Jupiter Ascending (2/5, Bad)

Announced as the promising return of the Wachowskis, we could have expected an intense script with great compelling dramatic and philosophical content along with stunning action sequences. Mission accomplished? Not really!

This is the story of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) who lives a monotone life as a house cleaner along with her family. Being told by her mother that she would be destined to great things in life, she cannot but only cope with her daily life. Everything changes when a genetically engineered ex-military (Channing Tatum) comes to planet Earth to look for Jupiter Jones. Her genetic-signature marks her as the next one to inherit many planets to rule them. In a infinite universe where other powerful and greedy people like Balem (Eddie Redmayne) wants more power, she will have to face many dangers in her path that will change her forever.

The Wachowskis used to entertain us with "The Matrix" trilogy where a mister-nobody became the One that could alter a whole set system of institutions and perceptions of this world. Jupiter Ascending is the same topic: to discover the inner you and spread your wings (or your firework as Katy Perry would say). Therefore there is a feeling of déjà vu. You might expect something new coming up from these already-used elements in the film. Sadly, we didn't get any satisfaction.It actually gets worse: foreseeable ending, cheesy scenes (and not even to mention the dialogues...) and gaps in the script. Another relevant failure: Mila Kunis. Terrible acting.

What are the highlights of the film? First of all, the special effects and the production design. Both are just excellent. We have never seen SFX with such visual impact for a long-time (not as revolutionary as The Matrix but still). The production design with influences from Magic Fantasy and the Sci-fi genre are evident and could be thought as an homage. The other pillar is Eddie Redmayne who plays very well the bad guy. He is scary but somehow we also feel empathy with his character. Only a good actor can do that.

Considering we expected so much from The Wachowskis, we are disappointed by this film.Nevertheless if you want an entertaining film with good action sequences and with stunning visual shots, then this is the right film for you. Good to watch a Sunday night. However we cannot but lament the fall in The Wachowskis filmmaking. They revolutionize the sci-fi genre in the 2000s. Today they look like regular sci-fi film directors.

Trailer: 

Movies that you should have seen in the cinema and you haven't: Episode II

A masterpiece completely forgotten by the industry and the critics. Nevertheless, not by the cinema lovers. This one of the examples of how a film can be the source of inspiration (or plagiarism?) for some blockbusters. We give the credit to this great feature: Moon.

Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is experiencing a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three year solitary mission in the Moon. His only company is a robot (Kevin Spacey) that assists him in technology maintenance. As days go by and his return to the Earth gets closer, Sam realizes there are so many things that lie beneath his mission. Why is he there all alone? 

Fantastic film. That is all you could say once you watch it. Furthermore the story starts to be more compelling and the more you think: " hey, I saw this already in Oblivion (2013) with Tom Cruise". This is when you see how bad Hollywood can be. It is a money-profit machine looking to suck-up the creativity of the independent cinema. Sadly, Moon has been one of its victims. 

Nevertheless this is an opportunity for you to watch a masterpiece with a daunting Sam Rockwell and a incredible music soundtrack by Clint Mansell (Requiem for a dream). You won't regret it!

Trailer:

Is there more buzz around the Oscars?

We realized recently that there is a bigger buzz with the Oscars than with previous years. Even Oscar-nominated actor Michael Keaton asserted the same thing in the red carpet. Nevertheless this wasn't only for the year 2015. We believe that the breaking point was last year's Oscars with the famous selfie from Ellen DeGeneres. That night it was the real introduction of social media into Hollywood's glamorous night. From then, Studios and actors realized the power of hashtags to become not virtual components of Twitter and Facebook but in actual money! Films are more and more promoted throughout these tools. You know what? It works! 

The famous Oscars 2014 selfie

It became a new boost for social media. Look at the upcoming Star Wars (2015) by J.J. Abrams. Everything is being promoted by Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This years' Oscars took social media under its arm and even encouraged actors to tweet on site! 

What a beautiful way to make us feel part of something we all feel excluded. Our interaction is not through our computers or TV anymore but with our cell phones too! Is the bigger buzz around the Oscars because these tools have become more participative to a night which is historically exclusive to Hollywood? We assert that yes.

This year's controversy was regarding the few black people nominated (and actual winners) in the history of this ceremony. #OscarsStillSoWhite became one of the most popular tweets and people discussed about it. What a better way to attract attention and to promote films like...Selma (2014)!.Sadly the whole buzz is not representative of the quality of the nominees (and winners). We believe that the criteria of the Oscars is more and more commercial and less artistic. It was predictable that Boyhood (2014) wouldn't win...but why should it be that way? Can we ask for a revolution in the Oscars? 

Red Curtain Cinema demands for it! We have #ToRevolutionizeTheOscars!