Snow White and the Huntsman

Released in June 2012, this adventure movie is a new take on the Grimm classic "Snow White and the seven dwarves" in which the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed, winds up becoming her protector in crossing the dead forest to her uncles caslte to round up an army against the evil queen.

The movie was directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Evan Daugherty and John Lee Hancock and stars Kirsten Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. 

Well... I think I'll start with the good things this time. 

The setting is extraordinary. Beautiful mountains and forest. It's amaizing. The designs of the mystical creatures and the cool mushrooms with eyes. It's just really, really cool. 

The music, epic and kind of medival, it's fine. Except for the moment in which the dwarves are playing a song that sounds just like Titanic. It's really cool music. 

And last, but not least: the special effects. Those are just too cool. 

The acting is not bad for Hemsworth and Theron's part. I'll talk later about Kristen Steward. 

The rest of this movie is crap. 

Starting from the script, which is lousy at best, with a lot, and I mean a LOT of plot devices and badly explained things, up to the casting director. I really don't think that you can call Kristen Stewart the most beautiful woman of the planet. And yet, if the script was a little better or the actor direction a little more acurate, she could have done a pretty good performance. 

Anyway, if you're a teenage girl, you'll probably like it. I mean, it's the movies target and from the teenager opinions I've heard, they think it's entertaining. If you're going to watch it fro Chris Hemsworth, I recomend you to watch the Avengers instead. And if you wanna see Charlize Theron, she's done a load of better movies. If you're like me and wanna see it for the special effects, go for Cameron's Avatar or Tim Burton's  Alice in Wonderland. They have better effects (even though Alice's effects and animations are very similar at some points) and the acting is a load better in both. 

And if you wanna see romance and twisted fairytales, do yourself a favour and just watch the series Once Upon a Time, which has a better script, better actors, and loads of epic music. 

Dark Shadows

Tim Burton directs this horror comedy released only last week. It's based on a TV-Series also called Dark Shadows and, like the series, it tells the story of a vampire that was imprisoned for two hundred years. As he escapes he finds that his family's fortune has disappeared and that the evil witch that imprisioned him is responsible for it. So he sets on to get the money back as well as wooing the family's new nanny.
It stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth  Collins and Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard. Plus Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman and as always the music is done by Danny Elfman. 

This movie is based in a TV series of 1966, which had around 1500 chapters. I haven't seen the original series, but I have seen some of the chapters of the Revival done in 1990. The Rivival's treatment of the story is way darker than Tim Burton's movie, it doesn't have the comedy take that this one has, which makes the story pretty interesting. The problem of the movie is that, based in a series which is so long, there are some things that don't get enough time or explanations.

And I think that's about all I have to critisice of this movie. I loved the way it is set in the 70s, how the music and the brands are set on screen. Plus every line uttered by Johnny Depp is a mine of gold.

The visual effects, make up, dresses and sets, are worth seeing. I loved them all, specially the werewolf and the visuals around Angelique Bouchard.

DARK SHADOWS TRAILER

Well it's a Tim Burton movie. It's funny and beautiful, the script is whitty and the acting is just perfect. The make up work and the special effects alone are worth every second.

The Hunger Games

This adventure movie directed by Gary Ross and based on the book by Suzanne Collins was released in April 2012 and tells the story of Katniss Everdeen who volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the anual Hunger Games, a competition in which a boy and a girl from each of the twelve districts in which the United States have been divided have to fight to death until only one survivor is left. 

It stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen a tribute of district twelve and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark the other tribute of district twelve. 

As always I'll start with the worst of this movie, which isn't much, but it's incredibly bad done. 

I don't really know much about music, but what little I know is that it can be half the movie. The music gives depth and tension and it can show the grandness of a set with more eficiency than any shot. The music in this movie is so thin, so incredibly thin and weak that it even throws you back in some scenes. Don't get me wrong, it can be beautiful. Katniss' song is really nice and there are very well set silences, but at some places it really doesn't cover half of the grandness it should show. James Newton Howard did a great job with Pretty Woman or Dinosaur, but here he failed. 

A point of controversy is the treatment of violence in this movie.If you're looking for something like Battle Royale (which has a similar plot), then you really shouldn't watch this. Even though the books are pretty bloody, the movie has been thined in this aspect. In comparison there's nearly no violence. Most of the killings aren't shown, but there are some pretty nice shots of the girl killed by wasps and the death of the little girl. 

Other than that the adaptation is pretty good. It cuts very little - most of which is Katniss running around alone  through the forest  and asking herself if Peeta is trying to kill her or not. Among the writers were not only the director, Gary Ross, but also the writer of the books, Suzanne Collins, which is allways good if you're adapting from a book. The point of view changes between the book and the movie. In the books the whole story is told from Katniss' point of view alone, here you have an omniscient point of view, which allows for multiple plotlines that are only hinted in the books. There's a better presentation of President Snow (the president of the United States  played by Donald Sutherland) than in the first book, there's also a better presentation of Seneca Crane (played by Wes Bentley). It also shows  how the population sees the Hunger Games and how it is prepared and ploted.

