panos-34420 Reviews

Cheap Smokes (2000)

If you downrate this film, you simply don't understand it.

[9/10 · 31 January 2023]

A movie that presents Greek life in a romantic way. Very low budget, very ambiguous story, yet an excellence. What cinema as an art should be. You can take away whatever you want from this film, but it for sure visually stunning in a looking from afar kind of way. Definetely crafted with passion and meraki. A must watch if you like indie cult films that show culture and romance of another time. Everyone who watched this movie loved it.

It is the kind of movie that will change a little bit how you view the world. The kind of movie that is just pure creation from someone's mind and soul. Buy a pack of the cheaper cigarettes you can find and lose yourself to 90s Athens' empty summer streets.

Maestro (2022– )

Unique yet familiar.

[9/10 · 17 January 2023]

Very minor spoilers:

You know you have a great series, when the whole season feels like a long movie rather than episodes. Very few moments felt like filler, the flow of the story was great, which is a thing that has become rare.

Great well written characters with depth. While the focus is on the new music teacher, every character feels like a protagonist. It's a series about the struggles of everyday life, how foreign ideas and creative spirits can disrupt a community in both positive and negative ways, showing the flaws we as humans have in our perception of order. Of course, it touches various themes that have plagued our society for so long; Homophobia, abuse, sexism, corruption and the worst of all: the ones who turn their backs in sight of those. Us.

While the messages are various across, the series also portrays subject of teenage love, elder nostalgic love and marital life, all through the experiences of the main family. It does sound a bit loaded, but I think with the big runtimes that series provide there is always room to tell more. Most series fall in the trap of being to repetitive of the same concepts.

Paxi is an AMAZING island, and the director does a great job of creating the most amazing shots, from the beautiful land scapes to the graphic city streets and stores.

And since it's a story about music, the music is also amazing. It features a variety of genres, from rock/pop to classical pieces (cleur de lune) and of course two amazing Greek songs at the end of the series to tie everything together.

The only downside for me is the unnecessary murder mystery that surrounds the story since minute 0. It feels dull compared to the rest of the story, and the motives and reveal are no where near rewarding or exciting. Maybe it sets up a second season where the point will be more clear as to where this story is going, but for now it feels greatly disconnected.