greenylennon

As you sit in front of Le Prénom, you can't help but think how many similarities it shares with Carnage (Polanski, 2011): same middle class context, almost the same setting, but with that French flavour that makes everything much tastier. Vincent is about to become father for the first time, and, during a dinner at his sister's house, he's asked about the name his wife Anna and he want to give their son. This simple, lame question sets off an evening where secrets are revealed, feelings are declared and hypocrisy is unmasked.

I think the movie, built on a very strong and witty screenplay, wouldn't have worked the same if the actors hadn't been so good, with so much remarkable chemistry between them. The cast is directed as if it were a company in a theatre: everyone has to be empathic with the others, in order to make the script work.

Better to watch it in original language, with subtitles: it's worth the risk to miss some of the dialogue.

It is funny to realize how unfair it is that such a gentle, yet unlucky, movie like this has been a failure, while craps like Saw 3D choke up theaters for more than three days. Sweet Bliss, tortoiseshell glasses and clothes only "Ghost World"'s Enid would wear, lives in a small Texas town, studies at the local high school and works as a waitress in a garish diner together with Pash, her wise and chubby best friend (Alia Shawkat, a freckled face perfect for this slightly unrewarding role). Bliss's mother is a former beauty queen, and therefore carries her reluctant daughter to incredibly poor pageants; but, respect to many movie characters of mothers ready for anything, she's a caring woman, who has probably suffered and who wishes all the best for her children. It's easy to notice that "Whip It" is a movie ruled by women, because Bliss, in the attempt to turn her life upside down, tells a lie about her age and enters in an Austin roller derby team. It was only to be expected that Bliss/Babe Ruthless turns out to be born to score points on the skates, finds love in the super-hipster Oliver and friendship in her shabby team mates, but, since we're given an equal quantity of laughters and tears, her choices compel Bliss to neglect Pash and to tell her family too much lies. Plot is more than predictable and follows the structure of sport fairy tales like "Ice Princess", but first-time director Drew Barrymore covers everything with a delicate, feminine, graceful spirit, and builds up a delightful leading lady, whose coming of age can be easily enjoyed. Kudos to a perfect Page, that, even in a less flamboyant role than Juno, forgets the sassy lines and plays a shy girl who gets to know herself and knocks down all her insecurities, in the name of Girl Power. Barrymore makes a movie that recalls the sport movies from the Seventies and the girl power from the Nineties, mixed up in a very faithful portrait of the suburbs and of the provincial way of thinking. The atmosphere turns melancholic in the last quarter, when Bliss must pick up the pieces and fix things with her parents, with Pash, with Oliver, with her favorite team mate Maggie Mayhem. The technical aspects are the weak points. Editing is rough and cinematography tends to zoom abruptly, but Barrymore can still improve a lot. Go girls!

It's time to know Alo, the red-haired boy always wearing that weird bone necklace. Alo lives in the countryside (which gives us the opportunity to shift our attention from Bristol for a while) with mum, dad, the dog Rags and Dewi, a mysterious man helping his father in the farming works. Poor Alo: his mother is what we could define a castrating woman, both to him and to her husband, and, when she's made a decision, she doesn't turn back. So, when she decides Alo must leave college, Alo must leave college. Things happen in the background: Franky and Mini keep hiding something, and Grace and Rich's relationship finally gets to the next level (but we don't see it, a choice somewhat delicate but perhaps disappointing for the couple's fans), while Alo struggles to grow up and be more than the weird farm boy. A good episode, but not great ("Liv" still the best so far): season is approaching to the finale and we still have other surprises to find out.

After the great episodes focused on Mini and Liv, here comes a more relaxed episode about Nick, the character I less cared about. Nick is a rugby champion, he's cool and he has a girlfriend his team mates would die for. But, at home, the situation is not so great (just watching his father for a few seconds may help supposing what's like living with him). We're done with the first half of the season and plot is tightening up, while some new elements are introduced, for example I think Franky will be involved in Liv/Matty's storyline, and Mini is gradually changing and maybe she's gonna be the most transformed character next season, as it happened with Katie Fitch in the previous generation. This is a transition episode and there is not much more left to say.

