rbferre Reviews

Os Quatro Paralamas (2020)

A beautiful journey

[8/10 · 17 May 2021]

The 80's were great for Brazilian rock n' roll and The Paralamas do Sucesso were one of the most successful bands of that era. This documentary includes footage since their early days in 1981. 40 years later those inseparable friends are still providing the soundtrack of young at heart South American people with their idealistic and rebel yet romantic songs.

The documentary introduces the fourth member, Zé Fortes, who has been managing Herbert Vianna, Bi Ribeiro and João Barone through those forty years.

Nice songs, friendship and a bit of how they faced adversity and tragedy.

8/10 as I just wished it got a bit more into their personalities.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

A Sequel that expands the original movie's greatness

[10/10 · 8 October 2017]

Just saw the new Blade Runner. The first one is one of my favorite movies of all time for bringing the noir style to scifi movies and adding layers to a somewhat simple category. So I was concerned if they would do a sequel that would keep the franchise where it should be - the top. And I must say - it was better! All things I liked in the first one were there and expanded. Denis Villeneuve (director) and Ridley Scott (producer) took the original concept, added more storytelling, criticism to current world actions, paid homage to the original movie and showed how important certain things from the past are. Another great thing is a movie about the future without the common gadgets, cell phones, social media or TV. Brilliant cinematography, score, pace (nothing feels rushed, each scene is well crafted), acting and directing.

Gosling and Ford are outstanding. Ana de Armas is great. I would only have chosen an older actor to play Wallace- Leto is not convincing in the role. Without giving any spoilers, I recommend seeing this masterpiece. 10/10.

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Best thought provoking film of 2014

[10/10 · 8 February 2015]

Just watched Birdman last night...I love the feeling of coming out of the theater without having all the answers and discussing with your companion how they interpreted it! This movie has multiple layers and you were invited to peel off the onion in a fluid cinematography that adds value to the overall story. Lubezki applies the concept of "camera always running" to add realism and to make the audience part of the movie. Amazing how a 2 hour long movie which is shot basically all inside a theater, is able to capture everyone's attention without getting dull, due to genius acting, directing and the relentless camera-work. Keaton, perfect for the role, given his history with superhero and being forgotten for so many years, delivers a visceral interpretation without worrying about his image, with pure focus on the character. Norton is at his best- the rehearsal scene with Keaton is amazing, and so is his dialogs with Stone. A movie that criticizes mainstream cinema, and will make you reflect about choices, about family, career, and love. The end is left open for interpretation. Without spoiling it, in my opinion it is part of the main character's delusion and how he wants to be admired. After all, what do we say when we talk about love?

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)

Entertaining, charming and smart art movie

[9/10 · 16 March 2014]

"Ghost Dog" is for me the best Forest Whithaker's movie. It was a great surprised when I saw it after so many years after its release in 1999. Jim Jarmusch made a movie to please audiences a big broader that the typical art movie fans who follow him.

His idea of mixing ancient "cultures" works well as both a tribute and a parody at the same time. The laughs are not constant but there are definitely scenes that will make you smile when you realize the connections.

The mafia guys are representing a declining tribe which used to rule businesses and now are limited to 60 year olds who still take care of the family. Some quotes really represent that declining era - for example when the big boss says he was expecting for Ghost Dog and buttons down his jacket, or one of the mafia guys says he will at least die as a gangster, those are clear references to their feelings over the end of their era and the reality of present times. The gangsters are all very cartoonish, and the 50's cartoons are there throughout the movie being watched by the gangsters who are mesmerized by the scenes that mimic the movie plot. Those cartoons are also a tribute to times that can't come back any longer.

On the other hand, the way of the samurai remits us to another ancient culture, which insists in stay alive and relevant - through Ghost Dog, the mafia girl or the young lady who Ghost Dog mentors. The sword is briefly shown and replaced by contemporary weapons, but the thoughts of wisdom are there, well applied throughout the movie, and make us think about its applications. This is significantly helped by the pace of the movie being interrupted by those metaphoric passages of the book. The passenger pigeons are a poetic remembrance of the beginning of the century, and illustrate how Ghost Dog likes the old values.

Finally, another declining icon, the ice cream truck, is shown extensively to help make the connection between two men who merely have in common their ancient roots in Africa. They don't even speak the same language, but almost read each others minds.

Excellent movie by Jarmusch, who chose to use a heavier tone on purpose, maybe to please a broader audience, maybe to pay tribute to another era - of gangsters, westerns, respect, and - why not - romance. Enjoy!

