Hammer of the gods - THOR: RAGNAROK

  On the 24th of October there were the film preview of Thor: Ragnarok and, as a gift, one could receive a coin with the film logo on it. So I decided to buy the ticket, so I could have the chance to get also this special gift.

  It is a 2017 film produced by Marvel Studios and it is the sequel to "Thor: The Dark World" (2013); it is directed by Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Cate Blanchett (Hela), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie) and Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster).

http://www.rbcasting.com/speciali/2017/10/20/al-cinema-dal-25-ottobre-thor-ragnarok/

  This film is different from the other Thor films (which I didn't like very much): it is funnier than the previous ones, with more jokes and moments when characters don't take themselves so seriously (even Thor himself); it seems that some characters have a new personality, especially Thor and Loki (and a new light is cast on Hulk), while others, as Odin and Heimdall, are always the same (and this is positive).

  The film takes place not only at Asgard, but also on an alien planet named Sakaar, which is the setting of the main plot for too much time: there are some really funny characters on Sakaar, but what matters should be the situation of the (recently) conquered Asgard.

  The plot starts after the defeat of Ultron: in fact, in "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" (2015), Hulk leaves the team because he considers himself too dangerous for humanity and he doesn't want to cause other problems; even Thor leaves the other Avengers because he wants to discover more about his visions. It is possible that the events of this new film are simultaneous to the ones of the "Captain America: Civil War" film.

  If we consider the new characters, visually Hela is beautiful and terrifying: the horns remind me of the TV series Hannibal, where the deer was very important for the whole story.
Unfortunately, Hela is not so well examined: the scenes where one can see her are not so many and when she shows off, she doesn't seem so memorable. In the trailer, also, we see the Fenris Wolf, but the audience don't know where he comes from.
  Valkyrie seemed an interesting character, but we know about her past only partially: we don't even know her real name.
  The Grandmaster is well portrayed by Jeff Goldblum, but he has too much space in the story: I would have liked to learn more about Hela or Valkyrie.

  As regards the soundtrack, it is amazing and not only the original tracks composed specifically for the film, but also the songs chosen, like Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin.

 ---------------(there are SPOILERS from now on)---------------

 It is interesting the personal growth of Thor, who gets to know himself, his power as the god of thunder and his role as the king of Asgard.

  There's a scene at the end of "Doctor Strange" where it is shown Thor who meets Steven Strange: this is a scene taken from "Thor: Ragnarok", but the moments when the two meet up is not so plausible: how can Strange help Thor finding his father? How does he know where Odin is? He doesn't have such power as Heimdall, who technically could see e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

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I think "Thor: Ragnarok" is a nice film, especially if you want to watch a film just to entertain yourself and have fun. There are better films included in the MCU, as "Guardians Of The Galaxy (1&2)", "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", "Doctor Strange", "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Ant-Man".

See you soon

Yours, Silvia (and my friend Silvia)

The ones who dream - LA LA LAND IN CONCERT (October, 7th - Milan)

When my friend Silvia told me that at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan it would have been an event connected with La La Land (here my film review), I immediately set the alarm clock to get the tickets.

the poster of the event 

  The thing that makes this event special is that I watched the film while the orchestra played the instrumental part of the soundtrack of the film and not only the tracks which were only instrumental, but also the songs. The match was so perfect that I had to look at the musicians to understand if they were playing or not.

  I really liked the pianist, the saxophonist and the double bass player, who were really good, but all the orchestra deserved to be listened to. I didn't like how they played the Jazz tracks (as "Herman's Habit"), which were not "Jazz" enough to me .

  Another magical element was the use of lights in the theatre, which reproduced the colours of the different scenes: if the palette was more violet, there were violet lights; when the band where Sebastian played at a club, in the theatre there were red strobe lights as if we were at that club.
  My favourite moment of the concert was when the spotlight lighted up only the pianist as it was happening in the film:

http://movieholichub.com/movies/la-la-land-2016-movie/

  The orchestra, obviously, kept on playing even during the end credits, but some persons started to leave the theatre unexpectedly: it was not just an event to let people watch the film again on theatres, but also to listen to the live music of a professional orchestra.

A photo I took during the end credits

I hope to see this kind of events also in the future, because they represent three of my passions: music, films and theatre.

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Bye for now!

Yours, Silvia

p.s. let me know my clicking on the list on the left side of the blog which film review you would like to read!

Under pressure - BLADE RUNNER 2049 (no spoilers)

  Yesterday I went to the cinema full of expectations: the film I was about to watch was the sequel of a film which was part of the history of cinema. And I'm glad to say I didn't feel disappointed at all.
  If you have read my last post, you may already know I didn't watch "Blade Runner" a log time ago: if you are curious about this new film, I suggest you to watch the first film so that you can fully appreciate the story.