Skins 5 is almost reaching the high level of the best episodes from Season 1 & 2. Why is it still fresh after five seasons? Because of the scripts: they ooze sincerity, even if situations are obviously larger than life, but if scripts didn't ooze sincerity, the series wouldn't be so successful in portraying not only the teenage wasteland, but life, in some ways. Never as with this season the parents of our heroes are real folks, not the typical parent who doesn't care about you and no child would have around. This time we get to know Liv: at first I thought she was a naughtier version of Jal (if Mini was the new Michelle, someone had to be the new Jal), and I couldn't stand her fierce, party-girl attitude. Getting to know her was a pleasure, because I was put in front of a very fragile, confused, messed up girl who has to hide her own weaknesses if she wants to survive. The episode went from aerial and dreamy tones of the scenes with Matty (such a great character) to the tough and sad sequences involving a furious Mini, and Liv's mother and sisters. It was just like living a whole roller-coaster day with Liv. I must mention the soundtrack, which contains a lot of interesting alternative artists (The National, Best Coast, Beach House, a beautiful revival of an old Simon and Garfunkel song).

Mini has a freckled angel face, long blond hair: she's a very beautiful girl, surrounded by a bunch of friends and a popular, hot boyfriend. But there's more than meets the eye, and being the girl everybody aspires to be friends with, or to make love to, has a lot of negative consequences, as Mini will soon learn. I didn't like her, in the beginning. I felt she was false and bitchy just like every other blonde in every other show, but I forgot that Skins is NOT your typical teen drama, because each character has more sides, and Mini, as the tradition of Skins claims (the most stereotyped characters are the ones with more things to say), is very complex and hides some secrets you couldn't tell at first glance. She's not the new Michelle Richardson, for sure; and she's not even stupid and insensible as I thought. Freya Mavor portrays Mini with freshness and innocence, and she could possibly grow even more in her acting skills. We're just at the beginning. Best scene? The confrontation between Franky and Mini.

When there's Cassie around, you always have a magnificent Skins episode, like this, that's able to make you see the world through someone's else eyes. I feel sorry for Cassie, because she doesn't deserve the parents she got (I mean, which mother is so heartless that doesn't even care about her daughter's health situation?), she doesn't deserve the friends she got (it seems that nobody wants to watch at her problems. See Michelle, that calls her "crazy bitch". She's drunken and half asleep, but there's the famous saying "in vino veritas".. you know what I mean?). The only light for her could be Sid, but Sid has his own issues.

Painful the way teachers and educational system are depicted here.

I'm watching again Skins' first season, in original language with subtitles because Italian dubbing isn't the best we could hope for.

To tell the truth, this first episode is not very good since it doesn't contain any character development or heart under it. It simply shows a group of teenagers behaving in an hedonistic manner (exaggerated, but in some ways possible in the reality), without analyzing this behavior's causes. Anyway, this is only the first episode and there's a whole season that still has to unfold. Hannah Murray gives an hint of what her Cassie will be: I think she's the best actress of the cast, and she's also given the most interesting character.

I still can't forget the first minutes, with a silent Effy sneaking in home after a wild night out.

Saying goodbye to a whole bunch of characters you learnt to love episode after episode is never a nice thing to do. I already had experienced this when the unforgettable Generation 1 left, leaving many situations unresolved as in real life; then Generation 2 came, and even if in the first moments I didn't like the change, I accepted it little by little, step after step, until I started to care for these kids and to love them. Now it's difficult to realize this generations will be replaced by other kids (I think Karen or Mandy or Matt, Sophia's brother, are going to come back in the next season), and it's painful to watch an episode like this, maybe the most disappointing in this overall wonderful fourth series. The technical aspects were always good, and Lily Loveless had her moment of glory here - this girl has potential - but.. the episode left me quite cold. Many things weren't developed or explained well; the final was pointless. I save this for the soundtrack, for Pandora's singing scene and for Loveless' acting.

I believed that the first season was the better. After watching this episode, I had to change idea. Fourth season is more beautiful and lyrical than the first one, although it lacks humour. I'd feel a criminal to spoil the plot, because it's so full of subtleties and surprises that you must see the episode; if I had to compare it, I would compare it to the second-last episode in season two, with Cook behaving as Michelle behaved, and the scene at the pub as the supper scene at Chris and Cassie's place (my humble opinion). I didn't like a lot Cook and Effy before, but here I changed opinion: Effy is so well written and well acted, she doesn't seem a TV character.

The dialogue scenes (Effy and Naomi at the hospital, Cook and Effy at the park) and the scenes between Effy and Freddy are top notch, and soundtrack is perfectly chosen. Don't miss this one.