The setting and dresses are pretty cool, and pretty close to the book. Some of the scenes seem taked directly out of a Tim Burton movie, specially the character of Effie Trinket (played by Elisabeth Banks). It's very rich and the special effects are just too cool. 

I have to talk also of Jennifer Lawrence interpretation, which I loved. She impersonates an 16 year old girl and, even though she seems a little bit too old, she gives a really good interpretation, specially in those shots in which she's scared. 

THE HUNGER GAMES TRAILER

Well, I know it's not the best movie, but it's pretty neat, nicely done with interesting and round characters, cool special effects and interesting disign. The main actors are beautiful and do a decent job. It's a chick-flick with some aspirations and critic - which will propably be more developed in the next movies. I liked it - if I forget about the disastrous music - and that's why I recommend it. It's entertaining  and that's about it. 

Erik - Portrait of a Living Corpse

This horror drama is a retelling of Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera from Erik, the Phantom's twisted point of view, directed by Ryan Bijan in  2010 and released two years later. It stars Ryan Bijan as Raoul, Autumn Hyun as Christine Daae and  Matthew Brett Ham as Joseph Buquet. Erik, the main character, is untitled as it was played by more than one actor. 

Before I start this review I'd like to point out that this is a really low-budget movie, done by an amateur cast and a 19 year-old director, who's also writer and actor. I got to know this movie  - as well as most of the Phantom movies I've seen - thanks to the PhantomReviewer and I have to agree with him once more: this movie is worth the buying. 

The things I didn't like about this movie are really few and mostly due to the inexperience of the cast and director.

The worst thing by far is the audio. I'm not sure if it's due to the cut or the problems with a bad mic, but there are places where you can't really understand what the cast is saying.
This is directly related to the cut. In general the final cut's amaizing. Yet there are some scenes in which it's not as neat as it should be. Two examples of this are the scene at Perros' graveyard, where Raoul answers a question Christine doesn't do, and the scenes where Erik talks to Christine through the mirror. A scene in which the  editing makes no sense, is the one in which Madame Giry enters Box V and has some sort of conversation with Erik, while you see Erik in another box on the other side of the theatre. It's rather confusing, but as it's a really short scene...

Other than that I had only isues with Meg Giry's acting, which could have been a lot better. In general the acting was ok. Not brilliant, but ok. I think Erik was the best played. His whole presentation is great and he has some rather awesome scenes such as the park scene, in which the viewer get's glimpses of his humanity. Christine has some sort of character, which is allways nice, plus she kicks Raoul, which is even nicer. Don't get me wrong, Ryan Bijan does a great job as Raoul, but I just can't stand that character.

The script ads some interesting things to the traditional story. It's very close to the Leroux Novel, including things that don't usually make it into the movies. The scene at Perros, includes the throwing of skulls at Raoul, scene I think haven't ever seen in a Phantom movie, and Raoul even has this little and anoying moustache. It also gives Erik some of his bad-ass-ness back. He kills, he threatens, he throws the voice and he does evil things. And the killings are rather colourful and beautifully innecesary. For example Compte Phillipe D'Arcy- who hadn't made it into a Phantom movie since 1925- death scene is rather unnecesary, but got me laughing at the strangeness of it.
A problem of the script is: it focuses so much on Erik, that it nearly forgets to show the world of the other characters, making some of the scenes difficult to follow if you aren't familiar with the original story - which in turn focuses so little on the Phantom's point of view, that you really don't get a good look at him.

The best thing by far is the cinematography by Wesley Kirk and Spencer Wallace. The movie is beautiful to watch. The scenes and decoration, the colors... Specially those turning around the phantom. Erik's lair has finaly turned into a normal regular house, with a great persian rug and Luis XVI furniture - sort of.
As this was filmed in Texas, USA, the crew found a problem: the Opera wasn't really that old, at least the inside of the building. It looks rather moddern. As does Christine's dressing room. Some of the scenes are very victorian - the Phantom's lair and Carlotta's dressing room, while others are completly modern, like the corridors of the Opera House, and the stage and even some of the dresses. This duality is great, and helps making the story a-temporal.

I have to praise the work of the costume and make up department. Erik wears a great black mask and a smaller white one which allows to see his chin, teeth and mouth. And those are disgusting. Really and uterly disgusting. His cloack- a big red and black thing- is spectacular and I just love his fedora.
Christine's dresses are rather acurate at times, and Carlotta's green dress is just amaizing.

Last but not least I have to talk about one of the Lair scenes. All of them are great, from the dinner scene to the unmasking scene.  But I think the best one is the praying scene in which Erik kneels in a muslim fashion on his persian rug and thanks god. That scene and the park scene in which Erik goes through a big and beautiful park and plays with a squirrel, are THE most beautiful scenes of the whole movie.

