with the bold text in the example below:

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Les Visiteurs (The Visitors) by Jean-Marie Poiré, 1993 (R)



with Christian Clavier (Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra), Jean Reno (Alex Cross, Margaret, Leon), Valérie Lemercier (Granny's Funeral - Adieu Berthe), Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Bujeau, Isabelle Nanty (Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra), Gérard Séty, Didier Pain, Jean-Paul Muel, Arielle Sémenoff

A senile sorcerer accidentally transports a medieval nobleman (Jean Reno) and his squire (Christian Clavier) to contemporary times. Afraid of getting stuck in the future for good, the nobleman enlists the aid of his descendant to find a way to send him back to the 12th century. Meanwhile, he tries to cope with the technological and cultural changes of the 20th century. An all-out assault on his former castle -- now a luxury hotel -- follows.

This movie is a classic, in France. It represents very much the classicism of some part of France, and the 90s. Watching it nowadays is like watching two periods of France, while back in the days it came out, it was the present, and in a way, it gets even funnier to remember the 90s. So, of course the cast is impeccably ridiculous, sometimes loud, but I think they managed to keep the flow of humor pretty constant over the film. Valérie Lemercier is excellent, her snob and politically correct attitude is hilarious. She is definitely the best part of the movie.

Watch trailer:

Monday, October 21, 2013

Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón, 2013 (PG-13)



with Sandra Bullock (Two Weeks Notice, The Blind Side, The Heat, Miss Congeniality), George Clooney (The Descendants, Out of Sight, Up in the Air, Michael Clayton), Ed Harris (Man on a Ledge, Game Change), Orto Ignatiussen, Phaldut Sharma, Amy Warren
From the director of  Paris Je T'aime, Y Tu Mamá También, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Nominated for the Oscars 2014 for the following categories: Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role, Cinematography, Directing, Music Original Score, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

GRAVITY, directed by Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuaron, stars Oscar winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone...

Totally worth in 3D... This is where to start. First because just like Hubble, the infinite and the very close work perfect for 3D. This is a technicality that needs to be mentioned first. Second, the beauty of the universe, and the violence of its silent nature, for a human being, with the mere fact that we are not supposed to survive in space. And the amazing performance of George Clooney but more even of Sandra Bullock. The movie is breathtaking (literally), doesn't go for our easy tears and easy scare, we all know how time and oxygen are running out, asteroids on schedule, humans disconnected, and in a way, this is why you are holding on as the characters are to the little chance they have to extend their life. For two hours, you are in Space, and this is pretty unbelievable but you believe it.

watch trailer:

Friday, October 18, 2013

Hitchcock by Sacha Gervasi, 2012 (PG-13)



with Anthony Hopkins (Thor, 360), Helen Mirren (The Debt, RED), Scarlett Johansson (We Brought a Zoo, The Avengers, Scoop, The Horse Whisperer), Danny Huston (You Don't Know Jack, Robin Hood, The Conspirator), Toni Collette (The Hours, Little Miss Sunshine), Michael Stuhlbarg (Hugo), Michael Wincott, Jessica Biel (Total Recall, Playing for keeps), James D'Arcy (Cloud Atlas), Ralph Macchio (My Cousin Vinny), Kurtwood Smith (RoboCop), Richard Portnow

Iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock struggles with his marriage, the censors and the financiers of his 1960 film Psycho in this biopic. Driven to prove he still has an edge, Hitchcock crafts what would become one of the greatest thrillers of all time.

"The Girl" was to The Birds what "Hitchcock" is to Psycho, two different moments of Hitchcock life, and somehow a continuity. The interpretation of Helen Mirren is quite close to the interpretation of Imelda Staunton as Alma Reville, Both versions of Alfred Hitchcock are creepy. The only thing that changes is the perceptions of the actresses towards him, which in both movie are tough undeniably, but sort of forgiving in Hitchcock, while you pretty much think of Hitchcock as a serial killer in The Girl. Fascinating anyhow, because of the complexity of Hitchcock himself, but also as it describes the creation of a new genre, as well as the 1960s industry insider's look...

watch trailer:

