Cielo ligeramente nublado

Atonement
Maybe I should start by saying the credits haven't stopped rolling and that I'm still crying. Or maybe I should start by saying this has been my favorite movie of 2007.

I've only read half the book, but I can say that that first part was adapted in a wonderful way - it is incredibly faithful to it, and yet it takes the best of the book and enhances it further, for it has none of the sober and too-slow tone of the novel. The pacing becomes fast, dynamic, and it makes the movie much nicer.

It's hard to think of a film in which all the performances are as solid and awe-worthy of this: I've been admiring James McAvoy's acting style for a while (who doubtlessly steals the movie), that way of getting inside a character's skin. But I can't ignore the fantastic performances of Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai, both acting as Briony, and even Keira Knightley gave a very good performance even if it could be considered as the weakest of the bunch. But really, all performances are good - rather for what they don't say but for what they do; that way of expressing in silence.

The plot on itself is pretty good represented; it is emotive without being melodramatic, and it is very touching - it manages to hurt, say. Just like the ending hurts, but that you expect since the beginning.

I must say that the technical side gets to overshine the actual plot at times, it was that good. This has been one of the best camera works I've ever seen - it tends to centered, quiet shots, and there's even a two minutes and a half long shot. How long it took to plan that, I can't even imagine, but it could easily be the climax of the movie. The cinematography, also, was absolutely stunning - it plays with the contrast of light-colored and illuminated shots with the darkness of the war in green and black dark tones. Simply marvelous. The music I've liked for some time, but its taken to a whole new level when together with the film.

So in short I loved it, and I guess I'll have to see it again to fully digest it. And as to the question everybody asks themselves: Do I forgive Briony? I'm not sure. She was but a child.

Cielo azul sin una sola nube

La Môme / La Vie En Rose
D: Olivier Dahan
Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner, Gérard Depardieu.

Based on the childhood, adolescence and stardom of French singer Edith Piaf.

I must start by saying that I'm not at all familiarized with Edith Piaf, and that I've never been a great fan of that specific kind of music. And even with that, I was pretty satisfied with the movie. The thing is: the movie on itself (script, illumiation, photography, etcetera) are good on theirselves, but not doubt at all, what makes this movie extraordinary insteaf of just plain good is the performance of Marion Cotillard.

This was, no place for doubt, one of the best performances I've seen in my life - Cotillard gets inside the character, makes it real, and if it wasn't for her, the movie wouldn't be half as good as it is. As I've said, the script is good, and I've always liked non-linear narrative; but it's Cotillard's performace what makes it emotional, deep and touching. I must admit I spent the last twenty minutes of the movie crying - once I started I just couldn't stop. And yet, there's something that never quite clicked for me, I don't know what. I'm not sure I'll be able to see it again, for example.

There's this scene in particular, I'm not going to spoil anyone but it has Edith walking through long hallways time and time again, and it could very well be the climax of the movie, since in just one moment the viewers realize something horrible has happened, and the tension and emotion that that scene causes surprised me. The cinematography is forever changing according to the age and Edith's shifting moods (dark and opressive for the Paris of her childhood, elegant and smooth for the New York of the 30s, colorful and vibrant for California, and so on), but it never goes beyond the rule.

I give it a five out of a five, but I must add: this grading is for Marion Cotillard's superb acting. The movie is good, but not as good.

Cielo despejado con cielo demasiado azul

Across the Universe:

A dock worker Jude travels to America in the 1960s to find his estranged father. There he falls in love with sheltered American teenager Lucy. When her brother Max is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, they become involved in peace activism. The film title and main characters are named after various songs by The Beatles.

I have to say that I’ve never been the greatest Beatles fan, and even yet I enjoyed this movie immensely – what’s more, it made me realize what I was missing and as soon as I came back from the theatre I started downloading assorted songs obsessively. But yes, a large part of the movie’s charm falls on the songs and their connection with the storyline – the emotional impact, let’s call it.

The movie opens with a wide shot of an English beach, a silent moment before the photographic and surrealist frenzy of the rest of the film. This might be one of the things that doesn’t leave me completely satisfied, seeing that while the surrealist feeling fits with the decade and it wonderfully made, it becomes a tad too much at times.

In contrast, the strength of the film falls on the parts that deal with the Vietnam war, which are emotive, well done and leave the audience thinking. The romance and the friendship themes are left a bit under the shadow of the war motifs, but they’re still attractive and are helped significantly by the music. The best performances were, to me, those of Jim Sturgess, Martin Luther McCoy and Joe Anderson, but I do have to say, all of the cast’s voices were impressing.

So yes, it worked for me. I do recommend it, and that’s even when you could never really call me a fan of musicals.



I also saw Yamakasi - Les samouraïs des temps modernes, and while it was fun, for a Luc Besson film, it was really weak, story-wise. The element that comes to life in this one is the use of Parkour and Free Running - which include roof to roof jumps, and fantastic acrobatics. It's about freedom, in a way. I saw it on the computer, but I've seen the dvd in my favorite video rental store for a couple of years now and I'd always wanted to see it. Why, you say? Because of the posters. My dream has always always been to be able to fly. Which is ironic, considering I'm mildly afraid of heights. So these posters? Seemed like my fantasy fulfilled.