Den of Thieves

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Christian Gudegast

Cast: Gerard Butler, O´Shea Jackson Jr, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Pablo Schreiber, Evan Jones, Cooper Andrews, Maurice Compte, Meadow Williams, Mo McRae and Eric Braeden.

Rating: Average.

Writer Christian Gudegast makes his directorial debut with “Den of Thieves”, an action film that does deliver the goods but lacks of originality.

The movie centers in a group of robbers led by Ray Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) and his crew conformed by Enson Levoux (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), Bo Ostroman (Evan Jones) and Donnie Wilson (O´Shea Jackson Jr.).

The group successfully performs a series of robberies around the city of Los Angeles and they are in the radar of Sheriff  Nick “Big Nick” O`Brien (Gerard Butler), who is determined to bring down Merrimen`s crew.

Meanwhile the crew plans to perform their most difficult and considered mpossible heist: Rob the Federal Reserve Bank.

Now Nick O`Brien will try to stop Merrimen´s crew on performing this heist and finish the crew once and for all.

“Den of Thieves” is an action movie that is entertaining but the major problem that I saw in this film was the story

When I was watching this film, I felt that I was watching the same movie as 1995´s “Heat” which I think is a much superior film.

It´s clear that Christian Gudegast used Michael Mann´s film as an influence which is fin but I felt that the movie needed more character development and I did not see anything in here.

I understand it´s his directorial debut but I felt that this story could have been better and original if the approach would have been different.

The movie is too long and for this kind of films the length can be an issue. The ending it´s also a very weak spot and it doesn´t work.

There are scenes in this film that didn´t make any sense and they did not help the story move forward and that´s a big issue that I had with this film. At the same time I felt the movie was predictable and I knew from the beginning what was going to happen in the end of this movie, which it could have had a better resolution.

On the positive note that I have is that is a very well made movie and the action sequence of the third act is very well shot. The camera movies and the direction that Gudegast had in that particular scene was very good and very well made.

Gerard Butler is very fun to see in this role as the macho cop, Pablo Schreiber is a very talented actor and hopefully we can see him in even better roles than this film; O´Shea Jackson Jr did a very good job as well. The cast of the film is good but again I felt that it could have had a better resolution.

“Den of Thieves” is a movie that does deliver in the entertainment part and succeeds but fails in terms of narrative, where I insist it could have had a better result since the idea had a lot of potential but it was not taken to the proper direction.

12 Strong

By Emilio Frenk 

Director: Nicolai Fuglsig

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Peña, Michael Shannon, Trevante Rhodes, Navid Nevgahban, Elsa Pataky, Rob Riggle, Austin Stowell, Numan Acar  and William Fichtner.

 Rating: Average

Danish filmmaker and photojournalist Nicolai Fuglsig brings “12 Strong”, a film that had a very interesting premise that could have had a better execution.

Based on true events, the movie takes place after the events of 9/11 and tells the story of The Special Forces team led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), Chief Warrant Officer Hal Spencer (Michael Shannon) and Sergeant First Class Sam Diller (Michael Peña) who are deployed to Afghanistan to take on the Taliban forces.

This time the team will need the help of General Abdul Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban) who happens to be the leader of the Alliance and has a personal score to settle against the Taliban leader Mullah Razzan (Numan Acar).

This event is considered one of the bravest against the Taliban Forces and goes deep into the lives of the brave men who not only risk their lives, but fought for their country.

“12 Strong” is a movie that I consider it a very well shot movie and very well edited but the major problem radicated it in the story and casting of the film itself.

The screenplay written by Ted Tally and Peter Craig got to much in the American Patriotism and I wanted to see more inner conflict around the soldiers. I felt this film was more telling than showing and I felt that it could have been better.

I was surprised for this since Ted Tally wrote “The Silence of the Lambs” which he won The Academy Award in 1991 and is considered one of the best thriller´s of all time and Peter Craig who was wrote movies like “The Town” and the last “Hunger Games” films that were really good.

I don´t know what happened here but from a screenplay standing point I did have some expectations and there were not fulfilled. I felt that it was too much talking for moments and for a movie of this genre is a luxury you cannot afford.

The thing that I liked in story was the relationship between Chris Hemsworth`s character and Navid Negahban who plays Abdul Rashid. This does work and it´s practically one of the things that I did liked of this film.

One issue that I had in terms of casting was Rob Riggle playing a Lieutenant in this film. He tried so hard to make it a serious character but this was not the case. Maybe this is because he is in comedy films and he is really good at it that we are not used to see him in this kind of roles. I feel that another actor could have played this role better.

Filmmaking wise like I mentioned this film is very well shot and edited and I think that from that perspective works that film.

Nicolai Fuglsig is filmmaker that I believe he delivered a good cinematic experience but he needs to work better with actors, which is the part that he is lacking of.

I believe that if he gives his actors better direction in terms of delivering good performances he can be really good in his craft. 

The chemistry between Chris Hemworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña is good but I also felt that the length of the film was an issue here. For a movie like this one with a shorter length should have been enough but I understand that Fuglsig wanted to go deep  which he did, but I feel that you need to be careful how you tell this kind of stories since you can bore you´re audience to death and “12 Strong” by moments did that.

“12 Strong” is a movie that I recommend from the perspective of very well made film visually but in terms of acting and storytelling there are better movies to watch of this genre than this one.

Paddington 2

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Paul King

Cast: Ben Whishaw (Voice), Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Imelda Staunton (Voice), Michael Gambon (Voice), Noah Taylor, Tom Conti, Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson and Hugh Grant.

Rating: Excellent.

England´s favorite bear Paddington returns with Paddington 2 and this is a fun, entertaining and fantastic sequel from director Paul King who did the first film back in 2015.

The movie tells the story of Paddington Brown (Ben Whishaw) a bear who now lives with the Brown family conformed by Henry (Hugh Bonneville), Mary (Sally Hawkins), Judy (Madeleine Harris), Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) and Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters).

Paddington has a very good life with the Browns and he is excited of the news that his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) is coming to London to visit on her birthday. Paddington is very excited and decides to work in a series of jobs in order to buy his Aunt a birthday present.

He see´s a book that shows London but it´s a very valuable book and the only one left in existence. This will also draw the attention of Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant) an actor who once was at the top of his game and  wants the precious item at all costs, even to the fact that he stole the book and blames Paddington  for the crime, which leads him to prison.

Now Paddington is behind bars  and the Browns will try to help him in order to clear his name, obtain the book and help their furry friend to buy his aunt a memorable birthday present.

