Dragon's Talk

Dance with the Devil (Perdita Durango)

Another Alex de la Iglesia film. Also pretty good, though not as great as many others.
I sort of disagree on the woman beign taken as the main protagonist: her name on the movie, her image almost covering all the poster, etc. Cause if you take a look at one of the other names in the cast, you'll see Javier Bardem's. And he is clearly the soul of the movie. One more time, he offers a flawless performance, this time as a villan, who is also a kind of a quack doctor (you have to see that scene!!!!).
All in all it's a good film definitely worth-watching.

Muertos de risa (Dying of Laughter)

I cannot believe that non of my friends have seen this movie. And what's even more surprising is that not even one is interested in watching it.
This is simply the best film of one my favourite directors: Alex de la Iglesia.
It's incredibly funny. The plot is magnificent. The performances are great. And the ending is probably one of the best I've ever seen.
A history of fame and hatred as dark as many of de la Iglesia's movies but hillarious at the same time.

Defiance

Defiance is the true story of Jewish brothers Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber who hid from the Nazis in the Belarussian forest, and quickly found themselves with an entire community of fleeing refugees to protect. Edward Zwick has always been fond of telling stories about the triumph of the human spirit, although he has been guilty of over egging the sentimental side of things to get his intended point across. Defiance is no exception, but thanks to some clever writing and a strong central performance by Daniel Craig, this film manages to pull itself back from the brink of schmaltz. When Craig mounted a white steed and gave a very Braveheart speech to his new subjects, I thought "Oh great...here we go again...", but soonafter when the people begin to starve, he promptly pulls out a Luger and puts a bullet in its head, almost as if to say "there's a time and a place for pomp and bluster, but this isn't it"! He shows the conflict between animal instinct and humanity quite nicely, sometimes showing compassion and yes, speech making, but at others dealing with the issues at hand with a ruthless efficiency. Craig and some handsome photography made this film for me, and although it is guilty of emotional button pushing, sometimes those are the button you want to be pushed. Especially when it comes to seeing at least a small victory against the greatest shower of evil bastards ever to walk the Earth.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Legendary outlaws Butch and Sundance rob one too many trains and an elite force of lawmen force them to relocate to Bolivia. Yet another of Hollywood's romantic reinterpretations of history featuring outlaws who are lovable rogues who don't want to hurt anyone, George Roy Hill's classic western actually features little in the way of gunplay (although the final shoot out is well worth waiting for). The core of the film is Butch and Sundance's enduring friendship and as such it concentrates far more on warmth and humour than bullets and blood; in fact you have to wait til near the end before a single shot is fired. Often when two major stars are paired up, ego prevails and one-upmanship can ruin any potential on-screen chemistry, but once in a while two stars can strike up chemistry that is pure cinematic gold. This is the case with Newman and Redford (a partnership obviously and consciously aped by Clooney and Pitt in the Ocean's films), and its a shame they didn't make more films together. The dialogue is always witty and fun, and the characters are all very endearing; even the romance with Katharine Ross is refreshingly schmaltz-free and understated, and is all the more charming for it. The only dark cloud on the horizon are the cornball musical interludes which some may find some kitsch enjoyment in, but I personally found them dated and unnecessary. This flaw is minor compared to the hugely entertaining whole and it features one of the best endings ever filmed.

Slumdog Millionaire

"Slumdog" Jamal who grew up on the streets of Bombay is at the brink of winning the grand prize of India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire when is is "questioned" by the police suspecting fraud. Danny Boyle's latest and highly acclaimed project has a lot of the energy that marked his debut. The clever structure of the film uses his explanations on how he knew the answers to fill in the background of what life is like for the most impoverished members of Indian society, brutalized in religious riots, either ignored or harassed by the authorities and exploited by criminals. In this way it's like a more light-hearted and less violent version of City Of God and has a lot of the power and grittiness of that film. Some of the more disturbing aspects of what these kids go through was made more so by the fact that I watched this film in the company of an Indian who assured me that these practices actually do go on (and in fact were even toned down for the film version). The entire cast are excellent, even the youngest of the children playing younger versions of the protagonists, and the mix of comedy, action and drama is balanced perfectly. Unfortunately the film's strength and depth of character falters during the last reel. Blaming walloping great plot contrivances on "fate" just seemed lazy, and the crowd (and Academy) pleasing ending felt kind of hollow to me, marring what otherwise was an excellent film. The rest of it is definitely strong enough to warrant viewing though, and for me this is easily Boyle's best work since Trainspotting.

