| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| We the Poor (Nosotros, los pobres) - Unrated |
Review coming soon...
I should assassinate the users who have one of the most overwhelming and nostalgic masterpieces of Mexico as Not Interested... 100/100 |
December 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| True Lies - R |
Some mindless James Cameron fans prefer not to count this hilarious mess of an action film in his filmography and stick with the classics. So, each to his own, Cameron really knows how to make good action films. In this case, it was the director having fun, no matter how effectively stereotyped Schwarzenegger was and how hilarious and oddly charming Curtis was on screen. Unbelievably stupid, but it is always good to see a hommage of the good old action films of the 80's.
After all, user EarthlyAlien described it in an almost 100% accurate way: "An inevtable '90s classic. Jamie Lee Curtis' strip scene was a dream come true for any teenage boy who grew up watching Halloween." Amen to that... 60/100 |
December 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Pickpocket - Unrated |
"Oh Jeanne, in order to reach you... what a strange way I had to take..."
Director: Robert Bresson Country: France Genre: Crime / Drama / Thriller Length: 75 minutes  Pickpocket is definitely one of the most attractive and appealing masterpieces of Robert Bresson, not necessarily his most accessive. The first part of an (unintentional?) human condition trilogy set on a modern France, treating themes such as the corruption of a society and the powerlessness solitude causes in the soul, is a powerful call to human epiphany about his social status and the purity of the mere spirit, where either goodness or hipocrisy predominates. Pickpocket is the seemingly simple (but emotionally compelling) story about Michel, a common crook who quietly walks through the streets and public spaces of France. After being released from jail and serving a sentece for thievery, he resorts to the questionable art of pickpocketing as a means of survival, teaming up with two other small time thieves. The question that remains is whether he will choose an honest life in the future or submit his soul to his overwhelming addiction. The film was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1960, losing against El Lazarillo de Tormes (1959), directed by César Fernández Ardavín. This is the first time Robert Bresson shows his slow-paced direction with such style that it is almost impossible to empathize with the main character in a similar way Bresson implicitly suggests its omnipresent audience to despise and reject all forms of dishonesty. Naturally, this lead Bresson to resort to an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, developing the screenplay for himself, a script that cautiously follows the step of Michel (Martin La Salle) through his complete transfrmation. The type of thievery depicted in the film is not, by all means, a completely rejectable act. It sure is a voluntary form of corruption and thievery which procedure totally lacks moral, but thanks to its quick and unusually stylish editing, it is portrayed almost as an artful activity. Michel's is inevitably submerged into the unfairness of his surrounding society, mirroring his future projects Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) and Mouchette (1967), but the "Crime and Punishment - Bresson style" urges the audience to face any hardship life dares to present rather than to submitting our souls to obvious upcoming tragic consequences. It was rather necessary to leave Michel's fate unexplained at the end. It is shown what it was meant to be shown, offering a terrific and open-to-interpretation final one-liner, a perfect film's closure for the character's personality and overall psychology. Bresson had a terrific purpose in mind, going beyond the simple cause and consequence relationship, paralleled with the crime and punishment connection Dostoyevsky primarily showed in his masterful novel. A masterpiece in its own genre and a daring adaptation, Pickpocket is a compelling drama with a resulting unconventional romance, despite the stiffness of the performances. 93/100 |
December 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover - R |
"Try the cock, Albert. It's a delicacy, and you know where it's been."
