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!