  The film I'm writing about is "Blade Runner 2049", directed by Denis Villeneuve and produced by Ridley Scott (who directed the first "Blade Runner"). The screenplay was written by the same writer of the first film, Hampton Fancher, and also by Michael Green. "Blade Runner 2049" stars Ryan Gosling (as K), Harrison Ford (as Rick Deckard), Ana De Armas (as Joi), Jared Leto (as Niander Wallace), Dave Bautista (as Sapper Morton), Sylvia Hoeks (as Luv) and Robin Wright (as Lt. Joshi).
  I also have to mention Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch for the soundtrack (and Vangelis, who composed the music of the first film) and Roger Deakins for the cinematography.

https://www.movietele.it/post/blade-runner-2049-film-sequel-cinema

  The audience will question the definitions of mankind, feelings, life, love, but more deeply because of the development of technology (the story takes place 30 years after the first film, in 2049): there are still replicants and blade runners, but the differences between them are hard to detect.

  There are a lot of different settings, a lot more than the first film (maybe due to the advanced possibilities of the computer graphic): there are endless landscapes which show the desolation and the decay of our planet, but also references to the pop culture, thanks to the neon light and the giant advertisement. There is still the "Cityspeak", which testimonies the high level of cultural crossbreeding of the future.
  I didn't like the fact there are not a lot of scenes on the street and of the life of the suburbs, maybe not to look like "Blade Runner", but instead I loved the wide framing which capture each corner of the scenes and the presence of the rain.

  It is still a noir-thriller film: the investigation covers almost the entire story, but in some occasions what the protagonist finds out is too predictable, so the film results in being less intense than the 1982 film. Also, there is not the surprise effect of the replicants, because the audience already know the story. In fact the two plots are connected, but they recount different facts.

  The protagonist is K, a blade runner who can look like Deckard only from the outside. K is troubled, split between two worlds, fragile. The spectator feels sorry for him and becomes empathetic, because he understand that K is a victim of his reality.
  I really like also Sapper Morton: he is a very important character for the plot, but unluckily he can be seen in very few scenes (Dave Bautista is very good in this role).
  Even Niander Wallace is a very interesting character: he is the formal villain, but not well developed. He is a charming and creepy villain, with glass eyes, who thinks to be like a god, but I would have liked to see him more often. As for Bautista, I think Jared Leto plays this role very well.

  My friend Sonia (with which I went to the cinema to watch this film) told me something very interesting I hadn't noticed about the colour palette of "Blade Runner 2049": in contrast with "Blade Runner", in this film there are more colours and not only the dark shades and the disturbing yellow of the "birthplace" of the replicants. I would have preferred to see that clear division of colour, even if in this film the shades are still dark and cold as in the first film.

  The soundtrack is perfect: not only new tracks, but also rearranged ones from the first film. Despite the 163 minute of duration, I wasn't able to look away from the screen and not only for the breathtaking landscapes: this was also for the captivating and thunderous music, with deep and throbbing tones which give me gooseflesh.

  The only thing that made me sad was not seeing the movie theatre full of people, especially on day one: I went to the cinema to watch the first show, but it was quite empty and also I didn't notice anyone of my age (apart from my friend). I think the topics of the film deserve to be known and discussed, considering the progress of technology, medicine and robotics.

  I hope that in the following days a lot of people would go to the cinema to watch this film, not only for the themes, but also because in my opinion it's visually and musically perfect.

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

This fate we must receive - BLADE RUNNER (1982)

  On the 5th of October (that is tomorrow) it will be released the sequel of Blade Runner, called "Blade Runner 2049" (here trailer 1 and trailer 2): I will go to the cinema to watch it so you will read my review soon.

  I didn't plan to watch it at the cinema, because I'd never seen "Blade Runner" (I know, shame on me), but luckily I found out that there would be on TV (the International Cut) so I watched it and now I'm ready to understand the brand new film.

http://www.impawards.com/1982/blade_runner.html

  Considering that it is a very famous film, in this post I will write the things I like the most of this film and five fun facts you may not know.

  Atmosphere: I like the atmosphere of this film, which is dark and merciless: the constant rain, the narrow streets, the absence of the sun (but also its disturbing presence in some scenes), the miserable life of the characters we meet during the film; all these elements are perfect to show a dystopic world, populated by shadows.

  Replicants: in some films the antagonist is perfectly recognisable, because he is mean and he doesn't care if he has to hurt others to reach his evil goals. But in Blade Runner the bond is evanescent. Replicants are complex creatures: they were created by men to work as slaves and their life is very short so that they aren’t dangerous. They are exactly like humans in appearance, but they are stronger, more intelligent and each one has a particular ability; they don’t have emotions, but they can “elaborate” something similar to emotions thanks to some memories implanted in them (especially in the new series of replicants). So who is evil? They kill as men kill, they are worried and fragile as men are. Also, if we think that they reproduce humans’ behaviour, we can say they are not evil by nature, but their actions are deplorable as the humans are. They want to live more and isn’t it the same desire of men?

