EdwardSaberhagen Reviews

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Give the lead to the psycho, he'll do it right

[10/10 · 24 November 2018]

Perfectly crafted film. There's no lousy part, or poorly acted, portrayed, musicalized or framed bit. Such a pleasure to go through this film. We get into the skin of Jack and his incidents, his theories, his lemmas, his corollaries, his true way of thinking; as he wanders with Verge, into the very center of his sickness, his pain, his pleasure. Evilness is just a matter of whose eyes you're seeing from. Just get a psychopath as a lead, and people laugh at his mischiefs, and maybe even want for him to get away with it.

****************** Spoilers here ******************



I wonder if everyone knew what his ultimate material would be, from the very beginning, when he stated his desire to build a house with a unique material. And if we all did, who is the psycho?

Leona (2018)

Catábasis

[8/10 · 24 November 2018]

There's no better word to describe this film than that: katabasis. Young jewish girl falls for a non jewish guy, in a sort of rebellious manner, as her closest friend got married and every eyes are on her, for they expect that she'll be the next one. Problems arise when her family learns that she's dating a "goy". But the story is much more than that. It's about a woman becoming her own. Making her own mistakes, by making her own decisions, painting her own image in a truly white canvas. Jewish culture is no that known in my country (Mexico), so it is nice to watch a film that depicts traditions that intimately.

Thelma (2017)

Dissapointing

[3/10 · 10 April 2018]

Christian girl meets world and haunting self, repressed by daddy, finds love and scares about it. Selfish thoughts become real, when strong enough, but weak will and low self esteem presents problems in decision making. Authority denies the true nature of a problematic, uncomfortable being (because of ideology issues), and the entity doesn't like it.

You can see it from every point of view, but it's just a weak representation, a weak charachter, with a weak problematic (as in "ok, I get it, but come on!") and sort of a resolution.

Expected much of this for I've seen Oslo, 31st of August and loved wverything about it.

The 3 score was for the music, which was stunningly beautiful, as for the photography. Both not to blame for the disaster of story.

The Spectacular Now (2013)

Numbness with expensive cameras and nice music.

[5/10 · 22 August 2014]

First of all I'd like to say that Shailene Woodley was the true gem in this hour and a half of nothing, I liked her character and her well made performance.

I couldn't get involved in the story. I was not able to care about Sutter; yes, he's a jackass, he has issues, who would care about him? But that's not why I didn't liked him. I don't think Miles Teller's work was bad, not everything of it at least, but his character was unable to make me sympathize for him; maybe that was the whole point, to like him overtime in his, unwilling, search for himself. But that never happened.

This didn't made me feel a thing. Yeah, some laughs; but it's drama failed to get me. James Ponsoldt might have something fresh in his hands sometime, but "The Spectacular Now" ain't that.

Short Term 12 (2013)

Powerful yet gentle. An oxymoronic beauty.

[10/10 · 20 August 2014]

With the lead of Brie Larson's great performance, the rest of the cast remains by her side. They got me really involved in the story.

I have to say I'm really fond of the shaky movement of the camera, that along with the mentioned astonishing acting, produces a great intimate effect, giving the film an extraordinary bridge with the only purpose of guide you into Short Term 12.

We get into the lives of the staff and children of a shelter dedicated to these not so fortunate kids. Fighting their own demons, Grace (Brie Larson) with her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher) and the rest of the staff, try to make the days of the children inside Short Term 12 a little, or sufficiently, less hard to live. With so much stories in there and heartwarming characters, I got a "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" vibe. Its theme is a very tough one, there is no easy way to talk about it, but we are presented a very subtle road into troubled children's life; without being explicit, Destin Daniel Cretton lets us contact with them.

Life is never vacuous of tragedy, in fact it may look like it's filled with it; but even the worst of all disgraces could lead into something beautiful. It's terrible that sometimes disgrace has to come into someone's life in order to let the good human out of the dark cover that smothers him or her, but at least that good human being exists.

10/10

The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh (2012)

Hypnotizingly correct Horror

[8/10 · 14 July 2014]

I don't know what other users expected or wanted to see...But I actually liked this one.

Gudiño's first shot at not shorts. He quite nailed it! Gudiño takes us into the very self of his characters; we get to know them, to feel what they felt.

Guy enters mother's home in hopes of selling, because she has passed away; guy starts to feel, hear, see things...It looks like the very same formula, but, Gudiño takes it one step up, if not a couple more.

Innovation finally arrives in this genre. A great start to build a pretty good future for Gudiño.

City of God (2002)

A wide open window into Favelas

[10/10 · 7 July 2014]

Meirelles didn't hesitated in showing us how tough life can be.

Great storyline, with an impressive narrative, astonishing camera work... There's no place for irrelevant screen time. And such an exquisite authenticness! We are actually watching people who live(d) there.

We are taken into a world where violence and manhood (as they know it) come so early in life, where your choices have to include the possibility of getting killed; or take lives, instead. Although the environment is drenched in blood, drugs and crime, the existence of loyalty, respect, responsibility, and even happiness is right around the corner.

Tough film with a powerful message.