Within the landscape of Latin American cinema, few films have achieved the stature of a cultural symbol and the artistic mastery of Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry and Chocolate). This film was directed by a pillar of Cuban cinema, the unparalleled Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (Titón), in collaboration with Juan Carlos Tabío.

We are faced with a movie that became a social event, an open debate, and a humanistic embrace that transcended the screen to catalyze the conversation about intolerance in Cuba. Based on the story "El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo" ("The Wolf, the Forest, and the New Man") by Senel Paz—who also adapted the screenplay—the work stands as the culmination of Titón's filmography: a sharp critique wrapped in the warmth of humor and compassion.

Set in Havana in 1979, yet deeply resonant with the Cuba of the "Special Period" during which it was filmed, the story presents the seemingly improbable encounter between two opposite worlds. David, played by a then-young Vladimir Cruz, is a young communist militant, full of dogmatic convictions and the homophobic prejudices of his time. Diego, a character brought to life by the great Jorge Perugorría, is his antithesis: a homosexual artist, cultured, passionate, and marginally situated on the edges of a society that rejects him for who he loves.

The plot begins with a premise that smells of political intrigue. David is coerced into "investigating" and "neutralizing" Diego, who had tried to seduce his roommate. What could have devolved into an ideological thriller is transformed, thanks to the directors' delicacy, into a profound and moving drama of character. Diego's apartment, a sanctuary crammed with "forbidden" books, Maria Callas records, and works of art, becomes the classroom where David, and by extension the viewer, receives a different education. Lessons not about dogma, but about beauty, history, national culture, and above all, humanity.

The genius of the film lies in how it dismantles prejudices not with grandiloquent speeches, but with the force of human interaction. Through long conversations, uncomfortable glances that soften, and the shared discovery of an ice cream (the gustatory metaphor that gives the film its title), distrust erodes. Diego is not a character who seeks to convert David; he simply offers him the right to exist and to be understood.

Perugorría's performance is masterful, delivering layers of vulnerability, intelligence, and pain behind a facade of confidence and sarcasm. Vladimir Cruz complements him perfectly, showing the painful and genuine confusion of someone who sees their once-rigid ideological world begin to crack under the evidence of a true friendship.

The third vertex of this emotional triangle is completed by Nancy, the magnificent Mirta Ibarra, Diego's neighbor who has lost faith in the system and dreams of escaping. Her character introduces the painful theme of exile, presenting it not as an act of betrayal, but as a heart-wrenching decision born of hopelessness. Together, these three characters paint a complex and nuanced portrait of the Cuba of the era: beloved and suffocating, revolutionary and conservative, full of life and contradictions.

The themes it addresses—institutionalized homophobia, cultural censorship, the definition of Cuban identity, and the redemptive power of friendship—are absolutely current. Strawberry and Chocolate was a critical success, nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and winner of a Silver Bear in Berlin; it was an agent of change. It is widely discussed that its release opened an unprecedented national dialogue that helped soften official policy and social perception towards homosexuality on the island.

Strawberry and Chocolate is a timeless masterpiece. It is a deeply political film in the most human sense of the word, one that believes in the power of dialogue, art, and empathy to overcome intolerance. With a perfect blend of humor, melodrama, and a typically Cuban irony, Gutiérrez Alea and Tabío bequeathed the world an essential film, as sweet and bittersweet as the ice cream its protagonists share. A film that, ultimately, is a hymn to the idea that the true revolution is, always, learning to live with difference.

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En el panorama del cine latinoamericano, pocas películas han alcanzado la estatura de símbolo cultural y la maestría artística de Fresa y chocolate . Este filme fue dirigido por el pilar del cine cubano, el inigualable Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (Titón) en colaboración con Juan Carlos Tabío.

Estamos frente a una cinta devenida en evento social, un debate abierto y un abrazo humanista que trascendió las pantallas para catalizar la conversación sobre la intolerancia en Cuba. Está basada en el cuento de Senel Paz "El lobo, el bosque y el hombre nuevo quien también adaptó el guion, la obra se erige como la culminación del cine de Titón, una crítica aguda envuelta en la calidez del humor y la compasión.

Ambientada en La Habana de 1979, pero resonando profundamente con la Cuba del "Periodo Especial" en que fue filmada, la historia nos presenta el encuentro aparentemente improbable entre dos mundos opuestos. David, interpretado por el entonces joven Vladimir Cruz, es un joven militante comunista, lleno de convicciones dogmáticas y los prejuicios homofóbicos de su tiempo y Diego, personaje acogido por el gran Jorge Perugorría, que es su antítesis, un artista homosexual, culto, apasionado y marginalmente situado en los bordes de una sociedad que lo rechaza por quien ama.

El argumento arranca con una premisa que huele a intriga política. David es coaccionado para "investigar" y "neutralizar" a Diego, quien había intentado seducir a su compañero de cuarto. Lo que podría derivar en un thriller ideológico se transforma, gracias a la delicadeza de la dirección, en un profundo y conmovedor drama de carácter. El apartamento de Diego es un santuario abarrotado de libros "prohibidos", música de María Callas y obras de arte que se convierte en el aula donde David y también el espectador, reciben una educación distinta. Lecciones no sobre dogmas, sino sobre belleza, historia, cultura nacional y sobre todo, humanidad.

