El Túnel

This is a catchy book, written as a type of confession. The storyline is good, the characters are very intriguing and complex, but I don't fully like this book. Mostly because of Sábato's writing which is very ordinary, the lack of vocabulary and esthetic is overwhelming, and he just can't help beating about the bush. Despite that, I overall liked the book, I thought the idea was great and the main character was so annoying and complex it made you have no pity for him (I don't know if that was good or bad, really). I presume it wasn't his fault, though, he had some sort of mental disease, and that's quite clear. It's always fun to read stories about crazy people, that I can't deny. Anyway, apart from the story and the characters, the thing I liked the most was (you know me, details...) the metaphore of the title (although I would have liked to figure that out by myself). A man, so lonely, an outsider, he was almost completely isolated from the world, and he had been that way during his entire life, he had been walking through a tunnel as long as he lived, alone, and then he sees this woman, she was not in a parallel tunnel which crossed with his at some point, no, he had seen her through a tiny window in his tunnel (that's the painting!), that's all, and all the time he was thinking it was more, that they were meant to be, that she was special and that they were the only ones who understood each other, when actually, it wasn't like that. And finally, when he ends up in jail, the imaginary tunnel, spiritual if wanted, becomes also physical. His isolation is complete. I thought that was incredible, very inspirational and deep. I thought the depth of the characters was unbelievable, they were so unique, Castel was one of a kind, I can't understand how a man can exist in such loneliness, no man is an island, and that's a fact. Human beings are social creatures by nature. Maria was some woman, I can't fully understand her, she was either extremely submissive or a sadomasoquist! No human being can submit himself to so much suffering, and she did. The characters are almost non-human. It was a very good book.

Now: Book's reviews

Since my two ultimate pleasures (and obsessions) in life are movies and books, I decided I'm gonna start reviewing books as well. Now I'll review not my favourites, but the ones I've got more things to say about. Nevertheless here is the list of my favourite books (they are not in order)

• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
• On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
• Emma by Jane Austen
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Persuassion by Jane Austen
• Vanity Fair by W.M. Thackeray
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• Veinte Poemas De Amor Y Una Canción Desesperada by Pablo Neruda
• Paroles by Jacques Prevert
• Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau
• El Amor En Los Tiempos Del Cólera by Gabriel García Márquez
• Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote
• Casa Tomada y Otros Cuentos by Julio Cortázar
• The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Sallinger
• El Escarabajo De Oro by Edgar Allan Poe
• Captains Corageous by Rudyard Kipling
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
• A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• Seda by Alessandro Baricco
• Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
• The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
• The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
• The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Under Milk Woods by Dylan Thomas
• The Map Of Love by Dylan Thomas
• A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
• Las Ruinas Circulares by Jorge Luis Borges
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Last book I read: El Túnel by Ernesto Sábato.

Friends and Co-Stars :)

Heeyyy, here's a pic of Leo and Kate on the set of Revolutionary Road, the movie that I'm DYING to see. I found this picture soooo sweet. Leo and Kate are real friends and their relationship is impossibly cute. Kate's children call him 'Uncle Leo', aww that's adorable :) Well, but their relationship isn't the main reason I have to see this movie, there are several other factors involved :) Such as:

• The director is Sam Mendes, one of my favourite directors ever (he's Kate's husband btw!) He directed on of my favourite movies: American Beauty.
• It's based on a novel by Richard Yates (one of my favourite writers as well), a novel that I read some time ago and absolutely loved.
• The whole storyline is perfect for a movie, and I love movies set in a past time, specially from 1910 to 1960, I think they are visually beautiful (if they're well done).
• Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are such great actors (two of my favourites in fact) and have amazing chemistry. They always do movies that I like, I believe we share similar taste :) Wonderful Kathy Bates also stars in the movie (she too was in Titanic with Leo and Kate). Little Ty Simpkins also worked with Kate before in Little Children.
• I often like movies that are based on books (if the book is good, of course) and romantic dramas as well, and this one kind of seems to fit the category, doesn't it?
• Final but not least: it simply seems just like the kind of movie I would love :)

The Lives Of Others

Oh boy, this was some movie. I liked it very very much. Even though there aren't much artistical elements involved, no esthetic or cinematographic element worth remarking. However, (even though I enjoy those little things very much), in this kind of movies that isn't really important. When the story overcomes any artistic element, then the product is simply another thing, a completely different thing. There are few of this cases, The Wind That Shakes The Barley for instance, and stop counting. I don't know if I was clear because it's an unusual phenomenon and very hard to explain. The story gets in your insides and deeply touches you and moves you. I was on the border of my seat during the whole film and I cried several times. I felt very attached with the characters and sometimes it was weird to feel that way for some characters that were simply bastards, it was a unique experience and I felt horrible for feeling that way, but that was the best thing about the movie. When the movie is starting to come to its end it has several shocks, and the very end was incredible, extremely shocking and emotional as well. This is a movie to recommend. One of a kind.

