'Undateable': Story of My First Date with Frances Ha
We all experience it. The occasional major cinematic crush. This is one of these stories. The first time I got a glimpse of Frances Ha
, through its trailer, I felt instant infatuation. The black and white esthetics, the New Yorker thread, the witty humor, the hot soundtrack
. Everything caught my attention. When I finally managed to get a first date - the 9pm screening - I was nervous and excited. Excited because I couldn't help but think about this movie everyday. Nervous because I was afraid my expectations were too high. Like before any date, I took forever to choose my outfit. I opted for something casually fashionable. I brought a friend with me so it would be more like an informal get-together. No pressure. Then I apprehensively bought my ticket and sat down in the theater. And that was it, I definitely fell for Frances Ha as soon as the movie started. Not Frances, the protagonist, who reminds me too much of myself. But Frances Ha, the movie. This is a very touching and hilarious picture directed by Noah Baumbach. The black and white esthetics highlight the modernity of the tackled themes and give a certain depth to the comedy. The screenplay written by both Gerwig (who plays Frances) and Baumbach is a genuine reflection of the main character's personality. It is witty, quotable and seems a little disjointed but it holds itself together in the end. I could easily identify with Frances. She is lost somewhere between childhood and adulthood. She is a 27-year-old non-graceful apprentice for a dance company, lives in New York City, has an intense bond with her roommate and college best friend. When Sophie - the best friend - decides to move out of Brooklyn and ditch her friend for a hip apartment in Tribeca, Frances will have to finally force her way into adulthood. This is an unusual love story to tell on screen since it deals with the love between two best friends. Frances is the adorable friend you wished you had. Passionate and a little crazy, Greta Gerwig delivers a very convincing and natural performance. The rest of the cast is also very credible. Frances Ha is a simple story about artists in their mid-twenties. Their untamed dreams and modern life problems are so familiar. This movie has a legitimate place in my Favorite Movies List. I cannot wait for my second date with the Baumbach/Gerwig duo.
, through its trailer, I felt instant infatuation. The black and white esthetics, the New Yorker thread, the witty humor, the hot soundtrack. Everything caught my attention. When I finally managed to get a first date - the 9pm screening - I was nervous and excited. Excited because I couldn't help but think about this movie everyday. Nervous because I was afraid my expectations were too high. Like before any date, I took forever to choose my outfit. I opted for something casually fashionable. I brought a friend with me so it would be more like an informal get-together. No pressure. Then I apprehensively bought my ticket and sat down in the theater. And that was it, I definitely fell for Frances Ha as soon as the movie started. Not Frances, the protagonist, who reminds me too much of myself. But Frances Ha, the movie. This is a very touching and hilarious picture directed by Noah Baumbach. The black and white esthetics highlight the modernity of the tackled themes and give a certain depth to the comedy. The screenplay written by both Gerwig (who plays Frances) and Baumbach is a genuine reflection of the main character's personality. It is witty, quotable and seems a little disjointed but it holds itself together in the end. I could easily identify with Frances. She is lost somewhere between childhood and adulthood. She is a 27-year-old non-graceful apprentice for a dance company, lives in New York City, has an intense bond with her roommate and college best friend. When Sophie - the best friend - decides to move out of Brooklyn and ditch her friend for a hip apartment in Tribeca, Frances will have to finally force her way into adulthood. This is an unusual love story to tell on screen since it deals with the love between two best friends. Frances is the adorable friend you wished you had. Passionate and a little crazy, Greta Gerwig delivers a very convincing and natural performance. The rest of the cast is also very credible. Frances Ha is a simple story about artists in their mid-twenties. Their untamed dreams and modern life problems are so familiar. This movie has a legitimate place in my Favorite Movies List. I cannot wait for my second date with the Baumbach/Gerwig duo.
seems to be the ultimate example. This movie uses a single closed set (with the exception of a short scene in a coffee shop) and only 2 main characters who support the entire plot on their shoulders. This piece is a modern version of the Little Red Riding Hood fable. 14-year-old Hayley meets 32-year-old Jeff in a coffee shop after spending 3 weeks chatting on the web. As it turns out, Hayley staged the whole thing to hunt who she suspects to be a sex offender. The prey soon becomes the predator. When you choose to make a movie that rests upon the emotional presence of a duo and the credibility of a dialogue, you'd better not fail the casting process. Patrick Wilson, who I've always thought was an underrated actor, excels in the very demanding role of Jeff Kohlver, the presumed pedophile. His counterpart is a Converse-wearing teenager who turns out to be his worst nightmare. Ellen Page perfectly masters this clever and sarcastic part. Nearing the end, you can enjoy the short appearance of Sandra Oh. This is always 'mucho' appreciated. This story is imagination-driven and based on make-believes. It psychologically tortures you as you try to find out who's the wolf. The way the movie was directed gives you room for interpretation. As a matter of fact, you have to imagine a lot of things as you don't ever see actual details of key facts. Everything you feel while watching the movie is due to the intensity of the actors' performance. The silences, the dialogues, the look in their eyes... Nothing is left to chance. The visual style of director David Slade is absorbing: the flickering camera, the intense close-ups, the use of colors. His film is a very artistic marvel. The omnipresence of this color red reflects Hayley's intentions. The colors turn from pastel to bright or dark following the anguish of Jeff, the anger of Hayley, or the plot's tempo. Color is the thrid party of the storyline. The writing is witty and full of delightful references for nerds. 
