2014

An intriguing film with the best warriors of a Dune

Review by Jenny Alvarez

Photos Courtesy

Jodorowsky’s Dune is an American documentary film directed by Frank Pavich. The film explores Chilean-French director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s attempt to adapt and film Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel Dune in the mid-1970s. The director makes the story alive and full of passion that Jodorowsky uses to describe everything. It is a well structured master piece in his book but makes the case for this overblown epic as a legendary lost master piece in a film in which he didn’t participate.  It would be around 12 hours long but the real time is 90 minutes and the documentary shows how some of the drawings were used for inspiration in Star Wars and other movies later on. Donald Rosenfeld, Stephen Scarlata, Michel Seydoux, and Travis Stevens also were part in an in-depth look at the doomed production and features a number of never-before-seen images and interviews where world-class surrealists, international rock stars, top-billed actors and artists were going to be part in Jodorowsky’s film but at the end all the melodrama and manipulation there was, instead, vision and ambition. From an artistic point of view, that generation was more honest and people from big film companies didn’t want to share with this visionary of the visual art in movement. This documentary will we open in Los Angeles on March 21st, 2014.

Elijah Wood returns as a pianist in Grand Piano

By Jenny Alvarez

Photo Courtesy

Elijah Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. In 90 minutes this thriller plays with the viewers and compositions in an unusual hostage situation. The pianist will be killed if he fails to play a piece without a single mistake and this fact makes you to feel panic, mystery in an elegant style. It is a brilliant and fully plausible movie in which you will discover many clues keeping time on the piano while speaking with a maniac. Eugenio Mira reflects a well structured and suspense movie full of symbols but the most important one is whether the main character found the correct key.  Grand Piano will open in theatres on March 7.

A complex storyline will get your attention in “Enemy”

By Alfonso De Elias

Photo: Courtesy

Enemy, adapted from Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago’s 2004 novel “The Double”, is about the power of the subconscious. In the end, only one man can survive. Adam Bell (Gyllenhaal) is a glum, disheveled history professor, who seems disinterested even in his beautiful girlfriend, Mary (Laurent). Watching a movie on the recommendation of a colleague, Adam spots his double, a bit-part actor named Anthony Clair, and decides to track him down. The identical men meet and their lives become bizarrely and irrevocably intertwined. Enemy is a mysterious and strangely atmospheric thriller but full of dominance and dark mood. Chaotic is the main element of manipulation in some parts of the film Even though the story is indecipherable, it remains enjoyable especially when 2 lead personalities are twins because they cover that in the story with one of guy’s mothers open to some sort of interpretation where you’re not supposed to know specifically what it is, but it leaves itself open to analysis. At 90 minutes you will enjoy a very odd, though. It is very much like a combination of David Lynch and Hitchcock. It is a cinematic nightmare and descent into a man’s psyche full of good scenes and camera movements.

The best and fair 2014 Oscar Academy Awards

By GalaTView Staff

Photos by: Alfonso De Elias

With a great taste of comedy and jokes from Ellen Degeneres and the winners who shared many emotions, tears, joy, this event was full of surprises and GalaTView has the best moments of this event and the list of winners.

Best picture

WINNER: 12 Years a Slave.

Nominees: American Hustle; Captain Phillips; Dallas Buyers Club; Gravity; Her; Nebraska; Philomena; The Wolf of Wall Street; 12 Years a Slave

Best actor

WINNER: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Nominees: Christian Bale, American Hustle; Bruce Dern, Nebraska; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street; Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club; Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Best actress

WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Nominees: Amy Adams, American Hustle; Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Sandra Bullock, Gravity; Judi Dench, Philomena; Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best supporting actor

WINNER: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Nominees: Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips; Bradley Cooper, American Hustle; Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave; Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street; Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress

Winner: Lupita Nyong’o, 2 Years a Slave

Nominees: Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine; Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle; Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave; Julia Roberts, August: Osage County; June Squibb, Nebraska

Best Achievement director

Winner: Alfonso Cuaron

Nominees: Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity; Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave; Alexander Payne, Nebraska; David O. Russell, American Hustle; Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best animated feature film

WINNER: Frozen

Nominees: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium; The Great Beauty, Italy; The Hunt, Denmark; The Missing Picture, Cambodia; Omar, Palestine

Best original screenplay

WINNER: Her, Spike Jonze

Nominees: American Hustle, Eric Singer and David O. Russell; Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen; Dallas Buyers Club, Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack; Her, Spike Jonze; Nebraska, Bob Nelson

Best adapted screenplay

WINNER: John Ridley; The Wolf of Wall Street

Nominees: Before Midnight, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke; Captain Phillips, Billy Ray; Philomena, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope; 12 Years a Slave, John Ridley; The Wolf of Wall Street, Terence Winter

Best original score

WINNER: Gravity

Nominees: The Book Thief; Gravity; Her; Philomena; Saving Mr. Banks

Best original song

WINNER: Let It Go, from Frozen

Nominees: Alone Yet Not Alone, from Alone Yet Not Alone; Happy, from Despicable Me 2; Let It Go, from Frozen; The Moon Song, from Her; Ordinary Love, from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best cinematography

Winner: Gravity

Nominees: The Grandmaster; Gravity; Inside Llewyn Davis; Nebraska; Prisoners

Emmanuel luvensky: “Quiero agradecer al elenco de la película, y todo el equipo de amigos que hicieron possible esto asi como a Warner Brother por su apoyo y a su familia asi como a mis maestros.”

