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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Soul (2013)

Directed by: Chung Mong-Hong
Country: Taiwan

Movie Review: “Soul” is the kind of film that astonishes us through its images but whose story doesn’t meet entirely our expectations. This psychological thriller with hints of horror starts with A-Chuan, collapsing in the restaurant where he works. The doctors don’t find anything abnormal, suspecting of depression, while his co-workers describe his recent behavior as very odd. A-Chuan goes to live with his family on top of the mountains, but doesn’t recognize his father and sister. Tragedy occurs when he murders the latter, making a dark association with his father, Wang, who hides obscure past secrets and reveals a mysterious detachment in relation to his daughter’s death. Curiously, A-Chuan admits to be someone else who seeks for an identity, having occupied the body left by the real A-Chuan. A game of connected dreams and contact with the dead begins, taking the film to eerie places, only sent to reality again with the arrival of a constable brought by Little Wu, a police officer and old acquainted of the family. The film was able to create the tension intended, and the killing scenes were simply fabulous, set up almost in slow motion and interrupted by momentarily black screens. However, the Lynchian script, written by the Taiwanese director Chung Mong-Hong, was perhaps too ambitious and is not exempt of holes and setbacks. Other aspect that wasn’t always keen was the dark humor presented. Magnificently shot and sophisticatedly executed, “Soul” is a feast for the eyes but a bit too nebulous for the mind.

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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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Jack Strong (2014)

Directed by: Wladyslaw Pasikowski
Country: Poland

Movie Review: With “Jack Strong”, writer/director Wladyslaw Pasikowski provides us with a thrilling espionage film based on the real story of Polish Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski who got known as one of the most important spies for CIA in the midst of Cold War tensions. Disillusioned with the Soviet domination and the loss of identity of his own country, Kuklinski decides to risk his life and his family’s by revealing important secrets of state, including secret nuclear operations. Using the code name ‘Jack Strong’ to communicate with the ‘enemy’, Kuklinski ended up awarded by President Carter for his glorious yet risky contribution. The story is told in flashbacks and was suspenseful enough to get me seated without move for more than two hours. Expect a constant asphyxiating atmosphere, tense score, and strong performances by the magnificent cast, which strengthened even more a well-connected story and its intriguing characters. With all these positive aspects we also have a fantastic car chase, one of the most spectacular scenes of this political thriller, along with a fulminant, bitter ending that left me perplexed. Shot with rigor and set up in an attractive old-fashioned way, Pasikowski proves that Polish cinema still has something valuable to give, even if in most of the cases, is invariably centered in WWII. If “Aftermath”, his previous film, was a disappointment, “Jack Strong” comes as an impressive feature and is solidly recommended.

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Two Mothers (2013)

Directed by: Anne Zohra Berrached
Country: Germany

Movie Review: “Two Mothers” is a lukewarm drama about a lesbian married couple, Katja and Isabella, who decided to have a child in Germany, a country that imposes so many legal issues, high fees and other obstacles in a very difficult process. They agreed to find a sperm donor (long part of the film relies in this aspect) but not a father, so they can educate the child without any exterior interference. The more reputable insemination clinics refuse to accept them and the treatments in minor clinics, besides too much expensive for their income, are not working out. The frustration led them to check sperm donors online, where they find their last hope: Flo, a man with already twenty children. The script shows potential but the film, not so fluid, could have been so much better executed. Set up with an unattractive light and dismal colors, “Two Mothers” counts with capable performances by Karina Plachetka and Sabine Wolf, and has the subject matter as the more interesting aspect. It was a pity that the debutant director and screenwriter, Anne Zohra Berrached, didn’t have hands to handle the story in a more absorbing way. The detachment that slowly occurs between the couple feels real and shows that Berrached knows how to extract something from the performances. However, the technical side wasn’t so strong, resulting in a deterioration of the final result. The director was awarded at Berlin Film Festival, while the two main actresses received a special mention at Potsdam Sehsüchte.

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Han Gong-ju (2013)

Directed by: Lee Su-jin
Country: South Korea

Movie Review: Lee Su-jin's fantastic directorial debut, “Han Gong-ju”, is a poignant drama whose title was taken from the name of its main character, a teenager girl who is transferred to a new school, trying to adapt to a new life. Isolated and quiet, Gong-ju is visibly tormented with something that we aren’t able to perceive at first. Little by little, and in an intelligent way, the story is unfolded and shocking revelations finally makes us understand the reasons behind the young girl’s detachment. Completely abandoned by a drunken father and a freshly married mother, Gong-ju was raped by a gang of kids whose parents have social influence, only trusting in a former teacher who tried to help her the best way he could. Her talent for music was noticed by some new colleagues who gave her a boost, trying to get closer, but will Gong-ju be capable to forget her past and freely accept her gift? A demanding narrative structure didn’t frighten the newcomer director whose work was noteworthy, collecting prizes in festivals such as Pusan, Rotterdam, Deauville, Marrakech and Fribourg. Chun Woo-hee’s second performance in a feature film, after her appearance in Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother”, was also accurate and convincing. This is a sad, unsettling film that requires a deep reflection after observing its atrocious scenes. It might not be an easy watching story but a hint of hope allows us to breathe at the end, in a drama where a new writer/director emerged to be considered a valid one in the modern Korean cinema.

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Gabrielle (2013)

Directed by: Louise Archambault
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Gabrielle” tries to celebrate love and hope, while depicts the story of the title character, a special woman suffering from Williams syndrome who seeks for a questionable independence. Mentally challenged and diabetic, yet effusively happy, 22-year-old Gabrielle is in love with Martin, her colleague in the recreation center where they are rehearsing with a choir of people in the same conditions, in order to perform with the famous Quebecois singer, Robert Charlebois. When they are caught half-naked in a party given at the center, a meeting is promptly scheduled to clarify that the rules are strict. In the meeting were present Gabrielle’s beloved sister, Sophie, who are renitent in going to India with her boyfriend, and Martin’s ultra protective mother who forbids her son to see Gabrielle again. From this moment on, both will see their limitative conditions get worse due to sadness, but fate will get them together in the final concert. With an appreciable direction and some charm, “Gabrielle” should please the fans of heartwarming dramas with its sensibility, even considering the musical moments overextended and the story occasionally too sweet in certain scenes. The urge for love is perfectly achieved by Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, an actress who has Williams syndrome in real life and sings in a similar choir in Montreal. The questions on how to protect these people, giving them the freedom and opportunities they deserve, and how their condition affects the ones around them, were put on the table with pertinence in this sophomore feature film from Louise Archambault.

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