ERIK - PORTRAIT OF A LIVING CORPSE TRAILER

I really recomend this movie to you, for it's flaws don't outshine it's greatness. Of course you have to watch it bearing in mind it's only the first half of the story (Act I) and that it was made by amateurs, with no budget and barely professional. The result is the clear reason why people do movies: not to earn loads of money, but because there's a story to be told. 

Beetlejuice

Directed by Tim Burton in 1988, this comedy tells the story of a recently deceased ghost couple  that contact a 'bio-exorcist' in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house. 

It stars Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis as the Maitlands, Winona Ryder as Lydida Deetz and Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice. 

One of - I think - the less known Tim Burton movies. It's also one of his first full-length movies. And it's pure Tim Burton style. 

The story is funny and well developed. The Maitlands are your typical american loving-couple from the 80's, whereas the Deetz are atypical, and strange and really bizzare. The wife is a modern artist, the father want's just peace and quiet but can't leave his work behind him and the daughter is a goth girl who can see ghosts. 

If you ask me the only thng you have to take out of the movie is Beetlejuice. I think you either love the guy or you hate him. I hate him. I don't find him funny and whatching the movie in spanish didn't help. I swear in the 80's there where only 4 spanish dubbers, you hear the same freaking voices in every movie. 

Anyway. The best thing of the movie is the visual part. As I said before Beetlejuice is your pure Tim Burton movie with it's bizzare buildings - the Maitland's house has only 10 windows, and it ends up looking in the inside more like a grave than a real house. The collors are saturated and bright with loads of black and white and strange lights. And then comes the stop-motion animation, which is, like allways pure awesomeness. 

BEETLEJUICE TRAILER

All in all a very decent movie, with a good script, funny moments, great music by Danni Elfman and awesome stop-motion. Please don't watch it doubled in spanish. 

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

Written and directed by Joss Whedon in 2008 and starring the Tony-winner Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day, this musical miniseries, tells the story of Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillain who must balance his career and his pursuit of Penny, a beautiul do-gooder in love with his archenemy, Captain Hammer. 

The three episodes are just 15 minutes each, yet they're 15 minutes of pure genious.

Neil Patrick Harris is a great singer and a fine actor, with a lot of facial expression. The main character is an incompetent mad-scientist who has a videolog and a crush on a do-gooder with whom he goes to the laundromat. I mean, come on! He's a supervilain in a laundromat, that in itself is funny. 

Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillion is such a dick, you hate him from second one. He's the superhero who fights against Dr. Horrible. Usually you espect some nice yet-stupid  good guy, who hasn't much of a brain, but a big heart. Yet Captain Hammer is an ass, who just hits on Penny because he knows that Dr. Horrible is in love with her. He's also very vain and smug, and... I think there's nothing to like in either his character nor his looks. 

The music is just great. As I said before, Neil PAtrick Harris is a great singer, as are the other two main characters. 

The jokes are hilarious. Check also the Bad Horse Chorus, the first time they appeared I laughed so hard I had to watch the scene two times. The ending left me completly frozen in place, it was absolutely unexpected and...

DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG TRAILER

Just go and watch the bloody thing, it's barely 45 minutes long and you won't regret it. 

Ultraviolet

Directed in 2006 by Kurt Wimmer, this action movie tells the story of a beautiful hemophage infected with a virus that gives her superhuman powers who has to protect a boy, who's thought to be carrying antigens that would destroy akk heophages.

It stars Milla Jovovich as Violet, Cameron Bright as the boy called Six, and William Fichtner as a nerdy scientist called Garth.

So, let's begin with the review: 

Those of you who have been reading my blog so far surely know that I'm not all that picky with the movies I watch. I believe that there's a moment in which nearly every movie can be entertaining. I don't say good, I say entertaining. Because that's what movies are there for: to ease  you into a new world, troubles that have little to do with you, action and fantasy and whatever. There's a good moment to watch nearly everything if you're in the right mood. 

I can't think of a mood in which you would like to inflict this movie upon your brain. 

The acting is crap. Pure and total crap. The onlyone that can be saved - if barely - is William Fichtner, who's cute, nice and has about 2 minutes of screentime. I mean, come on! MIlla Jovovich did an amaizing job in The Fifth Element, kicked ass in the Resident Evil saga.. Hell, she did even do a good job in the Three Musketeers! What went wrong here? The child is also awfull. I usually don't like movies with child, but this one couldn't even act! 

So, if the acting sucks, maybe a movie can be saved by either the story or the looks. The story is... non-existent. Well, I'm lying here, it does exist, but it's just some thin and translucent excuse to make Violet run around showing her flat belly and wielding a sword. 

Good, usually people wielding swords can safe a movie. Take Thor as an example. The story sucks, but he runs around with a hammer and you have some fun watching him getting hit time and time again by Natalie Portman... After 0.3 seconds of Ultraviolet you grow to hate the swordwielding. The visual effects are computer generated. If you're going to say that there are a lot of good movies - a lot of really good series - with computer-generated graphics, and that those are really good, I agree. The trouble is not that they are computer generated. It's that you can see the computer doing it. It's really badly done, so that you can't believe one second of it. And the action scenes are so paste together that they loose all their flow and just seem fake. 