“Paddington 2” is a movie that works at all levels and it´s because of the originality of the screenplay written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby. Both of them adapted brought to life a marvelous screenplay based on the characters by Michael Bond; the dialogue of the film is very rich and the characters are likable from beginning to end.

I have mentioned before that is rarely the case that we see a sequel being original than it´s predecessor. This is one of the clearest examples and works at all levels.

The screenplay had a very good plot and keeps you intrigued from beginning to end. The story has a very good villain in Hugh Grant who gave a great performance as Phoenix Buchanan. He´s use of comedy was very good and also is really mean in this role. Another great character was Brendan Gleeson, who played Knuckles McGinty with so much wit and as usual he gives a wonderful performance.

The direction by Paul King was great and not only he did a great job on making the film have a good  but also he knew how to get the best out of his cast that he had  at his disposal.

Again if you have a good screenplay, practically you are the king of the mountain and “Paddington 2”  proves my point.

In this time of the year is very difficult to see movies this good since most people are more focused in the movies that are contenders in the next awards season and is practically normal.

“Paddington 2” is by far one of the best children´s movie I have seen since Toy Story 3. It´s a movie that combines all the elements it´s touching, sweet and tender. You will be moved from beginning to end and has a powerful message on never giving up your dreams.

The use of comedy and the timing of the film hit it´s mark. For a movie like this the elements that I mentioned are paramount and here they did everything right with this film.

I  was not expecting anything from Paddington 2. I liked the original from 2015 but this is a much better film and I did not expected it to be this good.

“Paddington 2” is one of the biggest surprises of this year, I highly recommend it and I believe that as a parent you will have a fantastic time with your family and children.

The Commuter

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Jonathan Banks, Elizabeth McGovern, Dean-Charles Chapman, Florence Pugh, Killian Scott, Colin McFarlane, Clara Lago, Shazad Latif and Sam Neil.

Rating: Average.

Director Jaume Collet-Serra works with Academy Award Nominee Liam Neeson again for the fourth time with “The Commuter”, a film that is entertaining but with many flaws.

The movie tells the story of Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson) a former New York Cop now Insurance Salesman that everyday has his daily commute in the train.

One day after a long one at work, he encounters with a mysterious woman named Joanna (Vera Farmiga) who tells him that someone doesn´t belong in the train. Michael doesn´t understand this and the conversation gets more tense when Joanna tells him that he needs to identify who that person is or his family is at danger.

Now Michael is in a race against time to identify the person and save his family before it´s too late.

Like I mentioned before “The Commuter” is a fun action movie. It has  good moments and I believe the concept is really good.

The problem that I saw in this film was the screenplay itself written by Byron Willinger, Philip de Biasi and Ryan Engle. The reason why I mention this is that some of the scenes are very predictable and by moments are laughable.

I liked how Collet-Serra showed a man in his most vulnerable and at the same time you can say that the film portrays that claustrophobia that we all have, specially in a train.

The chemistry between Collet-Serra and Liam Neeson does payoff. No wonder they have worked four times and know each other very well.

Some of the fight scenes are not that good and for a movie of this genre beside a story factor you need action and fight sequences, which are the brands of a good action film.

I would liked the movie to be less predictable and I think that in terms of story that could have been fixed.  The beginning could have been more solid; the ending was very dumb and laughable.

It´s fun to see this type of movies and seeing Liam Neeson on them. The problem is that ever since he did “Taken” he has been labeled to appear in this kind of films and he is one of the most talented actors of this industry.

Collet-Serra is a young and talented director who can really make a very good action film but this I must say it´s the weakest that I have seen from him.

I like how he employs the tension in some scenes and the he normally does it by the use of music and sound,  This is one of his trademarks in his films and does it pretty well.

I insist that if the movie would it have a better story, it could have been a very good one since it had the potential of being a good and entertaining film.

As a movie to have a good time “The Commuter” is a good one, but if you want to see a movie that engages in terms of story this would not be the case at all.

Proud Mary

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Babak Najafi

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Billy Brown, Jahi D´Allo Winston, Neal McDonough,, Margaret Avery, Xander Berkeley, Rade Serbedzija, Erik LaRay Harvey, Owen Burke  and Danny Glover.

Rating: Poor

Babak Najafi, director of “London Has Fallen” brings “Proud Mary”, an action movie that failed and badly.

The movie centers in Mary (Taraji P. Henson) a professional assassin from Boston who´s life changes when a professional hit goes wrong and meets Danny (Jahi Di´Allo Winston), who he left orphan during the job.

Later in the film we see a Mary filled with guilt, who crosses paths with Dann and taker him under her wing.

The problem will grow bigger when Mary performs an unauthorized hit; eventually both her and Danny will be on the run and will become also targets of Mary´s boss Benny (Danny Glover) and his son Tom (Billy Brown).

“Proud Mary” is a movie that I consider that had very good potential but the problem was in terms of story.

The screenplay by John S. Newman, Christian Swegal and Steve Antin didn´t made sense at all. The time lapsing between scenes was totally unconvincing and the plot itself was very careless.

In movies like “Atomic Blonde” and “John Wick” what made them special, entertaining and good films was the fact that writers invest a lot on story and created characters that we absolutely relate to.

Here I didn´t see that and I felt that it was a bad carbon copy of the movies that I previously mentioned.

I liked the opening of the film and that visual look between 70´s and 80´s style but then afterwards the movie goes downhill.

I felt that Barbak Najafi invest to much on the looks of the film and he left on the side the story part; this has been a major issue with filmmakers who make this kind of movies and they keep failing constantly because they want to make their films with nice imagery.

The relationship between Taraji P. Henson and Jahi D´Allo Winston didn´t work and I was never connected into the film.

I admit that the film has good action sequences and literally that is pretty much it. From a story point the film fails and badly.

Taraji P. Henson in the film tries to put her best effort and she tries to make her character likeable, so as Danny Glover and Billly Brown with their respective ones.  The problem is that no matter how hard you try, the cast won´t save your film if a bad screenplay is involved.

I see in Babak Najafi a filmmaker that he has talent but a lot to learn since in most of this films has been making the same mistakes over and over again. He wants to make films with good imagery but I feel that he needs to focus in story.

“Proud Mary” is one big disappointment in the action genre and I cannot recommend it for any reason.

Molly´s Game

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O`Dowd, Brian d`Arcy James, Bill Camp, Michael Kostroff and Graham Greene.

Rating: Excellent.

Academy Award Winner Aaron Sorkin makes his directorial debut with “Molly´s Game”. Not only he wrote a brilliant screenplay but made an outstanding directorial debut.

Based on a true story, the movie centers in Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) a former Olympic- class skier who later in her life runs the world´s most exclusive high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York City.

