'Avatar' (James Cameron, 2009)

Title: 'Avatar'

Release Year: 2009

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore.

Plot: 2154. After he loses both of his legs, Jake Sully is commanded the mission of infiltrating between the Na'vis, the native inhabitants of planet Pandora, which contains the solution to the Earth's energy crisis. To do that, he uses an Avatar with which he can finally move his legs again. But after he's saved by one of the Na'vis and accepted among them, the vision he has on whether he belongs to a side or another blurs.

Review: I first saw 'Avatar' a couple of years ago and had no intention to include it in the project, but after thinking about it, I convinced myself that its technological achievements were worth mentioning (we're talking about America's cinema history, which -although I focused on them- it's not necessarily the same as America's best films).

So before we go the obvious negative side, let's point that out; 'Avatar''s technology is groundbreaking. The results of Cameron's efforts through more than a decade. The special effects are remarkable and the new methods he used to capture actors' gestures justify the movie's atrocious budget. But is that enough to praise a film?

Let's not fool ourselves. If 'Avatar' became such a hit three years ago it's because it had the name of Titanic's director behind and people turned blind with it's marketing campaign: "Hey! The production cost 300 milion dollars, those effects must be really good!" Gimmicks. That's one of the reasons I love independent cinema; there, a movie must earn the audience, not buy it. And both mainstream public and film industry keep making the same mistake; we eat what they sell us, no matter how fresh or rotten it is, we don't stop a second to be critical.

Avatar special effects are impressive, but the only other field in which it outstands is in reminding us that we mustn't be fooled by mainstream tendencies, a trend that's becoming dangerously common in modern day society (and nowadays' film industry)

And I accept that Avatar was not horrible. I'm not going to say that it's the typical terrible blockbuster that audiences devour in summer. However, smashing the box-office is one thing (not very much can be expected from those responsible for making 'Transformers'' last film another economic success) and receiving critical praise is another. I mean; Oscars? Really? Of course the movie had a ticket for the Kodak Theatre since Cameron made public how much the special effects cost, but Best Film? We can't let the general craze think for us. 'Avatar' was far from bad, but it was even further from outstanding; the plot was corny, predictable and less original than a yogurt's advertisement (Anybody remembered 'Pocahontas' when they decided the nominees?) and I'm sorry, (not really) but Cameron's budget can't hide that with so many effects the avatar's expressions (intended to look exactly like the actor's ones) were less natural than Belen Esteban selling precooked chicken. 'Avatar' was, most of the time, entertaining. Nothing more. The only thing that James Cameron did (which he didn't need to when actually good material was behind 'Titanic') was hiding his film's flaws behind gimmicks. And groundbreaking cinema is about finding new acting techniques, or delivering fresh stories. In this case we only see an overrated blockbuster that through a good campaign and Cameron's tricks became one of the most mediocre Academy Award nominated films for the Best Picture category in the last decade. And it almost won...

'The Departed' (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

Title: 'The Departed'

Release Year: 2006

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga.

Plot: Determined to destroy Massachusset's biggest mafia gang, the city's police department infiltrates Billy Costigan. What they don't know is that they themselves have a mole in their lines.

Review: Martin Scorsese is one of the most reputed directors alive and a master of his field. For this reason it was a big question mark back in 2006 how he had never won an Oscar in his long career. That 'curse' ended with 'The Departed'.

Part of the movie's success is undeniably tied to its impressive and twisted plot. At the beginning of the film it's easy to get lost trying to figure out who's by whose side, but later on you discover that its the plot itself the one that helps to give the tension that permeates the characters, especially DiCaprio's Billy Costigan.

'The Departed' owes half of its praise to its complex script, which leads the film to such a difficult situation that a happy ending seems hopelessly complicated. The fact that the audience only expects the worst contributes the film's growing tension

The other major achievement of the film was its performances. The cast is top notch. In a film where you need a strong leading figure not to get lost in the transition between two very different worlds that are very connected, Matt Damon offers a solid performance but it's DiCaprio who knocks us out. And he does it powerfully and deeply, as deep as his character's growing anxiety, who rises the film's tense sensation until the very end. In the supporting roles, Nicholson proves once more the great actor he is and Wahlberg is as politically incorrect as amusing.