Rope

Two upper class intellectuals plan the "perfect" murder of an old school friend for the sheer thrill of it and hold a dinner party for his friends and family with the corpse hidden within the room. Rope is most famous for its "one shot" conceit as the story takes place entirely within the same room, Hitchcock concealing (albeit somewhat clumsily) the cuts between reels. I feel however that is the least interesting aspect of the film, as the ideas expressed within, the sharp dialogue and Hitch's usual ability to crank up the tension are the real reason why it works. Hitchcock plays with the audience, placing us in the room with characters, they and their conversations even being demoted to off-screen from time to time as he constantly reminds us of the foul deed that could be discovered at any moment. When recreating the murder, he uses nothing as crude as flashbacks; he entices the audience to relive it through vicarious imagination. The story is told entirely through the verbal sparring of the party guests, Jimmy Stewart being the perfect casting choice as their old schoolmaster who begins to suspect something is afoot, his image as Capra's morally upstanding man of the people is given a different spin within this macabre situation. Here, he is the cynical misanthropist shown the logical conclusion of his contempt for "inferior" humanity and the concluding speech when faced with his grim discovery is electrifying. Hitchcock made a few anti-Nazi propaganda pieces for the war effort, and this contempt for intellectual arrogance and self-superiority and its inferred fascistic overtones echoes the sentiment of those films. This strong moral message and taut story telling make for a gripping thriller that although a little stagy, still packs a thought provoking punch.

Marley & Me

It's ...... mmmmmm .... damn! I don't know what to write!!!
It just achieved it's purpose very well. I think I have to give it credit for that. Of course Aniston and Wilson are very stupid actors and they tend to make stupid movies, and this is no exception. But ... sorry for being such a girl, but this had me crying half of the film!!!! So I guess it's that kind of movies that at least achieve their purposes because it is intended to be a moving film.

Brigada Explosiva: Mision Pirata

If it says "No rating" it's because this movie does not deserve even half a star.
This is by far the worst movie I've ever seen. Thanks God it doesn't even have a poster.

Brigada Explosiva: Mision Pirata

If it says "No rating" it's because this movie does not deserve even half a star.
This is by far the worst movie I've ever seen. Thanks God it doesn't even have a poster.

The Mummy Returns

In the past, I had seen fragments of this one. Now I saw it all. I have to say that I had a bad feeling about it, though some of my friends really liked it. You know: "Second parts are never good", but I think this is a good film. It has some mistakes and some scenes that are definitely out of place. But overall, it's a very enjoyable movie. It has a lot of action, funny creatures, cool effects. I just liked it.

Journey to the Center of the Earth (Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D)

All right, first of all I have to make one thing clear: I went on holidays, and I had two very long journeys: 27 hours each on a bus. So, from now on you have to bare in mind that the following 4 or 5 reviews I'll write are about movies I saw on the bus! I had no intention to watch them. I HAD to watch them because they were there and I had to find a way of making my journey shorter.
Having said this, "Journey to the center of the Earth" is not a good film. It's not bad either. It's just... entertaining; it has a lot of adventure and no 3D... thing or whatever that is called.
I guess it's just a film for kids. Grown-ups will probably find no amusement on it.

Oldboy

I'm sorry for those who don't speak spanish, but to describe this film I have to begin by using a very Argentinian word: PELICULÓN.
That's it. Now let's go the "serious" part of the review.
Dae-su was all his life a bit of a trouble-maker. Even being a grown up, with a wife and a daughter, he still drinks and ends up at the police station. He's kidnapped and the nightmare of his life begins.
This is a story of revenge, violence and a bit of love (a bit disturbing too). It is excellently directed and excellently performed. Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about it. It's just fantastic. I loved every little detail and I don't think there would be a way of making it better.
And absolute must-see.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001 is a film that does not concern anything so trite as human relationships. 2001 is a film of a scale so epic as to never have been conceived before. Up until 1968, sci-fi was all about flying saucers, death rays and theramins. Kubrick set about making a film themed around the history of the human species, from the dawn of man through to space exploration and beyond. The first thing that strikes you about this film is its sheer visual spectacle; Kubrick's juxtaposition of classical music with the elegance of space travel shows technology not as clunky and ugly, but a thing of beauty. His use of colour is breathtaking, from the cold blues of outer space, to the vivid reds of the ship's systems and the stunning pure whites and primary colours of the still brilliant looking retro future styling of the space station's interiors. He takes pains to show the logistics of space travel, mixing the mundane with the surreal images of an existence without the influence of gravity. But it is the stargate sequence that is the truly jaw dropping part of this film, and it is still one of the most visually stunning scenes ever committed to celluloid. The main criticism levelled at this film is its infamous obtuseness, Kubrick deliberately leaving the implications of the themes he is exploring for the viewer to conclude for themselves. I would seriously suggest to anyone having trouble coming to grips with it to read the book, as it does explain all. Kubrick was an artist, and this is his masterpiece; only he could even have attempted to sum up the entire history of humanity in a single cut. Amazing.