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Company Men by John Wells, 2010 (R)



with Ben Affleck (Argo, To the Wonder), Kevin Costner (Man of Steel), Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln, Hope Springs, MIB 1, MIB 2, MIB 3), Chris Cooper (The Horse Whisperer, The Company You Keep, American Beauty), Craig T. Nelson, Maria Bello (Payback, Thank You For Smoking, The Cooler, Beautiful Boy), Rosemarie DeWitt (Promised Land, Margaret, Rachel Getting Married, Your Sister's Sister), John Doman (Blue Valentine), Tonye Patano, Cady Huffman

Written, directed and produced by John Wells, this indie drama stars Ben Affleck as a successful businessman who comes face-to-face with America's downsizing epidemic when he loses his job and is forced to take a construction gig.

This movie has come in the context of 2009 crash. A year later, Margin Call was showing the other side of the coin. This one is more of a human picture of the consequences, with some smarter than others, some more optimistic, and of course, the ones that left aside crumble and fall. It is sad, it confront the idea of being rich and being valuable. Of course, it has a little fairy-talish, with a wishful ending, but the story is solid, and the acting is all natural and believable.

watch trailer:

Monday, October 14, 2013

Concussion by Stacie Passon, 2013 (R)



with Robin Weigert (The sessions), Maggie Siff (Michael Clayton), Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Ben Shenkman, Julie Fain Lawrence, Janel Moloney, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins

After a blow to the head, Abby decides she can't do it anymore. Her life just can't be only about the house, the kids and the wife. She needs more: she needs to be Eleanor.

This movie gave me mixed feeling. Abby's behavior change is somehow some much of a stretch, and her continuous face of sadness borderline tearful is confusing. The movie opens up to a theme that honestly I had never heard of, in a New York context which is so familiar to me that it created some sort of distance, and curiosity. Since it is more about showing the other women's journey than her own, you get to understand everyone else but her, which is definitely unusual, and not particularly positive. Quite unsettling...

watch trailer:

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Captain Phillips by Paul Greengrass, 2013 (PG-13)



Nominated for the Oscars 2014 for the following categories: Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Writing Adapted Screenplay

with Tom Hanks (Cloud Atlas, Larry Crowne), Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Catherine Keener (Out of Sight, Please Give, Peace Love and Misunderstanding, Simone), John Magaro (Liberal Arts), Max Martini, Michael Chernus (Orange is the New Black, Jack & Diane), Christopher Stadulis, Chris Mulkey, David Warshofsky (Now You See Me), Omar Berdouni

The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years. Based on the book "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea" by Richard Phillips.

Perhaps the most interesting and unique thing about this movie, apart from the impeccable performance of Tom Hanks, is the balanced view point, achieving to make us like pretty much everyone in the movie. Everybody got their reasons, and everyone is heard. Also, the movie is not about fanciness, people are people, the boat is not personified, you feel that it is functional and modest, not trying to impress by any mean. The only perhaps fanciness you had to expect was from the SEALS, but aside from their skills and body, no one is trying to make them heroes, they are agents of change, precise, following orders. The commandant of the operation is a guy that eventually looks at himself in the mirror, human. The emotional tension throughout the movie is carried very well by the impeccable cast and editing, never forgetting how the human factor make the situations evolve, it is beautifully realistic, and the same way Phillips' emotions explode, in an irrational and universal way in the end, we get confused as well regarding how the outcome is somewhat positive. And that is the magic of this film.

watch trailer:

Friday, October 11, 2013

World War Z by Marc Forster, 2013 (PG13)



with Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life, Moneyball), Mireille Enos (The Killing), Daniella Kertesz, Eric Weston, David Morse (The Hurt Locker), James Badge Dale (The Grey, Shame, Flight, Iron Man 3), Elyes Gabel, David Andrews (Fair Game), Michiel Huisman, Julian Seager, Fana Mokoena, Pierfrancesco Favino, Peter Capaldi

A U.N. employee races against time and fate as he travels the world trying to stop the spread of a deadly zombie pandemic. As the undead hordes gain strength across the globe, governments topple and Earth stands on the brink of total social collapse.

