Film reviews

The Room Next Door Review

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Director Pedro Almodovar has always worked on films that force audiences to step out of their comfort zone. His directing style is unique in finding angles of suspense and consequences of feelings. From Talk to Her (2002), Broken Embraces (2009), The Skin I Live In (2011), Pain and Glory (2019) and other films, his films have mostly come with a hard R rating because of their context and contents with heavily mature themes. The Room Next Door though is his first PG-13 rated film and English-spoken project.  It is presented with a lighter tone to the adult material but still a heavy subject matter. His films are about finding ways to heal and to deal with conflicts and actions for unexpected events. The storyline of The Room Next Door revolves around one of these “unexpected events.”

The film takes place in New York and is focused on two writers, Ingrid (played by Julianne Moore and Martha (played by Tilda Swinton). Ingrid is an accomplished book writer, and Ingrid is a war journalist. They are quite close but have been out of touch for a while. Ingrid gets the news that Martha has cancer. Going forward, both reconnect and from there The Room Next Door is an emotional direction of doors that repeatedly open and close. There are moments of happiness and sadness—it is a bipolar force of a drama with intense writing.

Almodovar is the master of looping in moments of turmoil for a deeper purpose. Martha’s illness is the pot that boils the agony fearlessly in The Room Next Door. The film’s title is based on the setup and agreement between Ingrid and Martha. Martha wants Ingrid to stay and have a getaway with her for a few days before her death. This is where the film’s writing starts to rapidly create its blend of humanistic emotions. Almodovar is keen on making his audience feel what his characters are feeling—sad, distraught, aggravated, and confused. The cancer mixed with relationship issues causes all kinds of feelings.

Despite the hard favor asked of Ingrid, it is a situation that connotes realism on an honorable level. This is especially true when a third friend comes in fragments. That friend is Damian (played by John Turturro). He talks to Ingrid and stays in touch with her, as he takes on the role of one she can vent to. He is also a writer. This is the trail of three accomplished friends and writers, one of whom is bound to see her final days of life. Damian adds value to this though, because he talks about how life and sacrifice are things to think about carefully. Damian does not want much of the drama, however for Ingrid though, Martha is too important to her. The dynamic of this shows how some truly keep their distance while others remain close. The humanistic value of appreciation finds the boundaries within itself from the mind of Almodovar in The Room Next Door.

With correlating careers of growth, The Room Next Door dives to feelings of competitiveness, as the performances between Moore and Swinton start to briefly meander. The expectations of finding a strategy to live the best days of their life before one of their lives ends is a structure that encounters many obstacles in a row. Nothing is black and white. Almodovar’s direction of being ready for what is unsettling is what is captured thoroughly in The Room Next Door. Writers, friends, and life with complexities all thrive in arthouse moments throughout The Room Next Door. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera Review

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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel that goes international. The first film, Den of Thieves, was all about a war between cops and bank robbers throughout California. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel where the events from the first film leave a trail for unfinished business. With Gerard Butler as Nicholas ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Donnie Wilson—they both return to team up. In the first film, Nicholas is the cop trying to capture the bad guys with the help of Donnie (since he is the driver of the bank robbers). Den of Thieves 2: Pantera has the characterizations for forces to join for a new award.

In the film, Nicholas is at odds with his position as a sheriff. He has lots of debts and unfinished business. Donnie has found his way to Europe. He does operations of robbing diamonds under the operation of Jovanna (played by Evin Ahmad). Donnie is putting what he has learned from the first film into his way of making ends meet—robbing items worth fortunes. This time, his work is in Nice, France. Nicholas finds his way to Donnie, and both team up for a heist at one of the most prestigious diamond exchanges. The exchange is under the supervision of the Panther Mafia. They are a brutal gang of wealthy criminals—that is nothing Nicholas or Donnie cannot handle.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera lays out the plans of the heist with a deeper context—there are more stealthy missions of suspense over lethal gunfire (like the first film). There are more infrastructure-related considerations. It is how law enforcement and the layouts of the land and security of France operate. This sequel finds its strategy of going rogue frequently. It is exciting (in fragments) but dull in some as well. The dynamic between the performances of Butler and Jackson Jr. is the component of curiosity. Is Nicholas truly there to help Donnie? Does Donnie realistically know what he is doing?

The film continues in its tracks to keep the momentum of a heist from happening. It just keeps falling to the tracks of political and egotistical. The “egotistic” side comes a lot from Butler’s performance. Overall, it is a thriller that thrives on its motive. It is not excellent, but it excels in good faith. Creativity is up many notches for its audience to cross-examine suspense. However, this is still purely a sequel based on how well the first one did. Its selling tactic is more of the macho man galore with Butler’s performance and witty cop humor. It is a brand of material that is joyful. However, it drags the film’s seriousness.

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is a sequel just below average. The film sells with its more low-key suspense. Overall, though, it is purely for the ones who anticipate the shoot-them-up-robbing flick. The only difference is that it is diamonds and being overseas with two-sided attitudes. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

September 5 Review

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There are captivating insights that feel real in the film September 5. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, the actual events highlighted in this movie are compelling. With a stellar cast including Peter Saarsgard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch, their performances portray a powerhouse of a team that comes together during the Olympics in Munich, Germany in 1972. The era of old-school news technology and various technicalities which pose challenges—the broadcast is at times more surreal than the story itself.

The film features Geoffrey Mason (Magaro) who is assigned to handle the events surrounding the Olympics of 1972. When the terrorist event begins, the tasks of the job become tedious and detrimental. His superiors are Roone Arledge (Saarsgard) and Marvin Bader (Chaplin). As the terrorist attacks interrupt the broadcast, the decisions regarding what to share with the world and what to broadcast grows critical. The pros and cons of what is chosen to be televised always poses a risk, so making the right decision is essential. Israeli athletes are being held hostageduring the Olympics.  How deep does the team have to go to dig into the story? How do they find out the severity of the situation and its accuracy? The ABC sports crew finds themselves in a tough spot as they must grapple with all that is going on to provide the content for their network. September 5. has a real-life quality to it which showcases a pattern of brutality in the wake of a news team taking on a story that is bigger and scarier than they had imagined. The assistant and translator is Marianne Gebhardt (Benesch). She speaks German and can translate what is being said. However, the technological limitations of the times create a spark which ignites suspense during this uncertain situation.

Uncertainty is vivid and pervasive throughout September 5 because as the news evolves, there are new objectives that must be continuously considered. Much of that weight falls onto Mason. However, the more major and crucial choices are in the hands of Arledge and Bader. All of them have mixed feelings about every step they take, and every direction they lead.  Thenews team is already in a state of stress and shock based on the disturbing footage that gradually comes through their channels. When there are hostages, the true events heighten the film’s authenticity The film is the most anxiety-producing yet exhilarating news story adaptation I have ever seen. The characterizations and the stressors building the momentum to find the solution of what is proper for the broadcast are done incredibly well.

The setting of solely being in the news station makes the audience feel they are in the era when the story occurs. This was the first story about terrorism to sweep the nation. The direction is spellbinding and successful at portraying a team working together to do their best in very difficult conditions. While they hit many plateaus, there is always a light due to the realism in this film. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for September 5.

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