Movie about Wikileaks : The Fifth State

I found the plot very interesting and I wanted to see it. It's hard to have an opinion about this film because it's not objective at all, it's totally against the founder of Wikileaks Julian Assange. I would have liked to have a more neutral story about it but no, it's clearly biassed. I was entertained but I always had a critical attitude about what I was watching. Probably , I'll never know what Julian Assange is like. Something that i cannot deny is the magnificent role of a British actor I admire: Benedict Cumberbatch, he really looked and acted like you have seen Julian at the different interviews. If you ask me if I recommend the movie? Well, I enjoyed it but I was skeptical about it. Hard to say, go and judge for yourself but do not believe everything you see.

Excellent movie by the same writer of Trainspotting: Filth (2013)

I watched this movie a few weeks ago but lately I don't have a lot of free time to write on my blogs. I'm not going to give you many details so that you see it fresh as I did, I actually knew nothing about it when I went to see it. I only saw that Scottish actor James MCcavoy was the protagonist, that for me was enough since I usually like his movies. Needless to say that he is superb in his leading role, he really gets into the skin of the sergeant Bruce. Just to summarize in this film you are going to see the worst that one human being can be , specially being a cop: bipolar, alcoholic, addict to dirty sex, violence, drugs , disloyal, lier and rude. However, in the end you even feel sorry for the protagonist in-spite of his filthy personality! He's machiavellic .. mean with a very dark personality!! It's not a film for everyone, if you have never been to Scotland and see this film, probably you won't feel very inspired to go either lol, not a very good publicity . Last but not least, no need to see that it reminded me a lot of Trainspotting in the way the story is told and of course the theme being very similar , being another novel by the same author ,Irvine Welsh. In a nutshell, a film not to be missed!

Do not waste your time: Runner,Runner (2013) by Belén Delgado

If you ask me what was the worst of seeing this film, I'll give you 2 main reasons: The theme that I was not interested in: Online gambling and secondly, Ben Affleck playing the bad guy. In a way it was good to go and see this film to remind myself that I'm not going to see Batman if Ben Affleck is in it. NOOOO!!!! he can't act and I don't know what is he going to do with the beer belly you can see in "Runner,Runner".  He should have been the one running and not Justin! At one point, we started laughing , when he was supposed to be acting like being mean, throwing one guy to the alligators . On the other hand, Justin doesn't play that bad his role, and maybe because I'm biassed, i found that he was the best one acting in it. By the way, not very good publicity for Costa Rica : gangs, corrupted police  & poverty. And the guy at the ticket counter told us that this film had very good reviews... really? well not from me.., I know, I know, I'm just a simple spectator but as there is freedom of speech, I write what I feel when I go and see a film. Specially because my time is very valuable and I try to choose carefully what I want to see and seeing a film that I don't enjoy, makes me think why I didn't go to see the other movie I was thinking about..? ARG!! So run, run but in the other direction !

Beautiful film " About time" (2013) by Belén Delgado

Again , I'm writing about the backlog of movies I have seen recently, I saw this a couple of weeks ago. A beautiful movie for romantics like us: "About time". It's a film about family relationships, love and fate. In very simple way, the male members of the family of Tim, have the "gift" to travel back in time to be able to live again moments they adored or moments they wanted to change.  There is a risk though , that is if you travel back in time you can for example, not meet the love of your life...or your daughter may not be born. Some of the highlights for me, when Tim and Mary met in the restaurant in the dark pretending to be blind (an experience I'd like to live once, by the way); the scenes with Tim and his father (played by fab British actor, Bill Nighy), such a healthy father-son relationship.. , it reminded me of how much i loved my father and what I'd give to live some of the moments I had with him again ; Also very endearing the connection Tim has with his little sister ; he actually tries to help her in her life; this also reminded me of the amount of times I tried to help my little sister, with the difference that she is still not listening to me.!! Of course, the relationship between Tim and Mary is so pure and just , fascinating that it does not look real (lol) (the scene about their wedding, is so epic! Specially if you live in a rainy country like Ireland, you will understand).

Don't ask me why but since I saw the film of "back to the future" in the 80ies, I have found very appealing travelling back in time, it's one of those things, I'd love to be able to do,I'm not interested in the future but more in the past! I like the way they show in this film without complication how this could actually be done. It's a way that it makes it more believable, no big effects or time machines, just yourself being in a dark place and wishing to go back.

There are definitely humour touches that reminded me of "Love Actually", "4 weddings and a Funeral" and  "Notting Hill" , the British, director touch of Richard Curtis, is definitely there! To finish off, if you liked any of the 3 films I have just mentioned, you will like this one! (Just don't worry, Hugh Grant is not in this one !!) . So yeah!! Go and see this one ! ( If you are not into romantic movies, then, don't!)

