Hercules (2014)

Directed by: Brett Rattner
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Hercules” was never substantial enough with its Greek mythological story. Filmmaker Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”, “The Red Dragon”, “X-Men: The Last Stand”), whose action executions are commonly showy and made to impress the eye, forgot once again to create an intriguing mood, while the screenwriters should have added some smartness to increase the viewers’ interest. There’s nothing different here from the usual approach adopted for this kind of adventure. I’ve seen this so many times before that my indifference along the way increased substantially as the film approaches to its farcical end. Half human, half God, Hercules, son of Zeus, rushes to aid the king of Thrace and his daughter, in a battle against the forces of evil commanded by Rhesus. Reuniting his group of mercenaries, which includes among others, his storyteller nephew Iolaus, a childhood friend Autolycus who is an expert in knife-throwing, and the agile archer Atalanta, we are presented with interminable body combats, furious roars, and a sense of humor that feels more stupid than witty. Dwayne Johnson, despite the enviable muscles, seemed stuck in the disorganized, endless battles. With so much chaos and disorder and a plot that doesn’t help, “Hercules” ended up being an inefficient blockbuster, becoming one of this year’s most unexciting, staged, and inarticulate exercise on the genre. Maybe Ratner thinks his filmmaking style is much spectacular but the whole thing is just a huge fakeness, completely unable to cause positive reactions.

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The Calling (2014)

Directed by: Jason Stone
Country: USA

Movie Review: Debutant South African film director, Jason Stone, reunites an encouraging cast for its dark thriller, “The Calling”, based on Inger Ash Wolf’s novel of the same name, and adapted to the screen by Scott Abramovitch. Names as Susan Sarandon, Christopher Heyerdahl, Ellen Burstyn, Topher Grace, and Donald Sutherland, can be a valid motive to spike our curiosity for the film, which in the end delivered a mix of satisfaction and frustration. A mysterious serial killer (Heyerdahl) chooses the quiet Canadian town of Port Dundas to murder a devoted catholic woman. He based himself on a catholic prayer, believing that a man can be resurrected after sacrifice twelve people. The case will be handled, with authorization or not, by the detective Hazel Micallef (Sarandon), an addicted on alcohol and painkillers, who will have the help of a rookie cop (Grace) recently transferred from Toronto. Sarandon conveyed authenticity in her performance, sometimes very degrading but very human too. Her determination to unveil the mystery and solve the case worked almost like a cleansing for her stained past. Despite of the thrills created, I got the sensation that the film stepped into something already seen, while some of the characters should have been better explored and the relationships among them better defined. Notwithstanding, the grey atmosphere of the town and the mix of grief, religious connotations, and occasionally dark humor, provide a fair watching. The film is coming to New York theaters on August 29th.

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A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Directed by: Anton Corbijn
Country: USA / others

Movie Review: Based on John Le Carré’s bestselling novel, the post-9/11 espionage thriller, “A Most Wanted Man”, didn’t have the same good effect on me as “Control” or “The American”, the two previous successful features from the Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn. We have to give it some credit, since tension moments were created without any action, but the real motive to see this film is Philip Seymour Hoffman, a hugely talented actor who says here his definitive goodbye. He plays Gunther Bachmann, a German spy operating in Hamburg, whose mission is to reach terrorism suspects using credible Islamic information sources. When the tortured Issa Karpov, a half-Chechen half-Russian man, arrives illegally in Hamburg to claim an inheritance, he sees him not as a threat but as a way to lay hands on Dr. Faisal Abdullah, an old suspect of financing terrorist groups. The task, carried by Bachmann’s team with the help of CIA, is difficult and will need patience since Karpov’s lawyer, the soft and sensitive Annabel Richter, along with the banker Tommy Brue, have to be convinced to cooperate in the operation. In spite of never losing balance or direction, the outcome was not entirely surprising, probably due to premature insinuations of some crucial characters’ posture. The absence of action and thrills might be a disillusion for the ones looking for agitation, while dramatically the story never pushed us into something stable. “A Most Wanted Man” will mostly appeal to enthusiasts of political movies characterized by strategy and accentuated verbal communication.

