the king's speech

The Oscars may have ultimately not turned out as I hoped, but I was pretty close in getting all my predictions right.. except for the two main categories of course... and original screenplay.. well enough. Congratulations to Tom Hooper on his win, there will be another time for Aronofsky and Fincher to take home the awards. Here are my thoughts on the now Best Picture Academy Award Winner "The King's Speech".

PS. I love you Natalie Portman. I cried with your speech. Obviously.

A beautifully filmed and impeccably written, directed and edited dramedy that is worth praising left alone for its inspiring plot and the acting duel between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, both who make the characters their own so intensely you realize they were actually born to play those roles. 

90 OUT OF 100

oscar predictions

So here are my picks (predictions and favorites) in the main categories for tonight's Academy Awards. Everyone's excited already? You better be. 

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Who Will Win: The Social Network

Who I Want to Win: Black Swan

The One that Could Surprise: The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech

Who I Want to Win: Colin Firth for the King’s Speech

The One that Could Surprise: James Franco for 127 Hours

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Who Will Win: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Who I Want to Win: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

The One that Could Surprise: … Natalie Portman for Black Swan J

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Christian Bale for The Fighter

Who I Want to Win: Christian Bale for The Fighter

The One that Could Surprise: Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Who Will Win: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

Who I Want to Win: Melissa Leo for The Fighter

The One that Could Surprise: Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech

Best Achievement in Directing

Who Will Win: David Fincher for The Social Network

Who I Want to Win: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

The One that Could Surprise: Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Who Will Win: Inception, Christopher Nolan

Who I Want to Win: Inception, Christopher Nolan

The One that Could Surprise: The King’s Speech, David Seidler

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Who Will Win: The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

Who I Want to Win: The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

The One that Could Surprise: Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Who Will Win: Toy Story 3

Who I Want to Win: **tie** How To Train Your Dragon & Toy Story 3

The One that Could Surprise: How To Train Your Dragon

of guilty pleasures... burlesque & love and other drugs

Burlesque is the not the kind of musical you admire and consider award-worthy, Burlesque is the kind of musical that you look for on a rainy night, to have some fun, sing/dance along and just sit back and enjoy. Another name for it? A guilty pleasure. The plot may be troubled, quite campy and mundane, but the songs are good enough to assure a great time. Besides, the cast is likeable, and let’s face it, we just can’t ever get enough Cher.

67 OUT OF 100

Love and Other Drugs differences itself from other romantic comedies simply for the fact that its story is not overdone, that it’s actually funny at several moments, that it has two incredible lead actors that always deliver more than expected and of course, the final touch, that it’s quite charming and moving. However, the movie is not clean of flaws, sometimes the pacing catches the audience by surprise and they no longer know whether to laugh or cry, not to mention the music can sometimes be a mood killer. Overall, Love and Other Drugs will easily classify into some people’s lists as an instant guilty pleasure, and even if it doesn’t, it's still worth watching at least once, specially for the great on screen chemistry between Gyllenhaal and Hathaway.

69 OUT OF 100

never let me go

I had my hopes pretty high for this one. It looked like a different movie, potentially sad and artistic. After finally seeing it I guess I can admit it was indeed sad and artistic, but it definitely didn’t fill my expectations. Never Let Me Go is quite the difficult movie to enjoy. The premise may be interesting, but the pacing never changes, the whole movie is in the same line, it’s slow and very calmed and do to that, it can become dull at several moments. The upsides are the performances from the cast and the artistic look to it, with great cinematography and music that stand on their own. However, overall, this is not the sci-fi drama most people would care to see and at the end it just falls flat as a forgettable and gloomy film that could have been more.

62 OUT OF 100

the fighter

I’m normally not the least attracted or entertained by movies involving boxing or any kind of fighting, but this was the exception to the rule. The Fighter is an amazingly written dramedy, it’s entertaining from beginning to end, following a story that will keep your attention on the screen all the time, simply for the fact that it is not about boxing, it’s about the characters, their lives. That’s what really made this film excellent to me, that it had a heart and it was different, unconventional. Not to mention the brilliant performances from the cast, specially Christian Bale, who just simply blew my mind away with what most be (so far) the best of his career.