I already said before this season is quite gloomy and, despite his high quality, the irony lacks. This was a refreshing episode on this point of view, because it started in a very light mood, showing the best and most human side of JJ, one of the most underrated characters in the series but one of the most lovely. Then, suddenly, the atmosphere started to darken a little bit as the episode analyzed a sadly popular phenomenon in England nowadays, the teen moms (it was previously slightly touched in the last part of second season): who could ever imagine the punkish-pink-haired Lara was Albert's mother? By the way, nice choice for her role, I liked Georgia Henshaw. It is not the best episode of the series, but it was sweet and lighter, and there were some scenes just well written, such as the dialogue between JJ and the heart-broken Emily, which I particularly liked. The series is nearly completed now, but I feel next episode will give us some shivers!

I had been waiting for this film since his first announcement in 2008, so it was natural that I expected a lot from Tim Burton and the remaining crew, after the wonderful Sweeney Todd and the insuperable Big Fish, which for me is the best Tim Burton work so far. Failing to mention that I was very disappointed in finding out my running-wild myopia doesn't allow me to see 3D films (I still have trouble with my sight, and I came back from cinema one hour ago), I think the visuals are a delight, surely worth of the definition "Wonderland": tortuous trees, garish flowers, Cheshire Cat and Blue Caterpillar better than Disney's, disproportionate queens and fantastic architectures, the crew couldn't do a better work, not to mention the costumes, the cinematography and the casting - although I didn't like the soundtrack and the score. Mia Wasikowska is a good breakthrough for the film, Anne Hathaway had a role that had a high risk of over-acting and ridiculousness, which she pulled off quite well, and Burton-darlings Depp and Bonham Carter were perfect as usual. But, but... there's something I didn't quite like. I often had the impression this was a film on commission, not generated by the filmmaker's own creativity and desire to produce a new work, and that's why "Alice" lacked a lot of the poetry present in so many Burton films, the mostly loved factor, I think, of his production. I couldn't feel any true inspiration here, and it was a kind of letdown, because, if only it featured a tiny bit of inspiration, it could be a masterpiece remembered in years. I'm afraid "Alice" will remain only a minor movie in Tim Burton's filmography, and it will be mainly quoted for its outer beauty. I'm sorry I'm giving a Tim Burton's film a 7, but I think this is the rightest vote, considering the reasons I previously tried to analyze.

After the magnificent last episode, I was a little disappointed by this one, that, nevertheless, was interesting and deserving. Although it was meant to concentrate on Freddie (maybe the weakest character in the group), I felt everything was pointed on Effy and Freddie wasn't given that much as I had hoped, but well, that's my humble opinion. Now I'm feeling strange writing this comment, because I still have to metabolize what I've seen, which was in many ways different from the usual Skins, talking about directing style (a lot of hand-held camera and slant frames) and themes developed, I've never thought Skins could face such serious issues. All in all, I'm waiting Effy's episode hoping some things will be cleared enough.

"Katie" is the best episode in this series so far, as it provides a wonderful, deep screenplay able to deal with serious themes in a basically teen-oriented TV drama. Katie, Emily's twin sister, wants the perfect everything, but while she dreams the ideal life, her family is falling to pieces because her father lost his gym, her mother failed with her new company and Emily doesn't want to speak to her family. As if it weren't enough, Katie finds out she is prematurely sterile. But things won't go that bad, in the end. There are at least two unforgettable sequences in this episode: the cigarette smoked with Effy by the sea, and the dialogue with Thomas, the sweet, wise, indispensable Thomas: you clearly see by watching these scenes that this episode has been written by a woman, Georgia Lester, who as a woman can understand perfectly what Katie is feeling right now. Megan Prescott gives a stunning performance this time, and I've always preferred her sister Kathryn (Emily) to her; and Lily Loveless is good as usual. To sum up, I couldn't find a wrong actor. Very good soundtrack, I've never thought to "Why Don't You Do Something" by Britney Spears a song fit to be soundtrack to a catfight (believe it or not!).

I've never been a fan of Cook, or, to be true, I pretty much hated him in the third series. So, I expected a lot from this episode because, seeing the sneak peeks, it showed great potential. I wasn't disappointed and I had the impression throughout to watch a movie meant for the silver screen and not a TV episode, because the character development went very deeply in Cook's soul and story, explaining to us why he behaves this way and who are his parents (we saw his father in the third series, but he was nothing compared to his unbelievable mother, a pretentious and loose conceptual artist), and maybe giving him a chance of redemption passing through a period of punishment. We already know it, but thanks to his episode Skins fits perfectly in the category of adult TV drama, because it has nothing to share with more popular American shows such as Gossip Girl.

