Lars and the Real Girl

This is the kind of movie that really gets me confused. And I'll tell you why. It is amazingly beautiful, full of understanding and heart, but in the theatre, almost everyone laughs almost throughout the entire film. I mean, there is humor in a guy having a sex doll as a girlfriend, I'll admit it, but in this movie it is subtle and more sophisticated. It is different. And people still laugh at some of the scenes as if they were watching a sequel to American Pie. When they laugh the first couple of times, that's ok, I mean, they're getting used to it, right? But 50 minutes into the movie, they still laugh when the doll appears in new clothes. They still laugh at the guy's blind belief in both his and her love. They still laugh at his brother, tormented by whatever guilt he might have in the process that led Lars to have this dillusion. Ahhh, grow up, will ya!
I know, I know, this post is extremely arrogant. I know I'm acting like one those pseudo-intellectuals called movie critics, but sometimes you just can't help it. I loved this movie and I felt it. And I guess it kinda frustrates me that most people aren't the least bit affected by it. They take home 5 % of what it offers. And the sad thing is that if anyone told them that, they'd probably say that it's exactly what they wanted from it. And nothing else.
I give it 5 stars out of 5.

30 Days of Night

I love zombie movies.

Yes, yes, graphic novel fans, I know they're vampires and not zombies, but I don't care. They're zombies to me.

And director David Slade (had never heard of him before) made a great zombie movie.

There are two things that bothered me in the movie though:

1) The vampire-zombies talking in a garbled stupid language. It was a big and unnecessary risk in my opinion. It came out ridiculous (people laughed whenever they spoke) and nothing they say adds ANYTHING to the story. He might have left it in because in the graphic novel, the vampires talk. And no one wants the die-hard fans (annoying Magic Players) on their tails, bitching about how the main character had blonde hair. But it threw me off every once in a while.

2) And also a scene with a little girl. Not the scene itself but her one line. "Wanna play with me?" That sounded cool in the eighties, but it sounds extremely old and dumb now.

Apart from that, the movie is great for those who like the genre. I had a blast and would like to highlight a specific scene, which is among one of the most exciting ones I've seen in the movies for the last couple of years: when all hell breaks loose, the airborne shot was amazing. Very raw, very intense.

And another thing. I'm not a Josh Hartnet fan, but he did a good job in this one.

I give it 4 stars out of 5.

Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad)

"Elite Squad", as it shall be called in the US, is not only an accurate portrait of what goes on in the streets of Rio de Janeiro nowadays, but also a technically well executed movie, from head to toe. Director José Padilha has successfully ported his documentary skills to cinema, offering a sort of insight we rarely get from regular story-tellers, no matter how good they are. I guess when you're doing a documentary, the journalistic responsability is just as crucial as the ability to put together all the information collected during the reasearch phase. And José Padilha, whether that was his intention or not, could not escape his talent to film raw and scary reality while doing this piece. It sticks out as aggressively as possible, without becoming your everyday slasher. There's gore, there's extreme violence, but there's always content. There's always motive.

The cast is superb. Specially Wagner Moura, which comes as no surprise to me. I've seen a few movies this year and can't really think of many better performances than his in this movie. The Oscars are coming and I very much doubt he'd be considered for a nomination with all the hot shots putting they're movies out at the right time (you know the bunch, Russel Crowe, Denzel Washington, Jack Nicholson, those incredible actors whose movies you only get to see in the November/December time frame) but if it were up to me, I'd seriously do. It'd be a great change for Hollywood, and an opportunity for it to get its head out of its ass.

Another great thing about this movie is that, for the first time, in the History of Brazilian entertainment, someone pointed the finger directly at the face of the real cuprit regarding the insolvable drug problem Rio de Janeiro has been facing for the last 20 years: the middle class. It is as clear as day that the drug dealer is supported by the dumbass SOB who wants to get high on the weekends, at Friday night, and smokes some marijuana, does a couple of lines of cocaine, or takes some ecstasy, and not the drug addict. And usually these assholes think they're not harming anyone by doing so. Well, in that sense, this movie can be educational. And for people like me, even a little vindicating.

