spaceman88

In "Storm" we have our slacker-hero, DD, who is introduced to us in a humorous way. There is nothing special about him, or so it seems.

The adventure begins when he encounters a mysterious heroine, who constantly fights off mysterious thugs.

There is a supernatural action movie element going through the narrative leading to the reveal of a big secret/twist.

Starting off as lighthearted comedic action entertainment, the story takes an 180 degree turn into the psychological drama direction, which can either elevate or ruin the story for the viewers.

The somewhat inconsistent tone made me care less about the supporting characters but ended up elevating and fleshing-out the protagonist from a funny caricature to a man with depth.

It was an interesting movie, I suggest giving it a chance knowing as little as possible about the story.

Having seen it a few days ago, the more I think of "A Most Violent Year", the more I like it.

This is not a spoiler, but a friendly tip: don't expect a lot of what the title implies, because the movie does not focus on violence.

While there are tense and violent moments, the movie's strenght lies in the performances and the interactions between characters.

Oscar Isaac plays Abel, a businessman who is trying to make a clean living while being more and more pressured by an unknown threat. The competition plays dirty while he wants to stay an honest man.

Abel's moral struggle is what the narrative revolves around. Jessica Chastain play Anna, Abel's wife and business partner. She is equally as powerful, assertive and dominant as he is, if not more so.

The director did a wonderful job at creating a tense, sad and dramatic mood throughout. The cinematography is wonderful, the subtle moody soundtrack plays a big part in creating a feeling of impending doom throughout the entire movie, and I am very impressed by the recreation of a 1981 New York. It's very immersive.

While nothing mainstream audiences will drool over, I find "A Most Violent Year" an excellent drama. If you like this movie, you should give "The Two Faces Of January" a chance as well. Not only you would notice what a chameleon Oscar Isaac is, but you might enjoy the classic mood and character-driven vibe of that film as well.

I consider myself fortunate not to have known much about the movie. Actually, I was expecting a french disaster-flick in the vein of "127 Hours", a post-avalanche survival tale, because of the promotional poster.

Boy, I was wrong. Being misguided often gets me irritated, but "Force Majeure" was shockingly impressive.

The narrative follows a Swedish couple on a ski-holiday with their children, and the aftermath of them facing a somewhat life- threatening situation. The disaster here is not a force of nature, but a force of human emotions.

With no intention of spoiling a movie you should know as little as possible about, this is a hard hitting emotional drama about human frailty, marriage, inner torment and moral dilemmas when it comes to love, and the authenticity of love.

Very much recommended to lovers of layered, intelligent drama. And I repeat, this is not a natural disaster movie.