Eventually she will become a target of the FBI and The Russian Mob, which will lead her to face federal charges.

She will seek the help of a Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) a New York Attorney who takes her case and help her clear her name.

I define “Molly´s Game” as a movie that will engage you from beginning to end; this is pretty much thanks to the screenplay that Aaron Sorkin wrote based on the book of the real Molly Bloom who the movie is about.

Sorkin´s directing gets into a lot of detail and I love the fact that he explains you every single terms of the plays in Poker, specially if you are not related to the game at all.

The use of voiceover works at this film and it uses it only for the most important moments. The problem when you use a tool like voiceover is the fact that most of the times is not used properly and here it was not the case.

Sorkin directed a brilliant cast and Jessica Chastain gives a remarkable performance. She plays her character with so much realism that you feel identified with her from beginning to end.

Of the movies that Aaron Sorkin has written, this I consider it the less theatrical of the richest in terms of dialogue. He crafted a marvelous screenplay with very good dialogue.

I consider Aaron Sorkin one of the best writers that this industry has and nobody can write dialogue like he does. His work in “Molly´s Game” is a huge example of it.

Despite the length of the film, which  is two hours and twenty minutes, the movie isn´t boring and engages you from the opening scene to the closing of it.

Hopefully “Molly´s Game” is a movie that will be considered in the next Oscar´s race specially for screenplay and performances which were phenomenal.

Kevin Costner delivers one of the best performances I have seen in a long time. He performance as Larry Bloom is so convincing and the scene that practically defines the film is when he has a conversation with his daughter.

The ending was completely unexpected of this film and I was very pleased from beginning to end with it.

Aaron Sorki´s debut couldn´t had a better start and "Molly´s Game" is one of the best film of 2017, which I highly recommend. I guarantee you that you will enjoy this movie as much as I did. 

The Post

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rys, Alisson Brie, Jesse Plemons, Zach Woods and Michael Stuhlbarg.

Rating: Excellent.

Two Time Academy Award Winning Director Steven Spielberg, teams up with also Three Time Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep and Two Time Academy Award Winner Tom Hanks in “The Post”, a movie that people will be talking about it for a long time.

Based on true events, the movie tells the story of  Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) a hardworking editor who works at The Washington Post with female publisher Kay Graham (Meryl Streep).

Both of them will cover up a story that involved four United Presidents about the Vietnam War. This story will be known as The Pentagon Papers and is the brave story of a Newspaper who against all odds, uncovered the truth risking everything, even going to prison for publishing a story that eventually shocked the country.

With “The Post” Steven Spielberg not only directed a brilliant movie but also I consider he´s most challenging since he directed an A list cast in this film.

The screenplay written by Liz Hannah and Academy Award Winning Writer Josh Singer got into so much detail and the amount of research that they both made for this film was unbelievable and did pay off.

What really helped is the fact that Singer wrote a journalistic investigation in 2015´s “Spotlight” which earned him the Academy Award and knows this type of stories from head to toe. Him and Liz Hannah did an amazing job and created a unique and powerful story.

Steven Spielberg´s directing as usual was top of the notch and not only directed a movie that looks visually impressive but he got the best of his cast, specially in Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.

The music from John Williams plays a key role in this film. The movie is engaging and is filled with tension since the movie tells about government secrets and what really led to the Vietnam war in the 60´s.

The movie by moments has clichés but are totally justified. Spielberg has been known for having this moments for most of his career  but he is one of the most brilliant minds in film and "The Post" proves this point. 

In the times that we are living know, a movie like this needed to be told. Hopefully this movie can be an influence for the next generation of filmmakers and for people who want to make a career in journalism.

“All The President´s Men” by Alan J. Pakula, “Spotlight” by Tom McCarthy and “The Post” I consider them the movies that revolutionized journalism in America  and everyone needs to see them. 

Like I mentioned before, “The Post” is a movie about people who were brave and defied a system that wanted to control them through threats if they dared to speak the truth.

This is a movie of people who we have to see as role models and I consider “The Post” one of the most influential movies that I have seen in a long time.

“The Post” is a movie that I´m sure that will be in the attention of next year´s awards season. I highly recommend it and I hope that every film school in the world shows this film not only from a filmmaking point but as an example of courage as well.

I, Tonya

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Craig Gillespie

Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bojana Novakovic, Caitlin Carver, Mckenna Grace and Bobby Cannavale.

Rating: Excellent.

Craig Gillespie, director of “Lars and the Real Girl, “Million Dollar Arm” and “The Finest Hours” brings “I, Tonya” a biopic that blew me away from beginning to end.

Based on true events, “I, Tonya” tells the story of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie) a young professional ice skater from Portland, Oregon who is ambitious and suffers the constant attacks from her abusive mother LaVona (Allison Janney).

Her career will be at risked when her ex husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) plans an attack against her rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver). This attack was considered one of the major scandals in Ice Skating history and “I, Tonya” took us through that journey.

Craig Gilliespie without a doubt directed one of his most intensive movies of his career with “I, Tonya”. The style he chose for directing this movie is very interesting. Instead of being the typical movie inspired in real life that took us to that journey, he chose a documentary style combined with fiction.

His style reminded me of the one David O. Russell used in “The Fighter” back in 2010 and this movie pays off as well.

The screenplay written by Steven Rogers plays a huge role in this film. The amount of research that Rogers made for this film was huge an I consider it challenging since we are talking about a real person who made a terrible mistake like Tonya Harding.

I loved that the film was told by multiple points of view and not only Tonya Harding´s. I liked that this movie did stuck with the facts and performance wise is one of the most powerful of this year.

Margot Robbie is incredible in this film as Tonya Harding. She plays that role with so much realism and made you understand why her character has that competitive behavior, but the one who steals the movie is Allison Janney  as LaVona Miller, who most likely will score an Academy Award Nomination this year. 

We are used to see her in more comedic roles but her Janney took it to the next level and I was impressed with her performance.

Craig Gilliepie not only directed a very visual film but knew how to get the best out of his cast and the result speaks for itself.

I love the fact of how Gilliespie illustrated the internal and external conflicts of all the characters, specially the main ones on Tonya Harding and her mother LaVona.

Other factor that made the movie work was the fact that it was not based in any source material and it was a deep and thorough research that Steven Rogers did in every single one of the characters he wrote and played it very well.

Craig Gillespie was very smart on using the black humor in this film despite of dealing with people who did a very bad thing. That is very difficult to achieve in a film and he did a very good job in here.

I am very sure that “I, Tonya” will be a film that people will be talking about it for a very long time and will score Academy Award Nominations most likely for Margot Robbie and Allison Janney.

