Reviews

Goksung (original title) or The Wailing (English title), the new film from South Korean director and writer Hong-jin Na (known for Chugyeogja - Chaser - 2008 and Hwanghae - The Yellow Sea - 2010), is already considered one of the great works in the horror genre, addressing a macabre part of eastern culture on legends, curses, evil spirits and mysticism, being one of the highlights at the Cannes Film Festival.

Coincidentally after the arrival of a stranger, a strange disease begins to spread in the small village of Goksung, triggering a series of brutal murders. What at first appears to be only crimes of passion just takes darker contours, since all deaths occur in mysterious circumstances. In charge of the investigation, the police officer Jong-Goo (played by Do Won Kwak, known for Ajeossi - The Man From Nowhere - 2010) searches for clues and explanations to the tragic events. When his daughter, Hyo-jin (played by Kim Hwan-hee), begins to feel the strange symptoms of the disease, he has to fight against time to solve the mysterious case and save her life.

With a rhythmic narrative, The Wailing presents a folk story associated with Eastern mysticism and also the occultism, marked by elements of mystery, horror and supernatural, as guardians, demons and shamans, and the unfolding of the plot gradually gets more intense and disquieting contours. The technical quality is one aspect that stands out in the movie. The picture and the soundtrack provide an immersive and engaging combination as ambiance, expressed by constant rain, the mud, the precariousness of the small village, the striking features of a small town, as well as makeup and massacre scenarios, consolidate the mystical and eerie atmosphere of the film, expanding the mystery and holding the viewer's attention.

The script plays well with expectations, building some characters in a dubious way, without specifying their actual intentions. A relatively simple story is presented in a complex and intriguing way, where apparently scenes with no great purpose show us much, requiring attention to small details, whether occult symbols or religious references (Biblical). Crows and goat's head are used throughout the narrative, symbolizing death and evil omen and referring to the profane and witchcraft.

The film manages to build an atmosphere of terror without abusing the typical genre tricks. The moments of humor are used to softer the approach of a subject that in itself is already quite tense. Here it is worth mentioning the great performance of Do Won Kwak in the caricatured role of the lazy, fumbling and fearful police officer, though well intentioned.

With a competent job of the cast, efficient direction creating an atmosphere that blends mystery, horror and comedy as well as providing much reflection with an end open to different interpretations and also for its originality, The Wailing is one of the most significant movies within the genre in recent years.

Kollektivet (original title) or The Commune (English title), the new movie from director Thomas Vinterberg (known for Festen - The Celebration - 1998, Submarine - 2010 and Jagten - The Hunt - 2013), one of the founders of the film movement Dogme 95, which seeks to create a more realistic and less commercial cinema, deals with a family in the 70s, formed by the father Erik (played by Ulrich Thomsen, known for Festen - The Celebration - 1998 and Adams æbler - Adam's Apples - 2005), the mother Anna (represented by Trine Dyrholm, known for Festen - The Celebration - 1998 and DeUsynlige - Troubled Water - 2008) and the daughter Freja (played by Martha Hansen). Erik inherits the house of his family after the death of his father, but considering it very large and with high maintenance costs he is willing to sell it. However, his wife convinces him to turn the house into a kind of community, inviting some friends and even interviewing strangers to share the house and to help pay the bills. Living in a group, like a big family, they have dinners, parties and regular meetings so that important matters are made democratically. But the utopia around this experiment begins to be questioned when a love affair shakes the small community.

Kollektivet hits to portray very well the time when the story takes place: the 70s in Copenhagen. The production design, costumes and characters's characterization, expressed by the clothes, hair and costumes, confer credibility and immerse the viewer in the plot. But the film errs for not develop enough the characters that are not part of the central plot. The director should have further explored the group in conflict scenes and the writer could have better elaborated the difficulties of social life that are inherent to a life in a community. As it was written the supporting actors add little to the story and the parallel plot of Freja's journey into adulthood opposed to the reflection of everything that happens within the community deserved to be better developed.

The big highlight is the actress Trine Dyrholm, who received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival this year for her excellent performance. The most dramatic scenes and the strongest blows that we took in the feature film are starred by her character, Anna, a television news presenter. The actress representation convinces not only because her ability to express emotions in times of joy or in the darkest moments, but by the naturalness of interpretation, which makes the viewer forget that it's just a role play.

Convivial challenges can be overcome? To what extent a community project should override the individual interests? What is more important: the individual or the collective? Life in community is possible? These are some of the questions that The Commune tries to address, but ends up doing superficially. Director Thomas Vinterberg had talent to produce a film with a final result much better than he produced.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Horror movies were never the same after the zombie trilogy by the director George Andrew Romero. In Night of the Living Dead (1968) we were presented to zombies who eat human flesh, a thriller mixing horror and social criticism. In the second film, Dawn of the Dead (1978), besides the social satire about paranoia and humanity to the brink of apocalypse, the movie explores the comic potential of zombies, especially black humor. We are the headless and cannibalistic beings who roam the cities. Closing the trilogy, Day of the Dead (1985) continues with the social criticism and the comic tone, but relies on a more depressive and gloomy scenario, apart from the use of graphic violence. Following the footsteps of George Romero we have the gore Braindead (1992), the horror 28 Days Later (2002) and Rec (2007), and in humor genre, Shaun of the Dead (2004), Zombieland (2007) and Død snø - Dead Snow (2009).

The South Korean movie Busanhaeng (original title) or Train to Busan (english title) focuses on horror and action, with some moments of suspense. Written and directed by Sang-ho Yeon (known for the zombie animation Seoul Station - 2016), the film tells the story of a financial sector executive, Seok Woo (played by Yoo Gong, known for Do-ga-ni - Silenced - 2011) who agrees to travel with his daughter, Soo-an (represented by Soo Kim-an), from the capital Seoul to the city of Busan for she spends some time with her mother (Seok's ex- wife). After embarking on a modern express train (KTX) passengers discover that an epidemic is raging South Korea, turning much of the population into zombies. With an infected person on board and the disease rapidly spreading, father, daughter and other passengers will have to fight for survival and for their lives, trapped inside a high-speed moving train.

The director Sang-ho Yeon does a great job, managing to immerse the viewer in the plot. Despite most of the action been set in a train the film has a dynamic narrative and impresses for its visual and technical accuracy. Unlike the slow zombies of George Romero's trilogy in Train to Busan they are extremely agile, threatening and lethal. Another highlight is the cast. The characters are well developed, even for a horror movie and the actors deliver relevant performances, especially Sang Hwa (played by Dong-seok Ma, known for Joheunnom Nabbeunnom Isanghannom - The Good, The Bad, The Weird - 2008), the girl in the role of the daughter, Soo-an Kim, and Yoo Gong acting as the father. The soundtrack and sound effects are moderate, providing genuine scares.

There are still some elements in the movie of South Korean culture, as the obsession with education and study, and a strong critique of modern society. The quest for professional success even at the expense of family and leisure time is questioned in the film, as well as the social tension. Moral and ethical conflicts involving empathize or not for others and follow or not the animal instinct of self- preservation are exploited by different profiles of the surviving passengers.

Despite having some clichés of the zombie genre Busanhaeng is a great horror film, with good moments of suspense, well-constructed action scenes, a well-chosen cast and the right amount of tension to captivate the viewer.

Cinema has good films that tell a story between man and animal. Among them we can mention: Born Free (1966), Brother of the Wind (1973), The Black Stallion (1979), L'ours - The Bear (1988), Cheetah (1989), Fly Away Home (1996), Duma (2005), Eight Below (2006), Le Renard et L'infant - The Fox & The Child (2007), Life of Pi (2012) and The Jungle Book (2016). In Wie Brüder im Wind (original title) or Brothers of the Wind (English title), the story revolves around a child and a bird of prey, in 1960, in some place of the Austrian alps. In nature the eagle creates two chicks, and the strongest always ends up throwing the weakest out of the nest. Thus, after being pushed by the older chick out of the nest and fall to the forest floor, which would be a death sentence for the youngest chick, he is rescued by Lukas (acted by Manuel Camacho), which takes care of the wild animal in secret. With relationship problems with his father Keller (played by Tobias Moretti, known for Das Finstere Tal - The Dark Valley - 2014), the boy finds love and companionship in the bird, named Abel. But when the time comes to release the eagle back to nature will Abel be able to reintegrate himself to the wildlife and will Lukas find his own release for a new life?