An O.k. Movie "Pain and Gain" (2013) by Belén Delgado

We saw this movie before we went on holidays to Italy but I just haven't had the time to write about it. I have to agree with the score of 50% that rottentomatoes audience gave to this film (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pain_and_gain/). We got what we wanted, to be entertained by a film based on a true story with a humor touch. This is what you get, no more than that. It's unbelievable though how reality can overcome fiction!  To sum up, it's about a group of ignorant, not very intelligent gym trainers that start preparing a plan to obtain all the wealth of one rich guy that goes regularly to the gym, Kershaw. I, personally, found the role of played by Mark Whalberg the most convincing one, he is so good in it. "I'm a doer" (lol). In a way, you feel sorry for him, or at least, I did, he just wanted to live the American dream in the quick and wrong way! I think I have the Robin Hood spirit and I don't feel sorry for snobby, rich guys who are robbed, specially if you don't treat others with respect, like Kershaw. I don't want to tell you many more details about what happened.. but if you see it, you will enjoy the movie more when you remember that it's a true story!!!

Musical Cats in Dublin by Belen Delgado

What can I say about the last musical we have seen " Cats" , directly from Broadway to Dublin. As cat lovers what better way to enjoy a Saturday evening than seeing a musical where the dancers look and move like cats at the Board Gais Theatre! Beautiful! So colorful, lively and sweet! Loved the outfits and professional make-up. They were even mingling with the audience in between songs. You feel like in a tale. There is not a specific complicated plot/story, it's all about describing different type of cats through music and dance ;real life is like that, every cat is different, they are full of personality: the cheeky one, the chubby one, the funny and lively one, the shy one .. ! IT's so cute the way they move their tail! I personally liked the performance of the song "memory":

The whole show goes so fast that you don't want it to end! A must see for cat lovers!

I leave you with the best moments of the musical, another cultural moment shared with my husband that will remain in our memories:



Next one on our list, Priscilla!

Movie recommendation: Elysium (2013) by Belen Delgado

I can't go on holidays before writing about the best movie I have seen lately in the cinema. It was about time! What's wrong this summer?!!! Well, thanks to the South African director Neill Blomkamp, we finally had a good time watching an excellent science fiction film in the big screen: Elysium. I personally love films about how the future would be, in the last movies I have seen they show the future as decadent and with a bigger division between rich and poor. Well, this is exactly how they show it in Elysium which is set in 2154. I don't want to tell you many details, only that Matt Demon plays an excellent role, the effects are superb and I liked the action and fights in it. It reminded me a bit of Terminator in some scenes, the idea of being half man and half machine. I found the role of Kruger fascinating, he's really the bad guy! Gee!!

Something we didn't like was the fact that in the future in Los Angeles, the city on earth is swamped with dirt and poverty and the poor and scumbags are "latinos", Spanish speakers and the rich world on another planet, they speak English and French. There are similarities in the film  with the real world between the way the illegals (of course , they are portrayed as the dirty latinos who bring illnesses and trouble)  try to cross the frontiers paying for their way out. Jodie Foster has been criticized due to her role in the movie but I think she is ok, I was glad to see her after so long, she plays a powerful fearless woman living in the world of the Rich trying to change the government in corrupt way.

In-spite of all this I like may of the ideas that they had about the future as for example a machine to cure any illness (of course only for the rich). I found interesting the way they show the earth with ugly small dirty houses built on top of each other going up touching the heaven. And have I mentioned already how good Matte Demon is in it??!!! He's a new man! The last 2 movies I have seen from him, are so different. He really transforms himself ! Such a good actor!

So go and see it but in the big screen to enjoy the effects to the fullest!!!

Not good: "2 Guns" by Belén Delgado

Probably due to the fact that it´s summer time, we are not being lucky with the movie choices we are making. This one , I cannot say that it was terrible, I actually was enjoying it at the very beginning and then I started to get bored. At one point, my husband and I started checking our iphones instead of paying attention to the movie. This is definitely not a good sign. It´s one of those films that you see and then , you forget about it. For me another waste of time. Am I very demanding? Or what?

