''Minority Report'' and ''A Walk in the Clouds''- Short reviews

Minority Report (2002 movie)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Released: 2002
Country: United States

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery, Action

Starring: Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Steven Harris, Kathryn Morris, Peter Stormare, Mike Binder

Rating: 4 out of 5

Short review: Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is set in a future where murders can be detected before they are committed, and as a result, it can be said be said that murders have almost stopped. The year is 2054. John Anderton (Tom Cruise) is the chief of the PreCrime police force. The murder to be commited, the victims, and the murderers, are foreseen by three precogs, who are actually humans who are in charge of detecting the future crimes. John Anderton, the chief, has a painful past; his son had apparently been kidnapped several years ago, which made him join the police force. Something very odd happens: the Precogs detect that Anderton will murder somebody named Leo Crow. Anderton is shocked: he has never even heard about anyone named Leo Crow. He thinks he is being set up in this, and runs away and hides, attempting to find a solution. He comes to know that sometimes the three Precogs differ in their foreseeing the future; and the ''minority report'' is the alternate future about what the murderer would do. And... Anderton set off to find his minority report--- a task too dangerous...

Spielberg is, as usual, brilliant in his direction. The story and conception are very good, and overall this is a very good film. I enjoyed it. Technically, it was well made, with dark cinematography and excellent visuals, and the performances of Tom Cruise, Colin Farrel, Samantha Morton and Max von Sydow are top-notch.

4 out of 5

A Walk in the Clouds (1995 movie)

Directed by: Alfonso Arau
Released: 1995
Country: United States, Mexico

Main cast: Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Giancarlo Giannini, Anthony Quinn, Angélica Aragón

Genres: Romantic drama

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review

Visually, ''A Walk in the Clouds'' is a beautiful film. The bright cinematography, dimly lit warm scenes, and the wonderful, orange, red sunlight reflected on the scenes--- absolutely make the film a beautiful one, a real treat for the eyes! As a love story, however, it is only a little more than mediocre- but the visual beauty and the overall sweet screenplay makes this film worth watching. 
 
Sgt. Paul Sutton (Keanu Reeves) returns to his home, the war having ended. He has a pretty wife, Betty, played by Debra Messing. He is a chocolate seller, starts a journey on train, in order to earn a living. On the train, he meets Victoria Aragon, and after some confusion causes their tickets to swap, he finds himself on a bus with Victoria, who is going to her hometown. After some incidences which make him and Victoria very friendly to each other, Victoria reveals that she is afraid that her father will kill her. And that's because she, after an affair with her Professor, is pregnant, and her father has promised to kill the person who would disgrace his family. He means what he says. Always. Paul suggests that he would pose as her husband for a short time. Though Victoria's father wouldn't accept it easily that her daughter has married an American man (Victoria's family is Mexican) without his permission, it would be better than to inform him that Victoria is pregnant without being married. As expected, Victoria's father doesn't really accept Paul, though the other members of the family receive him warmly. But--- as you may predict, Victoria and Paul will fall in love, but Paul has a wife already, and how long will the two (Victoria and Paul) conceal from her family the fact that they are not even married?

The story is simple, and the screenplay, dialogues, are just good. But the visual beauty and cinematography (described before) makes the film a treat; it may not be excellent, but quite worth watching!

3.5 out of 5