The best scene is the dialogue between Cook and the beautiful, unattainable Effy at the parlour: a very realistic conversation with some sparkles of poetry here and there, which is the main feature of Skins.

"If you splash about, other people get wet" (Cook to Naomi).

As I said for the previous chapter, the atmosphere grows gloomy and gloomy, for the first time in Skins' history there's no humour softening the plot. It was to be expected that this chapter was about Sophia's mysterious death, and that Naomi would have shown a not very nice side of herself: we see everything from Emily's point of view. Emily is having problems at home, with her mom not liking her relationship with Naomi, her dad facing unemployment, her twin sister Katie more bitchy than ever and now in an affair with a dull postman; besides, she cares too much for Sophia's family, unlike Naomi. I felt a lot of sadness during this episode, or, I say better, I felt the same emotions as Emily: disappointment, confusion, angst. That's why directing and screenplay are very, very good: characters show more sides of themselves and become nearly real people and, technically speaking, the episode doesn't seem made for television as cinematography and soundtrack are topnotch (I really liked "Sweet Disposition" by Temper Tramp in the first scene). For who supported the couple Effy & Freddy, there is a nice surprise. Anyway, I really can't wait for the next episode.

The pilot of Skins' fourth season revolves completely around Thomas, the African boy who is living a new life in Bristol. The atmosphere grows melancholic and gloomy, as in the beginning we see a young girl, Sophia, falling down from a balcony in the club Thomas works for. Her death sets the episode off (and I think the whole season will be about this mysterious happening), as Thomas begins to think about his condition in Bristol, his relationship with the sweet Pandora and his family. As if it weren't enough, the college has a new headmaster and the police is interrogating everyone trying to make clear who sold the drug to Sophia... and we'll receive a not very pleasant surprise.

I read this episode as a deep critique to Western Society and to his values, mainly the young ones' values: the scene where Andrea and his brothers talk about Lady Gaga and other notorious pop stars is very clear about it, and I think the whole juxtaposition between Thomas's family and Bristolians's reactions is a good way to see what the creators think about immigration and values nowadays. That's very brave for a young adult drama, and I admire it for that.

I have to say, I went to the cinema without having any expectations because I didn't want to be disappointed.

The actors were chosen perfectly, as usual in a British film, and I felt no one was out of place, and even Ben Barnes is good enough to carry the movie, together with a wonderful Colin Firth (helped by a good character) and a lovely Rachel Hurd-Wood, which I preferred to Rebecca Hall as Emily.

London looked beautiful, and I was amazed realizing how a story more than a century old still catches the audience and can arise questions and considerations about soul, beauty, youth.

But there's something in the whole thing that didn't ring true to me, and didn't convince me, but I still don't know what is it. Maybe it's the large amount of sex which was lacking in the book, maybe it's the dark explicit tone in the end, but I wasn't convinced completely so I give only a 6.

After the poor adaptation of "The Order of Phoenix", I thought I would have seen again a disastrous Harry Potter movie, and I especially blamed the director and the main actor for this. Knowing that this installment had disappointed some fans really didn't help me to have positive expectations on "The Half-Blood Prince". But what I saw at the cinema was truly different from my low hopes. Director David Yates has improved, but not so much; Daniel Radcliffe persists in being a poor actor, but a whole team of non-supporting wonderful actors protects him - Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange make such a good job in their roles. The real magic here, that makes the movie better, is the screenplay and the special effects. The story flows smoothly and can be understood even by the audience who didn't read the novel, because this time there are no many complicated mysteries, supernatural creatures and a lot of useless subplots.

And, of course, the special effects are eye-candy, majestic when seen on a silver screen: but not only the special effects, because cinematography (by Bruno Delbonell, very very good in his previous works with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, too) and production design are top-notch - Hogwarts is a really beautiful yet Gothic place this year. All in all, I give a 8. I would give 9 if only Daniel Radcliffe were a better actor.

I had gone to see 17 Again with the strong desire to hate it. Instead I saw an average comedy, good to keep you entertained in a boring weekday evening: simple, with some funny moments, but easily forgettable because it is similar to many other movies. The main point of interest here was Zac Efron in the leading role, trying to get out from High School Musical. He wasn't very bad as an actor, neither was particularly good, but I think that in this kind of movies you aren't given the opportunity to shine: so everyone did his job fair to middling, except for Michelle Trachtenberg, that I felt very fake and without personality. I think what you best remember after a week you've seen it it's the way Zac Efron's appeal is celebrated: all shots have the purpose to underline his blue eyes or his body, for the teenage girls' delight.

