A Most Wanted Man (2014) Review

Last year Philip Seymour Hoffman died and we lost a great screen presence and formidable actor. One of his final roles was in A Most Wanted Man, an adaptation of a fairly recent John Le Carré novel. While it was well reviewed at the time of its release it didn't really find an audience and seemed to have quickly been forgotten. So I sat down to figure out whether people should have paid more attention or whether they were right in ignoring it.

Gone Girl (2014) Review

So, I went to see Gone Girl in theaters a couple of weeks ago. In Mexico. In Puebla to be exact. First time seeing a movie in a Mexican theater for me. And wouldn't you know it, Spanish subtitles are not as distracting as I feared they would be. And I've been lazily sitting on my notes since then. But enough of that nonsense, let's get to the review, shall we?

Seven Psychopaths (2012) Review

Martin McDonagh is a pretty damn talented filmmaker and screenwriter. His first full length feature film In Bruges had won critical acclaim around the world, snatched an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and was a modest success at the box office. So can he repeat the trick with his follow up feature Seven Psychopaths?

The Wicker Man (2006) Review

Wow, just wow, where to even begin? The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage. Doesn't that say it all?

Do you remember.... Twelve Monkeys?

It's a long time coming but you've probably seen Looper, last year's surprisingly smart and entertaining time-travel thriller. But I'm not here to tell you how good of a movie that was, I'm here to remind you that there was another time travel movie starring Bruce Willis.

Hard Candy (2005) Review

Consider this a warning but this film will haunt you if you're a dude. I'm serious. Think you're a tough guy? Watch this film and think again, I promise it'll make you squirm in your seat. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Escapist (2008) Review

What a neat little film. Flawed but neat. "The Escapist" is the feature length debut of Rupert Wyatt and the fact that he directly went on to direct "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" after this gig should tell you something about its quality.

Exam (2009) Review

Discovering hidden gems, I love it, you know it. The first time I heard about "Exam" was in Empire and Total Film but since it didn't get a theatrical release in the US basically no one here had heard about it. But luckily I got my fingers on a copy of this smart minimalist thriller and it surely didn't disappoint.

Law Abiding Citizen (2009) Review

I love a good guilty pleasure. "Law Abiding Citizen" is not a good guilty pleasure. It is a guilty pleasure, just not very enjoyable. Do you see where I am coming from?

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011) Review

I don't know what's everyone's problem, the US American adaptation of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is a really, really good movie. Yeah, yeah, I can already hear all the whiners and complainers: "The Swedish version was SO much better", "This film was made for people who are too lazy to read subtitles", "So dumbed down for the stupid American audience", bla bla bla. Truth is, get over it, you rotten internet wanks because David Fincher's film is at least as good as the Swedish one.

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Review

Suprise, I liked this film! Not that I expected it but it was actually a fun if very basic legal thriller. Matthew McConaughey who's normally wasted in terrible Kate Hudson vehicles or some other romcom crap finally reminds us again that he can act. Ok, I don't want to praise him too much but as a slick and sleazy lawyer he gives his best performance in ages.

We see him handle the case of a shady woman beater, played by former teen icon Ryan Phillippe. But while he first tries to prove his innocence he soon realizes that taking over this case is potentially life-threatening.

The plot is not too great and often feels more at home on TV than on the big screen but what makes this film stand out is the above-average acting by everyone involved. I already said that McConaughey is good in the lead but I especially enjoyed the always delightful William H. Macy and Marisa Tomei, probably two of the most undervalued actors of cinema nowadays.

This film won't make an impact on film history but it is refreshingly simple in its approach and doesn't try to be more than it is and that's what makes it enjoyable to watch. If you're sick of heavy overblown Hollywood genre thrillers, give this one a try, it's great for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Zodiac (2007) Review

It's interesting to see how director David Fincher has evolved as a filmmaker over the last 20 years. Initially blamed in 1992 for the misfire that was "Alien 3" he made the (arguably) definitive serial killer movie "Se7en" in 1995. Movies like "Fight Club", "The Social Network" and the upcoming adaptation of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" just helped cement his status as a diverse and talented director. But in my opinion there is one movie in his filmography that often gets overlooked and that film is "Zodiac".

Upon its release in 2007 Fincher hadn't made a feature length film in almost 5 years so people were excited to see him back as a director and have him also return to the genre that made him famous, the serial killer thriller. But while critics mostly gave out favorable reviews the general public dismissed "Zodiac" with an underwhelming gross of just $33 million in the US. What happened?

"Zodiac" is the true story of how journalists and the police tried to track down the Zodiac killer who haunted San Francisco in the late 60s and early 70s. Just like in his other masterpiece "Se7en" Fincher focuses on the detectives and sleuths instead of the killer but the approach is very different. While "Se7en" had two main characters in Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman the audience could emotionally connect with, "Zodiac"'s focus constantly shifts from wannabe detective Jake Gyllenhaal to reporter Robert Downey Jr., inspector David Toschi and a couple others. This gives the film an almost documentary feel with great attention to detail. There are no unnecessary subplots, the main purpose is to document the obsessive work behind the case. The actual killings are almost insignificant to the overall story as they only serve as catalysts for the main protagonists. Not to give anything away but the Zodiac case was never solved.

I think the main reason for the film's poor box office was the audience's expectation of a second "Se7en". Of course, if you watch "Zodiac" with the hope to see another gore based serial killer film you will most likely be disappointed. But taking it for what it is, a very precise reworking of the Zodiac case and by that an exciting dedication to people's fascination for puzzle solving, this movie will be worth your time.

I heard criticisms that the performances were lacking emotional depth and the movie was too slow paced. In my opinion that couldn't be more wrong. As I said before there are no subplots distracting from the grand topic of solving the case so the performances are all precise and realistic, especially Mark Ruffalo as inspector David Toschi is great in his role. And the slow pace? Nowhere to be found, the dialogue-driven scenes create tension and excitement in an old-school way that probably doesn't translate well to the visually overfed crowd of brain dead "Transformers" fanboys.

So if you haven't seen "Zodiac" yet, go check it out, it is one of Fincher's best.