lsorbd Reviews

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

A roller-coaster ride

[6/10 · 11 February 2015]

As a movie that has been hyped in all different ways - BDSM encouraging, feminist offender, female-freedom inspiring - we can say it surpasses all expectations. And that's not much.

Inspired by the novel by E. L. James (which has been called sophomoric and amateur), the page-to-screen transition has been done successfully. Even if you can feel the exact lines taken from the book sounding cheesy among the speech adaptations, all the worst lines are gone, but you can find lots of Christian's I-can-play-the- piano moments.

The movie goes fast-then-slow, paced strangely between little gags and seriously-taken moments. It never stops, though.

Dakota Johnson steals the movie for most of the time. Her performance is so builded-up as the movie goes that you can actually feel the journey she's going through. Jamie Dornan, as unfittable as he might have looked in the previews, "is" Mr. Grey. His shadowy behavior and self-trust is perfect.

Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Eloise Mumford, all fitting their roles. José, though, seems too forced. Supporting roles are reduced to a minimum, making the whole movie feel like an intimate observation of their relationship.

Sam Taylor-Wood seems to have done her best with the source material (even with the original author limitations on her work). It's a rare situation when the film surpasses the book by miles. She knows almost exactly when to play funny and when to go hard. Cinematography is top-notch, even if the aerial shots look reminiscent of Twilight.

It's a beautiful movie that tries to go deep, steps back and then ends abruptly just when you wanted more.

Loucas pra Casar (2015)

Goes deeper than you think

[8/10 · 25 January 2015]

Being advertised as a standard Brazilian, apparently brainless rom- com, this may be one of the few nation-release movies worth the ticket.

Characthers seem really one-dimensional at the start, but, as the story goes, they are fast-paced developed. The three-woman-conflict seem a little forced at most situations, but it perfectly converges into something thoughtful towards the end.

Ingrid Guimarães, known as one of the best (and most original) Latin comedians, makes room for Suzana Pires (a nice performance as the naughty lover) and Tatá Werneck, who gives her sharp-tongue, Christian Maria some extra layers of originality. Fabiana Karla, as a stereotyped lesbian, adds some efficient extra comic relief.

Short, but using most of its running time smartly, the Saback- Spadaccini screenplay may be one of the wisest ever written. It drives the public into the exact wrong conclusions they wanted to induce when it wants.

Problems are few, but they resonate during the movie. Some jokes are really country-ish, as it happens to most of movies made in Brazil. While it makes the movie a little misunderstood if seen with subtitles, it becomes no less enjoying. And the obsessive use of Pharrell's "Happy" may be one of the few mistakes, making it look like they couldn't license more songs (it plays 4-5 times during the movie).

While the promo material advertises it as a Latin "The Other Woman (2014)", it goes way further than the Cameron Diaz-driven comedy. Its hidden psychological background may be the best thing about this motion picture. It goes a little darker - and a lot deeper.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

Flawed start for a hopeful franchise

[7/10 · 21 August 2013]

I almost always agree with the critics, but this time. Yes, it has a lot of plot holes. And, yes, its climax isn't that worthy of applause. But this might be the first time you had so much fun with a newcomer since The Philosopher's Stone. And, curiously, it has almost the exact same flaws of the first HP movie: it doesn't know where it will lead, it has the pressure of being exactly like the book and kinda needs the support roles to make the movie a solid picture.

A lot of flaws that don't take off the shine of this movie: it's one of those times you watch a flawed start that could turn into a big franchise. Visuals are mostly breathtaking, CGI almost always in its best and a solid screenplay.

Main roles are fittable, if not the best representation of its book counterparts, and Lena Headey and Robert Sheehan steal the picture in almost every minute of their presence. Villains are a little messy - but don't you say Quirrell was a decent one. Jokes - even sexual ones - have a nice place.

But, most of the times, you can say you're watching a good movie by its direction: Harald Zwart abuses from different camera angles, making you follow the action and even get dizzy with its high vistas - something really nice for IMAX exhibitions, even if it's DMR-processed. Soundtrack is also a charm: Zedd's ''Into The Lair'' could have sounded cheap, but the scene it plays is directed so well, it seems perfect. Demi Lovato's can be judged as a audience-grabber, but it echoes during the movie as the love theme Lana Del Rey's ''Young and Beautiful'' came up to be in 2013's The Great Gatsby. Colbie Caillat's ''When The Darkness Comes'' is, though, the OST's least song, but it feels greater in the movie.

Gags rule the second act of the movie, but in such a dumb-laughing way, you feel they don't make the movie bad - or stupid - at all. No Lightning-Thief-messing-up. Disconsidering the book (and all of the discussions about Jace not being British), you can say it's a movie on its own: you ain't missing plots without reading the book and, if you feel there are lots of holes, they must be somewhat in the book too.

It's the summer (possibly) blockbuster you didn't know you were eagering for.

Xuxa Popstar (2000)

A Brazilian fashion-movie

[4/10 · 20 December 2011]

Despite all the marketing as the movie goes on, you can't deny it has some goodies sometimes. Comic relief could be a disaster, but Cláudia Rodrigues and Isabelle Drummond hold it well. The main plot is kinda cliché, but it still gets you interested. Interviews with fashion-world people make the movie look like a doc and the story more real, since real fashionists are involved with the ''fashion parades'' The only thing that makes you mad are the music interludes: yes, they could be cut out of the movie or, at least, shrank. But, as the movie is supported by the artists' labels, this was necessary. If you don't bother all the ads during the movie and let the story catch you attention, this may be some sort of a good movie. Just give it a chance.