Review: THE SKIN I LIVE IN

Let me put it this way; even if you have seen all the films by Pedro Almodovar you will not see this one coming. Like most of Almodovar’s films, The Skin I Live invokes what is perhaps the boldest form storytelling as he slowly unfolds a plot that can only be described as devious and dark perversion of the soul. And I mean that as a compliment. Almodovar likes to play with his audience; he pushes the limits of the viewer until he experiences revolting pleasure.

And we are afraid of feeling this… mostly, because we like it but do not know how to deal with it.

Review: THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Boy, oh boy, oh boy! Is this my type of action swashbuckler? Oh yes it is! The newest adaptation of The Three Musketeers by Paul W. S. Anderson, the man behind the Resident Evil movies, incorporates so much swashbuckling, sword fighting, double agents, airships, plotting and plot turns, as well as 17^th century fashion, you might mistake it for a an all time classic… that is if it weren’t for the campy use of 3D, Mila Jovovich’s bad acting, modern slang being incorporated into the dialogue, and 75 million dollars worth of special effects.

Critics have been harsh. But they are missing the point. This is the Three Musketeers! AKA the original blockbuster! And like any serial written by Alexander Dumas you would know they are all about the swashbuckling, campy dialogue, and social mischief. And if he had a say on these matters, Dumas would insist in all the adaptations of his novels being filmed with the most candid use of 3D. So before you continue reading, do note that I am not being sarcastic here; I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of The Three Musketeers, and can argue that it is as good as any other.

Review: THE IDES OF MARCH

I don’t recall a time when I had been so indifferent about the film I just watched than after watching Ides of March. Perhaps it is because I am already a very cynical person, and thus am quite aware that everybody working in a political campaign has to be just a cynical. After all the experience of running any political campaign, outside county office, has to be so excruciating that any ideal, which existed before hand, is likely to get crushed. So when the public does get to vote they don’t end up voting for the stronger of two ideals but for the evil that survived with less corruption. Ides of March wants this to be the moral of the story. But my guess is that if you are the type of person interested in such story you are already aware of the ending, and if you are not the type of person interested in such a story – well – I would suggest you read some news before you watch this movie or you run the risk of being quite bored by it.

Review: 50/50

Learning that you have a dangerous cancer and that your chances of survival are 50/50 when you are in your late 20s and you haven’t even been to Canada must be the most difficult news to cope with. But Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) takes it surprisingly well - at first. What seems to bother him more is the way his friends and family seem to handle it. Although he is told that his chances are 50/50, Adam would very much like to keep on living like he used to even if he knows he is going to die. Cancer however might have other plans.

Norman

Needless to say, I am very, very excited for this.

Review: REAL STEEL

One of the greatest virtues of the original Rocky (the film that won the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture in 1976) was that Rocky did not win at the fight at the end, although he became a better fighter. I am not spoiling much of Real Steel if I were to say this is the Rocky for the CGI generation. A few weeks ago I wrote that the best part of the fall is that movies get smarter; well, I was just proven wrong by Real Steel. While Rocky was a sentimentalist allegory for the great white hope, Real Steel is nothing more than a silly movie about robot boxing.