A Serious Man: Masterful ode to meaninglessness

The Coen brothers have reached a surprising level of clarity in a film that is as subjective, and in many ways, even as incomprehensible, as you can get.

When the truth is found to be lies, and all the hope within you dies... then what?

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A Serious Man tells the story of man in search of answers to all of his misfortune, while it highlights the fruitlessness of the quest for a philosophical answer to... well, anything. It actually challenges the meaning of meaning itself. [...]

The Knick: Interesting, intriguing and absorbing

Created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, and directed by Steven Soderbergh, The Knick is a visually stunning depiction of life during the beginnings of medical surgery. Highlighting how much humanity has evolved, both technologically and socially, yet how much has also remained.

The Knick season 1 episode 2

The Knick has beautifully constructed imagery, from the sets and costumes to the lighting and composition, and is able to get you into the atmosphere of early last century while simultaneously conveying a certain feeling of familiarity. [...]

Blazing Saddles: Ridiculously hilarious

Blazing Saddles is all over the place, but it is one of those movies that know how to, while still working as a whole.

Brooks' mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

If you are up for laughs, Blazing Saddles is sure to satisfy your cravings for those "rhythmic diaphragmatic contractions". This absolutely ridiculous parody of the western genre, keeps you laughing while embracing and hugely enhancing all the stereotypes and clichés of the old productions. [...]

The Machinist: Visually interesting but disconnected plot

Defines of the word "commitment", in the context of acting, in what is otherwise a barely entertaining picture, filled with clichés.

The Machinist is a great display of Bale's ability, but lacks as a movie

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The Machinist is unsettling and intriguing but its plot is quite disconnected and "all over the place". The whole movie seems to be a large first act, setting up, but lacking development, only to end with very little payoff. I understand the concept behind the movie's structure, with its almost banal ending, as it wants to remove the aspiring grandiosity from the plot, and bring it down to Earth, but it turns out to just leave you disappointed, as the core of the story is actually quite underwhelming. [...]

No review today, instead some movie recomendations

Unfortunately I was unable to write today's review, but not to worry, Friday we'll be back on track just as usual. As for today, I'll try something new, and leave you with some recommendations of movies I already reviewed.

In Bruges/Shutter Island/Everything is Illuminated/The Gift/12 Angry Men

Here are some differently styled movie, for any mood you may be in [...]

Shutter Island: Mental roller coaster

A spooky yet fascinating movie that is sure to mess with your mind and leave you intrigued while trying process it for the next few hours.

What is the truth?

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Another one of Martin Scorsese's great films, yet again with the terrific Leonardo DiCaprio, and yet again a totally different style, vastly divergent from their previous projects together. This time around, we get a dense mood, set not only by the imagery and sound, but also the story itself, as we follow DiCaprio's character in the exploration of an island destined for the incarceration and treatment of the criminally insane. [...]

Snatch: Intricate comedic gem

After the already great Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie's Snatch is a clear evolution for him, even if it shows great influence from the former.

Snatch, quite a journey

Ritchie's previous film seems like a build-up to this more developed and polished creation. While he moved a bit away from his early style in his more recent movies, Snatch probably remains the culmination of his work. With an intelligent plot(s), it completely absorbs the viewer, and is also sure to provide quite a few laughs with its amusing moments. [...]

Joy: Quirky and fun but unimpressive

David O. Russell's latest creation is quite enjoyable, but lacks the depth of his previous works such as American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook.

From desperation to distinction

Joy is a funny and perhaps overly caricatured and overextended movie, loosely inspired by the life of inventor Joy Mengano. As far as the story goes, everything is hugely exaggerated, to the point where it starts to feel forced. Though that might just be for the sake of its quirkiness. [...]

The Martian: Dispensable

In this, which is Ridley Scott's latest endeavor, we see a movie filled with clichés, extremely poor dialog, and certain surrealisms that go far beyond what the movie set's out to.

Home Alone, when "home" is your neighbor's

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This film sees Mark Watney (Matt Damon) stranded on Mars, while the NASA team on Earth comes up with a rescue plan. While the martian aspect of the movie works quite well, the part on the other planet seems to have been grossly neglected and thus fails to deliver. [...]