My Birthday 2009

Seeing it once again after more than 15 years without setting eyes on it became one of the most amazing moments in my lifetime: everything I remembered loving was there, only better.

On an objective side, I discovered this was a much better film than I expected it to be: Anjelica Huston's performance ranks high on iconic and timeless, she's larger than life and commands the whole thing every time she's on screen.

The make-up is still extraordinary and the whole transformation process (for both kids and witches) and Anjelica Huston's human mask are still timeless and unforgettable but, unfortunately, the visual effects (explosions and ray beams coming out of fingertips) grew old very quickly and feel more dated than the freakin Bible.

While there was one Roald Dahl book-turned-movie that needed to be remade for the sake of Dahl's legacy (Willy Wonka), this one stands right there with Matilda as a truthful adaptation of one of the greatest voices in children's Literature: a man who never talked down to kids. Including some exact extracts from the original book (you can tell when the narration is word-by-word from a literary text rather than a screenplay), the essence of Dahl's rebellious, intelligent spirit is right there, frame by frame, mouse by mouse.

One of the most painful stories of free spirit I've ever seen. It makes your soul soar every frame from start to finish, thanks to some of the best performances in contemporary mexican cinema and an extraordinary music score.

Beautiful!

Only Judd Apatow and his team would be able to give such a bunch of heart and soul to a gross-out teen flick.

As always, flawless character development.

Pure genius!

*Review coming soon*

*Review coming soon*

Don't dream it, be it!
By far, the most beautiful & sexy portrait of freedom and soul.

*Review coming soon*

Breathe taking? No. Life taking! This sucks your soul, tears it appart, spits on it, PEES ON IT, destroys it and then throws it at you while you try foolishly to put it back inside you... and you've seen just 30 minutes of the whole movie. Over the top? Not at all. It kills you, it rapes you, it DESTROYS you. But in the end... oh, no... wait. Nothing happens in the end. No. You remain destroyed. And after seeing this, you actually think you deserve to be destroyed. And maybe you do. The best ensamble performance in the last decade and one of the darkest, cruelest and most extreme screenplays of the new century. Words can only describe a little part of this film...

If you've decided you have what it takes to become an actor (or an artist in general), watch this... you will regret your choice. But if you don't, then YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES. You have the guts. You have the tears and the blood at the ready to spill them all away. You have the soul to crash into people. You have the spirit. Talent? You don't need it. Nobody but you needs to know what the hell are you doing right or wrong... anyways, you're doing it wrong. Life's a bitch. People's a bitch. Drama's a bitch. Acting's a bitch. Are you a bitch? No? Then get out of the stage, get away from the camera, don't touch that screenplay... YOU don't have what it takes. You suck! You don't think you suck? Watch this. If you love it, you suck. If you hate it, you suck. If you don't watch it... you're dead. Oscar Jaenada should be named God of Acting and Achero Manas is BY ALL MEANS nothing but a GENIUS.

One of the best movies EVER... amazing mix between blockbuster and MASTERPIECE (more of the second actually)... great performances, great cinematography... just perfect. A perfect film. No flaws. Just... perfect...

doesn't beat its own sequel but an amazing proof of Tarantino's unnatural talent... nice, unforgettable moments

The first part was made for the action, for the violence and the fun. The sequel is where the real deal is stored. With even more awesome fight sequences but also out-of-this-world dialogues and some kick-ass screenplay issues, Tarantino delivered as promised: a masterpiece. Uma Thurman's career is over as she won't top this one EVER! David Carradine's comeback and Daryl Hannah showing us she can actually act... and be AMAZING at it !! As fast and furious as a movie can get, and with an amazing "Tarantinesque" soundtrack, martial arts reborn with this one. Cool!

the first masterpiece of 2007

It's got JAZZ, it's got SUPERHEROES, it's got DRAMA, it's got ACTION... OUT-OF-THIS-WOLRD!! Second-best animated feature ever created, just below Miyazaki's masterpiece "Spirited Away"... even if Miyazaki produced 10 more masterpieces, this one's when ANIMATION matured and entered a new era.

I am speechless.

I admit it.
I haven't seen it complete. I'll erase my rating.

It makes you smile.