Concert - Glen Hasard, Iveagh Gardens (2013) by Belén Delgado

I do not need to write much because There is a video where you can see and listen the talent Glen Hasard has, he is definitely one of those talented artists that you need to see live before you die. It was a sunny day in Dublin, at the Iveagh Garden, my husband and I had a picnic there with a couple of drinks and enjoyed the music very much with the crowd! We had to leave before it finished because I had to wake up at 5 am next day to go to work. If you check the video you will see us going downstairs , it´s in the minute 5.09 and no we were not late! We are actually early and got a very good place! It was moving to hear live a few songs from the movie "Once", so beautiful!!!

http://arbutusyarns.net/2013/08/10/glen-hansard-iveagh-gardens/

Movie to avoid: Only God Forgives (2013) by Belén Delgado

We are big fans of the actor of Ryan Gosling, this was the main reason why we went to see this film. We had no idea what was about (a very risk thing to do..). Do not think that it´s a religious film due to the title, no... it´s just the opposite! The only positive things for me about this movie were to see Ryan again, of course, although his role is not stellar .. and the photography of the film, that I cannot deny that it´s beautiful. To me it was extremely violent, too much for my liking , blood everywhere and a bit of a paranoia when the bad  Thai guy sang after every killing. You don´t feel like going to Thailand after seeing this film that only shows the underworld of prostitution and crime. At some point , I felt like I had stomachache.. I did not want to see again the bad corrupt cop : Chang killing any more people with his sword.. gee I think I had nightmares after it.. and of course I did not feel like eating any popcorns while watching. And yeah, at least, ladies, if you think, well Ryan Gosling is in it and he´s a hot guy and all.. well he is hot for a few minutes, then he´s beaten-up in the film and he looks the most horrible I have seen him.. OMG!! No , please don´t go!! Just use your time to do somethingelse. As the grumpy cat would say: I hated it!

Recommended Film : The Purge

I wanted to see this film since I saw the trailer in the cinema. I have to say that I'm very surprised in relation to the score it received in the Rottentomatoes page, I actually enjoyed it very much. Maybe because I'm a fan of Ethan Hawke and maybe because I usually like films telling a story about how the future could be. This film is set in 2022, a year in the future when in USA, there is only 1% of unemployment, no violence and very rarely crime. The government allows the population to commit any crime or act  of violence once a year during what they call "The Purge" without any consequences. The Rich will have very strong security systems to lock them down on this day or they can go out to the streets if they need to be violent. A good film to see in a big screen, I thought it was very original and the end surprised me. What would you have done? I'm just trying to think a day of violence and crime in Dublin.. gee, I think I'll move to a safer place!!!! If you ask me how I would score it, I'll give it a 75%. It made me think and a discussion started after it, for me this is already a plus! Nowadays, not too many American films have this impact! So go and see it ! Just to warn you there is a bit of blood and violence.. so if you are very sensitive to this.. maybe it's not the film for you!

Movie to Avoid .. " Life is a Breeze" (2013)

Those who know me know that I support Irish films and I go to see one whenever I get a chance, I have been living in Ireland for longer than 7 years now and I love this country , so I support the national Film industry. However, I cannot recommend this film.., it was great to see Dublin in it and recognize the settings but the plot just didn't do it for me. It's about a grandmother who had all her life savings hidden in her old mattress and her son throws it away without being aware of that. Then the whole family start looking for the mattress to recover the money. I was bored and if I could, I would have gone to look for the mattress, too so that they could find it earlier.., this is the main plot, yes. They show a bit of the relationships of the Irish families and all Irish culture but I was not engaged with the story line , at all. The reason why I stayed until the end was because I left my keys at home and i was waiting for my husband to pick me up in the cinema, otherwise I would have left in the middle of it.. so no sorry, not convinced.

You have to love it: Monsters University (2013)

And last week, I left my keys at home .. so what did I do? I went to the cinema!! So I chose this one "Monsters University". Who doesn't love a good Monsters movie? They are so cute!! I love the similarities they make between their Monsters world and real life. It's a perfect film to bring your kids, adults will enjoy it, too! If you have seen any of the previous films with the Monsters in it, you will know that their goal is to scare kids at night and they study for it to become better at it this is why they go to the university. The one who gets the loudest screams from the kid wins! Competition starts with a few nerds monsters who will show the rest how to compete! A good film to smile with pop-corns and a coke in the cinema! Full of lively colors with entertaining monsters of all shapes ! I'll score it with a 7,5 , in rottentomatoes the audience scored it with 85% and critics with 78%. I don't tell you anything else so that you can go and enjoy it.

