Super-agent Ethan Hunt dangles from skyscrapers and otherwise takes daring to new heights on another operation from the Impossible Missions Force. Helping Hunt get the job done is droll fellow IMF agent Luther Stickel.
Funny how sometimes you do not have to understand the bigger goal to enjoy the journey. For example, this movie is pretty kryptiq on the topic of this Russian collaboration with Sweden, and its goal when I believe cold war is history. The story is more interesting if you let yourself be pushed into situations, and follow the flow of action, sometimes almost impossible, at the edge, funny. The rhythm flows, slows down, speed up in a very organic way, the dialogues are much better than in any other M.I., the sense of humor is good, not loud, more cynical, in other words, it is good entertainment. And as the story develops, it doesn't really matter what the bigger political aim is, only to know that the bomb is going to explode if they do not act on it, just like a good old mission impossible!
with Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska (Alice In Wonderland, The Kids Are All Right), Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Janet McTeer, Pauline Collins, Brenda Fricker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), Maria Doyle Kennedy, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Mark Williams, Bronagh Gallagher, John Light
Having for decades disguised herself as a man while working as a butler in a posh 19th-century Dublin hotel, a woman calling herself Albert Nobbs reconsiders her charade when a handsome painter arrives on the scene.
I didn't really want to watch this movie, it seemed to have a traditional look into the 19th century, giving some sort of reason for things to be that way. But anyway... So about the movie, I have a little crush on Janet McTeer, I think she gives life to the movie just by her presence. Glen Close is Death becomes her, more depressing, you can't. It has its good points and helps understanding the contrast, but it is almost too much, too explicit, therefor she looses in nuances. She has some good scenes tho, which happen to be whenever she is facing Janet McTeer, and breaks a little bit of her facade. Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson are predictably what they embody, young fools ready to ignore their own sense of dignity for the sake of their dreams. Him being self-interested, her following him until she learns her own lesson. The other characters are caricatures, from the rich to the poor, everyone has a role to play. Perhaps because the character played by McTeer is looking into the future the way it has become, we feel more connected. Finally, the movie reaches one objective, make us hate how the women's situation was back in time.
with Michael Shannon, Katy Mixon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Kathy Baker, Ray McKinnon, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Robert Longstreet, Guy Van Swearingen, Tova Stewart, Natasha Randall, Scott Knisley, Ron Kennard
Oscar nominee Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) stars in this Sundance-selected thriller as Curtis LaForche, a small-town family man who's determined to protect his wife (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter (Tova Stewart) from impending disaster. Fueled by disturbing visions of a terrible storm, Curtis sets out to prepare for the future by building an impenetrable storm shelter in the safety of his own backyard.
Ok suspense, good acting, although Michael Shannon can be sometimes too much of the same character (Revolutionary Road ?), and the rhythm of the movie too slow. In other word, once we understand the complexity of him thinking, pretty simple in a way, I guess there is no need for the laborious non-evolution of his fear. It has either to grow or to evolve, but instead, it goes all the way to the top, and then stays there, leaving the audience uninterested by his torture. Sad. Good twist in the end that saves it a little.
Meryl Streep provides a subtle and nuanced portrait of Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, whose political career and determination changed the rules that had limited women's opportunities for leadership.
It is funny how one actress can get so much publicity for her movie. You almost forget that this is not the only thing that make the movie good. Well, it definitely helps. Specially when it is Meryl Streep, and when portraying one of the most fascinating women of the last century. But that's it. She is amazing, the old husband can be of some interest, but the younger version of Margaret Thatcher is just not right, nor her husband. It looks like a fairy tale kind of story. But she is amazing, her transformation is really good, to the point you forget that she is Meryl Streep, to the point that when growing old, you believe her difficulty to connect to reality, to move around, to loose herself. Very good performance.
with Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi (Le Passé - The Past), Ali-Asghar Shahbaz, Shirin Yazdanbakhsh, Kimia Hosseini, Merila Zarei
From the director of Le Passé - The Past
An Iranian husband and wife split up over his decision to stay and care for his aging father instead of leaving the country with his family. But his fateful choice to hire a stranger to do most of the caretaking breeds unexpected consequences.
