Boring, There is nothing that grabs be about this cover, yet I will still buy it like every other month !

Model –  Rachel Weiz

Photographed by Tom Craig

Sometimes there are movies that because of high expectations, don’t quite live up to the hype, therefore people and critics shrug it off as a failure. There are also some movies that people just pan or shrug off based on it’s cast or premise. Although there are some occassions where I’ve had such thoughts, I like to give every movie a chance. There are times when I regret it but there are times when there is a true gem that most people just don’t care for without even seeing it, or they just don’t like it for the reasons I’ve mentioned.

My list is compiled of movies that “failed” due to high expectations as well as those that most think are truly horrible. I love all of these movies and I don’t feel ashamed for doing so.

Here are my top 10 most underrated movies of the decade.

10. Australia

Baz Luhrman | 2008

I guess that after the greatness of Moulin Rouge! there were high expectations for Lurhrman’s next project (mine were definitely like that). When it was announced that he would do an epic romance, I guess people thought that he was going to try to bring back the sub-genre, when in fact it was just an homage to those movies. Most people didn’t see it as the latter, which is why they hated it. However, there were a few of us who saw it for what it was and we loved it. The romance is great, the cinematography is amazing, the score fits the story, and the performances are great. Yes, the script had problems, but they can be easily forgiven thanks to the rest of the production.

9. The Fall

Tarsem | 2008

This movie originally played in the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and it was panned, with most critics calling it an inferior copy of anther festival darling from that year, Pan’s Labyrinth. Two year later, it was released independently to bad reviews. There were a few critics like Roger Ebert who actually saw it for what it was, a visual treat supported by a small story. It is a gorgeous movie filled with  remarkable images and featuring great performances by Lee Pace and Catinka Untaru. It may not have a very deep and thought provoking story, but the story confined with the magnificent production makes for a great experience.

8. Across the Universe

Julie Taymor | 2007

Most people who dislike this mostly complain about how “misused” the songs by The Beatles were, about how little story there is to support those historic lyrics. I guess their love for the songs did not allow them to see the beautiful production, the great direction, the great performances, the good arrangements of the songs. They missed out on all the fun.

7. Knowing

Alex Proyas | 2009

Nicolas Cage had not had a good decade. For every Lord of War ,The Weatherman, and Adaptation there are two National Treasures, one Next, one Bangkok Dangerous, one Ghost Rider, and one The Wicker Man. So I guess that when this came out the presence of Cage made most people dismiss it as another one of his attempts to become an action star so late in his career. However, the movie is not just Nicolas Cage. It was directed by one of the most interesting directors out there, the script, despite it’s huge flaws, had some interesting ideas that Proyas takes the most advatage of, and it also features Cage’s best performances since 2005 when he had both Lord of War and The Weatherman

6. Memoirs of a Geisha

Rob Marshall | 2005

The book on which this is based is amazing, so there is no way that the movie was going to live up to it. Despite that, I believe Rob Marshall did a great job in translating the story visually into the screen it is one of the best produced movies of the decade. Yes, the script is rather bad, but the behind-the-scenes people and the actors rise above the material. Should you expect a fast-paced movie? No, you should expect a slow-burning experience and take everything in to enjoy the great ending.

5. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zizzou

Wes Anderson | 2004

It may not be Wes Anderson’s best, but I’d say that it is his most interesting, visually, and it has some really funny moments, as well as plenty of heart felt ones. Plus, it sports Bill Murray’s best post-Lost in Translation performance, Angelica Houston, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Cate Blanchett, and a song by Sigur Ros. What more can you ask for?

4. Monster-in-Law

Robert Luketic | 2005

Does it have the most original story? No. Is It well written and directed? No. So why do I think it is underrated? Well, it is because of the actresses. Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez have great chemistry together, and that alone makes almost every joke work. Plus, there is the always-reliable Wanda Sykes and the always reliable assistant ready with a one liner for every situation.

3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Garth Jennings | 2005

Based on the books by Douglas Adams, I think the movies does a great job of translating the humor, which is not the humor that most people are used to. I does not have jokes that give you belly laughs, but the kind of humor that makes you go, “that’s funny.” Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell are perfectly cast and make everything work.