An OK film but not the best one of my life: "Now you See me" (2013)

Maybe because I went to see it on a Friday evening, not a good day since I'm more demanding with whatever I do because it's the end of my week or maybe because it isn't the film of my life, not sure but I did not love this movie. We were entertained and I liked the magic tricks but some of them are unexplainable and the explanation they try to give, did not convince me. Some of the highlights for me were when they robbed the bank at the beginning, when they are asked by the FBI in the cells and the role played by Woody Harrelson as a mind-reader, he is definitely the best in the film. Michael's Kane role is very short and not stellar (such a good actor with such a short and meaningless appearance) and Morgan Freeman keeps you interested for a while but not even his explanations of the tricks made much sense for me (only the one with the mirrors). One of the lines i remember is " too many French in a room for me" (OMG, I laughed out loud with this one). Not many more highlights.. a movie i even forgot I watched when someone asked me if i went to the cinema over the weekend. And yeah if you ask me if i like the end.. uhm .. well no.. but don't get me wrong, we were entertained, I'd say my husband liked it more than me , maybe I had too high expectations because someone said that it was the best movie of the year .. which is definitely NOT the case but you can go and judge by yourself. I have to agree with the critics from rotten tomatoes who gave it a 47%. It's a pass.

My favorite character from Glee found dead by Belén Delgado

This is the third post I write about Glee, the first one being about the series and how much i liked it and the second one a brief review of the concert I saw live in the O2 with the whole cast. I'm so glad I did not miss that concert, it was just like the tv series, full of positive energy and beautiful versions of famous songs combined with their dancing. What a shock this Sunday morning when I woke up, I checked my phone (as usual, it's the first thing I do lol) and I saw on the Facebook News Feeds that Cory Monteith was found dead at the age of 31 in a hotel room in Vancouver. I could just not believe it!! Such a young talented man!!! Another victim of vice! I will not be able to see him singing anymore with his partner and also member of the cast, Lea (Rachel in Glee). For me, Glee will never be the same without Finn (Cory's character). He was so nice, friendly and charismatic!! Why people are so fool to think that drugs can lead to anything good??!!! Cory, wherever you are right now, your soul and talent will remain , I'm watching videos where you were interviewed and gee you were so natural , handsome and young.. I can imagine how Lea is feeling.. if by any chance you read this Lea, you have the support of your Glee fans! Unfortunately we cannot control the wrong choices the person you love make ..



Here a video of his best performances, my favorite one is "we've got tonight" , "losing my religion"
"just the way you are"

and "Don't stop believing":



Here a link to my review of the Glee concert in Dublin:


http://avivihquesondohdiah.blogspot.ie/2011/07/glee-on-tour-in-dublin-o2-2nd-july.html

Here a video of Cori and Lea:

Good propaganda for Google: The Internship (2013) by Belén Delgado

Critics in rottentomatoes score it with a 36% and the audience with a 66%. Before going to see this film you have to know what you are going to see. For example, I went to see it to have a laugh since I like the 2 main comedy actors in the film: Vince Vaughn and Owen Nilson. I also found appealing the idea to see the Google headquarters in California which I happened to see when I was there but only from outside. Once you have these expectations, is ok, this is what you actually get: a few laughs and very good propaganda about Google ,which is considered one of the best companies to work with in the world. We enjoyed the film and we were entertained so for me it has the pass mark. It´s probably one movie I´ll forget about in a few weeks but at least I got what I expected! I have no doubts and I always knew that working for the giant Google as full time employee has a lot of advantages and benefits. I´m not going to tell you much more about the film because then I´ll spoil the moments when you may laugh and then it won´t be funny anymore but see if you laugh when: They have their first interview with Google, when they receive the rules for all interns, when they go out with their project group, when they win the last challenge! So yeah, if you are member of the cinema as we are, go and see it one day that you don´t want to think much, if you can´t see it in the big screen, it´s o.k. it´s the type of film you can see on TV or in your computer. Anyway, if you miss this film, it won´t change much either..and yeah the ending is predictable from the beginning!

Recommended movie " Behind the Candelabra" (2013) by Belén Delgado

I love going to see a film based on a true story where you learn something new about people who have marked an era, in this case in the era of music and entertainment. This film is about the life of the American entertainer of the 70ies, Liberace who was a genius pianist and vocalist with a sense of extravagance and  over the top costumes and coats for his shows. The audience score it with a 97% and critics with a 93% in the rottentomatoes page, I´ll give it a 80%. He was the best paid entertainer in the world between the 50ies and 70ies and he was also the predecessor of Madonna or Lady Gaga in the sense of drawing´s the audience attention not only due to his talent but to his costumes and appearance. The highlights of the film for me are the stellar role of Michael Douglas as Liberace, he even talks and move as him, unbelievable. The film shows Liberace´s controversial life for that time with a lot of respect, Liberace never admitted being gay in his life and sue all the media that tried to confirm that. Matt Demon plays his lover, Scott Thorson , who Liberace had having him an OP on his face just to look more like him. Matt looks young and fresh and you really believe in their relationship , you forget that they are acting. You really have to love someone to allow having your face changed to look like somebody else (this is a true fact ).The movie shows how their 5'year relationship evolved until they break-up. The short role of the 80ies actor, Rob Lowe in the film is also memorable, he is the crazy weird looking Liberace´s cosmetic surgery doctor. Liberace died of AIDS and Scott is in prison at the moment dying of Colon Cancer.  All in all, I´m glad I got to know the very talented pianist Liberace, you can see original performances of him in youtube, you may want to judge him on the life style he had (I don´t) but his talent is undeniable and his music will be there for generations to come. I leave you with his original piano performance of the Boogie which can be seen in the film.

