Captain Marvel (2019)

Although it took Marvel more than a decade to make a movie about a heroine —and they probably made it only because they needed her in End Game— and the web filled with negative reviews earlier this week, I'm a Marvel ho and I love Brie Larson and I'm also a woman so of course I went seeing Captain Marvel. And I had pretty high expectations about it, even though I was said to lower them. 

Set in 1995, the story begins on the planet Hala with Vers (Brie Larson) training with her mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). They soon go on a mission to rescue an undercover Kree operative who infiltrated a group of Skrulls, shapeshifting aliens who have been fighting with Krees for centuries, but it turns out it was an ambush, Skrulls leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) captures Vers and tries to extract information. Instead, he revives some of her memories, she manages to escape and crashlands on planet Earth, where she joins forces with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to discover who she really is and to stop the Skrulls from getting an experimental engine designed by Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Benning).

After a pretty bad start —I don't know if it was just me, but the beginning was so tedious and uninteresting—, and despite the many plot holes and the fact that there's simply too much going on to fit in a two-hour film and because of it, it often feels clumsy and rushed, the story eventually becomes interesting and engaging and the major twist, while slightly predictable, is nicely pulled off.

As for the main character, there's something about Vers/Carol Danvers that didn't work for me. While I liked the way the filmmakers introduced her past —and I loved that she is just as clueless about it as us, the audience— and I adored Brie Larson's sassy and charming performance, I just didn't feel an emotional attachment to her. I rooted for her because I liked her, despite the character's striking arrogance, but when the film finished it felt like I still didn't know her. Also, her relationship with some of the supporting characters just didn't feel right —the friendship between Carol and Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) doesn't feel real; the relationship between Carol and Maria's daughter, Monica (Akira Akbar), on the other hand, feels way more genuine and warm.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The supporting characters, on the other hand, are quite interesting, specifically the twist they put on Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. He is not the serious man we saw in the previous MCU movies, he is more relaxed, trusting, and has this sarcastic attitude that fits Jackson like a glove. The Skrulls, despite their lack of everything really as they have no character, they are fun and Ben Mendelsohn is terrific as Talos and manages to give the character that complexity the script denied him.

While I wasn't a fan of the editing which at times reminded me of a Best Editing winner I do not want to mention, the special effects are great, for the most —the de-aging is really impressive and you would never notice it if you didn't know the cast—, the soundtrack is great, and the action scenes are quite good —I don't know whether it was intentional or not, but I liked that 90s spy movie vibe they have. Not to mention how hilarious the film is —there wasn't a lot of people at my 2:45pm screening, but it sounded like everyone was having a really nice time, adults and kids alike.

Vox Lux (2018)

I remember seeing the trailer to Vox Lux on TV after it premiered at Venice last September and you know what stuck with me? Natalie Portman's Black Swan-alike makeup. Despite the film's forgettability and my lack of interest in seeing it, I still checked it out because of my love for Portman. 

The film follows 18 years in the life of Celeste Montgomery (Natalie Portman as an adult, and Raffrey Cassidy as a teen). After surviving a school shooting in 1999, she is catapulted into stardom thanks to the writing skills of her sister, Ellie (Stacy Martin), and her passionate manager (Jude Law).

Yet another movie that relies on narration and chapters to tell the story, Vox Lux is a bizarre mess that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. While the first part is very interesting to follow as it is a brutally honest portrayal of the modern pop culture where terrible circumstances and tragedies are exploited to achieve money, fame, success, as well as a compelling look at a teenage experiencing sudden fame and trying to deal with surviving a tragedy, the second part, following 31-year-old Celeste, is just very boring, and the theme of terrorism doesn't really fit in.

The characters aren't particularly good either. The main characters are unlikeable, they lack motivation and their personalities aren't always coherent. I didn't feel anything about them, I didn't care. As for the minor characters, they appear from nowhere and disappear without leaving a trace.

The acting is also quite confusing. I love Natalie Portman but I did not like her in here. Not only her characters looks a bit like Nina, her performance too is similar to that she gives in Black Swan. The problem? That kind of performance doesn't fit the film. To be honest, I'm not even sure what she was doing here —like, what's up with her accent? It's only distracting. As for the rest of the cast, Jude Law looks like trash and doesn't have a lot to do here; Raffrey Cassidy, on the other hand, who for some mysterious reason plays both teenage Celeste and Celeste's daughter, Albertine, gives a quite compelling performance. The whole casting is weird to be honest as neither Jude Law nor Stacy Martin age.

