All Forms of Art

Biopics are in a high place right now, as well as the criticisms about all the details they couldn't fill.  I was never close to Elton John 's work, although, like many people, I knew his most famous songs. Still, I was quite curious about the movie. Not Just Music, But a Musical I had no idea it was a musical, which was a bit of a shock. Not being a big fan of musicals, I must admit that I loved this one. The movie starts with a big, dramatic entrance, totally Elton material, that immediately glues you to your seat. Those outfits were something special, by the way.  The timeline, as usual, was altered for entertainment purposes - you see an infant Elton John singing a song he would write as an adult - and that bothered many people. It didn't bother me at all. I see it as an interesting creative choice.  The main goal of this biopic was for us to see the performer without forgetting the human being behind it, and they reached it.  Sex...

Steven Spielberg  is always a promise of quality, and Ready Player One does not disappoint. At first sight, you could say it is the perfect film for gamers and lovers of new technologies. But it is more than that.  The center of the action is the virtual world called OASIS. A fantastic universe, full of hidden secrets and clues left behind from its late creator. The people who discover all of them will change their future forever (or perhaps the future of the whole world). I was a bit uneasy about the movie when I first heard about it, but it was definitely better than I expected. The Story We follow Wade (Tye Sheridan), a teenage boy obsessed with finding out the secrets hiding on OASIS. Wade’s unusual - to say the least - home and extremely poor neighborhood would be enough for a plot, yet it is just a detail throughout the movie. The perfect detail. Wade is not the only one obsessed with this virtual world, an escape for most people from their...

I’d realized before that there are a couple of good Brazilian shows on Netflix , but due to time constraints, I had never been able to watch any of them. Recently, I gave it a try with  Nobody’s Looking , or in its original Ninguém Tá Olhando , and I loved it. The story is about Uli (Victor Lamoglia), a  recently born rebel angel (or  Angelus,  in the show’s terminology),  full of questions. He is not happy with the system's explanations and keeps digging around. Not satisfied with being the [only] black sheep, he leads other characters to question and take forbidden actions. Nobody’s Looking is an irreverent comedy, exploring the way we fight so hard to keep the status quo , even when it makes no sense at all.  I especially liked the internationality of most of the jokes and funny moments. Sure, some moments are more fun to a Brazilian viewer, but most of them are easily (and more importantly, funnily) translated. Questioning Sin...

An unlikely friendship between an angel and a demon with Queen songs as background? I’m in!  The show is based on a book that I unfortunately never read - nor did I know that there was such a book (yes, shame on me).   This show was surrounded by some polemics that I never fully understood since I didn’t find any logic in what I read. Perhaps it was a matter of some British humor that doesn’t translate well to Americans, as the Queen themselves found out in the 80s?  No, it was probably more ridiculous than that. There was a petition (sent to the wrong place, by the way) asking to cancel the show because it normalizes satanism. Absurd? Now, join the fact that 20 000 people signed it! Well, Good Omens make us laugh even outside the screen. Okay, let’s talk about the show now. Absurd, hilarious scenes (Yes, it has spoilers.)  Full of what you could call dark humor, Good Omens has plenty of moments that are both funny an...

Well, what can I say about this movie, in addition to “I laughed a lot!”? I really don’t know.  It’s a hilarious movie. I could watch it more than once, and I’m sure I would be laughing nonetheless. It’s a kids’ movie, but there are some jokes that only you will laugh at, and that's what makes it so enjoyable to watch. (Not so) Subtle Criticisms The whole movie has an enormous number of good characters. Some are nice guys, and some are terrible and mean. The usual for a kids' movie, right? I believe Zootopia went a bit further. The criticism ranges from prejudice within the police because of Judy’s delicate appearance to the corruption and abuse of power shown by Bellwether. However, for me, the most amazing ones were the sloths. I couldn’t stop laughing, as well as getting annoyed by how slow they were. Very close to many real public departments, I must admit.  Yes, you can. If you fight for it. What I like most about the overall stor...

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay , (in its original “stori di chi fugge e di chi resta”) is the third book of Elena Ferrante’s saga, started with My Brilliant Friend .  In this Intermediate Time , Lenú leaves her neighborhood in Naples for a new life as a renowned author, mother, and wife.  Since the beginning, her marriage seems a bit empty to the reader. This relationship never fulfills her desires. So it comes as no surprise when she starts to think about Nino, her old passion, again. Maturity and Anguish Throughout this book, we can see a more mature and independent Elena. However, she continues to obsessively compare herself with Lila, the origin of many doubts and anguish. She still sees Naples as a source of violence, especially against women. Yet, even far from there, Naples is always present in her life, and she didn’t reach the happiness or freedom she expected by living in a different town. Her husband is distant, motherhood is complic...