Insomnio

"Felix et Meira" is a dramatic film which was released in my country's cinemas during last year's March. The film was originally screened at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival and it won the "Canada Goose Award" for the best Canadian feature film. Some months later, it was chosen as the Canadian official submission for the Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film". I had previously seen the official trailer of the film in a neighbourhood cinema. After watching it, my sense of curiosity really spiked to watch this movie on the silver screen. Taking into account, of course, that the film would have a wacky scenario. By the way, I did not see the specific I mentioned here. However, "Felix et Meira" is mainly a drama in which sadness, boredom and melancholy prevail. The main characters of the film are Felix and Meira, who meet by chance for the first time in a Montreal's restaurant. Felix has a bachelor's life while Meira is a married Jewish woman from the Hassidic community and mother of a child. Moreover, Felix has recently lost his father and he feels remorseful that he did not have a good relationship with him while Meira feels trapped in her marriage after her husband follows the strict rules of their religion. However, Felix and Meira will secretly meet on a daily basis and they will develop a special relationship between them. The film moves with a low rhythm while the dialogues are few and frugal. Furthermore "Felix et Meira" had many pauses and the director focused more on the actors' expressions, so do not expect to see a movie that will keep your interest steady from the beginning to the end. Unless, of course, you enjoy such films. The interpretations of the actors were nice and the photography of the film was quite good. The Canadian Maxime Giroux made his full-length directorial debut with this movie and he co-wrote the screenplay along with Alexandre Laferrière. His intentions may have been good and pure but he could have added more tension to the plot of his movie. Moreover, the story emphasizes on the morals and traditions of the Jews and it was the third official submission for the Oscars' 'Best Foreign Language Film", which it had a direct or indirect relationship with its ethnoreligious group. At least, from those that I had seen so far -the Oscar winning Hungarian film "Son of Saul and the German" The Labyrinth of Lies”. Personally, I have no problem with these people – I really like them- but I have noticed an obsession from directors/screenwriters to turn movies based on the history and religion of the Jews. The writers should make the difference, writing scripts with characters that originate from countries less known to the general public. But you will tell me now who Christian or Jew would finance them? "Felix et Meira" was so sluggish that you need to drink at least a very strong coffee before you watch it. The result was certainly not bad, but the evolution of the story did not have anything special. If you exclude the spasmodic husband of Meira. However, if you compare it with other proposed Canadian films in the past like Mommy or Monsieur Lazhar, "Felix et Meira" looks like a poor relative. Very likely, the film was proposed at the Oscars because of non-existent competition. "Felix et Meira" is recommended for those who suffer from insomnia. You will heal it in 105 minutes. obC5MAJkm-w

"Divergent: Allegiant" is the latest film of the "Divergent" series, which was released in domestic cinemas during last year's March. "Allegiant" is based on the third book of the homonymous best seller novel by Veronica Roth. Although I have not read the books yet, I really liked the two first films because they convinced me that Divergent is an interesting and exciting story. I believe that Shailene Woodley was the perfect choice for this role and Kate Winslet was so convincing as the villain of this case of film. The producers of "Allegiant" hoped to repeat the success of the first two films but it had a disappointing result in the Box Office. Tris with Four and the other three companions -one of them is her brother-, go through the walls of Chicago, after earlier having escaped from the soldiers of Evelyn. However, what they face is a devastated place where there is no sign of human life. Despite this, the soldiers of Evelyn will go through those walls too and they will chase "divergents" in the desolate earth. Meanwhile, an unknown group of soldiers arrives and helps Tris and her companion. However, their intentions will not so pure as originally shown to "divergents". "Allegiant" was more a thinker than the previous films, but it had less action scenes, something I did not expect to see in the new chapter based on its official trailer. It may have stunning visuals effects, beautiful photography and nice editing, but its evolution is very likely to disappoint many fans of the series. Robert Schwentke took over the directing for the second time after his successful work in "Insurgent", Akiva Goldsman and Brian Duffeld dealt again with the script while two writers were added to the film coefficient, Noah Oppenheim and Adam Cooper. It could have had a clearly better result but the way the story is written, it would be a bit difficult to achieve. The truth is that it seemed to be somewhat different from the other dystopian films but it ultimately turned out to be like one of them, without necessarily being something bad/criticism all of this. I personally liked it. "Divergent: Allegiant" is not in any way a bad movie although it received negative reviews worldwide. It just might have more action, tension and suspense as the story is about to reach its ending. It remains another movie. The producers followed the famous recipe -the last chapter split into two movies- to make more profits, thus creating a just result similar to that of Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1: meaningless dialogues, clichés and little action. However, the public did not “bite” this time. Its total receipts surely affected negatively the producers of the series but I hope we will see an epic finale to the last film of the "divergents".