Director: Peter Greenaway Country: United Kingdom / France Genre: Comedy / Crime / Drama / Romance Length: 124 minutes  As any brilliant avant-garde film, Peter Greenaway's absolute masterpiece is an attack to the senses. This attack, however, has the sensual danger of awakening the most primitive instincts of the human being. It has always been interesting to notice Greenaway's past focus on architectonic stillness and provocative imagery with symbolic representations. This film is no exception. Conglomerating bizarre elements and a literally unbeatable sense of humor that abounds in cleverness and intellectualism, this groundbreaking story has obviously received a mixed balance of positive and negative reviews. For those who can grab a book and read between lines, for those who appreciate Ernest Hemingway and Wim Wenders, for those who have accepted the concept of artistic subjectivity, for those who can open their minds to new forms of expression regardless of the scandalous means, The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover is the sexy artwork that appreciative audiences have been expecting and that narrow-minded people will immediately regret without the chance of reconsideration. The following review, like the rest of the existent ones, is equally subject to debate and is, therefore, personally analytical. Albert Spica is a brutally barbaric and ruthless crime boss who just happens to be the owner of the luxurious restaurant Le Hollandais. His wife, Georgina Spica, becomes bored with her current marriage and secretly begins an extramarital affair between meals with a bookseller. The film explodes in an orgy of food, violence, perverted sex, excrement, torture and cannibalism as the film advances after Albert desperately seeks answers of the bookseller's location. The film received 5 nominations at the Catalonian International Film Festival of Sitges for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Director and Best Film, winning the first four awards and losing the last one against Matthew Chapman's Heart of Midnight (1988). The film also received a European Film Award nomination for Best Production Designer in 1990. The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover carries out its main functions: to shock, disturb and to remain in the realm of an interpretation's relativity. Consequently, there is no exact meaning of the film. Heavy in artistry and sickening depravities, Greenaway plagues the film with religious symbols, an exaggerate number of references towards past cultures and its outcomes in the actuality, unconventionally hilarious comedy and unbelievable situations of disorder. The most famous version of the events that critics have come up with is translating them as a criticism towards Thatcherism, the highly unpopular government led by the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher. On the other hand, we have religious allegories. And then again, we have a parody of the bourgeois class. Nevertheless, the real terror of Greenaway's vision is to make us question about the total number of similarities that we, as members of a falsely democratic and/or organized society, share with the fictional characters incarnated by a terrific cast that includes the actors Helen Mirren, Tim Roth and the famous Michael Gambon (better known for his role as the Professor Albus Dumbledore). Nevertheless, the whole atmosphere of The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover suggests that the film tries to explain more than merely being a feature that constructs a political criticism. The different perspectives are indefinitely endless: sexual, political, stereotypical, psychoanalytical and cinematographic are basic examples. Naturally, the film draws several lines and all of them are shown briefly. A soulless and blaspheme protagonist as the unstoppable machinist of a liberalist world has an unsatisfied wife who hides terrible psychological secrets beneath her persona, finally becoming a deadly femme fatale. Of course, the deliciously satirical trio would not be complete without the naive and intellectual mind. This mind, of course, had to be heavily emphasized through the construction of a literary world. In this way, the Cook Richard is the typically dutiful citizen that serves a particular function for the sake of a portion of the society through the unconscious following of specific orders: the task is what matters in the end. The Thief Albert is the despicable promoter of Thatcherite economical blindness and political overpowerment, resulting in the submission of his surrounding environment to his predominant influence and, ultimately, his will. The Wife Georgina irrevocably supports the idealized image of a conventional Britain: an unfulfilled, disappointed nation that forcedly was put in the necessity of urging for a better stabilized situation. The Lover, as it was already mentioned, is the literary guileless of intellectualism, an ideology primarily consisting of dreamed outcomes without resorting to the effectiveness and benign positivism of meaningful actions. Greenaway has assigned specific colors for every scenario. The exterior of the restaurant is mostly blue, referencing a Paradise that has been lost because of the never-ending humankind's maliciousness. The kitchen is predominantly green, representing the source of vitality, the "nature" of man, paralleling the original source of the world's wonders with the original source