91 OUT OF 100

let me in

A different vampire-themed film, more serious, realistic and intense. This horror drama presents a more original approach into the classic blood-sucking character, making it more raw and at the same time, more human. The direction, music and art are impeccable, featuring some really amazing shots and sequences that help the environment created by the film and that we definitely don’t see every day. Also, thanks to impressive performances from its two young leads and a great original score, "Let Me In" doesn’t allow you to look away at any time, capturing your whole attention, immersing you into the events happening before your eyes, understanding the characters, feeling very close to them, perhaps way too close, as at the end, the movie leaves you with a haunting feeling of paranoia and uncertainty, a mix of emotions and a finale truly hard to forget.

87 OUT OF 100

by lui mogenno

PS. I am now very interested in watching the original film, so, soon enough, I will check it out.

eye tracking

Check this out, it's really cool :)

An eye tracking program is used to follow what people look at when watching a movie, there's some pretty interesting results.

The movie used for the experiment was Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, an amazing film, I might add.








Follow the link --->

http://persistenceofvision.blogspot.com/2011/02/eye-tracking.html

black swan

Written by Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz & John McLaughlin

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey & Winona Ryder

"REVIEW"

Who ever thought a movie featuring ballet could be so intense, dramatic and scary? A disturbing, mind blowing, bizarre psychological horror/thriller brilliantly executed by ground-breaking director Darren Aronofsky. Black Swan will mess with your head and keep your attention fully on the screen with a script so amazing that just keeps on getting weirder and greater as the minutes go by, just to close up with the most exhilarating last 30 minutes you can imagine. A beautiful score, impeccable choreography, fantastic art direction and a breath-taking performance from Natalie Portman join to deliver an ultimate, out of this world, experience that you can’t miss.

100 out of 100

by lui mogenno

Biutiful REVIEW

Written by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Armando Bo and Nicolás Giacobone

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez and Hanna Bouchaib

Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, delivers his fourth film, this time apart from screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, to once and for all prove that he can stand on his own as a filmmaker. The movie tells the story of a man called Uxbal (Bardem), who works within the underworld of modern Barcelona needs to find a proper legacy to leave to his children now that he realizes he is dying of cancer and has counted days left of life.

Biutiful has been getting a lot of positive buzz from everywhere, including american critic awards that place it among the top 5 best foreign films of the year and the golden globes, and I find it difficult to believe that the Academy Awards won't do the same. Let me just start off by saying I'm a fan of Iñárritu's past work, I think both Babel and 21 Grams are amazing films, and that Amores Perros has been Mexico's best bet for an award together with Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. 

Iñárritu is an impeccable director, he can get very strong performances from his cast and has a very powerful way of expressing feelings through his shots. He brings scripts to life and creates really strong emotional atmospheres in which it is truly hard not to get caught on. And Biutiful is not the exception, the film comes out very strong and powerful and will suck you into its mood right from the start.

Strangely, this time around, I was not a fan of getting immersed into Iñárritu's world. Biutiful has got to be one of the most depressing films in history, no kidding. It was dark and seriously sad. I'm a fan of drama, but this movie really gets you down, I mean, you feel so bad for the characters, it actually hurts. A LOT. Still, not even I can deny the fact that this movie's entire direction, acting (Bardem is brilliant), art, music and screenplay (most of it) are simply amazing, Iñárritu really knows how to do a work of art, and in that he succeeds once again.

But when it comes to personal taste, I wouldn't dare come near this movie again, as it was definitely not of my liking. As I said, I found it to be too dark, slow and depressing for my taste, not to mention that it eventually feels kind of long. And as a fan of this director, I think his previous work is way superior, I really enjoy how he manages to interlace several characters and stories in one film, and this time that was certainly missing. I know he can't always do similar work, but I'm just saying I prefered that over this.

Finally I would like to add that as a Mexican, I'm proud of Iñárritu's success with this film, but I believe that he, as other mexican filmmakers, can deliver something even bigger, stronger and more beautiful to compete for international awards. Still, this is an impressive achievement, and that won't pass unnoticed.

STORY 75

DIRECTION 85

ACTING 90

ART, MUSIC & VISUALS 90

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 50

OVERALL 78

by lui mogenno

Get Him To The Greek REVIEW

Screenplay by Nicholas Stoller

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Starring Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne and Sean Combs

Nicholas Stoller brings back the character created by Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, british rockstar Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), and now tells the story of how Jonah Hill will try to get him on time for his return concert at the Greek theatre, which could be hard as he is pretty wild.

