Carol (Very Good, 5/5)

A powerful forbidden love story in the USA of the 1950s where love was crouched by social norms and structures. A fresh and a fantastic film.

The latest Todd Haynes' film is a masterpiece. We haven't seen a love story of this kind in a long time. Not because the film puts the overwhelming discrimination and the lack of understanding of  society with homosexuals in the background but because we have not seen such an authentic love story in a long-time. When the Rom-Com films sell love as a commodity , films like Carol teaches them what love actually is. 

Both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are fantastic. They would both deserve an Oscar. Two women bounded by a prohibited love. Living in a world where women are merely objects and used for domestic tasks. Their gender and real desires are repressed by a man-dominated society. Gender inequalities is normal, homosexuality is a disease. In contrast to this, these two women fall in love and escape into a road trip for be submerged by their repressed love. Carol (Cate Blanchett) is a mature woman who has been married and knows society too well whilst Terese (Rooney Mara) is a young idealistic and naive woman. Both characters connect in their own personal oppositions to society and embrace that rebelliousness. 

Does that make their love more powerful? Not really. They simply love each other. Love is powerful and irrational. It cannot be explained. But obstacles lie ahead. Not only because society builds them but because we carry them as human beings. Carol explores these topics with subtlety and sensitivity.It never falls into the cliché. A fantastic film not about homosexuality but about love. Highly recommended. 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay , Part II (2/5, Bad)

The final chapter is an epic action film seeking to thrill us with an overload of action scenes and little dialogue. It will also be remembered as a film with a terrible ending. 

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay as one film itself is dull and lacks of genuine excitement. Of course, the twists and the different situations make our beautiful Jennifer Lawrence go through a lot. She is becoming the symbol of the resistance against a system of greed, discrimination and violence. The irony is that her character becomes an object of entertainment and shock by this movement of resistance: not only she is being filmed with a perfect aftermath battle background to capture her anger but also she is being told what to say in front of the camera. That is an interesting element brought into the script: there is no real escape from human nature's taste to violence and entertainment. 

Part I was setting the dramatic tone. Part II (as usual) is merely action scenes. A few scenes can be remembered for its powerful dramatic tone but the CGI scenes take the stand to forget an actual script. Of course you would say, this is a blockbuster. Well, the action scenes aren't so thrilling neither. Heroes fall from both sides but we did not share a single tear. Some actual dramatic scenes are ridiculous supported by a terrible acting. Too bad, there was much to do in a context of a civil war.A highlight though: the massive Donald Sutherland portrays the perfect evil and is still scary enough until the end.

Perhaps the end is the most "epic" thing: it is the perfect "not to-have" ending. Was it necessary? Even Lawrence and the famous "Peta" are laughing in front of the camera for knowing how ridiculous that finale was. But hey, the film is a pretty entertaining blockbuster with a lack of epic to make it a great Part II. The lesson? Splitting a film into Part I and Part II does not make it a better novel adaptation. 

Nice tune

Hey guys! We are very busy at Red Curtain Cinema but we are trying the best we can to keep this cinema beautiful and entertaining. For today, we will give you a wonderful track from French band M83 who composed the score for the (terrible) film Oblivion. 

This one is particularly beautiful as it is intimate, quiet and powerful. You can listen to this anytime, anywhere and you will be caught by the magical sound of M83. 

One of the best character introductions ever: #TheGreatGatsby

From Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby, this scene introduces to the main character Gatsby portrayed by Leonardo Di Caprio. Nothing else to say, just watch the scene...