I can't believe it took me so long to experience a Wes Anderon film but I'm glad it was this one. This is, by far, the best screenplay of 2007 and a great introduction to Anderson's body of work for anyone that wants to become a fan, just as I became one just a couple of minutes into the introductory short film, "Hotel Chevalier". The dialogues have so much flow that it's almost surreal. The words cut like knives and heal clumsily like drunken nurses. The eyes tell so many stories and there's so much dept in the characters that it's genius. Wes Anderson is a true filmmaker with such a unique vision and talent to tell wonderful, awkward stories. The three leads are simply marvelous. Adrien Brody is subtle and, by playing it slow and tender, it creates an even more-fucked-up character than using his usual gimmicks (not that there's a problem with his gimmicks) while Owen Wilson carries the whole film over his shoulders with cleverness. For a long time, I've thought that Jason Schwartzman is a little bit overrated. I mean, the boy has some nice talent but there are moments when he just keeps on recycling characters and he looks like an actor with no range at all. But I truly think that Wes Anderson is the right director for him: Schwartzman is incredible in this one and I suppose also in "Rushmore".

But the HUGE surprises come in the form of beautiful, gorgeous and talented women with almost no screen time at all. Amara Karan, playing "Rita", is simply fantastic; and Natalie Portman, in the introductory shortfilm gives such a mature performance is almost unbelievable. She shows an extraordinary range to play any characters she wants and the tomboy/rude/trashy ex-girlfriend-from-hell is one of the top moments of the film. But the thunder belongs to Anjelica Huston in the most extraordinary cameo of the year as the boys' mother. I knew she had to be somewhere in the film and she was simply flawless. The best character in the movie and the greatest performance.

It's a long, sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic, sometimes a little bit too awkward journey that won't appeal to everyone but it's definitely one of the best movies of 2007 and by far one of the most underrated. Wes Anderson's style is mature, quirky and colorful and this movie is all that and even more. Anderson's fans will drool all over it and the newbies will fall in love with it but if for some reason you aren't sure if you will like it: take a chance, you won't regret it.

BTW, it's an excellent gift for your brothers and/or sisters. It's a family journey, after all.

*After a second view, intense and probably psychotic review coming soon*

Is there any chance to give this 10 stars?
5 is simply not enough.

It just DOESN'T STOP! Scene after scene after scene is... a joyride!

But I just wanted to chop Paulie Litt's head off with a kick and pee all over his grave. Could a kid be more ANNOYING? Please, God... make him die a painful, slow death.

*Review coming soon*

So many people are forgetting this movie is, obviously, based on a comic book and they don't get tired of calling it "unrealistic" or "unbelievable" or "it defies the rules of Physics", c'mon! Give me a break!

After that display of subjectivity, I must say the movie does feel a little bit like "too much" at some moments but overall is one of those film experiences you usually forgive for being so flawed because all the good stuff is REALLY good ("Across the Universe", "Sin City" and the Jason Statham movies come to mind) and you leave the movie theatre happy, excited and begging for more.

Let's see: sexy Angelina? Checked! awesome lead character you never stop caring about? Checked! Explosions? Checked! Bullets? Checked! More explosions? Double checked! Kick-ass visual effects? Checked! Dizzy action sequences à la Bourne? *barf* Checked!

So, after we all agreed this is a great action flick, let's get down to business: I realized something watching this that may change the course of my life completely (specially regarding death threats from "serious" film lovers)... Ok, here it goes: this movie reminded me a lot of "Fight Club" and, maybe, even "The Matrix". And that's what I loved about it. The lead character (and here I will copy-paste Flixster's synopsis) is a frustrated office worker that learns that he is the son of a professional assassin. And here's the good part: the hypnotic, charming performance by James McAvoy, inspires. Yes, it inspires. It's the average Joe's hero, and what a hero he is! Everything from verbally abuse his obnoxious boss to kick his best friend's ass for fucking his girlfriend to, of course, making out with Angelina Jolie is pitch-perfect what the average Joe who copes with the 9-to-5 hell of being a loser wants in a movie, and the sudden discovery of a new life (a superhero kind of life) is as delicious to the senses and the heart as other loser-becomes-hero movies are. Maybe both Fincher's and the Wachowskis' movies were filled with philosophical juice and some life-changing dialogues/moments but they were, after all, simple: a loser, a less-than-average human being, almost like a machine, wakes up to life and discovers that, after all, he doesn't have to be like everybody else. Simple as that.

There lays the beauty of "Wanted", in its multiple meanings: loser's hero movie, action flick, explosions & bullets extravaganzza. You decide.

Because, after all,
WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE LATELY?

