The Fountain, Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz

The Fountain, Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz

The Fountain is only the third movie of acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky and certainly lives up to ones expectations after having watched the previous masterwork “Requiem For A Dream”. This poetic tale of the quest for eternal life follows Tomás / Tommy / Tom Creo through the eras accompanying the life of Queen Isabel / Izzy Creo who have sworn eternal faith to each other. Beautiful imagery and a haunting soundtrack make the film perfect.

The Fountain, Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, directed by Steven Shainberg, starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, directed by Steven Shainberg, starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.

Fur is something that very well could have been part of American Photographer’ Diane Arbus  life. Like in real life, Diane Arbus had a fascination for the sort of people who often are described as freaks in this imaginary biopic  she falls for a new neighbour , Lionel Sweeney, living in the attic of her building  Like in  “Beauty and the Beast” his entire body is all covered with hair due to a rare disease which seems to attract “The Beauty” Arbus even more. Very romantic and poetic.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, directed by Steven Shainberg, starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr.

The Devil Wears Prada, Director David Frankel, Starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

The Devil Wears Prada, Director David Frankel, Starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

The Devil Wears Prada, Director David Frankel, Starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

This is the story os Andy who arrives to New York for her first job after university and manages to become the assistant of Miranda Priestly, the devilish editor of New York biggest fashion magazine Runway.  After some major problems with her new superior and having to adapt to a new lifestyle, Andy manages the new job very well, not without leaving some victims along the road such as her boyfriend or Miranda other assistant Emily. This is a hilarious Comedy that will have you laughing a good time.

Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), Director Guillermo del Toro, starring Ivana Baquero and Sergi Lopez.

Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), Director Guillermo del Toro, starring Ivana Baquero and Sergi Lopez.

Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), Director Guillermo del Toro, starring Ivana Baquero and Sergi Lopez.

Guillermo del Toro presents us with the second part of a planned trilogy about Spanish civil war, the first being “El Espinazo del Diablo”  (The Devil’s Backbone).

This time we accompany Ofelia, a young girl who travels with her pregnant mother to meet her Adoptive father who is a cruel captain of the post war military posted in a rural Spain. The Film mixes the crude reality and brutality of the time, some scenes being quite explicit, with Ofelia’s marvelous fairy tale journey into her rightful realm inside Pan’s Labyrinth.

Superman Returns, Dir. Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh and Kevin Spacey

Superman Returns

Almost twenty years after the last Superman movie we finally get to see the much expected sequel of the Superman saga. This could have been a great film but one leaves the theatre with a feeling that it could have been much better. Given Bryan Singer has directed the first two X-men movies we should expect him to be an expert in the comic book adaptations, but he didn’t live up to my expectations with this one.

There’s nothing new. The story is the same as ever. Superman (Brandon Routh) returns to earth after a five-year absence, first thing he does is save Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) comes out of jail and plans to kill Superman with the usual megalomaniac tactics. This time he almost makes it but with a little help of Lois and her new boyfriend, Superman is saved.

Acting is good, Brandon Routh fills the Superman suit well and Kevin Spacey makes a great Lex Luthor. Kate Bosworth is one of the less interesting Lois Lane characterisations I’ve seen.

The whole project feels more like a reintroduction to the Superman franchise and their new actors. The follow-up movie is already announced and I only hope they get the right twist to keep us Superman fans interested.

Howl’s moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki

Howl’s moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki

Howl’s moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki

After Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki presents us with this wonderful piece of animation, out now on DVD,  both single or two disc editions.

Both come in the original Japanese and dubbed in Spanish and unfortunately not the much spoken of star cast english dub (which they, weirdly enough, keep praising in the scarce special features) Subtitles are either in Spanish or English. Special features come only in Japanese or english with an annoying spanish voiceover. The two disc edition is worth getting for the nice metal case and the different design, otherwise the second dvd is offering only a few special features wich will only interest die-hard fans of this film.

Set in an ancient Europe-like environment the film narrates the story of Sophie who works at a hatter’s. Incidentally she meets Howl, a famous sorcerer and she immediately falls for him. The Wicked Witch of the Waste casts a spell on Sophie that makes her look like a ninety year old woman, spell which also keeps her from telling anyone about it. After trying to find the witch to break her spell on a journey to the Waste, old Sophie ends up joining the inmates at Howl’s moving Castle, wich she finds casually following a bewitched scarecrow. There she meets Calcifer, a friendly fire demon who keeps the castle and makes a deal with him to help both of them to break the spells that hold them in their current shapes. A magical journey starts that will appeal to you even if you are not much of an anime fan.

Mistress of Spices by Paul Mayeda Berges starring Aishwarya Rai and Dylan McDermott

Mistress Of Spices

Mistress of Spices is the magical story of Indian Tilo (Aishwarya Rai)  who runs a Spice Bazaar in Oakland, and is completely devoted to helping her customers. She belongs to the order of Mistresses of Spices who learn all about spices, their properties and even to interpret them. She has a special power and already as a child she used it to help people. Only after her parents are killed and after escaping form bandits that kidnap her to take advantage of her power she is adopted in the order of mistresses of spices who are devoted to learn and understand the spices. After her time as aprentice she’s sent out to help others with the power of spices but with three rules not to be broken: never to use the powers of spices for her own advantage, never to touch someones skin and never to step outside the shop she keeps. Things start to change when Doug (Dylan McDermott) crashes his motorbike outside her bazaar and, after being cured by Tilo who instantly feels attracted to him, touches her hand slightly. Spices abandon Tilo and things start to go wrong for her and her customers. She only thinks of seeing Doug again.

This film is in the line of Chocolat or Like water for Chocolate, sometimes seems more like a play that a film because it is mostly shoot inside Tilos Spice Bazaar. Supermodel Aishwarya Rai plays a  beautiful character that stays true to her roots until she is tempted by evil in the form of Dylan McDermott (who despite the big motorcicle and the unshaved face does not look the least evil). The chemistry between them is right and, although the film it is not a masterwork, it will appeal to most of romantic film lovers.