  Eyes: eyes are the mirror of the soul and to recognise replicants a test (called Voight-Kampff) based on the eyes is taken. "A very advanced form of lie detector that measures contractions of the iris muscle and the presence of invisible airborne particles emitted from the body. [...] The VK is used primarily by Blade Runners to determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring the degree of his emphatic response through carefully worded questions and statements" (description from the original press kit). Eyes are connected with truth: it's from the observation of reactions that one can determine if one is a replicant or not. But eyes can make mistakes too. Also the eye is a metaphor of God, who can see everything and everyone and can judge every bad and good action. An interesting thing is that when Roy Batty kills doctor Tyrell he presses his eyes into his face: in my opinion Roy thinks eyes aren't useful anymore to the doctor to create or to fix life, because he seems not to understand his feelings.

  Fun fact #1: there are seven different versions of the film which reveal new information in particular about Rick Deckard: is he a replicant? We may discover the answer in the new film.

  Fun fact #2: the film is a loose adaptation of the 1968 novel "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheeps?" by Philip K.Dick. Unfortunately, he died before the film was finished, but when he saw the first showings, he praised Scott because visually he managed to create a perfect world for his novel. The film was dedicated to him.

Fun fact #3: the name of the project of this film (joint by Ridley Scott on the 21st of February 1980) was  “Dangerous Days”, but it changed into “the Bladerunner” which were a book by Alan E. Nourse (and read by Ridley Scott) where the Blade Runner were traffickers of surgical equipment.

  Fun fact #4: Ridley Scott wanted Dustin Hoffman for the role of the protagonist, but Hoffman thought that some characteristics of Deckard didn't fit for him, so Scott started to consider other actors, as Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Pacino and Burt Reynolds. At the end Harrison Ford was chosen, also thanks to positive references from Steven Spielberg. 

  Fun fact #5: The Roy Batty's final monologue is a lot different than the one thought by the screenwriter David Webb Peoples: Rutger Hauer thought it was too long and not very sharp, so he reduced it and improvised some phrases, as this one: "all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain". Also the dove kept in hand by Batty was an idea of Hauer.

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If you don't want to miss the "Blade Runner 2049" review follow my blog! Also, don't forget to click on the left side of my blog to let me know what review would you like to read!

Bye for now!

Yours, Silvia

Let the human in - GHOST IN THE SHELL (review and interview)

  When this film was released, I wasn't interested in watching it: I didn't know the story at all (it is based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow) and I remembered I didn't like Scarlett Johansson in this sci-fi kind of films (as "Lucy").
Anyway, when I saw it on iTunes, I decided to rent it and give it a shot. It is directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler, and Ehren Kruger. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche.

http://posterposse.com/the-poster-posse-pays-homage-to-paramounts-ghost-in-the-shell/

  Overall, I think "Ghost in the Shell" is an interesting film, because it makes one think about what we can call humanity.

  In the film, in fact, there are a lot of characters which try to better themselves by adding mechanical parts to their bodies, even unnecessary new organs: is it really helpful? This is a question that comes in one's mind, together with other ones: is it a crime killing robots? Is a cyborg human or not?

  The title of the manga and the film refers to two elements which seem opposite: the "ghost", which is a sort of "soul", the spirit of a person, and the shell, the external part, the "case". Mayor Mira Killian (Scarlett Johansson) is a prototype of what humans will be in the future: mechanical on the outside and human on the inside (with a human brain, thoughts and feelings), to be stronger and "invincible".

  Dr. Ouelet: "You're the first of your kind, but you're not invulnerable"

  Mayor: "Maybe next time you ca design me better"

  Is really humanity a limit or an opportunity? Of course, a robot is more resistant than a human being, it can do a lot of things a man can't do without using instrument or technology (as falling from a skyscraper), but what this film shows is that leaving just the brain isn't enough: what is needed is a connection with people, an aim, something to fight for, as bringing justice back into a society where "superhumans" are considered as weapons.

  Due to the fact I know that this film was based on a manga and an anime, I asked my friend Giulia who knew the franchise if there were any differences between the original versions and this film.

  Me: does the manga/anime have the same topics of the film?

Giulia: the main topics (relationship between body and soul, identity and Internet, problems of the society, turning into robots) are the same, but in the film the theme of justice is different than in the anime: in the film there is an attempt to change the order of things and also hope, while the anime is more pessimistic about this.

Also, the film doesn't consider some "background information" as Buddhism, Confucianism or the 90s Japanese society in general.

  Me: apart from the specific information about society, are there other differences in the setting?

Giulia: the setting is similar to the Japanese versions, but I didn't like some new elements of the film (as the giant holograms) and the fact that, even if it takes place in the future, there are a lot of "analogic" elements, as a lot of cables instead of  "wireless" connection.

  Me: what about the characters?

Giulia: on the outside appearance, they look like the original ones, but their behaviour is different (but we have to keep in mind that this happens in every adaptation). I noticed significant differences in the Mayor's personality: in the film, she seems very determined and serious, while in the anime she is funny and also melancholy.

  Me: I felt a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that the Major wasn't played by a Japanese actress: and you?