Movies that I desperately want to see!

These are movies which haven't come out yet, at least not in my country. Some of them have come out, but I hadn't had the chance to see them yet.

• Revolutionary Road
• The Reader
• Public Enemies
• Nine
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• I Could Never Be Your Woman
• Sex And The City: The Movie
• There Will Be Blood
• P.S. I Love You
• Away From Her
• Georgia Rule
• I'm Not There
• Across The Universe
• Once
• Donnie Darko
• He's Just Not That Into You
• The Edge Of Love
• Silk
• The Duchess
• The Jane Austen Book Club
• The Friday Night Knitting Club
• Coco Avant Chanel
• Le Dernier Von De Lancaster
• Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
• The Young Victoria

SPECIALLY Revolutionary Road and The Edge Of Love

Movies that must NOT be missed, and to watch several times!

So if you haven't seen them, what are you waiting for? And if you have, go ahead, buy it and watch it over and over again!

• Atonement
• August Rush
• A Very Long Engagement
• Chocolat
• Finding Neverland
• Breakfast At Tiffany's
• Gone With The Wind
• The Wizard Of Oz
• Becoming Jane
• Sense And Sensibility
• The Devil Wears Prada
• Secret Window
• Music And Lyrics
• Rebecca
• Psycho
• La Môme (La Vie En Rose)
• Bridget Jones's Diary
• Le Fabuleux Destin D'Amelie Poulain
• Beauty And The Beast
• Chicago
• Moulin Rouge
• The Painted Veil
• Titanic
• Pretty Woman
• Erin Brockovich
• My Best Friend's Wedding
• Notting Hill
• Four Weddings And A Funeral
• The Notebook
• Walk The Line
• Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
• Mona Lisa's Smile
• The Pianist
• Match Point
• Scoop
• Shakespeare In Love
• Marie Antoinette
• The Holiday
• A Knight's Tale
• A Walk To Remember
• About A Boy
• Dead Poets Society
• I Am Sam
• A Beautiful Mind
• La Vita e Bella
• Little Miss Sunshine
• Pearl Harbor
• The Departed
• Blood Diamond
• The Lion King
• The Little Mermaid
• Romeo + Juliet
• Juno
• Iris
• The Godfather (Parts I, II and III)
• Casablanca
• The Sound Of Music
• Big Fish
• Little Children
• A Good Year
• Ma Vie En L'Air
• Jeux D'Enfants
• The Lives Of Others
• Les Poupées Russes
• Dieu Est Grand, Je Suis Tres Petite
• The Wind That Shakes The Barley
• Le Placard
• Something's Gotta Give
• Pride And Prejudice (2005)
• Good Will Hunting
• Patch Adams
• Notes On A Scandal
• Annie Hall
• Hannah And Her Sisters
• Munich
• Forrest Gump
• Jerry Maguire
• Million Dollar Baby
• Charlie Wilson's War
• A Clockwork Orange
• American Beauty
• Paris Je T'Aime
• The English Patient
• Miss Potter
• The Bucket List
• The Shinning
• My Blueberry Nights
• Les Choristes
• The Safety Of Objects
• The Man In The Iron Mask
• Friends With Money
• Dirty Pretty Things

And those are my favourite movies!

Paris, Je T'Aime

Eighteen love stories happening all around Paris. Eighteen delightful segements by eighteen different directors, starring an enourmous quantity of amazing actors. To tell the truth I enjoyed some segments more than others, but the movie itself it's brilliant. I had many judgements before watching it. First, I thought it was a French Love Actually or New York Stories, well not quite. In this movie the stories aren't connected at all and they are all extremely different, perhaps because they all were made by different directors. It might be considered a documental, if wanted, or it could even be a special TV show. Whatever it is, it's awesome. The segments I most enjoyed were Joel and Ethan Coen's, which was very, very weird because I don't usually like what they do because they are so American, but this time, it seems to me, they sort of "adapted" themselves to do a French movie, Isabel Coixet, who seemed like a femeale Jean Pierre Jeunet, I discovered a genious director, I really loved it, Gus Van Sant's, of course, the one with Juliette Binoche was my favourite above all, it was BRILLIANT, the whole concept, extremely well done in only ten minutes, how she must decide whether to let him go and move on with her life or not, stay with him and prive him to go with the cowboy, Binoche is one of my favourite actresses and she can stand out in only ten minutes on screen. The one with Natalie Portman was incredible as well, oh so many details and stupid stuff I enjoyed and would like to share, but they are TOO MANY! But, for example, I didn't like the one with the mimes, I found it so amateur. I would have loved if some directors I love would have also been included, such as: Jean Pierre Jeunet, Woody Allen, Sam Mendes, Ridley Scott, Roman Polanski, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Wright, Yann Samuell, Jean Luc Godart, Lasse Hallström, etc, but this movie is great just as it it. Anyway, this movie must not be missed!