“I, Tonya” is one of the best films of 2017, I highly recommend it for Craig Gillespie´s directing, Steven Rogers brilliant screenplay and the performances of the cast.

All The Money In The World

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Charlie Plummer, Romain Duris, Marco Leonardi, Ghassan Massoud, Kit Cranston, Maya Kelly and Timothy Hutton.

Rating: Excellent.

Academy Award Director Nominee Ridley Scott brings “All The Money In The World”, one of the movies that caused a lot of controversy before it´s release brought very interesting results. 

Based on the novel “Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty” by John Pearson, it tells the story of young John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) the grandson of Oil Tycoon J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) is being kidnapped by an organized crime ring in Rome.

The kidnappers call John Paul´s mother Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) demanding a ransom of 17 million dollars or they will kill her son.

Gail comes to her former father in law for help on trying to convince him to pay the ransom. This is the story of one of the most influential men in American history and how he had to deal with a critical situation.

I consider “All The Money In The World” one of the most challenging movies that director Ridley Scott has ever done in his career due to the controversy that I mentioned before which involved Kevin Spacey, who originally played J. Paul Getty in the film but was replaced by Christopher Plummer, due Spacey´s sexual allegations which has been accused of. 

Practically Scott had to shoot the scenes with Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty again and still had a December release. The movie took me out of surprise and I think it was a very interesting topic.  

One of the things that made “All The Money in the World” a very good movie beside the performances was the screenplay written by David Scarpa. He adapted John Pearson´s book in a very good way and I loved the fact the movie takes you from the origins of J. Paul Getty.

The used of flashbacks in this movie, that were not to many were very well used and told us what we needed to know about the main characters which was very important and worked.

Christopher Plummer´s performance as J. Paul Getty was outstanding and he gave as usual a remarkable performance.

I liked how the film played with the stakes at all moments and Ridley Scott is a real master in this type of situations. This is one of his trademarks in most of his films and he did again in a brilliant way.

I saw in here one of the most unexpected twists in the film and did work. The movie did took me by surprise at all moments and it´s the reason why it had to be long.

The movie by moments did over explain some situations and scenes but it needed to be that way in order to understand the true nature of the characters.

Before I watched this film I didn´t knew to much about who J. Paul Getty was  and I considered this an huge learning lesson and a good throwback to history.

The score composed by Daniel Pemberton is fantastic and engaging at all moments. I felt that it played a key role in the film since it had a huge meaning to the whole film.

On the not so good side I felt that the movie was kind of predictable by moments, specially at the end of the film there were things that I knew there were coming. Still I was not bothered by that and I insist that the movie does work.

“All The Money In The World” is a must see movie, I highly recommend it for Ridley Scott´s directing, performances and pace of the film.

The Greatest Showman

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Michael Gracey

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austyn Johnson, Cameron Seely, Keala Settle, Sam Humphrey, Eric Anderson, Daniel Everidge and  Paul Sparks.

Rating: Very Good.

Director Michael Gracey makes his directorial debut with “The Greatest Showman”, and one of the things that I have to mention is the fact that I didn´t had any expectations of it and I was very surprised of how it turned.

The movie takes place in New York City and tells the true story of P.T Barnum (Hugh Jackman) a man who recently lost his job after the company just filed bankruptcy .  He is happily married with his wife Charity (Michelle Williams) and have two daughters Caroline (Austyn Johnson) and Helen (Cameron Seely).

As a regular dreamer, P.T. has a vision on creating a Wax Museum in the city. At the beginning things don´t go as expected but decides to put some more entertainment in the place and opens it as a circus.

He will join forces with Phillip Carlye (Zac Efron) a playwright who comes from a rich family, decides to work with Barnum on creating one of the spectacles that not only meant the birth of show business but became a major sensation.

“The Greatest Showman” is a movie that in terms of production is really impressive and I consider it a very well made musical.

The screenplay written by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon was written by a lot of detail but at the same time I felt that movie was very predictable from beginning to end.

Other factors that I felt that the movie went a little bit down by moments are the facts that the main characters reached their goals to easily. I know it´s a musical and you need those cheezy moments but I felt that if you had more conflict the movie could have been better.

I feel the movie could have been introduced from the main character when he was younger and not the way around.

I think the movie if it would have been more straight forward from the beginning but still it does work.

The Production Design and Value in this film are really impressive, as well as the performances on this film were very good as well.

I like the performance of the film, specially Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. Their chemistry together works at all times, they both can sing, dance, act and the bottom line is that this two were are ideal for their respective roles.

If you like musicals I¨m sure that you are going to enjoy “The Greatest Showman” and I would not be surprised if we see a Broadway version in the near future.

“The Greatest Showman” is a very well made movie, I had a great time watching and I highly recommend it.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Jake Kasdan

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser´Darius Blain, Morgan Turner, Mason Guccione,  Rys Darby, Tim Matheson and Bobby Cannavale.

Rating: Very Good.

Jake Kasdan, director of “Bad Teacher” and “Sex Tape” brings “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle”, the second film of the “Jumanji” franchise and it´s a funny and entertaining film.

The movie tells the story of Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff) a nerdy gamer who goes to detention in High School with football jock Anthony “Fridge” Johnson (Ser´Darius Blain), the popular but self centered Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman) and Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) a girl who recently complained about physical education class.

The four of them while they are stapling papers, discover an old game console with the game Jumanji. The four of them begin to play the game and get sucked in it.

Now the four of them are inside the game and be in different avatars. Specer will be the archaeologist and explorer Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson),  Bethany is Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon (Jack Black) a cartographer, cryptography expert, Fridge is  Franklin “Mouse” Finbar (Kevin Hart) a zoologist and weapons expert and finally Martha is Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) a martial artist and dance fighter.

In order to get back to reality the four of them must finish the game and their mission will be to return the “Jaguars Eye” a jewel that controls the animals in Jumanji. The jewel happens to be in the possession of explorer Russel Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale) who happens to be cursed and has total control of the jungle. 

Now the four of them will be in the race against time to recover the jewel, break the course of Jumanji and go back to reality before the game is over.

One of the things that made “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” a very entertaining film was the originality of the concept. The screenplay written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner was very original and just the fact that how we image ourselves being inside a video game is a very interesting idea.

As human beings we are the ones who manipulate the controllers and when things don´t go the way we expect,  we want to be inside the game and this movie is how we imagine ourselves in that situation.

The screenplay is filled with fun dialogue and very good moments. At the same time I like the fact that we see characters that have a lot of internal and external conflicts.