"Where to Invade Next" is the latest work by the American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Having seen his older movies like "Bowling for Columbine" for the rampant gun ownership in America and "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the tragic events of September 11, I can say that this man is very talented and he always finds original ways to explain to the public his views, as he perceives them himself. Of course, there are many who oppose him, trying in every way to tarnish his name, but Moore did not give a shit and he continues to do what he really does better. "Where to Invade Next" was screened at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival while in my country, it premiered in only one cinema hall in the center of Athens. "Where to Invade Next" is based on a clever script idea by Michael Moore, who -this time- has nothing to do with wars and terrorist attacks but with administrative systems in various areas. Michael Moore "invaded" some countries in Europe and North Africa, in order to see close up the positive aspects of these countries and to present them with simplistic way to the American public. So, the viewer will see Moore visiting Italy, France, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Germany, Norway, Tunisia and Iceland. Each country differs in some areas of their system, for example Italy-labor rights, Finland-education, and the American filmmaker derives information from various citizens such as teachers, social workers and politicians. The documentary is seen pleasantly from beginning to end and the content is highly informative. However, I think that a portion of the Greek public that does not know exactly what is happening in these countries, will be disappointed even more with those prevailing in their country. We want to be Europeans god damn it. I think that we have more in common with the disappointing American system than the European. "Where to Invade Next" is a well made documentary that combines entertainment and information with smart directorial way. Unfortunately, it had disappointing revenues in the Worldwide Box Office, which indicates that the average viewer does not search for it. Or maybe, Moore is not regarded so cool by hipsters as it happened thirteen years ago. However, this does not change the result of his work although some local internet sites wrote their stupid opinions about him for breaking out. I would highly recommend it to everyone! Stop watching bullshit! 1KeAZho8TKo

"Taxi" is an Iranian docuftion that was released in my country in the middle of last year's March. It won the Golden Bear at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and the award of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)! The initiator of the docufiction is the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi -whose earlier existence I did not know about - while the film's cast consisted of "ordinary people" in Tehran. Personally, I saw the film based on its discrimination which won in the Berlin Festival, so I had high expectations for its content. However, the result was not very satisfactory, but of course this does not mean that "Taxi" was not worth mentioning. "Taxi" is a mixing of film and documentary where the filmmaker Jafar Panahi plays a taxi driver. He has placed hidden cameras covering all the points of the vehicle and he starts conversations with his respective clients when they get in. The film is essentially a recording of contemporary society of Iran today, which is far away -even today- from the respective societies of the Western World. To be honest, the conception of the director/screenwriter reminded me of the homonymous Greek tv-show with Markos Seferlis from two decades ago, so I did not find it in no way original. However, the intentions of the two artists -Panahi and Seferlis- are quite different. The film contained strongly political and social messages and the director aptly used dialogues with his taxi passengers as promotion tool on key problems that exist in his country. The Iranian regime has forbidden Jafar Panahi to make films because of his political beliefs as he has been banned from exiting the country. As a result, he did not receive the Golden Bear by the committee but his little nephew, who participated with her presence in the whole venture. Though the film is seen pleasantly throughout its course and there are some very funny scenes that you will never forget. "Taxi" is an alternative cinematic proposal that was loved by the domestic hipster audience. Despite this, the film looks pretty homemade as a total result and I think that some films such as "Victoria" and "El Club" were wronged enough at last year's Berlin film festival. They could have made an honorary award to the Iranian director, who loves what he does and he never gives up despite the restrictions and repressions received from his own country. "Taxi" received very positive feedback from experts of the film industry, as it was expected, since they feed special love for the Iranian cinema. eM2tblIkL4g

