Quick Reviews: Hard Eight/Sydney - Paul Thomas Anderson [1996]

Noir tale of tricks, tough guys and gambling. It is the first motion picture of Paul Thomas Anderson, in a solid crime drama with powerful performances (Philip Baker Hall is the biggest badass), and some of the techniques that PTA would use in later movies (the quick travellings, the sarcastic sense of humour of his characters, the language, etc). So, Hard Eight is much more than just the debut of a great director.

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Quick Reviews: A Short Film About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu) - Krzysztof Kieslowski [1988]

Powerful analysis of the construction of a murder and its consequences for the person responsible for the crime and the social and political system in which he operates. Krzysztof Kieslowski disturbs the viewer and manipulates our conscience: would we end up siding with the supposed "villain"? A seemingly simple great film, that encourage several interpretations and raise many issues for reflection and discussion.

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Quick Reviews: The Last Picture Show - Peter Bogdanovich [1971]

Love stories, the memory and the decline of Cinema, the growing importance of television and a group of lives that intersect and collide. This is The Last Picture Show, first hit film of Peter Bogdanovich. More than a tribute to the cinema, is an invocation in honor of spectators, more or less moviegoers, who made popular the art and made ​​it part of their lives. What a great movie.

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Quick Reviews: The LEGO Movie - Phil Lord, Christopher Miller [2014]

An amazing and cinematic reinvention of the LEGO Universe. Without resorting to constant stereotypes of so many animated films, it discovers new comic and narrative ways, that turn The Lego Movie not just a movie for children, but also a delight for grown ups. Perhaps the best example of what is a film, in the literal sense, for the entire family, since Toy Story 3. Kids will enjoy it and adults are going to love it.

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Quick Reviews: The Awful Truth - Leo McCarey [1937]

Charming comedy movie, one of the most intelligent american classics of the genre. It's not just a screwball comedy with great performances and a terrific script, but it's also a satire of the americans and the consequences of love, marriage and divorce. Wonderful comedy, and the first appearance of Cary Grant's famous "persona", the one that brought popularity and eternity to the brilliant actor.

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Quick Reviews: The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) - Paolo Sorrentino [2013]

An astonishing picture, a celebration of life and death in a film that is not just a tribute to Federico Fellini, like some reviewers like to say. Paolo Sorrentino gives a complexe and brilliant vision of the italian society and the problems of the italian people with irony, satire, drama and dark comedy. The Great Beauty is a Great Movie.

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Quick Reviews: 25th Hour - Spike Lee [2002]

A disturbing and powerful portrait of family, friendship and love. Spike Lee recreated the post-9/11 USA to tell a story of crime, redemption and betrayal, with brilliant performances and an outstanding script. 25th Hour is an outstanding picture about America's soul yesterday, today and tomorrow.

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Quick Reviews: House of Games - David Mamet [1987]

Superb directorial debut of David Mamet, one of the most versatile American playwrights of the past decades. House of Games is a labyrinthine, complex, seductive and surprising plot, where nothing is what it seems and that appearances are always deceiving the viewer. An extraordinary story of crooks and scams and a very underrated motion picture.

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