THE GREAT BEAUTY

Original Title: La grande bellezza
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
Starring: Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi, Galatea Ranzi. 
Running Time: 142 min

Jep Gambardella: This is how it always ends. With death. But first there was life, hidden beneath the blah, blah, blah... It's all settled beneath the chitter chatter and the noise, silence and sentiment, emotion and fear. The haggard, inconstant flashes of beauty. And then the wretched squalor and miserable humanity. All buried under the cover of the embarrassment of being in the world, blah, blah, blah... Beyond there is what lies beyond. And I don't deal with what lies beyond. Therefore... let this novel begin. After all... it's just a trick. Yes, it's just a trick.

Anyone familiar with La Dolce Vita from Fellini will understand that this one is a nod to Fellini's classic. Rome is the city of old and new, full with magnificent buildings and relics of the past. Fellini covered Rome in the 60s with empty hedonism.

Now Sorrentino is releasing a whole new story about Rome and its people. In the middle lies Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), an aging journalist who had an apartment near the Coliseum in Rome (I wonder that journalists in the third world country might be jealous. Apparently being a journalist in Italy can make you rich).

He drown himself in meaningless parties and talks of high class socialite in Rome. But he didn't feel any happiness at all. His engagement with high class people only shows the decaying picture of high class people in Rome. 

We can see that these people are jaded and cannot do anything else to overcome their boredom. We also see various character surrounding Jep's existence. There's his editor in chief, his pretentious friend, Rome's hasbeens and religious figures. 

They all mixed up together to show us the diversity of Rome. The visual is beautiful, just like the title. But I have to warn you, if you are not used to La Dolce Vita or Rome, Open City, perhaps you will be baffled and confused by the narrative. 

But if you know those two movies, it is good since it can give you (probably you have never set foot in Rome at all) a glimpse on decaying high class in Rome but told in a warm and beautiful way.

THE DOUBLE

Directed by: Richard Ayoade

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn

Running time: 93 minutes

When I heard that Richard Ayoade will try to adapt Dostoevsky's The Double I simply think: what the fuck? Who on earth can adapt such dark novella? Who wanted to finance him?

But Ayoade proves that he can do it and this is a huge departure from coming-of-age-the-Wes-Anderson-way-only-more-british: Submarine (2010). 

Jesse Eisenberg (shot to fame by The Social Network) plays the titular role as Simon, an unhappy salary man in a dreary job (wasn't clear what his job is, but it seems like in statistics). 

Ayoade makes sure that the audience is lost in time and space. It wasn't clear when the story happened, one thing for sure, the people in The Double has no smartphone.

Simon is insignificant in his job, not just because he is shy and socially awkward, but his boss and peers does not consider him to exist at all. His office is bleak, uninspiring and feels like Hungarian offices in 1970s. 

Having a crush on a pretty co-worker, Simon fails to impress her. Until Simon finds another employee that looks like him 100% but have a totally different personality. His name is James and James took the office by storm. His charm and wit conquers everything.

Not even a single soul in the office care to point out that James and Simon looks alike. By this Ayoade points out the alienation of human by work, something most salary man who have worked more than five years in the same office and doing the same thing over and over again could relate.

Is it a ghost? Simon's imagination? Or something else? That is not the point of this stylish film (even the score is amazing, it will remind you of Hitchock's movies), the point is, as a human we should not be imprisoned by structure and make our mark.

A dark but compelling story from Ayoade and a magnificent act from Jesse Eisenberg. Most viewers will not like this film, but if you like something good and provocative, The Double is the answer.

JOE

Directed by: David Gordon Green
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Tye Sheridan
Running time: 117 minutes

When was the last time I saw Nicolas Cage in a good movie? He's a good actor I think, but sometimes he chose bad movies over good one. I remember Adaptation and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans as his good ones (among many). So what about this one?

Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage) is a man of restrain. He can explode into violent behaviour in minutes but try to hold himself back. He drinks and have a bulldog as companion. He also had an arch nemesis in that small town.

It wasn't clear what town it is, but it is not modern and it looks rundown with poverty. Joe is friendly and loyal to his crew of laborers. One runaway kid, Gary (Tye Sheridan) suddenly shows up and impress Joe with his work ethic.

But Joe has a troublesome family. His father is a drunkard and his family is dirt poor. Soon everything will comes crashing down and Joe must took severe action to protect Gary from the madness of this world.

Low budget, this one felt a bit southern gothic and present a world where loyalty and friendship as something important. Nicolas Cage is amazing here, he shows that he still got the skill to be a good actor. Is he going to abandon tentpole movies to indie ones? I do hope so. Tye Sheridan (known from Mud and The Tree of Life) is also good, he got talent and his looks is perfect for his role.

Had this been released during Oscar season, Nicolas Cage would easily got nominated. Well, actually that depends on release time and campaign.

LOCKE

Directed by: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy
Running time: 85 minutes

Few movies reminded me why I love movies. Just like Un Prophete, this one reminded me why I love movie: story that engage the audience in a simple way.

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is just an everyday man. In one fateful night, Locke must decide, whether to finish his professional business as a construction professional or choosing the personal one. 

One journey, one decision that changes everything. Like one quote from this movie: "The difference between once and never is everything". His job and his personal life is connected. As a construction manager he must built a solid ground for a building, so does with his life.

Abandoning his job and chose to finish a personal job, the viewers only get a glimpse of Tom Hardy alone in the car, the whole 85 minutes. Other characters present as voice only vie telephone conversation. Although this premise sounds boring, but it is engaging and thrilling.

Visually, it is also creative. It is not as stagnant as Ten (2002) from Abbas Kiarostami but interspersed with scenes from the highway in a moody tone. Only few directors manage to shine under such restrain, and Knight proves that ideas always triumph beyond special effects and comic book based movies.

Shot digitally in collaboration with cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, Steven Knight manages to deliver an engaging story that is simple and touching. Tom Hardy is superb and this one is nothing short of brilliant.