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The Signal (2014)

Directed by: William Eubank
Country: USA

Movie Review: “The Signal” is the sophomore feature film from the cinematographer-turned-director, William Eubank, grounded on sci-fi genre, just as his first film from three years ago, “Love”. This time, adopting more thrilling tones, the story focuses on three MIT students, Nick (Brenton Thwaites), Jonah (Beau Knapp) and Haley (Olivia Cooke) who went on a trip to California, deciding to tracking down a hacker known by the name of ‘Nomad’. At night, while entering in a secluded house in Nevada, the two boys pass out after hearing the screams of Haley who was dragged in the air by a strange unknown force. The three of them wake up in a super equipped facility where Dr. William Davon (Laurence Fishburn), protected by his Hazmat suit, is running tests on them, believing they were contaminated by an EBE – extraterrestrial biological entity. Indeed, Eubanks surely knew what he wanted in visual terms and the cinematographer, David Lanzenberg, corresponded in the best way. There are scenes that are memorable but in its will to impress through minimal and predominantly whitish sets, words, and sounds, the mystery itself never enraptured me, even with the surprises reserved by the plot. Its ambiance alternates between static scenes frequently adorned by the mechanical voice of Laurence Fishburn, or the delirious, almost uncontrollable energy of Nick. This human integration with alien technology was a decent one but didn’t gain me as a follower of its far-fetched incursions. Just for sci-fi enthusiasts.

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Fading Gigolo (2013)

Directed by: John Turturro
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Fading Gigolo” could be a Woody Allen’s romantic comedy but it’s not. It was written and directed by John Turturro, adopting the same Allen’s posture – a nice jazzy score, some effective jokes about Jews, and a romantic story involving a middle-aged gigolo, which became the most uninteresting aspect. The film opens with Murray (Woody Allen), a broke bookshop owner, telling his friend Fioravante (Turturro) that Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), a rich dermatologist, asked him if he knew a man interested in a ménage a trois. With Fioravante in mind, he said yes but added that the price would be a thousand dollars. Reluctant at first, Fioravante finally accepts the challenge, becoming a gigolo and paying the appropriate commission to Murray, assumedly his new pimp. The scheme falls out of the routine when Murray convinces a young Jewish widow and mother of six kids, Avigal (Vanessa Paradis), to get out of her loneliness and find human contact. The best situations, some of them hilarious, are those that had nothing to do with the central story. I’m remembering when Murray arranges a baseball game for the kids in Brooklyn – African-American (the children of the woman he lives with) against the Jews (Avigal’s kids), or when he is forced to go to a Jewish court. With a competent direction and the lightness commonly associated to the genre, “Fading Gigolo” had its really funny moments but was incapable to show any chemistry with its ‘fading’ love story. Moreover, Turturro should find his own voice since the mood adopted, together with Woody Allen’s presence, bring to our mind the films of the latter.

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Cold in July (2013)

Directed by: Jim Mickle
Country: USA

Movie Review: The title “Cold in July” is not by chance, since Jim Mickle’s fourth feature film is a glacial thriller written by Micke and Nick Damici, based on the novel from the American author Joe R.Lansdale. The story, set in Texas, follows Richard Dane (Michael C.Hall) who was forced to shoot an intruder that broke into his house in the middle of the night. Visibly disturbed, Richard was told by the police that the victim, Freddy Russell, was wanted for a long time due to his violent past. When the ex-con Ben Russell (Sam Shepard), the victim’s father, evinces a menacing behavior towards Richard’s son, he takes every precaution to save his family. However, the reality was much different and the supposed rival men are dragged together into a dark conspiracy that involves the police and some unexpected characters. The film has an amazing start, great suspense and visually gripping, to change radically in its final part, triggering violence and brutality. Adopting the same kind of mood as “Out of the Furnace”, it’s very clear that there’s no space for cheerfulness here, where the story itself is pretty macabre and is executed with ominous tones. The efficient film director Jim Mickle, after depicting the darkness of a cannibal family in “We Are What We Are”, brings us another gloomy tale that came out from the most horrible side of the human nature. Like fish in the water, he handles very well this (a)moralities, and “Cold in July” will leave the fans of dark crime thrillers much satisfied.

