CineSolve
Your Movie Newsletter
Happy Monday fellow addicts!
This time, two Spanish movies (Molt lluny and Volveréis) worth recommending, and let's keep it short since you already had a newsletter a few days ago.
c u,
Aurel
Seen in the Cinema 🎬
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo)
Directed by Alexandre de La Patellière, Matthieu Delaporte
Starring: Pierre Niney, Bastien Bouillon, Anaïs Demoustier, Laurent Lafitte
"A 19th century French telenovela. If you like gossip and revenge, and you’re not afraid of a cheesy 3-hour movie, this could be your thing?"
"Lost a few hours of my life with this “telenovela”. It used to be my favorite story growing up but to be honest, period pieces should just be filmed by the British or the Americans. It is so cheesy 🤣."
Molt lluny (So Far Away)
Directed by Gerard Oms
Starring: Mario Casas, David Verdaguer, Ilyass El Ouahdani, Raúl Prieto
"It’s a touching story about self-discovery, self-acceptance and being an immigrant. If you are yourself an immigrant in the Netherlands, you easily add half a point to the rating."
"If you are an immigrant in the Netherlands, this movie is a MUST. It’s not a masterpiece but it’s a beautiful story about being a foreigner in this country…about self love, self discovery, acceptance and the process of understanding migration on all levels (from the most privileged one to the bottom of the chain)"
En fanfare (Marching Band)
Directed by Emmanuel Courcol
Starring: Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Lottin, Sarah Suco, Clémence Massart-Weit
"A feel-good movie which does not take its protagonists for fools and questions in a clever way social determinism. Closer to “Intouchables” than “Bienvenue Chez les Ch’tis”."
Movies
Directed by Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Harrison Ford, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas
"I don’t understand what they’re doing, what they want to say or where they’re going. Nothing works, it was even worse than what I expected. It feels like they completely lost their way. As empty as can be."
Volveréis (The Other Way Around)
Directed by Jonás Trueba
Starring: Itsaso Arana, Vito Sanz, Fernando Trueba, Andrés Gertrúdix
"A meta movie about relationships, vulnerability, and making decisions."
"Clever story! It plays with the intersections of reality and fiction and has an original premise. Spanish movie with the tag “indie festival” written all over it. "
TV Series
Solo Leveling (Solo Leveling)
Directed by Shunsuke Nakashige
Starring: Taito Ban, Genta Nakamura, Haruna Mikawa, Reina Ueda
"Not much more to say compared with season 1. Maybe the story makes even less sense?"
Mo
Directed by Mo Amer
Starring: Mo Amer, Teresa Ruiz, Farah Bsieso, Omar Elba
"An engaging story about immigration as a Muslim in the US. The lightness of the show is a breathe of fresh air, and that’s why all the unnecessary drama surrounding Mo’s line of work (I can’t say more) felt out-of-place and unnecessary. Unequal acting well compensated by the heart put in this show."
Solo Leveling (Solo Leveling)
Directed by Shunsuke Nakashige
Starring: Taito Ban, Genta Nakamura, Haruna Mikawa, Reina Ueda
"It truly is just a guilty pleasure with decent animation. Just imagine watching an anime about someone playing a J-RPG in (very) easy mode with a fanfiction writing level. No challenge, no stakes, which can sometimes be fun when you’re the player, less so where you’re a spectator."
The White Lotus
Directed by Mike White
Starring: Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook
"It’s a season that REALLY takes its time. Barely any cliffhanger so it didn’t feel as much of a page-turner as previous seasons, but the maestria with which Mike White crafts his characters and their dynamics makes it well worth it. I enjoyed it better that season 2 overall."