"The day of the triffids" by Steve Sekely

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: La semilla del espacio

As nervous people we are, we like to know all possible viewpoints of the same thing, or at least everyone faces a common situation. Really try it, it is quite advisable to see several versions of a movie, or would be more correct to say several versions of a book or screenplay. It is precisely what has happened with this film, which vision after watching the series "The day of the triffids" (1981) of six chapters, which aired on the BBC.

The original title of this paper is identical to the series, but you know what happens in this country, I will not go into further discussions of this type. What is clear is that the novel by John Wyndham depending on who she produced works in a way or another, the priorities are totally different in both cases.

Mainly, quality from one and another, the focus of the series is quite apocalyptic, human beings are very aware of what has happened and is raised at all times as it should be saved, the resurgence. Against the film is constantly aware that humanity is experiencing a real threat that can make it disappear by itself. But in this case our characters try to fight on different fronts to eradicate the problem.

We must also say that the approach is much more global problem, the entire Earth is threatened, the nationalities have joined in order to secure the future. Besides seeing as such a threat to religion can be a lifesaver, the story becomes more pragmatic and tangible, when trying to get to know their enemy and of course see how they can defeat him.

Although we know that comparisons are odious, the resolution of the problem and therefore the general outline of the story is very reminiscent of Byron Haskin's "War of the Worlds" (1953), overcoming the differences in this respect. the approach to film is a completely american approach and in line with the films being made in those years was a production at all out of tune the rest of those produced during the sixties.

In all such science fiction movies always curious to know the methods that are carried out to determine the existence of the aggressor. You have to be sharp when looking at the material used for the study of different species, ultimately, the solutions applied in the art direction. But what makes me more fun is when we assume some of the connoisseurs, the expert would call during one of his lectures explains why suddenly all a because in most cases diametrically opposed to real science.

TRONCHA

"Big fish" by Tim Burton

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: Big fish

Once again I am asked the same question. This movie was borrowed to me from a person I appreciate a lot and I am sorry not to see the film with the eyes she does, but inevitably these things happen to all of us. There are films that we like so we do not like to admit that others do not see the same than us when we face them, first of all I must be honest and not lie, I hate to mislead anyone and from the outset I must say this work of Burton tells me nothing.

The phrase I use to complete the above paragraph is quite ironic, since history tells us the film is the life of a storyteller. A person who has probably lived the same things as others but when he wanted to convey to his environment, he did using his particular sieve. Ed (adult, Albert Finney) is a storyteller as he defined himself in more than one occasion during production, something he truly did not need to have done because the spectator realizes at first.

In life as I am sure it happens in other things, people decide how we want or not want their beloved, even how forgive them and how not, what they spoiled and what they not. If we take our journey in this valley of tears as something pragmatic, facts are as we see or live or how the director shows us here in countless ways and forms that we liked. Leaving aside the thinking and giving free rein to our imagination, this way of telling his own life is precisely what Will (Billy Crudup) not forgive his father.

Burton has used a story like many we have seen before of separation unit to mount one of his usual sets. Perhaps a less baroque setting of what he usually does but ultimately just as effective as ever. This is the biggest problem between him and me, that often leaves out the story to focus on what we see as a garnish, in a full part in the package, to disappoint us with the candy we could find inside.

Please, do not think anyone who supports these lines has no feelings, of course, even I have been in a situation as special as that is the son of the protagonist. But my history will not let me fallout, does not touch me, all I get is that I can enjoy (as always happens with the director) in a visual way, I take the cynical interpretation of the character when young Ed (Ewan McGregor). Although I am a lover of salty and I should say that both fresh palls.

TRONCHA

"Taxi driver" by Martin Scorsese

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: Taxi driver

For those who slept like angels every night when we merge in a friendly embrace with Morpheus is not easy to understand what happens when people are unable to sleep a number of hours per day, the case is that it can not be good. It is said that human beings have the need to dream every day for the mind to be evicted from some ghosts to thus leave room for the daily concerns, is a kind of cyclical process empty-fill that not everything stays inside and finished getting worse.
Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is one of those guys, his mind is not recycled at all and only what he keeps inside, as if a kind of mental Diogenes syndrome is involved, his brain reaches a point that can not store more "crap" and has to go somewhere. The easiest thing is to make it through violence, regardless of the consequences or having them but giving you nothing about what it comes over, everything is total rubbish.

This could be a reading of his mind, if I'm honest is the most interesting part of the film, the conversations that our protagonist develops his own inner self, in contrast, we realize that the dialogue between other characters are the most banal. Of course this is a resource that Scorsese used to further accentuate the perception of reality Travis has to live.