"The 5th Wave" is a science fiction thriller that premiered in mycountry in the beginning of last March. To be honest, I had no intend to see this particular film on the big screen but reading the synopsis of it in the Odeon brochure, it convinced me that this would be a very intriguing story. I did not deliberately watch its official trailer nor did I search for more information about its content on the internet. So, I went to see it based on its scenario. However, it was not what I had expected it and I was disappointed with its development. The Earth receives four devastating waves by the "evil aliens" and humanity tries to survive in any way possible. The central character of the story is a teenager, Cassie Sullivan, who is trying to locate her lost brother, Sam, and she will do everything to find him. Meanwhile, the "evil aliens" prepare "The Fifth Wave", which is the deadliest of them all. While the film starts very dynamic and it shows impressively the four killer waves, in the course it loses tension and suspense and it ends up as a teenage girl romance full of clichés. "The 5th Wave" is a post-apocalyptic movie based on the homonymous best-seller novel by Rick Yancey, issued in May 2013. J Blakeson took over the directing of the film while it needed three screenwriters to make this “perfect result”. "The 5th Wave" may have amazing visual effects and beautiful photography but it had tragic dialogues and very lukewarm interpretations. Except for the star of the film, Chloë Grace Moretz, the other interpretations did not persuade us that much. Liev Schreiber made a quality vertical drop after the great Spotlight. While the characters were meaningless, indifferent and some predictable. There will always be a hardcore and gritty chick and a good looking man that plays like a standing and smiling cucumber for no particular reason like our Prime Minister in Eurogroups. "The 5th Wave" is an average movie which could do much better. The intentions of the author may be good but I would not say the same for the adaptation on the big screen. It could stand out from all the other kinds of films such as The Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner, but the director and screenwriters borrowed/copied data from these movies and they turned it into a second-grade wannabe of them. For this reason, the film received negative reviews worldwide and it has garnered a moderate rating of 5,2 by IMDb users. In my opinion, the film is directed mainly for a girly audience. PS Donald Trump should be the 5th wave. That would be very unpredictable..

Kalimeroudia Paul! I will be the first this time :) Could you tell me these total sales please? Auli'I Cravalho - How Far I'll Go Lana Del Rey feat. The Weeknd - Lust For Life The Vamps and Martin Jensen - Middle Of The Night Halsey - Now Or Never Chris Brown - Privacy Brian Wilson - No Pier Pressure (Album)

That comment was hilarious!! :lol: Lucie's performance was exceptional! The stage was superb too! 11/10 for me! Well done BBC! Francesco Gabbani should be the winner! By far the most recognisable song in this year (More than 100.000.000 views). I was impressed by Kristian's voice. His song was one of my favourites. Great! I was sure about the last three positions (Spain, Germany and Ukraine) but I think that it didn't need to have "oracle skills" for guessing it. Congrats to Portugal! It was not my favourite song but he gave a nice performance. I really liked the fact that he sang it along with his sister. PS Julia Samoylova should be there! Ukraine behave like the dude of Eurovision.

Kalimera Paul!! Could you give me these total sales please? I know that they charted two years ago but I'm really curious about their sales. Spandau Ballet The Story - The Very Best Of (Album) Marina And The Diamonds - FROOT (Album) Hudson Taylor - Singing For Strangers (Album) Death Cab For Cutie - Kintsugi (Album) Lord Huron - Strange Trails (Album) Waxahatchee - Ivy Tripp (Album)

Kalimera Paul! Could you tell me these total sales please? Calvin Harris - My Way Shawn Mendes - Mercy Little Mix feat. Charlie Puth - Oops Take That - Giants AJR - Weak Sia - Helium

Kalimera Paul!! Could you tell me these total sales please? Coldplay - Hymn For The Weekend Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better Twenty One Pilots - Heathens Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha - In The Name Of Love Robbie Williams - Love My Life Naughty Boy feat. Kyla & Popcaan - Should 've Been Me

Kalimeroudia Paul!! Could you tell me these total sales please? Jonas Blue feat. JP Cooper - Perfect Strangers Louisa Johnson - So Good Lady Gaga - Million Reasons Sigala & Digital Farm Animals - Only One Bebe Rexha - I Got You Carole King - A Beautiful Collection (Album)

Good Morning Paul! Could you tell me these total sales please? James Bay - Let It Go Sigma feat. Birdy - Find Me Alessia Cara - Scars To Your Beautiful Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone - City of Stars George Benson - The Ultimate Collection (Album) Black Star Riders - The Killer Instinct (Album)

