Grading Scale: Highly Recommended Viewing, Recommended Viewing , Optional Viewing, Unadvised Viewing, Highly Unadvised Viewing
"Trance" by Danny Boyle: For the most part, Danny Boyle's latest effort is about style and ingenuity. It's an art theft thriller that revolves around the concept of hypnosis. The cast is terrific and Boyle has definitely refined his filmmaking. That being said, the effects of hypnosis seem blatantly exaggerated and the ending is kind of a tough sell; by the time the plot really starts unfolding you'll begin to realize that underneath all the elaborate plot devices there's not much to look at except a jumbled pile of neo noir fun. But if you're not expecting the next "Slumdog Millionaire", "127 Hours" or "Trainspotting" you're in for an enjoyable couple of hours. Optional Viewing.
"Spring Breakers" by Harmony Korine: It's literally the story of a bunch of teenage girls who rob a restaurant so they can have enough money to go on spring break vacation. "Spring Breakers" is probably Harmony Korine's most accessible film. Which is not saying much. I do believe, however, that in addition to being accessible it is his best, most coherent work since "Gummo". I wouldn't advise watching this film if you are unfamiliar with Korine's work, but if you are, you will be pleasantly surprised by harsh social commentary, dark ironic tone and postmodern reinvention of the idea of youthful spring break partying. Optional Viewing
"Star Trek: After Darkness" by JJ Abrams: Much like its predecessor, "After Darkness" is a major balancing act. It manages to simultaneously be a (resonably) action-packed Star Wars-ish sci fi flick and a geeky, faithful adaptation of the show that managed to capture the hearts of dozens (dozens I tell you!) of nerdy losers since the 1960s. So whether you're a clueless moviegoer or a hardcore trekkie, or anything in between, expect to be pleased and in some cases even enthused. That's the magic of JJ Abrams. Recommended Viewing
"Tabu" by Miguel Gomes: Set in colonial Africa, what a gorgeous, narratively rich film "Tabu" ended up being! Its well-crafted story is not inmediately appreciable for all its greatness, but in time you will start seeing Miguel Gomes' masterpiece for what it is: an aesthetic, cinematographic jewel of romance and storytelling. Even the prologue (it has a prologue!) is a sight for sore eyes and a story worth sharing. Highly Recommended Viewing
"The Great Gatsby" by Baz Lurhnman: Kids will love it. It's got a bitchin' soundtrack and the cinematography is so glossy it's like "Instagram: The Movie". Baz Lurhman has definitely got talents of some sorts and for the first half of the film it really shows. It may not be a great adaptation, but for the first half it starts out as an exciting, dazzling story in its own right. It's such a shame that by the end of the film, such careless, blasé take on what is often considered one of the greatest american novels ever has rendered the source material's core themes inert. By the time Tobey Maguire utters the words "tomorrow we'll run faster, stretch out our arms further" you can hardly tell why such a line would be there in the first place. Unadvised Viewing.
"Weekend" by Andrew Haigh: LGBT cinema has a pretty diverse, heterogeneous canon. It's hard to pick exactly which films would be considered "quintessential" for the gay community. I'd like to make the argument for Haigh's "Weekend", a humane, suprisingly authentic story about two men who make a genuine, raw connection over the course of a weekend. At times it may just seem like a gay chick flick, but other than that it's got a lotta soul and that alone is worth seeing, believe me. Highly Recommended Viewing.
"The Place Beyond The Pines" by Derek Cianfrance: After "Blue Valentine" Derek Cianfrance definitely has some indie cred, and "The Place Beyond the Pines" is just further proof of his very quaint American indie style of filmmaking. His latest film, a cops-and-robbers epic of sorts, is much more ambitious, insightful and self-important than his last but at the same time it feels less cohesive, more bloated, more of a disaster. Don't get me wrong, there are good scenes there, tons of stuff worth watching. It's only as a whole that the film seems lacking, longing for a clearer message. Optional Viewing
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