Giulia: if we consider the story itself, it can be plausible that the Mayor isn't Japanese. I also think that Scarlett Johansson wasn't a bad choice as protagonist, even if I didn't like her performances in other films. What I didn't like was the explanation of the past of the Major, which seem to me too close to today's politics.

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I hope you enjoy this review/interview. I like this film, but it's not one of my favourite: I think that the themes are not so original, even if maybe in the near future we have to try to answer some questions about the real nature of robot.

Bye for now!

Yours, Silvia

p.s. Don't forget to answer my little survey on the left side of my blog and to follow my blog!!

When your heart grows cold - ATOMIC BLONDE

  I went to the cinema yesterday with a friend of mine to watch this film: when the trailer was released, I was very curious to watch it, because it seemed a really interesting action spy film. Also, I saw that, as the protagonist, Charlize Theron was chosen, together with James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones. The director is David Leitch and the writer is Kurt Johnstad. This is not an original plot, but an adaptation of the graphic nover "The Coldest City".

(http://www.goldposter.com/231206/)

  Fun Fact: "Described by Variety as a "Passion Project" for Theron, she first came across the story five years prior, when her production company Denver and Delilah Productions was sent the then-unpublished graphic novel." (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Blonde#Production)

  This is the brief synopsis you can read under the trailer: "Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors."
In fact, the film takes place on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, mostly in Berlin, but also in England and Paris. The palette of colours of this film is made up with cold shades, together with neon lights, which intensify the dramatic and dangerous scenes.

<<Trust no one>> 

  This is the "code-phrase" with which the film can be summarised: it's all a matter of trust and allies, but in every moment one can't understand who is the enemy. The borders fade away, especially after the first half of the film.
Even if the film lasts almost 2 hours, there was no pause, so that the audience was perfectly focused on the story and can try to take the attitude of the different characters.

  What I really liked were the action scenes: some of them are really spectacular, thanks to the abilities of Theron (Lorraine Broughton) and to the soundtrack. Some scenes have songs in the background (in one of them you can listen to Father Figure by George Michael), while other haven't: one can listen to the screams of pain and fatigue of the spies. Even the car chases are extraordinary and the moments of tension before the battles.
My favourite scene is when Lorraine holds a rope and jumps from a balcony, while on the other extremity one can see a man who plays the role of a kind of "anchor" (this one) .

  The 80s are recalled not only by the cars or the events, but also by the soundtrack (click on the titles to listen to the songs):

• Blue Monday by New Order (performed by Health)
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) by Eurythmics
• Killer Queen by Queen
• Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
• I Ran (So Far Away) by A Flock Of Seagulls
• Cat People (Putting out Fire) by David Bowie

  My favourite characters are Lorraine (Charlize Theron) and David Percival (James McAvoy): Lorraine seems cold and cruel, but the film is not only about secret intelligence, but also about her growth; even David is not who he seems to be.

  A thing I didn't like was the changing of the rhythm in the second part of the film: it becomes complicated, especially considering the relationship between the characters. But this is also a strong point, because everything gets unexpected. 

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  This is my review of the film "Atomic Blonde": let me know if you've already watched it or not! Click also on the list on the left side of my blog to let me know which film review you would like to read! :)

Bye for now!

Yours, Silvia

At the end of the world - DUNKIRK

I have to admit I hadn't planned to watch this film at the cinema: I have a list of films I would like to watch and this wasn't there, because of the fact I had already too many films ("Baby Driver", "Kingsman - The Golden Circle", "Gifted", "The Beguiled", "Miss Sloane" and many others) and I had to make a choice.
Now, instead, I'm happy that my sister insisted on me going with her to watch it.

The film I'm referring to is Dunkirk, a war film written, co-produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan. The cast includes Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy.

As usually, I won't write here the plot, especially this time, considering that the film is based on a historical event of the World War II. I want to write about what strikes me the most in general.

As soon as the film started, after few minutes, I realised it was a great film: this because, from the very start, the director was able to make you feel like you are there, with the soldiers: the protagonist, in fact, is the sense of anxiety, together with fear and powerlessness, well summarised by the image of the Dunkirk beach, where 400,000 men are waiting for death or salvation.

Troops wait in line for their turn to be rescued from the beach of Dunkirk
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394968/Evoking-spirit-Dunkirk-Inside-castle-Operation-Dynamo-evacuation-mission-masterminded.html#ixzz4spmRp7Vh

The film lasts less than two hours, but due to its intensity it seems longer, without being boring. What I loved the most is the soundtrack, entrusted to the famous Hans Zimmer. A fun fact: Zimmer visited the Dunkirk set for inspiration and chose not to view raw footage of the film whilst composing the score. Each music fits perfectly to the situation displayed, adding, often, an even greater sense of danger and uncertainty. This immersive effect rises also because the dialogue parts are fewer than the action scenes and the music.  

What you watch looks like a thriller and a docu-film at the same time: apart from the fact that the plot is based on the true story of the Operation Dynamo, Nolan decided to use boats that had participated in the real evacuation, as well as era-appropriate planes, and also the equipment of the soldiers is similar to the original. 