One of the most impressive sequences, in which Violet jumps from a building and throws the motorcycle she's driving into an helicopter, has far more effect in P!nk's videoclip "There you go", released in 2002.

There's one last thing that drives me mad in this movie and if somebody has read the comics, watched the series or just knows, I'd be really grateful: what's the matter with A) Violet's hair and B)Violet's clothing. Why does it change shape and collors? Where the writers so laizy they couldn't decide in one hair collor... or a motive for it's magically changing. 

And the hint towards the Clockworck Orange is ridiculous and out of place, that movie is good, this one shouldn't even try to remind you about it, it only manages to drag it further down. Sorry, but somebody had to say it.

ULTRAVIOLET TRAILER

So, if you where considering watching this. I don't think you want anymore. It's not even good as background noise. You see this on TV and change channels. It will spare you a an hour and a half you can use doing anything else. 

Iron Man

Directed in 2008 by Jon Favreau, this superhero movie starts when a wealthy industrialist, Tony Stark, is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he decides to use its technology to fight against evil as well as shutting his weapon industry. 

The movie stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/IronMan, Gwyneth Patlrow as Pepper Potts, his assistant, and Terrence Howard as Rhodey.

I just jumped into this after watching The Avengers and loving Tony Stark/ IronMan. I wasn't expecting much, but the characteristic charm that I loved in The Avengers, and I have to say I wasn't left down. 

So the movie isn't your multiple-oscar-winning-deep-thought-and-metaphysical movie. This is just for entertainment. The plot is rather simple, yet consistent, the evil guys are obvious, but intelligent, the battles are explosion-filled with loads of glass flying around. It's cool and the visual effects are just magnificent. 

The best part of the movie is Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark. For those who don't know IronMan let me give you a heads up about the main character: there where other superheroes get knocked on the head and pushed towards helping people in need, altruism, being kind, being responible, etc, knight in shinging armour, etc - which in the end makes them rather lame, obvious and predictible as well as boring, Tony Stark is selfish, narcisistic, stinking rich, works developing weapons, drinks too much, cares too little... He's very happy with the system and ignores all the rules, doing whatever he wants whenever he wants to. And that's great. He has a terrible character and it's funny. It's refreshing and makes you love the guy, even though you would wanna kill him if you ever met him in person. 

Which is probably what Pepper Potts - played by Gweneth Paltrow - wants to do more than once. She's Tony Starks assistant/motherfigure/person-for-everything. She and her boss are in love, but they kind of keep denying it. There are very few akward moments due to their mutual feelings. 

That's another cool thing about the movie. Unlike most superhero movies I've seen like Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Tony Starks love life has a very low relevance in this movie. Whenever Pepper's life is threatened she either kicks the crap out of the threat, or is safed by Iron Man. That's it. There's no big sacrifice from IronMan so that Pepper won't be in danger anymore. That would be out of character and probably hasn't crossed his mind. 

The battles are pretty well done, with stunning effects and magnificent technology. 

I really, like the ending. The very end of the movie in which Tony Stark is confronted by the press and has been told not to reveal his secret identity.... You can imagine how Tony Stark answers to the press questions. 

IRONMAN TRAILER

So if you like superheroes, check this one out. If you don't, check it out anyway, there's fire, robots, plus a hot guy runing around in sleveless-tight-shirts. That alone should be worth it. 

The Avengers

Released in 2012  and directed by  Joss Whedon, this superhero movie, brings IronMan, Captain America, Hulk and Thor together into a hero-league created by Nick Fury to fend of and battle the god Loki and his army. 

It stars Robert Downey Jr. as IronMan, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk and Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Tom Hiddleston is the infamous Loki, whereas Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner are Black Widdow and Hawkeye. 

I have to admit that I went to see this movie without any good expectations. I'm not a superhero fan, I don't  read Marvel comic books and other than Thor - which isn't all that good - I hadn't seen any of the previous movies. But I did get around and watch it and it wasn't bad at all. 

Let's start as allways with the worst parts of the movie. Which is - in my humble opinion - Captain America. He's stupid, oldfashioned - which is justified by the fact that he was frozen for 60 years - and your typical american-knowital-racist-stereotype. I plain and simply hate him and his good lines can be counted by the fingers of one hand. 

Another not so good thing about the movie is the plot. It's rather obvious and predictible. But that's usual for this sort of movie. The evil guy in this one is Thor's halfbrother Loki. That in itself just pisses me off. Ok, Loki's not the most kind of gods, and yeah, he may be considered the evil god of nordic mythology. But, come on! Why can't they leave him alone! Anyway Loki as the evil one here is rather thin. His motives are weak and stupid, barely explained, but I really like his reasoning and some of his assholeness is just glorious. Yet in the end they only use him as an excuse to make fun of him. 