El genio de la película reside en cómo desmonta los prejuicios no con discursos grandilocuentes, sino con la fuerza de la interacción humana. A través de largas conversaciones, miradas incómodas que se suavizan y el descubrimiento compartido de un helado, la metáfora gustativa que da título a la película, la desconfianza se erosiona. Diego no es un personaje que busca convertir a David; le ofrece, simplemente, el derecho a existir y a ser comprendido.

La actuación de Perugorría es magistral, entregando una capa de vulnerabilidad, inteligencia y dolor detrás de una fachada de seguridad y sarcasmo. Vladimir Cruz complementa a la perfección, mostrando la dolorosa y genuina confusión de quien ve cómo su mundo ideológico, una vez rígido, comienza a agrietarse ante la evidencia de una amistad verdadera.

El tercer vértice de este triángulo emocional lo completa Nancy, la magnífica Mirta Ibarra, la vecina de Diego que ha perdido la fe en el sistema y sueña con escapar. Su personaje introduce el doloroso tema del exilio, presentándolo no como un acto de traición, sino como una decisión desgarrosa fruto de la desesperanza. Juntos, estos tres personajes pintan un retrato complejo y matizado de la Cuba de la época, amada y asfixiante, revolucionaria y conservadora, llena de vida y de contradicciones.

Los temas que aborda como son la homofobia institucionalizada, la censura cultural, la definición de la identidad cubana y el poder redentor de la amistad son de una vigencia absoluta. Fresa y chocolate fue un éxito de crítica, nominada al Oscar a Mejor Película Extranjera y ganadora de un Oso de Plata en Berlín; fue un agente de cambio. Se discute ampliamente que su estreno abrió un diálogo nacional sin precedentes que contribuyó a suavizar la política oficial y la percepción social hacia la homosexualidad en la isla.

Fresa y chocolate es una obra maestra que trasciende en el tiempo. Es una película profundamente política en el sentido más humano de la palabra que cree en el poder del diálogo, el arte y la empatía para vencer la intolerancia. Con una mezcla perfecta de humor, melodrama y una ironía típicamente cubana, Gutiérrez Alea y Tabío legaron al mundo un film esencial, tan dulce y agridulce como el helado que sus protagonistas comparten. Una película que, en última instancia, es un canto a la idea de que la verdadera revolución es, siempre, aprender a convivir con lo diferente.

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Deadpool, the film adaptation of one of Marvel’s more obscure comics, became one of the most pleasant surprises for comic enthusiasts two years ago, at a time when Hollywood’s quality offerings have increasingly satisfied fans both on the big and small screens. The film, much like its source material, flipped the concept of the masked superhero and transformed it into a black-humoured meta self-parody, achieving unexpected success with both audiences and critics. As has often been the case in similar situations, this prompted the inevitable sequel. Naturally, Deadpool 2 became the subject of immense anticipation—and considerable apprehension, the latter owing to numerous disappointing experiences with follow-ups that consistently failed to preserve the spirit and quality of the originals. This phenomenon was further reinforced by Marvel’s own cinematic and television output, with perhaps the most regrettable example being Kick-Ass 2, a film thematically and stylistically akin to Deadpool. Fears that *Deadpool 2 *might suffer the same fate intensified when news broke that Tim Miller, director of the original film, had left the project during production and was replaced by David Leitch, known for action hits such as John Wick and Atomic Blonde.

Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool’s lead actor and co-screenwriter, once again joined the writing and production team and reprised his role as Wade Wilson, a former special forces operative who gained superhuman abilities through a secret experiment that disfigured him and drove him to operate under the Deadpool alias. The plot begins as he attempts to reconcile his merciless career as a crime-fighter with his desire to settle down and find domestic bliss with his beloved girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). However, tragedy strikes when Vanessa is killed, leaving Deadpool so devastated that he contemplates suicide. At this critical moment, his old X-Men acquaintances—Colossus (Stefan Kapičić) and Teenage Negasonic Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand)—intervene and successfully recruit him into their ranks. During one such mission, Deadpool encounters Russell Collins, a mutated and “troubled” teenager known as “Firefist” (Julian Dennison). After Deadpool helps Russell kill one of his tormentors, they end up in a special prison for mutants. There, they discover they are being hunted by a cyborg soldier from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin), and learn that Russell, once grown, will become a destructive homicidal maniac. Deadpool resolves to prevent this outcome and assembles a team of eccentric mutants called “X-Force.”

Although the production of Deadpool 2 was marked by numerous mishaps and setbacks both on and off set—including the death of a stuntwoman and sexual harassment allegations against actor T. J. Miller, which nearly led to his character Weasel being cut from the film—it is likely that crafting the screenplay caused the most frustration. Reynolds and his colleagues faced a challenge common to many superhero sequels: how to construct a compelling narrative after the origin story, which is typically the most fascinating part of any saga. Their solution centred on the protagonist’s attempt to build a family—first with his girlfriend, then as the guardian of a troubled boy in whom he sees a reflection of himself—despite the absurdity and tragicomedy of his situation. Consequently, Deadpool 2, like its predecessor, dances dangerously close to typical Hollywood sentimentality but consistently pulls back to deliver audiences a dose of slapstick bloodshed, dark humour, and numerous references to contemporary pop culture.