From the director of Quantum of Solace, the Kite Runner...

I don't know how this guy, Swiss German director, did the stretch between finding Neverland, the Kite Runner and World War Z.
I haven't read the book, although all my dear gueeky friends loved it, and thought the movie was an awesome adaptation. All I could think about was Contagion, 28 days and The Happening. = Three quotes make the movie, the first is from a young doctor of MIT theory about nature, the doc from the lab, and some Brad Pitt line about ABM, always be moving... The overflow of human body is mesmerizing, with almost a soul of its own, the opening where you figure out at the same time as Brad Pitt what is going on... The rest has weakness, the perception of the UN, the countries, the politics, the humanitarian, it is all stereotypical and deranging...

Watch trailer:

Mientras duermes (Sleep Tight) by Jaume Balagueró, 2011 (NR)



with Luis Tosar (Even the rain - También la lluvia, Celda 211, Te doy mis ojos), Marta Etura, Alberto San Juan, Petra Martinez, Iris Almeida, Carlos Lasarte, Margarita Roset
From the director of [Rec].

Toiling silently amongst the residents of an everyday Barcelona apartment building, doorman Cesar (Luis Tosar) harbors a dark secret: his sole desire in life is to make others unhappy. When he sets his sights on Clara (Marta Etura), one of his building's cheeriest residents, his sick need blossoms into a full-fledged obsession.

This movie reminded me of With a Friend Like Harry... (Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien), the main character has a similar obsession, and the way he involves himself is also insidious, damaging... The movie evolves in the same direction, making you more and more uncomfortable, claustrophobic... In this sense, Luis Tosar is amazing. He can literally play anything, and convince us. Celda 211 (Cell 211) and Even the rain - También la lluvia were radically different and you believed him anyhow. I hate suspense movies, but this one got me hooked.

Watch trailer:

Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Scarlet Letter by Roland Joffé, 1995 (R)



with Demi Moore (G.I. Jane), Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless), Robert Duvall (Thank you for smoking, Jack Reacher), Lisa Joliffe-Andoh, Edward Hardwicke, Robert Prosky, Roy Dotrice, Joan Plowright, Malcolm Storry, James Bearden

In this adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, Puritan settler Hester Prynne (Demi Moore) is accused of adultery in a Massachusetts settlement in the 1660s. Although she's attracted to the town's pastor (Gary Oldman), the two resist temptation. But only a whiff of scandal is enough for the town's morality police to sentence Prynne to live as an outcast and wear a shameful scarlet A for adultery.

That was a flashback. I stumbled upon the movie changing randomly the channels. As very few French people but many Americans, I read that book when I was young. It was one of the first that ended well, since French literature is not about happy ending. I remember a decade later watching the movie for the first time, and hum, not finding Gary Oldman sufficiently handsome to be convincing, and remembering how cheesy sounded the end. Not much has changed, it is overacted, over dramatic, and the narration that over-explain the story is breaking the little charm the movie has, the ending is quite unsettling, the only good point of the movie is basically to highlight how miserable the condition of the women was.

Watch trailer:

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Los años desnudos (Clasificada S) by Dunia Ayaso, Félix Sabroso, 2008 (NR)



with Candela Peña, Goya Toledo, Mar Flores, Luis Zahera, Antonio de la Torre, Tomás Álvarez, Jose Luis Ayuso, Jorge Calvo, Julio Velez, Ana Wagener, Susana Estrada

The new liberalism of the post-Franco years provides the backdrop for this dark comedy centered on the experiences of three actresses (Candela Peña, Goya Toledo and Mar Flores) working in Spain's soft-core porn industry as the country emerges from years of repressive rule. Although each of the women comes from a different background, they all share the common experience of exploitation at the hands of an opportunist hiding behind the veil of art.