Before Midnight by Belén Delgado (2013)

Last witty dialogue-heavy movie of the trilogy from director Richard Linklater with the unconventional actor Ethan Hawke and talented French actress July Delpy. I have to say that out of the three movies , this is my least favorite but still I loved every line of their conversations. This film reminded me of the old movies when there used to be an elaborated script full of dialogues among the protagonists. Nowadays, this type of cinema is being lost, which I think is a pity. "Before Midnight"  is about how the relationship of Jesse and Celine evolved after 9 years together. The setting is in beautiful Greece where they show a bit of its landscapes and of its delicious food and excellent weather. It's all about the conversations they have, they make you think. You can relate to them. I should be on Celine's side but actually find her a bit annoying at the end, she is a bit nuts lol although I think they both make a beautiful and charming couple. I'd love to remember so many lines that I liked about their conversations. Some of the highlights for me are when Jesse pretends to have received a letter from the future from the 80-year old Celine and it narrates that on that same night they had the best sex of their lives, this was the way Jesse wanted to win Celine back after a very long fight between the two. I like the simplicity and realism of the film, they are just regular people that connect with each other. I love the hypothetical questions that Celine asks Jesse all the time, I actually do that a lot , too LOL , questions as: "If we meeting for the first time again right now as I'm , will you approach me?". I have always been a fan of Ethan Hawke, i like his acting and his mature and masculine voice, I could be listening to him forever...,yeah he looks much older but I do not care! I'm not going to reveal anything-else about the movie so that you can enjoy the dialogues as much as I did. This film is only recommended if you have seen the other 2 films and if you you liked the other 2, it's for romantics, not for everyone. I liked it but I didn't love it, my husband enjoyed some of the dialogues but he got a bit annoyed/bored with Celine .. maybe because he doesn't like arguing that much and Celine loves to have an argument! The good thing was that after the movie, he realized how easy-going I am!

The audience has given "Before Midgnight" a 90%, the critics a 98%, for me is a 75%.

A movie to avoid: " World War Z" by Belén Delgado

I can't go to sleep without warning you about this movie .. yeah, I know I also had high expectations.. specially being a movie with Brad Pitt in it after so long and a war of zombies (those who know me, will remember my passion for zombies!). Well, it had a good start and it went from bad to worse towards the middle of the film (the worst thing is that based on the ending, they imply that there could be another movie! NOOO!!). I really tried to engage with the story and how they wanted to resolve the situation of being invaded by zombies but no, no, it was not convincing at all. We were also in shock with one of the scenes where they show Israel with high walls where they were saving the people from the zombies that tried to climb the wall. Did they mean something else with those zombies being on the other side of Israel ? Well, maybe they didn't mean anything but we could read between lines..  Then the spooky and weird movements of the zombies got from scary to funny and a few of us started to laugh heavily . I found personally funny when Brad goes walking in the middle of the zombies as if he was some kind of superman with his blonde hair! At some point of the movie you star to wonder how come a common human being can survive so many accidents (car accident, plane accident, being beatin by a zombie..) and still being so good looking and healthy. You need to be Brad Pitt to survive all this and still look hot lol. It's definitely a movie to forget and we were really pissed off after it finished!! We could have gone to see another film! Well, at least it made us laugh!!! IF you ask me , will you recommend it? NOO, NOO, NOO!!!

The critics  in www.rottentomatoes.com score it with a 64% for me it does not even get to 40%! The only good thing was to see Brad Pitt again and the scene on the plane with all the zombies inside. Another film on my list that I'll forget.. - AVOID!!!