The cast is excellent, led by Reynolds, who clearly relishes what could easily become the defining role of his career. New Zealander Julian Dennison, whose physique and appearance starkly contrast the conventional image of a modern superhero protagonist, also delivers a strong performance and stands out among an ensemble portraying a series of memorable characters—many of whom meet spectacularly violent ends shortly after their introduction. A major asset of the film is also Leitch’s direction, which, despite today’s reliance on CGI, places far greater emphasis on straightforward action and humour, resorting to flashy cinematography only sparingly. The title sequence particularly shines, blending a James Bond parody with self-referential commentary on the film itself. Perhaps most crucially, the creators succeeded in keeping Deadpool 2 under two hours, making it significantly tighter and more digestible than most other Marvel adaptations. This brevity will likely lead audiences to forgive even the typically sloppy and uninspired final showdown, which contains too many unnecessary scenes and too little humour. The film’s impression is further salvaged by a clever resolution presented in scenes during the closing credits, granting the protagonist the longed-for happy ending while giving fans solid hope for yet another strong sequel.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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This movie The Damned is a horror movie and if I'm not mistaken it came out this year I think it's Icelandic something like that, I don't know much about it the truth when I started watching it I wasn't expecting much because you know how horror movies are right now that most of them are pure soulless crap, but this thing directed by Thor Paulson surprised me quite a bit in the first part before completely screwing it up in the end, sadly. The story takes place in a 19th century Icelandic fishing village where a widow named Eva has to make impossible decisions when a ship wrecks near her village during a particularly cruel winter, from the start you know it's going to get ugly because the environment is so desolate and cold that even you feel chills just watching those shots of the snow and the frozen sea, the truth is something tetric. Odessa Young does a decent job as Eva although obviously it's not the performance of the year but she does well, the problem is that when the supernatural elements arrive the movie doesn't really know what to do with all the characters it has and that's where everything good it had built up starts to crumble.

Esta pelicula The Damned es de terror y si no me equivoco salió este año creo que es islandesa algo así, no se mucho sobre ella la verdad cuando empecé a verla no esperaba mucho porque ya conoces como estan las peliculas de terror ahorita que la mayoria son pura basura sin alma, pero esta cosa dirigida por Thor Paulson me sorprendió bastante en la primera parte antes de cagarla completamente en el final, trsitemmente. La historia se desarrolla en un pueblo pesquero de Islandia del siglo 19 donde una viuda llamada Eva tiene que tomar decisiones imposibles cuando un barco naufraga cerca de su villa durante un invierno especialmente cruel, desde el arranque ya sabes que la cosa se va poner fea porque el ambiente esta tan desolado y frio que hasta tu sientes escalofrios nada mas de ver esas tomas de la nieve y el mar congelado la vrdad es algo tetrico. Odessa Young hace un trabajo decente como Eva aunque obviamente no es la actuacion del año pero se defiende bien, el problema es que cuando llegan los elementos sobrenaturales la pelicula no sabe muy bien que hacer con todos los personajes que tiene y ahi es donde empieza a desmoronarse todo lo bueno que habia construido.

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What I liked the most of the whole movie was the technical part and the sound design, every time someone walks through the snow you can hear how their steps crunch, when the wind blows you feel like you are right there getting cold with them, the shots of the Icelandic landscape are brutal and really transport you to that desolate world where survival is the only thing that matters. It feels like an oppressive environment, it's excellently done during the first hour and even more when they show all the nordic mythology of the draugr who are like viking zombies that come back to take revenge on those who desecrated their graves, that part where Hakon's character starts to drive nails in the feet of the corpses so they can't walk I thought it was great because it shows how these superstitions were part of the daily life of these people. The supporting actors do their part although most are there just to be cannon fodder, but Lewis Gribben as Jonas and Joe Cole as Daniel do what they can with the material they were given, the problem is that they never sufficiently develop either of these characters beyond being a stepping stone or sidekicks for Eva.

Lo que mas me gusto de toda ls peli fue esa parte técnica y el diseño de sonido, cada vez que alguien camina por la nieve puedes escuchar como crujen sus pasos, cuando el viento sopla sientes como si estuvieras ahi mismo pasando frio con ellos, las tomas del paisaje islandico son brutales y realmente te transportan a ese mundo desolado donde la supervivencia es lo unico que importa. Se siente aí como un smbiente opresivo, esta hecho de manera excelente durante la primera hora y más cuando mrten toda la mitologia nordica de los draugr que son como zombis vikingos que regresan para vengarse de los que profanaron sus tumbas, esa parte donde el personaje de Hakon empieza a clavar clavos en los pies de los cadaveres para que no puedan caminar me pareció genial porque muestra como estas supersticiones formaban parte de la vida cotidiana de esta gente. Los actores secundarios cumplen con su parte aunque la mayoría están ahí nada mas para ser carne de cañón, pero Lewis Gribben como Jonas y Joe Cole como Daniel hacen lo que pueden con el material que les dieron, el problema es que nunca desarrollan suficientemente a ninguno de estos personajes más allá de ser una piedra de tranca o ayudantes para Eva.

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The film really shines is in those moments of psychological tension when you don't know if what the characters are seeing is real or if it is madness caused by isolation and despair, there is one part that is very good where Eva hears footsteps on the roof of her house and the camera moves slowly following each sound as she looks up with pure terror in her eyes. The references to Norse mythology are well supported, it's not as if they had made a copy and paste from Wikipedia, it really seems to me that the writers Jamie Hannigan and Thordur Paulson took the time to study these legends before putting them into the story, when Helga tells the story of the two brothers and the one who killed the other out of envy it feels so real and at the same time it's creepy. I must mention all that visual and design part because every detail counts from the clothes to the kitchen utensils look as if they were from the period, at no time I felt like I was watching actors in costume but always gives the impression that they are real people living in those horrible conditions.