Without a doubt this is Jake Kasdan´s most ambitious film. He  directed  an entertaining film and I liked how he manage the timing of the film. The use of comedy in this film was outstanding and he had the ideal cast of his disposal.

Jack Black as always was very funny in this film and he was one of my favorite characters of this film. Kevin Hart did  a very good job which surprisingly enough was not that annoying as usual.   Dwayne Johnson was very good, so as Karen Gillan. 

Bobby Cannavale was a very good villain in this film and he is terrifying in this role as Van Pelt. He played his character in a very convincing and by moments funny way. This is the type of villains that work in a movie as well as there is a fun screenplay involved, which was the case here.

The movie does get by moments cheezy and predictable but still it does entertain and doesn´t exceed those moments.

The message on believing in yourself and accepting others is very well triggered and does work here.

To be completely honest when I heard that there was a Jumanji I always thought that it was going to be remake of the 1995 film starring the late Robin Williams but never a sequel. I also had a huge prejudice against it but I was completely wrong and I am happy about it since I really enjoyed this film.

“Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” is a movie that will entertain you from beginning to end and it´s the ideal film to spend a good time with the family and children.

Ferdinand

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Carlos Saldanha

Cast (Voice): John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, Bobby Cannavale, Peyton Manning, Gina Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, David Tennant, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias Lily Day , Jerod Carmichael and Juanes.

Rating: Good.

Carlos Saldanha, director of “Rio”, “Rio 2” and “The Ice Age” brings “Ferdinand”, an animated feature film from Blue Sky Studios that like his character has a lot of heart but it has many flaws. 

The movie centers in Ferdinand (John Cena) a bull with a big heart that one day in a local event is confused by a dangerous animal and is separated from his adopted family conformed by Nina (Lily Day), her father Juan (Juanes) and their dog Paco (Jerod Carmichael).

Ferdinand will be taken to a place called Casa del Toro where he will meet a goat named Lupe (Kate McKinnon) who will become his best friend and mentor.

Ferdinand is determined to go back with Nina and he tries to convince Lupe to get him out of Casa del Toro. Lupe accepts and will help Ferdinand to go back with his family and avoid entering to a bull arena, which is the last place Ferdinand wants to be.

I mentioned earlier  that “Ferdinand” is a movie with flaws, one of those was in terms screenplay which was written by Robert L. Baird, Brad Copeland and Tim Federle. I think that the movie was too long and for a film of this genre the shorter you can keep it the better.

The characters in this film were very well developed and I like the fact that the goals in every single one of them were very clear from the beginning of the film to the endI;the major problem is that they needed to be more fleshed out.

At the same time I felt that the movie has a slow pace and that can eventually represent a problem, specially for kids who either already have seen the film or want to see it.

On a positive note in terms of production is a very well made film and does deliver the goods. Carlos Saldanha`s directing was very good and the actors who lend their voices for this film were great specially Kate McKinnon, who was very funny as the voice of Lupe the goat in this movie.

I liked the fact that the movie doesn´t take place in America and it´s in Europe. One of the things that was really well made was the fact that Saldanha showed us the cultural side of a country like Spain and the world of bulls and bull fighting.

Maybe the way how the bulls are getting picked before they go in a ring may or not necessarily be accurate but it does work.

I liked the fact that we are seeing a character who despite of it´s size wants to give love unconditionally but at the same time he struggles on belonging to a world that he won´t be easily be accepted.

The message of accepting others regardless of their flaws is very real in this film and touching. John Cena´s voice as Ferdinand was really good and the movie didn´t loose the humor as well.

In this type of film I insist that also comedy has to be a factor and it was very well played in here.

Again the only problem that I see is the length and this is one of the reasons why I don´t give a higher recommendation. Still I did enjoy it.

With that being said “Ferdinand” is a very well made animated feature film and I do recommend it for it´s message, production and cast of the film who did an amazing job on sharing their voices to the characters of this film.

Pitch Perfect 3

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Trish Sie

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hailee Steinfield, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Jackie, Shelley Regner, Chrissie Fit, Ruby Rose, Alexis Knapp, Guy Burnett, DJ Khaled, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks and John Lithgow.

Rating: Poor

Universal Studios brings the third and final installment of the “Pitch Perfect” series and I can say: "Thank God, It´s Over!"

After their successful win the world championship and graduated from College, The Barden  Bellas conformed by Beca Michell (Anna Kendrick), Patricia “Fat Amy” Hobart (Rebel Wilson), Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow), Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp), Emily Junk (Hailee Steinfield),  Lily Onakuramara (Hana Mae Lee),  Cynthia-Rose Adams (Ester Dean), Florencia “Flo” Fuentes (Chrissie Fit), Jessica Smith (Kelley Jakie) and Ashley Jones (Shelley Regner) decide to split and have different jobs they all hate.

One day they all get invited to a Barden Bella´s reunion by Emily, who is now  a senior Barden Bellas leader.

At that reunion Aubrey has the idea of performing at the upcoming USO competition, which represents in  case they  win the opportunity of touring with  DJ Khaled.

Knowing that this would mean a once in a lifetime opportunity, The Bellas will do whatever it´s necessary to win the competion but other hands will be on their way. Not only that chance is on the line, but their reputation is at stake as well. 

The problem that I saw in “Pitch Perfect 3” is the fact that the movie became to repetitive and from the beginning of the film it was obvious what was going to happen.

The first film is a sweet and tender teen movie that did work, the second it´s ok but nothing spectacular but this one it was completely unnecessary.

The major problem of this film was the screenplay written Kay Cannon and Mike White, who I was surprised when I saw he was credited on this film since he wrote two good movies with “Beatriz at Dinner” and “Brad´s Status”, which he also directed.

I couldn´t believe that he would be part of this film since it was atrocious. I understand that he tried everything he could to write a decent film but it just didn´t work.

I also felt the movie was a total lack of disrespect towards an actor like John Lithgow, who plays Fat Amy´s father.  I didn´t believe his character at all and I feel bad since I consider him  one of the most prolific, talented actors in Hollywood today and here was completely wasted. 

The directing was also weak by Trish Sie. The way that she directed her cast was totally unconvincing and was focused on making the film look good but she couldn´t´achieve that either.

“Pitch Perfect 3” is the result of an idiotic screenplay with a bad direction. There was nothing that I appreciated in this film.

Like I mentioned before the first two films I enjoyed but here this wasn´t the case.  The villains don´t work at all in this film and if you don`t have interesting villains, most likely your movie is going to fail.

“Pitch Perfect 3” is one of the worst movies of 2017, I cannot recommend it for any reason at all. One word of advice if you watched the first and second, do not watch this one. Trust me, you will be disappointed big time.

