John_Altman88 Reviews

The Daytime Doorman (2016)

Of wishful thinkings turned into successful action

[9/10 · 31 December 2023]

"O Porteiro do Dia" ("The Day Porter") plays out like those kind of dreamy/lustful wishful thinking where anything thought to be impossible or way too complicated can happen, and that's the dilema faced by Marcelo (Carlos Eduardo Ferraz), a sound man who develops a huge crush on the doorman of his building (Edilson Siva) who covers the morning shift and they're all polite to one another. So, why not giving a try, even if the other man isn't gay? Tough but it can happen, and happens sometimes.

It's amazingly cute, insanely hot and bravely well acted by the duo. Don't expect the typical short film experience, it goes near the extremes of a softcore (and a great one, I must say) where nudity is a constant and normal thing, and the camera allows such exploration of the bodies, its movements and connections. But outside of those most expected parts, I was more hooked by the conquest, the seduction, the earlier moments. It doesn't stay with the longing and it goes to subtle gestures that indicate things are heating up in a lovely manner. Obvious that my favorite scene is when they're riding on the bike with the doorman conducting it as the other man stays up front just enjoying the night breeze, and as soundtrack the sweet rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Ordinary Pain" known here as "Pé na Tábua", a hit track by Marina Lima. Simply beautiful moment.

While treating the theme of (appearently) impossible dreams becoming true the short works a great deal, it's very positive in dealing in those and also some solitary moments from Marcelo, where there are plenty of inner reflections directed at us as in understanding what will go on between both men; but on the other hand the party at the building was completely unrealistic, a series of confusions would happen given the nature of Marcelo's friends in the place. It distracts a little from the story and it felt included just to give a sort of breaking point between the different men in the relationship.

Apart from that distraction, the short is one of the most fascinating and curious experiences I ever seen, allowing to see life in a dreamy perspective that certain things can happen. All good things to those who wait. 9/10.

Milk (I) (2008)

A superb real-life story and an amazing performance by Sean Penn

[10/10 · 30 September 2022]

Definitely one of the Top 5 movies directed by Gus Van Sant, "MILK" brings a stellar performance by Academy Award winner Sean Penn in the role of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay political representative in America, a trailblazer who fought for gay rights and also many other important social topics in his San Francisco community, a man who lived, loved and died for a cause becoming a strong symbol of righteousness, activism and the fight for freedom.

Back when it was released and the awards buzz was everything I was completely unaware of Milk and his activism, it took me some time to learn about the man, first in the acclaimed documentary "THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK" then this movie and ever since I was fascinated and captivated by his activism, heroism (by that I mean, that's he human like anybody else with good deeds and flaws as well) and its huge importance in the LGBT community. A strong and resilient character who encouraged a whole generation, formed new leadership and faced discrimination and prejudice from oppositors and even colleagues from his working position such as the hateful Dan White (an amazing performance by Josh Brolin). Sure, there's tragedy and misery but there's also struggle, passion, love, the good fight when one wants their voice to be heard and many accomplishments along the way.

It's a very inspirational story well written by then newcomer Dustin Lance Black (nowadays, he's everywhere), and with solid performances by Penn, Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Alison Pill, Diego Luna (a very thankless role as the sad boyfriend of Milk), Denis O'Hare and Joseph Cross. But it's obvious that I was incredibly amazed by Penn's commitment to the role since when you think of such a visible gay-themed film the name you'd least expect to be associate with it is Sean Penn, due to his heavy macho characters. But here, he makes you forget everything you knew about his previous roles and he injects heart and soul in a emotionally charged performance bring levity, humor and care for this real man. A genuine performance of a master. 10/10.

Pulp Fiction (1994)

A perfect 1990's classic

[10/10 · 29 August 2022]

I can't tell exactly how many times I've seen this precious gem of American cinema. All I know is that it goes from early childhood up until current time and I never get tired of it, there's always something new and fresh to explore at each view. A masterpiece of modern time that conquered audiences around the world and cemented Quentin Tarantino as one of the greatest film authors of all time. "PULP FICTION" redefined cinema in so many ways that to number all of those techniques and movements would be an understatement, not to mention most film buffs already know everything about the movie. From its peculiar and original screenplay structure to John Travolta's new rise in Hollywood, this movie covers so many things that the movie is already legendary for its innovations.

If you haven't seen it yet I'll wonder in what planet you're living. This movie is amazing, spectacular, funny, tense, thrilling, quite romantic, violent, filled with intelligent, long and memorable dialogues, and quite memorable characters played by huge names such as John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel just to name a few and if all those names can't convince you to stop whatever you're watching and go seek this movie right now then I don't know how else to convince you.

Here's a movie that deals with themes of crime, loyalty, camaraderie and the lack of it, the things that matter in one's life and how at each corner of that crazed violent city anything go right or wrong in a matter of seconds, and it's all a matter of luck or pure divine intervention as one character claims after bullets fired at him don't even get near him. A movie with an incredible chronological time that challenges its viewers in trying to solve this magnificent puzzle of sorts, tied with countless iconic lines that stays in your mind for a long time. And oh the glorious soundtrack with hits from decades prior to the film storyline, from Chuck Berry to Urge Overkill, but all that we remember and defined the 1990's cinema was "Misirlou"by Dick Dale played during the glorious opening credits.

Quentin grew a lot after this movie with bigger budgets and more incredible stories but one thing is certain: that certain sense of innocence brought on by this movie and "RESERVOIR DOGS" could never be repeated. This is a must-see for all film lovers out there, specially those who enjoy new cinematic languages, specially one that gave us many other copycats - but the majority of them failed badly in trying to imitate its rhythm, its scheme and its prose. A perfect 10 out of 10.