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Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

Directed by: Frank Pavich
Country: USA / France

Movie Review: Frank Pavich’s fantastic sophomore documentary, “Jodorowsky’s Dune”, is about an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, considered the philosophical bible of science fiction, made by the creative mind of the filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, known in the avant-garde cinema for movies such as “Fando and Lis”, “The Holy Mountain”, “El Topo”, “Santa Sangre”, and more recently by his autobiographical “Dance of Reality”. Although described as a potential masterpiece by all the interveners, the film was never made due to lack of funding. Jodorowsky tells us about his huge passion and ambition for doing this movie, adapted to the cinema only once by David Lynch in 1984, with production of Raffaella de Laurentis and her father Dino de Laurentis as executive. A painful blow for Jodorowsky who had reunited a great team (later participants in “Alien”) of talented believers, including producer Michel Seydoux, designers H.R.Giger, Chris Foss and Jean ‘Moebius’ Giraud, Dan O’Bannon for special effects, and an honorable cast composed by Orson Welles, David Carradine, Salvador Dali, and Mick Jagger. We learned how Jodorowsky approached them one by one, and how he discarded the visual effects' pioneer Douglas Turnbull, famous at the time for having worked in Kubrick’s “2001”, for being more technical than spiritual. The music would be created by Pink Floyd (one of my favorite rock bands) and Magma. What this documentary did to me was to increase my appetite for watching an undone film, and appreciate even more Jodorowsky for his art and principles.

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Directed by: Matt Reeves
Country: USA

Movie Review: Media franchise ‘Planet of the Apes’ has its continuity with “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, this time by the hand of Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield”, “Let Me In”), using a script with more deepness and avoiding relying solely on battle scenes and frivolous situations. Evincing competent technical aspects, the film puts humans and apes face-to-face, where this time around the greediness of ones are matched by the thirst of revenge of some of the others. A team of humans, leaded by the good-natured Malcolm, is assigned to convince the apes to give them access to their land, Muir Woods, where an old dam requires reparation in order to supply power to the city of San Francisco. Caesar, the judicious chief of the apes, agrees with the proposition, but the terrible Koba breaks the pact of peace previously celebrated and decides to act according his own rules. The constant changes about trust and distrust, and imminent threat of war, are what maintain the tension high throughout the film. I must tell I didn’t feel any special vibration or enthusiasm while watching it and the performances were just reasonable for the genre. However, the indignation consumed me and I regretted as much as Malcolm and Caesar, that the two intelligent species couldn’t avoid the war. Some gloomy images are mesmerizing, in a film that concluded its story in a suitable way for the sequel that will come in two years, directed once again by Matt Reeves. “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” was sufficiently absorbing, and despite solidly recommended, is far from the masterpiece it aspired to be.

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The Zero Theorem (2013)

Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Country: USA / UK / others

Movie Review: After a handful of captivating bizarre films from the past such as “Brazil”, “The Fisher King”, “12 Monkeys” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, Terry Gilliam seems losing steam as time goes by. “The Zero Theorem” was somewhat hollow and tiresome in its conception and never surprised me. The story is centered on Qohen (Christoph Waltz), an intensive computer man who works desperately to find the meaning of life, expected to be revealed through a phone call, as well as the reason of human existence. He’s an employee of Mancom, an obscure futuristic enterprise, ruled by ‘The Management’ (Matt Damon) who attends to his request for working at home, with the tough mission to prove the ‘zero theorem’. Once at his luxurious mansion, he won’t find the peace he was expecting, being constantly interrupted by the impertinent Dr. Shrink-ROM (Tilda Swinton), Bainsley (Melanie Thierry), a lustful woman who just wanted to feel needed, and a 15-year-old genius kid called Bob (Lucas Hedges). Stressed and frustrated, Qohen takes us into an extravagant trip filled with doubts and deceit. Excluding the initial weirdness, the film drags itself in its uncertainty for most of the time, especially during the second half. I also felt that the sense of humor adopted didn’t belong there, and the romance wasn’t strong enough to win me over. As it already had happened with its previous “Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”, Gilliam was unable to place the story at the same level of the colorful, seductive visuals. Thus, this theorem of a film only proved to be flat.

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Boyhood (2014)

Directed by: Richard Linklater
Country: USA

Movie Review: Richard Linklater proves why he is one of the best actual filmmakers. If the realism of the masterfully written ‘Before’ trilogy or the funny fiction of “Bernie” could arise any doubt to someone, here comes “Boyhood”, a witty film that stands so close to reality that we can’t help feeling so alive and experience a variety of emotions. The 166-minute drama, set in Texas and filmed during a 12-year period, depicts Mason Jr.’s life from the age of 6 until 18. His parents, Mason and Olivia, and sister, Samantha, are no less interesting characters too, well defined, and adding a beautiful richness to the story. Despite separated for so long, Mason Jr.’s parents were there for their kids, playing a fundamental role in their lives. Of course everything wasn’t just perfect, since some bad memories will be difficult to erase – the flaming arguments of Olivia with the men in her life, or a broken promise from Mason who didn't recall saying it, hurting his son’s feelings. Mason Jr. is a pretty regular kid, looking for his own identity, learning with the dilemmas and disillusions, and open to the life itself. Counting with flawless performances by Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke and Lorelei Linklater (director’s daughter), “Boyhood” presents us credible characters, an enjoyable slice of life and an incredible simplicity of processes filled with moments that are both touching and funny in so many ways. Complete and beautifully conceived, this is an essential film that I urge you to enjoy.

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Pizza Shop: the Movie (2013)

Directed by: George O'Barts
Country: USA

Movie Review: I didn’t find any good reason to recommend “Pizza Shop: the Movie”, George O’Bart’s debut on writing/direction. Opening with a scene that is more gross than funny, the film starts to give an idea of the bunch of retards who work in the pizza shop. The moments of tension are created among the shop’s employees, with frequent bullying situations and pranks, and between the deliverymen and the peculiar costumers, some of them ready to pay for the pizza with anything except cash. I understand that the goal of “Pizza Shop” is to ridicule every situation, taking them to the limit, but personally, I prefer intelligent humor. It seems that the film consisted in a reunion of friends who simply wanted to execute something to be catalogued as weird or radical. The outcome was more embarrassing than amusing, evincing an amateurish execution, a lousy production and poor performances. The annoying advertisement between episodes using the logo, just like a TV commercial, along with an invasive score in several scenes, and unnatural dialogues and behaviors, were other factors that didn’t help the final result. The toilet humor became more ridiculous than expected, and an approximation to the comic-horror genre with dramatic hints was also a failure, relegating “Pizza Shop” to immature audiences. Maybe for those, this film can obtain the acceptance that I was unable to consider. Too low-grade to be recommended.