The story is narrated by Jean Reno (known for Léon - The Professional - 1994), who plays the character Danzer, a forester who lives on site. The film is directed by Gerardo Olivares and Otmar Penker in a semi-documentary style. Its major highlights are photography, soundtrack and sound mixing. The images of the wildlife are breathtaking, especially the scenes made ​​with the eagle. The camera angles, including the mini camera installed on the eagle, enable the vision of all the landscape of the Austrian Alps, which is to behold. In that Brothers of the Wind does not lack anything when compared to the best documentaries about nature. The sound mixing gives realism to the narrated story, immersing the viewer in the animal life.

The weak point of the film that ends up compromising the movie's final result is the script. It focuses too much on the melodrama of the boy 's relationship with his father. While the scenes of wildlife are natural, family sequences are all artificial and forced. The writers trio (Otmar Penker, Joanne Reay and Gerald Salmina) errs in trying to turn the eagle struggle to survive into something bigger, making a link in Lukas and Abel's story. The directors and writers should have focused only on the nature and eagle majesty, who is the great protagonist of the narrated story.

Some movies can show that cinema is not just made of large productions and even with low budget and no major special effects you can produce a great film. This is the case of The One I Love, first feature-film of the director Charlie McDowell. With an original script and filmed almost in one set (a country house), the viewer is captivated by the story and the main characters in such a way that he will wait anxiously for the outcome of the plot. The One I Love reminds us of another great film in the same style that also did not have the proper recognition: Coherence (2013).

The story involves a couple, Ethan (played by Mark Duplass, known for Safety Not Guaranteed - 2012) and Sophie (played by Elisabeth Moss, known for the character Peggy Olson in the TV series Mad Men - 2007-2015), which make therapy to try to overcome the serious marital crisis in which they live. After an unsuccessful attempt to rediscover love through an important and happy time in the past, on the verge of separation, the therapist (played by Ted Danson, known for Saving Private Ryan - 1998) suggests as the last device in attempt to save the marriage of the couple that they spend a weekend in his cottage. What begins as a romantic and fun retreat soon becomes surreal when an unexpected discovery requires both to rethink about themselves, their relationships and their future.

This is the typical movie that the less you know about the plot the better will be your cinematographic experience. Despite being classified as a romance, drama and science fiction, the movie can not be classified in a predominant genre. There are also passages of suspense and mystery in the history. And here we must highlight the work of the director and Justin Lader's great script, who tackles an issue that is not new (marital crisis) in a creative and engaging way. There is a deep approach to the difficulties of living together with someone as well as the expectations that we created with respect to each other and also to the new. There was a concern to keep the two views of the plot (the vision of man and woman) in balance, and the story does not force the viewer to tilt to one side. The soundtrack is subtle and sometimes goes unnoticed, but it sets the tone needed for the various stages of the work.

A curiosity revealed by Duplass (which besides actor is also a director, writer and producer) in this interview, was that although the script has 50 pages and be carefully detailed, both in movement and in which the characters are doing, it doesn't have written dialogue. Thus, each piece of dialogue in the film was improvised. The actors were being as natural as they could with their motivations and the trajectory of the scene and using surprises so that the other does not accommodate, making more spontaneous actions than if they were rehearsing. It is noteworthy that the duo Duplass and Moss delivered fine performances both individually and as a couple. The viewer is involved in the story and have the impression that is watching a actual story with real characters and conflicts.

The title of the film, The One I Love, seems innocent and generic, but gains new connotations when contrasted with the story itself and the movie poster. With a few twists, a clever and intriguing plot and a deliberately open-ending, the movie will leave you thinking about its nuances. This is a film that provokes reflection and certainly will rouse in the viewer the will to go back in the history, whether to contemplates it in detail or to try to get some answers to the questions that were unanswered.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Since the Steven Spielberg's classic Jaws (1975) the movie industry did not have a thriller film involving shark able to make the viewer feel scared and also cheer to the protagonist so intensely. Directed by the Spanish Jaume Collet-Serra (known for Orphan - 2009 and Unknown - 2011) the feature-film The Shallows tells the story of Nancy (played by Blake Lively, known for The Age of Adaline - 2015), who goes surfing alone on a paradisiac and deserted beach in Mexico, where her mother visited decades ago. After spending much of the day surfing she is attacked by a great white shark, getting trapped 180 meters from the beach. Needing to race against time and fight for her life, the battle for survival requires from Nancy all her skill, cleverness and fortitude.

There are several reports of shark attack around the world, which adds even more drama to the story told. A recent case that had worldwide impact occurred on September 19, 2015, during the final heat of the World Surfing Circuit in Jeffreys Bays in South Africa. The three- time world champion Mick Fanning was surprised by a shark attack and escaped with a severed leash on his surfboard. Fortunately the episode had a happy ending and Fanning was unhurt, as it can be seen in the images recorded on the day.

Esthetically The Shallows is impeccable. The site chosen for filming is paradisiac and the direction of photography of Flavio Martínez Labiano (also worked in Unknown - 2011) is very beautiful. The scenes both inside and outside of the water and the aerial and water camera shots have created an amazing setting, bringing the viewer into the plot. The use of non-professional cameras and surf scenes manage to convey truthfulness to the narrative. The direction of Jaume is attractive, engaging and agile, exploiting well the open shots to contrast the man's relationship with nature. Here we point out a visual device that was very well used in the movie: the option to put text messages, Instagram photos and video conversations on the screen.

The performance of Blake Lively in the lead role is efficient, managing to hold a difficult role in a film centered on the protagonist. The soundtrack has no exaggerations, conveying the necessary tension that the story needs. A negative point that weighted down the final result of the movie was the overuse of clichés. The script and direction have sinned by conventional solutions and could have innovated more. Still, The Shallows holds the attention and interest of the viewer, who will be tense and attentive to every detail of the story, waiting for the outcome of the dynamic between the prey and the predator.

Winner of the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, nominated for best foreign language film at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards and nominated (making the early round of shortlist, but was not a nominee) as best foreign language film at 2015 Oscar Awards, the Swedish movie Turist (original title) or Force Majeure (in English) accompanies the emotional drama involving a Swedish family in holiday in the French Alps after an incident with an avalanche.

The story revolves around the couple Tomas (played by Johannes Kuhnke, known for Arven - The Inheritance - 2003) and Ebba (starring Lisa Loven Kongsli, acted in Engelen - The Angel - 2009) and their two sons, Harry and Vera (played by brothers Vicent Wettergren and Clara Wettergren, respectively), which spend the holidays skiing in the French Alps. Everything went well until a controlled avalanche surprised the tourists and the family, who was having lunch in the open air restaurant in the ski station. At the beginning the snow sliding down the mountain does not seem dangerous, but the phenomenon intensifies, provoking a momentary terror among people. The different reactions of Tomas and Ebba facing the imminent danger end up bringing much more devastating consequences than the effect of the avalanche itself. While he rushes out to save his own life, she stays in the place to protect the children.

The writer-director Ruben Östlund (known for De Ofrivilliga - Involuntary - 2008 and Play - 2011) portrays in a dense and deeply way the moral and psychological drama in which the characters are exposed in the plot, addressing sexuality, gender roles in the core family, marital conflicts and social conventions. The man is seen in society as strong and protective, while the woman is sentimental and dependent. There are a number of mechanisms to support these conventions, being problematized and investigated in the course of the film.

Fredrik Wenzel is responsible for picture quality that brings an alpine setting and a series of stunning images. Fixed plans, especially the avalanche scene, and open shots were made with mastery. In contrast to the cold, white and melancholy landscape, human interactions overflow life, being abundant in emotions in discussion scenes. The influence of this hostile environment in the lives of the characters is striking. Day after day we see the different moods of the family members and their emotional consequences, which are accentuated by the soundtrack of intense violin solos. Here it is worth mentioning the excellent performance of the main actors, Lisa and Johannes.

Force Majeure also promotes a reflection on the human behavior in modern society. There is a image confrontation of who we are in the privacy and what we appear to be in social life. Facebook and Instagram are filled with pictures of moments of happiness and success in a frantic search to show that we live a life of perfection. But life is full of imperfections and what defines and distinguishes us is how we deal with them.

The appearance is richer than reality? To which extent people show who they really are to the world, including closer people and intimates? The image we have of ourselves is the same seen from the look of the other? In extreme and high stress situations would we act according to our ethical and moral values ​​or the animal instinct would prevail? These are some of the questions that Force Majeure leaves to reflection.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Between 2007 and 2012 were committed 79 suicides by hanging in Bridgend County, a coal mining province in Wales, and mostly among teenagers. Based on this tragic true story, the film Bridgend, directed by Danish rookie Jeppe Rønde who until then only made documentaries, is a fictionalized version of the case. The story revolves around the protagonist Sara (played by Hannah Murray, known for the character Gilly, of Game of Thrones), a young woman who moves to a small town in Bridgend County due to her father's job relocation, the police officer Dave (played by Steven Waddington; he starred in the movie Imitation Game - 2014). Being a new girl in town Sara does not have any friends and her favorite hobby is riding her horse, Snowy. But gradually she gets drawn into a group of mysterious teenagers who appear to be connected to the wave of suicides, which causes concern of her father, who investigates the deaths.