La película realmente brilla es en esos momentos de tensión psicológica cuando no sabes si lo que están viendo los personajes es real o si es la locura causada por el aislamiento y la desesperación, hay una parte que es muy buena donde Eva escucha pasos en el techo de su casa y la cámara se mueve lentamente siguiendo cada sonido mientras ella mira hacia arriba con terror puro en los ojos. Las referencias que hacen a la mitología nórdica estan bien sustentadas no es como que si hubieran hecho un copia y pega de Wikipedia, la verdad me psrece que los escritores Jamie Hannigan y Thordur Paulson se tomaron el tiempo de estudiar estas leyendas antes de meterlas a la historia, cuando Helga cuenta la historia de los dos hermanos y el que mató al otro por envidia se siente tan real y a la vez es algo espeluznante. Debo mencionar toda esa parte visual y de diseño proque cada detalle cuenta desde la ropa hasta los utensilios de cocina se ven como si fueran de la época, en ningún momento me pareció que estaba viendo actores disfrazados sino que siempre da la impresión que son personas reales viviendo en esas condiciones horribles.

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Now I go with what I didn't like and this is where I have to start throwing the bad one and I can't keep quiet, because after building all this tension for an hour and a half the movie decides to throw everything out the window with an ending that feels super rushed and unsatisfying, it turns out that all along one of the castaways survived and was hiding eating his food and causing all the paranoia, but the explanation comes so suddenly and with so little preparation that it leaves you with a face like what the fuck did I just see. The transformation from psychological thriller to mundane revelation felt to me like a betrayal of everything the movie had built up to that point and I say that mostly because the supernatural elements were working so well that I was hoping for an ending that went more in that direction, when Eva finally kills the survivor thinking he's a draugr the movie wants us to feel sorry for the guy but how is that going to happen if we were never given enough information about him to care. The biggest problem is that all those creepy moments that happened during the movie are left unexplained and that for me was not satisfying at all, like when several characters saw the same creature or when objects moved by themselves, saying it was all collective hallucinations caused by stress is the easiest and least witty way out that the writers could have taken.

Ahora voy con lo que no me gustó y aquí es donde tengo que empezar a tirar la mala y no me puedo quedar callada, porque después de construir toda esta tensión durante hora y media la película decide tirar todo por la ventana con un final que se siente super apresurado y poco satisfactorio, resulta que todo el tiempo uno de los náufragos sobrevivió y estuvo escondido comiendo su comida y causando toda la paranoia, pero la explicación viene tan de repente y con tan poca preparación que te deja con cara de que carajo acabo de ver. La transformación de thriller psicológico a revelación mundana me pareció como una traición a todo lo que la película había construido hasta ese punto y lo digo más que todso porque los elementos sobrenaturales estaban funcionando tan bien que yo esperaba un final que fuera más en esa dirección, cuando Eva finalmente mata al superviviente pensando que es un draugr la película quiere que sintamos pena por el tipo pero como va a pasar eso si nunca nos dieron suficiente información sobre el como para que nos importe. El problema mas grande es que todos esos momentos escalofriantes que pasaron durante la pelicula quedan sin explicación y eso para mí no fue nada satisfactorio, como cuando varios personajes vieron la misma criatura o cuando objetos se movían solos, decir que todo fue alucinaciones colectivas causadas por estrés es la salida más fácil y con menos ingenio que pudieron haber tomado los escritores.

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Despite all its problems in the final part, I can't deny that The Damned is a movie worth seeing, especially if you are a fan of psychological horror and don't mind that the ending is not up to the rest of the movie, Thordur Paulson's direction shows that he has a talent for creating atmosphere and handling actors, the performances are good but not great and the technical part is very well done. I think if they had managed to land the ending in a more convincing way this could have been one of the best horror movies of the year, but as it is it seems to me that they missed the opportunity and I think it could have gone far because it is an Icelandic movie and that is not something very common, it left me a little frustrated because they could have done something really special, even so I recommend watching it because the movie is good enough at the beginning to justify the two hours it lasts, the shit is at the end. My score for The Damned is 6.5/10 the truth is that if it wasn't for the ending I would have given it more but well, as I always say when it's something that doesn't convince me much or that has a flaw, if you are going to see it don't have high expectations because you know that the ending damages everything, keep that in mind so you won't be disappointed if you expect everything to be solved in a smart way, but with that visual part, the sound and that atmosphere that feels oppressive and they represented it very well it's worth watching it.

A pesar de todos sus problemas en la parte final, no puedo negar que The Damned es una pelicula que vale la pena ver, sobre todo si eres fan del horror psicológico y no te importa que el final no este a la altura del resto de la peli, la direccion de Thordur Paulson demuestra que tiene talento para crear atmosfera y manejar actores, las actuaciones son buenas claro no son nada del otro mundo y la parte técnica está muy bien hecha. Yo creo que si hubieran logrado aterrizar el final de manera más convincente esta podría haber sido una de las mejores películas de horror del año, pero así como quedó me parece que perdieron la oportunidad y creo que pudo haber llegado lejos porque es una peli islandesa y eso no es algo muy común, a mi me dejó un poco frustrada porque pudieron haber hecho algo realmente especial, aun así recomiendo verla porque la peli es suficientemente buena al principio como para justificar las dos horas que dura, la caga es al final. Mi puntuación para The Damned es 6.5/10 la verdad es que si no fuera por el final le hubiera dado más pero bueno, como siempre digo cuando es algo que no me convence mucho o que tiene una falla, si la vas a ver que tus expectativas no sean altas ya saben que el final daña todo, tengan eso en cuenta para que no se vayan a decepcionar si esperan que todo se resuelva de manera inteligente, pero con esa parte visual, el sonido y ese ambiente que se siente así como todo opresivo y lo representaron muy bien ya vale la pena verla.