Best costume design

WINNER: The Great Gatsby

Nominees: American Hustle; The Grandmaster; The Great Gatsby; The Invisible Woman; 12 Years a Slave

Best documentary feature

WINNER: 20 Feet From Stardom

Nominees: The Act of Killing; Cutie and the Boxer; Dirty Wars; The Square; 20 Feet From Stardom

Best documentary short subject

WINNER: The Lady in Number 6

Nominees: CaveDigger; Facing Fear; Karama Has No Walls; The Lady in Number 6; Music Saved My Life; Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best film editing

Winner: Gravity

Nominees: American Hustle; Captain Phillips; Dallas Buyers Club; Gravity; 12 Years a Slave

Best makeup and hairstyling

WINNER: Dallas Buyers Club

Nominees: Dallas Buyers Club; Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa; The Lone Ranger

Best production design

WINNER: The Great Gatsby

Nominees: American Hustle; Gravity; The Great Gatsby; Her; 12 Years a Slave

Best animated short film

WINNER: Mr. Hublot

Nominees: Feral; Get a Horse!; Mr. Hublot; Possessions; Room on the Broom

Best live-action short film

WINNER: Helium

Nominees: Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me); Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything); Helium; Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?); The Voorman Problem

Best sound editing

WINNER: Gravity

Nominees: All Is Lost; Captain Phillips; Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Lone Survivor

Best sound mixing

WINNER: Gravity

Nominees: Captain Phillips; Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Inside Llewyn Davis; Lone Survivor

Best visual effects

WINNER: Gravity

Nominees: Gravity; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; Iron Man 3; The Lone Ranger; Star Trek Into Darkness.

BAFTAS was shining than ever with many awards

By GalaTView staff

It’s always nice to see awards being spread across more than one film. Gravity is a fine film (stunning in 3D), and the obvious choice for technical awards and Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron was named best director and Chiwetel Ejiofor won best actor for 12 Years a Slave won the coveted best film honour. British star Chiwetel Ejiofor collected the best actor Bafta for his role as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave. Cate Blanchett was named best actress for Blue Jasmine.

BAFTAS over all are ok, but should be a little more humble in times of austerity and some people were seriously impressed since the last year with this important event.

Huge Jackman will dance with his talent

Galatview Staff

Photo: Courtesy

Huge Jackman announced on social media that he would host the Tony Awards show 2014 for the first time since 2005. Is going to be the one of the most exciting performances of the Australian actor.

Last Vegas will be your last gambling chance

Review by Jenny Alvarez

Photo: Agency

A classical Hangover of a group of mature actors who make a movie full of surprisingly funny and enjoyable scenes and each character that demonstrates their lifetime’s experience. Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and an entirely captivating Mary Steenburgen — imparting pleasure who are the best friends since childhood. All of them with different personalities so when Billy, the group’s sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. In this case their friendship will be tested with different funny, unreality and good laugh facts. Obviously Las Vegas, attempts something more raucous in a special movie which the whole story and plot make it fun and enjoyable. Now is available in Blu-ray Combo pack and DVD with audio and subtitles in English and Spanish subtitles. Two thumbs up for this movie that needs to be part of your home collection.

Tom Hanks makes an unforgettable film with Captain Phillips

Review by Jenny Alvarez

Photo: Agency

It is a movie made with a true-life action where not only a riveting drama about quiet heroism but is a man who does extraordinary things in the face of death. The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips, and the Somali pirate captain, Muse, who takes him hostage. Phillips and Muse are set on an unstoppable collision course when Muse and his crew target Phillips’ unarmed ship; in the ensuing standoff, 145 miles off the Somali coast, both men will find themselves at the mercy of forces beyond their control. Many things make to some characters face twisted “Stayin’ Alive” facts and some dialogues will make you angry and hurt your brain so the director Paul Greengrass is unique due the way he employs all the scenes and his method is as expressive as the style of a superb novelist. All the actors transform in a pirate film in something full of intrigue and despair by Captain Phillips. Now is available in Blu-ray Combo pack and DVD with audio and subtitles in English, French and Spanish subtitles. Two thumbs up for this movie that needs to be part of your home collection.

"Captain America" Sequel in 2014

Marvel Studios and parent company Disney announced that the “Captain America” followup scheduled to debut April 4, 2014. It is announced that “Captain America” will pick up where the “Avengers” left off, “as Steve Rogers continues his affiliation with Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. and struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.” The original “Captain America” began in the 1940s and saw scrawny Steve Rogers become a chemically enhanced super-soldier who helped save the Allies during World War II, “the sequel will keep him in his chronological position in the present day. After being frozen for decades, and resuscitated in the strange new world of contemporary New York City, Cap is now planning to take it one day at a time,” stated CNN.