Hotel Rwanda

Like The Killing Fields, Salvador and Schindler's List before it, Hotel Rwanda catalogues yet another example of the the human race's remarkable talent for inhumanity. Don Cheadle gives a career best performance as a hotel manager who uses all his intelligence and guile to help save over 1200 refugees from the genocidal rampage of Hutu militants. The rest of the cast also put in the kind of committed performances actors give when they truly believe that a story must be told and although it is a little manipulative, it's never heavy handed or clumsy. I must admit, I didn't realise that the cultural segregation of the Tutsis and the Hutus was just an arbitrary division created by long gone occupying colonialism and the film gives a welcome lesson in the cause and nature of the conflict. It also serves as yet another reminder that the opulent west is very good at making worthy popular entertainment that documents such atrocities, even shedding a tear when reminded of their existence. But we never seem to do a damn thing when it actually counts.

The Jacket

An Iraq war veteran sent home with serious head trauma is convicted of a murder he does not remember committing. While enduring an experimental "treatment" at the hands of a sadistic doctor, he suddenly finds himself somewhere and somewhen else. This off beat sci-fi fantasy has a lot of elements of familiar wish-fulfillment and time travel stories. His romance with emotional burn out Keira Knightley reminded me a little of Eternal Sunshine, the meddling with time aspect is very like The Butterfly Effect and the whole time travel/mental hospital scenario is very Twelve Monkeys. The thing that makes this film is the combination of great performances and the way that although it feels a little generic, it continually hops between those genres without feeling disjointed which keeps the story intriguing right til the end. Adrien Brody is excellent as the long suffering patient, as is an almost unrecognizable Daniel Craig as his Cuckoo's Nest style confidante. There are some nice visual flourishes and the direction is nice and tight, the film far from outstaying its welcome. I quite enjoyed the darker aspect of The Butterfly Effect, and this film does something similar with a far more inventive and mature approach. I liked it a lot.

Unleashed (Danny the Dog)

A man who was raised like a dog finds himself in the search of his true identity. Watching Jet Li leaving his animal attitude and becoming a normal human being in a movie full of action, amazing fighting scenes, great performances (specially Morgan Freeman's) and a very nice plot, was more than amusing.
This is a highly recommended film.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Uma Thurman: Shame on you!!!!! I can't believe that you, YOU, Beatrix Kiddo, The Bride, the protagonist of the best film I've ever seen, sold yourself to this piece of shit.
This movie is not only BAD because of beign ridiculous, incoherent, stupid, and so long and so forth, but it is also denigrating for the female sex. Why? Because: If a man is a superhero, he is extremely handsome, strong, intelligent, good-hearted, kind, generous, polite, plus... he is a superhero!!! hergo he is absolutely perfect, isn't he? Now, when a woman is a superheroine she is the worst possible thing that can happen in the life of a man because she is absolutely hysterical , jealous and possessive, so she'll make you're life impossible although you're totally a sweetheart! And not only that, she's also retarded! Because she'll forgive you no matter what you do to her! God! I cannot explain in how many levels I hated this movie. The only star I'm giving it is because Uma is still a good actress and she made me laugh two times, I think.
But Uma, this will take you out of my nine favourite actors in flixster. I'm sorry, but you should be more sorry than me.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Domineering Philip Seymour Hoffman talks his weak willed younger brother into helping him rob their parents jewelry store to solve both their financial difficulties, but when the heist goes wrong, their lives start to unravel. Sidney Lumet has been making quality thrillers for 50 years, but in his latest effort, he takes a few cues from his younger pretenders. The plot themes have a lot in common with Fargo and A Simple Plan and the execution is reminiscent of Jackie Brown and its familiar disjointed timeline. In fact there is little here that hasn't been done before so don't expect much in the way of originality or surprises. But the quality cast all put in solid performances and Lumet certainly still knows how to pace a story and crank up the suspense. No gimmickry, no pointless frills; just an extremely well crafted and intelligent thriller.