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Breaking bitches is my pleasure!!! 😎

Anyways, “I'm Bacccccccccck!!!” That was how Beauty in Black season 2 sounded in my mind when I saw the poster on Netflix. I was ready to dive in.

Season 2 of Beauty in Black hit me like walking into a room you thought you knew, only to realize the walls have shifted and the doors don’t lead where they used to. It takes everything season 1 built—the elegance, the secrets, the glossy surfaces hiding cracks—and just drags it into deeper, darker waters. Watching it felt like gossiping with a friend late at night, spilling every twist and turn because you can’t hold it in, because it’s too juicy and too painful not to share.

The way Beauty in Black season 2 opens—it doesn’t just pull you in, it slaps you awake. You know how sometimes you think you’re ready for a sequel, ready to slip back into familiar faces and stories? This wasn’t that. From the first frame, it felt like being dropped into the middle of a dream where you already know something is off. She’s back, poised in her power, gliding across the screen in her black silk like she owns every eye in the room. But the silence under the music, the way the camera lingers just a little too long, it tells you: this season isn’t about her triumph, it’s about the cracks beneath it. And I swear, from that first five minutes, I had goosebumps because I could feel that we weren’t just going to watch her shine—we were going to watch her bleed.

It starts deceptively calm. The initial scenes are slow, nearly serene, as she turns her back on her glass and velvet world, as she sips champagne like she is untouchable again. You know better but you have watched season 1. It seems as though there is a tense atmosphere in the air, it is like a quiet humming that says to you: the storm is not over, it is merely returning. And when the first betraying blow falls-- Good God, it smacks you between the eyes. That is when the one she was trying to believe in betrays her, when the smiling stops and the knife in the conversation cuts through all that she had imagined to be safe, and I could feel my chest tightening, as it was not merely a twist of the plot, it was that dirty reminder of how those who are nearest sometimes turn, how all the loyalty can be taken away in a flash.

I still close my eyes to a scene where she is standing in that black dress at the gala and the entire room is staring at her and she discovers that she is the focus and the victim. The camera lingers on her face to the extent that you can read all the signs of uncertainty, rage, arrogance. And the whispers begin spreading like fire. That is what really bothered me; how wickedness does not have to be shouted, it can run like leprosy, drip with corner lips, hand to hand, like poisoned wine. I would have sworn to scream at her to get out of it, to storm it down, but she stood there in that light, to question them to continue watching.

It begins in the gala sequence and I honestly do not believe I have breathed correctly during the entire scene. Imagine it: chandeliers burning, glasses clinking, the entire room stinking of high-priced secrets. She enters in that black dress, the one hacked so severely that it looks like armor in disguise, instead of grace. The world is frozen in time, she possesses the space, a moment. The people look around and their murmurs are like the wisp of air, half-admiration and half-poison. And then it begins. A single spoken word, table to table, the type of gossip which grows quicker than fire in dry grass. The camera does not move, it holds her face, you see it, the moment the confidence that she has built up shatters, right in her eyes only a little bit. My chest literally swelled observing that, as it was like being at a party and knowing that everybody knows something about you, something ugly and can not do anything about it because you are afraid to walk away and make it even worse.

Then the rooftop scene, Night air, the city frolicking below, her standing on the edge, but not as though she is going to fall but as though she is challenging the world to make her fall. He is there, the one that has ever even come near to breaking her armour, and when he reaches out towards her hand my heart ached. It is not a romantic thing to do, it is this desperate human effort to get her grounded, to make her aware she is not alone. And how she pushes the fingers over his and then withdraws them? That destroyed me. You can feel it, that is why she wants to release it, to give herself to him, but the burden of betrayals, of all the promises given and not been kept, pulls her back. She cracks her voice when she says that she cannot and I tell you, I was kicked in the stomach by someone. That moment wasn’t just about her rejecting him—it was about her rejecting the idea that she could ever be soft again.

Later, when she faces her rival—the younger reflection of herself—that scene is a knife fight without blades. Each word a stab, every sneer a cut. But their cruelty did not kill me, it was just that she recognized herself in that competitor, in the ghost of a woman she used to be, ruthless and untouchable. And you can read the same in her eyes: she despises her, she also admires her. That is what makes this scene so ghostly. Not against another woman it is a battle, not against her own reflection, not against the truth that power is short-lived and never satisfied.

And then the finale… I still can’t shake it. The confusion, the betrayals bursting like glass being broken slowly in slow motion and the silence thereafter. The picture of her taking her jewelry off bit by bit, with the makeup on her face with tears, and her alone in the dark--I will never forget. There is no background music, no dialogue, she is simply deprived of all the elements that had made her the “Beauty in Black. And that silence, that nudity, struck like an explosion. It was the tone of liberation and hopelessness in a balance with each other, and it made me stare at the screen even after the credits went by.

