Kon-Tiki (2012)

What may one say about a man who sailed on a raft on a journey of 8.000 Km on the sea without knowing how to swim, in order to prove its theory? Kon-Tiki, a true story, shows the human spirit at its highest peak …

My rating: 07/10

Life of Pi (2012)

What makes a film special? Amazing scenes of beauty? A script that makes one feel complete? One that addresses its inner questions and wonders? Acting that keeps the spectator pinned down on the story told? The story on top of the obvious story? The hope conveyed despite the ugliness that surrounds us and some times presses on us really hard?

May be all of it 🙂 The “Life of Pi” has it all..

My rating: 08/10

PS. One of the most heartbreaking parts of the movie is the one of the separation of Pi with Charlie Parker. What really hurts there, could not be described better.

Holy Motors (2012)

Oscar: a person in a limo with a number of appointments arranged by the “Office”. Appointments which are extremely different between them. Oscar changes faces, clothing, attitude, posture, everything. Oscar becomes totally different every time to accommodate the needs of its next role.

He must be a banker, a beggar, a dancer  using a motion capture uniform, a repulsive inhuman grotesque figure, a father, a musician, etc. Time is always against him. He must fulfill all these appointments within a day. A feast driven by his desire to “disguise” himself.

Does it ring a bell? Holy Motors  is an allegory :). My interpretation follows … My suggestion: read it after you’ve seen the film.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

“Princess Mononoke” carries the distilled wisdom of a lifetime and more. One might say that it is the Japanese cartoon version of something vaguely similar to the “Lord of the Rings” but much more beautiful at so many levels.

There are enemies, different clans, conspiracies, fights and fierce battles. There are conflicting goal, misunderstandings, hatred, curses and love.

But one may see many more than just a tale told in an elegant way presented with beautiful (and sometimes amazing) graphics:

• A notion about the nature of hatred, how it is generated, how it is contagious and how it may be mitigated and eliminated
• The relationship of humans with nature, the harm we do to it and how we depend on it
• and so many others …

Although the graphics may be less impressive than the ones in “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)“, the story is more solid, dense and related to the human nature and problems.

My rating: 08/10

The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (2012)

“The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology” is an equally good movie as “The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema“. Slavoj Žižek, with a logic sharp as a razor, analyzes how an ideology works, the hidden concepts conveyed “between the lines” in each and every one of them and why they are not so different between them after all! It is really astonishing to see the commonality between Christianity and Communism following his way of thinking.

Again, a number of films is used to draw material from and support his arguments. What was more intriguing for me was the fact that he brought up two of my favorite movies that few people remember: They Live (1988) and Seconds (1966) which have a lot to say at a level above the mere film story.

Even if one does not agree with the concepts presented, it is still an excellent movie to watch and think about.

My rating: 10/10