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Reviews
Upgrade (2018)
Way better than I expected
The movie is simple, linear and somewhat predictable. However, everything works perfectly and it is very engrossing to watch. The story has no gaps, the action is entreteining and the end is very satisfying. If you enjoy sci-fi action movies, make no mistake and watch it.
Morto Não Fala (2018)
Mixed bag, but satisfying
The acting is excellent, the settings are very good, the music is atmospheric, but the CG effects really suck.
This is a low cost horror movie about a mortician who talks to the recently deceased. He then breaks unwritten rules regarding the secrets of the dead, which brings nefarious consequences.
The movie is satisfyingly scary, with good amounts of gore, jump scares, and many scenes that elicit desperation. It is not a one-trick pony as so many horror movies are.
Overall, the production values are low and present a ceiling to the grade of my review.
El ciudadano ilustre (2016)
Awesome and unexpected
The movie starts deceptively simple. At first, I thought of it as a light-hearted comedy. It is anything but. The movie is full of surprises.
Although every character is belivable, the situations they engender verge on the surreal. The movie is rich with not-so-subtle irony.
Bacurau (2019)
Hard to define, surprising in many ways
I don't like movies that are too formulaic, and I hit a jackpot with this one. I simply cannot ascribe it to genre. If I had to, the closest would be social satire. The movie to which it is most comparable is Relatos Salvages, and it is equally good. It is witty, violent and touching.
Altered Carbon (2018)
black mirror for the masses
The series scores well in multiple ways. In fact, I do believe that it is the best cyberpunk piece of entertainment in a long time. However, it is clearly a product intended for the masses. In this sense, expect some unnecessary brutality/sexuality in GoT's fashion (stuff I enjoy with some guilty).
The more complex issues, such as the social and religious implications of immortality as a commercial commodity, are there as threads to be pulled by the viewers inclined to do so. The series main offering is entertainment, not sophisticated arguments.
That is not to say that the plot is dumb. On the contrary, all the pieces fit together and there are no obvious holes in characters' motivations and the acting even has dashes of brilliance (i.e. James Purefoy is a perfect cast for his role).
All in all, the series is not perfect. As a matter of fact, it could have been streamlined if it had less flashbacks to the past, where the acting is not as good and sometimes the scenes are lost to cheap philosophy babble. However, I find it fair to judge it on its high marks. Altered Carbon entertains and should be watched.
One of Us (2017)
very touching
This movie follows three separate stories on the same thread, the challenges of breaking away from a self-centered community and facing the ostracism it entails.
The movie is complex, in the sense that every point of view depicted can be either justified or vilified without much effort, and deals with a theme that is both delicate and universal, not fitting in. The setting is hassidic, but I consider that more of a detail, for it could be any other closed group with very high demands of its members.