It's hard to remember DiCaprio in a better performance, and that's a lot said by a huge 'Titanic' fan. His character drags a hidden yet intense emotional charge; not only we observe how his undercover job shatters his mental peace, but we also see how he's unfairly used in a game where the odds were not in his favor since the beginning

With a brilliant soundtrack, smart, intelligent, violent, dramatic, tense, complex, gorgeously performed and superbly directed, 'The Departed' was a major win for Scorsese, and his ticket to the golden statuette (which he had deserverd for a long time).

'Chicago' (Rob Marshall, 2002)

Title: 'Chicago'

Release Year: 2002

Director: Rob Marshall

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Christine Baranski, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu.

Plot: After murdering their respective couples, Velma and Roxie found themselves in prison waiting for their trials. The first one a star and the second one a diva-wanna-be, only the help of Billy Flynn, a sucessful lawyer, can return them what they want the most: fame.

Review: At the beginning of the 2000s, the musical was revitalized. The reason? 'Moulin Rouge' (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) and 'Chicago' (Rob Marshall, 2002). The second one was a huge hit, becoming a surprising box-office success and one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year.

That was mainly thanks to an impressive cast, led by the amusing and talented Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones, both delivering terrific performances. But not only they were outstanding; Gere embodied a cynical attorney, ready to transform any lie into the most credible truth, knowing that the audience would believe what he told them to believe. Latifah and Reilly completed the marvellous ensemble of 'Chicago'.

Two dangerous ladies: in the best roles of their careers, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones became murderous divas and enemies for the film

In my opinion, apart from them, the movie succeeded for two reasons. The first one was its message: Good things happening to bad people? Oh, yes! Film industry is full of well-intentioned heroes, but here we find the worst people you can imagine, prepared to kill for what they want (fame, money, fans, etc.)... and anyway you like them.

In a society that forgot things easily, was it really surprising that two criminals became stars?

The second reason was the music itself. Contrary to 'Cabaret', I loved every musical number; on the one hand they were perfectly executed, funny and featured amazing songs, on the other hand they were very helpful and definitely necessary to make the story move on. My favorites? All of them. Here there are some of them:

'All That Jazz': 'Chicago''s opening number performed by Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly after murdering both her sister and her husband

'Funny Honey': Roxie dedicates a song to her beloved (and dumb) husband

'Cell Block Tango': wonderfully edited and masterfully performed, the women in prison explain to Roxie how they ended there

'Roxie (The Name on Everybody's Lips)'; Roxie's biggest number

'I can't do it alone': desperate to get out of prison and forgotten by everyone, Velma tries to join forces with Roxie, who's now a rising star

'We both reached for the gun' or how to manipulate press to make them think what you want while waiting for the final trial. Zellweger and Gere's compenetration is incredible

Mr. Cellophane: meanwhile, in the shadows, Roxie's husband starts to see how invisible he is...

After winning the trial but losing the fame she wanted so desperately, Roxie becomes a nobody again...

...Until Velma convinces her to team up. Because, as she says, 'there's only one business where that [hating each other] is not a problem at all...'

All in all, 'Chicago' is a wonderful film. A must-see work of art for the musical lovers, the performance of a lifetime for Zeta-Jones and Zellweger (which will surely not be repeted) and one of my all-time favorite movies, one that reminds us of the fact that we must get what we want... at any price? Well, meanwhile we can always wait and just try to move on:

'I move on' (starting at 1:15): featured in the credits, 'Chicago''s final number closes the movie while showing us how, no matter what, Velma and Roxie will continue to struggle to get their beloved fame... even if they have to commit murder in the meantime.

'The Hours' (Stephen Daldry, 2002)

Title: 'The Hours'

Release Year: 2002

Director: Stephen Daldry

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Stephen Dillane, Miranda Richardson, John C. Reilly, Toni Collette, Ed Harris.

Plot: 'The Hours' connects the story of three different women living in three different ages with the novel 'Mrs. Dalloway'. In the early 1920s, we find its troubled writer Virginia Woolf. In the 1950s, Laura Brown reads it as she questions herself what she is going to do with her life. While preparing a party in honor of her friend Richard's career (of whom she takes care because he's ill with AIDS), Clarissa Vaughan embodies the perfect Mrs. Dalloway as her entire world crumbles around her.

Review: 'The Hours' is one of my favorite movies. It features a cast at its best, a wonderful script and the perfect score to achieve a work of art, a proof that the late 1990s and early 2000s were golden years for now respectable actors.