of the body's energy: food. The seating area of Le Hollandais is red, like if the place belonged to a hellishly atmosphere. The restroom, the first physical place where the affair is shown, is white, like if the characters were trying to hide their identities under the glowing presence of light and clarity, yet not escaping from the inevitability of a precarious existence. These are the facts that caused some points of view to state that the more we witnessed portrayals of profanity on screen, the more we were attracted towards the climax. Some other opinions point at the exact opposite side. Consequently, another questioning is originated: Is it morally correct to disguise with inventiveness and ingenuity a masterly orchestrated opera of visual beauty, multicultural genius and emotionally shocking subject matter? How is this mess decorated? Greenaway took inspiration from the mural painted in the year of 1616 by Frans Hals called "The Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Militia of Haarlem", which is displayed on the back wall of the dining room, and adapted the colorful art direction and the royal costume design. In case this wasn't enough, the film was based on John Ford's 17th-century play of revenge 'Tis Pity She's a Whore', where a man marries a woman who became pregnant because of his brother and, along with his servant, seeks revenge. Objectively speaking, the principal approach of the film is psychological, contrasting the emotional features of the characters with us, the primitively voyeuristic audience. A gracious and elegant cinematography adopts several faces, from minimalism to architectonical balance. Lengthy shots parallel and even mock the digestive system and the most common reactions of a particular individual towards certain events while we, horizontally, are transported to a new claustrophobic scenario of lunatic euphoria. On a personal note, I cannot imagine the complex screenwriting process derived from Greenaway's remarkable genius; nonetheless, it masquerades its blasphemous content and its insulting racism with a very original style. So, in the end, what is The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover? Is it a satire? Is it a comment on consumerism, or is it a testament of the upper class nauseating degradation? Does it deal with consumerism? Is it an attack towards the low morality of fast food enterprises, or must we accept the original sin of the nature of man as the strongest antagonist of the story? Is it about the restaurant, its contrast with the literary world of a library, or about earthly perversions? These futile questions and more conclusions will have no definite answer because they are not supposed to have one. Fact is, this is an avant-garde masterpiece of symbolic surrealism and provocative thematic material, from the Gardens of Eden to the earthly, Shakesperian orgies of food and betrayal. The more hated this film has been, the better it gets; the more underrated Peter Greenaway has got throughout the decades, the more brilliant he has become. 100/100 |
December 16, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters) - R |
Remarkably formulaic, but it has the right to be called one of the scariest movies ever made... literally. The experience in the cinema was unforgettable. Some clichés are intentionally used in an effective way and some others are kicked out of the house. Ji-woon Kim is aware that what we need sometimes are some good heart attacks throughout, adding thought-provoking drama in the process. A good horror film.
75/100 |
December 16, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Titanic - PG-13 |
To call it one of the most overrated films in motion picture history is actually a doubtful statement. It has been called "the movie everybody loves to hate", and if we stop for a moment and make a brief draft about films of the genre that are worse than Titanic, you'll find out that the list is endless. Cameron feels unusual, but not precisely unsuccessful. Remarkable score and efective melodrama. Overhyped is the correct adjective, since it is far from being the best filmic adaptation of the story, and not the first to add moving romance to the formula. Nonetheless, it is a surprising effort.
76/100 |
December 16, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Gandhi - PG |
After seeing Gandhi, the opening phrase that the film shows is strengthened: there is no filmic adaptation that can truly capture every action, every moment, every key event in the life of a hero. Following this unnecessary portrayal of modesty, Attenborough initiates a moving journey of peaceful revolution with a distracting spoken language and Hollywood elements disguised with a wanna-be David Lean style. Not as epic and glorious as audiences suggest, but it is a ride worth of its own.
85/100 |
December 15, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Notebook - PG-13 |
A film that ultimately had to appeal to a greatly extensive female audience, this film has undeniable talent. Several elements are being, once again, overused, the performances are uninterested, but the outcome is surprisingly romantic. Romance as a genre needed a visual renaissance, and this is one of those pretentious, yet effective little flicks that return such concept to present remembrance.
64/100 |
December 15, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Lawrence of Arabia - PG |
"I cannot fiddle but I can make a great state of a small city."