Phantom Thread

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps, Richard Graham, Camilla Rutherford, Harriet Sansom Harris, Brian Gleeson, Julia Davis, Nicholas Mander and Phillips Franks.

Rating: Excellent.

Academy Award Writer/Director Nominee Paul Thomas Anderson joins forces again with Three Time Academy Award Winner Daniel Day-Lewis in his final performance with “Phantom Thread” and again Anderson created a masterpiece.

Set in London, England during the 1950´s, it centers in Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) a well known dressmaker who´s reputation is very high in the British Society.

One day he meets Alma (Vicky Krieps) a waitress who eventually will become his muse.

Both Reynolds and Alma`s lives will be changed forever and they will fall in love. Eventually Reynold`s will have an obsession towards his work and wants to control every single aspect of it that will lead him to a nervous breakdown, which can compromise his reputation if he takes the wrong decisions.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of my review. Paul Thomas Anderson created something unique like in most of his films and with “Phantom Thread” is not the exception.

Every film that he creates is a different experience and theme. Here he took us to the British Fashion world in a way that has never seen before and this is why it was very original.

One thing that has always impressed me about Thomas Anderson is the amount of research he does in every single one of his films that has done in his entire career and here is evident that he made a lot of it in the fashion world of London during the decade of the 1950´s.

His directing was sharp and I loved the fact that besides of telling the dressing/fashion world, but he told the movie from Reynolds Woodcock´s  point of view.  The visuals are impressive and I was surprised that Anderson shot this film by himself and didn´t collaborate with Robert Elswit, who has shot most of his films since 1996´s “Hard Eight”, which marked Paul Thomas Anderson´s feature film debut.

Anderson did a very good job in terms of camera work and shot a glamourous film from beginning to end.

Daniel Day-Lewis as usual gives a memorable performance and we will miss him since this is his final film after he announced his retirement in acting back in June of this year. His performance as Reynolds Woodcock is outstanding and brings to life a character with a lot of emptiness and with a need to be appreciated in a certain way.

I would not be surprised if he is nominated for an Academy Award for his final performance in this film. If he scores a fourth Academy Award he will be the actor with most statuettes in history.

The score by Jonny Greenwood, who has worked with Paul Thomas Anderson since “There Will Be Blood” did a marvelous score, which tells the world of not only one character but all of them that practically translates  in three of them..

Another performance that blew me away was Vicky Krieps, who played Alma in this film. She played her character so convincingly and she doesn´t portrayed the naïve character that we are used to see in this type of films. She plays someone a woman with a lot of strength and character. Her arch is very interesting in this film and she plays who ends up being dominant.

You might think that “Phantom Thread” is only Daniel Day-Lewis´s  film but it`s not the case. Every single character in this film plays a huge role and that`s one of the things that I loved about it.

The third act of the film is beautifully written and has one of the most surprising and unexpected endings.

I encourage you to watch this film in 70mm so you can appreciate the visuals and the texture of the film itself.

One thing is that “Phantom Thread” is a movie that I don´t think it´s for everyone and before you watch please be very open and prepared since the movie has  a slow pace.

Every movie that Paul Thomas Anderson does it´s considered a blessing and with “Phantom Thread” is not the exception.

I highly recommend it for the direction and Day-Lewis`s final performance, which I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Darkest Hour

By Emilio Frenk

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily James, Ronald Pickup, Stephen Dillane, Nicholas Jones, Samuel West, David Schofield, Richard Lumsden and Malcolm Storry.

Rating: Excellent.

Joe Wright, director of “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement” brings “Darkest Hour” by far his most ambitious movie of his career that I consider it a very good retrospective to a history class.

Based on true events the movie takes place during the early days of World War II and  tells the story of Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman), the newly appointed British Prime Minister who has one of the most difficult tasks in his hands that could define the fate of the entire country, which is to either negotiate with Adolf Hitler or fight the German army against all odds.

This is the story of not only one the most iconic figures in Great Britain`s history but for the world itself, a very brave man who didn´t care about the odds and always fought for what he considered the right thing.

Joe Wright directed a film that took only one subject and this was one of the things that made “Darkest Hour” work.

This is the second Winston Churchill of this year since previously there was a movie called “Churchill” were Brian Cox performed the former Prime Minister and that movie I couldn´t care less since I saw only a Winston Churchill throwing constantly feats like a boy.

Here in “Darkest Hour” you see those moments as well but at least it was more justified and the movie like I mentioned takes place in World War II and the obstacles that Winston Churchill faced as the leader of a nation.

The screenplay written by Anthony McCarten, who wrote 2014´s “The Theory of Everything” and led him to an Academy Award Nomination was again beautifully crafted and he took us to that journey that we haven´t seen in the big screen before. Like I mentioned in the beginning this was a very good learning lesson and a good throwback to history.

You could tell that the amount of research that McCarten did about Churchill was huge and it did payoff in this film, specially in the climatic scene of the movie that was one of the most original and quite frankly very surprising.

Joe Wright´s direction was very good. The choices in terms of shots were very precise and sharp and the direction he gave to his cast was extraordinary specially Gary Oldman, who is at his finest.

I was very impressed with Oldman`s performance in this film. His transformation as Winston Churchill is outstanding and the characterization they did on him was one of a kind. I consider this his best performance of his career and most likely we will see him score an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor.

When I saw the first image of him portraying Churchill he was unrecognizable and his performance was believable from beginning to end.

I felt the movie could have had a shorter length but it was reasonable why it was that long since we needed to understand the whole scope of the conflict and Churchill`s refusal to negotiate with Adolf Hitler.

The movie is dark like the title of the film but it´s a very interesting one to watch, specially if you are history lover.

The Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel, who has shot movies like “Inside Llewyn Davis” and “Amélie” was again outstanding and the way how he played with his lightning constantly and framing of the film worked at all levels.

The score by Dario Marianelli was engaging and hit the correct cues in the most important scenes in the film.

One word of advice before you watch this film is to be prepared since the length can be an issue and has a slow pace as well.

“Darkest Hour” not only is one of the year´s best films, but has the performance of the year on Gary Oldman. These are enough elements for me to recommend it highly and you cannot miss it.

Downsizing

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Maribeth Monroe, Udo Kier, Rolf Lassgard, Ingjerd Egeberg, Soren Pilmark, Hong Chau, Neil Patrick Harris, James Van Der Beek,  Laura Dern  and Christoph Waltz.

Rating: Very Good.

Two Time Academy Award Winning Writer/Director Alexander Payne brings “Downsizing” a comedy with a very interesting concept and good results.

The movie centers in Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) an occupational therapist who works in an Omaha Steakhouse and lives with his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig).