Cloud Atlas (2012)

I will need to watch it again

[9/10 · 29 December 2012]

Just watched it last night, and I have the impression I will need to watch it again to fully appreciate it. My first reaction was that this was an over ambitious project, and we should give kudos to producers/directors who decided to go for a movie with a $100M budget that does not really fit the typical model to guarantee their box office return.

It is not a movie for all kind of audiences as it is not easy to follow (although I think the editing helped us a lot) and the fact that different accents and dialects are spoken make your job a bit harder.

Having said that, it is a terrific idea, fairly well executed, with good performances by all actors (except Hugh Grant who just played...Hugh Grant as always). The only negative comment I have is that in a 3hr movie you should not leave with the impression that characters were not developed well enough. And I definitely felt that way in some of the stories (for example the first story we spend too much time watching the doctor trying to poison Burgess, while that time could have been employed better to develop the slave character). As a result of this underdevelopment, the film does not achieve the emotional level it aims for.

But clear correlations (and other not so clear which is good) among the stories exist to make the overall arch work effectively. References to older sci-fi movies are there, as a way to honor them. I thought this was also great. FInally, it is a sci-fi movie, yes, but which puts humanistic views in the first place. And make us think about souls, karma, God, cause- consequence. In one of the first scenes of the movie, it is said something like: "If this was all created by God, what are the things we can and can not change? ". We are still trying to answer that question.

Taken 2 (2012)

Be careful - your money will be TAKEN !!

[4/10 · 15 October 2012]

Taken 2 is another example of a greedy producer who wants to milk the success of the first movie, knows that there should not be a sequel and tries to maximize profits by hiring dumb writers who have never been outside US.

I have been to Istambul and it has almost nothing to do what we saw in the movie. OK, the Bosphorus and the mosques are there and that's it. People don't behave that way and the movie is full of flaws which makes it look like a comedy.

In one of the scenes, father and daughter are in a boat and he starts telling her that the waterway separates Europe and Asia and it has been used for more than 2500 years, blah blah. And she asks how he knows all of that. The answer, which is probably the same as the source of the research writers and director did for this movie, was that he read it in a guide book in the plane on the way there.

Anyway, the flaws have been pointed by several other reviews but what most annoyed me was the lack of depth in the scenes and characters. What happened to the realism of the first movie?

When the girl started detonating grenades on the rooftops of the most touristic area of Istambul so her father could accurately say how far she was from where he was being held captive, a lot of people in the theater started laughing.

Save your money, and wait for the DVD in case you are really curious about it.

The Apartment (1996)

A timeless tale where Shakespeare meets Hitchcock ... in Paris!

[10/10 · 14 July 2012]

I just watched this movie by chance as a friend of mine who lives in Paris recommended as a way to see Paris in a different way. And I got much more than that! Precise direction, great acting, and carefully engineered storytelling with the charming but non-touristic Paris as background.

Without giving too much up, you will need to watch this movie when you are in the right mood for it. In a dark room, paying attention to the details. I was surprised how I got hooked by the story, which is a combination of "Midsummer Night's Dream", "Rear Window", and 1940's noir movies (North by Northwest for example), but in a colorful palette.

Brillian start of careers for Cassel and the young French actress Romane Bohringer (who plays Alice). Belucci, despite not being a powerful actress, steals every scene she is on even when she does not say a word.

Finally, I felt something that I had not felt in a while with movies: to be in the shoes of the character - and this is because of the sublime direction, without weird techniques and slowly building the climax everyone starts anticipating since the middle of the movie...But until you get there you will need to go through some not-so-predictable twists until you are back to reality.

That much more than overcomes small holes in the plot that I consciously chose to ignore.

Enjoy!!!

Safe House (2012)

What a waste of good actors

[4/10 · 1 April 2012]

I really like Denzel Washinton and truly think he is one of the best of his generation but sometimes I get annoyed by how he tends to focus on the same kind of movies over and over, and wonder if he is not missing something bigger. But i still watch them all, they are typically good entertaining thrillers.

When I saw the cast of this movie and the preview the expectations were set high: besides Denzel, you have Sam Shepherd, Vera Farmiga, and the promising Ryan Reynolds (typical Hollywood thriller formula to pair a more veteran and a youngster actor to please several generations). On top of that, a promise to see a movie filmed in a non-traditional scenery, South Africa.