Get Him to the Greek is a good comedy, let me just say from start that I thought Russell Brand delivered a hilarious performance once again and he pretty much carries the whole film on his back, seriously, don't doubt for a second that he'll be the one delivering the laughs! 

The writing is okay, some great jokes around, funny situations, nice cameos from LOTS of people, weird songs, it's all good fun. I still do think that Get Him To the Greek had enough potential to be a way superior film than it ended up being, because as it moves forward I was kind of feeling the laughs fading away and some dull moments starting to kick in. In the nature of this kind of comedies, Greek does okay and serves its purpose to entertain, but it's ultimately not as memorable or amazing as it could have been, I honestly prefer Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Still, once again, I loved Brand!

STORY 60

DIRECTION 65

ACTING 80

ART, MUSIC & VISUALS 65
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 75

OVERALL 69

by lui mogenno

Piranha 3-D REVIEW

Written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg

Directed by Alexandre Aja

Starring Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott, Steven R. McQueen, Richard Dreyfuss, Jerry O'Connell and Jessica Szohr

Piranha's plot is simple. Thousands of prehistoric piranhas are released during spring break... you can imagine the massacre. This horror comedy features Alexandre Aja in the director's chair, better known for movies such as Hills Have Eyes & High Tension (which I loved) and Mirrors (which I puked on).

There isn't really much to expect from a movie called Piranha is there? So it's perfectly normal that you don't go into the movie theatre expecting anything else but a fun time. And essentially you get what you want, Piranha is quite funny at some parts, and we obviously get tons of blood, gore and nudity... so if you are looking for something like that, the movie won't disappoint, actually some of the death sequences are pretty original and really awesome... as sick as that may sound.

Still, I gotta admit I was expecting a little more coming from Aja, I mean, he had seriously screwed up with Mirrors (what the hell was he thinking?), so I thought this could redeem him, but Piranha didn't fully convinced me, I mean it was good harmless fun I guess haha, but the screenplay was missing some of the witty dialogues and situations needed for such a film to work in its totality. And man did I hate Jerry O'Connell's character... he has got to be one of the most annoying men on earth.

I also should add that I didn't get to see it in 3D because my near theaters couldn't care less about us and didn't release it that way, so this could have affected my opinion a bit, but still, you can't possibly base a movie in its 3D format experience. So to sum up, I gotta admit I had a good time at the theater, Piranha is entertaining, dumb, gross and extremely gory... but it pretty much stays there.

STORY 40

DIRECTION 60

ACTING 40

ART, MUSIC & VISUALS 50
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 65

OVERALL 51

by lui mogenno

The Social Network REVIEW

Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer and Justin Timberlake

The Social Network takes us on a ride through the story of the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg), from the beginnings in his Harvard dorm to all the controversy surrounding the law suits against him. Supposedly, some of the things depicted in the film are not entirely true... but... who cares?

David Fincher truly hit the jackpot with this movie. I mean, who knew a story surrounding Facebook, in the right hands, could actually have so much potential? The screenplay is just plain amazing. There wasn't a moment where I lost my intrigue or excitement in the movie, some of the sequences were so good I didn't even want to blink so that I wouldn't miss a second of the action! This thanks, also, to the sharp and impressive performances by a very talented young cast, from which I gotta admit, Andrew Garfield stands out, not to ignore the leading guy, Jesse Eisenberg, whose performance is simply a blast to witness.

Social Network reminds me in a way of the style in the movie Zodiac (also by Fincher), because its strenght is also in its story, dialogues and characters, but I believe this is a major improvement in all aspects, and that coming from a guy who also loved Zodiac. David Fincher doesn't get older, he just keeps on getting better. His direction here is quite perfect for the story, I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job.

The movie itself is smart, it's funny, it's dramatic and it's fully entertaining from beginning to end, the characters are rich, some of the shots are amazing, the music and art direction fits perfectly as needed (look out for a brilliant sequence featuring a rowing competition) and it all just blends together to deliver us easily one of the best films of the year. 

STORY 100
DIRECTION 100
ACTING 100
ART, MUSIC & VISUALS 100
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE 95

OVERALL 99

by lui mogenno