The Commuter

The Commuter (2018) is an action thriller directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Byron Willinger, starring Liam Neeson. The plot follows a man who is unwittingly recruited into a murder conspiracy after meeting a mysterious woman while on his daily train commute.

I'm not going to tell you any further details about the story because I have found many spoilers on the net already. 

Did you enjoy this movie?

I enjoyed the special effects but the plot was quite ridiculous. Who can a woman manipulate lives of people she does not even know? And for what purpuse?

Liam Neeson as a detective was entertaining.

Move rating: 1.5/5 stars 

The Disaster Artist

The Disaster Artist (2017)is a biographical comedy-drama film produced and directed by James Franco. The Disaster Artist is inspired by both the realization and the movie The Room (2003), written, starred and directed by Tommy Wiseau and considered one of the worst movies in cinema’s history.

Although the movie was not nominated at the 90th Academy Awards, James Franco won the award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy at the latest Golden Globes, whereas the film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category.

The Disaster Movie, starring James and Dave Franco, follows the adventures of Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, two aspiring-actors who move from San Francisco to La in order to stars with capital S. The two of them started to modeling around and to make they personals photo-books, while they applied as candidates for some upcoming movies. Tommy is the one who is more likely to be rejected, because of his strange personality and his foreign accent, whereas Greg, the handsome, could have had some fame, if it wasn’t for Tommy’s friendship.

One day Tommy decided to write a (disastrous) script and to pay for the production, buying all the equipments and selecting the technicians, in order to ciak his own movie.

The movie is funny and worth watching with the contested Franco who delivers an outstanding performance, remarking his 360° acting skills. James Franco who was recently accused of being a rapist, had failed a great opportunity to be nominated: he would have been one of the strongest contenders for the statuette. Bravo to the youngest Dave Franco too.

Tommy Wiseau personality: I wasn’t aware of the existence of this man, but The Disaster Movie made me wonder how the original The Room is, so I guess I will watch it. Do you?

Movie rating: 4/5 stars.

One of the best comedies of the year.  

Get Out

Get Out (2017) is a comic/ horror written and directed by Jordan Peele, starring Daniel Kaluuya (Chris) and Allison Williams (his girlfriend Rose). The movie earned 2 noms at the Golden Globes and is running for 4 statuettes at the 90th Academy Awards- Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor for Kaluuya.

The movie tells the misadventures of Chris, a black young photographer who agrees to meet his girlfriend’s parents who live a beautiful colonial house in the countyside. Mom and Dad turn out to be the worst kind of racist psychos cunducting illegal experiments on Rose’s love interests.

• Get Out is the first movie I have seen in this award season. And I have enjoyed it because it deals with current topics, such as racism still is in nowadays’ society and illegal scientifical experiments on human beings. But yet, Get Out makes you think&laugh in a comical entertaining way. But it scares you at the same time. How come that illegal experiments are made without no-one notice it? Or worse: a) no one seems to really care, b) where are the authorities?
• Daniel Kaluuya gives his face to a complex character. Chris is an ambicious photographer who lives a common, decent life. When things get dangerous, he does not suspect on his beloved girlfriend, does he? But then Chris manages to wake up and manages to get out this horrific reality. A black guy who is smart, fast and “good” in a subdle racial movie where the blacks are not only restrained to play the part of the victims. Chris’ role in the movie jumps of the opposition of colors, making us reflect more on the cruel experiments. We don’t tolerate them because they are injustly applied on black people or we don’t tolerate them at all? I mean, even if applied to asian people/european/caucasian or on the environment and the animals? Kaluuya’s acting portrays all this. Intense interpretation.
• Rose’s family. I mean, wow. How is it even possible that a revival colonial house exists in 21th c? The parallelism between the 2 “worlds”, contemporary and colonial is very interesting.
• Classical horror effects, music and… tools.

Movie rating: 5/5 stars.

In my opinion, one of the most complete movies of the season, even if its early screen opening seems to cut Get out out of the awards game. Be scared of outsiders.  

The Darkest Hour

The Darkest Hour (2017) British war drama film directed by Joe Wright and written by Anthony McCarten, starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill and Ben Mendelsohn as Bernie, the king.

The Darkest Hour is running for Best picture in the 90th Oscars and Gary Oldman was nominated for best actor in a leading role, after winning the Golden Globe Award.

The movie follows the early days of Churchill as Prime Minister: due to the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign, Churchill carries a poor reputation but seems the only man who can solve a bi-partisan crisis. Churchill is a old annoying druker but he knows how to speak properly: thanks to Churchill’s radio interventions and his committment to the cause, he managed to high the medium english moral about a war that seems lost. After Belgium surrenderd to the SS troops and France was about to be invaded completely, Churchill leads the evacuation of more than 300000 troops in Dunkirk’s beach, thanks to the fundamental help of 4000 brave english soldiers left in Calais.

• This is the second movie of this season that deals with the evacuation of Dunkirk- together with “Dunkirk” movie- but it does so in a different perspective. Talking less about action and more about political organization, the Darkest Hour is a beautiful insight in both an historiacal momentum and a character, Winston Churchill, that, more than others, represents the real English pride.
• The other politicians & the king: what a precise description. All the scenes seems as a doc- movie ! Without being boring for a second !
• Gary Oldman as Churchill is one of the best performances of the year. He seems as if he were is alter-ego. Phenomenal in portraying Churchill’s behavour and moves. The nomination was truly deserved and in my opinon, Gary Oldan may be one of the strongest contendents.

I’ve enjoyed so much this movie. It won’t win the Academy award, but hope dies last. As Churchull said.

Movie rating: 5/5 stars.