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Life Itself (2014)

Directed by: Steve James
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Life Itself” is a biographical documentary that homages one of the most prolific and acclaimed film critics of all times, Roger Ebert. It covers his life, not in complete detail, but in a practical and objective way, since its youth when he started working for Chicago Sun-Times until his harrowing final moments and consequent death last year from cancer. One of the most interesting aspects focused in the film was the love-hate relationship with other competitive film critic, Gene Siskel, of the rival Chicago Tribune, and the TV shows that both of them starred since the mid 70’s. Sometimes they seemed two little boys with a big ego, fighting for their ideas. Known for having introduced the ‘thumbs up and thumbs down’ on film reviews, Ebert had a very unique personality and his passion for movies was absolutely undeniable, to the point of analyzing an entire film frame-by-frame. His amazing aptitude to write perfect reviews gave him a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, while his particular taste for women, and the alcohol addiction in a determined phase of his life were also unveiled. The film presents the testimonials of his wife Chaz, colleagues in the profession, and filmmakers Rahmin Bahrani and Marin Scorsese who emotionally thanked Ebert. Directed by the documentarian Steve James (“The Interrupters”), “Life Itself”, is a sincere and deserved tribute to a courageous man who is still present on film in so many ways. It was conducted in the right direction, even if tough to watch.

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Divergent (2014)

Directed by: Neil Burger
Country: USA

Movie Review: If you’re a fan of “The Hunger Games”, you’ll probably be interested in “Divergent”, the fifth feature-film from Neil Burger (“The Illusionist”, “Limitless”) based on the first volume of the trilogy novel by Veronica Roth. The following two parts, “Insurgent” and “Allegiant”, are currently being filmed and in pre-production, respectively. The story is set in a futuristic world, which was divided into five factions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. Tris (Shailene Woodley) is visibly expectant to know in which faction she fits in. The results of her tests are inconclusive and Tris falls in a rare and persecuted category known as Divergent. Nonetheless, she chooses Dauntless and once inside the faction, her boldness will be constantly put to test through a set of survival games. This probation phase lacks good ideas and shows an infuriating imbecility disguised of bravery, since most of the actions to perform are stupid and hard to believe. During this time, Tris will fall in love with Four (Theo James), one of the faction’s instructors, and will have to confront a fanatic of the system, the Erudite’s leader Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet). Despite energetic in its approach, the film wasn’t distinct or fresh, and I couldn’t find many reasons to recommend it. The immediate sensation was: ‘I’ve seen this somewhere’, and even the narration sounded like an old classic song. For a much more satisfying futuristic action ‘games’, I urge you to watch the conceptually superior “Snowpiercer” from the Korean master Joon Ho-Bong.

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Begin Again (2013)

Directed by: John Carney
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Begin Again” combines romance and music with passion, being undeniably irresistible on one side, but also too much ‘feel-good’ and neat on the other, despite the messy lives it tries to give shape. The film, also an ode to the city of New York, was directed by John Carney who already had joined the same ingredients in 2006, with the much triumphant “Once”. Greta (Keira Knightley) is an extremely talented songwriter who lives in the shadow of her boyfriend, the famous singer Dave Kohl (Adam Levine, lead vocalist of the band Maroon 5). Dave only thinks in his success, and while in a tour in L.A., he has an adventure with another woman, provoking the rupture of the couple. Sad and lonely, Greta has the chance to perform one of her songs in a bar, and is seen by Dan, an alcoholic musical agent who, moments earlier, had been fired from the record label he had helped to establish. Immediately, Dan gets stunned with what he’s listening to, and a personal and professional bond will arise, leading them to a set of important decisions for their lives. “Begin Again” can be seen as a positive movie in every aspect, but stumbles heavily when depicts Dan’s family, relegating the film to not so genuine places, which might have had more tragic consequences, but the amazing performances by Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo made me forget about it. Despite its flaws and magnified sweetness, “Begin Again” assures precious moments of fun and provides us with captivating pop songs, enough material to recommend it and ignore its main slips.