To make this movie the director Rønde spent six years researching, interviewing and accompanying the teenagers who lived in the area and wrote the script based on their stories. There are theories about the deaths, but local authorities still do not know what motivated the suicides in which the film was based. Another detail is that the motion picture was filmed in the very Bridgend County.

The film portrays the reckless life of teenagers and uses the clichés that are already well known in adolescence representations: parties ruled by alcohol, cigarette, riots and dips in the lake, in a quest for freedom, to experience feelings without worrying about the consequences of your own acts. The intergenerational conflict is another point addressed and is showed by the gap between parents and children, who can not interact or communicate with each other.

With a gloomy and gray, grim and melancholic atmosphere, Magnus Nordenhof Jonck's photography (known for his work in Kapringen - A Hijacking - 2012 and Krigen - A War - 2015) creates a claustrophobic tone that makes you feel as if something terrible could happen at any time. Part of this constant tension effect is also built by Mondkopf's soundtrack, which uses the electronic sound to keep the suffocating tone in the movie. Bridgend quite remember the movie The Witch (2015) for the setting yearned in each frame.

Despite having an efficient cast the film could have developed the characters more. Another weak point was the way the script was written. The story does not follow a specific line and ends up being confused and not promoting the necessary understanding. The narrative focuses only on the lives of adolescents, leaving aside important parts as the parents viewpoint, the investigative work of the police and how the suicides affect the local community. Rønde was bold in its proposal to portray a difficult subject in an abstract way and ended up delivering a smaller film than it could be. Especially for the setting and the visual quality that are top- notch. Perhaps part of the answers that were left unclear can be found in the documentary Bridgend (2013).

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Some stories awaken what is best in the human being, inspiring us to overcome our limits and teaching us to believe in our dreams and never give up. This is the case of the film Eddie the Eagle, based on the true story of the English Michael Edwards, better known as Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, who since childhood had a dream to participate in the Olympic Games. Without being from a rich family, gangling, having to deal with knee problems for much of his childhood and having to wear glasses because he was nearsighted, his chances of participating in the Olympics was minimal. After trying unsuccessfully various types of sports throughout his childhood and adolescence, Eddie decides to venture into downhill, selecting the 1988 Winter Olympics as his goal. After a disastrous presentation to some sponsors, he is cut from the British Olympic ski team. Heartbroken and about to give up, Eddie bet in ski jump as his last chance to reach his dream.

Cinema is full of motivational movies involving sport. We can cite:

Mixed martial arts: Warrior (2011); Athletics: Chariots of Fire (1981), Unbroken (2014) and McFarland, USA (2015); Auto racing: the documentary Senna (2010); Basketball: Hoosiers (1986); Baseball: The Natural (1984), Moneyball (2011) and 42 (2013); Bobsled: Cool Runnings (1993); Boxing: Rocky (1976), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Cinderella Man (2005) and The Fighter (2010); Cycling: Breaking Away (1979); Horse race: Seabiscuit (2003); American football: Rudy (1993), Remember the Titans (2000) and The Blind Side (2009); Artistic gymnastics: Peaceful Warrior (2010); Ice hockey: Miracle (2004); Marathon: Atletu - The Athlete (2009); Motorcycling: The World's Fastest Indian (2005); Swimming: Swimming Upstream (2003); Rugby: Invictus (2009); Diving: Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997); Taekwondo: Best of the Best (1989).

Eddie the Eagle's script is all written around the protagonist, played in his childhood and adolescence by brothers Tom and Jack Costello, respectively, and in his adulthood by the charismatic Taron Egerton (known for Kingsman: The Secret Service - 2014). Egerton acting may seem forced, but when confronted with the real Eddie Edwards we realized that he perfectly embodied all twitches that the character demanded. Eddie is the typical anti-hero: with an appearance that nothing resembles the figure of the classic hero, with his nerd, weirdo and gawky way, having worn glasses for life and a device in the legs as a child, which obligatory relate to the movie Forrest Gump (1994), he is the typical underdog. And this is perhaps the biggest hit of the film: deal with our prejudices and with the standards imposed by society.

When taking contact with Eddie, any viewer would believe he could do something relevant? But throughout the film, as we are introduced to a young man who despite the physical problems that could be used as an excuse, is determined and sure of himself, naive and dreamy, our perceptions and interpretations of the protagonist are put to the test. That different and strange guy could indeed make a difference.

The cast was well chosen. Eddie's mother, Janette, played by Jo Hartley (known for Dead Man's Shoes - 2004) is responsible for supporting and encouraging her child's dreams, while the father, Terry, interpreted by Keith Allen (known for Trainspotting - 1996) is the counterpoint, reminding Eddie of the difficulties and wanting his son to follow his footsteps by working in construction. Bronson Peary, the problematic sportsman, which is already a cliché in this type of film, is played by Hugh Jackman (always remembered for his portrayal of Logan character in the X-Men franchise). The commentator of the BBC, interpreted by Jim Broadbent (known for Iris - 2001), provides good funny moments.

The director who is also an actor, Dexter Fletcher (starred in Kick- Ass - 2010), used humor to soften the story. Despite the great photography, the film uses too much clichés and shows some unnecessary scenes. Fletcher could have further explored the action scenes (the ski jumping) and he didn't put Eddie's postscript (what Eddie did next) at the end of the movie. The script made ​​some adjustments in the real story for the sake of a good narrative, and the modifications are portrayed (with spoilers) here and in this review. The soundtrack fits well in the film, conveying the necessary emotion at different times, whether action, drama or suspense. The music called Jump, by Van Halen, was used as an analogy to the practiced sport: ski jump.

Eddie the Eagle is a film about overcoming oneself with a cheerful and fun tone, rescuing social values ​​long lost in society. At a time when having is more important than being, in which win, whether in sports, business or any other situation imposed by life, is more important than compete, we need to relearn that what is important is not the destination, but the journey.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Receiving great reviews and being a success among the public, setting the new record for drama series when it premiered on national TV network in Norway on January 4, 2015, winning the live audience of about 1.2 million viewers on Sunday night (about 24% of the Norwegian population was watching the season premiere), the Norwegian TV mini-series Kampen om Tungtvannet (original title) or The Heavy Water War: Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb (in English) depicts a true story of World War II. Narrated in three angles the Norwegian production of 6 episodes follows the trajectory of the Nazi nuclear program, the fight of the Allies to stop them and the management of Norsk Hydro, the company that owns the heavy water plant, a key substance for the German plans.

The TV mini-series begins slowly, developing the characters and their dilemmas and also exploring the reasons Allies and Nazis fight for the heavy water. Why it was so important and where it would be possible to get it? Over the first episodes this whole plot is made clear.

The Nazi research program is shown through the eyes of Werner Heisenberg (played by Christoph Bach, known for Shirley: Visions of Reality - 2013), German scientist who in 1933 won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contribution in quantum mechanics. Heisenberg devoted his life to science, abdicating social and family life. In 1939 he began working for the German government, conducting the research for the development of nuclear energy. He sees the atomic bomb as a nuisance, but a necessary means for the development of science. The war would be at the service of science.

The Norwegian scientist and professor Leif Tronstad (played by Espen Kloumann Høiner, known for Reprise - 2006) was one of those responsible for the construction of the chemical factory Norsk Hydro, in the Vemork plant on the outskirts of the town of Rjukan in Norway. By joining the Allies in England, he was essential to prevent the success of the Nazi plans, since he was a member of the Norwegian Resistance and still stayed in touch with them. He also was aware of the building plan and the site procedures. To Tronstad the lives of employees and other inhabitants of the area should be preserved in the conflict.

The director of Norsk Hydro, Bjørn Henriksen (played by Dennis Storhøi, known for Zwei Leben - Two Lives - 2012), runs the facility in Rjukan, unique in the world to produce heavy water. As it was a byproduct of fertilizer production, its production was limited and on a small scale. While the Norwegians remained neutral in World War II, France made an agreement with the company to acquire the entire stock of heavy water. But with the invasion of Norway by the Germans, on the morning of April 9, 1940, Norsk Hydro started to meet the Nazi interests in obtaining the precious liquid. To Henriksen the war would be something temporary, so it would be important to keep the jobs and company's business intact.