Season 2 did not simply tell me a story it pulled me into it, scene after scene, breath after breath until I was not just watching her I was there with her, in all her betrayals, all her whispers, all her near-loves, all her silences. And the reality is that I did not simply watch the Beauty in Black season 2. I felt it.

#movie #cinetv #animerealm #moviereview #disney #hiveposh #hiveengine #reviews #dailyblog #otaku #magic #action #entertainment #nakedgun #season2 #whattowatch #movierecommendation #film #cinema #netflix #crunchroll #primevideo #niche #tylerperry

The Jumper Loop - A Sci-Fi Scene That Haunts the Imagination.

I recently came across a video sequence so unexpected and fascinating that it has stuck in my mind. I'm not sure if it's part of a well-known film or just a fragment of an artistic concept, but the idea it explores is a deeply captivating one. It's about a character seemingly caught in a loop, capable of making short space jumps, but in an extremely repetitive and brutal context.

And here comes the moment that really left me perplexed: after everything is over, the scene seems to start over again. The same room, the same enemies, the same beginnings of lines. Everything repeats itself. The character seems to be caught in an infinite loop, restarting the same fight, over and over again. The scene stops exactly at this point of reset.

I was enormously attracted by the originality of the idea and the combination of pure action with a deep psychological element. The concept of the "jumper" is exploited in a novel way, not to travel the world, but to survive in a claustrophobic and repetitive space. The fact that the film (or at least its source) is unknown to me adds an additional layer of mystery. It is not a story with a clear beginning and end, but rather a visual meditation on repetition and continuous struggle.

This scene, whether a forgotten fragment or an independent creation, demonstrates the power of speculative fiction to raise fundamental questions.

What do you think this loop represents? Have you come across similar concepts that have captivated you?

The title "Jumper" and the idea of ​​rapid teleportation in an action-packed setting may immediately bring to mind the 2008 film Jumper, directed by Doug Liman and based on the novel by Steven Gould. In that film, the protagonist has the ability to teleport anywhere in the world, which involves him in a conflict with a secret organization called the Paladins, who hunt down "jumpers" because they consider them dangerous. ...While the title may be reminiscent of the 2008 film Jumper, the concept explored here distances itself from that universe, enormously.

Like WTF? This is a banga!!!

Highest 2 Lowest hit me in a way I wasn’t really ready for. It starts out flashy, right? The “highest” part of the story is painted with so much gloss—fast cars, penthouse views, champagne spilling over crystal rims, people laughing too loudly at parties where the music never seems to stop. The kind of life where everything looks perfect, almost too perfect, like you’re watching a highlight reel that hides all the cuts and bruises behind it. At first, you almost want to be there—swept up in that reckless luxury.

However, practically, suddenly, it goes tilt. The cracks start showing. It was there that the movie grabbed my attention, as you see the title is not merely an intelligent one, but a map of where you are about to go. The characters are on the top of the world and the next, they are falling. And it is not a swift drop, it is a slow, crunching, shameful one. This is where there is one scene where the protagonist (we can find him as he struggles to hold his image together by using his hands) is confronted in front of the people whom he was able to impress before. I could feel so crude in that moment, as though the whole room shifted its collective back to him and he would no longer be untouchable, he would be so very human and frightened.

The film does not alleviate the fall either. You touch it in all its minutiae--when you have to pledge your costly costumes, when you lose your friends since there is no more money to boast of, when there are too many silences at the dinner table since you no longer have anything to make boasts of. I believe that the most heart wrenching moment to me was when he was sitting in his car where he only looked at the reflection of himself in the rearview mirror and whispered to himself as though he was trying to persuade his own ghost that he did not yet completely lose his meaning. That scene punched me. I never had his specific life but I have had that empty sadness of losing something that used to be a part of you. And the twists--God, the film does not give you the opportunity to relax. It takes another strand each time you start thinking, this is as far as it can get, he can no longer go lower. It is the people he once trusted, who betray him. Careers are lost in clouds. The slightest opportunities of reconstruction are snatched by pride or desperation. This is where he nearly scratches his way up again--as though you were on his side, and your heart in your throat--but a slip, one slip, and he falls straddling the world again. And sitting through that, I felt my chest tighten, because it mirrors life too well. How sometimes we’re our own undoing, how sometimes the world just doesn’t forgive as easily as we hope.

The loss of a self was the most significant thing to me as I was not only deprived of wealth or status. It was cruel to sit and see a person break down bit by bit knowing that the identity which he or she created was weak. However, it was too familiar. It caused me to examine myself, at what aspects of my life I have been attaching to superficiality, and question, in the event that it was all stripped away, who would I have become anyway?

The introductory montage hurls you immediately into the uppermost: bubbles in glasses full of champagne, blue neon-lighting in rooftop swimming pools, faces leaning in and laughing as though they are in the midst of the largest secret in the world. And there in the middle, our guy, all sharp-dressed, with a smile that wide, as though he were the king of it. You can nearly feel that illusion of safety, the arrogance that one feels when they are sure the high will not stop. The camera is on him handshaking, deals going on, women clinging to him by his arm, and you say: all right, he is untouchable.

Then, the slip. It’s subtle at first. One of those phone calls that he does not want to pick up. When a name of a bank appears on his caller ID, there is a momentary worry in his eyes. He covers it with a laugh, dusts it off, yet you pick it, that seed of dread which he is so endeavouring to bury. And here is where the lowest starts, shadowy, as though behind the glitter.