This is a strange movie, based on the stories of actresses of the post-Franquism. It gets to be funny, sexy, really light and shallow, and at the same time, heavy and sad. Because the movie starts with a point and finishes with the opposite, you get to feel uncomfortable from letting yourself be bluffed by the appearances. It has an unusual format, the three women are not particularly making you love them, but somehow, because they are a representation of an era, "cine del destape", their symbol is stronger than themselves and the movie remains in your mind. As a woman, I guess it traumatized me quite a bit, not so much because of the women, but because of what it tells about men... Fortunately, the "cine del destape" only lasted as long as the Spanish transition, from 1975 to 1982.

watch trailer:

Monday, October 7, 2013

The Horse Whisperer by Robert Redford, 1998 (PG-13)



with Robert Redford (The Company You Keep, Out of Africa, The great Gatsby), Kristin Scott Thomas (Bel Ami, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, Partir, The English Patient, Sarah's Key - Elle s'Appelait Sarah, Nowhere Boy), Sam Neill (The Vow), Dianne Wiest (Dan in Real Life), Scarlett Johansson (We Brought a Zoo, The Avengers, Scoop), Chris Cooper (The Company You Keep, The Company Men, American Beauty), Cherry Jones (Amelia, The Beaver), Ty Hillman, Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), Jessalyn Gilsig, Jeanette Nolan
from the director of The Company You Keep, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Conspirator...

After a riding accident, New Yorker Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas) takes her injured daughter, Grace (Scarlett Johansson), and a frightened, wounded horse to Montana. They're looking for Tom Booker (Robert Redford), a man with the unique ability to "talk" to horses. As Tom heals the horse, Annie's growing feelings for him make her reluctant to return to city life -- and her husband. Redford directs this Oscar-nominated drama.

A movie to fall for Kristin Scott Thomas, all over again. Anyway, I saw it so long ago that it happened many times again. Robert Redford is his usual not very demonstrative man, that time tho, you could feel what was underneath his skin and fall for him. The little Scarlett Johansson back then looked like my cousin, and I was convinced she would be someone important in the cinema history. I don't like her as much now, but in this one, she was brilliant. Then, the landscapes, the contemplation of nature and the horse, Pilgrim, were right on, beautiful.

watch trailer:

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight by Stephen Frears, 2013 (PG-13)



with Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black), Christopher Plummer (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Danny Glover, Benjamin Walker, Frank Langella (All Good Things, Superman Returns), Barry Levinson (Bandits, You Don't Know Jack), Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban (Deconstructing Harry), Muhammad Ali, Dana Ivey (Two Weeks Notice, Did You Hear About The Morgans?), Harris Yulin, Peter Gerety (The Legend of Bagger Vance), Fritz Weaver (The Thomas Crown Affair)
From the director of Dirty Pretty Things

Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight looks at Muhammad Ali’s historic Supreme Court battle from behind closed doors. When Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War at the height of his boxing career, his claim to conscientious objector status led to a controversial legal battle that rattled the U.S. judicial system right up to the highest court in the land.

If you forget that the main character of the movie is Muhammad Ali, the court room and the behind the scene is actually fascinating. The power held in the hands of few, as politics of that time is so intricate, it is fascinating. It gets technical, and it is from a high sphere that you never really see. It is interesting, the actors are all quite impressive... you just need to expect a legal and political game, more than an entertaining documentary about a celebrity.

Chely Wright: Wish Me Away by Beverly Kopf and Bobbie Birleffi, 2011 (NR)



with Chely Wright, Rosie O'Donnell, Meredith Vieira, Natalie Morales

This poignant documentary, filmed over three years, profiles country music star Chely Wright, a devout Christian whose struggle to succeed in the music biz while hiding her homosexuality from her conservative family and fans caused her much anguish.

That was an interesting one, because I guess I was one of those who has strongly believed her decision to launch a book and a record and her coming out was a little too set to not be thought in a marketing way. Although I didn't think of it for the right reasons. I got it that this was a way to avoid the new album to be launched in a specific targeted way, and tell a truth that needed to be told, and make as much noise about it as possible to be able to make a point in a society that has still backward ideas of what it to be gay. Anyway, she is not my favorite person but I get it, and I found her quite courageous. And in the end, reading about it, she gained some credibility as an equality activist, but definitely got pushed away from the Country music world. So, not some commercial, right?