To give more excitement and make the story more dramatic some fictional characters were drafted, but that did not come to interfere significantly in the actual events that occurred. Among them we can mention Bjørn Henriksen, which was created from three real directors of Norsk Hydro, and his wife, Ellen Henriksen (played by Maibritt Saerens, known for Sykt Lykkelig - Happy Happy - 2010), who also was not part of the original plot, but was responsible for addressing some dilemmas of the couple apart from the moral issues of the war.

Another fictional character is Julie Smith (played by Anna Friel, known for the TV series Pushing Daisies - 2007-2009), who gives life to a British official responsible for the British Special Operations. Here we have to highlight a historical mistake, because in real life the role was played by Scottish Colonel John Skinner Wilson. At that time there were no women occupying the position of command in the army. Despite the good performance of Friel, it would be more appropriate to stick to historical and real facts (put a man) instead of opting for the politically correct of the current times.

The film's director Per-Olav Sørensen depicts in a chronological and historical way the events surrounding the dispute by heavy water. It is noted along the mini-series all the characterization work of an era: uniforms, clothes, cars, equipments and weapons. One bright spot was the maintenance of the three native languages ​​of the countries involved in the plot: Norwegian, German and English. Sørensen also knew how to choose the cast, who gave convincing performances.

The photography is very beautiful and the soundtrack fits well in the plot. However, the director of the mini-series does not do enough to explore more some action scenes and he also could have created more suspense. The rigorous living conditions to which the members of the Norwegian resistance were submitted in missions due to the harsh climate of Norway, as hunger and cold, as well as other difficulties faced when fighting the enemy would have been better dramatized.

This story was also dramatized in a Norwegian docudrama called Kampen om Tungtvannet (Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water - 1948), in a British production The Heroes of the Telemark (1965), with the participation of Kirk Douglas (citing some of his films: Ace in the Hole - 1951, Paths of Glory - 1957, The Vikings - 1958 and Spartacus - 1960) and Richard Harris (known for A Man Called Horse - 1970) and a Canadian TV mini-series (A Man Called Intrepid - 1979). The Swedish power metal band, Sabaton, also honored this episode through the music called Saboteurs.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

World War II had several important episodes, but over the years many of them were forgotten or not had due recognition. Besides the famous invasion of Normandy by the Allies, operation known as "D- Day", The Battle of the Heavy Water also played a key role in the outcome of that war. Directed by Titus Vibe-Müller and Jean Dréville in a French-Norwegian co-production, Kampen om Tungtvannet (original title) or Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water (in English) is a docudrama (documentary drama) that dramatically presented the reconstitution of these events that marked the history of the world and Norway.

The film begins by an introduction to the war and the reasons that led France and Germany to become interested in the heavy water produced only in the chemical factory Norsk Hydro, in the Vemork plant on the outskirts of the town of Rjukan in Norway. The first country was seeking it to do research in laboratories on its effectiveness, while the second was aimed at getting it to build a secret weapon. As the heavy water was a byproduct of fertilizer production, its production was limited and on a small scale, which meant that any amount obtained become of paramount importance. While the Norwegians remained neutral in the war, the Allies were able to catch the first batch of the precious liquid. But with the invasion of Norway by the Germans, on the morning of April 9, 1940, the Nazis ordered the Norsk Hydro plant to increase its production. Realizing the threat that the plant had the British Intelligence in London with the Norwegian Resistance came together to take preventive measures and sabotage Nazi Germany's plans involving heavy water.

Shot in black and white and without the aspects of large productions such as extravagant action situations and melodramatic approach, Kampen om Tungtvannet uses archival footage and reconstructs the other scenes with the participation of real life counterparts. This gives the movie plenty of realism and authenticity, as well as historical and educational features. Among the counterparts actors we can quote the scientists Frédéric Joliot-Curie and Lew Kowarski and most of the Norwegian saboteurs. So few characters were played by professional actors and the four native languages ​​of the countries involved in the plot were kept: Norwegian, French, German and English. And it is exactly by the common aspect that this film stands out, especially when we remember what was at stake at that time. These are not synthetic heroes we find in American blockbusters, they are just ordinary men who risked their lives to prevent the victory of the Nazi Germany.

The photography explores the mountainous region and the harsh climate of Norway through open shots. The rigorous living conditions to which the members of the Norwegian resistance underwent equate to the size of the challenge that was ahead: prevent the Germans build their secret weapon. They faced hunger, cold and also the enemy.

This story was also dramatized in a British production called The Heroes of the Telemark (1965), with the participation of Kirk Douglas (citing some of his films: Ace in the Hole - 1951, Paths of Glory - 1957, The Vikings - 1958 and Spartacus - 1960) and Richard Harris (known for A Man Called Horse - 1970), and two TV mini-series, a Canadian (A Man Called Intrepid - 1979) and a Norwegian (Kampen om Tungtvannet - Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb - 2015). The Swedish power metal band, Sabaton, also honored this episode through the music called Saboteurs.

War is not only won in the trenches or in the battle fronts, being fought by artillery fighting, but by the economic, social and mental mobilization in the rearward. It is won by the adopted strategies and resilience, bravery and wit of all its fighters.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Films about family dramas are already common in the movie theater, but the choice of the Icelandic writer-director Ragnar Bragason (known for Bjarnfreðarson - 2009) to put the heavy metal in the foreground was an innovation, so Málmhaus (original title) or Metalhead (English title) stands out compared to other similar narratives. The story shows how the loss of a child in a tragic accident can affect the life of a family and also of a whole small community in rural Iceland. The protagonist of the plot is Hera, played by Þorbjörg Helga Þorgilsdóttir (known for Djúpið - The Deep - 2012), who witnessed the death of her older brother by a tractor when she was only 12 year old, in 1983. Traumatized, disillusioned with life and with her faith completely shaken, she decides to seek comfort in the heavy metal musical style that her brother loved so much.

After this initial introduction, Bragason transports us to the early 90s, addressing the main character already in adulthood. With gloomy and melancholy appearance, always wearing a leather jacket and black clothes, Hera is now quite adept of the black metal way of life. She isolated herself from the outside world and is disconnected from the small community in which she lives. Her only moments of balance seem to be next to her guitar, with which she risks to compose her own musics, or when she listens to her cassette tapes or reads magazines in her room.

The presence of Hera is disruptive to her parents. Unable to break free emotionally and psychologically from the memories of the tragedy, she lives committing petty crimes in self-destructive acts and causing confusion in the neighborhood. Her dressing style and her personality are also a painful form of her parents remember their dead child. This is reflected in the depression of her mother, Droplaug, played by Halldora Geirharðsdóttir (known for Englar alheimsins - Angels of the Universe - 2000 and Hross í oss - Of Horses and Men - 2013), and in the hidden suffering of her father, Karl, interpreted by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson (he acted in Englar alheimsins - Angels of the Universe - 2000, Myrin - Jar City - 2006, Hross í oss - Of Horses and Men - 2013 and Everest - 2015). Thus, each one experiences the grief and the pain in their own way, but it is clear that that accident compromised the family's harmony.

With a peculiar intimate view of heavy metal and black metal movements, Bragason does in Metalhead a production with quite personal characteristics, printing throughout the script references carefully cited and associated with the soundtrack. It is through music that the director expresses and exposes the psychological and emotional state of the protagonist, from her feelings to her internal conflicts. Fans of the genre, besides the recognition of the songs, will delight in with Victim of Changes (Judas Priest), Heartless World (Teaze), Run For Your Life (Riot), Strange Wings (Savatage), Me Against the World (Lizzy Borden), Am I Evil? (Diamond Head), Symphony of Destruction (Megadeth), Í Helli Loka (Sólstafir) and Svarthamar (Pétur Ben & Þorbjörg Helga Þorgilsdóttir - Málmhaus).

The symbolism is present throughout the film. The clothes, the music, the melancholy or obscurity, the corpse paint (face paint in black and white), death, religion, in scenarios such as the church or the cemetery, in the bitter cold of winter, and even in Norwegian characters, a reference to Øystein Aarseth (Euronymous) and Per Yngve Ohlin (Dead), founding members of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, land that created the subculture of the Norwegian black metal. Some documentaries address and depict this time, as Den Svarte Alvor - The Black Seriousness (1994), Satan Rir Media - Satan Rides the Media (1998), Once Upon a Time in Norway (2007) and Until the Light Takes Us (2008).

