Change Your Image
alejandro-luque
Reviews
Le couperet (2005)
An incisive diving into the head of an unemployed manager: a well known product of our modern society
*** May contain some spoilers ***
"Le Couperet", the last Costa-Gavras, talks about the insanity provoked in a middle-age manager after the loss of his very specialized job in a company that rearranged its stuff aboard by economic convenience. The plot, very well adapted from the novel "The Ax", by Donald E. Westlake, is itself a denunciation of what is happening in our capitalist and liberal system were people hardly conserve their employ and, once fired, they can reinsert themselves even more hardly into the system. Costa-Gavras remarks all throughout the movie the concept of consummation nowadays and how this attitude becomes a growing problem to maintain the status of our style-life.
I went to the theater foreseeing a remake of "Falling Down" (Schumacher, 1993), where a lonely man becomes crazy after been fired and starts to kill people indiscriminately into the crowd. And I was wrong. Machiavellian Bruno (José García), the depressed and introspected main character, reacts in a peculiar way by selecting extremely well their preys -their job's rivals. Moreover, murders occur in isolated places. In the meantime his loving wife (Karim Viard) works outside and tries to maintain the marriage equilibrium and the family integrity. Both actors are GREAT!
The movie has a really great rhythm from the beginning to the end. A cute melange of dramatic and hilarious situations spices the entire movie, as well as an intelligent use of the voice-off to look into somebody's head decided to kill someone else.
Direction simply excels. Actors are credible and familiar. The couple García-Viard works finely and perfectly in tuning. That's why face to face scenes between García and Viard or with the victims are of such efficiency that one feels into the place. Dialogs sound naturally unforced. Supporting actors dance very well synchronized with mains ones. Photography is clean, vivid, luminous contrasting with the internal dark mood of Bruno. Camera scans little villages in the north of France and Belgium, and pierces in houses and surrounds of middle-class people. Music is very discreet and works mainly as an insinuation of Bruno's moods than a heavy score omnipresent.
In summary: a very solid Costa-Gavras, sadly current and confirming that the director has not said his last word yet (and fortunately!). I recommend this movie to those that love the soul of a good director reacting efficiently on the actor's work, and the landscapes of social denunciation painted on canvas made of present.
9/10
Kamchatka (2002)
Once upon a time there was a family close to Kamchatka
(I think there will not be spoilers)
For people who used to play T.E.G. (a society game) the power of a bridge-country in the world map is a well known stuff. Kamchatka is about the resistance of a family, just at the very beginning of 76's, in a recently militarized Argentina where too much people will disappear.
Nevertheless, the story is not about the army, either not about physical tortures, or missing people. There is not any trace of documentary aim. Only a camera showing what could happened to a family involved into these sadly events and how could they keep its unity, in a human righted way.
The plot is simple and moving. For Argentineans that lived these events at this time -as it was in my case at more or less the same age that the boy tells the story-, a lot of landscapes (cars, costumes, 'cigarettes', slang, ambiance, etc.) will touch them. But this is only an excuse to show the weird dynamics of a family running out of the new dictatorial and potentially murderer establishment.
Dialogs are plenty of freshness and simplicity. Images of the village and the 'retiro' are also simple and quiet. One can follow the frustrations and discoveries of the older son without none violence or strangeness, at the same time that we can feel the desperation of the parents to survive. The camera is not exactly the eyes of the son, but a silent eye -judgeless- inviting us to participate to what is going on.
The only critics to my eyes are about the playing of the older son, sometimes overacted.
Main adult actors (Darin and Roth) are what they finally reached out: two good (may be the best) examples of what Argentina could deserve in play roles. There is something of inexorable maturity in their attitudes and compositions of the characters.
Music is calm water all over the movie. No judgement either. Simple and melodic piano riffs, accompanying the different scenes (mainly in the 'huis clos' at the villa, or on the lonely 'praderas bonaerenses').
And certainly, the message that wants to deserve Pineyro lays on the title, linked to the first slides and to the last scenes of this great movie. A must to be seen southern pearl. 9/10.
Van Helsing (2004)
On how to waste a fortune limitlessly
OK! it is about a Sommers' movie; the mummy and his 'returns'; we know what can we wait from these series (and I liked them as an entertainment at this time). Thus, what we can even wait now?
I didn't wait this. Van Helsing is to my eyes the best example of 'applying all the possibilities cause we pay it for you, director! without any art-cinema spirit'. Another awful movie of how American majors sanction the public: a very low level mix entertainment with brainless message, showing a disgraceful waste of HUGHE money.
Actors: zero (the goddess Beckinsale even worse than in other movies)
Script: minus ten
(non words!..)
Fxs: many too many, to the point to be tired as a spectator that use to enjoy fxs.
Soundtrack: don't remember!
So
I really want to forget how could I WASTED my money on this movie this week end.
so: 1/10 (yes: one over ten!)
Immortel (ad vitam) (2004)
On the benefits of a good storyboard
I read the comic trilogy of Nikopol several years ago, and the really great thing for me was this deep and heavy loneliness environment that Bilal had painted in their characters, as well as this particularly neopunk new yorker universe at the same time so close and so far. I found back these two aspects in the movie, both without any doubt essentials in the script of Immortel movie/Nikopol trilogy.
Talking about the actors (non-digital ones!!!), they play essentially good. Linda Hardy fits quit well in the confused and fated atmosphere of Jill (. she has unquestionably all of a beauty), and Thomas Kretschmann (also not bad that guy.) evolves a Nikopol overall funny, in which the basis of his possession by the fallen God Horus are in general credible. Doctor `Rampling' is fine, mainly by looking at her incredible `coiffure'. French synchronization is great and preserves the soul of the comic.
On digitals, the effect is astonishing!.. Because the digital characters are (in my eyes) the critical point of the comic. Digital and `flesh' characters merge marvelously well through the different takes, and ones and the others preserve their essential traits and presence. In fact, it was at this point when I was successfully injected into the universe of the comic. I could then understand the answer of Bilal to a question like this: `Why to wait until now to make the movie?': `Because the digital technology that I needed was not quite developed before now'. Afro-Asian-grafted characters full of colors are there: but now they're moving in the space. This is great! Gods into the floating pyramid -and still more Horus- are excellently well reproduced from the comic.
The futuristic and decadent New York of Nikopol and Jill is also well reproduced using the comic as a storyboard. Idem with some `critical' or "pivotal" takes as this one where Horus takes contacts with Nikopol in the subway, or the ripping-possession scene when Nikopol is driven (driven?) by his host over an always confused and desirable Jill.
The people over the village move quite freshly and in a `sui generic' (bilal `generic') style, luckily not close to the original blade runner-like ambiences "deja-vues". Colors and textures are really original and well defined. Space and movement are very well developed. Mutant vs Human-high-tech cultures cohabit naturally.
Clearly, Bilal has made `bon usage' of his comic as the best storyboard to make the movie.
Negative points: 1- I cannot believe that the movie has, at least, 5 violent cuts between scenes that speak by themselves about the edition process at the last moment; 2- I preferred the hooded friend of Jill playing the same game as in the original script; 3- The blue color in the comic is unquestionably more deep bleu and intense that this in the movie (?); 4- The end of the movie (part of the free adaptation of the comic) is quite mediocre.
For all that I wrote down above, I gave 8 over 10. Thus, I think that it does really worth to see the movie (especially for those who read the BDs).