Spanish Horror

The film The Orphanage (2007), or El Orfanato, is a well made horror film. Some would categorize it as a thriller and a drama rather than a horror movie but that only depends on if you see it as a ghost film or as a mystery film and I will call it a horror film because, in my own personal opinion, it's way too scary to just be a mystery or thriller!

The Orphanage is directed by Juan Antoino Bayona and the screenplay is written by Sergio G. Sánchez (who both went onto making The Impossible (2012) - a film about the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004) and though they mainly have made shorts prior to this film it's well within the league of similar pictures such as, for example, The Others (2001). And while mentioning The Others specifically it can be said that The Orphanage works on a similar idea. Personally, however, I actually prefer Bayona and Sánchez's execution and story when comparing the two films.

In short the film revolves around a woman named Laura (Belén Rudea) who buys the orphanage she was raised in and fixes it up. She then proceeds to have it be a palce for disabled children. She has one adoptive son of her own, however, named Símon (Roger Príncep) but before long he goes missing. And after that strange and frightening events begin to take place all the while she tries to figure out where her little boy is.

It's a very well made film and, depending on how easily you get scared, on that can be at least somewhat scary. It's also somewhat odd and strange and can possibly be a little bit confusing. All in all, however, I would defenitely say I reccommend this one!

Josh Radnor's Second Film

Most probably know Josh Radnor best as Ted Mosby from the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The question is how many knows he has made two films? The first one was Happy Thank You More Please (2010) which he directed, stared in an wrote the screenplay for. Now Josh is back with a new film which he has both written and directed called Liberal Arts (2012). He also stars as one of the two main characters; thirty-five year old Jesse who returns to the town of his old University to attend a retirement party for his "second favourite Ohio University professor".

If you enjoy a more quiet type of film about life this one is actually a very good one. Josh seems to have a knack for creating something that actually avoids most traps and doesn't quite fall into clichés - even though it's a few close calls - and actually gives you something to reflect upon. He does well  given the fact that it's entirely his own production. This can be less than ideal and can often go terribly wrong since it carries only one individual's perspective. And if this one has a flaw it is that it takes a while for the film to actually become interesting and to make sense. But give it 20 or so minutes and it actually comes around and is worth watching.

This is not an overly dramatic, sad or funny film. It's rather mellow. But by no means at all does that mean that it is boring and not worth watching. It's actually very thought provoking and you do get attached to the characters. Of course, it all, as always, depends on what you enjoy watching but unless you get bored stiff from the more unobtrusive drama comedy films this one is recommendable for sure.

Iron Man 3 Revisited

I did say I would go see Iron Man 3 (2013) one more time and that is exactly what I did. So what is the final verdict? (If you've missed the first part here it is)

I have decided that in spite of everything, I like it. Perhaps because I want to - that is entirely possible - but when disregarding the trailer and also accepting that the film is not exactly like the comic books I did see a film I enjoyed.

This time around the one-liners did not seem as many as they appeared to be the first time around and the dialogue between Tony and the kid didn't seem as hopelessly badly scripted. That part is still not great by any stretch of the imagination but it is bearable; even bordering on amusing at times. It does have it's few golden moments too. (And at least I can personally overlook the few but right down terrible ones.)

The comedy did not go as much overboard as it first seemed, you just have to bee willing to not compare it to The Avengers.

When it comes to the weak parts in the plot that I mentioned I decided this time that some work and it really just comes down to perhaps two or three parts which are still annoyingly badly written. It's just the use of plot devices in a fashion for the sake of carrying the plot forward in a way that is just too convenient to let slide. It's something that catches you attention because it's too obvious that it's nothing but a device. It makes no real sense. Those moments are still too annoying to ignore and I just don't have it in me to let them slide. And there's still the deus ex machina. But if we - in spite of everything - decide to overlook these parts then the film is honestly pretty damn good.

If you look close enough it does follows the theme of the previous films and it has an underlying point. If you overlook a few minor details about the villain I must say I, in some aspects, prefer this one to the ones in the second Iron Man film. I do like the grand scale of this film. Especially in combination with the personal and intimate portrait of Tony Stark with the armour peeled off.

So my final verdict is; give it a chance. Or, even better, why not give it two? Or, indeed, three? And maybe you will find that the third time really is the charm!