Clinging to period details is another strong point of the film, giving it a certain nostalgia of the 80s and 90s. We have the record player and vinyl records, cassette tapes and walkman, household appliances, such as microwaves, cathode ray tube TV and VHS video tapes and cars, all faithfully depicting the period in question. The beautiful shots of Iceland and the moments of black humor soften the delicate issue addressed in the narrative, contrasting with the inner desolation of the protagonist. The performance of Þorbjörg Helga Þorgilsdóttir is one of the highlights of the movie, giving veracity to the story of the main character.

Metalhead is a film that is based on a universal theme, music, employing it to show how people deal with pain, loss and suffering. The story shows the search for an identity and for oneself, an attempt to find meaning for life that goes beyond music.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Scandinavia always surprises us with different movies and with very peculiar story lines. Based on the bestseller book by Fredrik Backman, En Man som Heter Ove (original title), or A Man Called Ove (in English), tells the story of Ove, an old grumpy widower, 59 year old, who despite having been deposed some years before as president of the residents association continues to watch over his suburban neighborhood with an iron fist. Depressed, lonely and tired of the monotony of everyday life, Ove is a picture of a person who has given up everything, including himself. Stubborn, moody, with firm beliefs and rigid routines, his approach to life and negative view of the world are put to the test when a new family moves into the house across the street.

To talk about old age and its dilemmas has never been an easy task, both in real life and on the big screen. Sometimes it seems that society wants to avoid or forget it, as if it was a distant drama to which we will never live or witness. Thus, it is common that actors with advanced age only interpret supporting characters, with roles that are far from the narrative's focus. However, when they had the opportunity to star in the leading role, they gave birth to great characters and great films. Among them are: Make Way for Tomorrow (1937), Umberto D. (1952), Ikiru - To Live (1952), Smultronstället - Wild Strawberries (1957), Cocoon (1985), Börn Náttúrunnar - Children of Nature (1991), Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Straight Story (1999), Elsa y Fred - Elsa & Fred (2005), Gran Torino (2008), Amour (2012), Nebraska (2013), 45 Years (2015) and the animation Up (2009).

With a sincere, poetic and humorous story, the Swedish writer- director Hannes Holm (known for Adam & Eve - 1999, Klassfesten - The Reunion - 2002 and Himlen är Oskyldigt Blå - Behind Blue Skies - 2010) addresses a sensitive issue in a subtle way. Humor is one of the key parts used in the process, being present at various times throughout the film. But we are also exposed to sad and tough situations as the story unfolds.

The action takes place both in the present and in the past. At first we are introduced to the older version of Ove, played by Rolf Lassgård (known for Jägarna - The Hunters - 1996, Under Solen - Under the Sun - 1998 and Efter brylluppet - After the Wedding - 2006). From the first impressions we encounter a guy who is rough, irritating, without kindness and also is the terror of his suburban neighborhood. He daily patrol the streets and sidewalks in search for irregularities and breaches of rules, which must be followed rigorously. Subsequently, through the use of flashbacks, we are introduced to his child version (Viktor Baagøe) and younger version (Filip Berg, known for Ondskan - Evil - 2003 and Odödliga - Eternal Summer - 2015). Thus, gradually, his past is revealed, explaining his current behavior, which makes us reflect and reassess our views on the main character.

The film deals with current concepts and issues such as immigration, globalization and changing values ​​over generations. Parvaneh, played by Bahar Pars (she acted in När Mörkret Faller - When Darkness Falls - 2006), has Persian origin and is the woman of the family who moves into the house in front of the protagonist. Contrasting with Ove's personality, she is passionate and opinionated, being responsible for bringing heat to the protagonist's cold relations. Parvaneh portrays the case of so many other refugees who emigrate to European countries in search of a better life.

The identification of the main character with the cars of Saab and the consequent dispute with the cars of Volvo, originally two Swedish brands, represents the nationalism. Ove was from a time when the products (consumer goods) were made within the country. Today, with global value chains and the internationalization of the economy, the goods have no borders and brands have become global. Half of Saab was bought by General Motors in 1990 and the remainder in 2000. In 2012 the company was purchased by China National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB. As for Volvo, in 1999 it was sold to Ford Motor Company. In 2010, Ford agreed to sell Volvo to the Chinese Zhejiang Geely Holdin Group.

Ove, as a small-town boy, lived in a different type of Sweden and world. Life had a slower pace and independence and manual skills, such as carpentry and mechanics, were more valued. The difficulties of the younger generation are expressed, for example, in the lack of interest and patience to read manuals or in how a simple installation of a washing machine becomes a challenge.

Apart from the excellent performance of Rolf Lassgård in the protagonist's caricatured role, the soundtrack is a treat apart. Engaging, it is captivating in the patrol's moments through the neighborhood and it's sentimental in the drama scenes. All the production work was very well done, from the cameras, photography, to the costume through the ages. Here we have to highlight a weak point in the script and direction. Although the first half of the film is great, as the story develops and its message and meaning are revealed, the director hastens to complete the book's plot and the movie loses some of its strengths in the second half. Some narrative links should have been better developed, as the change experienced by the main character and how the local community see him after that. As a final message Holm points out that life makes more sense when is shared with others. The film had potential to be much more than it was.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Following the same investigative journalism line as All the President's Men - 1976, but for some reason without the appropriate recognition and impact, Kill the Messenger tells the true story of an American reporter, Gary Webb (played by Jeremy Renner, known for The Hurt Locker - 2008), who works in a small newspaper, San Jose Mercury News, and accidentally discovers secret documents about the US government and the war on drugs. In the face of this information, which reveal an alleged cocaine trafficking scheme into the United States, he must decide whether to protect his career, family and life or to risk unmask the case and publish the article.

Right away we are presented, in a format that resembles a documentary, to a series of newspaper reports and presidential speeches from Richard Nixon (1969-1974), Gerald Ford (1974-1977), Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) to Ronald Reagan (1981-1989). They all speech against trafficking and consumption of drugs. This exposure facilitates the viewer's immersion in the story and gives greater veracity to the facts. Later, we are transported to 1996 and we follow the research promoted by the protagonist, from one suspect to another, from traffickers to politicians, and in every new revelation we can contrast the government's initial speech with the unvarnished reality of facts.

We follow, step by step, everything that Gary Webb needs to do to ensure that the public will gain knowledge of something that was kept secret: observation, interviews and documentary survey. A journalist can not simply report a corrupt situation just because someone suggested it to him or because he thinks that it is incorrect. Until the article become concrete and be published there is a process to be followed in which the reporter review all the investigative material, evaluating whether there is a need to interview new sources or making new inquiries until all conflicting information is resolved. Especially if there are references to public figures, major corporations, politicians and governments, the journalist also should make sure, in the cases of legal proceedings, that he will receive legal and editorial support for article's publication. At this point we have to highlight the direction of Michael Cuesta (known for the TV series Homeland - 2011-2012), which left some open spots for the viewer to take away their own conclusions about Webb's research. Was he naive or sloppy?

The script was based on the books Dark Alliance: The CIA, The Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion, written by Webb himself, and Kill the Messenger, a biography made ​​by Nick Schou. The cast, apart from the excellent performance of Jeremy Renner in the leading role, has big names as Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane - 2016), Michael Sheen (Midnight in Paris - 2011), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas - 1990) and Andy Garcia (The Godfather: Part III - 1990).

The movie still stands out by reporting the pressures, blackmails, physical and psychological violence which investigative journalists suffer to carry out their work. Not only the man's integrity is hit, but also of his family. The manipulation of information is evident. Artifices as to attack the credibility of these professionals are used shamelessly to stifle the truth, since the gossip often becomes more important (it gains more prominence) than the denounce itself.

Does freedom of the press really exist? Is the media free or does it suffer political, economic and social influence? What is the real role of the journalist? Are some stories too true to be told? The non-reliability of some sources completely invalidates a newspaper article to the point of turning it into a lie? Is the US government boycotting the disclosure of this story (film)? These are some of the questions that Kill the Messenger leaves up in the air.

In the face of recent situations, such as the Panama Papers and the revelations of Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks, all the reflection and the unrolling brought by the plot in Kill the Messenger gain other layers of significance and meaning.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

A movie with crime, suspense, horror and punk rock: can it still get better? Yes, it can! We are graced with the performances by Patrick Stewart (known for his interpretation of the captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation - 1987-1994 and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise) and Anton Yelchin (only mentioning some of his latest work: The Driftless Area - 2015, We Don't Belong Here - 2016, Star Trek Beyond - 2016 and Porto - 2016). The film Green Room gains even greater importance as one of the last works in which we see the actor Anton Yelchin, who died on June 19, 2016, at 27 years old, pressed by his own car against a concrete mailbox in the house where he lived.