The visual effects, on the other hand, are anything but cheap. They look gorgeous and really pull you into the movie. I specially like the technologie used by IronMan and the aliens at the ending. The explosions and the final battle are very, very cool. Hulks transformation - specially towards the ending - is impressive as well. 

I know it's not typical for this sort of movie, but I think one of the best things in "The Avengers" is the script written by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon. I haven't seen many of Penn's movies having only seen the X-Men series but I've discovered that I know and love a lot of the movies written by Whedon, such as Toy Story, Atlantis, and his tv series, like Buffy VampireSlayer. It's a rather refreshing if simple script, with a lot of punchlines and funny moments.

And finally the best thing of this movie is IronMan. He's a highly gifted, egocentric and insufferable pain in the ass. Yet he has the best lines and, as you only have to know him through the screen, you quickly find you like him. I loved the guy so much, I ran and watched IronMan and IronMan 2 - you will be hearing my reviews of those in a short while. 

As for the rest of the heroes. I still haven't seen Hulk, but I probably will be watching that in a short while. Another thing why it's worth watching this movie - specially if you're a woman or gay - is Thor. He looks nice, as a beautiful voice and funny lines. Plus runs around wielding a hammer with his golden locks in the wind. 

THE AVENGERS TRAILER

 So, if you have some taste for superheroes, want to watch people run around in explosions and beat the crap out of aliens, and if you don't mind ninies telling gods what to do and get beaten around, then you should check this out. 

The Incredible Shrinking Man

Directed by Jack Arnold in 1957, this movie tells the story of Scott Carey, who starts to shrink due to an exposition to the combination of radiation and insecticide. The films main topic is the problems he has adapting to his new situation, which forces him to constantly change his point of view of the world. 

It stars Grant Williams as Scott and Randy Stuart as his wife Louise and it was written by Richard Matheson. 

The incredible Shrinking Man is considered a B science ficcion movie that appeared due to the horror that the atomic bombs from Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the cold war had awakened in the population. Personally I don't think it's a B movie. I think it manages in a magistral way isuses such as discrimination and the inherent fear of change that human beings have, these two isues being still characteristic for our society.

The main actor does a damn good work managing to capture the atention of the viewer through half of the movie in which he's completly alone. His adventures get more and more Robinson Crusoesque after he falls down a flight of stairs and is trapped in the cellar of his own home, facing giant monsters and curious threats. 

The ending of the movie is rather surprising and it invites the viewer to think, being very good for those same reasons. A lot of the greatness of this ending is due to the good work of Rochard Matheson, the writer of this movie. 

Matheson was an US writer who wrote a lot of science-fi, fantasy and horror books. He's also the writer of 'I'm a Legend' [1954], a book - please ignore the fact that Will Smith tryed and failed in doing a movie about the book - with an equally surprising ending and some impressive depth. 

For a low-budget 50s movie, the edition and visual effects are rather impressive. Obviously the inocence of some of them can be funny for now-a-days-viewers. 

Attentions aracnofobics: the main enemy of Scott in this movie is a huge tarantula. Maybe you would like to watch this with someone who can tell you when the thing is gone or you can use the music to guide you, so you may know when the spider is appearing and leaving the screen. 

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN TRAILER

All in all this is a very recommendable movie, with an itneresting plot and a modern view of the world and the human condition. The developement of the characters is very interesting and the effects clean and very well done.

Snow White: A Deadly Summer

Released in 2012 and directed by David DeCoteau, this movie tells the story of a troublesome teenager who is sent to a disciplinary camp by her evil stepmother. Once there she has to discover who's killing all of her fellow campers before the killer kills her. 

Starring Shanley Caswel, Maureen McCormick and Eric Roberts, Snow White: A Deadly Summer actualices the classic tale of Snow White giving it a 'horror' touch. 

There's no doubt that this is a B movie without great ambitions other than to entertain the viewer in an hour and a half. The tale is acctually coherently set into an actual context, taking the recent news about abuses in some american disciplinary camps. It also makes an effort to put in all the simbology of the traditional tale. 

I think that the main problem with this film is the ending, with a mayor 'plot device' in the last five minutes. Other than that the script is pretty consisten and not badly acted. The characters, even without a very extended developement - as is usual for this sort of movie - are somewhat round. 

Another problem is the ilumination of the main character's house. As I said in my Neverland review, the ilumination is what gives essence to a movie; what differentiates  the video of your vacation in Albuquerque from a super-production. The ilumination of the main character's house resembles more the video of your vacation in Albuquerque. The ilumination of the rest of the movie improves a little bit, but not a lot. 

As a curiosity: the main actress, Shanley Caswel - who could do a much better work - has a keen resemblance to Kristen Stewart.

SNOW WHITE: A DEADLY SUMMER TRAILER

All in all, this is an entertaining horror movie without any pretenses and with less horror. The actors could be better, but they're not all that bad and the references are well hidden. 

The Three Caballeros

In 1944 Norman Ferguson and Clyde Geronimi directed this Disney movie in which Donald Duck gets a series of birthday gifts that include traditional gifts and information about Brazil and México. 