Director: David Lean Country: United Kingdom Genre: Adventure / Drama / War Length: 227 minutes  To describe the epic grandiosity of a landmark visual feast like David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia is not an easy task. More than being an absolute masterpiece in the entire history of moviemaking, wonderfully reaching a superior category of cinema in the process, the absolute and definitive work of art of David Lean is a cinematographic phenomenon. Moreover, it is a spectacle of giant humanistic proportions and a faithfully developed essay about one of the most inspirational and flamboyant personalities that played a giant role in the modification of the course that human history had during the times of World War I. It is also an examination on the very foundations of modern humanity. It adopts different faces throughout, from presenting a self-reflexive approach to drawing though-provoking topics that go from the persistence of the spirit to the unification of personal qualities in order to explode them in an unbelievable sequence of benign actions. With Lawrence of Arabia, the popularity of the director was propelled to such a height that worldwide audiences could witness it, but the description of its glory does not end there. It is an unforgettable and emotionally compelling experience of heartwarming humanism and a nearly-matchless brilliance. The film, simulating the opening narrative structure of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941), opens with the death of the protagonist Thomas Edward Lawrence at the age of 47 in a motorcycle accident in London. From there, a magical flashback to the city of El Cairo in the year of 1916 is made, when he was an intelligence officer. He is order to leave in order to make a detailed research of the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks. For two years, he ultimately decides to unify several Arab tribes in order to execute several attacks against the Ottoman Turks during World War I and to fight for their independence. The film received 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Score - Substantially Original, Best Sound, Best Director and Best Picture, winning the last 7 Oscars. The Best Costume Design nomination is not officially reported since someone forgot to submit Phyllis Dalton's name for consideration. Director David Lean won the Silver Ribbon for Best Director - Foreign Film at the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists of 1964. Lawrence of Arabia is a magisterially composed analysis of the human condition, but most of its inspirational effect may be utterly derived from the fact that it is a biopic. Master David Lean follows the cinematographic footsteps he had left since the making of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), footsteps that famous actor Richard Attenborough would track for directing Gandhi (1982). Consequently, it is much more than an epic film. It is a faithfully honest and spiritually memorable biographical portrait which considerably extended length of almost four hours is vanished in time because of its visual mastery. Being one of the last films in history to use the original 70mm format, cinema returns to its nostalgic roots. Also, a perfect balance between action sequences, sentimentalist issues, character development and historical detail is created, avoiding a pretentious grandiloquence that could have led the film to a highly disappointing outcome. However, it is its implicit and easily obtained talent the one that derived the plot from Hollywood melodrama and typical clichés of storytelling that had always been present even in the remarkable Golden Age. Lawrence of Arabia is plagued with early and soon-to-be giant Hollywood stars, from introducing Peter O'Toole in his most multilayered and important leading role as the revolutionary T.E. Lawrence to the outstandingly idealistic and neutral representation of Prince Feisal by Sir Alec Guinness. Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi and Omar Shariff, an actor whose popularity would be strengthened because of his leading role in Lean's next film named Doctor Zhivago (1965), as Lawrence's Arab companion are extraordinary. The cinematography has always been the most relevant and occasionally symbolic technical aspect throughout the art of filmmaking. Naturally, the film's description cannot omit the legendary, astounding and jaw-dropping effect of the perfectly executed cinematography by Freddie Young, becoming one of the best photographic efforts ever committed to celluloid. The whole magical and historical atmosphere is constructed with the significant aid of the unforgettable musical score composed by Maurice Jarre and is deliciously decorated with a groundbreaking art direction and a varied costume design. During the action sequences, the expertness in sound effects and well calculated editing play their roles, as if they were trying to maximize the glorious proportions of the story through the creation of realistic revolution and terror. T.E. Lawrence is an icon, a symbol of defensive resistance and liberalist ideals. To portray his personality transformation from being a surveillance officer to becoming an influential warrior was a necessary means. Through O'Toole's unparalleled performance, we realize that he