is still the best movie about it. Robin Williams is a teacher everyone wished they had. Unfortunately for most of us, it's as rare to have a teacher like this as it is to write good poetry. But in Hollywood, everything is possible and brighter. I sure wish I had a teacher pushing me to pursue a career in the arts. Seize the day, find your inner voice, don't let your parents decide on your future... Those are some of the many valuable life lessons that DPS
is a violent and truthful painting of Manhattan. This movie takes you through the ghetto where a bunch of kids made a pact to share their fortunes, their loves, their lives. Over 30 years later, Noodles comes back to the Lower East Side to face his past demons and regrets. If you ever decide to watch Once Upon a Time in America, keep in mind that it is 229-minutes long. It doesn't seem that long when you watch it because the storyline is energetic but you still need to clear your schedule for almost 4 hours. This masterpiece covers a wide time frame taking you from the 20's to 1968. It is an epic tale on the prohibition era. A full immersion in a cosmopolitan New York City and the Jewish mafia. The cast is obviously impressive. De Niro and James Woods form a perfect duo. They are both flawless and cruel. Their friendship takes loyalty to a whole new level and betrayal gets baleful. Joe Pesci is only starring in the movie for a few minutes but it's a pleasure to watch him perform as a mobster. The classic soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone is an important piece of this crime puzzle. His tune is raw, dramatic, and authentic. I have once attended a Morricone concert and listening to this theme live is a magical feeling. The natural touch of the soundtrack comes quite close to recreating that magical feeling, which is a rarity among films. 
is Gary Ross' adaptation of Suzanne Collins' homonymous book. I already hear the purists yelling at my rating. I've come to appreciate this movie because I keep in mind that it's a book adaptation. And a screenwriter always has to take things off and alter others to keep his feature film understandable, entertaining and under a 3-hour-long limit. Gary Ross worked on the screenplay with Suzanne Collins so the decisions he made were the result of author-approved team effort. I think he did a great job translating the book universe on the silver screen. I especially enjoy how Ross managed to keep the book's first-person point of view. The astounding sound-editing work is a major piece of it. His movie is obviously not perfect. Every so often, little details that I expected to be different are irritating but the overall result is magic. Those little disappointing details are the chariots scene special effects that seem to come straight from '92, or the relationship between Katniss and Peeta that does not resemble the book's, or the creatures of the show's finale. Other than those, the production design is mind-blowing, the original score couldn't have been better, the cast is an accurate melting-pot (exept for the fact that Josh Hutcherson is really smaller than Jennifer Lawrence. That's something I cannot overlook as I find it ridiculously amusing). James Newton Howard composed 
. The Capitol anthem is especially majestic and powerful. It perfectly matches the look of it. The production designer decided to give the Capitol a cold Third-Reich look to illustrate the power and greatness of this regime. The contrast with the poor districts is very well balanced. It turns what could have been a boring futuristic sci-fi story into a retro-looking and realistic anticipation tale. This makes it far more impactful. The plot is a great analysis of our broadcasting society and the probable future of reality TV. If you want to savor the intensity and the immensity of work behind The Hunger Games, I'd suggest you get your hands on 
is a gigantic bubble of classic what-the-f*ckism. When this bubble first explodes in your face, you're surprised. Surprised because you discover the weirdest cast combo and it all works. Willis, Travolta and Keitel together? It sounds like an epic drunken dream but it's brilliant. Then you blink a few times because you can't believe what you see and it's rapidly entering your system. Quentin Tarantino puts a simple mobster tale in a shaker and mixes it with a memorable soundtrack seasoned with random bits of bible, and quarter pounder with cheese. He serves this with his typical nonlinear and intriguing plot. The subtle mixture is spiced up by charismatic characters delivering quotable logorrhea. The funky atmosphere melts into the violent yet non-disturbing Tarantino nonchalance. I believe it's not disturbing because it doesn't make you feel uneasy. A Tarantino movie always makes you laugh even if the topic is hardcore. That's Tarantino magic. 
. But Plastic Love is not about non-consensual sex, it's about dealing with fantasies and their consequences in a relationship. Even if it's consensual, it doesn't mean it's not dangerous. The 4 main characters are embracing their darkest desires and their performance is absorbing. The brilliant original score composed by Martin Dubka makes me feel like I am in a Refn movie in which the characters are clearly more uninhibited. Dubka is the new Cliff Martinez. I particularly enjoy the use of intense close-ups to help me connect with the characters deepest emotions and sensations. I also appreciate that no nudity is shown as it is not necessary to the plot. You will enter Jamie Hooper's mind with an undefinable slow-motion world of peculiarity. His film is an emotional and perceptual tale on modern love, death, and sexuality.