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Alien Abduction (2014)

Directed by: Matty Beckerman
Country: USA

Movie Review: The Brown Mountain Lights phenomenon that can be observed in North Carolina, served as inspiration for “Alien Abduction”, the directorial debut feature from producer Matty Beckerman. It starts claiming that what we’re going to see is leaked footage from the US Air Force that found a camcorder from 11-year-old Riley who disappeared with his family when camping in that area. In a time where found-footage films are becoming tedious and banal, “Alien Abduction” doesn’t bring any creativity or novelty to the psychedelic digital effects and noises that follow the blurred and shaky camera. While the camera movements continues to annoy, the clichés used in the script are numerous, including the family lost on mountain roads in a foggy day, driving a car that is running out of gas, and threatened by mysterious creatures that we only have a glimpse, without having the possibility of asking for help. The concept is borrowed from a thousand other films and “Alien Abduction” becomes nothing else but a tedious exercise in the genre. A totally new approach and storytelling were needed to escape the cathartic panicking of the characters and all those gimmicks that the film relies and just don’t work anymore. I cannot praise the flat performances, which didn’t help to improve this thriller of being formulaic, fatiguing and extremely slavish in its execution. There are very few things to recommend in one of the most dismal abductions in the history of cinema. It was simply too vulgar to be worthy of our time.

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Night Moves (2013)

Directed by: Kelly Reichardt
Country: USA

Movie Review: Whoever is acquainted with Kelly Reichardt’s previous films would know that her style is realistic, frequently passive, and sometimes dry in emotions. “Night Moves”, written by Reichardt and her habitual collaborator Jonathan Raymond, shows us exactly that, becoming in her most accessible work so far. The story follows Josh, Dena and Harmon, three radical environmentalists who decide to blow up with a hydroelectric dam. This clandestine intervention was carried out in the silence of the night, being planned not to cause casualties, but unfortunately the reality was very different, making the characters be consumed by fear and guilt, until starting to act completely out of control. Despite occasionally atmospheric, “Night Moves” is not a thriller in the most conventional way - it’s slow burning and quiet in such a way that the dialogues are almost dispensable. I must say I expected something more, especially at the end, but we have to accept Reichardt as she is: sharp behind the camera, direct on approach, time consuming in details, and disconcerting in the conclusions – sometimes some of these aspects can be mistaken with emptiness, which is not true in this particular case. Definitely not for everyone, “Night Moves” is a melancholic eco-drama disguised of thriller, that points to a new direction in Reichard’s career. It deserves a chance, even if like me, you miss more the rawness of the indie road-movie “Wendy and Lucy”, or the offbeat western “Meek’s Cutoff”. Jesse Eisenberg and Dakota Fanning’s performances were solemn and quite compelling.

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Palo Alto (2013)

Directed by: Gia Coppola
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Palo Alto” is a self-confident debut feature on writing/direction for Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, Gia Coppola, based on the short stories by James Franco, who also stars in the film. It addresses juvenile problems both with clarity and charm, focusing on a few interesting characters who are ready to experiencing whatever life may throw at them, and finally decide what path they want to go. April is a sweet girl who has a crush for Terry but let herself be trapped by her deceitful soccer coach. Terry is also in love with April, but during a night drinking party he screwed up his chances with her, when drunk, he allowed himself to be grabbed by Emily, a lonely girl who just wants to fall in love with someone and is always available for every boy around. Finally, Terry’s best friend, Fred, is an insane misfit who no one gives credit, bringing trouble everywhere he goes. There’s so much going on in this well-observed drama that I almost didn’t notice the time passing. From start to finish, I was taken by the powerful subtleness of its exposures, and was amazed by the perfect light and color of Autumn Durald’s cinematography. In spite of its dreamy tones, “Palo Alto” is far from a sweet look at teenage conducts, giving us enough motives to appreciate but also to think about it. Above all, it’s a film about choices and even if not entirely new, in my eyes it seemed pretty fresh. Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff and Val Kilmer’s son, Jack Kilmer, gave noteworthy performances.