is morally forced to challenge his corresponding authoritative figures while considering the idea of equality regarding all races. His decisions may not be the brightest possible, but the immovable ground he stepped on the whole time consolidated and solidified the straightforwardness of his personality. His overall and predominant attitude is orchestrated through the portrayal of his organization of guerrillas, camel attacks, desert raids and the memorable train-wrecking. With important acquaintances, the visible terror of the weak and vulnerable Arabs and the noticeable ambition of the Turks are the elements that unleash an unstoppable chain of events that Lawrence would never forget in his life. After being subject to a heavy controversy, he then decides to seek for discreet anonymity in the process of empathizing with the possibility of reconstructing his life. Once again, we face an ironic contradiction in both the beginning and the ending of the film. It is highly implied the fact that life has a certain and specific purpose regardless of its relevance, until an omniscient God decides to take it away. Undoubtedly, Lawrence of Arabia is one of the best films of all time, especially since it was strictly based in Lawrence's writings. It is one of those fully-developed masterworks that are worth of being called "epic". David Lean built a hypnotic and effective slow pace that paid the necessary attention to detail, like simulating the pace of life itself. Years pass in front of our eyes, new personalities start to appear, the priorities of the protagonist are challenged and latterly modified and World War I comes to an end, just to introduce us to a shocking struggle for human independence. Epic in scope and glorious in its attempts, it is among the most ambitious and cherished British productions ever made, and just like this singular character of history achieved a great status of admiration and respect after being labeled as a hero, an insane young man, a sadist and a charlatan, the director permanently gained worldwide popularity and the remembrance of both personal admirers and avid fan critics. 100/100 |
December 13, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Mamma Roma - Unrated |
"I can finally quit my job as a fruit seller due to ths job that I have done which I am not proud of but has improved my style of life, no?"
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini Country: Italy Genre: Drama Length: 110 minutes  Scandal and controversy always pursued him, recognized because supposed cinematic obscenity and constantly attacked by both the Left and the Right, Italian auteur Pier Paolo Pasolini always prioritized the expression of his ideas through an early neorealist style and a latter politically shocking form throughout his filmic career. The underrated and charmingly effective Mamma Roma is his second feature film, an Italian gem that resorted to the classic Italian neorealism, paying a gorgeous homage to the works of Vittorio de Sica (Ladri di Biciclette [1948], Umberto D. [1952]), Federico Fellini (La Strada [1954], Le Notti di Cabiria [1957]) and Roberto Rosellini (Roma, Città Aperta [1945], Germania Anno Zero [1948]). The techniques would be repeated, yet majorly perfected in Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo before reaching the level of his famous Mythical Cycle. As amateur and referential as it may seem at first glance, this catastrophically gorgeous Italian gem reflects the ability of past filmmakers of accurately portraying on screen the devastating effects of a massive war, the resulting spiritual perdition and a much more stronger influence of Catholicism, a characteristic that would clearly distinguish Pasolini through his projects, not to mention it mixed such concept with predominately Marxist ideals. This time, a melodramatic tale is transformed in a nostalgic tale with that notoriously moving power of human relationships. Extremely talented Italian actress Anna Magnani returns to the big screen of Europe and brilliantly portrays the character of Mamma Roma, a middle-aged whore of the capital city of Italy. Destiny partially favors her and allows her to buy a fruit stand and an upper class apartment so she can move with her 16-year-old son Ettore, retiring from the prostitution. However, Ettore is a rebel young man who has no interest towards studying and having healthy relationships, causing her mother to revive some tragic consequences of her past life. Pier Paolo Pasolini was nominated for a Golden Lion at the Venice Film festival, losing it against Andrei Tarkovsky's Ivanovo Detstvo (1962) and Valerio Zurlini's Cronaca Familiare (1962). Despite the genre and the filmmaking branch it directly belongs, the film corrects most of the justified technical failures that films of past decades had precisely because of the effects of the Second World War. It intentionally adds the cinematographic charms of the most significant and relevant neorealist movies and Pasolini establishes his trademark from beginning to end, thus indicating a new period in his direction. It was a clear and simple sign of a search for the correct style for expressing his perspective towards an anarchic world. Mamma Roma is a sample that homages can be moving pieces of art, and that experimentation has always been a daring