A Good Year

This is a movie to watch on a rainy afternoon. A light, enjoyable movie, but not just any romantic comedy. Of course, because it's directed by Sir Ridley Scott who can transform a romantic comedy into an intelligent film. His muse, Russell Crowe keeps showing why we love him and takes the lead role perfectly. But he's not the one who steals the show, actually, the ones who do are a not very known french actress called Marion Cotillard (she wasn't famous when the movie came out, but now she is, of course, for her awarded performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose) and a 13 year old marvelous boy called Freddie Highmore (Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) who has already stared in several films among the most prestigious actors and directors. The story is well told, the photography is amazing, and the way you pass from present to past in Max's memories and at first you don't even notice is brilliant! It has its flaws of course, but they don't impede you to enjoy it.

Juno

I think this movie was great, very funny, very nicely shooted, quite intriguing details, and all, but I think it was quite overrated. It was ironic, yes, even a bit bizarre sometimes if you want, but please stop comparing it with Little Miss Sunshine, it's nothing like it, it's not half as original it was, it's not even a quarter as bizarre as it was. Little Miss Sunshine is a completely different humor. I won't compare them because then I'll start critizicing this one, which was actually very good. The script was excellent, a well deserved Oscar for Diablo Cody, the art direction and cinematography were very rare and brilliant, the introduction was lovely. Juno has some unique characters and dialogues, as well as images and points of view. Young Ellen Page was amazing, of course her character wasn't that demanding, I must say, and she got all the attention, even an Oscar nomination, but for me it was Jennifer Garner who stole the show, every scene she was in was completely breathtaking. Of course the rest of the cast is amazing and hilarious as well, that's why this movie works. BUT it has several flaws. Everyone keeps remarking how intelligent Juno was either for giving the baby up or for the music and movies she liked, what I found really strange is that she didn't use that intelligence to take precautions before having sex, isn't it weird? Very. Plus, I think the movie makes teenage pregnancy look kind of "cool". Well, it isn't. Actually it's a huge issue all around the world, it's not to be taken lightly and films like this do nothing but promote it when we need to make the teenagers concious. I also thought Juno's father was taking it too well, any other parent would have yelled his ass out and asked who the father was just to go and kill him, but well, that doesn't count like a flaw, because after all it's fictional character, and there might be some parent out there who would take it the same way (or, you know... not). The movie passed lightly (worth the redundance) and I enjoyed it despite its several flaws.

Sweeney Todd

I found this film absolutely hilarious. I don't usually enjoy too much blood in movies, but this one was different. It reminded me of Tarantino with the extremely fake blood coming out of everywhere, absurd, absolute nonsense, brilliant. It has a parodic tone that not everybody can notice. The metaphore about the capitalism (the history of the world, my pet, is those bellow serving those up above, how gratifing for once to know that those above will serve those down bellow and it's man devouring man, my dear, and who are we to deny it in here) and the vision of the decadent and obscure London can't help but revoke to Dickens. The songs are catchy, funny and wonderfull, the visuals are great (usual fact in Burton, even though I don't quite enjoy the darkness in his films), those sepia tones contrasting with the scarlet red blood, very well achieved. The performances, one better (and darker, and funnier) than the other, Johnny Depp is certainly the best actor of his generation, even though it's not his best performance, he had a plus, which was the singing, his brilliant, flawed singing. Helena Bonham Carter once again doing the same character perfectly, with an extra dosis of comedy, she is hilarious, the funniest character in the whole movie. And the rest of the cast does an amazing job, trully great, even Rickman with his nasal singing. I believed the movie acomplished it propose, which was in part, blowing away your apetite!