One of the Spitfires repainted for the film

By Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

--------------------(this post contains spoilers from now on)--------------------

The story is divided in three parts, which shows three different points of view and different duration of the events described: the soldiers one, a week long(called "The Mole"); the aviators one, which lasts one hour ("The Air"); the civilians one, which lasts one day ("The Sea"). Sometimes, this expedient causes a little bit of confusion, in particular when the stories connected to one another.

No backgrounds are portrayed, we know only the names of the characters: I really appreciated this decision, because what is important is that one can feel the horror and despair in the different situations, trying not to get "distracted" from the personal life of a character in particular.


I think that a word which can describe all the main characters is honour:
- the soldier we follow on the Mole wants to escape, but he tries not to forget about other soldiers, even in difficult situations.
- the two aviators who are trying to hit the enemies, are ready to risk their lives at any time to save others.
- the civilians, also, without weapons, leave their home to rescue their compatriots blocked in Dunkirk.

My favourite scene, in fact, is when the Commander (played by Kenneth Branagh) see the profiles of the private vessels, the so-called "Dunkirk little ships" of the civilians who cross the English Channel facing a lot of dangers to save them. This scene touched me because I imagined the sense of relief the soldiers had felt in that moment.

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If you want to go to the cinema and you are not sure about what film you can watch, Dunkirk is a perfect choice: it is not a usual war film, but it is much more.

Bye for now!

Yours, Silvia

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: what do we know now?

Marvel Studios announced the beginning of the production of "Ant-Man and the Wasp", the sequel of Ant-Man with a sort of trailer:

No news about the actors who play the main characters: we will meet Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man) and  Evangeline Lilly (Hope van Dyne/Wasp), but also Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michael Pena (Louis) and Judy Greer (Maggie, Scott's ex-wife).

There will be some new entries, as Michelle Pfeiffer, who will be Janet van Dyne (Hope's mum) and  Lawrence Fisburne (Doctor Bill Foste, assistant of Hank Pym in the comics).

As enemies, instead, the names are Ghost (interpreted by Hannah John-Kamen) and Sonny Burch (played by Walton Goggins), the new chief of Cross Technologies.

Together with the announcement of the beginning of the production and the cast confirmation, it has been released also the summary of this film: Scott Lang has to deal with the consequences of his choices in Captain America-Civil War, both as a superhero and as a father. Also, a new mission is behind the corner and this time he has to cooperate and learn to fight together with Wasp: a team work to discover the secrets of the past.

The film is directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige; it will be on theatres on the 6th of July 2018. Here the poster painted by Andy Park, presented during the San Diego Comic-Con:

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

Why you should watch SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

Few days ago I went to the cinema with my friend to watch the new Marvel studios' film, that is Spider-Man Homecoming.

As you maybe know, I started to watch the films of the Marvel Universe some time ago, in particular the X-Men series. Later I also began to search for all the Marvel films, from Iron Man to Ant-Man, from Thor to Doctor Strange, including the Avengers ones. My favourite ones by now are: Captain America - The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy (both two), Avengers - Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America - Civil War and Doctor Strange.

I'm looking forward to watching Thor - Ragnarok - the trailers released are just amazing, especially the second one - and Black Panther - the main character is very interesting.

Today I want to write 7 reasons why you should watch this new Spider-Man film (here the trailer):

1 Teenager: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in this film is a naive 15 years-old kid, with the same little big problem each high school student has to face, as the first crush or the first ball. He is also very intelligent, especially in chemistry.

2 Friends: Peter's friends are odd but iconic: the gasbag, the nerd, the outcast and all of them make every situation funny.

3 Being a hero: after his first mission with the Avengers (in Captain America - Civil War), he would like to be considered as a part of the group, but it's not so easy...

4 Enemies: there are different enemies, but the main villain is Vulture (Michael Keaton): he doesn't follow the rules because he thinks they are unfair, so he decides to take the law into his onw hands. And then Spider-Man finds him...

5 Epic scenes: the most epic scenes are the one which shows the acrobatic abilities of Tom Holland, but there are also other scenes close to the comics.

6 Topics: love and justice are always present in the Marvel films, as the burden/privilege of being a hero. Here we have a really young character with great responsibilities and we can see how Peter deals with this.

7 The amazing suit: as you see in the trailer, but also in the previous film (Captain America - Civil War), Peter has got two suits: the "homemade" one and the one built by Tony Stark. Even it's not a character, it is very important in this film.

Now all you have to do is watching the film and tell me your opinion and thoughts about this film: do you prefer the old films or do you also like this new one? 

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

THE LAST JEDI - teaser trailer

Yesterday the teaser trailer of Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was released (click here if you haven't watched it yet), so I decided to write about it.

What do we see in this trailer?

Well, I think that the only information we get is the fact that Rey starts to train with Luke, learning how to use the force. Then we see the character we met in Episode VII - Finn, Poe Dameron, BB-8, Kylo Ren - and the spectacular spaceship battles.