And I went to see: "Man of Steel" (2013) by Belén Delgado

I'm going to summarize it in a few words:

Amazing effects, fights in the air in a great setting with skyscrappers, speed, violence (not a movie for kids at all.., too many destructive fights) , fantasy and a bit hairy new superman (played by Henry Cavill), in my opinion  hot body but someone should have shaved his chest lol. I personally prefer the traditional superman story: Old superman is more likable and nicer, I find the new superman a bit mean and too violent, this new superman is not so clumsy as the old one, I liked when he pretended to be clumsy and when he took off his glasses in the phone-booth and became superman! However, I cannot say that this new "Man of Steel" did not entertain me, specially due to the special effects and speed. One of the highlights was when Superman hit Zod (brilliantly played by Michael Shannon, he is SUPER BAD!) after he attacked his mum  on earth (Don't mess with superman!!) or the final fight with Zod flying among skyscrapers  I would have reduced it by 30 mins, a bit too long for my liking. My husband loved it, for me I give it a 7. If you get the chance see it in 3D, go! You can tell by the scenes in 2D that it's totally made to make you feel part of the fights in 3D! I ain't telling you anything else, so that you can judge by yourself. According to rotten tomatoes, the critics rated with a 56% and the audience with 82%.

Recommended: The Great Gatsby (2013) by Belén Delgado

The critics are divided regarding this film, the same with the audience, either you love it or you hate it. Well, I'm among the ones that loved it! I read the book too many years ago to remember small details so I did not pay attention to whether it was truly faithful to Scott's Fitzgerald novel. I got carried away by the original angles of the photography, the vivid colors,  the 1920'ies clothing, hairstyles, jazz, dance and style of life in New York at that time. After the film you feel like having a whiskey lol I'm sure my husband who loves whiskey will have one just after it. The joy described at the magnificent parties that the millionaire Gatsby threw, makes you feel like going partying with them. I don't think I have ever partied so hard like those peoople lol. To me Leonardo di Caprio plays such an excellent role, he has evolved so much as an actor since the Titanic film, he makes you be in Great Gatsby's shoes and feel sorry for him. I also liked the way"Nick Carraway" narrates the story, the scenes done for a 3D movie full of dynamism and the love story behind it. You truly pity Gatsby, it has to be a book, of course, these men who do everything just to be close to a woman and die for love, do not exist. By the way, I love the ending, the way Gatsby falls into the pool, his old bath-suit,  the water, the blood , the image of the killer.. BEAUTIFUL..upps sorry!! You didn't know the end?!! Nooo!! Anyway, It's your decision whether you want to see it or not, you may hate it but I'm definitely glad that I didn't pay attention to the haters and I went and saw it in the big screen!

Excellent Film: Star Trek into the darkness (2013) by Belén Delgado

What an amazing film!!! The crew of the enterprise takes you to a different dimension, always being faithful to the original series. I personally have a strong link to Star Trek because people used to say that my father looked similar to Spock. Even the original Spock (actor, Leonard Nimoy) has a short scene in the film. I found it fascinating, very original with great effects. I loved the way London will look in the future according to this film, I could definitely see it like that. The mixture between humans and not humans and different planets. I even found the fights they had elegant and not too over the top. My favorite character is definitely the bad guy, Kahn, played by superb British actor Benedict Cumberbatch (I usually find the bad guys the most interesting characters in a film!). The way he looks and the way he talks, it is just what a bad guys in a science'fiction movies should  look like!!! No disrespect to Zachary Quinto playing the XXIth Spock but I do not think he is to the level of the original Spock, although he tries hard and I still loved the movie! Chris Pine also plays an excellent role as the captain of the crew. Star Trek into the Darkness, made me disconnect and be transported to another world, i truly enjoyed it and it even had a comedy touch!  . I do hope there are many more Start Trek films to come!!! The audience in rottentomaotes score it with a 99% for me it´s a 100%!! My husband also loved it.  I don´t want to reveal any more details so , go and see it!

I leave you with a video I found of the original Spock:

The last 3 movies I have seen - 2 of them to be avoided and the last one undecided (by Belén Delgado)

I have a backlog of movies that I have seen so far, so I´m going to summarize 3 in this post. The first one being :

21 and Over - From time to time we like to go and see one stupid American movie not to think much bit with this one, really, not even without the thinking, it didn´t even make me laugh. It was full of cliches and even discriminatory comments about foreigners living in U.S.A. Such as the way the portray Mexicans to be violent and dangerous.

I was bored and I wanted it to end. It was predictable and repetitive. Avoid!

OZ the great and Powerful - I´m a big fan of the original Wizard of OZ and I had high expectations before going to see this film. We went to see it with my little nephew and niece. I´m just going to leave you with the statement my nephew made at the end of the film: " Have we paid to see this? really?" (  Hemos pagado para esto?. )I couldn´t agree more!!! Kids are always right! Yeah, it has beautiful colors and photography but again I was bored..