I really don't know what to add to this comment, because the movie was so evanescent that I'm beginning to forget the details. Oh, that's what I absolutely wanted to say. During the scene in the health class, Efron performs an irritating, hoary sermon about sexual abstinence (and then he kisses Leslie Mann!) that I found utterly hypocritical. I wonder why now every film has to feature these lectures! I mean, all things considered, it's only a comedy.

I was a bit skeptical about a new adaptation from Ammaniti's novels by Salvatores, who directed before the lucky "Io Non Ho Paura", but then I felt rather satisfied sitting at the cinema watching this impressive movie. The book itself was written in a very cinematographic way, almost like a screenplay, so the adaptation wasn't a real problem. My doubts about it concerned the most the cast, because reading the book I wasn't able to imagine the right faces for these characters, but Salvatores hasn't disappointed me: Elio Germano is outstanding and creates the best role in his career, I think; I didn't know previous works from Filippo Timi but according to me he's a very good actor and the young Alvaro Caleca makes a wonderful breakthrough in cinema world.

I particularly liked the soundtrack, with music composed by Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti (an alternative Italian rock band from the same area in which the movie was filmed), Bob Dylan, Robbie Williams and original music only for the movie.

Although "Mamma Mia!" is full with many imperfections, it brings so much happiness that you get out from the cinema desiring to dance and sing the tunes you've just listened during the film, and I think this is a very positive aspect in these trying times. Abba's songs are crystalline and joyous, and they still maintain their potential also in this film, in which, let's admit it, not everybody can sing (Pierce Brosnan wasn't born to sing, and even Meryl Streep hasn't an unforgettable voice, but the newcomer Amanda Seyfried is quite OK according to me). All in all, the best things in this film are: the character of Tanya (Christine Baranski is so funny!), the "Dancing Queen" scene with that fantastic choreography, and the paradise island setting of this story.

I really wanted to love Twilight. I mean, I'm a fan of the series but I admit that they aren't the best in contemporary literature, you can spend a couple of carefree hours reading them but they are nothing more, so I thought: usually when a book isn't a masterpiece, the movie is better. Man I was wrong, so wrong this time. How can you have a decent action flick when it is announced in January-February, filmed during the spring, post-produced for some months and then released in November? You can't: special effects are rustled up, they aren't acceptable anymore when you have seen wonders like Lord of the Rings or one of the Harry Potters. They seem to come out from 90's, I suppose. And then, the actors: Kristen Stewart is monotonous and shows no expressions or feelings, her Bella almost can't keep her eyes open; Robert Pattinson is gorgeous but can't exactly act; I only liked the castings of Jessica (wonderful Anna Kendrick), Esme and Rosalie. Ashley Green is pretty as Alice, but she isn't given much screen time. Last but not least, the best part in the book is the building up of Edward and Bella's romance: here it's totally cut, they pass – in 10 minutes – from angst and indifference to great love. I think it's because Bella's introduction in Forks is too long. Dialogues are awful, too. Please, if you must continue the saga, choose a new director and a new screenplayer, otherwise Summit is going to lose some of its audience.

I don't have a lot to say here, because I simply adored this movie. Wall-E is better than a thousand live action movies put together; it has been a long time since I haven't taken part so much, as a viewer, to what I was watching. Wall-E doesn't speak but his eyes and his "EEEVAA-h" can express much more than an human actor, according to me.

I was fighting to not cry in front of all the cinema; this movie hit me, because it touches a subject, the environment, that I often forget, and that I should consider more important.

Of course, music and animation are perfect (Pixar guarantees); I particularly liked the corto before the movie's start, "Presto", so try to get on time to the cinema!

Hard Candy is sharp like a diamond perfectly cut, and like a diamond, it shines. It's so unpredictable and so cruel, the seemingly innocent teenager can show psychotic sides you'd never want to discover, and the devilish pedophile is not so terrible. Who's right, who's wrong? You never know. Like in everyday life, nobody is totally black or totally white, but has a wide shade of feelings and many hidden sides. This could have been a disaster if they hadn't found the right actors. Ellen Page opens her sweet eyes up but she is not an angel: besides, she remains in your mind, you can feel that her words and her looks hurt more than a knife. Her performance deserves an Oscar. Patrick Wilson fills the spaces Page leaves empty and he's so professional and nice that you find yourself feeling sorry for Jeff, anything he could have done. Scenes are well composed and the cinematography is very good, its colours hit your eyes but it's better to say the whole film hits you.