An image from the trailer

At the end of the trailer, Luke tells something mysterious: "It's time for the Jedi to end".

What does this phrase mean?
That the Jedi will lose the battle against Sith?
Or maybe that the power of the force will be united and there won't be the Light and the Dark side anymore?
Or that the Jedi will surrender?

Now we have to wait for a new trailer, hoping that it would reveal something more!

Episode VIII official poster

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

A DEATH NOTE film?

Some days ago, I was on Facebook and by chance I noticed a trailer which caught my attention: the teaser trailer of the Netflix original film Death Note. I was very curious, especially because I watched some episodes of the anime (they both are based on the manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata) and I liked it, especially for its themes and characters. 

the logo

If you don't know it, in a few words, it tells the story of a student named Light Yagami who finds a strange book, the "death note" indeed, which has a special yet terrifying power: when you write the name of a person on it, that person dies immediately. If you are interested, you can find the episodes of the anime on Netflix, so that you can be prepared when Death Note film will premiere on the 25th of August.

In this teaser, we can see the protagonists, L, Light and the eyes of the shinigami (which, literally, means "god of death") Ryuk:

some scenes from the trailer

I don't know why people of Netflix has chosen these actors, who don't look like the characters of the manga and the anime at all, neither L or Light

the anime

but I think we can say if they were right or not only watching other trailers or waiting for the film itself.

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

Look away, look away - A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)

It seems that this year will be a very good year for those who love Tv series. In fact, on the 13rd of January a brand new one started its journey (a three season journey): "A Series of Unfortunate Events", based, as the 2004 film starring Jim Carrey, on the novels by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) and developed by Mark Hudis and Barry Sonnenfeld.

The first season has 8 episodes (two episodes per story): The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window and The Miserable Mill. Except the last one, the other three have the same plot of the 2004 film, even if in this TV series the characters are more detailed and the order of the events is different (I think that's because the whole story has to continue).
Also, the two adaptations has in common the participation of the actress Catherine O'Hara: here she portrays Georgina Orwell, a "special" optometrist (who compares in the last episode), while in the other version she was Justice Strauss.

Now it's time to mention the masterful performance of Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf: when I watched the film, I thought that Jim Carrey was perfect for that role and that nobody could do better than him. But I was wrong: it's not easy to portray a character that was already well-played, in particular if we consider that, watching the new adaptation, the "old" scenes comes in our mind forcing us to do a comparison. I did a comparison and I'm glad to say that there are two winners, because we can see two Count Olaf perfectly credible (P.S. the "Stephano" played by Harris made me laugh a lot: click here if you're curious).

The Baudelaire children are a bit different: I noticed that in the film they often worked as a team, while in this TV series is a bit different: Klaus, for example, helped her sister Violet thanks to his countless readings. Here, instead, when they are in trouble, Violet often finds the solution on her own, supported by Sunny's ability (I love the fact that there are subtitles when Sunny "speaks").

Other differences are the narrator, who gains more space in the story than what he had in the film, and Mr Poe. The narrator is visible from the very start (and not hidden in shadow) and has is own background: telling the story of the Baudelaire, he seems detached as someone who tries to recount in the most impartial way. Mr Poe is more irritating, dumb and indifferent than in the film. We meet also his wife and his two sons.

Lastly, the locations have a dark atmosphere and even the "happy" places (as the Justice Strauss's house) seem strange. Also the theme song, sung by Neil Patrick Harris, is a bit creepy - and it changes a bit in each episode.

I really like this TV series and I can't wait to watch the second season!! If you want, tell me your opinions in the comments! ^-^

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

Portraits of dreams - LA LA LAND

Yesterday I went to the cinema with a friend of mine to watch La La Land. This film won 7 Golden Globes and it received 14 nominations at the Academy Awards...and I think it deserves them all.

This film is directed by Damien Chazelle and the protagonists are Ryan Gosling (as Sebastian) and Emma Stone (as Mia), who try to fulfil their dreams: he wants to open a club to bring jazz music "back to life", while she wants to be an actress.

(here the trailer)

They both are passionate, they accept compromises because they keep in mind their final goal, but the path isn't easy.
At the end of the film, you don't really know what is right or wrong, if they have made the good decisions or if their lives should have been different. You just stare in front of the screen and accept their choices, because you have spent two hours in a bright and magic bubble, flying above Los Angeles, in that atmosphere full of hopes and happiness between the 50s and the 21st century and you don't want to go back to reality. That's what I felt.

This film is unbelievably astonishing and special: it's extraordinary because the story itself is simple, with themes as love and career ambitions, but you sense that story, you're there with them, walking down the streets, understanding their worries, their fears, their emotions, their special bond.
You just see some pieces of their story, as if you're leafing through an album and memories come back in a hurry: you see the changing of the seasons and their growth in a crowded world, with invisible demons and gentle angels.