Directed and written by Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin - 2013), Green Room tells the story of four young musicians, Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Akia Shawkat), Tiger (Callum Turner) and Reece (Joe Cole), members of a punk rock band called A'int Rights. With the tour's failure and the blunder made ​​by the producer with the payment of the show, they will perform for the last time for a neo-Nazi audience at a roadside club around Portland. After the show, by chance, they witness a crime in the dressing room. As the only witnesses, they are prevented by the contractors from leaving the place, being locked in a room. Living the most hardcore night of their lives, can they rely on the promise of the club owner, Darcy (Patrick Stewart), that everything will be fine?

Two key elements that the director uses to make the movie are tension and nervousness, employing the claustrophobic atmosphere of imprisonment to create some disquieting moments. The dark tone of the picture is fundamental in this process, relying on poorly lit and dirty environments, apart from the use of graphic violence to shock the viewer. The soundtrack is very subtle, almost going unnoticed at times.

Another gimmick for fans is all the characterization work of a punk rock band. The members of A'int Rights travel in a van, live with little money and due to the dream of being able to make a living with their music and art. Like every young musician in early career, they play in sh*tholes for a few bucks and participate in the underground scene of the cities. A funny and entertaining moment of the film is when the band plays the cover song Nazi Punks F*ck Off, written by Dead Kennedys, a visible provocation to the neo-Nazis who were there.

The cast was well chosen and here we have to highlight the performances of Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart. Playing two opposing forces, the first is sensitive and intense, while the second is cold, calm and meticulous. Stewart, giving life to the character of Darcy, imposes respect and arouses fear.

Green Room is a film with a simple script: be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even with a low budget, the director was very effective portraying the nightmare of the four young musicians. It's worth following Saulnier's next movies.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Every time someone talks about the film Scent of a Woman (1992) comes in memory the modern classic starring Al Pacino, which finally received the Oscar award for Best Actor. What few people know is that this movie is a remake of an Italian film Profumo di Donna (Scent of a Woman - 1974), adapted from the literary novel Il Buio and Il Miele - 1969, by Giovanni Arpino, and directed by Dino Risi.

Profumo di Donna tells the story of Captain Fausto Consolo (Vittorio Gassman), a retired soldier who lives alone with an old aunt in the city of Turin and decides to hold a 7-day train trip to Genoa, Rome and Naples. Having been blinded in an accident in a military operation, the army appointed a young soldier to accompany him on the tour, Giovanni Bertazzi (Alessandro Momo), to whom Fausto nicknames Ciccio. Ruled by women and alcoholic beverages their adventures seem innocent and fun, but as the journey unfolds, an obscure purpose is revealed.

Gassman's interpretation is one of the highlights of the movie and he even received the award for Best Actor in Cannes. The actor manages to impeccably convey all the internal conflict of the main character: Faust is a blind man and maimed left hand, melancholic, cynical, exhausted from his life's routine, behaving in a cruel and arrogant way, despite having acquired notable ease of movement and precise notion of the objects location. Ironic and uninhibited, he acts in a natural way, as if he could see, and takes advantage of his privileged condition (blindness) to make fun of dissimulation and pretense of society, with disdain by the conventions of compassion which he is also hostage. This ambiguous feeling of admiration and disgust for a character who has a grandeur that sometimes makes us even forget his physical limitation, but who is also unpleasant, bitter and sarcastic, reflects his conflictive personality, but at the same time also charismatic. Womanizer and drinker, blindness accentuated his other senses, especially the sense of smell. Even from a distance the presence of attractive women is perceived by scent, which leaves him ecstatic, making a perfect analogy to the title of the film: Profumo di Donna (Scent of a Woman).

The film shows the efforts that a person can do to hide their feelings and feed a false appearance of strength and security. The internal tension which Faust suffers guides his behavior and relationships with the people around him. In rejecting compassion and pity he ends up also rejecting affection and love. So the journey of the main character symbolizes a journey in search of himself, self-acceptance and the consent of other's people affection.

With a parallel plot, the film highlights the contrast between the captain and the young soldier. While Giovanni is a mixture of inexperience, naivety and insecurity, Faust stands for his experience, invulnerability and security that he appears to have. Rather than being a victim of a misfortune, the captain shows himself as the true guide in the story, reversing the roles between the blind man and his companion. As the trip goes by the young soldier learns life lessons, such as how to distinguish between appearance and reality, love and fraud, words and actions. The interpretation of Alessandro Momo is quite convincing, making him another standout in the movie. It was a shame his career being interrupted so early. The actor died in a motorcycle accident a few days after the film was completed. Sara (Agostina Belli) completes the trio of main characters. She is a young woman in love with Faust and does not conform to his sickness, being the only one who knows all his facets. Here we must highlight the work of the director Dino Risi, who manages to capture the best of each actor, interweaving good comedic moments with great dramatic situations.

The soundtrack is beautiful, managing to convey different feelings interpreted by the actors in the scenes, aside from involving the viewer in the narrative. The script builds up fine characters, developing brilliant dialogues. Gassman's gesticulation, Momo's self-restraint and Agostina's sensuality are noteworthy. The movie won two seats among the Oscar nominees: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Foreign Film.

With brief notes, the photograph depicts a casuistry time of Italian society, full of meanings. On the streets, on trains, in hotels, terraces, at parties and in their own language, slowly arises a profile of a society. The Italians are cheerful and receptive, talkative, using a lot the hands to gesticulate, speaking loudly and not sparing swear-words in their conversations. They are religious, romantic and spontaneous, but as all patriarchal society, they have very strong male and female stereotypes. Faust is an authoritarian man, who has to be seen as strong, an imposing figure. Sara reflects the situation of women, in which they dream to feel indispensable to the life of the men they love. All these aspects clearly translate the Mediterranean spirit.

Finally, as it should be, a brief comparison between the American version (1992) and the original movie (1974) is inevitable. The remake of Scent of a Woman is completely different from the Italian film. Relying on Hollywood aspects, such as the need to have an episode of trial, the American version lengthen the story too much, spending too much time with the student, bad acted by Chris O'Donnell. The scenes of tango and Ferrari are some of its strengths, but by opting for melodramatic twists, it ends up falling in some clichés. Its great success and prominence is the exceptional performance of Al Pacino. The two main actors in each version (Al Pacino and Vittorio Gassman) are impeccable, but the original movie has a special charm, being in many ways, more humane, sensitive, stripped-down and engaging. It's a pity that the American remake completely lost the Italian culture, both of everyday life in Italy and the Italian way of doing cinema of the 70s.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Science fiction movies have always aroused interest of directors and screenwriters and whetted the imagination of people. Z for Zachariah, based on the homonymous book by Robert C. O'Brien and directed by Craig Zobel, is a typical post-apocalyptic movie (to quote a recent film in that style we have the great The Survivalist - 2015) which focuses on drama and interpersonal relationships. Ann Burden (Margot Robbie, known for The Wolf of Wall Street - 2013) is a young woman who survived a nuclear disaster, which devastated almost the entire planet, in one of the only places not affected by the radiation: her family's farm. She lived alone with her dog Faro until the appearance of the scientist John Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor, known for 12 Years a Slave - 2013), which had managed to resist the tragedy thanks to its special costume. An affinity and a bond are established between them, but the arrival of another survivor, the mysterious Caleb (Chris Pine, known for the films Star Trek - 2009 and Star Trek Into Darkness - 2013), threatens the relationship between John and Ann and shatters the harmony of the place.

The pace of the film is slow, focused on drama and the internal conflicts of the three characters. Instead of external threats and great action scenes or destruction, the plot deals with the complexities of the human mind, such as game of interests, distrust, fear of being alone and people's different reactions when subjected to extreme situations. Thus, the success of this type of narrative depends on tension and suspense created by the script coupled to casting and director's skills.

The performances, by the way, left absolutely nothing to be desired. Chiwetel Ejiofor hands on all duality of his character, John, which is intelligent and skeptical, but at the same time, possessive and keeps some secrets. Margot Robbie embodies the role of Ann, a humble girl, religious, sweet and naive, which is vulnerable by the inexperience of life and the fear of loneliness. Chris Pine completes the cast of confused personalities with the mysterious and manipulative Caleb, who brings with him a dark past.