Watch Trailer:

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Orange is the New Black by Jenji Kohan, Netflix, 2013- (TVMA)



with Taylor Schilling (Argo), Laura Prepon, Michael Harney, Michelle Hurst, Kate Mulgrew, Jason Biggs, Natasha Lyonne, Pablo Schreiber, Nick Sandow, Dascha Polanco, Joel Garland, Lea DeLaria, Samira Wiley, Matt McGorry, Yael Stone, Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, Catherine Curtin, Selenis Leyva, Constance Shulman, Annie Golden (I Love You Phillip Morris), Vicky Jeudy, Emma Myles, Laverne Cox, Taryn Manning, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Maria Dizzia (The Other Woman, Keep the Lights On), Lolita Foster, Beth Fowler, Abigail Savage, Madeline Brewer, Jackie Cruz, Diane Guerrero, Jessica Pimentel, Adrienne C. Moore, Lauren Lapkus, Lin Tucci, Matt Peters, Michael Chernus (Jack and Diane), Lori Tan Chinn, Laura Gomez, James McDaniel...

From the creator of “Weeds” comes a heartbreaking and hilarious new series set in a women’s prison. Piper Chapman’s wild past comes back to haunt her, resulting in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates. The series is based on Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman, a memoir about her experiences in prison, and aired on Netflix (House of Cards).

OITNB by Brazilian graphic design student Renis

I am in withdrawal. Watched it too fast, finished it too fast, loved too much the characters, and now they are gone for one year. And reading the sneaks that have been spilling around didn't make me feel better. Why is Alex only in one episode? Is she? Not to offense anyone, but that is a very bad idea. I think I can speak on behalf of a lot of people, we need her in the show. If the creators are reading, this is a message, put her back in, in third season if too late for the second season. And I didn't even like her, initially. But the series is so much about humanity, any character is having a perspective to offer on their own situation, own behavior, not that everything is justifiable, but definitely, it broaden your judgement, made so easily in perhaps the first episode and broken every step of the season. Brilliant. You learn to love every one of them, perhaps the hardest to like is the main one that is leading us to get to know all the other, Piper. But in a way, the conflict you have with her are the ones you have of someone who isn't really real, someone who still have some shallowness to drop down. But the reflective effect of the prison is definitely already changing her. And it doesn't goes only for the better. I in the end have no idea how realistic the prison is, I don't wish to have an experience of it, but I really love the portrait of the women Jenji Kohan traced. It is beautiful, human, not pretty, but full of humanity. And Laura Prepon makes it have that edge that seduces you. How about making Alex a bigger character in the next season? Right, I already pleaded...

PS: I put quite a lot of the cast, which I am usually lazy about, but hey, I am a new yorker, the cast is mostly from here, they cast some people I know in it, and I think all these actresses need all to be recognized for they gave an amazing performance.

Watch trailer:

Thursday, October 3, 2013

What Maisie knew by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, 2012 (R)



With Julianne Moore (The Kids are All Right, Crazy, Stupid, Love., Chloe, A Single Man, Game Change, The English Teacher), Alexander Skarsgård (Melancholia, True Blood), Steve Coogan (Ruby Sparks, Our Idiot Brother), Joanna Vanderham, Onata Aprile, Sadie Rae, Jesse Stone Spadaccini, Diana Garcia, Amelia Campbell, Maddie Corman

In this updated rendering of the timeless Henry James novel, a perceptive 6-year-old girl becomes a bargaining tool when she gets caught in the midst of a toxic custody fight between her self-seeking, childish parents.

This is a very unusual movie. The whole movie is very mature, but from a maturity of a little girl that shouldn't be that aware, and it is worrying. And delicate. And at time, magical. All because through the innocence, the beauty shines, while everything ugly gets somehow erased, or avoided. It is a beautiful performance of Onata Aprile, who's intelligence is disturbing, and believable when she forgives adults for being imperfect. Alexander Skarsgård is the sweetest thing, all big and tall and teddy-bear-like handsome. Julianne Moore once more surprises with a whole new character to add to her repertoire - all Rock 'n' Roll and selfish. Steve Coogan is irritating as usual, but brought some (im)maturity to his performance, which is interesting. Overall, you would not think of this movie as American, except it is totally New Yorker... A little jewel.