I really love the protagonists and I think that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stones are perfect in their roles, because they manage to show all the shades of their characters. Sebastian is a kind of romantic hero who fights for an higher ideal, which is a pure jazz; Mia, also, has her dream, but she is insecure and sometimes she thinks not to be so special. Their bond is really strong: they're like two mirrors, in which they see themselves as they really are on the inside, the magnifying glass which shows what makes them unique not just to everybody, but even to themselves.

The soundtrack is beautiful and, at the end of the film, you go out singing the songs and remembering all the scenes in which they are played. My favourite one is "City Of Stars", which has also a nomination for "best original song" - together with the song "Audition (The fools who dream). I really like also "Mia and Sebastian's Theme" and "Someone In The Crowd".

I suggest to watch this film, even if, maybe, you usually don't like musicals, because it gives you more than a love story with dancing scenes: it makes you think about dreams, showing another option to the answer "what is the meaning of happiness?".

My vote is: 9/10

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

The Big Bang Theory

Finally, the season 10 of The Big Bang Theory is arrived, with our beloved characters in Pasadena, CA! 

I started to watch this sitcom a bit late from its broadcasting, when I subscribed to Infinity, an Italian online streaming service similar to Netflix, last year. 

(here the full theme song)

At first, I didn’t know the story of the different characters, because I missed the previous seasons, but then I realised I really liked it, so I decided to go back to watch all the episodes. 

I think that The Big Bang Theory is a special sitcom, because it shows the world of the so-called "nerds", "losers" and “geek”, who know everything about comics, superheroes and science fiction, the little big problems of the everyday life and in particular the perfect balance between each character.

The main characters are: Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter (physicists, who also share an apartment), Howard Wolowitz (aerospace engineer), Rajesh Koothrappali (astrophysicist) and Penny (who lives across the hall), and in the season 4 we meet Bernadette Rostenkowski (microbiologist) and Amy Farrah Fowler (neuroscientist).

(from left to right: Bernadette, Howard, Raj, Penny, Sheldon, Leonard and Amy)

The male characters work at Caltech, they are close friends and they have the same interests. They have insecurities, sometimes they quarrel, but without their ups and downs their friendship wouldn’t be so unique. Even the relationship between the three female characters is similar to the guys’ one and they also try to know something about the “geek world” of the boys.

Sarcasm (and black humour) is the best part of the sitcom and it is the real protagonist: almost everybody use sarcastic comments. Even Sheldon, who often doesn't understand them, during the show, begins to learn how it works.

Another interesting thing is that all the scientific references and terms are real: in fact, the screenplay is checked by a real Physics professor, David Saltzberg. Also, the name Cooper refers to the Nobel Prize Laureate Leon Cooper.

There are a lot of cameos, for example the ones with Stephen Hawking, Carrie Fisher, Stan Lee and James Earl Jones.

Now two new episodes, The Conjugal Conjecture and The Military Miniaturization, have been released, so we will see what will come next!

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See you soon

Yours, Silvia

ROGUE ONE

"Save the rebellion, save the dream"

Saw Gerrera

Yesterday I went to the cinema with my sister to watch "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". When I got to know about it, which was meant to be a stand-alone film of the Star Wars saga, I wasn't particularly interested in watching it: the first trailer hadn't caught my attention, so I decided to wait for Episode VIII. But, as time passed, new trailers were released and I changed my mind so much that I also booked the tickets in advance.

(Here the trailer)

The story is about the events between Episode III (Revenge of the Sith) and Episode IV (A New Hope): in particular, it is shown how the Rebel Alliance stole the secret plans of the Death Star in order to destroy it.

I'm glad I decided to watch it, because I really liked the atmosphere (even without the typical yellow credit), the characters and the special effects. This film describes so perfectly the aim of the Alliance, the courage and the tenacity of the Rebels that it seems you're with them too, fighting against the Galactic Empire. It shows also the difficulties of the population and the fear walking on the streets, constantly controlled by the Stormtroopers.

Moreover, each character is special and unique and ready to sacrifice for a higher cause, even when there are more risks than certainties. As Jyn says, "rebellions are built on hope" and even if the chances of winning are very little, it is worth trying.

You can also see epic battles and air combats between the Empire and the Alliance - and much more - thanks to astonishing special effects, valid even watching the 2D version.  

I have two favourite characters, which are K-2SO and Galen Erso. The first one is the opposite of BB-8: it is a tall and a bit creepy reprogrammed Imperial droid which has a full personality. In fact, it is often sarcastic, moody and frank, but loyal especially to Kassian.

Galen Erso, portrayed by Mads Mikkelsen is the father of Jyn. He loves his family and He would do everything to keep them safe. I really appreciate the performance of Mikkelsen, because he manages to show us the personality of Galen even if there aren't not a lot of scenes dedicated to this character.

In conclusion, I recommend watching this film, because it gives us the opportunity to discover more about the entire story of the saga, adding new explanations to future events.

My vote is: 8.5/10 

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

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Bye for now

Yours, Silvia

My impressions about "X Men - APOCALYPSE"

On Friday I watched "Alice Through The Looking Glass" (here you can find my review), while on Saturday I watched "X Men - Apocalypse".

