Madden, James Norton, Jodie Comer

You know Richard Madden from Game of Thrones (Rob Stark), Holliday from Borgia (Lucrezia).

Rating: 6/10

Luther (2010-)

A jaded but brilliant detective cannot help but help the victims of injustice, sometimes through less orthodox methods, and often with serious consequences that directly affect him in a dramatic way.

A police series like no other. With an imperfect main character but with good intentions, with an asymmetrical structure (none of the seasons has the same number of episodes, some even have only 2 episodes) and with very different types of interests that vary from homicides and their standard investigations, to vendettas, to fascination over brilliant sociopaths and even to hiding from the law, it is a great TV addiction. 

Unmissable for genre fans and especially for Idris Elba fans!

Production: BBC

Featuring: Idris Elba, Michael Smiley, Warren Brown, Ruth Wilson, Paul McGann, Indira Varma, Sienna Guillory, Patrick Malahide, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Dermot Crowley

Luther (2010-)

Un detectiv blazat dar genial nu se poate abține din a ajuta pe cei nedreptățiți, câteodată prin metode mai puțin ortodoxe, și adesea cu consecințe serioase ce-l afectează direct în mod dramatic.

Un serial polițist ca nici un altul. Cu un personaj principal imperfect dar cu intenții bune, cu o structura asimetrica (nici unul din sezoane nu are un număr de episoade la fel, unele au chiar și doar 2 episoade) și cu tipuri de interes foarte diferite ce variază de la omucideri și investigațiile standard, la vendete, la fascinați provocate de sociopati geniali și chiar și fuga de lege, e un candidat perfect pentru o noua dependenta TV. 

De neratat pentru amatorii genului și mai ales pentru fanii lui Idris Elba!

Productie: BBC

Cu: Idris Elba, Michael Smiley, Warren Brown, Ruth Wilson, Paul McGann, Indira Varma, Sienna Guillory, Patrick Malahide, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Dermot Crowley

Rating: 9/10

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The Irishman (2019)

The personal story of a so-called Mafia assassin, as told by the actual person to the author of the source book. 

Of big proportions, with multiple narrative threads intersected at different points in time, The Irishman is a mammoth of a movie that only Scorsese could control. It presents the story of a real person - as told in the winter of his life - just as such, without showing any resistance or doubts about its veridicity. In reality, there are doubts due to the content being a bit sensational, especially around the details about the links with Jimmy Hoffa and his disappearance. 

A great effort and a very interesting story that brings together big names, some even returned after retiring from acting (Joe Pesci) or some without even one line of dialogue (Harvey Keitel). This is the third time that the two "giants" - Robert De Niro and Al Pacino - meet in the same scenes (the first time they were in the same film, in The Godfather, they did not actually share scenes at all, Heat is a recognised masterpiece and Righteous Kill did not rise to expectations), this time successfully and showcasing a beautiful friendship that really makes sense. 

Soaked in a lot of history and facts that can actually be verified, the film presents the Italian-mafia character as perceived and understood by Scorsese and also as he demonstrated it in other of his great successes. Less noisy (perhaps due to the slightly more historical character), less dramatic, much more subtle, the film suffers from the lack of an interesting main character. Everything is interesting around it, and all the other very colourful and well-written characters seem to have a natural respect as if born out of merit, but it never becomes obvious to the viewer why that is. And Scorsese, I think, was just as perplexed as he actually attempted to get his characters to explain in their own words the effect of this man as an irrefutable fact that everyone is aware of. 

Joe Pesci is wonderful, strong and fragile at the same time, Al Pacino is as bombastic as usual and very believable, and Robert De Niro worked hard to seem so boring, docile, humble and violent. 

The 3 hours are perfectly excusable. 

Screenplay: Steven Zaillian, Charles Brandt (book) 

Directed by: Martin Scorsese 

Featuring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Carnavale, Ana Paquin

The Irishman (2019)

Istoria personala a unui asa-zis asasin al Mafiei, asa cum i-a fost povestita de persoana reala autorului cartii sursa.

De mari proportii, cu multiple fire narative intercalate la diferite momente in timp, The Irishman e un mamut de film cum numai Scorsese poate tine sub control. Prezinta istoria unei persoane reale - asa cum a fost povestita in iarna vietii sale - ca atare, fara a arata rezistenta sau dubii legate de veridicitate. In realitate exista dubii datorita continutului un pic senzationalist, mai ales in ceea ce priveste detaliile despre legaturile cu Jimmy Hoffa si disparitia acestuia.

Un mare efort si o istorisire destul de interesanta ce aduce laolalta mari nume, unele chiar reintoarse dupa retragere din actorie (Joe Pesci) sau unele chiar fara nici o linie de dialog (Harvey Keitel). E a doua oara cand cei doi "mari" - Robert De Niro si Al Pacino - se intalnesc in aceleasi scene (prima oara in The Godfather nu au impartit scene deloc iar Righteous Kill nu s-a ridicat la nivelul asteptarilor), de data asta cu success si prezentand o frumoasa prietenie ce chiar are sens.

Imbibat cu multa istorie si fapte ce chiar pot fi verificate, filmul prezinta caracterul italiano-mafiot asa cum Scorsese l-a citit si inteles si prezentat in alte mari succese ale sale. Mai putin zgomotos (poate datorita caracterului ceva mai istoric), mai putin dramatic, mult mai subtil, filmul sufera de lipsa unui personaj principal interesant. Totul e interesant in jurul acestuia, si personajele foarte colorate si bine scrise par sa detina un respect subinteles si castigat pe merit pentru acesta, dar pentru privitor nu devine nicicand evident de ce acest lucru se intampla. Si Scorsese cred ca era la fel de perplex, deoarece incearca sa isi faca personajele sa explice in cuvintele lor efectul acestei personalitati ca un fapt de netagaduit de care toti ceilalti sunt constienti.

Joe Pesci e minunat, puternic si firav in acelasi timp, Al Pacino e bombastic ca de obicei si foarte credibil, si Robert De Niro a muncit mult sa arate atat de natural plictisitor, docil, umil si violent.

Cele 3 ore sunt perect scuzabile.

Scenariu: Steven Zaillian, Charles Brandt (carte)

Regie: Martin Scorsese

Cu: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Ana Paquin

Rating: 8/10

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