2. Speed Racer

The Wachowskis | 2008

“It looks like a videogame and it has no story” was the biggest complaint I heard about this movie. This was never supposed to be the next Matrix, it was supposed to be a movie for the whole family to enjoy. And that was what we got. It has a simple good vs. evil, family always sticks together story, combined with great, groundbreaking visual effects, and good performances to boot.

1. The Fountain

Darren Aronofsky | 2005

I guess the main reason why most people don’t like it is because of it’s non-linear narrative. I loved it from the first time I saw it, and has only gotten better with repeat viewings. Hugh Jackman gives what is his best performance to date, and Rachel Weiz is also quite good. Some parts are off-putting and you do wonder what part is actually happening, but that is only part of the beauty of it. This is definitely one of the best movies of the decade.

There are my 10 most underrated movies of the decade. Feel free to offer your opinion in the comments section.

La última aventura del Rey del Pop conquista medio mundo

En la celebración del tradicional “Halloween” los espectadores se inclinaron -como era de esperar- por Jackson antes que por el film de miedo ‘Paranormal Activity’ quien ya había liderado el ranking la semana pasada. Así es como ‘This Is It‘, el documental sobre los ensayos de los conciertos en Londres que iba a dar Michael Jackson, ha logrado superar en los primeros días de su estreno los 100 millones de dólares de recaudación en todo el mundo. De ellos, $32,50 proceden de Estados Unidos. En otro desglose caben destacar los $7,445 conseguidos el Miércoles en su estreno y los $21,30 que ha conseguido desde el Viernes hasta el Domingo. Una cifra que si bien es algo discreta con las expectativas que se infundieron desde la puesta a la venta de sus entradas, al menos amortiza los 60 millones que le costaron los derechos a Sony y ha sido enormemente bien recibida en la crítica por los fans del Rey del Pop, entre los que un servidor se incluye. Además, y gracias a la buena marcha de la película en la taquilla en todo el mundo, Sony ha decidido extender el tiempo de permanencia en las carteleras, que inicialmente iba a ser de sólo dos semanas, hasta el fin de semana de Acción de Gracias, una de las principales festividades de Estados Unidos.

‘Paranormal Activity’, la producción de bajo presupuesto que lideró el ranking la semana pasada, baja al segundo lugar con $16,540 millones. En tercer lugar vemos a ‘Un ciudadano ejemplar’, el thriller protagonizado por Gerard Butler y Jamie Foxx , que asciende un puesto desde la semana anterior con $7,303 millones y un total en tres de $51,38.

Le sigue en cuarto lugar la comedia ‘Todo incluido’, ex número uno de la taquilla y protagonizada por Vince Vaughn y Jason Bateman, con $6,097 millones. La siguen la última entrega de la saga del sicópata Jigsaw ‘Saw VI’ ($5,560 millones), y ‘Donde viven los monstruos’, del director Spik Jonze’s, con $5,081 millones y un total de $61,80 en tres semanas. En el séptimo puesto quedó ‘El padrastro’, una nueva versión del film de 1987, con $3,4 millones.

La lista la completa el film de animación ‘Astro Boy’ con $3,035 millones; ‘Amelia’, con $3,0 millones y en el décimo lugar ‘El circo de los extraños’ con $2,809 millones y un total de $10,52 en dos semanas.

En la Taquilla Española ‘Ágora’ de nuevo arriba de todo en detrimento de Michael Jackson

Continuing on my quest to shine some sort of a spotlight on lesser known artists, it’s my next installment of Artist To Die For!

For those of you who are not in the know, there’s a new shaker of independent film:  Max Minghella.  The son of late Academy award winning director Anthony Minghella, Max isn’t your typical actor.  Opting to go indie instead of mainstream and attending Columbia University because he simply wants to be more educated, you might not have heard much about Maxyet but that’s all about to change soon.