The Place Beyond the Pines - This film is way better than the above 2 but still, it did not convince me much. In rottentomatoes site the audience has given it a 81 % http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_place_beyond_the_pines_2012/ for me it´s just a 60%. Cutie Canadian actor Ryan Gosling played an excellent role, you really feel sorry for him in a way. He´s actually one of the reason why I went to see this film, I like his style and he didn´t disappoint me. It becomes a bit of a soap-opera towards the end ( a bit predictable, too). I can´t tell you that it´s not worth going and see this film, for this one, you can go and make your own judgement. It did not blow me away but I didn´t hate it. I still have mixed feelings.

Time for a thriller: Side effects (2013)

I cannot tell you much about this movie, otherwise, I would destroy the thrilling effect! What I can tell you is that you don´t expect how the film ends and what you think the protagonist´s problem is,it is not. You start watching the film thinking that you know what is about and then you realize that you didn´t have a clue lol. I personally wanted to see it for a very simple reason, just to see Channing Tatum, yeah he is not a great actor but he has the looks (I know, I know it sounds a bit superficial..)! but he did not talk much in the film and his role was a bit short to my liking.Some of the highlights for me, the role played by Jude Law and actress Rooney Mara, remarkable. If you ask me if I would recommend this movie, well, it´s entertaining , there is a bit of a drama and thriller but it wont be the film of the year or anything.., it really depends on what you are looking for. So that you get an idea , the critics in Rotten Tomatoes page gave it a 85% , the audience scored it with a 76%.

Funny comedy: I Give it a Year (2013)

We watched this romantic comedy a couple of weeks ago but I haven´t had time to write about it yet, so here you are. The plot is simple, one couple, Nat and Josh met , clicked and fall in love but they had hardly anything in common, which leads us to the tile of the film "Give it a year". He´s a bit goofy, carefree guy and she is a career oriented and serious executive. Only after 9 months of marriage they start seeing a counselor. Meanwhile Josh´s ex'girlfriend and Nat´s successful and attractive boss will play an important part. One of the highlights for me was then Josh went to a Nat´s job party and he started getting drunk and dancing and she just pretended she didn´t know him LOL. To be honest, after only a couple of weeks, I have forgotten most of the film but one thing I remember is that we had a lot of fun and even if the plot or the end was fairly predictable, there were many scenes that made us laugh. This is why you get if you go and see this movie, nothing will happen if you don´t see it either!

Opera Carmen (March, 2013 Board Gais theatre Dublin)

Last Thursday I took my mum and husband to see the famous opera "Carmen" by Georges Biset a Russian-Irish production performed by  the Moscow state Opera in the Board Gais Energy theatre. The theatre was packed, there were only a few single empty seats. I thought I didn't know many of the songs but once you see the Opera live you realize that most of them have been part of your life, probably because my mum loves opera and she used to play opera very loud when I was a teenager. It' so beautiful to see so many opera singers singing live for the audience surrounded by Picasso abstract paintings accompanied live orchestra. I'd say that the most touching moment was when they played the famous Prelude, it was great too to be able to read the English subtitles while they sang in French. There were 3 acts with 2 intervals of 20 mins, I liked specially the scenes on the stage in the third part where they were on the mountain and they sang in the dark.As many other known operas it ends up tragically, no surprises there. To me, the best singers were the one playing the bull-fighter and Carmen. Carmen made an effort to dance Flamenco but this is definitely one thing that only Spanish-blood dancers/singers can do. Well-known Irish singer Celine Byrne playing Michaela, also sang beautifully. In a nutshell, for all Opera lovers it's a must to see Carmen once in your life, personally I think that the best Opera I have seen so far, without being an expert myself , is the Madame Butterfly.

Superb Spanish film : El Cuerpo (The body) 2013

Yesterday we had the privilege to see the Spanish film "El Cuerpo" as part of the Jameson International Film festival in Dublin. I knew it was going to be good but I didn't expect to love it so much! It's a thriller about a corpse that disappears from the morgue. It's a very intelligent and original film , you do not expect how is going to end, at all and all the actors for me are brilliant in it, yeah even Belén Rueda that some people hate, I loved her performance of powerful woman. José Coronado plays very well the role of the police inspector. I don't want to tell you much so that you can go and see it knowing as little as I did, otherwise it will lose the thrilling effect! At the very end of the film , we all clapped and the three of us (Andresillo, Sergio and me) scored it with a 4 (maximum score), I do hope it's one of the films with the highest scores so that it's shown in the cinemas in Dublin and you can also enjoy it! So far you have to wait!

