The last refuge ‘,’ Black Beach ‘

The last refuge ‘,’ Black Beach ‘.

Without us having practically realized it, this 2020 has just said goodbye to summer to open the door wide to the sullen autumn. But if you are one of those who suffer the decrease in hours of sunlight and become melancholic on these dates, this Friday, September 25, a new round of billboard premieres arrives in our cinemas. Because the penalties, with movies, are less.

This week the offer is as extensive as it is interesting, and is chaired by ‘Greenland: The last refuge’; a new disaster movie starring Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin. In addition, Esteban Crespo makes the leap to thriller from the hand of Raúl Arévalo and Candela Peña, and we will have the opportunity to enjoy filmmakers of the stature of Abel Ferrara, Terrence Malick or Alfred Hitch___ on the big screen.

‘Greenland: The last refuge’ (‘Greenland’, 2020)

In favor: The nerve that director Ric Roman Waugh brings to the story, able to keep you sitting on the edge of the seat for a couple of hours. Its unpretentiousness, coupled with the good work of Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin and their special attention to the treatment of characters make it a more than decent proposal for fans of disaster movies.

Against: The first act of the film can be done especially uphill, but once the first 20 minutes are passed, the accelerator is pressed and the footage goes by like lightning. ‘Greenland’ does not stop being built on topics, clichés and common places seen a thousand times in the subgenre.

Criticism in SamaGame: ‘Greenland: The last refuge’: catastrophe cinema with a déjà vu flavor, but surprisingly stimulating

‘Black Beach’ (2020)

In favor: The attractive international cast of the film, led by the Spanish duo made up of Raúl Arévalo and Candela Peña. On a formal level, ‘Black Beach’ looks great, and its treatment of the image promises to dress its high-voltage thriller tone to perfection.

Against: Esteban Crespo’s long career as a short filmmaker led to a first feature film in the key of a romantic drama entitled ‘Amar’, which was not quite up to par. It remains to be seen if the registry change suits the director well.

‘A pastry shop in Notting Hill’ (‘Love Sarah’, 2020)

In favor: Its careful setting, its delicate direction of actors and the lightness of the proposal make ‘A pastry shop in Notting Hill’ in one of those productions of easy consumption that are enjoyed with a smile on the lips without too much effort.

Against: Although it sounds somewhat redundant for a feature film in which a pastry is an essential element for the plot, the excess of syrup and melodrama that Eliza Schroeder applies to the recipe can play against for some viewers.

Plus…

‘Never, almost never, sometimes, always’ (‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’, 2020)

Eliza Hittman writes and directs this teen drama winner of the Special Jury Prize at the latest edition of the Sundance Film Festival, and the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

‘The goddess fortune’ (‘La dea fortuna’, 2019)

From Italy, Ferzan Ozpetek signs a warm drama about a homosexual couple and the difficulties of starting a family.

‘Song to Song’ (2017)

Michael Fassbender, Ryen Gosling, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman star in this film written and directed by Terrence Malick, dating from 2017.

‘With death on his heels’ (‘North By Northwest’, 1959)

This week we will have the opportunity to enjoy on the big screen this masterpiece by the giant Alfred Hitch___, originally released in 1959.

‘Tommaso’ (2019)

The incombustible Abel Ferrara signs this drama starring Willem Dafoe, which arrives in our cinemas after passing through the 2019 edition of the Seville Festival.

‘Vicky the Viking and the Magic Sword’ (‘Vic the Viking and the Magic Sword’, 2019)

Children’s audiences have a date with the mythical Vicky the Viking in this German-made animated film.

‘Divine mercy’ (‘Milosc i milosierdzie’, 2019)

Michal Kondrat writes and directs this Polish docudrama based on the life of Saint Faustina Kowalska, Apostle of Divine Mercy.

‘The drugs’ (2020)

The documentary ‘El Drogas’ offers us the golden opportunity to learn more about Enrique Villarreal, leader of the Barricada group, in 80 minutes led by Natxo Leuza.

‘Courtroom 3H’ (2020)

Another documentary, this time written and directed by Antonio Méndez Esparza, about the Tallahasee Unified Family Court closes the week’s premieres.

The recommendations of the SamaGame team

Victor Lopez G.: ‘Greenland: The Last Refuge’. Maybe ‘Greenland’ is built on an amalgam of clichés, clichés and clichés of catastrophe cinema, and that its 120-minute duration is still an apocalyptic déjà vu, but its incessant rhythm, its treatment of characters, the work by Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin, and its content but effective sense of the show make it an ideal proposal for all of us who enjoy seeing the world on the brink of extinction — fictionally, of course.

If this week’s premieres don’t catch your eye or you want to recover titles that have been on the bill for the longest time, remember to take a look at the movies on the bill from last week and the previous one.