The main voices star Clarence Nash  as Donald Duck, Joaquin Garay as Panchito, a mexican rooster; and José Oliveira as José 'Zé' Carioca, a  brazilian parrot. 

The movie is divided in foru parts: the two firts tell short traditional stories - the first one about a penguin that wants to live in a warmer place and the second about a winged donkey. The third part is where Donald Duck and 'Zé' Carioca discover Brazil, while the forth centers around Mexico, hosted by Panchito. 

It's a visually very tireing movie, with a load of visual 'imputs'. The scenes are very quick and brightly colored acompanied with very quick music. It's full of explosions, bright reds and greens - specially when Panchito first appears.

There's no doubt that the animation in The Three Caballeros is spectacular and very recomendable. It's very interesting how they mix and combine 'real humans' with the animation. 

The worst thing is the story - or lack of it. The first half is - as I've already said - pretty interesting with the traditional short stories. The second half is - regretfully and as Nostalgia Critic eloquently says - 'Donald Duck trying to get laid'. 

The music is traditional Brasilian and Mexican musica and, if you like that style, it's pretty good. 

THE THREE CABALLEROS TRAILER

This can be interesting to get to know certain aspects of the Brazilian and Mexican culture, the animation is really good and the music's not all that bad. But in my opinion it's one of Disney's worst.

Cinderella

In 1997 Disney released this race-friendly musical retelling of the clasic tale directed by Robert Iscove and starring Brandy Norwood, Bernadette Peters, Paolo Montalban and Whoopi Goldberg.

I believe you all know the story of a beautiful and tender girl whose stepmother forces into working for her and her evil stepsisters as a maid and who ends up falling in love with the prince during a ball. She looses a shoe and he looses his mind. And everybody ends living happilly ever after. 

Well there isn't much to say about this other than it completly ignores the genetic - at least where the Prince's Family is concerned and that even though it starts off ok, the levels of corniness reach a level towards the midle of it, that turns watching this into a BIG torture. 

It's actually your typical Disney Channel movie, with a load of mache and shinny  props and over-the-top dresses that don't contemplate the era in which this is supposed to be. The songs suck... most of the time, but you have to give the actors credit, they don't sing badly. 

CINDERELLA TRAILER

If you feel the urge to puke rainbows you can check this out in youtube. Some people have posted it whole in one single one and a half hour video that will make you wish to cut your eyes out or go in a killing spree.

The Princess and the Goblin

Directed by József Gémes in 1991, this animated fantasy movie is a coproduction of Japan, UK and France based on a book by the same title.It tells the story of the adventurous Princess Irene and her friend Curdie. Together they have to fight an evil plot designed by the Goblin Queen and the goblin prince, Froglip. 

It stars the voices of Sally Ann Marsh as Princess Irene, Peter Murray as Curdie, Claire Bloom as Great Great Grandmother Irene; Peggy Mount as the Goblin Queen and Rik Mayall as Prince Froglip. 

The story seems to be set in Russland. At least judging from the disign of the Great Great Grandmother Irene, who's a ghost that helps Irene find 'her own magic'. 

The animation is OK, but the drawings aren't very beautiful. The story, on the other hand, is well balanced, and interesting, holding the viewers atention even though it's a little bit predictible.

Remarcable is the song sung by Curdie.

THE PRINCESS AND THE GOBLIN TRAILER

If you want to check it out, you can watch it whole in youtube. It's not all that good, but it can be interesting and nice to watch for your children.

Cats don't Dance

In 1997 Mark Dindal directed this animated comedy about Danny, an ambitious cat that wants to become a filmstar in Hollywood, where he immediately disscovers that he has no future in a tiranised industry. 

It stars the voices of Scott Bakula as Dany, Ashley Peldon as the tyranic Darla Dimple, Jasmine Guy and Natalie Cole as Sawyer's speaking and singing voice respectively.

 It is a very funny movie, very recommendable for both children and adults. It has a lot of references to other movies - e.g. Danny dresses with the same clothes as the main character of the movie Mask [1994] during one of the musical numbers. Max, Darla Dimple's butler seems inspired in the character by the same name of Sunset Boulevard

Darla Dimple is one of the most evil children in a movie I've ever seen and she's just great. Everything from her design to her voice are from a dual nature. She can be the sweetest little child and the next second a total bitch. One of the best things from the movie.

CATS DON'T DANCE TRAILER

A great animation movie, with a very cool enemy, this movie is worth watching only for Darla's sake and the loads of references. 

Four Lions

Released in 2010 and directed by Christopher Morris, this movie is either a dramatic comedy or a funny drama that tells the story of four incompetent British jihadist set out to train for and commit an act of terror.

It stars Kayvan Novak as Waj, Nigel Lindsay as Barry, Riz Ahmed as Omar and Adeel Akhtar as Faisal. 

The fact that this movie addresses the isue of religious terrorism nowadays is both the dramatic and the funny aspect of this movie. The caracters should be fearsome: hell, they're terrorists, they speak 90% of the movie of blowing people up. And yet te viewer grows fond of them seeing their life outside the jihad.  