Although a relatively normal looking person makes internal conflict at all what it lives in a world that supports and against which decides disclosed, the rest tries to listen and think like him. But every time we hear some dialogue, we realize that is totally misplaced, and as a clear example is the conversation he has with Sport (Harvey Keitel), when he speaks with him to take Iris (Jodie Foster). Sport dismissed him as rare or even mistaken for a member of the police department.

As no one does anything to change things decides to rebel against their environment, after accompanying night after night on the seat of his taxi to our particular driver, it seems every time we have more clear what will be their reaction. All levels have failed, including political or rather on all political, that promise but ultimately passed on those below, in short, those who do vote, their particular "day of rage" has come and there is no turning back.

The filmmaker takes this situation to give an inside look at the one in front and humans in general, also gives me the feeling that embroiders the scene where our protagonist, who as an armed knight trying to rescue his princess from the clutches of monster involved in prostitution. The scene is the best of the film, even scraping the gore film, but with incredible strength and plasticity without forgetting of course the unfamiliarity that the "killer" Travis has with the criminal underworld, which is reflected in the annotated sequence.

TRONCHA

"7 virgenes" by Alberto Rodríguez

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: 7 vírgenes

In this land of my birth have always been given to make heroes where there are not, the more you appear in television or in glossy paper, the more people talks about you, when my thinking has been that people are worth for what they are and the capabilities they have, not for how they look like, which is often accompanied by the lack of content. If this happens nationally, at the neighborhood level also happens, don't tell me you don't remember that or those guys in the neighborhood who were not studying, they had what they wanted, lived great and mocked up the rest by knowing how to live better than us all.

The cinema has been fairly given to portray the figure of "social rebel" to call it that, particularly around the eighties is when they seem to arise several examples of production of the kind I mean, as here there are times that we don't learn. It gives us to insist and think that if someone has done well by doing something, we have to repeat that success to take it to our place, so the story of the weekend with the Tano (Juan José Ballesta) is nothing original and therefore interesting, is something we have already seen and that leaves us just like that.

Another problem I see in these stories street is that the filmmakers, in our case Alberto Rodríguez tries to give the character much more depth than he actually is, why the character has to be put in front of certain moral dilemmas and even philosophical disquisitions?. Indeed such individuals are much simpler than they try to sell to nerds like us, nerds as they call us as not to see life as they do, are victims of their own stupidity, because having lived in their own flesh, insist on maintaining a frantic pace of life until you drop.

My rejection of this kind of movies maybe arise because I can not identify with the characters and I think that's something essential in the work of a director, that probably would make sure that we take more interest throughout. I do not find attractive the stories of people who have not worked and who is a thief, who pretends to be more than anyone just because they're not like him, basically unhappy people who live farther away from the happiness than they can imagine.

The film has virtually nothing remarkable, turns to abuse the hand-held camera effect, something that in this decade is all the rage on many occasions but has no meaning whatsoever; On the other hand, the interpreters, especially those who enjoy the main role never seemed to me good. In my opinion is wasted two good secondary actors as Ana Wagener and Antonio Dechent are, giving to them two insignificant roles. The point is if you can, shun it because life sells time very expensive life and we are not to waste it.

TRONCHA

"Away we go" by Sam Mendes

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: Un lugar donde quedarse

On many occasions films have nothing to go to the far corners of fiction to find a good story. To tell good and have some grace when it may end up working and achieve their final task, to entertain the viewer. This may feel more identified with a daily story, a domestic situation which will be reflected. Mendes' films have several examples of this kind of film for social call it somehow, just staring at the life of a fellow very similar to ourselves.

Mendes in this work is not intended bombast whatsoever, suddenly comes across an original script that has no literary basis, has fun reading it and decides to put images. Just as nothing more and certainly nothing less, this is reflected in a full way on the film, which has no great pretensions, some may think that the overall result is weak. But perhaps we should think that the director probably intended not only to give his personal view on a couple who are about to become parents and pretend to reaffirm a number of concepts that seem to stagger them.

At no time did I think that the story wants to be moralistic, it seeks to change one's cliches. In a subtle way, he brings us into the life of Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona "Rona" (Maya Rudolph), this slow pace is maintained throughout the entire film. At the end of it is when there is a kind of increase in its intensity but short-lived during his stay in Montreal, but the harshness of life bring them back to reality. Even being a short film, for what we are used on, he could take off some episodes of their journey and could have developed other more interesting.

The production drips "indie" on all sides, even as it has come to my ears has become a “green” production, have recycled much of the materials and energy has been saved in various aspects of the film. We are facing a beautiful story that some may get more than others, in a fun, comedy, but with some bitterness, not everything that glitters is gold. The one who brings the funny side of the film is the character of Burt, a perfect "clown" who takes life as it comes, is weathering the storm as rising.