branch of filmmaking that can either bring brilliant or terrible results, with no middle ground. Despite its melodramatic touch and a very characteristic Oedipal approach, a controversial feature that would be present in his latest films like Teorema (1968) and Il Fiore delle Mille e una Notte (1974), the emotional empathy it provides is an everlasting result to remember for the rest of the days of cinema itself. The brilliantly executed camera work gently oscillating from street to street compensates an average, but pleasurable black-and-white cinematography. Anna Magnani radiates an enormous presence throughout the film's length, providing one of the best and most memorable female leading roles in cinema history, a statement that is no exaggeration. Her talent is still present and makes both the character and the plot work completely. Despite being a very dedicated woman who somewhat represents prostitution as a job worth of respect and a deplorable one under the standards of society, she is still the model mother that the world universally accepts as admirable. Having a son that is going through the tight path, she puts every single sweat drop so she can correct his path before it's too late. He represents her pride, joy and fortitude; he is the strongest human connection she will ever have and, as the responsible mother she wants to be, she would be capable of going through any hardship so his son can learn the best qualities of the world in a hostile environment. Mamma Roma can be interpreted as the incarnation of a destroyed Rome trying to raise its sons: the citizens of Italy through times of hardships and constant moral and financial obstacles. The screenplay of the film has a notorious talent. It is poetically written and makes the best possible transitions between scenes and close-ups to the characters, one technique that Fellini began to learn how to perfect it in 1960 with the film La Dolce Vita. It draws a marriage between the camera and the dialogues, like if the film were trying to imitate the joy that life can transmit. It has an effective story development and it has a strong climax, with an ending scene that does not need to show one more single frame than the ones it shows. More than an open ending, it is a direct invitation to the viewer to reflect the correctness of the moral that is mainly accepted as "right". What gives the write to man to take vengeance and justice into his own hands? The motives remain unclear, but an explanation is not required. Man's cruelty and incomprehension of others' problems is the main issue treated throughout. It costs a lot of effort and guts to wear the shoes of any other person that has to face several hardships and lives under inferior life conditions, especially when we are not meant to live them, either because of divine intervention, how prepared we would be for it, psychologically speaking, or just because we would miserably fail. Mamma Roma is an underrated masterpiece. Its merits acquitted Pasolini delayed fame and recognition. It is a powerful manifesto of the people surrounding a wealthy and morally incorrect society judging lower classes with neither solid nor valid arguments whatsoever. Pasolini was still constructing a vision, but he left several masterpieces along that complex road and Mamma Roma is not an exception. It can be rightfully considered as one of the best Italian films of the decade, wonderful in its own sense and wittily naïve talent through an experienced scope. 99/100 |
December 13, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Max Payne - PG-13 |
Max Payne aka Ass Pain is one of the several absolutely pointless and overtly mediocre videogame adaptations. Check out this definition of stupidity: Directors even seem that they try to gain attention through the making of R-rated films or PG-13 flicks with a noticeable obscurity. Of course, the result is excruciating since they actually believe they will be able to convince videogame fans and to fulfill the Hollywood standards of modern cinema... AT THE SAME TIME! LOL! Remember Hitman? Remember Resident Evil? Remember Mortal Kombat, and let's not mention Mario Bros. and Steet Fighter. This act is wrong, with a morality so low that the sentence should be death penalty.
38/100 |
December 13, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Vincent - G |
Among the most original, funny and imaginative short films ever made. Tim Burton does an incredibly good homage to the classic, spellbinding German Expressionism and Edgar Allan Poe's atmosphere. Where the illusions of children and the nightmarish realm collide with the companionship of poetic verses and an undeniable gothic influence. It is just so gorgeous... This is how masters are born.
92/100 |
December 13, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Enchanted - PG |
So, chick flicks are officially condemned to always suck balls. Enchanted put a difference. Is it a huge accomplishment? No. It is just Disney attempting to return to its roots AND conquering the modern pop audience at the same time when, actually, it is destroying its roots. Who will like this film? Hilary Duff, High School Musical and Twilight fans who are used to Nickelodeon shows. As for me... I can't deny I was surprised. The result is the best chick flick ever made, aka quality vomit.