In a school reunion both the Safranek`s are surprised on seeing their friends Dave (Jason Sudeikis) and Carol Johnson (Maribeth Johnson) who have downsized themselves in an irreversible process.

Both Paul and Audrey are impressed about seeing their friends in the miniature size, but Dave tries to convince Paul to do the process in order to have a better way of life.

Paul convinces Audrey to enter the “Downsizing” program which she finally accepts. The major problem is that Audrey doesn´t want to do the process and leaves her husband who´s already downsized.

Paul´s life will change radically and appreciate another way of life he has never had.

Alexander Payne is a filmmaker who has been known in his career to show the vulnerable side of human beings but in a satirical way and with “Downsizing” it´s not the exception.

The thing that I enjoyed the most of “Downsizing” was the originality of the concept of the film itself and at the same time it´s a very touching story about people who are different but at the same time they share things in common.

Also this is the first time that Alexander Payne writes an original screenplay that it´s not based in another source. He joined forces again with his partner Jim Taylor and crafted a brilliant screenplay which I´m sure is going to be an Oscar contender. Both of them are known for their work in films like “About Schmidt” and “Sideways”, which they both won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2005.

I love the fact that both Payne and Taylor broke the typical stereotype of the lab being a government facility and here we see in the opening of the film a Scandinavian Scientist inventing a procedure on it´s own.

Alexander Payne´s direction again paid off and not only the film was beautifully shot but also he directed a cast that gave very good performances and used all the tools he had at his disposal wisely.

At the same time we see in “Downsizing” so much of the humor that Payne has in most of his films which is very dark.

The performances of Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz are really good but the one who steals the show is Hong Chau who gives life to the character of Ngoc Lan Tran, a Vietnamese activist who not only is hilarious in her role but gives a very convincing performance that will be remembered by ages.

On the not so good of “Downsizing” the part that I was not convinced was the third act and the climax of the film. When they begin to mention the thing about the end of civilization is approaching I couldn´t care about it. It didn´t make any  sense and the ending of the film took me by surprise.  I felt that Payne and Taylor could have taken this act towards another direction.

I´ve always enjoyed every Alexander Payne film he has done;  I leave the theater with  a lot of reflections and earning experiences as well. He shows characters that not only they have internal conflicts but as part of an audience you feel identified with them.

One word of advice before you watch “Downsizing” is that had the tendency to be slow due to the length of the film and If you can watch any film by Alexander Payne before this one even better so you can understand the kind of film language he uses in his films.

Payne made  another winner with “Downsizing” which I consider a unique film and I give it a huge recommendation.

Father Figures

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Lawrence Sher

Cast: Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, Harry Shearer, Glenn Close, Terry Bradshaw, J.K. Simmons, Ving Rhames, June Squibb, Retta, Katie Aselton, Katt Williams, Ali Wong, Ryan Cartwright, Brian Huskey Katie Aselton and Christopher Walken.

Rating: Poor.

Cinematographer Lawrence Sher, makes his directorial debut with “Father Figures” a very unfortunate debut that was everything but funny.

The movie tells the story of Kyle Reynolds (Owen Wilson) and Peter (Ed Helms) two twin brothers who found out recently  that their mother Helen (Glenn Close) has been lying to them about their “deceased” father.

They both decide to embark on a trip to find their potential father. Not only they will be in a race against time but they will learn and cherish the real meaning of life and appreciate each other.

The problem that I saw in “Father Figures” was the plot itself. The movie doesn´t work and I felt that I was watching a carbon copy of the 1988 film “Twins” directed by Ivan Reitman. The only difference is that “Twins” did worked and it´s a movie that everybody remembers. With “Father Figures” I don´t think it will be the case.

The screenplay written by Justin Malen, who wrote last year´s “Office Christmas Party” was very lame or even worst than his previous film. I didn´t feel identified with any of the characters  with any of them and it was too slow for a genre like this one.

Lawrence Sher directing was also weak and he only cared about making the film visually good, which I didn´t see here either. I understand the background that Sher comes from but he knew better where was he standing and the movie was a complete mess.

The cast of this film is completely wasted and you have very good talent in this film in. Most of the cast is an A list that figures Academy Award Winners like Christopher Walken and J.K. Simmons and of course Glenn Close who is one of the most versatile actresses in this industry.

But like I mentioned before the cast won`t save a movie. It will draw the attention for people to watch and buy tickets for it  but that is not enough.

The movie was predictable from beginning to end and when the second act of the film started it´s when I started to see some real trouble.

I knew that the film was going to be bad, but I like to give the benefit of the doubt but this was too much.

This year has been a good one in comedies like “The Disaster Artist”, “Ladybird” and bad ones like “Baywatch”, “A Bad Mom´s Christmas”, “Daddy´s Home 2” and now  “Father Figures”.

There was only one funny scene in the film and that was it. In a comedy you need to go all the way and I didn´t see that here.

The comedy genre can be one of the most generous ones since you can get away with being predictable but at the same time is the most challenging since you need to have original and convincing scenes.

Hopefully this is a learning experience for Lawrence Sher, Justin Malen on making movies of this genre and I wish that they succeed in their next project.

“Father Figures” is one of the major disasters of the end of 2017 and I cannot recommend it for any reason whatsoever.

The Shape of Water

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones, Lauren Lee Smith, Nick Searcy, David Hewlett and Michael Shannon.

Rating: Excellent.

Mexican filmmaker  and Academy Award Nominee Guillermo Del Toro, brings “The Shape of Water” a tale of fantasy with a powerful message that blew me away.

The movie takes place in Baltimore, Maryland in 1960 and tells the story of Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) a mute janitor who works in a secret research facility with her closest friend Zelda (Octavia Spencer).

Elisa dreams constantly in her Prince Charming and has a very close relationship with her friend and neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkings) who she spends most of her time with after work.

One day in her break, Elisa will see an aquatic creature refered as The Asset (Doug Jones) and her life will change forever.

She forms a special connection with The Assett and wants to set him free but the evil and cruel Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) has other plans.

Now Elisa will seek the help of her friends Zelda and Giles to set the creature free before he is history.

Again Guillermo Del Toro directed a colorful film filled with impressive visual effects and you can tell this film has Del Toro´s touch.

The screenplay also written by Del Toro, who joined forces with Vanessa Taylor, who is well known for episodes of the acclaimed TV Series “Game of Thrones” crafted an original and magnificent script filled with rich and unique characters.

Del Toro brought a different story that we are used to see from him and it is more than a Science Fiction film . In fact I feel that is a compelling love story of two characters that have a lot of similarites but at the same time they are different.  I loved the fact that the film is told from Elisa`s point of view and as members of an audience Del Toro took us to that incredible journey.