:)

*Review coming soon*

Phillip Glass may have helped a little more than A LOT to create the right atmosphere for this film, but the whooole film rests in somebody's shoulders... and it's not Nicole Kidman. Sadly shadowed by her co-star at award ceremonies, Meryl Streep wasn't shadowed by nobody during this amazing couple of hours, totally well-used. I just want to comment on one scene, and one scene only, that made me realize I was watching at the best individual performance of the entire history of film making, and now I'M NOT KIDDING. I'm totally sure I've witnesed that. The one and only Meryl kicked some serious "Marlon Brando butt" with one single shot: the egg breaking. She's in her kitchen talking to her ex-lover former boyfriend (yep) and remembering how he made her feel and she's preparing dinner... and breaking eggs. With each egg she tears a bit of her soul apart, her pain and her rage, her whole existance breaks a little more with each egg in the bowl. No words. That's acting. This is a masterpiece of art.

Flawless. A modern american cinema masterpiece by Sam Mendes. One of the best ensemble performance ever, Kevin Spacey: perfect.
Annette Bening: more than perfect.
Wes Bentley: never better than this. One of the best performances of 1999.
Thora Birch: never better.
Mena Survari: WHERE'S THE TALENT SHE SHOWED HERE?? Please, stay away from teen movies!!
Imposible to hate, it's shocking, it's raw, it's wicked, it's funny, it's sexy and real. One of the movies you've got to see if you call yourself a filmmaker.

The ultimate romantic comedy. Before the genre matured and then started to collapse flick after flick until today, Rob Reiner developed a modern masterpiece. Really innovating for its genre and context, it's touching, cute, funny and eternal. Great performances.
I know I always say this but this time is actually true: Meg Ryan doesn't get ANY better than this!

Absolutely one of the best movies for the Vietnam-period ever made (if not the best) along with BY FAR the best Colin Farrell performance that made EVERYONE trust him and believe he was a star in the making. He then made "Phone Booth" and "Minority Report" that, along with this one, showed such a beautiful and wide range that should be shown again soon, please! Anyways, this film is extreme, raw, on-your-face and always exciting. Schumacher KNOWS his business, he just has to choose better projects to show this. The entire cast delivers beautifully, specially the AMAZING performance by Clifton Collins, Jr. Absolutely an out-of-this-world film that should be seen without any prejudices. It's just amazing.

Isabel Coixet proves (if it needed to be proved) that she is an excellent filmmaker that has some serious stuff in her mind she needs to get out. Her screenplay takes you by the cliché road of "I have 2 months before I die" with the hand of an expert in emotions and her direction makes Sarah Polley the best actress on Earth just for a while. Coixet seems to have a fascination for her and for cars as the best (and most heartbreaking) scenes are into a car: Ann recording birthday messages for her daughters... Ann and Lee kissing and screaming... Ann's mom remembering how sad she is.

Isabel Coixet is a pure talent that needs to be seen and Sarah Polley and Mark Ruffalo prove once more how great actors they are.

A masterpiece.

First of all, this one is NOT "Garden State - 5 years later", it's an excellent piece of filmmaking on its own. I hate when movies are not successful for bizarre reasons, like this film. OK, I get it: it was too sad with a lot of laughs in the middle. Well, it's a dramedy! Actually, it's not a dramedy, it's almost as if it was a new genre: a tragemedy! It has a lot of really sad situations (Braff's character, executed flawlessly, is very flawed and almost stupid... really human) but the funny parts are actually really funny! It's a weird movie (but it is not "The Ex") for twenty-niners-going-on-thirty but they shouldn't see it: they may kill themselves afterwards. Beware of this film, it's great and the performances are FLAWLESS (Rachel Bilson is a dream) but it's dangerous for easily-depressive people. I'm serious: this one is a real downer...

For those of you out there hating biopics: this one is for you. Wisely enough, instead of trying to show in a matter of 3 hours (because those damned biopics are long!) the whole existance of a human being, from troubled childhood to drugs and tragic death, James Mangold focuses on Cash's torrid relationship with his wife June Carter and the struggle of June to save his best friend and future husband from the abyss of failure, drugs and self-torture.

Thanks to Joaquin Phoenix's flawless abilty to go deep into Cash's dark soul and creating such a delicious and innocent, yet dark character, the movie is more than just a biopic and it's almost as if Mangold had created a deep love story out of two tridimensional characters, famous or not. Joaquin's out-of-this-world voice (a homage to Cash instead of just an impersonation) completes the circle of perfection and makes this one of the truly best films ever made about rock and roll or simply music in general.