The photograph, taken with long shots to explore the beautiful nature of the region, and the good soundtrack are positive features in the movie. But small failures in script and direction eventually delivered a smaller film than it could be. The dialogues and the atmosphere of tension and conflict between the characters should be better developed, especially in the third act. There is a visible continuity error in the movie: Ann's dog simply vanish after Caleb's arrival, with no explanation at all. The end, built ambitiously to enable viewer's reflection and imagination, leave some loose ends which causes the feeling that a few scenes lacked depth. After all, Z for Zachariah creates tension and drama in some moments, besides having great performances.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

75 years ago, in the early hours of June 14, 1941, more than 40,000 people were deported from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. That was the beginning of mass banishments to Siberia and other remote regions of the USSR promoted by the Soviet authorities. Under secret orders of Stalin, this operation was aimed to remove dissidents of the socialist regime from their home countries to quell any opposition, and promote ethnic cleansing of the region. Among these thousands of deportees was Erna Tamm (Laura Peterson) and his family (daughter and husband). The movie Risttuules (original title) or In the Crosswind (in English) was inspired by the letters of Erna written from Siberia to her husband, Heldur (Tarmo Song), from whom she was separated by the Soviets.

In his first movie, the estonian director Martti Helde was bold in its proposal: to make an art film, in black and white, through the technique of tableaux vivants, to photographically recreate the memories described in the letters. As opposed to the traditional cinematographic narrative, the tableaux vivant makes use of static shot, in which the characters stand still as the camera slowly travels through the environment. The observed time is frozen, allowing us to focus the subtle details of each scene as well as the expressions of the actors and their body language. Everything leads us to believe that we are facing a common photographic representation, which is only denied by the wind moving some objects, such as clothing, branches and leaves or sheets of paper. The voice-over of Laura Peterson complements the recreation of those memories describing events and the feelings of the protagonist.

Erna Tamm led a normal and happy life with her family until the war came into their lives. To portray this radical and abrupt change the time started to elapse in another dimension, being marked by the composition of tableaux vivants images. And it remained so until the end of this tragic and distressing period in the life of the protagonist, when the war came to an end. Throughout this journey we take notes of the Soviet cruelties, with the deportees being transferred in inhumane conditions inside animal wagons, suffering humiliations, being subjected to forced labor, hunger, cold, aside from the lost of relatives, friends and above all, their freedom. The soundtrack and ambient sounds help to characterize the mourning atmosphere and the melancholy of the film: almost all hope was lost.

The human tragedy experienced by the inhabitants of the Baltic countries resulted in more than 590,000 victims of the holocaust during the Soviet occupation. With the break up of the USSR, Russia, its successor, aside from maintaining a rhetoric that denies the crimes committed, even glorifies the Soviet past, its leaders, symbols and actions.

Aesthetically impeccable, made to be contemplated, as every work of art is intended to be, and with a slow pace, In the Crosswind is definitely not a film for the general public. The way it is narrated flee from the ordinary way and might not please everyone, causing strangeness and monotony in some viewers. Far beyond the story that is intended to be told, the film provides an unique sensory experience that is at the same time sad but beautiful.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Cuba is a country that has always aroused much curiosity and interest of the people, either for its spectacular beaches or its culture and very peculiar history. Located in the Caribbean Sea, in the half of the twentieth century, the island undergone a revolution that would change the direction of Latin America, establishing and living the socialist regime since then. Thus, nothing more natural than the desire to know a little of the reality of the cubans. And this is exactly what the film Retour à Ithaque (in the original) or Return to Ithaca (in English) does: provides us with an understanding of the state of mind of the local population. The director is the french Laurent Cantet, known by its renowned Entre les Murs (The Class - 2008).

The story is set on the terrace of a building on the seafront in Havana, where five friends from youth, Rafa (Fernando Hechevarria), Tania (Isabel Santos), Aldo (Pedro Julio Diaz Ferran) and Eddy (Jorge Perugorría), now in their middle-age, come together to celebrate the return of Amadeo (Néstor Jiménez), who has lived in Spain for 16 years. His return awakens many dormant feelings in the group: lost loves, longings, frustrations, guilt and confrontations. In this period of less than 24 hours between the early afternoon and dawn of the next day, their destinations, the challenges of the past and present come to light.

The economic embargo imposed by the US government against Cuba brought grave consequences to the Caribbean country. The hardest period that the island known was the post-fall of the Berlin Wall, in the 1990s, with the end of the Soviet Union. The dissolution of Cuba's main trading partner caused a serious crisis in the cuban model, greatly impacting the lives of its inhabitants. During that time the protagonist of the story, Amadeo, left the country to live in Spain. The duality between stay on the island or get out of it is explicit in the attitude of each of the characters in the story. And here we are introduced to the sixth member of the plot: the city of Havana.

The panorama from a terrace of a building in the old center of the cuban capital covers the film's photograph with each one of its most important attributes: people living their little lives; crumbling buildings that resist time, carrying the weight of remote and recent history; the Malecón, a concrete boardwalk that runs along the edge of town, establishing the physical and psychological barrier which begin and end dreams and possibilities of many cubans; and the sea, as a promise and challenge, the boundary that divides the island from the rest of the world.

Cantet's direction produces an extremely vivid cinematographic array of rare authenticity and reality of scenes. Discussions are frighteningly credible, full of documentary features, with the camera circling the intimacy of the characters. The script, written with four hands by Laurent Cantet himself and also by Leonardo Padura (cuban author who gained notoriety with the book The Man Who Loved Dogs), contributes so that the dramatic narrative, filmed in one set, works. The story is engaging, cohesive and well written. In an interview to El País Padura told that the inspiration to compose the story came from one of his novels, La Novela de mi Vida. The actors, all cubans, gave convincing performances to their roles. With open scars and melancholy characters, they feel at the same time attraction and repulsion to the island, dream and disbelief.

Return to Ithaca is a movie that may well portray the current Brazil, which flirted dangerously with fascism/socialism/populism in recent decades and now finds itself plagued by the social/economic/political chaos. The Brazilian population, as well as cuban, after having lived a moment of boom where everything seemed to work and that the nation finally seemed headed to be the "country of the future", see themselves deceived by false promises and realize that everything was no more than an utopia. The country (model) to be copied, the unwavering faith of the people in the "savior" of the fatherland and the joy of the people are some of the analogies that can be drawn between the two countries. In the midst of all this, both in Brazil and in Cuba, it is disillusionment, abandoned dreams and bitter life in which millions of people were sentenced. Return to Ithaca tells the story of five cuban friends who have lived, or rather survived, in Havana during the worst crisis in Cuba, which could well be the report of five Brazilians in the worst crisis in the history of Brazil.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Several World War II stories are not told in the books, being forgotten over time. Inspired by true events, the film Under Sandet (original title) or Land of Mine (in English) addresses one of these reports, which occurred in Denmark after the war. Fearing that a possible Allied invasion would take place from the Danish coast, Nazi Germany filled the entire length of Denmark's west coast with over 1.5 million mines. With the German surrender and the end of the war in May 1945, more than 2,000 German prisoners of war were sent to disarm those landmines. The story focuses on a small group of young Germans who have the hard and dangerous task of clearing 45,000 mines from a danish beach to gain freedom.

The film, written and directed by Martin Zandvliet, is an excellent motion picture, managing to bring to the screen a work with a new approach, although all the other war films ever made before. With an original script, the director succeeds to convey the bitterness brought by five years of Nazi occupation in Denmark. He also portrays the exploitation of children dragged into war. One of the great successes of Zandvliet's direction and script is to show the war cycles: the winners, the danes, start to adopt the brutal practices of the losers, the Germans. It was precisely for situations like this that the Second World War broke out. France and other winning countries of World War required repairs and imposed absurd sanctions to Germany.

The photography, by Camilla Hjelm, is to behold. And here, again, we have to highlight the director's work. The use of long shot captures the beautiful danish landscape, while more intimate moments allow us to monitor the interactions among those soldiers. Maintaining an intense pace, the tranquility and vastness of the beach are contrasted, at all times, with the danger that awaits them "under the sand", expression that names the film. The soundtrack is catchy and at times heartbreaking, fitting in the drama narrated in the film.

One of the elements that makes Land of Mine a memorable experience is the excellent performance of Roland Møller, playing the role of Sergeant Carl Rasmussen, protagonist of the story. Responsible to oversee the group of German soldiers, Carl struggle to separate his military duties from the hatred he feels for the old enemy. The actor delivered a complex character, moody, bitter and angry, but at the same time which has not lost humanity that exists within him. The rest of the cast was also well chosen and psychologically developed, in which the actors who play the soldiers have different personalities.

With a philosophical discussion about military conflicts as well as being very intense and beautiful, Under Sandet gives us a real view of the complexities of the Second World War and human behavior.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Some movies aside from giving us a beautiful cinematographic experience still allow us to expand our worldview knowing a little bit more of other's people culture. In the icelandic movie Hrútar (original title) or Rams (in English) we are presented to the land of fire and ice and now sheep too! Ice due to it's location, near the Arctic Circle, with its numerous glaciers, which flow numerous rivers; fire because the country has the largest number of active volcanoes beside the geysers and hot springs; and sheep since there are more sheep than humans.