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22 Jump Street (2014)

Directed by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Country: USA

Movie Review: With the success obtained in 2012 with “21 Jump Street” and boosted by the recently acclaimed “The Lego Movie”, film directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, presents us another juvenile adventure from the undercover cops, Schmidt and Jenko, performed by Jonah Hill (also producer) and Channing Tatum, respectively. Of course this sequel could be defined by the following sentence: two silly cops in a silly mission, results in a silly comedy. But surprisingly, “22 Jump Street” was more cheering than that, presenting some energetic action, funny situations, and a handful of pocket jokes that worked out. Assigned with the mission of finding the supplier of a new drug known as ‘whyphy’ at a local college, the two determined officers will proceed their work taking on different paths. Schmidt is going to operate more in the art field, being a reference in slam poetry and embarking in a prohibited affair with Maya, the daughter of his superior, at the same time that deals with her obnoxious roommate, Mercedes. In turn, Jenko stands out in football, becoming popular among the sportsmen. Evincing a cool attitude and boyish style, our two heroes will solve the case, not without an unnecessary, immoderate finale that sadly hampered the film to be more successful. Beatings, shootings and bullshit, is what to expect from a film that spread enough vitality and some intelligence in its plot in order to distance itself from other recent square comedies such as “Neighbors” or “This is the End”. Better than its predecessor, “22 Jump Street” is undeniably entertaining but leaves us with a pertinent question: do we really need another sequel?

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The Republic of Two (2013)

Directed by: Shaun Kosta
Country: USA

Movie Review: If you like romance and complex relationships, “The Republic of Two”, Shaun Kosta’s debut drama can be the film for you. In spite of the huge differences of personality and behavior, Tim and Caroline are much in love. When they decide to live together, those differences will seem bigger and doubts will be part of their day-to-day life. Tim is applying for medical school without putting much effort on it, while Caroline has a steady job but doesn’t quite know what she wants to do in the future, even after being promoted. He is more social, active, immature in certain aspects, and impulsive, needing space for his friends and for his own things. She is more reserved, sensitive, and insecure, needing attention every time. Moody states, quarrels and misunderstandings soon become part of the routine, and the highs and lows in the relationship put their chemistry on halt, eventually leading to a beneficial separation. Brent Bailey and Janet Montgomery were so convincing that was hard to find a culprit here. If their actions were understandable, their problems seemed very real, like a slice of life itself where it’s imperative to live and go through several experiences to finally learn something. Addressed with honesty and tenderness, the film trembled in the last moments, but Shaun Kosta knew exactly where and how to create juicy situations and addressed them with heart. Who never went through all of this in a relationship? “The Republic of Two” is a funny little indie drama that stands above many other films of the genre.

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The Cold Lands (2013)

Directed by: Tom Gilroy
Country: USA

Movie Review: Tom Gilroy wrote and directed “The Cold Lands”, his sophomore feature film and a sensitive drama that could have been set up differently for better. The story follows Atticus, a 13-year-old boy who lives in upstate New York with his controlling mother, Nicole, in very peculiar conditions. Atticus shows to be a lonely boy, without friends of his age around to play, and dependent of his strict mother who lives concerned about his education, limiting his scope of action. Nicole was already giving some signs of being sick, but when she dies unexpectedly, Atticus runs to the forest in shock. He starts imagining the rebukes of his mother, and frequently observes other apparently happy families – ‘do you think you would be happy living like this?’, his mother asks in his head. In one of the nights spent in the forest, he bumps into Carter, an elusive drifter whose main concern is watering his pot plants. An improbable friendship will arise and Atticus seems to adapt in perfection to his new wandering life, snapping out of the torpor he was in. Wyatt Garfield’s cinematography ended up being the strongest aspect of “The Cold Lands”, whose approach would have achieved better results if less idyllic and contemplative and more compelling, penetrating even more into the characters, and providing a more resolved pace in order to excel. In spite of observant and well acted, Gilroy’s drama is only half-satisfying, lacking boldness in its script and failing to stir any true emotion.

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