After appearing in films like Art School Confidential (extremely funny movie) and How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, Max is set to co-star with Rachel Weiz in the new film Agora which is slated for a Decemeber release (just in time for award season) where he plays an Egyptian slave who falls for his master played by Weiz.  “It’s an epic, romantic film that’s different than anything I’ve done before,” he told VMAN recently.  “It’s massive, but it’s unique because it’s also independently made.  We didn’t have any pressure to anybody but ourselves.  It was like making a student film on a larger scale.”

I actually just saw Max in Bee Season, which is this small film starring Richard Gere (he plays his son)  about a family who falls apart after the daughter wins a school spelling bee and goes to Nationals, and he was incredible in it.  I loved how he could be extremely respectful and timid but also full of total angst and rage.  It immediately made me excited to see him in Agora which I hope will give him the attention he completely deserves.  If you ever read any of his interviews, you’ll notice he’s extremely intelligent and not the least bit cynical or fake but really speaks for a genuine love for acting as an art which I respect.  It’s always frustrating, for me at least, that these actors who really could care less about the art of acting and are only doing movies to make their fans happy continue to get attention and press.  I always love it when actors like Max or Paul Dano or Emile Hirsch act because they love it and are unafraid to take risks.  So if you are trying to decide on which movie to rent this weekend, I would definitely recommend one of this kid’s movies.  You can thank me for it later.

Also here’s an interview from YouTube:

QUE TAL ,UN NUEVO DIA CON MAS NOVEDADES EN POSTERS. COMENZAMOS CON  ”ICE AGE 3”,EL POSTERS ASIATICO.

AHORA NOS ENCONTRAREMOS CON EL AFICHE DE ”THE BROTHERS BLOOM”

Y PARA FINALIZAR,LES PRESENTAMOS EL AFICHE ISRAELI DE LA PELICULA ”LA REINA VICTORIA”

In a few days (hopefully) I’ll be writing up an article about my Fall Season Anticipations, until then I have some very irritating news.

The Brother’s Bloom, the follow up film for Sophomore Director Rian Johnson’s Brick, was set for an October release date. Unfortunately, in a wave of release date fluctuations (DAMN YOU HARRY POTTER… AND TWILIGHT) Bloom has been tossed back to a limited release in December, followed by a Wide Release in January 2009.

This was one movie that I was really rooting for. If you haven’t seen Brick, then why are you reading this? You should be at your local video rental store, nay, you should be at your local video PURCHASING store picking this amazing film up. Adrien Brody is a phenomenal actor, and one of the only reasons I stuck through King Kong. Rachel Wiez is a gorgeous woman, who will be fantastic is this Con-man’s tale. And Mark Ruffalo, well, he’s Mark Ruffalo (Not a comment against, the Ruffster, he has the potential he just hasn’t proven himself. Although he got very close in Zodiac).

Lady Hollywood is such a tease, and this release date push back is driving me crazy… slut.

“O coração humano tem tesouros ocultos. No segredo mantido, No silêncio selado… Os pensamentos, as esperanças, os sonhos, os prazeres… Cujo charme se romperia se revelado.“

O filme tem um início empolgante! Que alguns de nós já passou por algo assim. Mesmo que não tenha filhos. É quando as crianças têm sua primeira aula de educação sexual na escola.

É, Will (Ryan Reynolds) ao chegar na escola da filha, Maya (Abigail Breslin), encontra os alunos eufóricos com a aula. O lance era ver a reação dela. Ela não deixa por menos. Numa única frase, já mostrou que aquilo iria render. E rende, a caminho de casa, com perguntas do tipo: “Quando é que o homem tira o pênis do pijama e enfia na vagina da mulher?” Ou ainda com algo dito por um coleguinha, de que ele fora por um acidente.

O assunto vai se estreitando até por conta dele estar sozinho. Dela querer saber se também fora um acidente o seu nascimento.  Pedindo para ele contar a história dele com a mãe dela.

Vendo que ela não iria dormir… Ele resolve contar. Mesmo tendo saído com algumas mulheres, se amor fora dado a poucas… Então, trocaria nomes, omitiria certos fatos, e ela é que teria que descobrir qual delas era a sua mãe.