However, this movie was a big disappointment, with a ridiculous/old plot (all about CIA agents, rogue and silly ones), stepping into each other, confusing. Bad acting by Reynolds, not impressive Farmiga and Shepherd, all in my mind caused by bad direction and writing. Still typical thriller with decent car chasing and (predictable)twists, but none of that seem to really surprise or excite the audience, especially with the expected ending. At the end, one more forgettable film...a waste of good acting potential. Denzel delivers a fair performance, but it is more than offset by the flaws of the movie.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Good popcorn movie but falls flat in several aspects

[6/10 · 31 March 2012]

I confess I never read the books this film is based on. I also did not read any reviews before stepping into the theater and I was concerned whether this was a movie solely directed to teens or adults like me would also enjoy it.

What really called my attention was the outstanding box office in its first weekend. In short, I came into the theater without high expectations as most of the people who read the books had.

At the end, I left with mixed feelings:

I think the movie counts with great photography (although I hate the shaky camera trend), costumes, good performance by the veteran actors like Donald Sutherland and the Sugar Monster Lady, and a good surprise with the young leading actress. And finally, a nice way to show a dark, hopeless future and a warning to the descending spiral we have been taking with the reality shows.

What is bad? First, the pace was too slow in the first half of the movie. You would imagine they do it on purpose to allow character development, but the feeling is they fall flat. Little we learn about the district 12 boy (Peeta), the past of the main characters like Woody Harrelson's and how the country got to that situation.

Second, not sure if either the Peeta character is bad or the actor did a bad job, but he comes across very weak, and the girl is definitely who wears the pants in the relationship.

Third, the fights sequences had no suspense at all. Immediate kills without leaving the audience at the edge of the seats.

Fourth,the plot: So, the idea of the government is to have the Hunger Games as a way to avoid riots by the masses? Really? After 49 years knowing that every year a friend or relative will be executed in national TV? Isn't this enough to start a riot?

Fifth, the Cato character is not developed at all - spectators are not really led to dislike him, he reminded me the bad high school guy in the first Karate Kid movie. By the way, shouldn't the lead actress be looking less healthy/hot for someone who did not even had bread to eat?

Finally, the feeling is that the book is much darker than what we saw on the screen, and the producers wanted to lighten it up and get PG13 rating to boos audience. That leaves the movie suitable only for teenagers at most.

All in all, a reasonable popcorn movie. Given the outstanding box office though, I would not expect them to change the formula for the other two coming. A real shame given the success of the books.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Almodovar reinvents Banderas

[8/10 · 31 March 2012]

When we all expected Antonio Banderas'career to have reached a dead end, here comes Mr Pedro Almodovar and offers him a great role in his newest movie: La Piel que Habito.

My advice to those who will watch this movie: do not read spoilers, just go with the basic info you need: Banderas is a surgeon working on some sort of synthetic skin while keeps a strange relationship with one of his patients who lives in his house. Then just let the movie take you to Almodovar's brains while keeping your mind open, which is a requirement to 99% of his movies.

Elena Anaya portrays the "muse" beautifully, and Marisa Paredes delivers a believable role as always. But the best is really how Almodovar slowly reveals each piece of the puzzle until a crucial twist.

To those who complain about this being a horror movie, I would say it is a fiction with some suspense, but no gore. Yes, there are scenes you don't see in your romantic comedy movies, but this is just Almodovar's style: colorful, intention to shock, unusual plots, but careful direction and a lot of focus on the actors'performance. And that brings me back to my first comment: Banderas is creepy as the troubled surgeon, and fights all the time between science, human feelings and his own madness. While this performance is not going to give him awards, it is 500% better than his last ones.

Without giving much away, I should say that this is a movie you have to see it by yourself. As in most of movies of directors like Almodvar, Tarantino, etc, this tends to bring love or hate kind of reactions. But even the haters should give the credit to this man who defies the "same old same old" industry and brings us something to talk about!

Life in a Day (2011)

Ordinary Wonderful World!

[10/10 · 12 January 2012]

How many times have you wondered how a human being lives in another city of this planet? Not something we see in the movies, just a regular, ordinary, mundane, and simple human being.

How many times have you thought how life is short and how you should do to get the most of it.

Well, this movie is about these questions and much more. Using raw footage sent by people from different backgrounds and 192 countries -

which makes us think how powerful the media is - it takes to a fascinating journey to witness a long needed reality check. Fascinating in its own way, because the scenes you see are ordinary. And that is what the enchantment is... art from the ordinary.

It is not a reality show, nor a fictional movie. Life in a Day is just... Life. With all frustrations , discoveries, sadness, and hopes. Just life.