It's clear that Reese Witherspoon's performance is terrific and reaches extraordinary depths and peaks (and what a voice she has!) but I'm still sore about her undeserved win at the 2005 Oscars when it was clear Felicity Huffman's ability and talent were absolutely bigger than Reese's. She's great but there were better female performances that year. Fortunately, that's not important when watching her in such a lovable, cute, mature performance.

This is a masterpiece. Maybe just because of the two leads' voices and performances or maybe because it's better than almost every single biopic of the last 20 years, but there's no doubt about this movie's charm and magic. Johnny Cash is proud.

Masterpiece lesson in acting, directing and art-direction/set-decoration. Ellen Page is the next-HUGE-thing giving one of the best performances of the decade along a sometimes-out-of-this-world-but-sometimes-not-that-good Patrick Wilson in yet another JUICY role. This guy is not able to go wrong... "Angels in America", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Little children" and this one prove that he has the biggest secret talent any actor wishes to have: he knows how to choose his movies. That's the secret about being a good actor: knowing when to say "hell no!" and when to say "hell yeah!"...

This is a "Hell yeah motherfucker pedophile!" all the way!

As incredibly beautiful as it is disturbing as it is sexy as it is out-of-this-fucking-world!

Extreme. Powerful. Raw. Larry Clark. Hate it or loath it. Trash it or burn it in hell. This one is art. A masterpiece of nowadays horror and life. It portrays life as it is: sad. Horrible. It hurts and it kills. But it's life, and you've gotta love it. Or leave it (like Ken Park)...

"Bully" finds a great spot between the "almost-documentary-reality" of "Kids", Larry Clark's first masterpiece, and his "surreal-sex-suburban-hell" featured in "Ken Park".

A group of kids decide to kill one of their "friends" named Bobby (Stahl) after Marty (Renfro) and Ally (Miner) convince them that he deserves to die. Ally creates a spider web of lies and hate in order to get everyone in touch with her loath towards Bobby and the games begin... Murder is not a joke and it's harder than it seems. But sometimes it looks like the only way out.

Here, Clark decides to forget his "Let's capture real kids on film" motto and develops his characters far away from social cliches or junkie, skate-ish gangs. He shows a maturity in his directional work achieving some great performances from his entire cast in dark characters with beautiful dept and emotion. Renfro and Stahl get on a one-on-one acting fight through the entire movie but Rachel Miner gives the most haunting, cleverly dark performance of the movie. A wonderful screenplay, a mature direction and outstanding, deep performances make this the best Larry Clark film to date. I know I love "Ken Park" the most but I have to admit that this one is simply better executed. A triumph.

I simply can't believe this was hated by such stupid audiences! It's not only supreme and marvelous in technical aspects with larger-than-God-himself costumes, SHOES!, art direction, locations and make up but also with yet another OUTSTANDING performance by Kirsten Dunst (the best Lead Actress of 2006, BY FAR) as the troubled, innocent, naive yet smart and bitchy queen of France. Sofia Coppola CAN'T miss!! She is absolutely the best female director ever!! She really digs sooo deep into women minds and creates such unique atmospheres along with extremely careful, elegant, touching direction. Her abilities behind the camera are so unique and flawless that you can ACTUALLY notice some direction!! In most of films, direction is merely a guy shouting "action!" for no reason at all... in GREAT masterpieces, actors, art direction, cinematography, music and everything else IS ACTUALLY GUIDED by somebody who knows what the hell he (SHE!) is doing!! This is one of those films. A truly underrated masterpiece with such a great style it really blows up the screen with color, tears, laughter and Kirsten Dunst...

It tries too hard to be as funny, cute and acidly romantic as the first one, but it isn't. Everything feels fake, plastic, unfunny and dull and you don't give a rat's ass for Bridget or anything else on the screen. The first one was comic genius, Zellweger's performance was out of this world and the screenplay was simply extraordinary from start to finish, mostly because it aimed low and became a surprise. This sequel aims too high and crashes sadly into oblivion. It's not cute anymore: Bridget becomes a psychopath staulker with serious mental issues instead of a clumsy, silly woman with a crave for attention, just as we love her.

A poem over thin ice.

