Um Quente Agosto

A film that presents excellent acting performances and then... well, that's all there is. The actors are able to express emotions, and they do it absolutely brilliantly, but that's simply it, you won't find anything more. The story is not necessary here, it can be immediately recognized that it was originally a play. However, watching a play on the screen, and that for two hours, may not be such a strong experience, which was also achieved by the film "Carnage", which is slightly shorter. The acting performances are intense, but it's still just theater and the film adaptation doesn't add much to it. Only those truly familiar faces. (02/02/2014)

O Sexo e a Cidade trinta anos depois. Numa aldeia. Os homens não têm muito espaço aqui, em vez disso só ocasionalmente aliviam a atmosfera sufocante duma reunião de família feminina em conflito. Tal mãe, tal filha. Graças ao elenco, a atuar a todo o vapor, mais do que bom. Meryl, mais uma vez irreal. No entanto, teria gostado de abrandar o ritmo por vezes, e deixar o espetador absorver os sentimentos e pensamentos do argumento anterior antes do próximo, ainda mais rápido e mais intenso. Por exemplo, abrandar a prestar atenção ao cenário e ao local em que o filme se realiza. Ao criar uma atmosfera. Só ajudaria as relações entrelaçadas dos personagens e faria com que se prolongassem na memória do espetador, não apenas como um espetáculo feito para a televisão, mas como um filme digno do grande ecrã e dos seus atores famosos. (06/02/2014)

Do you know those (theatrical) conversational comedies where a group of people gather in a closed space and argue bitterly? Carnage or the French What's in a Name are two typical examples. So, this is something similar but much more cruel, where your smile will quickly become bitter because when the characters say something nasty, they really mean it. Meryl Streep is fantastic, as usual, and Julia Roberts is in great form. (12/01/2014)

Already when I found out what this movie was about I was thinking that the only thing that could mesmerize me here are the acting performances. In the end, there was one and it was none other than Meryl Streep, who keeps proving every year that she has reached her acting summit. But the thing is she has been on the top of her game for several years, or decades now. I tip my hat off to her. But the movie as such has nothing that would interest me. The premise is good but the execution isn’t too great and if it wasn’t for Meryl, I would consider this movie another family existential drama, which you get dime a dozen. I must admit that I have no idea what the stage play that the movie is based on would have to offer me. But I definitely understand that it can serve as the ground for some good acting performances. However, in my opinion this is pretty selfish and egotistical of the authors. You see two hours are a bit too long for a movie like this. (11/02/2014)

A pretty depressing psychological drama. Fortunately, I’m immune to depression, so there wasn’t much to recover from. On the other hand, I can’t say I’m immune to Julia Roberts. Her wounded expression succeeded in annoying me as always. The story is a cliché – a family gathers at a funeral, which hardly leads to anything pleasant. Most of us are used to that thanks to our own family reunions. What I liked were the performances of Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper. Otherwise, I preferred Fireflies in the Garden. (30/12/2016)