E assim, ele faz uma viagem ao seu passado… A cada intervenção dela é divertido, é emocionante… O que eu acho que deveriam ter explorado mais vezes. Pois teve longos espaços entre algumas delas. Ficando um pouco lento onde eram mostrados a história contada por ele. Perdendo apenas o ritmo. Mas como isso ajudou a ele a se conhecer mais, é válido.

A menininha é um encanto! Sobrepõe aos demais. Embora os outros também atuaram bem. O roteiro, se o enxugassem um pouquinho, o filme ficaria perfeito.

A trilha musical é legal. Confesso que lágrimas brotaram em algumas cenas mais para o final. Enfim, gostei do filme. Mas rever? Seria mais pelo início e final, eu correria um pouquinho a fita em trechos pelo meio.

Por: Valéria Miguez (LELLA).

Três Vezes Amor (Definitely, Maybe). 2008. Reino Unido. Direção e Roteiro: Adam Brooks. Elenco: Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weiz, Derek Luke, Kevin Kline, Daniel Eric Gold, Adam Ferrara, Nestor Serrano. Gênero: Comédia, Drama, Romance. Duração: 112 minutos.

Três vezes amor (Definitely, Maybe), EUA 2008.

De Adam Brooks, com Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Rachel Weisz, Kevin Kline e Isla Fisher

Will Hayes (Ryan-VanWilder-Reynolds) está se divorciando. Cansado e deprimido com sua insatisfatória love life só pensa em buscar sua filha no colégio e esquecer de tudo. Mas sua filha Maya (Pequena Miss Sunshine) não o deixa esquecer do assunto e faz com que o pai lhe conte detalhes de sua vida amorosa. Relutante, papai inventa um jogo, este onde ele conta detalhes de sua vida amorosa desde seu início e, com características aleatórias, sua filha descobre quem é sua mãe na história.

Definitivamente, talvez um bom filme

‘Grande personagem, grande ator’. Bola-fora #1! Ryan Reynolds teve sua big shot pra crescer aos olhos de grandes diretores e tudo o que ele entrega à tela é falso, insípido e apático. Ele não convence em situações cômicas, românticas e tampouco dramáticas. Mas isso não é de ontem, todos nós sabemos como ele estragou o remake de Amityville Horror. Ainda quando comparado diretamente aos ‘colegas’ de elenco, grandes nomes como Kevin Kline e Rachel Weisz. E sim! Rachel-delícia foi injustiçada! Não por ela ser gata, maravilhosa, deliciosa, incrível atriz e até já ter ganho um oscar. Seu personagem, uma jornalista liberal que tem um caso vitalício com seu professor da faculdade (Kevin Kline) e curte um affair com Will, é de meras pequeno. É  muita atriz para pouco papel. De qualquer forma, ela dá ao personagem grandiosas dimensões, tranformando-o em algo indispensável a trama. Os pecados  novamente vem acerca da ‘Pequena Miss Sunshine’. Ok, que a culpa não é muito lá dela. O pecaminoso é Adam Brooks e seu roteiro cheio de saídas cafonas e clichês conseguindo deixar nossa Dakota Fanningwannabe ainda mais chata.

Por mais que seja dotado de diversos clichês e um protagonista de qualidade duvidosa, o filme vale pela ambientação (Nova Yorque, sempre irresistível), o revival da era Clinton nos EUA nos faz lembrar do pacífico mundo que um dia vivemos… E caras: é mais uma história de amor fofinha, pra se ver com a namorada e nada mais! Um pouco entediante, chato, com uma guria chata falando… Nada além disso. E ouso dizer que, dentro deste gênero ainda, tem muitos bons filmes. Este, não é um deles.

Jude Law faz o papel do solitário dono de um café em Nova York. Norah Jones (sim, ela) faz a garota triste e confusa, deixada pelo namorado. Ponto de encontro do casal, a personagem de Norah vai ao café, desabafa, come a primeira de uma série de fatias da torta que dá nome ao filme em inglês (My Blueberry Nights) e volta várias vezes ao local, construindo uma bela amizade com o rapaz.