Just as "Big Fish" showed Burton's style all over the place but in a mature, sutile way, "Santa Sangre" shows a mature Jodorowsky that doesn't rejoice in his own visual style or earlier screenplays but creates a masterpiece on the lunatic and family with larger-than-life performances by Blanca Guerra and both his sons without rejecting his usual gimmicks. A piece of art

Tim Burton's masterpiece. A mature film for fathers & sons.

if seen with bitter eyes, it's a masterpiece of Burton-cinema. Evil, wicked, twisted: Burton.

I'd never seen this movie until a couple of days ago. Growing up, I saw it several times but never complete or in one sitting and almost 70% of the movie got lost in a sea of memories over the years. Now, about 15 years later, I saw it with mature eyes.

Let's just say it was absolutely better than I ever thought it was. You simply can't realize how extraordinary Burton and Depp are (in their respective fields) until you see this one again after seeing every other movie they've done so far. It's an eye-opener.

Great!! Tim Burton is NEVER wrong! Never! Michael Keaton shows some range, even if it isn't actually there and Geena Davis doesn't get any funnier than this. Great visuals and great art direction with amazing performances from the whole cast and some classic cult scenes (Did somebody said Dinner-Table Possession?)

Tim Burton just keeps getting better... and better... and better... The cast is in the right tone for the entire movie. Depp? Great! Ricci? Great! Walken? GREAT! Richardson?.... WOW!!! This lady is DA BOMB! Lubezki's cinematography helps Burton's direction but it's the cast the one that steals the show!

Burton at the top of his game! People wanted him to go Hollywood?? Ok... here it is! A-Listers and Movie-Royalty getting killed without mercy by drag queen aliens with big heads and sexy red thongs!! That's Burton!! An amazing crazy fun ride... with Tom Jones!

extremely COOL, that's the word: cool. Sadly underrated... Funny and warm with some great musical moments and a great cast. Linklater at his best!

actually AMAZING, almost perfect satire of reality. GREAT FILM, forget Lindsay, it's almost auteur hehehe well... no, just cool. Great satire, thou

I hoped this would honor the original play in a proper way because the play is a masterpiece! Well... it did! The performances carry the entire film just as it would've happened on stage instead of filling an adaptation with visual effects and "creepy" music they focused on the paranoia and claustrophobia of the characters: simply extraordinary acting lessons with some gory moments and bits of insanity that will keep you wondering "What the hell is this and why did I play it on my DVD?"... simply outstanding piece of filmmaking. Kudos to Judd for picking better films than before, ever since "De-Lovely" she knows what the hell she is doing, Harry Connick Jr. is marvelous but the REAL FUCKIN DEAL is Michael Shannon reprising his on-stage role and carrying the entire film on his shoulders.
4 stars for acting + 1 star for being just great over-all = 5 stars for being a masterpiece of paranoid horror!

It's a little bit unrealistic and kind of stiff at some points but the plot was unrealistic enough to warn the audiences this wasn't a very serious movie with a very strong critic towards something.

But even if this isn't the masterpiece some of us expected, it's still a wonderful, exciting and extremely entertaining thriller with amazing cinematography (what can we expect from a mexican movie if it isn't beautiful cinematography?) and a fast-paced screenplay, along with a poweful ending.

It's nice to see a mexican movie that doesn't deal with crime and poverty in the same way most of the 90s mexican movies did. Instead of dividing the movie between "rich" and "poor" (because the characters do that themselves), the director divides everything between "right" and "wrong" and works with ethics and morality providing us with flawed characters that, when scared, are unable to control their instincts and lose their humanity.

The movie tells the story of three thieves that enter a prestigious "forbidden city" where the rich and privileged live surrounded by a wall (The Zone) and, when attempting to mug her, kill an old lady, starting a manhunt where two of them die. The remaining kid (Alan Chavez, in one of two extraordinary performances this year, double-nominated for an Ariel) hides in a boy's basement, where he develops a small relationship with him by realizing they're not different from each other. Unfortunately, the "Board" of neighbors will do ANYTHING to chase down the remaining boy and "make justice".

The best of the entire movie is definitely the ensamble cast that includes the elite of "good actors" in mexican cinema instead of just an "all star" cast of "hotties". From Daniel Gimenez Cacho (one of the best mexican actors ever) to classic old foxes like Blanca Guerra and newcomers like Daniel Tovar, Alan Chavez and Marina de Tavira, including underrated actors like Andres Montiel, Mario Zaragoza and Enrique Arreola, the cast is strong enough to portray a "mini-government", sort of Big-Brother-ish, that won't stop until "their security is total". The metaphor towards the ultimate "Zone" (USA) is subtle but acid.