First of all, I have to say that this time I've seen all the prequels of the X Men (when I watched The Force Awakens, instead, I'd never watched a Star Wars film before) before going to the cinema, so I already knew the characters. That's because I got to know about a new film and I was curious, so I watched the trailer and I started to see all the films, from "X Men" (2000) to "X Men - Days Of Future Past" (2014).

My favourite film is DOFP and I was not so sure if watching this brand new film would have been a good idea, especially after having seen some not-so-enthusiastic reviews. Then I decided to give it a chance and now you can read a post about it.

I agree with those who says that the characters are not so analysed as before. It's like the film is made up with a lot of stories but each of these is the top of an iceberg: the most interesting parts are not shown, yet only outlined. This happens in particular in the beginning of the film, with a focus on Apocalypse in Egypt in 3000 b. C.: the scene is quite long but it shows only a moment and there is not a full explanation of the life of the character. I think that the spectator could expect something more than a simple scene, because he doesn't know Apocalypse's way of thinking and why he acts in that way.

Moreover, some scenes seem random, as the awakening of Apocalypse itself or the moment when he meets Storm. I think these are important events, but in this film they are not as fundamental as they should be, for example the choice of Apocalypse's lieutenants.

I appreciated Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), even if they are less powerful on screen than they were in the previous episode. Even the behaviour of Magneto becomes shallow unlike the other films.

I also thought that, due to the fact that the director Bryan Singer chose to show the characters when they were younger, they would have been more idealistic and stronger but I was wrong. Some of them are a little bit useless and that's a pity because their skills and powers are great: the problem is the lack of space they have in the story and the structure of the film, composed by highlights too brief to make the public know the characters better.

I don't have anything to say about the special effects and the battle scenes, which are amazing, but I don't like the way the story is shown, especially if one considers DOFP and the consequences of this film for the whole story.

My favourite character of this film is Quicksilver (Evan Peters), who seem more mature but with the same attitude

Anyway, my favourite character ever is Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming/ Kodi Smit-McPhee)!

My vote for this film is 6/10

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See you soon

Yours, Silvia

"Time is running out" - ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Yesterday I went to the cinema with my friend Silvia to watch “Alice Through The Looking Glass” and I’m glad I decided to go, despite my tiredness caused by the stress of these days (for the exam).

I went to the cinema also for the first film, Alice In Wonderland (2010), which I really liked, especially for the grotesque atmosphere created by the director Tim Burton.

This time, the film is not directed by Burton (but by James Bobin) who is, instead, the producer, even if I didn't notice any difference between this film and the prequel.

Also the actors who play the main characters are the same: Mia Wasikowska (Alice Kingsleigh), Johnny Depp (the Mad Hatter, Tarrant Hightopp), Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen, Iracebeth) and Anne Hathaway (the White Queen, Mirana). There is also the new character, Time, interpreted by Sacha Baron Cohen. In the voice cast, I have to mention Alan Rickman as Absolem, the Butterfly.

The story is about a new challenge that Alice has to face: her friend, the Mad Hatter, is in need and, to help him, she literally has to fight against Time…

There are two main themes, the argues with family and time.

We see three different families: the Alice’s family, the Mad Hatter’s one and the Queens’ family.

In each of them, someone suffers because it is not accepted: Alice’s mother is worried about her daughter due to her adventurous (and dangerous) life so she tries to limit her as she doesn't care about her dreams.

The father of the Mad Hatter doesn't appreciate the attitude of his son, who is eccentric and bizarre, in one word, his opposite. He wishes he could follow the rules like a perfect gentleman and he shouts at him very soon.

Mirana and Iracebeth’s fights date back in their childhood and they don’t stop even in this new film. The Red Queen hates everyone, without exceptions, because people always mock her for her appearance, while the White Queen would like to make up with her sister.

It is a theme which connects even more the different characters, as if they are part of the same big family. Each of them can learn from the difficulties to build an even stronger bound.


Time is a topic which can be often found in films: travel through time, changing the past events, see the future.

Time has rules to follow: in X Men Days Of Future Past, they use one of these rules (if you change the past, the future will change) in their favour. In this film, there is another rule: you can’t see yourself in the past, which is an interesting trick to make the situation even harder than it actually is.

I like the character of Time for the fact that he is both good and evil, if one thinks about this, time itself seems good and evil: it is evil because it seems too short when one has fun, but it is also good because one can grow up and gain knowledge or go beyond a bad period.

There are also things that can be learnt thanks to time, as the value of the present and the usefulness of the past to think about how to act in the future. I really appreciate that the creators have decided to choose this character and the way they represented him, his nature both human and symbolical.

I like the fact that the story is totally original: I have to say that, after Alice In Wonderland, I didn't expect that a new film would have been released.

I didn't like some scenes, which seemed to me unnatural and unnecessary (especially in the beginning), but in the complex it is a very good film.

My vote is 7,5/10

My vote for the prequel (Alice In Wonderland) is 8,5/10

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See you soon

Yours, Silvia