The secret of the couple is trying to assert that there are some failures, just realizing that they are more normal than they think, and who walk not as lost as they thought. Nevertheless, they need of the journey that are going to take for realizing of the selfishness, lack of affection that people devote to others, the detachment of some families, even the most heartbreaking misfortunes, all filled with a constant smoke that sometimes turns some blackness. But I insist, and last, that are issues touched a little bit in a graceful way, to end giving viewers a good time and not a concern, for this is already real life.

TRONCHA

"Viridiana" by Luis Buñuel

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: Viridiana

Getting ahead of Buñuel's work is to enter the unique world of surrealism, no one but him has known how to take this artistic trend, is clear that any stomach does not support all types of meats and for some may seem inexplicable. As I think the best advice in these areas is letting go, something similar to what a server does with the Lynch film, probably the one who is now closer to this trend.

Any place is good to step into the surreal realm of ideas, a rural environment where there is a profound religious, serves the role performer at ease to express as he wants. For this reason the film has two possibilities. His story made independently may like by itself and on the other hand if you want to delve more into it and in the behaviours of the characters, is when you'll meet the other, which is immersed in the surreal world.

The characters in his film characters are very dark, sometimes even seem to touch the darkness thing, The greatest example is Viridiana herself, (Silvia Pinal) about being ordained as a cloistered nun, presumably with an unshakable faith that begins to crack when it comes into contact with the outside world. You just see the baggage that has gotten into her bag, no more symbolic elements of the suffering that accompany the novice.

The first part of the two that has the film, is of course largely defined by the character of Don Jaime (Fernando Rey), is another of the darker characters that mark these first meters of production, immersed in this world. Almost without outside contact, his life is only disturbed by a visit from his niece Viridiana who finally, more or less, directly becomes the protagonist of the personal tragedy of his own uncle.

The cool, light, air appears with the character of Don Jaime's son who has always been in the background, Jorge (Francisco Rabal), a happy person who shuns the old ways, which denies formalities and just summarizing almost all his thoughts in a sentence "is not necessary to be married to be with a woman". Sometimes the censorship of this blessed country is going and sometimes not reached, the thing is that I do not know how this work was fought so well for its absurd and capricious clutches. Even the characters around him are changing the appearance of this is a clear example of the maid Ramona (Margarita Lozano).

Everything seems happy, even the misery of the poor who end up occupying one of the areas of the mansion appears to turn into hope, the whole truth is that they are the most degree of surrealism in the film. But just look at the scene depicting the last supper of Jesus Christ, this cast seems that serves as a pretext for Buñuel to reveal their distrust of humans, it is like if expectations and goodness were destroyed by selfishness and disrespect.

Apart from anything said before, I thinkl the film has an erotically charged, Viridiana represented by the top, making the obscure object of desire of his uncle, something that may not end up avoiding the son as the film progresses. Even she herself just realizing that not only is capable of living of prayers and isolation of the carnal world. In this regard I highlight the fantastic final scene in which more than a game of cards, what Buñuel tries to compose is a menage-a-trois in form.

TRONCHA

"La grande illusion" by Jean Renoir

Este mismo texto lo puedes leer en castellano en: La gran ilusión

It is completely clear my opinion about war movies, especially the great wars, I really consider myself a peaceful person who flees violence and many times I've wondered myself, because every time I get to see a film of "war" I wear with it. The fact is that this example we can say rather the opposite as it is on the side of anti-war, yet their form of military traits and characteristics make it attractive to me.

The truth is, define it in that description falls short "Grand Illusion" is a masterpiece without a doubt and when a movie reaches that category is because in many of its facets has done an exceptional job. This case could not be less in this respect, the treatment of the camera for example is incredible, the planes seem infinite, is where it should be and is the perfect vehicle to convey what the director actually tried to do.

The performances of the actors are sublime, the always fantastic and with a particular physical Captain von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim), the Captain Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and Lieutenant Marechal (Jean Gabin). The three form a great triangle of interpretation, in a film about World War in which even the very end is not heard a single shot and that is one of the best examples of anti-war film history.

The way to reflect this rejection of belligerence displayed by the protagonists, is determined by the difference between the classes that appear in it, this social dichotomy Renoir serves to reflect the decadence of the aristocracy. Clear examples of this are the dialogues that occur between the captains of both sides, it seem there are no differences, both belong to a social class which is defined by its decline, no matter the country they belong to, you really end up being the protagonist in the new social order that will remain after the great conflict.

A great work of cinema that should not be missed of course, an example of how you can do things in this world of cinema, it can even serve as a contrast between the films whose theme is about the World War II. Where it can already be seen the relations in the prison camps are different, it has lost the respect for human beings, without being either good, I dare say that the First World War gave the impression of being more humane than the second one.

TRONCHA