A separation is a very interesting movie. It is Iranian, when lately, when coming out in the US, Iranian themed movie are usually giving an openly negative vision of Iran. A separation is not only about a divorce, it is about a split of mentality, a split in generation, a split is society. While using the conventions of Iran, without trying to shock or criticize, the movie in an innocent way shows a fracture in the system. In the system that in a way can be similar in the US, or Europe. It doesn't matter that much. The characters are very human, trying to deal with the present situation with as much dignity as it is possible, lying to protect themselves, pushing away when being pushed, and trying to live as happy as one can be with an imperfect life.
Drug-addicted attorney Mike and his business partner Paul take on a case involving an emergency room nurse who has been pricked by an infected needle. Uncovering a web of corporate conspiracies, Mike and Paul quickly find themselves outmatched.
A very smart movie on how politics are influenced by multinationals, somehow to the benefit of themselves, without counting good sense. In other word, it shows how frustrating the system is, how difficult it is to tackle it, and almost impossible to change as an individual. The movie is perfectly acted, shows the insights of the hospital system, the lobbying. This is a feel good movie, but from it, you can deduce easily that there are so many cases that are much darker. And even in that case, till today, plastic needles are reused in third world countries and in the US, a large amount of hospital haven't changed their needles for the retractable safety needle, there are still a lot of work to be done.
with Ben Browder (Stargate), Claudia Black (Rango, Stargate), Anthony Simcoe, Lani Tupu, Jonathan Hardy, Gigi Edgley, Wayne Pygram, Virginia Hey, Paul Goddard (The Matrix), David Franklin...
This Australian science fiction series follows the crew of Moya, a living spacecraft that houses a group of various beings united in their desire to escape from a corrupt military force known as Peacekeepers. American astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) joins them when he accidentally flies through a wormhole. As the series progresses, John makes enemies with brutal Peacekeeper Scorpius, while developing a relationship with crewmate Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black).
I was told that if I liked "Battlestar Galactica", I would also enjoy "Farscape". I didn't know that it was one of the Sci-Fi Channel's most popular shows almost immediately upon airing. What I knew instead is that the characters were really good, but not to expect an amazing special effect kind of show. So I started watching it as a home made show, to be surprised, more and more by the impact it would have in my own life.
First of all, watching a few episodes made me realize that the sense of humor was pretty unique, since the main character is an ordinary American guy — I mean an astronaut — and was born and raised with the references we all have of TV shows, movies, history, and can make these kind of jokes that of course only the audience can get, since the other members of this universe have no idea what he is talking about.
(from left to right) Pilot, Dominar Rygel XVI, Chiana, John Crichton, Aeryn Sun,
Pa'u Zotoh Zhaan, Ka D'Argo and Moya
I also believe that beyond the exceptional adventures that happen to them, they are all a little bit clueless and thinking in a matter of survival with an ideology based on peace, various ways of reaching it, and it always comes to having an understanding. In other words, it is not about one guy leading other guys, it is about adapting to each situation, screwing up, fixing it, screwing up again, changing strategy, getting to an equilibrium.
Another thing is the inventive way to generate new stories, curiosity, something that does not fade along the seasons. The beginning, while we are still discovering the main characters and how they evolve, we have more of short adventures with great inventivity. Little by little, we are reaching to bigger goals, stories that extend to a few episodes, and finally, getting to know better what is happening on a global level in the galaxy, who is in charge, and what are the biggest challenges.
Also, the main characters can build on their relationships, create a complicity with the audience on what has already happen that we will try to avoid in the future. The going back to earth is done in two ways, which also build an unusual way to put together Crichton family and his partners from the rest of the universe.
Finally, they built a story where relationships are not drama, they are just building themselves with time, some glitches, and finally realism and coherency, making the sentimentalist like me even more hooked.
The series has a beginning, a middle and an end that feels like a complete story, sometimes as opposed to never ending commercial series. This is another real value.