The leader of the group, Omar, is married and has a son to whom he tells variations of the sotry "The Lion King". An occidental viewer would expect that either the family has no knowledge about the terrorist aspirations of the father or that they're somehow against them. Yet both woman and child are completly supportive of the man blowing himself up.

Another strange fact about this movie is that Omar's brother seems a lot more radical than Omar, refusing to enter a room in which there's a woman and growing his beard to a certain length.  And yet he's not related to the jihad andbhas nothing to do with the radicalism of his brother. 

 I think that's one of the best things about the movie: it forces you not to judge somebody by their appearences. For Omar seems the more integrated and less radical of the brothers and it is him who wants to blow things up. 

I'd say that the worst thing about this movie is the slang. The characters's thick accent and constant use of slang makes it very difficult to understand everything the characters say.  And this movie's jokes are mostly related to what the characters say.

Other than that, it's a very good movie. The jokes are very funny and the controversy of the main topic keeps you on the edge wondering constantly how it's going to end. 

Remarcable is also the stellar appearence of Benedict Cumberbatch as a negotiator and the Waj, a somewhat retarded jihaidist, and the failure at the training of crows for terrorism 

FOUR LIONS TRAILER

Original, fresh, well acted, funny, dramatic... there are so many reasons to watch this movie.....

The Great Mouse Detective

This Disney movie was directed in 1986 by Ron Clements and Burny Mattinson and tells the adventures of Basil of Baker Street, a mouse that investigates crimes, who has to stop his archennemy: Professor Ratigan. 

The voices star Vincent Price as Professor Ratigan, Barrie Ingman as Basil and Val Bettin as Dr. David Q. Dawson. 

This movie is Disney's take on the popular character of Arthur Connan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes. Basil happens to live in the very same building as the victorian detective and uses methods that are pretty much the same. Obviously Dr. David Q. Dawson is also the rodent version of Dr. John Watson, both characters are doctors that come back to London from war and get stuck with this mad detective. 

I think that this version is more likeable in his eccentricities than the pedantic genious that appears in most versions. Don't get me wrong, this mouse is full of himself and ignores everyones feelings just as the original. But maybe because he's an animated character or because he's a mouse, it's rather bearable. 

Most of the symbols of this well known books appear in the movie, which also adds to the depth and background as well as broadening the children's knowledge.

One of the best things of this movie is without any doubt Professor Rattigan, dubbed by Vincent Price. The rat's just pure evil, and has a lot of fun being evil. Plus Vincent Prices' work is - like allways - impecable. Something I find surprising is the fact that Basil has a protrait of Professor Rattigan in his living room and I'd love to know why. 

The animation of The Great Mouse Detective is very good. And it's also the first Disney movie that combines traditional animation with computer generated animation. 

The final battle, that takes place inside the Big Ben is one of the best Disney battles I've seen and I can't stop laughing in the 'death trap scene'.

THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE TRAILER

A very good movie with nice animation and a funny script beautifully doubled. Very recommendable.

Angels and Insects

Directed by Philip Haas, this movie was released in 1995 and it's based on a book by A.S. Byatt that was published two years before. It tells the story of William Adamson a poor naturalist who marries in the 1800s into the Alabaster family, a family of British aristocrats that has taken him in after a shipwreck. 

It stars Mark Rylance as William Adamson, Kristin Scott Thomas as Matty Crompton, Patsy Kesit as Eugenia Alabaster Adamson and Douglas Henshall as Edgar Alabaster, elder brother of Eugenia. 

Angels and Insects is a very interesting film, done with extreme care. The setting is spectacular, and the atrezzo and dresses are extremely beautiful. The worst thing is the hairstyles, but I asume that's how women did their hair, so...

The main character, William Adamson is a sweet little man, who understands where he comes from without letting the discrimination of the aristocrats disturb him. He's a good man who marries Eugenia Alabaster without malice or second intentions, but because he loves her. His interest relay heavily on the study of insects and, together with Matty Crompton, tutor to Eugenias younger sisters, he starts writing a book on red ants. 

Matty Crompton is an intelligent woman, more true to William's heart than Eugenia, who's atraction resides heavily on her beauty. Towards the middle of the movie, William starts discovering his interest for Matty. 

The sexual pulls of the different characters are one of the main points in this movie. It doesn't shun of that topic, but it embraces and it shows the conflicts that sex provoques in that society. 

Other than that there doesn't happen much in the movie. It's rather long and there isn't much action, but the beauty of the images and the well used music makes each scene flow in such a way, that you're not bored any single moment. It relays heavily on the script and consistence of the acting, which is great. 

The flow of time is also very well achieved. Usually a movie based on a very long book that tells a story that developes through a long period of time, doesn't really give the sensation of pass of time, or it makes such great jumps, that the viewer gets lost. Maybe it's because the movie is set in a country house, or that the time isn't really important, but while watching this movie the time seems frozen, markt only by Eugenias pregnancies. 