One of those parties is when the first big gut-punch moment happens. He is at the stage, giving a toast and a man breaks through the crowd, someone he owes, someone who does not care how he looks. The battle is street-fighting, ferocious. Screams increase, glasses fall and the music stutters. And at that instant you can watch the change--the entire room which was revolving around him, recedes. One can half make out the general opinion: perhaps he is not as solid as we thought. That humiliation is sharp. I cursed that I felt my stomach tightening on his behalf.

There, the spiral is not dramatic, it is grinding. In one of the scenes, he is shown in a pawn shop, sliding a watch across the counter which is the same watch we had seen in the initial scenes shining. The pawnbroker does not even appear to be impressed, merely muttering a number, which seems to be an offense. You see his jaw set and his hand shake when taking the cash. It is a little thing, but it is a killer, as it is not the watch, it is the dignity that is spurting like a red fountain.

Then there’s the car scene. God, this one gutted me. He is parked at night, with the lights of the city obscured on the windshield, and with his eyes on the rearview mirror. He says--with just his lips--you are somebody. You’re still somebody.” Over and over. And you know he does not think so. It was more like a punch in the head since I too have such nights, when, sitting alone, I am trying to convince myself that I am still worth something and all that surrounds me seems to fall apart.

The betrayals come next. Friends vanish, one by one. The man who would hype him at their parties will not pick up. The woman who has been bending on his arm bends on another. There’s a brutal scene where he runs into one of them in public, and they look through him—like he’s invisible, like he’s already erased. That kind of abandonment hurts deeper than the money.

And then the desperate grasp for redemption. He gets one last shot—an investor willing to hear him out. You see him preparing in front of the mirror again, but this time the suit is wrinkled, the tie a little crooked. He gives everything in that pitch—every word dripping with hunger, with need. And for a second, you think maybe—maybe this is it. Maybe he’s about to claw his way back. But no. The investor shuts him down, cold, efficient, like slicing through flesh with a blade. Watching his face fall in that moment felt like my own chest caving in.

#movie #cinetv #animerealm #moviereview #disney #hiveposh #hiveengine #reviews #dailyblog #otaku #magic #action #entertainment #nakedgun #season2 #whattowatch #movierecommendation #film #cinema #netflix #crunchroll #primevideo #niche #tylerperry

Hello movie-lovers / Bonjour les cinéphiles,

Right now, we need films that lift our spirits, with beautiful stories, as if to prove to us that luck plays a huge role in our lives, even if we already knew it.

This film is inspired by a true story. It runs 1 hour and 30 minutes and can be categorized as comedy, children's films, family films, drama, and melodrama.

En ce moment, nous avons besoin de films qui nous remontent le moral, avec de belles histoires, comme pour nous prouver que la chance a un énorme rôle à jouer dans nos vies, même si nous le savions déjà.

Ce film est inspiré d'une histoire vraie. Il dure 1h30 et se classe dans les catégories comédie, films pour enfants, familial, drame, mélodrame.

Source Poster of the movie / Affiche du film

Synopsis :

Daniel O'Neill (Grant Gustin) is a police officer. He dreams of joining the dog unit, not only because he loves dogs, but also because he enjoys learning and wants to grow, so he can help in as many situations as possible.

The problem is that he doesn't have a dog, and the police currently don't have the money to bring in a German Shepherd or Malinois, which are among the best breeds for the dog unit, from Europe.

Daniel O'Neill (Grant Gustin) est policier. Il rêve d'intégrer la brigade canine, parce qu'il aime les chiens, mais aussi parce qu'il aime apprendre et veut évoluer, afin de pouvoir aider dans un maximum de situations.

Le problème est qu'il n'a pas de chien et que la police n'a, pour le moment, pas d'argent pour faire venir un berger allemand ou malinois, qui sont parmi les meilleures races pour la brigade cynophile, depuis l'Europe.

Alongside his job, he's married and a young father. The day he has an appointment with his superior and is told they can't take him on immediately in the dog squad, his wife tells him she's expecting a second child and that it might not be the right time to adopt a dog.

But Daniel is persistent and determined to find a suitable dog. It's finally in a shelter that he finds Ruby, an Australian Shepherd, a female who hasn't yet found her ideal family. Ruby has been in several homes, but each time, she's been taken back because she was unmanageable.

The first few days will be difficult for the family and beyond. Daniel hesitated to trust Ruby at times, and Ruby felt it, but she also felt kindness and sincerity.

En parallèle de son boulot, il est marié et jeune papa. Le jour où il a rendez-vous avec son supérieur et qu'on lui annonce qu'on ne peut pas le prendre tout de suite dans la brigade canine, son épouse lui annonce qu'elle attend un 2e enfant et que ce n'est peut-être pas le bon moment pour adopter un chien.

Mais voilà, Daniel est persévérant et bien décidé à trouver un chien qui conviendra. C'est finalement dans un refuge qu'il trouve Ruby, un berger australien, une femelle qui n'a pas encore trouvé sa famille idéale. Ruby a fait plusieurs familles, mais, à chaque fois, elle a été ramenée, parce qu'elle était ingérable.

Les premiers jours seront difficiles pour la famille et pas seulement. Daniel a hésité à faire confiance à Ruby, par moments, et Ruby l'a ressenti, mais elle ressent aussi la gentillesse et la sincérité.

