042. Philomena (United Kingdom - 2013)

Simple film. A bit too simple. A biographical piece about a mother who's in a search for her son, taken from her 50 years before, when she was in a convent. She now asks a man (Martin Sixsmith, played by Steve Coogan, the beloved Alan Partridge) to write a book on her life, and what was just sessions of storytelling becomes a hunt for a long-lost son. Full of emotional clichés, the film didn't quite convince me, although it's well polished and with good enough performances from the actors. Very average film, about a theme that could also be considered average. Another one nominated for Best Film last Sunday, which I don't quite know why was there, if I'm being honest.

Director: Stephen Frears.

Score
Cinematography: 8.0
Acting: 8.5
Editing: 8.0
Sound: 7.5
Text: 7.5
Concept: 7.0
Premise Execution: 7.5


Average Score: 7.7

038. The Castle of Cagliostro (Japan - 1979)

A good remedy for those who don't like the anime narrative style - like myself. It's surely one of a kind. And completely different from the everyday anime bullshit that we're used to. Seriously, all the Hayao Miyazaki's films that Jéssica is showing me are teaching me to see the true anime jewels. This is Miyazaki's first one, full of exaggerations and a way of functioning that determines its own physics. Lupin is an absurdist thief who is out to discover the secrets of the fake money notes of European casinos. But then he's entangled in other, more romantic businesses at the castle of the corrupt Count Cagliostro. Funny and clever in its peculiar way of storytelling, and the art is hilarious.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki.

Score
Cinematography: 7.5

Voice Acting: 8.5
Editing: 8.0
Sound: 9.0
Text: 7.5
Concept: 7.5
Premise Execution: 8.5

Average Score: 8.0

017.Ubornaya Istoriya - Lyubovnaya Istoriya / Lavatory - Lovestory (Russia - 2007)

A simple but funny animation. A woman indifferently watches her days go by as she keeps a tip jar on her balcony, where she works as a lavatory attendant. She cleans up the place, goes back to her work booth, and anxiously awaits the possibility of a lover when she finds a bouquet in her tip jar. He's nowhere to be found, though. The fun resides in her frantic search for the said gentleman, the mysterious admirer who will finally give her joy in her sentimental life.


And yes, she eventually finds him.
Not bad, but not out of the ordinary.

Director: Konstantin Bronzit.

Score
Cinematography: 7.5

Acting (not present)
Editing: 7.0
Sound: 6.5
Text (not present)

Average Score: 7.0

013. Top Secret! (United States - 1984)

(Finally back after several days of hiatus; the next five or so films were watched about one week ago)

A wave of good and bad. Mostly bad.
Val Kilmer is decent in this film, especially seeing as how comedy isn't his forte, he carries on a consistent character and seldom fails in his performance. And it all begins well, with nice parodies of spy movies in the 50s and 60s, and with reference to American stardom of the same era. This is the same style as Airplane!; actually, made by the same director, Jim Abrahams; so you can't expect much, since the options for comedic passages in such films quickly vanished in the very 80s that begot them. As the film progresses, it just gets bad and with silly mistakes of continuity. It just gets old quickly.

Director: Jim Abrahams

Score
Cinematography: 7.5

Acting: 7.0
Editing: 6.0
Sound: 6.5
Text: 6.0

Average Score: 6.6

004. Carnage (International co-production - 2011)

Poor acting. Poor acting. Poor motives. Poor acting. Poor linearity. That's all I can think now.

Right after Mammuth, we started watching Carnage, which is a 2011 adaptation of the 2006 Yasmina Reza's praised play God of Carnage. I've never watched another rendition of the story, but this one is already silly in itself. It just doesn't convince me. And if there is something I have got to be when I'm watching a film, is convinced. Polanski failed on this one.
I do believe such trivial narrative can be interesting, and one setting only is a great idea (Sunset Limited is one of my all-time favourites), it reverberates the theatre aura. But the choice of actors, of editing, and of the use of the house... tsc, just not right there. It might be something personal, I don't know... I hate Foster's way of acting, and I quite disliked Winslet's amateurish overreactions here. Reilly is not shining either, and I miss the touch and bright of Waltz.
The rhythmic crescendo is poor, the reasons for the such a crescendo are just not convincing. Sorry, folks, just not convincing.
Pros? The dialogue, I'll give it to them.

Director: Roman Polanski.

Score
Cinematography: 7.0
Acting: 5.5
Editing: 6.0
Sound: 7.0
Text: 8.0

Average Score: 6.7