ANGELS & INSECTS TRAILER

Angels & Insects is one of those movies that want only to show an age, and a way of life that's lost to us now. The conflict appears late, but the movie isn't boring at all. The acting is exceptional, the script consistent, the dialogues meaningful and the setting, dresses and make up, very beautiful. 

Priest

This movie was directed in 2011 by Scott Charles Steward and tells the story of a priest who disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his daughter. 

It stars Paul Bettany - who also played Michael in the movie Legion [2009] - in the leading role; Cam Giganet as Hicks and Maggie Q as Priestess. 

There's nothing much to say about the movie. It's an action movie with a strange view on religion that has the pretension of being critic with the religious autocracy; very similar to Legion. 

The disign of the city is chaotic and ugly, whereas the country around the city is a dessert. All is dominated by the color brown, black and grey. 

The vampires are in this movie a completly different species that's hunted down by priests - which are humans with special powers of speed, strength and precision. They're rather ugly and slimy and nasty looking, eliminating all the beauty of the mythological creature.

The plot of the movie is predictible and stupid. The reasons given by the Priests bosses seem weak, a mere excuse for making the guy a fugitive. The action scenes are a little bit exagerated, but not too much, so they're still enjoyable. 

PRIEST TRAILER

All in all it's not that bad. But if you want to watch a religious themed movie, go and check Legion out. It has the same main actor, angels with wings, better designed fiends, and a somewhat better plot and dialogues - not a lot better, but still... 

Gigi

Directed by Vincente Minnelly, this musical was releasedd in 1958 and tells the story of a rich french playboy and a youthful courtesan-in-training who enjoy a platonic friendship which isn't going to stay platonic for long. 

It stars Leslie Caron as Gigi, Maurice Chevalier as Honoré Lachaille, the narrator of the story and uncle of Gaston, and Louis Jourdan as Gaston Lachaille, Gigi's platonic friend.

For a musical I think it has very few songs, and I didn't like most of them, yet the singers do a good job and, specially Leslie Caron has a beautiful voice. 

The story isn't really very original, but the relationship between Gaston and Gigi is interesting and manages to hold the atention of the viewer through the whole movie. 

I think the best thing about this movie is the ambientation. The whole thing is set in 1900, and the dresses and houses are very good decorated. It also shows the life of the parisian mistresses in a new light: from the point of view in which it's not a critic, but something that happens and of which neither women nor men are ashamed. Of course this being an American movie and from the 50s it has a happy ending with a big wedding between the sweethearts.

It reminds me a little bit to "the Lady of the Camellias", only without the whole tragic turn and the death and stuff. 

The collors are worth mentioning too. Every shot looks like a watercolor painting. The light is soft and the palette very bright. 

GIGI TRAILER

A nice and entertaining movie, worth watching. 

Opera

Also known as "Terror at the Opera", this movie was directed in 1987 by Dario Argento and tells the story of a young opera singer who's stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself. 

It stars Christina Marshillach, Ian Charleson and Urano Barbeini. 

This movie doesn't make any sense. The characters are as flat as a table, the main character's reactions are incomprehensible and the motives behind the killings very loosely explained. 

But the killings are very nasty and gore. Most of the violence is done off screen or with closeups to something else. But it's the fact that the killer forces the opera singer to watch every  murder by gluing needles beneath her eyes. It has a lot of reference to the eyes which is kind of really creepy.

I think the idea wasn't bad, but it wasn't well developed. 

OPERA TRAILER

If you're a fan of horror movies, you could check this one out, but I don't really recommend it to you. There are loads of better horror movies around. 

Franklyn

Directed by Gerald McMorrow in 2008, this movie is a split narrative set simultaneously in contemporary London and in a future metropolis ruled by religious fervor. It's the story of four lost souls, divided by two parallel worlds, on course for an explosive collision when a single bullet will decide all their fates.  Starring Ryan Phillippe, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill and Eva Green.

I really love this movie. It starts off as four unrealted stories that have little to do with each other. One can connect two of those - Eva and Sam's stories because they've crossed paths once or twice, but Ryan Phillippe's and Bernard Hill's stories are completly unrelated, the second once moreso, as it's set in a dark steampunkish world. Yet the action developes in such a way, that at the ending one understands completly the relation between all of them. 

The script has some very very good scenes in it. This is a movie made so that the viewer thinks and reflects over what happens to every character. It's very rich in character developement and every one of them turns out to be really interesting. 

The future world is a very crude view of the modern world pushed to the extreme. I love how McMorrow uses the religion to criticise the void in the modern world in which everything can be named god. "These days, you can form a congregation simply based on washing-machine instructions." It has also a very cool light - all in dark brown gold and black. 

I don't really like the one used in the present London, but the other one is melancholic and nearly clasic, very beautiful.  

FRANKLYN TRAILER

I can't recommend this movie enough. It's not only a ferocious critic to the actual society, but as also some very nice action scenes, a big explosion and a very good script.