I saw a lot of influence in movie like “Creature of The Black Lagoon” from 1954 and Steven Spielberg´s “E.T the Extraterrestial” from 1982 due to the relationship of a human being with a creature.

Again I saw one of  Guillermo Del Toro`s seals in this film which is that he shows in every single one of his characters the vulnerable side of them, specially in the character of Elisa played marvelously by Sally Hawkins.

Dan Lausten, who worked with Guillermo Del Toro in 2015`s “Crimson Peak” shot a beautiful film. The use of colors and contrasts were visually impressive and I would not be surprised if we see an Academy Award Nomination for his work.

The score by Academy Award Winning Composer Alexandre Desplat again made a masterpiece.

Not only “The Shape of Water” is a movie that visually engaging but the score is as well. 

Besides Sally Hawkins,  Richard Jenkins gave an incredible performance and I would not be surprised on seeing this two being nominated for Academy Awards as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively. Octavia Spencer was amazing as always, Michael Stuhlbarg and Doug Jones.

The only performance that I was not a big fan was Michael Shannon`s. He is one of the most versatile actors in this day. I was expecting more of  his performance and I felt that he was overacted in this role.  At the same time I understood  why he was like that but I felt that he could have gone in another direction and make his character more real.

The third act of the film is very well shot,  touching and has a brilliant ending. Just a word of advice bring a pack of tissues since you will need them for this movie.

I´m sure that “The Shape of Water” not only will be a film that will score Academy Award Nominations but it will be a film that people will be talking about it for a very long time.

“The Shape of Water” is one of my favorite movies of this year and I highly recommend it for Del Toro`s directing, writing, performances, visuals and score.

Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong`o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Benicio Del Toro, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran, Frank Oz and Laura Dern.

Rating: Very Good.

Rian Johnson, writer/director of “The Brothers Bloom”, “Brick” and “Looper” brings “Star Wars: Episode VIII- The Last Jedi”, the eight installment of the franchise and I was very satisfied with the result of this film.

The battle continues between the Resistance led by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and The First Order led by Supreme Leader Snoke (Andy Serkis) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) who want to conquer the galaxy at all costs.

Meanwhile in the planet  Ahch-To Rey (Daisy Ridley) a Resistance Fighter finds the last remaining Jedi Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

In there Rey will try to convince Luke to train her and to help the Resistance in their fight agains The First Order.

Luke at the beginning refuses but ends up training Rey in becoming a Jedi Knight. Rey will know the secrets of her past and will lead her to a journey of self discovery.

Meanwhile The Resistance will be in a race against time in preserving the galaxy agains the First Order who wants to conquer it all costs.

“Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi” is a movie that I was entertained and moved for the fact of this being the last role of Carrie Fisher portraying Princess Leia Organa.

As someone who grew up  with this film it brought me good memories when I watched it and I was very impressed with the result of this film.

Rian Johnson`s directing was very good and writing as well. I felt that this was more Rey`s story and her journey of self discovery was in the right direction and I felt that we saw a Rey with more conflict than in the previous film.

Johnson`s approach was very good and I felt this was the most dramatic Star Wars film since “The Empire Strikes Back” which I consider the best film of the franchise.

In fact I saw in “The Last Jedi” a lot of influence from “Episode V” in most of the scenes and there were very effective.

I felt that this movie didn´t had to many Disney elements like “The Force Awakens” which I considered an issue. I didn´t dislike the previous film but I felt that it had those elements that I previously mentioned.

I liked the humor in this film, the action sequences and visuals were executed very well and as an audience member I felt that it was a homage to the first trilogy of Star Wars and it did payoff.

The only problem that I saw in this film was the story between Finn, portrayed by John Boyega and Rose,portrayed by Kelly Marie Tran. I felt that it was too long and I think that Johnson focused too much in that relantionship. I understand why he needed it there but I felt that if he would have keep it shorter I feel that we would have seen a better film. Yes, this film is full with many clichés but I was not bothered by them and still enjoyed it.

The music by John Williams was amazing and it was engaging like in all the “Star Wars” movies

Mark Hamill´s performance as Luke Skywalker is magnificent and I was very happy in seeing this iconic character in the big screen with more conflict than ever.

“Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi” is an entertaining movie from beginning to end and I highly recommend it, specially for Star Wars fans who won´t be dissapointed.

Call Me By Your Name

By Emilio Frenk. 

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois and Peter Spears.

Rating: Excellent.

Luca Guadagnino, director of  “ I Am Love” and “A Bigger Splash” brings “Call Me By Your Name”, a sweet and touching love story that has impressive results.

Based on the novel by André Aciman, the movie takes in a summer in Italy during the 80´s and tells the story of Elio Perlman  (Timothée Chalamet) a seventeen year old who lives with his parents Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlbarg) an archaelogy proffesor and his wife Anella (Amira Casar).

Elio spends most of his time reading and composing music until he meets Oliver (Armie Hammer) a graduate student who begins to work for Elio`s father as his assistant.

Not only both Elio and Oliver´s life´s will change but they will learn the true meaning of learning and friendship that will lead to something much stronger.

“Call Me By Your Name” is a movie that was making a lot of noise during the second semester of this year and I noticed way. This is an artistic film and is beautifully made.

Luca Guadagnino not only show us the life in a summer in Italy during the 80´s, which is considered one of the most influential in pop culture.

His direction was so good and precise that both Timothèe Chalamet and Armie Hammer were impressive in their respective roles.

The screenplay written by James Ivory, who directed movies like “Howard´s End” and “The Remains of the Day” crafted a marvelous screenplay filled with rich and unique characters with a lot of internal and external conflicts.

The movie tells also two people who are in search of their own identity and the meaning of love and friendship that has never been seen in the screen.

I knew some of the premise of the movie before I watched but I enjoyed it even more and I was very impressed.

The cinematography is very sharp and I love how Sayombhu Mukdeeprom captured every single with the lense and the use of lightning. Every single shot has a meaning in this film and watching is like if you were observing a painting.

I think the movie could have had a shorter length and still would have been an amazing one but still I understand why it had to be this long.

The climax in the film has one of the best dialogue I have ever seen in film and made me cry by moments.

I would not be surprised if we see both Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer score Academy Award Nominations for their performances since they have had nominations in other awards like “Film Independent Spirit Awards”, “Golden Globes” and “Critics Choice”.

One word of advice is that please be totally opened and patient before watching this film since the length can be an issue.

“Call Me By Your Name” is one of my favorite films of this year and I highly recommend it.