lucasagustink Reviews

The Creator (2023)

Revolution and War!

[7/10 · 22 October 2023]

In the near future (2060s), AI has evolved on a grand scale, and robots were created to serve us. However, these robots turned rogue, leading to the destruction of a city. This incident prompted a prohibition of robots, which led to Asia resisting and creating a war between "us humans" and AI. We follow the life of Joshua, a US officer with a mission to destroy the lethal weapon created by AI. However, he instead stumbles upon a little "robot child."

To provide some context, this movie bears several similarities to Star Wars and Blade Runner, but it manages to stand out and differentiate itself. I'd like to mention that the movie is structured in chapters, which I appreciate.

Robots: The film brings innovation to the concept of robots. There are two types: humans with metal on the back of their heads and a transversal hole, which looks unique and intriguing. There are also different types of all-metal robots. I especially like the kamikaze ones.

Soundtrack: The film has a great selection of music. It occasionally evokes memories of Star Wars with its background music but also has standout moments where the music takes the lead. I particularly liked the scene featuring "Everything in its Right Place."

Special Effects: In terms of effects, it's evident that this production has invested a significant amount of money. They didn't cut corners on visual effects. I noticed that the director has a fondness for explosions. I counted more than 10 of them, and I love these moments. The effects are executed perfectly, with small objects flying through the scene. The design of the spacecraft and its lighting is also great. The film stands out with its use of lighting, whether in the background or foreground. This "Cyberpunk" resource works exceptionally well. Additionally, the use of a point-of-view through weapons is a nice touch.

The artistic aspect of the film is impressive, with many picturesque landscapes and expansive shots.

This movie starts very strongly and captures your attention from the first minute. It offers great character development. However, it doesn't quite maintain the same level of quality in the latter part of the movie. It accelerates toward larger-scale events too quickly, which I personally didn't quite like.

Overall, I would rate "The Creator" as 7/10.

The Square (2017)

Modern Film Art

[8/10 · 13 October 2023]

Powerful, Abstract, and Deep Swedish movie that takes you on a lengthy journey. Throughout this unpredictable road, the director offers biting societal critiques. The film delves into the worst aspects of human nature, posing thought-provoking questions. Do you want to save a human life? And does every museum piece qualify as art? Are there limits to artistic expression?

Directed by Ruben Östlund and featuring a stellar performance by Claes Bang, along with Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West, the film immerses us in the life of the owner of a modern art museum who seemingly has everything figured out. It's a movie that defies easy explanation.

At its core, the movie explores how little people care about others' problems, emphasizing the individuality, morality, and ethics of our contemporary society. Through its use of foreground and background elements, the film powerfully conveys these themes.

Uncomfortable moments are unexpectedly prevalent, with distant camera shots, scenes focused on non-speaking characters, extended dialogues, background noises, and even silence. These discomforting moments contribute to the movie's unique and engaging nature.

The film's pacing is masterful, seamlessly transitioning between intense, humorous, and dramatic moments, creating a well-rounded experience.

The experimental European music, featuring distinctive "voice effects," leaves a lasting impression, lingering in your mind for days after watching the movie. It's a simple yet potent soundtrack that complements the film perfectly.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie, but it's important to note that it's not for everyone. It's a deeply complex film that demands preparation to fully enjoy.

Poison (II) (2023)

Simple tale, Good Production!

[6/10 · 12 October 2023]

This is a very simple story in which we find the protagonist lying in bed and suffering. This tries to be solved by his partner and also by the help of a doctor.

The acting in this Short story is great, Benedict Cumberbatch Manages to perform his character to perfection just by lying in bed and moving his face. I also want to point out the sparks of comedy that this story has, makes me remember that funny Doctor Strange. Together with the other two characters actings, the magic of Wes Anderson and the resources that he uses to sweeten the story and make it Sooooo tense, they create a magic story which is not really that magic.

After watching the other tales, this one shows too much of the story which takes some importance off the narrator.

¡Go watch it by yourself!

The Rat Catcher (2023)

If you want to kill them become one of them!

[7/10 · 12 October 2023]

This Short-story Directed by Wes Anderson and protagonized by Ralph Fiennes (The Rat Catcher). Tells the story of a little town with a rat issue. To solve this problem they resort to a peculiar, misteryous and unorthodox rat Catcher. This story carries you during 17' through a nice story which happens in your ears with the voice of the narrator but also on the screen, So you mix the imagination on books with the comodity that represents watching a TV.

The director creates a perfect mix between movie and audiobook, creating a completely New Genre. Watch it! At the end it's just 17 minutes!

Thanks for reading!

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

From "The son of..." to Hero

[7/10 · 12 October 2023]

Wes Anderson tells us the story of a millionare 40 year man who does nothing with his life, one day he finds a book in his fathers giant bookshelf that will change his life. In that book he will find his passion and something to put an effort on.

This short-story puts all the actors in the other short stories together, they perform preaty well.

The Thing I loved the most about this short is the scenography: For instance how they shift from a normal room in an hospital to an OR in the same space, just by adding courtains, also the scene in which a character is entering in the forest and how this is done, I thinks it's amazing. Also the part after that in wich they use a wood bench in a very smart way to simulate that a character has "powers". I also want to highlight how much I loved the use of magnifying glasses to zoom in a detail. All this little details add a lot to the short film and are also well combined to the fact that it's a "book".

Being the narrator a character in the film makes it possible to play with his voice as they do in this short. I find that really attractive and immersive.

On the other hand I believe that it is a very linear story with not much surprise in it. It's entretaining and touching but it didn't have that much impact on me.

Whiplash (2014)

I want to be a Drummer!!!

[9/10 · 23 February 2023]

Whiplash: This movie tells the story of a young drummer who studies First year in the best musical school of USA. His dream is to become one of the best drummers and he will work very hard to achieve it. In the institute, the protagonist will met with Fletcher, a great musician but an obsessive teacher.

The movie goes to what is important, it Varely talks about other things than the drums. Just, the necessary to get some context of how the protagonist's professional carrer that he tries to achieve affects on his social life.

The main actors performances are great, but the best one is obviously J. K. Simmons who you should know for being J. Jonha Jameson in Spiderman but now he has to take a completely different role and he manages to do it perfectly because this professor is very scary. He affirmed this after winning the Oscar Prize to the best supporting actor with this movie.

The genre of this film is not a musical if you were wondering about it. This movie has some excellent sparks of comedy which make this movie very entertaining.

9/10!!!

Alice in Borderland (2020– )

It transports you to a Wonderland!

[9/10 · 17 February 2023]

This Japanese serie shows us how the life of some random people changes after they get into "another world". They will have to win games to survive and try to discover their porpuse in this "mad world".

I personally loved this serie in all of its extention, most of the characters have a good development and you get to love some of them (altough they are not very pacific). Also the "Bad characters" will make sure you hate them.

It's true, the plot has some argumentative holes. But this serie manages to force you to watch another episode straight away so you can discover the next game the characters will play and you suffer with them while watching it. So make sure you have time to watch this serie if you don't want to fail on your commitments until you have finished it

This serie also reflects about the life and its importance, talking about some "political issues" like social classes but it doesnt dig too much to get the spectator bored.

I highly recommend it. Very addictive gore serie. You will love it if you liked Squid Games.