Don't miss this for anything in the world. A little bit over-exaggerated but exciting enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.

It's over the top and everything but it's simply delicious to see where do "Rent", "Spring Awakening" and "Across the universe" have to pay tribute for their plots and character development. John Savage and Treat Williams give two of the best male performances I have ever seen in a musical and the music and lyrics are gorgeous. What a delightful movie! Who knew Beverly D'Angelo was HOT?

Really hard to sit through if you don't think a pothead going mad is funny or mildly interesting. Confusing, nonsense, illogic, lame, idiotic, stupid, hilarious, genius, intense, slow, boring, reiterative... call it whatever you like but you've got to admit: this is the ultimate pothead movie or maybe the "Fear and Loathing..." for the new generation. Anna Faris is funny as hell but the real deal is called John Krasinski in a much funnier role than the one he made in "License to Wed". We can call 2007 his last stupid year before taking charge of next year's "Brief interviews with hideous men" directing and writing. Krasinki's hability to make everyone laugh with the minimum effort (see "Jim's faces" in "The Office" for more info on that) is legendary. He doesn't have to go over the top in a Carrey-ish way but just like the good old Zach Braff (before season 3 of "Scrubs") he just says his lines hitting every single right note all the way to your laughing system. By far one of the most underrated actors nowadays.

Good movie, hilarious but maybe too weird for some people: not for everyone. But perfect for me!

By the time I found out about the title/plotline/cast I was absolutely excited about this one. By far one of the most expected movies of 2008.

By the time I looked at the Canadian poster (LOL) for the first time it was official: this is going to kick ass!

By the time I saw the trailer I was in love. I just can't wait any longer...

I've just seen the first couple of minutes online but I need to see it so baaad! I love Kevin Smith even if I've only seen "Chasing Amy" and bits of "Clerks" and "Clerks II"... pity...

Stunning, simply stunning. Jean Pierre Jeunet (and Caro) really inspire ANYONE to go behind the camera and direct, CREATE! Their ability to tell such wicked stories as reflections of life as we know it, is bigger than the screen itself! This one's by far one of the greatest twisted films ever made and one of Jeunet's masterpieces. It deserves the buzz as not so many movies do

Exciting, thrilling and unforgettable, it deserved more luck than this. Actually a GREAT film, not only a cool one but a GREAT one! Amazingly well directed, some of the best performances of 2005, great effects, cool music... the whole package... Just pay attention to the final showdown over the Empire State, at sunset, and you'll know what I mean!

Now I can say this out and proud: Jennifer Hudson was born to be an actress. After seeing her entire repertoire (except Sex and the city, which doesn't count), I can confirm she's an extraordinary talent on the rough, with an uncanny sensibility and passion every moment she's on screen. From her courageous turn in The Secret Life of Bees to her subtle, beautiful bit in Winged creatures, she doesn't need to sing to show incredible depth and tear out her guts in front of a camera. I'm a big fan from now on.

And so, I watched this. I expect the whole razzle-dazzle and big momma's voices but everything was just kind of... lame. Jamie Foxx bored me to death, I never understood Danny Glover's character, Keith Robinson stole a role that was hand-made perfect for Elijah Kelley, Anika Noni Rose was cute but annoying and I don't think Beyonce was even in the movie. Her creepy eyebrows confused me.

But Eddie Murphy is cool in his flashy role. Not great, not extraordinary, not Oscar material: just cool. His drug problems are so weakly portrayed, it's almost as if they were scared or censored.

Technically, the film is marvelous, and it is really entertaining, but it's not the wonderful spectacle everybody hoped it'd be. Weird enough, there's no soul in it, no spice, nothing to chew on. Just drag-queen costumes and Jennifer Hudson's larger-than-life performance. Her main song (you know which one) is not even her biggest moment: she has a lot more to choose from. You can touch her pain through the entire thing. It's incredible.

In case you wondered about my opinion on certain issue: yes, she deserved that Oscar. Barraza, Kikuchi and Blanchett were all unforgettable but Hudson is here to stay: and her next films proved it. Except the one about martinis and high heels, obviously.

Loretta Devine's cameo was a dream.

I have no idea why, but today, after a whole life of thinking "Hey, it's just another classic Hollywood movie, why bother?", I've suddenly got the urge of seeing this with every single fiber of my being.

I suppose the time has come.