Wong Kar Wai faz da história simples e previsível uma beleza de filme. A fotografia e a direção do filme complementam o ótimo trabalho de todo o elenco. Enquanto a primeira parte do filme exibe belas e criativas imagens noturnas, cheias de closes e ângulos inusitados, a segunda desfila privilegiadas imagens melancólicas das estradas norte-americanas, durante a viagem de leste a oeste que a garota empreende para fugir dos problemas e de si mesma. Inacreditavelmente humanas, as imagens captadas pelo inspirado fotógrafo iraniano Darius Khondji (de Seven e Evita) criam um clima tão íntimo entre o filme e o cinéfilo, que só a maneira singular de filmar de Kar Wai poderia combinar.

Há duas formas de enxergar o roteiro. Uma mais limitada, que parece bastante comum a maioria dos críticos que li antes de ver o filme, dando mais atenção a uma ou duas coincidências desnecessárias que o diretor escorrega de leve e a segunda, bem mais interessante, que brinca com as referências do filme e constrói em cada um o que tirar do roteiro interessantíssimo destas eternas noites de torta blueberry que a protagonista vai viver. Numa fuga de si mesma e da vida que deseja fervorosamente deixar para trás, a garota corre de um lado para outro para sempre reviver, na pele dos amigos que faz no caminho, os mesmos problemas travestidos de incidentes ocasionais. Diálogos que alternam o onírico e o real, personagens apaixonantes, metáforas existenciais, poesia do cotidiano, auto-referências, imagens belíssimas e muito Ry Cooder fazem deste road-movie mais que um romance dramático corriqueiro. É sentimento na veia.

Ao som de… Norah Jones – Come Away With Me

Isn’t it strange? A film by Wong Kar Wai starring Norah Jones? Yeah, I thought so too. But I’ll centainly give it a try, specially because it’s Kar Wai’s, and look at the supporting cast: Rachel Weiz, Natalie Portman, David Strathairn, Jude Law and even a special appearance by Charlyn Marshall, aka Cat Power, herself (look out for Jude Law’s ex-girlfriend if you don’t know what’s she like)!

Since most of my closet friends are big WKW fans, I already heard that this movie doesn’t live up to the director’s past movies such as In the Mood for Love, and its sequence 2046. But they all agree it is not bad either and that the cinematography is amazing as always and the supporting cast will make it worth your while. Of course I’m gonna go to the show and check it out, and by the end of the week I’ll have something solid to say about this picture.

Last Thrusday I wasn’t able to post the film of the week because my computer went nuts… but this week I’ll be back with a proper review, which will probably be a Tony Gatlif’s film. But who knows? I might be in another mood by the end of the week and post a classic or even a horror trash movie! Anyway… I’ll be back later to update the blog.

It’s a wrap and see you all later!

My Blueberry Nights Trailer

A conquista de Hollywood pelo diretor chinês Wong Kar Wai se deu plenamente com “Um beijo Roubado” (“My Blueberry Nights”), o primeiro longa que ele rodou em solo norte-americano, o primeiro falado em inglês e com astros de lá: Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Rachel Weiz e David Strathairn. A grande novidade veio com a estréia da cantora Norah Jones, protagonizando uma história densa, marcada por desilusões amorosas – tema recorrente na obra do esteta de Hong Kong.

A jovem pianista foi para o set de filmagens com um violão. Queria registrar a nova experiência em algumas composições. Ao final da jornada apresentou uma única canção, logo de cara aprovada para abrir a trilha sonora do filme, assinada por Ry Cooder.

A faixa inédita, “The Story”, não foge ao estilo jazzy e elegante da obra de Jones e ajuda a ampliar os climas melancólicos do road movie. O álbum ainda conta com músicas de Cat Power, Cassandra Wilson (versão de “Harvest Moon”, de Neil Young), Amos Lee e o próprio Cooder com suas faixas incidentais.

“Um Beijo Roubado” tem estréia nacional prevista para o dia 11 de abril. Confira o trailer: