panosatthemovies

[panosatthemovies]

Conclave is a surprisingly current film, and although it's based on a novel published in 2016, it's as if it's speaking about the recent US presidential election or, in general, about the turmoil around world politics, the rise of the right-wing due to the immigrant crisis, the so-called "woke agenda" and more. It goes to show you how perceptive its author, Robert Harris, was a decade ago, but also how long this conflict has been brewing in our society. At the same time, the film is a welcome return to classic storytelling in a mainstream movie, with intrigue, a mystery you can follow and try to solve, and interesting characters played by Oscar-winning actors, delivering insightful and moving dialogue. The always-amazing Ralph Fiennes leads the all-star cast in one of his best performances and most fitting roles. The sets look authentic and impressive (partly shot in a reconstructed Cappella Sistina in Cinecittà Studios), the costumes are immaculate, and the music by the freshly Oscar-winning Volker Bertelmann provides tension and mystery. Edward Berger, directing this after All Quiet on the Western Front, seems on a roll, changing genres and delivering another costume drama that reflects current affairs. I've left the surprising ending for the end since it has divided audiences and critics, with some saying it wasn't needed or that it ruined their experience. Well, they might have been watching a different film since, no matter how surprising, this was the most inevitable finale for a film about the need for transformation and acceptance.

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/t915aZmyEBg

[panosatthemovies]

Anora is like two films for the price of one and one of the best films of the year! The first 40 minutes are this amazing modern tale of a sex worker living the Cinderella dream, getting married to the son of a Russian billionaire. It's fresh, it's sexy, it's urgent, and it has a fantastic cast in both Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn. Then, believing you've reached the midpoint and that "bad guys close in," you get this 20' real-time sequence of a house assault by Armenian thugs that somehow manages to be both menacing and very funny at the same time. And then the film becomes this 80's road movie, in the tradition of After Hours, Midnight Run, or even Something Wild, where you follow this funny, crazy search during one night until we reach the target and the real "bad guys" arrive from Russia. And then, the third part of the film somehow returns to this societal commentary about America that closes the Cinderella story with one of the most powerful love scenes in recent cinema. Thus, Sean Baker manages to create both one of the most modern but also one of the most mainstream, accessible, and engaging romantic comedies lately, that is at the same time artistic and crowd-pleasing. Personally, I found the middle part a bit "too funny" at times, but the whole film is an epic adventure you simply don't want to miss! Expect lots of Oscar nominations for cinematography, editing, screenplay, direction, and Best Performance by an Actress for the amazing Mikey Madison!

A-

Trailer: https://youtu.be/p1HxTmV5i7c

[panosatthemovies]

La Chimera is a strange mythological creature, and the same holds true about this film that exists in cinema as if it were always there. Much like the artifacts buried in Etruscan tombs that the heroes are excavating, this film seems like a relic of the 1980s, which we've just discovered and are now projecting for the first time. It's so authentically staged and filmed in various formats of grainy film stock that it doesn't appear like a period piece. The actors are inhabiting their roles, led by an excellent Josh O'Connor, tormented by loss and determined to find a passage to the underworld to ease his pain. Director Alice Rohrwacher has a knack for staging this Fellinian world, but what makes this film feel so natural also deprives it of a classic storyline audiences can follow, and although its themes are haunting, it doesn't have the emotional impact it perhaps could. But it manages to act as a time machine in uniting both our time with the '80s and with all the previous inhabitants of this world.

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/iv5JQpxKle0

[panosatthemovies]

The Boy and the Heron is a beautiful trip to the underworld in search of meaning, both by the film's protagonist and, it would seem, also by the legendary creator himself, Hayao Miyazaki, as well as the viewer, who will be lost here in the absence of a classical story structure. You see, Miyazaki reportedly works on his stories by simply drawing storyboards, leading him to the next scene without a screenplay. And in this new film, it's as if we're experiencing a dream, jumping from one thing to the other, by loose connections, without reaching a true final destination. Only a feeling of waking up from a time of psychological turmoil and pain that can't find solace in logic anyway. The animation and music are wonderful, and the creatures inhabiting the dream are mythical and fun. But although I remember being mesmerized by Spirited Away back in 2001, this film left me a bit disengaged, probably because of the absence of a story to hold on to. Still, it's a rare sight to watch animation like this nowadays, and I wish I'd seen it on the big screen.

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/UIabnyxTVpc

[panosatthemovies]

Babygirl is fun. It's supposed to be this return to the sexual thriller of the '80s & '90s, like a reversed Fatal Attraction or a new 9½ Weeks, but it's really a comedy derived from the context of society today, reflecting women's newfound power in the corporate world after #MeToo, as well as Gen-Z's indifference towards the corporate world, in general. At the heart of it, it's basically a fun female fantasy, a playful escape into a sexual adventure where a woman who's supposed to be in control wants to be controlled. It's as if Nicole Kidman's character in Eyes Wide Shut dared to fulfill her fantasies instead of accusing Tom Cruise of his. The film is beautifully shot and provides Nicole Kidman with her most fun role out of all those she's portrayed recently, as well as a star-turn appearance by Harris Dickinson, along with some cute faces in the supporting cast, including Esther McGregor. Writer and Director Halina Reijn is given free rein here and lets her protagonist have their cake and eat it, too. Or, as we say in Greek, "To have the dog fed and the pie whole," regardless of the consequences. Aren't the times we live in fun?

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/-8Sx6U6Ou0Q

[panosatthemovies]

Inside Out 2 isn't the big surprise that the original film was, which it could never really be since Inside Out was simply a masterpiece by Pixar. Some say, its last one. However, the new film remains a welcome exploration of the human mind, specifically our emotions, as we grow older, and in this case, through adolescence. At the same time, we get to spend more time with the lovable characters inside Riley's mind, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, introduced in the first film, but also get to know some new funny characters, representing the new emotions, like Envy, Anxiety, Embarrassment, and Ennui, that she acquires as she becomes a teenager, wanting like everyone else to fit in and be accepted. And that is what's interesting about this premise and what holds promise for the future. Since we spend time with the same person growing up, we can potentially revisit Riley every few years, like Linklater did in Boyhood and the Before trilogy, or Michael Apted more characteristically did with the 7 Up documentary series, as well as François Truffaut with The 400 Blows. But besides the possibility of more sequels, the beauty of the second film is that it manages to be again insightful about human nature, and at its climax, as the first film did, it manages to speak to all of us and become moving from such a small moment, but so important for everyone psyche. Glad to see Pixar keeping up the promise of using metaphor in the most profound way to tell stories for the ages.

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/LEjhY15eCx0

[panosatthemovies]

Emilia Pérez is a total surprise. A film about the joy of life, found in song, in a musical about transitioning from a brutal man to a loving woman. About a woman starting as a mafia lawyer to become an activist for the disappearing victims of drug violence. But most of all, a film about finding one's true self, no matter the cost. Beautifully shot, with some rather effective night shots in Mexico, and nicely scored and choreographed, this is not your regular musical but an ode to love and life. Expertly directed with some lively performances, it's a film both moving and tense. Enlightening and hopeful. Not the movie mass audiences expected to see, but the one that could steal the show as this year's awards season begins.

A-

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Qlbr7gJgBus

[panosatthemovies]

Gladiator II has all that the poster promises. Swords and sandals, a perfectly reconstructed Colosseum and Rome in 3D, fights to the death in the arena, enhanced this time with water battles and animated sharks as well as space monkeys! It also has a buff Paul Mescal that the girls can swoon for. What it doesn't have is any heart. It doesn't have a story revolving around a real hero the audience can root for. Nor a music that can lift your heart and make you care about the proceedings. It has all that the poster of the first one promised going in, but none of the surprises it provided audiences coming out, which made it one of the most beloved films of the last generation and gave it, among others, the Best Picture and Best Actor Oscars. It's no wonder that the most moving bits in this sequel are the flashbacks to the first Gladiator or the Hans Zimmer theme playing at key moments to remind you about the sense of honor that the first film managed to have everyone care about. Here, we just get a lecture on democracy that, especially in today's time, sounds shallow and irrelevant. Even if the filmmakers' intentions were pure, and even if they felt they had a good story about a secret "prince," they should have left the legacy of Gladiator alone, up in the Elysian fields forever.

C+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Ts0N8swyWFI

[panosatthemovies]

Parthenope, the latest film by Paolo Sorrentino, is another symbolic-dreamy tale of memories about lost youth and life in Italy, as already exhibited in "La Grande Bellezza" and "The Hand of God." The new film stars Celeste Dalla Porta, a magnificently beautiful young actress who becomes a symbol of both beauty and Naples itself since Parthenope is the name ancient Greeks gave to the harbor city. But there lies the problem of the film. While, on the surface, it is a tale of a young woman full of beauty who only manages to notice the human condition when her youth passes, the film also wants to use her existence as a metaphor for how Naples has been kind to all its inhabitants, tolerating their ugliness and peculiarities. That second part doesn't really work and feels pretentious. And while the setting is, as always, very beautiful, and the images combined with the music create an atmospheric quality you can't find in most pictures, managing to capture life itself, the plot --or absence of it-- makes the audience disengage and only stare at the beautiful protagonist and the lovely scenery. It's a beautiful painting, for sure, but one you feel you can't understand its meaning. Unless you manage to decipher it, and then all the emotion floods in.

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/uT5PGHBugic

[panosatthemovies]

Society of the Snow is an excellent retelling of the real-life story of the Argentinean airplane accident of 1972 and the ordeal of the survivors who managed to stay alive for 6 weeks in the Andes and rescue themselves by walking all the way to Chile. I'd first seen the story on the big screen in 1993's Alive, starring Ethan Hawke, which I remember moved me and imprinted the events in my memory. So, I was somewhat surprised when I first realized this same story was being told again in cinema. I didn't see the reason, much like I didn't see the reason Hollywood had remade the Spiderman origin story three times! But, finally seeing the film, I understood the reason and thanked the producers, writers, and director for making the effort to tell the story in such an authentic manner, using unknown Spanish-speaking actors, and going to extremes to capture both the crash and the survival story, as well as the heart and soul of the people that were in the mountain, whether they made it alive or not. Cause this film goes beyond just documenting the story. It's an existential film that poses some important questions about what it means to be alive, what is the reason for our existence, and what its effect is on those around us. Why are humans a societal species that survive "on" each other? Those questions and more are brought to life with a great script and some moving performances driven by J.A. Bayona, a director with both a vision and heart. Excellent cinematography, top production design, make-up, special effects, and everything you'd expect from Hollywood to find better done in a European film. Add to that an especially moving and haunting Michael Giacchino score and you have one of the best films on Netflix this year. Except that, I'd loved to have seen this on the big screen!

A-

Trailer: https://youtu.be/pDak4qLyF4Q

[panosatthemovies]

Perfect Days is a perfect little film by Wim Wenders that reminds you what cinema can also be when it doesn't try to dazzle you with plot twists and special effects. It's a film that speaks to your heart because it's about what it feels like to be human and wake every day to new possibilities, trying to go about your day but soon forgetting to look around at the wonders of this world. It's a film about finding beauty, even in cleaning the toilets, when you cherish the fact you're alive and can listen to music while driving around the city or looking at the trees in the park. Every day, in and out, living in an analog world, enjoying the physical aspects of nature and, yes, people, even if living alone. Because, as Wenders seems to be saying, at some level, we're all alone, but there's joy out there for all of us to wonder at. Great cast, great photography, and a script that deliberately seems to be about nothing happening, while the story is about every day repeating. And, of course, lots of great music tapes, as in most Wenders films. A film about the stubborn analog world reminding us what we have forgotten.

A

Trailer: https://youtu.be/QzZBbX5A1FA

[panosatthemovies]

Blink Twice is Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, and she leaves quite an impression with how atmospheric her little thriller is. Disguised as a horror movie, this is another metaphor for the #metoo movement and a women's revenge against the patriarchy type of myth. All the elements reflect the times we're in, including billionaires that have been canceled for abusive behavior, celebrity drug parties, survivor and cooking TV shows, all mixed with popular horror movie cliches and performed by beautiful-looking actors. But although I understand the intention and energy behind it all, and even though the film's revelation is both shocking and inevitable, the story itself defies logic and, especially at the end, makes no sense at all. However, the direction, photography, and editing are exceptional, the music is cool, and the actors look like they're all having a great time. I had a good time, too, right until that funny ending. Blink twice, and I'm sure the next one from Zoë will be magic!

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/aMcmfonGWY4

[panosatthemovies]

The Substance, by Coralie Fargeat, could have been an impressive short film. It has a single idea that is so powerful and its message so true and relevant that it could drive the world insane. As it is, though, at 140 minutes long, it just doesn't hold up until the end. Don't get me wrong, the film is very cinematic, with both a fresh point of view featuring extreme close-ups and great cinematography. The casting includes probably some of the best choices in Hollywood recently, with Demi Moore portraying an exaggerated version of herself, having the "guts" to expose herself totally and reveal the personality beneath the facade of the eternally "hot" woman. Margaret Qualley is a revelation for general audiences, although the advertising industry had already marveled at her in the Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning Kenso ad, and many had discovered her acting chops in the Netflix mini-series The Maid. But here, she mirrors and contradicts Moore in a bombastic way, owning the screen and the viewer. And Dennis Quaid is a joy being mischievous in the role of... "Harvey." The film features monumental special effects and makeup that will get your stomach inside out and win all the technical Oscars that exist this year. But the film, like its heroine, sucks the life out of the many films that it references and pays homage to. From Kubrick's The Shinning and A Clockwork Orange to Cronenberg's monsters and De Palma's style of filming, all the way to needlessly stealing Carrie's finale. But while these films had a life of their own and were full-fledged stories that became classics that lasted the test of time, this one is an artificial copy that came out of them, destined to live only a short life in people's minds and cinema history. But yes, as the poster says, it's f***ing insane!

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/LNlrGhBpYjc

[panosatthemovies]

Elvis is a fun, entertaining, insightful but also flawed telling of the legendary career of Elvis Presley. For starters, Austin Butler looks nothing like Elvis, and although handsome, he can't capture the sheer manly magnetism that made all those women lose it by seeing him perform on stage. So the casting doesn't work, really. Tom Hanks, on the other hand, is a caricature. Again, we're talking about a lovable actor who is hard to accept as evil or naive. And then, there's the usual Baz Luhrmann tactics of flying from topic to topic in the speed of light, dazzling with technique and music montages but losing in storytelling and in making us care about the proceedings. But, and that's a big BUT, the film becomes phenomenal in the second part, especially after Elvis becomes a resident in Las Vegas. The music numbers in that section are monumental, and we finally get it. We get what was "cool" about those exaggerated appearances. We get the drama of an artist trapped in a golden cage, always needing to experience the love of his audience, and naive enough to become an exhibit in the hands of a circus ringmaster. And, yes, Austin Butler becomes Elvis in that last part of the movie, although again, he looks nothing like the bloated with drags poor Elvis. No wonder that the most moving scene in the whole film is Elvis himself singing in the end. Even at his worst moment, he was the king.

B+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/wBDLRvjHVOY

[panosatthemovies]

The Apprentice is a gripping drama that tells the real story of how young Donald Trump followed his version of "Emperor Palpatine," lawyer Roy Cohn, to join the dark side and become the "Darth Vader" of American politics that he is today. It's funny how the movie feels at the same time, like watching The Godfather but also Star Wars. It's because they're both archetype stories of how power corrupts and how the corrupted abuse power to gain more by shredding any sense of justice. For them, law and ethics do not exist. Only greed and extinction of your opponent. The movie manages to deal with such fundamental issues of human nature while it's also a fun retelling of a story set in the 70s and 80s, with some amazing performances by both Sebastian Stan as Trump, but most importantly by a monumental Jeremy Strong, who manages to portray devil himself, in the most entertaining and captivating way. Excellent production & set design, costumes, hair, and make-up bring to life the story many have seen before but the whole world needs to discover, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election. And even if the story loses some steam in the second part, it's still one of the most important films you'll have to see this year.

A-

Trailer: https://youtu.be/bvPRxy9kmSg

[panosatthemovies]

Wolfs, by John Watts, the director of the latest Spiderman franchise, stars George Clooney and Brat Pitt as two old lone wolves doing clean-up jobs for the mob. It's a crossover between The American that Clooney played a decade ago and the comedic sketch he exchanged with Pitt so successfully in Ocean's Eleven. That, and a bit of Scorcese's After Hours, in which a young, innocent man is caught up in the crossfire of thugs in New York during the passage of just one night. So, what do we end up with, mixing all those elements? A fun time at the movies or in front of our TV, streaming a film that is well shot, excellently cast, well written, and fast-paced in its action scenes to get your blood pumping and your mouth laughing out loud. Is there substance to the tale? None at all. Especially at the end, when the heroes are trying to extract a message from all these, and nothing sensical comes out. Thankfully, they get cornered and have to fight their way out, à la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (there goes another inspiration for the film), and live to fight in the already planned sequel. Sweet!

B

Trailer: https://youtu.be/wLJUPjiRbAM

[panosatthemovies]

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is another attempt by modern movie studios and streaming platforms, like Netflix, to milk out every last bit of nostalgia movie fans have left of the 80s. But instead of, say, a new Top Gun, here we get a tale of diminishing returns by staging another tale of the rogue black man doing crazy shit in an uptight neighborhood that manages to hide the crime behind the flashy facade of wealth. Yes, you've seen it before, but now it's like a time capsule, with the same characters wearing the same clothes, acting like nothing has changed, although everything has, including their bottoxed faces, let alone police procedure after countless cases of police brutality against black people. Everything is game for a quick laugh, though, and I guess for another buck, and although you'll have a good time for a while, traveling back in time, you'll soon realize you don't belong there simply because times have changed.

C+

Trailer: https://youtu.be/KoxhkE_U3Ww