The Impossible (2012)

Excellent film directed by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona (also director of another extraordinary film " The Orphanage") about the tragedy that happened in 2004 after a powerful Tsunami killed thousands of people in Thailand among other countries. The film tells the miraculous true story of the survival of a 5-member Spanish family while they were on holidays in one resort in Khao Lak (Thailand). Before going to see this film, I knew it was going to be dramatic but I would never have imagined that I'd cry like a baby. Yeah, the actors and the scenes really touched us, we put ourselves in the shoes of all the victims families that had to go through that horrible natural disaster. Life can change so easily in seconds if nature decides so. To me, the boy who plays , Lucas and the actress who plays, Maria (the mum) are the best ones but of course, I can't deny that Ewan Mcgregor is great , as usual, and even the other 2 small boys are very convincing. Some of the most beautiful scenes for me, when Lucas dreams of his mum being drown in the water with a terrifying dead look. Even though the film reflects a tragedy, it's very aesthetic and very well done, with a lot of respect to what actually happened. I only hope I don't have to live a drama like this never in my life, it seemed so real in the big screen (gee!). When the movie ended, Andres told me that he was specially sad because he remembered the devastating earthquake in 1999 from Armenia (Colombia) had to go through. He saw families in desperation after what happened and went there to help with his family. My thoughts with all the families. If you are interested in reading what happened to the real family you can read an article here:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/real-story-behind-the-impossible-miracle-1519067

Beautiful: Les Misérables (2012)

I'm going to describe this film in a single word: Superb!!. I'm not surprised that it has been nominated for 8 oscars. All the actors, starting from the kids (e.g. little kid actor, Daniel Huttlestone, brilliant!) to the grown-ups sang excellently , well all but Russel Crowe maybe because I'm not a fan of him, I didn't love his acting nor his singing.  To me, the best in the film are Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, they both deserve an oscar for their performance. Both of them make you feel when they sing and act. Borat's actor, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter's roles gave the film a funny and cheeky touch, they were hilarious! Revelation but short role of Samantha Barks, also stood out for me, you really feel sorry for her. I have to admit, though, that it was a bit weird when Anne Hathaway started singing " I had a dream", I couldn't avoid thinking of Susan Boyle!!

Loads of highlights for me, one of them the song Anne H. and H. J. sang together when he was deluding about to die (upps! yeah , it's a bit dramatic...). No need to say again that this movie is to be seen in the big screen to feel the great singing and enjoy the setting of that era. It's also important that to be able to enjoy it, you need to like musicals , otherwise don't go since there is little talking and they sing to express almost everything and the film is not short!!

Ready to go back to the French revolution time ??!!

The Hobbit (2012)

Second movie of the year for us, gee I have a bit of a backlog due to have been so busy at work lately. We actually saw this film a couple of weeks ago, apologies for the delay, not even sure if it's in the cinemas anymore! We have started the year watching very long movies (next one being "Les Miserables), those that you need to go over the weekend when you are chilled-out and not in a rush. I have to admit that I have not read any of the books , so my opinion is only as a mere spectator. I love fantasy books and movies but I have mixed feelings about this film. At some stages, we were a bit bored (specially at the beginning), however some other moments we found them hilarious and exciting. The photography, the landscapes & settings are captivating; excellent make-up, clothing, effects and sound, no complaints there. All characters in the film are memorable somehow, some due to the their ugly and repugnant aspect (there are not many, that beautiful lol), others due to their personality. While watching this film a few people left in the middle of it, probably because they found it a bit too long and I agree with that. It would have been much better a bit shorter, no need for so many battles all over again with different horrible creatures  As I said before, I have mixed feelings about this film but it made me disconnect and dream in a way with all those fiction characters, which is a good thing. For example, the giant eagles that rescued them, made me feel as if I could be rescued , as well by one of them one of those days when you just want to escape!. If I recommend it? Well, not sure. You really have to like this type of fantasy films and of course, don't even bother watching it in a small screen (tv or computer), you have to see it in the big screen!! Sorry if I haven't helped much here.. one thing is clear, don't think we will go to see the other 2 films, geeeee to long to wait until they get their kingdom back!!

Very nice Kids movie: Wreck it Ralph! (2013)

And I started the year watching the first movie in Córdoba, Spain, with my niece , husband and nephew. I'm not usually into Disney cartoon movies , in general but I made the effort just to share some quality time with my niece and nephew, as I don't get many opportunities to spend time with them. We bought the essential: 2 big packages of pop corns and a few soft drinks. My nieces didn't even talk during the movie which is a good sign, don't you think?. We also enjoyed it very much. It has a very original plot: The bad guy of a video game (Ralph) who doesn't want to be bad anymore and wants to become more popular. There will be a few adventures to become a good guy. A few funny scenes such as a kind of "alcoholic anonymous" meeting but not for alcoholic but for "bad video games guys who have psychological issues" (lol) I ain't telling you anymore so that you go and see it, specially if you have kids or if you like this type of children films.