Atonement

The first thing I can say about this movie is that it is a perfect adaptation of a marvelous book. The writers did an amazing job, really, the adaptation is flawless, I read the book, but some of my friends didn't and were able to watch the film fluently and understand it, because it stands by itself, you don't need to read the book to understand it. It is visually beautiful, excellent cinematography and art direction. The last scene was incredibly edited, it was a fest for the eyes, the entire movie was. Not only for the eyes, but also for the ears! The score is amazing, the whole sound of the movie is magnificent, the sound of the typing machine bounding slowly with the music and certain details like the annoying bee (brilliant!) to help the spectator follow the whole different points of view thing. Speaking of details, Joe Wright is the specialist. I adore the way he pays attention to them, he really understood the core and the simbolism of the book, he tried (and succeeded!) to make you see clearly the crucified position of Cecilia: in the library scene and when she dies, and some other things, but that was the main. He also shows his point of view about whose "fault" it really was and shows true simpathy for Briony. It is certain that he understands human realtionships and knows exactly how to capture them in a film, as well as showing his personality as a director. The close-ups are by far his signature, specially to the hands, which believe it or not, can be so expressive. They managed to make the ending work, I didn't imagine how they were going to make it on film, if it was going to be as good and as surprising as the one in the book, but it was very good. As far as the performances go, they are what was required and more. Keira Knightley was very correct, although she made her own version of Cecilia, a colder one, it's not the approach that she has in the book, but it works very well in the film, specially in the library scene. James McAvoy made a magnificent Robbie, he was very into the character and he really seemed to understand him, he deserved an Oscar nod. Saoirse Ronan was spectacular, she captured the complex Briony Tallis in her very core and did an amazing job. Vanessa Redgrave of course was superb, although didn't seem to really understand the character, she didn't convince me, in the book I felt extreme simpathy for her, but no so much in the movie. Romola Garai was scarely good, she had some kick-ass scenes. The rest of the cast was also excellent, stunning Brenda Blethyn stole the show as always, even though she had a very small part, and Juno Temple really surprised me. This was certainly one of the best films of the year.

Charlie Wilson's War

I really don't have much to say about this movie. The art direction was impecable, the performances extraordinary, the scrip very original, the plot historically accurate. It had flaws, though. One was that if you don't enjoy and/or understand politics you should not watch this film because it's not catchy at all. You have to concentrate to watch it, and I must admit, I don't understand and/or enjoy politics so I found it quite tedious. Nevertheless, I could catch some jokes and I enjoyed the performances, because the movie stars some of my favourite actors. It was very ingenious to mix a serious subject with some classy comedy, not everybody can do it. Overall, it was a good movie.

No Country For Old Men

Was this a good movie? Well, it depends. Was it supossed to make me laugh? Was Javier Bardem in his complex psycho character supossed to make me laugh? If it was, well then the movie was fantastic (at least quite interesting). But if you ask me, having read the book, I'd say: no it wasn't supossed to be funny. It's supossed to be a dramatic thriller about a psycho killer, I think it's disrespectful to the book because it seems quite parodic, as if it was making fun not only of the story itself but also of psychos, southerns, sheriffs, etc. I think it's good that the filmakers do their own view of the stories, but not when it disrespects the original idea. I must say, though, that the movie kept me on the border of my seat (at least when I wasn't rolled in a corner to avoid seeing the blood and the violence, which was most of the time), although it came to a point when it was not so interesting (not to say boring and unnecesary), which was when Josh Brolin's amazing character died, he was who kept the movie alive, not Bardem and certainly not Tommy Lee Jones, he was the one who ruined it, actually. The whole cat and mouse theme was exciting but when the "mouse" dies there's really no point in continuing the movie because there are no interesting characters left, and sometimes it got quite random (there were random scenes during the entire movie, but once the core of the movie is gone, there's nothing to do but to keep adding random scenes, is there?). Plus, it had several outcomes that seem like some kind of easy ways out of important issues. Not to mention the extremely dissapointing ending, I truly think I've been robbed by it, I didn't like it in the book and I certainly didn't like it in the movie. I understand the whole commentary of the violent and random society, but that didn't make the movie good, a movie isn't good just because of the message it sends (and this is a very common mistake among viewers), of course it's an important fact, but it's extremely overshadowed by the flaws that I've already mentioned. I must say, though there were some details (I enjoy the details of the movies) that I found very nice like Bardem's character searching for blood on his shoes (not everybody noticed that one!), and the fact that it had no music at all and still it managed to make you jump in the scary scenes. There's no big deal in this movie at all, I really don't see what the Academy and several other critics sees in it. To me it was just the Coens doing more Coeny things, once again.