The story is an existential drama. In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Júlíusson) live side by side, dedicating themselves to their flock, who carry an ancient lineage in the country. Although they share the land and the way of life, they haven't talked to each other for 40 years. Soon after an annual contest to elect the best ram, a fatal and neurodegenerative infectious disease is discovered in one of Kiddi's sheep, putting the entire valley under threat. The authorities state that the region will be under quarantine, deciding to slaughter all the animals in the area to contain the outbreak. This is almost a death sentence for farmers, whose sheep are their main source of income. Since the local community lives only due to the creation of these animals, many farmers choose to abandon their land, but Gummi and Kiddi won't give up so easily. With authorities closing in to prevent the contamination from spreading, the brothers must come together to save their long award-winning line of sheep, besides themselves, from extinction.

In his first major film the director and also screenwriter Grímur Hákonarson skillfully crafts an engaging plot with slow narrative and psychological-emotional approach. Progressively the viewer is captivated by the story and by the relationship or survival difficulties of the two main characters. The tragedy's atmosphere present in the movie increases as the winter approaches and here we have to highlight the great work of the cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen. With the use of many long shots we follow without difficulty the trajectory of the characters and the hard conditions they face. We contemplate the beauty and uniqueness of the landscape of a region which goes from a vibrant and greeny environment to another white, dry, inhospitable and isolated, where the presence of intense cold and snow depict loneliness and exile. The soundtrack punctuates the whole movie, becoming increasingly gloomy with the change of season.

The difference of personality between the two brothers is beautifully crafted by the actors, being another strong point in the story. Gummi (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) is quiet and conformist while Kiddi (Theodor Júlíusson) is angry and drunkard. The unstated conflicts from the past arouse some mystery in the film and their present interactions cause some funny moments in this family drama.

Rams is a film about man's relationship with animals, his habitat and inner self. More than losing the conditions of life and work, losing the sheep means losing your identity, your way of life, losing the essence of what makes you be what you are. Hrútar won the Un Certain Regard Award for best movie at 2015 Cannes Festival.

Originally posted in: https://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

There is an expression in English that is often used to describe people or situations out of the ordinary: "it's a real gem". This is exactly how we classify the movie Coherence. But not for its millionaire budget, on the contrary, with an extremely limited budget it develops a complex and challenging narrative that can overshadow several blockbusters. Science fiction from the director James Ward Byrkit, with suspense and terror pinches, the film features four couples, Emily and Kevin (Emily Baldoni and Maury Sterling), Beth and Hugh (Elizabeth Gracen and Hugo Armstrong), Lee and Mike (Lorena Scafaria and Nicholas Brendon) and Laurie and Amir (Lauren Maher and Alex Manugian) that come together to make a dinner party at the home of one of them. The same night, a comet called Miller passes very close to Earth. Strange events are triggered, such as cellphones breaking, blackouts and people acting differently from how they usually do, turning the quiet dinner on a busy night of curious events.

The director (Byrkit) did a superb job since the film was recorded in just five nights, practically in one set (a house). The actors did not know what was going to be made​​, which contributed greatly to the suspense of the film. To them were given the characters and reported some personality traits and mood for the day of recording, then putting the triggers for what would pass and shooting what resulted. Here we must also highlight the cast. Although the movie does not have any known name, the actors do not disappoint and deliver excellent performances. The 8 characters have their importance well shared, with Emily (Emily Baldoni) being the protagonist.

The screenplay, also written by Byrkit, is bright and complex, exploiting to the full all its nuances. Developed with intelligence, everything that appears throughout the film is no accident: speeches, contextualization and objects. The smallest of details provides information that changes the understanding of the movie. Thus, the characters are part of a puzzle, making us constantly think about how each of its parts fits into the overall context of the film. Even the theory of Schrödinger's cat (a paradox of quantum physics) was used to make the film even more exciting. To make everything clear to the viewer, the characters themselves make notes to establish some things, being the protagonist a key part in monitoring and understanding the facts.

The photography, although simple, is so effective that makes it darker and more intimate. Filmed entirely with a hand-held camera and with some dark scenes, little can be seen in some scenes. These moments of pure darkness do not interfere at all at the understanding of the movie, but convey the right amount of tension and suspense to the viewer. The soundtrack complements the dark and suspenseful environment desired by the director. Alternating between quieter moments, with a discreet pace, and others more agitated, conveying a more frantic or dark beat.

Coherence is a movie full of twists that will leave you thinking about its many possibilities. Some people may want to watch it again, not only to understand it better, but mainly to capture several details that go unnoticed.

Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Few thriller movies can mess with your head to the point where you no longer know what is really happening there. 10 Cloverfield Lane is one of these films. After suffering a car accident, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) wakes up over a mattress on the floor, locked in a basement room. Desperate, she receives the visit of Howard (John Goodman), who reports that the world as she knows no longer exists due to a chemical attack. He saved her and brought her into his bunker, where they are safe. Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) was also helped by Howard and completes the last of the three leading characters. Suspicious of his history and not knowing whom to trust, she tries to get answers and find a way to leave the site.

The director Dan Trachtenberg did an impressive job playing with the public's expectations about what in fact is real or paranoia of the characters. We experience the same doubts as well as the protagonist Michelle. Much of this success is due to the actions of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, a mixture of vulnerability and strength, and John Goodman in one of the best performances of his career, with a dubious and unstable character, alternating between protective, threatening and crazy.

Tense and exciting, with a great picture and a tailored soundtrack, 10 Cloverfield Lane attempts to deceive you, provoking throughout the film the expression "what the f*ck is going on?". Watch it and try to find out.

Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Some good movies don't receive enough attention and end up being classified as underrated. The Invitation, from the director Karyn Kusama, is one of these cases. The less information about the plot the public know the best will be the cinematographic experience. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) was married to Eden (Tammy Blanchard), but after the accidental death of their young son, they divorced and she went away without giving news. Two years later she returns to seek her ex-husband, inviting him and his girlfriend Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) over for a reconciliation dinner, a reunion with the couple's old friends. Sadie (Lindsay Burdge) and Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch), unknown people to Will, are also present in the dinner. Accompanied by her new husband, David (Michiel Huisman), Eden is totally different from what she was before, awakening in Will the suspicion that the hosts have sinister plans against him.

The Invitation offers the audience a story with slow pace, projecting drama, suspense and mystery, besides the touch of paranoia that turns out to whet the curiosity of the viewer. As the protagonist we feel increasingly uncomfortable, seeing bad omens everywhere. The house, the visitors and their attitudes begin to arouse doubts and queries.

It is worth mentioning the great performances of the entire cast. Will (Logan Marshall-Green), unpredictable and suspicious to the level of almost become paranoid, Eden (Tammy Blanchard) with a melodramatic instinct, Sadie (Lindsay Burdge) extroverted, detached and wild and Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch), with a calm and very peculiar coldness. All these traits, together with a well-dosed soundtrack, arouse an eerie feeling in an environment where everyone seems suspicious. After all, is there a conspiracy or is it just the protagonist imagining things?

Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br

Some movies are better appreciated when little or nothing is known of its history. This is the case of the austrian horror/thriller film Goodnight Mommy (Ich seh, Ich seh; original title) from the directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. In an isolated house somewhere in Austria, the nine years old twins Elias (Elias Schwarz) and Lukas (Lukas Schwarz) expect their mother (Susanne Wuest) return home after a plastic surgery. However, with the bandaged face and a different and less affectionate behavior, the boys begin to doubt whether or not is really their mother who is there. This makes her an impostor, as they increasingly suspect, or just a bad mother?

It is in the mother's figure that lies the best construction of the film. In the first scene in which she appears, when she opens and closes the curtains and looks harshly at the children, we are slaughtered by their fear. The twins are shocked to look at the strange covered face creature. Since the children are the focus of the narrative, we follow the story through their eyes, which ultimately highlight only one side of the events.

The performances are intense. The twins Elias and Lukas Schwarz, who lend their names to the characters, and the mother played by Susanne Wuest, act in an exemplary way. The psychological and emotional aspects of the characters are well developed, contributing to spice up the family drama. The directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz made ​​an exquisite work by exploiting the conflict arising from the doubts of the boys.

Goodnight Mommy is a film that will, for several days, let the viewer immersed in questions about what happened there. It will also make couples seriously rethink the desire to have children...

Originally posted in: http://vikingbyheart.blogspot.com.br