48/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Princess and the Frog - G |
Remember the excruciating Enchanted (2007)? Well, after Disney blindly thought that they had made a masterpiece (haha!) because of its unfortunately big financial success, they finally decide to step away from the 3D animation temporarily and direct what is, ultimately, a reminder of the traditional style of telling an animated story. The result? Well, instead of proceeding with my commentary, I'll make an intentionally mixed list of pros and cons, and let it speak for itself. In The Princess and the Frog, you will find:
- The typical romance story that made classic Disney famous, told with a predominant mediocrity. - Non-interesting, boring characters. - Good animation. - The first Afro-American princess in Disney history. - OK songs. - A provocative use of shiny colors. - Failed emotions. - Spoofs of immortal children tales including The Frog Prince. - A nostalgic reference to The Rescuers. - A forced ending. - A partially convincing art direction. - More boring (animal) characters. - An average screenplay. - Slapstick violence. - Some bits with the humor that made Disney famous. - An entirely, 100% predictable plot, including several dialogues. - A rather interesting and original villain. - A very noticeable inspiration from The Color Purple (1985). - The melodramatic death of a character that was supposed to increase the emotional touch, but that ended up being distracting. - The controversial use of witchcraft and voodoo that almost goes unperceived thanks to the childish elements disguising it. - Unconceivable decisions made by the main character. - Emphasis on money and materialism. - Attention towards the futility of discrimination, once again, in a forced way. I mean, the children will OBVIOUSLY reflect on the problems of racism in the actuality... I rest my case. 54/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Pursuit of Happyness - PG-13 |
Let's see, Muccino:
You have a remarkable piece of drama material to work on, and the only thing you achieve is Will Smith to adopt a more serious leading role. The issue smells like Jim Carrey with Darabont and Kauffman, but lets move on. You depict life conditions of... not poverty, but economical difficulties, and the characters initiate a voyage in search of "happyness". First of all, the title is not the only mispelled aspect of the film. If analyzing the final message leads us to the conclusion that money is the final source of joy, then you belong to the giant pile of Hollywood melodramatic excrement. Moreover, that's not fair! Even the true neorealists of cinema convulsioned in their graves. If you had added religion in the end, I would dare to say it would have worked better, but just slightly. THAT is the problem with modern directors who think that the usual stuff concerning poverty, racism, a hostile, underground urban environment and a climatic final transformation in the main character are aspects that assure quality for the genre. Will Hollywood ever learn? We'll notice a change in two decades from now, when the box-office starts to drop at these disappointing projects and audiences finally notice the difference between stories with substance and complete soap operas reduced to a couple of hours per film. Mark my words. 60/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Pay It Forward - PG-13 |
I will not reject the cleverness of the idea, but the execution was inferior than the level it demanded. An American-Beauty-like score makes the film "more moving" and we have a terrific H.J. Osment, but several melodramatic elements throughout made it fall from grace. In the end, it is forgettable, and not even the pretentiousness of a split timeline saved Pay it Forward from its drama flaws.
56/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Seven Pounds - PG-13 |
Manipulative and painful. The second collaboration between Will Smith and Gabriele Muccino is overtly melodramatic, forced and senseless. So we have a leading character with no clear motivations whatsoever behind the actions he has taken, changing lives before his own ends. "Damn, man. How can we make this formula to work? Hey! I know! Remember the IRS character played by Will Ferrell in Stranger than Fiction (2006)? Everybody inside the film hated the character. Let's do that!" This is even worse than modern Clint Eastwood and the boring Ben Affleck stuff. Really, am I supposed to be moved? I'm tired of this already. Muccino, you may have finally given the opportunity to direct films and the subject matter you wanted to show had already been portrayed before, but inventiveness always makes a film to stand out, clearly emphasizing the fact that originality is not always a demanding factor. Either you stop, or I will burn a theater.