Καλησπέρα Paul! Could you tell me these total sales please? Christine & The Queens - Tilted The Chainsmokers feat. Phoebe Ryan - All We Know Robbie Williams - Love My Life XX - On Hold Coldplay - Everglow Steven Wilson - Hand. Cannot. Erase. (Album)

"The Lady in the Van" is a British comedy which came out in my country during last March. The film is based on the homonymous play by Alan Bennet, which came to the stage in 1999. The protagonist of the project was Maggie Smith, who received rave reviews for her interpretation and she was nominated for Olivier Award in 2000. "The Lady in the Van" scenario is based on true events and the big success of the play could not be restricted only to theaters. So, Alan Bennet in collaboration with the director Nicholas Hytner adapted it to the big screen and they asked Maggie Smith to undertake the leading role again. The film made its official premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and some months later, Maggie Smith was nominated for the Golden Globe for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy- and the Bafta for "Best Actress in a Leading Role". The main heroine of the film is Mary Sheperd, a homeless old woman who lives in a van and she is wandering the streets of London as the unfair curse. One day, she makes the decision to park her van in the high class neighborhood of Camden Town in order to stay there for six months but she will end up living in the area for 15 years. Her acquaintance with a playwright will be decisive since the latter is the only one that he will show tolerance and he will let her to park her van on his garden. "The Lady in the Van" was a very pleasant surprise for me! The film had hilarious scenes, the script was clever with caustic dialogues -vitriolic British humor- and the characters caused us laughter without looking ridiculous. The interpretation of Maggie Smith was excellent and she should have been nominated for the Golden Statuette too. The woman gave a remarkable performance after she performed with absolute naturalness the eccentric role of Mary Sheperd. Moreover, her co-star Alex Jennings was amazing too, whose style and character effortlessly caused smiles in the audience. The screenwriter Alan Bennet seems to have had a literary verve and the director Nicholas Hytner made an apt presentation of the story since he filmed the movie at the point where the events unfolded. "The Lady in the Van" is definitely one of the best comedies I have seen on the big screen in the last twenty years! It was also my 3rd favourite movie for 2015 after "Room" and "Pride"! The well written script and the great performances from the cast make it stand out from other films of its kind. "The Lady in the Van" is seen pleasantly from beginning to end and its evolution will surely keep the viewer's interest. The film received very positive reviews (except the sourness of Greek critics) while Maggie Smith was particularly praised for her charismatic interpretation. "The Lady in the Van" is a film that represents the British humor in the best possible way and it is a funny story although it is not some exciting. It succeeds to captivate your attention from the start. I couldn't help but wonder if we are finally more cold people than British when we have so bad current comedies. OA8tMziteZM

"Loreak" is a drama that was released in my country's cinemas in the beginning of last March. It was the official proposal for Spain for the Oscar for "Best Foreign Language Film 2015" and it received excellent reviews for its content. Many critics ranked it as one of the best movies ever filmed in the Basque language! Having seen several Spanish films, I can say that the Spaniards have remarkable cinema and their productions are always attentive. "Loreak" could not be an exception, although the directing was simple and unadorned. However, the scenario is the one that sets it apart from other films of its kind. "Loreak" focuses on the relationships between three women who are connected by a fatal event. The "flowers" have symbolic meaning in their lives and effectively represent their psyche every time. "Loreak" is a film that deals with human relationships, unfulfilled love, memories and it is presented through a very tender story. The two directors of "Loreak", Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga, were not only limited to the visual part of the film, but they also wrote the screenplay along with Aitor Arregi. The result of their work was good enough and they invented a story that is not far from reality. Moreover, "Loreak" had very good performances and beautiful photography. To be honest, I had mixed feelings about the film until the first half of its length -The room had an intermission- because I had not seen anything special in its story and I was trying to find the reason it was selected by the Spanish Film Academy. However, from the second half onwards, the plot takes meaning and depth and its progression has some substantial twists. "Loreak" is a fairly interesting story that will surely attract female audience. Having said that, it was not a coincidence that the movie theater that I saw it, it was full of women (mainly middle-aged). Nevertheless, the film concerns everyone and it would be good for everyone to see such stories on the big screen. "Loreak" may be a film with few dialogues but it had very expressive images and therefore highly appreciated by the connoisseurs of cinematic space. EFZYvh7uT2A