I watched this movie not expecting too much. And boy was I wrong - this kept me mesmerized for 94 minutes. And at the end, you will ask yourself if you are doing the best from your existence in this planet. Not to be missed!

Midnight in Paris (2011)

Woody Allen for the masses - and it works!

[9/10 · 8 January 2012]

Excellent movie... While it follows the same self-portrait that Allen did in other movies (with Owen Wilson surprisingly playing Allen well), it brings a lighter atmosphere, laughs, entertainment, romance that will please the audiences around the world, having as a background the most loved city and several of the appreciated and controversial artists who lived there.

Rachel McAdams does a good job as the empty-headed fiancée, and Owen shows what each of us went through at some point in our lives: the feeling that we could be happier somewhere else or with someone else. He falls in love with the city, the artists and finally with a woman who intrigues and stimulates him in a way he can't find at present times.

Great cameos by excellent actors (Adrien Brody is great). If Allen wanted to do a movie that was faithful to his roots, and bring fun to the audience while making his point in an artsy way, he certainly hit jackpot! I still prefer some other movies of his but this one does bring more entertainment!

The message I got at the end is that no place is better than where we are, as long as our demons are well resolved and we can find there the things and people we love.

Bad Teacher (2011)

Bad teacher, bad acting, bad jokes, bad movie!

[1/10 · 7 January 2012]

I really don' t understand why Hollywood still chooses Cameron Diaz for movies like this. Does she really bring enough box office?

This movie is really bad and at the end I was very glad I did not go to the theaters to watch it. First of all, a comedy is about providing the audience with good laughs. I could not laugh at all, and I am not grumpy - I watched Friends with Benefits and Hangover II in the same week and although not superb comedies, they were way better than this!

Anyhow, Cameron is way too old to play the teacher who gets money in the high school car wash activity. The movie is also a very bad example for teenagers who watched this - the bad teacher triumphs at the end and the good teacher is punished for possessing drugs that she does not own!

One thing is to film a dark, politically incorrect comedy. A totally different thing is to make a movie with a terrible story and insert bad jokes randomly. Avoid!

Source Code (2011)

Definitely not the typical action movie - and that is great!

[9/10 · 7 January 2012]

Definitely not the typical action movie - and that is great! Great sci-fi with a good message, Source Code starts giving you the impression you came to watch Groundhog day, but way before the mid-point of the movie, you get addicted to it and move to the edge of your seat.

First of all, the acting is superb, although I am not a big fan of Jake Gyllenhaal. The actress playing Christina is also very good, and Vera Farmiga is great as always, especially in a situation where she only shows her face for 95% of the movie.

If you like movies with twists this is for you, but it is definitely not your typical predictable action movie.

At the end, it is a tale about what is important in life, and shows us once more how life is rare and that we should value every 8 minutes of it. The open-end gives room for interpretation and treats spectators with respect without laying it all out.

Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005)

Great hidden gem on evolution and friendship

[8/10 · 7 January 2012]

Although I am not a big fan of movies that have as a background an arid scenery, this was actually a very good surprise due to the excellent work of the director/writer.

It moves away from the tendency on focusing too much on the adversities of the region and the poverty. It prefers to have a look at the interaction between the two main characters and the people who cross their way. It does that not only through good dialogs, but especially through the body language, taking the spectator through a road trip in the eyes of the characters. A great example is when they give a ride to a lonely woman and how they react in the truck - it seems like the world has changed for them in those minutes.

Excellent acting, especially by the actor playing Ranulpho. The movie surprised me due to the fact it denies the stereotypes: the German guy is smooth while the Brazilian guy is grumpy; the well educated woman is the unfaithful one and her husband does not react with the violence the big landlords of the region are known for. The directing is surprisingly delicate/careful in such harsh scenery. Both characters offer us a look at their souls through the way they react to the different people they meet on their road trip, and show us how a change is possible, no matter how tough the situation is, in war or peace, with or without culture, with or without resources. All in the search of a better life.

Some people may find this movie too slow, but I think it is a hidden gem that talks about evolution and friendship.

