Pasha's Film Reviews Etc.

6/10  Julieta lives under the constant shadow of a tragedy. When by chance she meets her daughter’s friend on a street in the city, her wound is disturbed and she is ready to face her past once more. Almadovar’s movies are usually full of larger than life characters, plots that can change direction in the middle of the story and with sexuality often being the real focus. JULIETA is not such a movie. While it is a return to what Almadovar does best - going into the psyche of women and giving us an intense melodrama - it is a subtle and melancholic movie, that doesn’t feel quite complete. Full of flash backs JULIETA is easy to follow, as her tragic past is revealed bit by bit. In a clever choice by the director, two leading ladies are representing her, not just at a different age, but also her different outlook on life. The movie is very much a split entity, just like the two faces of its protagonist, the country and the city. Locations in Spain are...

4/5 The Spanish fishing village is shaken by apparent suicide of a local fisherman. The same man many years ago was involved in a shipwreck. With a captain dead three sailors managed to get to the shore alive. The current death may be connected to that tragic stormy night. And a local detective Leo Caldas is on the case. DEATH OF A FISHERMAN is based on a bestselling novel. It's chapter-like construction is easy to follow. The setting of a sleepy fishermen town is spot on and the characters are colourful and charismatic. Spanish winner of two Goya Awards Carmello Gomez is convincing in the main role of a detective, however the viewer is not allowed to know about his character more than the premise of the murder mystery allows. The mystery itself is simple, but elegant, with a few red hearings pointing to the wrong direction, but you will be just one step ahead of the narrative. The final reveal is intriguing, even though could be easily predicted if you pay attenti...

4/5 Tomas leaves his home in snow-ridden Canada and travels to Madrid to give a surprise visit to his sick friend Julian. Julian has an aggressive cancer and is trying to put his affairs in order, this includes finding a new home for his beloved dog Truman. During the four days Tomas stays in Madrid the two men will experience many encounters, adventures and revelations, coping with the situation the best they can and enjoying their lives to the fullest, while Julian is ready to make the most important decision in his life. Director Cesc Gay’s follow up to his episodic and dialogue driven “A GUN IN EACH HAND”, is a movie that is, basically, a dialogue between the two men. Without going into extreme sentimentality and skipping the explanation about the characters’ past, TRUMAN tells the story of Julian and Tomas through their reaction to the present situation and the approaching loss. TRUMAN is shot on the streets of Madrid, a city that unites the two protagonists. ...

3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema...

4/5 In 1980, Detectives Huan and Pedro are on the case of two missing girls in the Spanish Deep South. Huan is a hot-head young detective, banished from the big city for his insubordination. Pedro is an old regime cop, crumbling by the burden of old sins from the reign of Franco. Two men, who belong to different eras, have to work together to catch a serial killer before he strikes again. MARSHLAND cannot escape a comparison with an American show TRUE DETECTIVE. Just like the HBO TV hit, the characterisation and the atmosphere are put far above the actual murder mystery, which may be simplistic, but a very realistic one in the end.  The movie has a grainy look, a  few quirky aerial shots and some good acting. It uses all the tools of TWIN PEAKS and THE KILLING, but it is a comparison you'd want. Besides, it looks damn fresh in the marshland Spanish outback. The mystery may be secondary, but it does not stop you to enjoy watching it unravel.  The film us...

* * * Roberto is a criminal lawyer who is estranged from his wife. He is worried about his kids leaving to Spain with their mother, but his fears are going to multiply when the children suddenly disappear while running down the stairs somewhere between the 7th and the ground floor. What had happened? Is one of the residents involved or is it someone from Roberto's work tries to settle the score? The claustrophobic paranoia insures. 7th Floor is a thriller confined in a claustrophobic space of the apartment block with a promise of a great mystery. Unfortunately the great concept comes undone when when the script runs out of ideas half way through and presents the most plausible, and rather obvious ending. The things go from bad to worse when awkwardly (and unnecessary) we are being taken beyond the premises of the crime, which breaks the atmosphere and pushes the story where we did not want it to go. Argentinian super stars Racardo Darin and Belen Rueda make a fi...

* * * * Jorge lives a quiet with his wife, son and daughter. A chance encounter with the wrong crowd and a dispute at night sends a street thug to jail. Two years later Jorge starts receiving disturbing phone calls. The man he accused has returned seeks revenge on him and his family. The abuse is getting worse and in the end it seems that Jorge has only one choice left. TO KILL A MAN is a little story about a little man who is quietly making a decision to take another man's life. The plot might have been done to death (pardon the pun), but it is meticulous proportion and structure that make TO KILL A MAN to stand out. Camera work puts you into Jorge's mind with static shots, calculated and measured, just like the insulin shots Jorge gives himself - a part of his daily routine. The film never spirals into a nailbiting thriller, but everything happening on screen feels real and raw, and therefore fascinating. TO KILL A MAN is full of...

* * * * LIVING IS EASY WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED is a line taken from the John Lennon song STRAWBERRY FIELDS. The film tells the real story of an English teacher Antonio who travels across SPAIN in order to meet his idol John Lennon. On his way he picks up two young hitchhikers, both escaping a pre-ordained fate. Our trio spends time bonding, talking and even falling in love, little by little figuring out what their next step towards the future shall be. Road trip movies are a genre of its own and the characters will either make them work or flop. LIVING spends a great deal of time introducing you to the leads (maybe a little longer than necessary), but as the trip begins everything comes together: the dialogue is sharp, the chemistry is perfect and the sunburned Spanish landscapes are breathtaking. The writers make you genuinely care about our heroes' fate. Also, being limited by the genre, one will find it hard to imagine anything bad happening to any of them...