ANORA
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, grabs the chance to live her Cinderella fairytale when she spontaneously marries the son of a Russian oligarch. But the news travels to Russia, and his parents arrive in New York determined to annul the marriage. The film has created a lot of buzz and is considered a strong Oscar contender. Is it worth all the hype?
🟢🟢🟢🟢
Mikey Madison’s performance is good, though not (in my opinion) quite worthy of all the hype. What captivated me more was her physicality, her raw energy, and her directness.
I found the film’s ending excellent.
Every character gets their moment to shine.
The editing is brilliant (though it loses rhythm at times).
It avoids a moralistic approach to the story, which I found very interesting.
From the middle of the film onward, it develops a quirky humor that works and resonates with the audience.
The script is at a very high level… but…
❌❌❌❌
-While the script is a positive aspect, it’s also a drawback since it doesn’t quite elevate itself, leaving the impression that it could’ve gone a step further.
Anora’s "captivity" scene felt unnecessarily long and somewhat pointless in how it was presented.
The runtime could’ve been shorter.
I pnd the first half of the film much more engaging than the second half, which shifts focus to Ivan’s chase. It felt like the spotlight on Anora, the core of the story, was lost in the second half.
THE KILLER
A movie by the beloved David Fincher, based on a typical revenge story set in the world of professional assassins and what happens when a job goes sideways. Did I like the overall result? Quite a bit, though I wouldn’t rank it among my favorites from this director.
🟢 Positives
Michael Fassbender portrays the cold-blooded assassin perfectly, both in his performance and his body language, without resorting to over-the-top methods.
The direction is also impressive. It avoids cheap thrills, is sharp and occasionally striking, with a strong focus on detail.
The supporting cast is excellent as well.
One fight scene is among the film's highlights.
Technically, it does a great job of portraying the threat with "internal" action, rooted in the psyche and beliefs of the assassin protagonist, which are repeatedly emphasized throughout the film.
❌ Negatives
What was the point of that ending? Personally, I didn’t like it and found it a bit flat.
Some parts may come off as boring.
The narration and main story don’t follow a particularly original path, which might put off some viewers.
The voice-over, which features heavily throughout the film, could have been toned down a bit.