54/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Elf - PG |
Saying that this film destroys the Christmas spirit is going too far. Nevertheless, Will Ferrell is more annoying than usual. Almost as idiotic as Howard's excruciating flick How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf is an "enjoyable" piece of crap with the constantly-seen Hollywood humor and an unbelievable plot, and I must highlight the comedy of the climax.
49/100 |
December 12, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Zerkalo (The Mirror) - Unrated |
Review coming someday...
100/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The 39 Steps - PG |
Review coming someday...
99/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) - Unrated |
Review coming someday...
100/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Repulsion - Unrated |
Review coming someday...
100/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Kárhozat, (Damnation) - Unrated |
Review coming someday...
99/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Jag är nyfiken - en film i gult (I Am Curious (Yellow)) - R |
Review coming someday...
99/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| It's a Wonderful Life - Unrated |
"Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence! Get me back! Get me back, I don't care what happens to me! Get me back to my wife and kids! Help me Clarence, please! Please! I wanna live again. I wanna live again. Please, God, let me live again."
Director: Frank Capra Country: United States of America Genre: Drama / Fantasy / Romance Length: 130 minutes  A "second class" angel who has waited 200 years for gaining his wings tries to help a desperate, suicidal businessman by showing him what life would have been if he had never existed. I would really like to begin this review by saying that It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful classic. Although I'm not a particular fan of Frank Capra, this is definitely his most heartwarming, inspirational and touching film. The film received 5 Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Director and Best Picture. This film not winning any single Academy Award is beyond me. Although The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) was definitely strong competition, it wasn't as great and heartwarming as this film was. In fact, The Big Sleep (1946) was a superior film than both of those. The editing, direction and story are awesome. What I really loved about this film is the pace it follows and the structure of the plot. Most of the film is focused on creating a terrific story and developing characters in which we can really be interested in. That's why the story has such a strong effect. The acting by the entire cast is superb. James Stewart gives away what comes to be his third worth-watching performance. Having starred in films such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and The Philadelphia Story (1940), It's a Wonderful Life gave James Stewart another opportunity to show why he was one of the best actors of his time. He does not only portray a man who shows a great passion towards his life, his family and his community, but also a person who experiences one of the most shocking and wonderful events he ever had, causing a very notorious personality change in him, characteristics that contrast with his constant concerns and worriness throughout coming from the difficult times he has to face. Stewart's acting is truly remarkable. Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore gave away incredible and believable performances as well. Two thumbs up for that. The pace is very fast, but also very effective. The way the constant flow of time is shown in the film makes us aware of what life can be and of how fast life can pass in the blink of an eye. Life is full of changes and special events, most of them unpredictable, and it is ruled by uncertainty. The movie really teaches us how we should always be expecting for the best and be prepared for the worst in order to succeed. Another message that this gem shares is that happiness emanates from within, and it is based in the optimism we can have every second of our wonderful lives. Life has so many small details and important people surround us every time, and those are the details we should be very thankful for, realizing the importance these have in our lives before we lose any of them. Some of the shots are particularly beautiful, as so is the cinematography, occasionally. The editing is so well-made that it has the magic of transporting us through time for several years in the story. But it is Frank Capra's direction which makes this film so brilliant, and perhaps the best Christmas tale that has ever been told. Being It's a Wonderful Life (1946) one of the most heartwarming stories ever told, I urge everyone not to see it, but to live it. This is a wonderful experience for the whole family to be enjoyed at its fullest. I dare to say this is the best film of the year, and perhaps the greatest "feel-good" film ever. The magic of this story, besides from its beauty and very true messages, comes from the fact that it can be enjoyed several times and of course that it works perfectly for Christmas times in order to think about what we want, what we have and should be thankful for, and what we should change in our lives and personalities. A jewel that should not be ignored and that will last for a lifetime, no matter how "old" it grows, since even modern society can be moved by it and it is suitable for every single living soul. 99/100 |
December 10, 2009 | N/A |
1896 ratings
1896 reviews