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

Sad soap opera about Peter pan women

[1/10 · 29 November 2010]

I am really grateful I did not go to the theaters to see this. On the other hand, watching it on Blu-ray was painful. The movie was recorded on high-def cameras so you can see everything in amazing realism, and believe me, that's not Carrie and her friends wanted you to see. First of all, women in her mid-fifties (Samantha is 52, the actress portraying her is 54 in 2010) acting like girls in her early twenties. The blu-ray painfully shows the wrinkles, the flaccid skin, etc. Very sad.... Second, the movie locations. While some scenes were actually filmed in Morocco (not Abu Dhabi for sure), many of them were recorded in the studio and you can easily tell that was all fake stuff. It just did not feel real, just like a bad soap opera. Third, the countless bad jokes (not one single laugh!). Very different from the TV show and even the first movie. And by jokes I mean the little gags Samantha throws at men, and some of the ridiculous behaviors in the movie that just denigrate women and gay in general. Fourth, a terrible plot, no story, no character development. The whole thing just felt like a bad Abu Dhabi advertisement, including unnecessary offenses to Muslim religion. Finally, the worst: the ending leaves the story open. I just pray that Sex and the City 3 does not come along. For the sake of a good TV show that had its time, I hope S&C2 did not turn a good profit. Time to move on Carrie! Like a New Yorker critic wrote about her book in the movie, time to go for the silence vow...

Love Happens (2009)

Worst film by Jennifer Aniston

[1/10 · 25 November 2010]

I watched this movie on cable in a Thanksgiving morning and almost ruined my day. A real waste of time. If you are looking for a light romantic comedy, this is not a film for you. If you are looking for a witty plot, that's not for you either. If you are looking for basic entertainment, look somewhere else. Underdeveloped characters, lack of chemistry, and, worse, it really makes the audience feel like the director thinks we are stupid. For example, the main character freed up a tropical cockatoo in Seattle - everyone knows it would not survive; second, he proposes a Home Depot (disgusting product placement, I am wondering how much HD paid for that) shopping spree to help curing a father from the loss of his child. Not bad acting from the actor who played the guru, but his actions were corny and unbelievable to me. He had a secret hidden from his audience. If he was really a celebrity, I can't believe that "big secret" (totally predictable) never came to surface before. Oh yes, and I can't get past the idea that his chin looks like his behind. Anniston's character was totally bland and never made a point. Even pretended to be a deaf lady to avoid guys hitting on her - not tasteful at all. She seemed like she was feeling sick the whole movie. Finally, the couple only gets to kiss each other in the last scene of the movie and - amazing - the kiss looked like anything but a kiss between lovers!! Avoid, avoid, avoid!!

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Tarantino's masterpiece

[10/10 · 27 August 2009]

As well said at the end of the movie, this is indeed Tarantino's masterpiece, together with "Pulp Fiction".

All the elements that made Tarantino's films enjoyable are there: the dialogs, the freaks, the subtle tension, the attention to details and the hidden sarcasm, the drama and the comedy leaving the audience on the edge of their seats, without feeling the 153 minutes of the movie pass by.

I loved how Tarantino left the message very clearly: "Forget about the politically incorrect and the history books, I will make a film how I think it should be done and I will give the Nazis what they deserved. And in the process of doing so, I will make fun of some cultures too, including the American one". And he does that playing with clichés in a way that only one of the best directors alive can do! In Tarantino's world, the characters all have flaws, villains and good guys have good and bad behaviors. Even the pretty French lady whose family was slaughtered had to pay with his life when she considered giving forgiveness to someone who did not deserve it.

Brad Pitt and Christopher Waltz both deserve Oscars for their performance, giving life to great dialogs. Waltz speak French, English, German, and Italian! Pitt is hilarious, especially when he struggles with foreign languages ("Buon giorrrno" said during an evening event).

Certain scenes were made for perfection: The first scene of the movie has its tension built up in a way that make spectators enjoy every second of it - every sip of milk, every smoke of tobacco.

Best movie of the year, without a doubt! 10!

Knowing (2009)

Sixth Sense, Independence Day , Lost, 10 Commandments, etc...

[7/10 · 24 April 2009]

I actually enjoyed the first part of the movie and the fact it was not the typical sci-fi with a happy ending but there were too many scenes that seemed extracted from other movies like:

1- Whispers and Plane crash (with the same close-up of the turbine): LOST 2- NYC destruction: Day the Earth stood still, Independence Day 3- Final scene: one of those biblical movies 4- Aliens and spaceship: War of the worlds, E.T... 5- Little kid glazing at the "angels": Sixth sense

I have no problems with those references as long as the plot have worked. The movie does a good job in hooking us in and make us think a bit about how life is temporary, but it was quite hard to understand:

• What is the reason for the premonitions (50 years before the apocalypse)? Just to tell Lucinda where she should go to be saved? Wouldn't the ETs take her anyway? - What was the point of involving Nicolas Cage's character if he could not be saved anyway? He found out about the latitude/longitude where the save was going to happen only to go there and say goodbye?