On the one hand, Nicole Kidman delivers a raw, powerful performance with a wide range of emotions, from rage to the most absolute desolation. Kidman embodies a mortified and caged Virginia Woolf who tries to escape the daily excrutiating routine that both her husband and the doctors that treat her force her to follow. As she says in the following scene (executed to perfection and one of the finest interpretative showcases that Kidman has had to the date), trapped in a quietness that she can bear, she's slowly dying, desperate to return to London even if that threatens her unstable mind:

In a time when, having the whole package (a mentally ill woman), she had no freedom, Nicole Kidman's Virginia Woolf claimed for the 'rights of every human being' when she said to her husband that she would rather be dead than be left in a town where she was already dying

On the other hand, we find Julianne More, a depressive housewive that has realized that having everything a woman would ask for at that time, she's terribly unhappy. Through the movie she tries to commit suicide, but stops in the last moment, being unable to kill her unborn child with her. Instead, she waits until he's born and then, she abandons her family.

Choosing Life: An old Laura Brown (Moore) tells Meryl Streep how she left her family

Which leads us to the last part. In the present, Clarissa Vaughan prepares a party for her friend Richard... Laura Brown's son, who lives his days remembering the past as AIDS consumes him. Ed Harris nails his inspiring yet depressive role, but it's Streep who gets most of the screentime. And somehow she tries to make a powerful performance too hard, slightly overacting and breaking the beautiful quietness of the film. She's very committed to her role and you can't help feeling sorry for her character when although she tries to put every piece of her life together, everything falls apart,  but she would have been better as a mere spectator, because when others take the lead, 'The Hours' creates wonderful scenes:

After a whole day preparing the party for her friend, Clarissa arrives at Richard's house to discover that the memories of his past have dragged him to his lowest yet most lucid state... ultimately killing himself

And this way, 'The Hours' reaches the end of its life. Literally. As the film concludes, we witness Woolf's suicide, as she says goodbye to her husband in a heartfelt letter. Closing a film that describes the inner devils of people's life and how inexplicable sadness can cage people into depressive states of mind, both the opening and the ending recreate the same scene (cut in two); Virginia's farewell.

'Dear Leonard...': Virginia Woolf says goodbye to her daily torture of voices and nightmares, as she also says goodbye to her beloved husband

'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (Peter Jackson, 2001)

Title: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'

Release Year: 2001

Director: Peter Jackson

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm

Plot: In the Second Age, Dark Lord Sauron created a powerful ring to enslave the whole Middle-earth. After the ring falls in the hands of young hobbit Frodo Baggins, he initiates a journey with his  brave allies to destroy it. 

Review: Do you remember when I said that Star Wars lacked the depth to be something more than a mere entertaining blockbuster? I had 'The Lord of the Rings' in mind.

Visually dazzling (impressive digital edition), with immense locations and a powerful score, 'The Lord of the Rings' is the ultimate epic, not only for its large budget, but also for its overwhelming inner world (created by villages, civilization, languages...) and the personal fights that every character battles in relation with the attractive yet evil ring (being Gollum the clearest example of self-destruction over the little jewel).

All together, it results in a dreamy universe where you don't mind being drowned. Contrary to Star Wars, which awakes a tenuous desire of following with the saga for its iconic paper in cinema history more than anything, 'The Fellowship of the Ring' catches audiences thanks to its quality and its characters construction, creating a much stronger connection and dragging the viewer to a real cinematographic experience.

Gandalf represents a paternal figure for Frodo and leads him through the Middle-Earth dangers that await him

Moreover, the cast is much more talented than the media in blockbusters world; Ian MacKellen's Gandalf has made a name in film history, while the rest of the cast contributes to creating recognizable  personages. From the innocent youth embodied by Frodo to the cold beauty of Cate Blanchett, going through the loyal nobility of Aragorn. Each of them participates in a massive blockbuster which will bring fame to Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen, apart from an Academy Award nomination for MacKellen.

All together, 'The Lord of the Rings' embodies what all blockbusters should be; a work of art that uses its huge budget to contribute to the creation of a dazzling universe, where light and darkness join to deliver a modern masterpiece with a quality out of this world, the beginning of an epic story.

The first installment of The Lord of the Rings delivers an impressive epic story