Neon

There's some good in Vox Lux too. Willem Dafoe's voiceover narration definitely makes the story more compelling, the cinematography is interesting and the songs, while they are dreadfully performed, really captures the "make you feel happy" nature of pop music thanks to the lyrics written by Sia.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

I read Greg Sestero's The Disaster Artist earlier this year and he did mention The Talented Mr. Ripley several times. I had never heard of it before but it stars Matt Damon, or Mark Damon as Tommy Wiseau misheard, so I thought I'd give it a chance. Even though I'm not a fan of Damon at all. 

New York, 1950s. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) is working as a lavatory attendant when he borrows a Princeton jacket to play the piano. He ends up pretending to know wealthy Mr. Greenleaf's (James Robhorn) son, Dickie (Jude Law), and he is soon offered one thousand dollars to go to Italy and convince Dickie to return home. But when he gets there, he attaches to Dickie and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) and things get out of control pretty soon.

Just in case you haven't figured it out yourself, the plot is absolute nonsense from start to finish. It's not clever, it has many plot holes, some subplots that don't make a lot of sense and it unfolds in a quite predictable way. And I'm not saying this because I read it in Sestero's book. To be honest, it's been so long since I read it, I forgot everything I knew about The Talented Mr. Ripley's plot.

That being said, the film still managed to grab my attention. How did that happen? Simply because this is one of those movies that, rather than relying on a solid plot, rely on its characters, and Tom Ripley is a hell of a character. He is amoral, he lies and deceives all the time --his talents, after all, are lying, impressions and forgery. And boy if he is pathetic. Pathetic doesn't even come close to describe him. And yet he is so fascinating, so interesting, he keeps you glued to the screen. But that's not all. In spite of him having Matt Damon's face and the fact that he is such a horrible person, at the end you'll find yourself sympathizing with him. I guess I should give some of the credits to Damon too. He embodies the character's goofiness and geekiness very well and conveys the desperation of the character equally well.

Paramount Pictures, Miramax Films

The supporting characters are just as interesting and well-performed. Dickie is nothing more than a rich, spoiled, vain and cruel young man, but Jude Law's performance makes him quite remarkable. Marge is an intelligent woman who chooses to not see what's happening right in front of her. She is a bit clichéd as she is the typical woman who knows something shady is going on and becomes emotionally distressed because of it but nobody believes her mainly because she is a woman. Paltrow's performance though is good and makes you forget about those flaws. Among the many other supporting characters, there's Philip Seymour Hoffman's Freddie Miles. He's not on screen for a very long time and he is rather annoying, but because of Hoffman, he leaves an indelible impression.

At last, there are a brilliant musical score and terrific costumes, and the beautiful Italian scenery that makes The Talented Mr. Ripley even more pleasant to watch.

MUST SEE: New Animated Poster From DWA's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS!

Very cool poster here guys. Like I said before, RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is set to explode. Young kids and the young-at-heart will all be clamoring for this thing! That includes me.

The movie features the voices of Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher and Jude Law.

Here's the storyline for the movie:
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is an epic and magical adventure that tells the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost – legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS opens on November 21. More details here.

Must See: new Character Posters For DWA's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS

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Check out the new character posters for Dreamworks Animation's RISE OF THE GUARDIANS! I am quite bullish on this upcoming 3D animation feature that features the vocal stylings of Chris Pine (Jack Frost), Hugh Jackman (Easter Bunny), Alec Baldwin (Nicholas St. North), Jude Law (The Boogeyman) and Isla Fisher (The Tooth Fairy). 

It's kinda like a child-friendly version of THE AVENGERS. Love that the creative genius of Guillermo del Toro has an influence here!

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Here's the official movie storyline:
Rise of the Guardians, based on the forthcoming books by William Joyce, will be released on November 21, 2012. It is directed by Peter Ramsey (Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space) and co-directed by Joyce. The film is being produced by Christina Steinberg (Bee Movie, National Treasure) and Nancy Bernstein, long-time head of Production at DreamWorks Animation. Rise of the Guardians is being written by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) and executive produced by Guillermo del Toro and Michael Siegel. It stars Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. More than a collection of the well-known childhood legends, Rise of the Guardians is an epic adventure that tells the story of a group of heroes – each with extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children all over the world.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS hits theaters on November 21. For all of our coverage on RISE OF THE GUARDIANS including it's first trailer, click here.