If there's one thing you have to give Daniel Radcliffe credit for, it's his willingness to try even the strangest sounding projects on paper. Set in a dystopia where video games take a deadly form in reality, 'Guns Akimbo' is a wild, crazy, and - let's face it - uneven adventure that shines for its premise, though its execution wavers between embracing its obvious B-movie aspirations and commenting on the toxic culture of the internet taken to its most extreme consequences in this fiction. It's a film that stretches plausibility almost to breaking point, but also, let's admit it: there are few things that compare to its extravagance.
'Little Women', by Louisa May Alcott, is a classic of American literature, read by generations and generations of girls since its release in 1861. There have also been several adaptations for cinema and TV. Here, we have the version of director Greta Gerwig (from 'Lady Bird: A Hora de Voar'), which brought together a star-studded cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep, as well as appearances by Timothée Chalamalet (from 'Call Me By Your Name') Bob Odenking ('Breaking Bad') and Louis Garrel ('The Formidable'), among others. The result is a film full of soul, romance, lightness and great performances (especially Saoirse, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe), in a story that moves us from the small facts of everyday life. It is worth noting that Greta (who also signs the adapted screenplay) adopted a non-linear path to tell the story, which differs from the book - and which requires more attention from the viewer to understand the different passages of time. That's why the way we know the story of the March family and their young women happens differently from previous versions. Highlights include the excellent period reconstruction, including costumes and sets, and also the beautiful photography, signed by Yorick Le Saux (from 'Eternal Lovers' and 'Above the Clouds'). The original soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat (Oscar winner for 'The Shape of Water') jumps to the ears.
"Die Hard" is a quintessential classic of 1980s cinema and action films, responsible for shaping the taste of many genre fans and putting Bruce Willis on the list of action heroes. The premise is one of the most interesting, which would be recycled in many films afterwards: a New York policeman named John McClane (Willis) goes to visit his wife's company in Los Angeles during the company's Christmas party, which is headquartered at Nakatomi Plaza - in the real world, the headquarters of 20th Century Fox, still under construction at the time. There he finds himself confronted with a group of terrorists (led by Alan Rickman in a great performance), who close the building. Now it is up to the army of one man alone (and barefoot) to face the bandits - which turns into an epic adventure. With great scenes and iconic phrases ("Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!" entered the lexicon of the seventh art), "Die Hard" is, since 1988, the perfect companion for a nice popcorn for a movie night at home - and, for many, one of the best Christmas movies ever made, although that was never exactly the original goal.