A must see. 5 starts out of 5.

Norbit

I like Eddie Murphy. But this was just embarassing. No stars at all.

The Brave One

This is, IMHO, the most satisfying Neil Jordan film ever. I personally find "The End of the Affair" boring. "In Dreams" is much better, but still lacks something. "We're Not Saints" is great, and used to be number one on this list, but it's no match for "The Brave One". Mostly, I believe, because of Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. They're not only great actors, but also had this amazing chemistry on screen. To me, it worked.

I can't say for sure whether I liked this movie because it makes a statement I fully agree with, or because of its actual quality. There are a couple of things that bother me about it, such as Jodie's character achieving a sort of excellency in what she was doing just a little too quickly. And the fact that there never seems to be a downside about what she's doing. I'm not a fan of such black or white things when discussing such a controversial topic. But it doesn't compromise how much fun it is. I give it 3 stars out of 5.

Death at a Funeral

When I think of english comedies, two things come to mind: great script and amazing cast. I'm trying to think of one bad english comedy and honestly can't. Maybe the second "Bridget Jones", if that's an english film at all, but "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "The Full Monty", "Love Actually", "About a Boy", and many others, all great movies. Not only a lot of fun, but good writing and acting as well.

"Death at a Funeral", directed by Frank Oz ("In & Out", "Bowfinger", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), is no exception. I don't think it's up there with its aforementioned compatriots, but very very good. Finding humor in the bizarre is not as easy as it seems, and this movie delivers it. I give it 3,5 stars out of 5.

Brother Odd

I love reading. It's not an easy thing to do, and it was specially hard to acquire the habit of reading, which is the only way you can go through many books at a reasonable pace. It doesn't seem like an important point but it is, because the faster you read, the greater is the probability of stumbling across something that will truly rock your world. It doesn't happen very often, I must tell you, but when it does it becomes a special experience, and fills you with anticipation for the next time it will happen. It's a sort of high one can never get tired of, and I'll tell you why. It's the real deal. Think about it. When you watch a movie, you're getting an incredibly huge amount of input, and it's visual input, which kinda overcomes all other kinds, since it's so powerful, not only in the amount of information it contains, but also in the ease with which we are able to absorb it. Music is sort of different, but it still demands little from the listener to be absorbed. But a novel is something else. It takes hours, days, weeks, sometimes months (ever tried reading "David Copperfield"?). Anyone who can take an absolute stranger on a journey of concentration for days and still come out with success on the other end is amazingly gifted. And the most interesting thing of it all is that the greatest amount of work in the process is not done by the author. Yes, of course, his words are the basis for the story and characters, but it's really the reader who plays the bigger role. Imagination is the key word here. All the author does is sort of take you by the hand and encourage you in the first steps (pages), but at some point, he just lets go. And then it's all up to you.

I don't even remember why I read "Odd Thomas", the first book of the Odd series. I had read something by Dean Koontz a long time ago ("By the Light of the Moon"), and although it wasn't a bad novel, it didn't motivate me to pick up any other of his books. But Odd found its way to me anyway and I ended up having one of the most incredible and fullfilling literary experiences of my life. I couldn't really grasp the concept of Odd (and still can't), and how he can, at the same time, be everything you want to be, and everything you don't. I wouldn't say he's adorable, 'cause that wouldn't express it correctly. I'd go with ... addictive. Yes, that's a better word. You can't get enough of Odd.

Brother Odd, the third novel of the series is just terrific. I am sort of biased to talk about it, because I became such a huge fan of the Odd universe, but I just feel I can't stress enough how amazing this is. And there's something else. It just doesn't feel like a series at all. It feels like one long story, where completeness is something you don't want. And just like Odd, you're not only unafraid of what's to come, but you're more ready than ever to welcome it.

I give it 5 stars out of 5.