My appreciation and little informations /Mon avis et petites infos :

I really liked it; it was a beautiful story. It brought out the emotions, especially since we love animals, even though we don't have any at home. Our situation simply doesn't allow us to have any.

In terms of casting, we recognized Grant Gustin, whom we had seen in DC Comics' The Flash (Barry Allen/Flash). We also recognized Scott Wolf (Matt Zarrella, chef), whom we had seen in The Night Shift (Dr. Scott Clemmens). Kaylah Zander plays Melissa, Daniel's wife, and we had seen her in the series The Recruit (Amelia, CIA employee). Tom McBeath played Seamus Brady, the secret recruiter. He already has a great filmography, but I don't see any iconic roles that would make you say, "Oh yeah, him!". Unless you know him as Harry Maybourne in the series Stargate SG-1.

J'ai bien aimé, c'était une belle histoire. Cela fait sortir les émotions, surtout que nous aimons beaucoup les animaux, même si nous n'en avons pas chez nous. Notre situation ne nous permet pas d'en avoir, tout simplement.

Au niveau casting, on a reconnu Grant Gustin, qu'on avait vu dans Flash de DC Comics (Barry Allen/Flash). Nous avons aussi reconnu Scott Wolf (Matt Zarrella, chef) que nous avions vu dans The Night Shift (Dr Scott Clemmens). Kaylah Zander interprète Melissa, l'épouse de Daniel et nous l'avions vue dans la série The Recruit (Amelia, employée CIA). Tom McBeath jouait Seamus Brady, le recruteur secret, il a déjà une belle filmographie mais je n'y vois pas de rôle emblématique qui pourrait vous faire dire "ah oui, lui !". A moins que vous ne le connaissiez dans le rôle de Harry Maybourne dans la série Stargate SG-1.

This film isn't new, so you've probably seen it. Do you like this kind of film, based on a true story?

Have a good TV evening, see you soon!

Ce film n'est pas tout récent, donc, vous avez sûrement eu l'occasion de le voir. Aimez-vous ce genre de film, basé sur une histoire vraie ?

Bonnes soirées-tv, à bientôt,

Florence

Source photo : image Qwant autorisée

Proud member of the Principality of Bastion

Bienvenidos | Welcome 💕

Hola Hivers, espero que se encuentren bien. El otro París es una comedia romántica protagonizada por Miranda Cosgrove y Pierson Fodé, quienes con su quimica nos enamoraran en esta historia.

Hello Hivers, I hope you are all well. The Other Paris is a romantic comedy starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé, whose chemistry will make us fall in love with this story.

Dawn, es una chica artista que fue aceptada en la escuela de artes en París pero no tiene los medios necesarios para cubrir sus gastos de estadía. Su hermana le da la idea sobre audicionar para una reality show sobre un soltero buscando a su amor y si queda seleccionada con solo participar gana dinero y solo tendria que hacer que la eliminen el primer dia.

Dawn is an artist who was accepted into art school in Paris but doesn't have the money to cover her living expenses. Her sister gives her the idea of auditioning for a reality show about a bachelor looking for love. If she is selected, she will earn money just for participating and will only have to get herself eliminated on the first day.

_✔️

Antes de comenzar el reality Dawn conoce a Trey en un bar, un chico guapo quien no le quita la mirada. Dawn y Trey charlaron y bailaron, tuvieron una conexión bonita, pero solo fue eso ya no volvieron a verse. El dia siguiente recibe una llamdada de aceptación para el reality. Llegó el día donde todas las chicas viajarían a Paris para el reality, para su gran sorpresa fueron engañadas ya que el reality era en otro París ubicado en Texas, a solo 45 min de la casa de Dawn, ésta se ofende queriendo retirarse del reality pero ya tenía un contrato solo podia salir con la eliminación del soltero.

Before the reality show began, Dawn met Trey at a bar, a handsome guy who couldn't take his eyes off her. Dawn and Trey talked and danced, and they had a nice connection, but that was all; they never saw each other again. The next day, she receives a call accepting her for the reality show. The day arrives when all the girls travel to Paris for the reality show, but to their surprise, they are deceived because the reality show is in another Paris located in Texas, only 45 minutes from Dawn's house. She is offended and wants to withdraw from the reality show, but she already has a contract and can only leave if the bachelor is eliminated.

_✔️

Otra sorpresa para Dawn fue conocer al soltero y darse cuenta que era Trey el chico del bar, ve la oportunidad y le pide que la elimine pero el ya esta interesado en ella asi que eso no ocurrira aún. La pelicula nos regala momentos divertidos durante todo este reality y momentos en los que Dawn y Trey aceptan estar enamorados aunque algunos secretos y confeciones se interpongan en esta historia de amor.

Another surprise for Dawn was meeting the bachelor and realizing that he was Trey, the guy from the bar. She sees her chance and asks him to eliminate her, but he is already interested in her, so that won't happen just yet. The film gives us funny moments throughout this reality show and moments when Dawn and Trey accept that they are in love, even though some secrets and confessions get in the way of this love story.

_✔️

Podria decir que es la tipica historia de amor que a mi en lo personal me gusta y que puedo recomendar con los ojos cerrados.

I would say that it is the typical love story that I personally like and that I can recommend with my eyes closed.

_✔️

♡ Imágenes y textos son propiedad del autor ♡ Edición: Canva - Picsart ♡ Traductor: DeepL

♡ Images and texts are property of the author. ♡ Editing: Canva - Picsart ♡ Translator: DeepL