watch trailer:

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Homeland by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, Showtime, 2011- (TVMA)



with Claire Danes, Damian Lewis (Assassin in Love - The Baker), Morena Baccarin (Stargate), Jackson Pace, Mandy Patinkin, David Harewood, Jackson Pace, Morgan Saylor, Diego Klattenhoff, Rupert Friend, David Marciano, Navid Negahban, Jamey Sheridan, Sarita Choudhury, Hrach Titizian, F. Murray Abraham, Amy Hargreaves (Shame, Michael Clayton), James Rebhorn (My Cousin Vinny, The Game), Marin Ireland (Mildred Pierce, Hope Springs)

Homeland is an American drama-thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Hatufim created by Gideon Raff. When Marine Nicolas Brody is hailed as a hero after he returns home from eight years of captivity in Iraq, intelligence officer Carrie Mathison is the only one who suspects that he may have been "turned".

Season 3 is started. It starts slowly but don't be fooled, it is dense. The aftermath of the decimation of the CIA headquarters, two months later, announce to have terrible consequences on the credibility of the organization, and the disappearance of the number one Suspect is making it worse. But as the new season starts, you already see the premise of what is going to blow back at the face of the CIA, ten times worse. And Carrie is off her meds... Clearly not so quiet... And we are hooked for one more round.
PS: Congratulation to Claire Danes for a second consecutive Emmy awards


Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Masters of Sex produced by Gregory Prange Showtime, 2013- (TVMA)



with Michael Sheen (Beautiful Boy, Tron: Legacy, Alice in Wonderland, Frost/Nixon, Midnight in Paris, Music Within, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2), Lizzy Caplan (True Blood, 127 Hours), Nicholas D'Agosto, Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears, Beau Bridges (Stargate, Tron: Legacy), Heléne Yorke, Allison Janney (The Help, The Hours, Margaret, Liberal Arts, Juno), Julianne Nicholson (Keep the Lights On, August: Osage County, Puccini for Beginners)

MASTERS OF SEX stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a midwestern teaching hospital to the cover of Time magazine and multiple appearances on Johnny Carson's couch. He is a brilliant scientist out of touch with his own feelings, and she is a single working mother ahead of her time. The series chronicles their unusual lives, romance, and unlikely pop culture trajectory.

Let's get started with a new Series. Perhaps not the most talked about, and at the same time, trying to be the most sensational one. Masters of Sex.
The cast is so far, from the first episode, impeccable. It took me a little bit to place the actress who plays Virginia Johnson, confusing her with Zooey Deschanel. They it came back, she is this pretty and adorable one who was in True Blood, the girlfriend of Jason in the first season. The character played by Michael Sheen of William Masters is incomprehensible, which apparently is meant to be that way. Beau Bridges is a little bit similar to his character in Stargate, which gets me a little confused, but never the less, with a hospital context, university and prostitute house, makes an interesting alternate reality to what is Mad Men, from the same period. Looking forward to see the next episdodes. And by the way, this research of Masters may have been redefining the knowledge of sex as we know it now, I believe there is still so much to learn from his research, much unknown.

watch trailer:

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Across the Tracks by Sandy Tung, 1990 (R)



with Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life, Moneyball), Ricky Schroder, Carrie Snodgress, David Anthony Marshall, Thomas Mikal Ford, John Linton, Cyril O'Reilly, Jack McGee (The Fighter), Annie Dylan

Even-tempered Joe (Brad Pitt) dreams of obtaining a track scholarship. His brother, Billy (Rick Schroder), is a teenage rebel with a fiery temper who's recently been paroled from reform school. When Joe talks Billy into joining a rival school's track team, he unexpectedly finds himself racing against his brother with the scholarship hanging in the balance.

This is all before Brad Pitt is the famous star we all know... And you could definitely feel he would be, absolutely cute, and perfectly believable. Rick Schroder was the big star of the time, but he is perhaps overacting, or there is something in him so stereotypical of the late 80's that it got old-fashioned. Anyway, an interesting small movie about how anything is possible if you truly want it. Naive, but since it is Brad Pitt, we kind of believe it.

watch trailer: