radursm Reviews

The Boys (2019– )

Much better than you could expect

[10/10 · 8 October 2023]

Although it often delves into extreme vulgarity, with many explicit scenes (both sexual and gory), and displays a frenzy of violence that even Tarantino might envy, "The Boys" is a series that also touches on intriguing topics and even answered some questions I had. It's based on the comic book series "The Boys" created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and was developed by Eric Kripke. The story is a satire, focusing on a group of individuals trying to expose the truth about superheroes who are essentially products of large corporations and who, despite their positive public image, engage in corrupt and harmful behaviors behind the scenes.

If you're familiar with "The Rock and Roll Machine" (Little Heroes) by Norman Spinrad, "The Boys" takes the story to another level. In Spinrad's work, media products are carefully directed and written based on audience and market studies. Song lyrics are the result of focus groups, music is composed following such marketing studies, and the appearance of the singers is meticulously crafted.

In "The Boys", supermen and wonder-women are active on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, with dedicated Facebook pages, and their heroic deeds are, in fact, calculated by analysis and marketing departments. They combat crime in neighborhoods where the company's analysts estimate the highest media impact, where there's a likelihood of being extensively and favorably filmed by witnesses, or where the demographic profile of the beneficiaries is most profitable. Their appearance and public behavior are tailored to cover various audience segments, based on criteria like age, gender, residence area, race, income, and so on.

However...

Behind these heroes are jaded psychopaths with extraordinary superpowers, but controlled by the company that sponsors them. They have questionable sexual tendencies (like fetishes involving milk or mollusks, which are the "tamer" examples, making you wonder just how twisted the series' creators are), they are indifferent criminals (with the company also playing a role in covering up their misdeeds), and can even be sadistic when the mood strikes, often involved in promiscuous relationships.

If you've ever wondered how someone seemingly blessed by fate, having everything - money, power, fame, beauty, health - can fall into a dubious and inexplicable affair, or indulge in drug use and thrill-seeking, know that this series might provide an answer. It's simple, logical, and easy to deduce, but we often rejected it because it was always wrapped in clichés. Now, it's presented to me in a raw manner, thrust in my face, albeit in a rather sophisticated context with an acceptable dark humor.

I recommend it if you can set aside prudishness and lower your tolerance threshold for vulgarity, because the series doesn't rely on that to sell itself. On the contrary, it advocates for finesse and humanity, for beauty and goodness, even if it does so while resembling a chubby BDSM enthusiast dressed in latex wielding a chainsaw.

I can't wait for Season 4!

Oh, and Garth Ennis is also a co-author for the series "Preacher" and "Punisher".

All the Old Knives (2022)

A hidden gem, underrated.

[10/10 · 1 April 2023]

"All the Old Knives" is different from the usual spy movies. There are no fancy cars or damsels in distress, it's not James Bond-esque. It's not like Jason Bourne fighting against a big bad guy. There aren't too many conspiracies. You don't really see guns, let alone sniper rifles and red LED bombs. It's not necessarily reflective, like the "ethical" and "essayistic" attempts produced (lately) by Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, or Robert Redford, but it matches them on depth. It doesn't have the phlegmatic air of the 80s, with Gene Hackman eating caviar in Paris and drinking champagne in Moscow. It doesn't take you on a world tour either, just a little bit in Vienna and London, then in a small Californian town.

It's a movie that surprised me. First of all, the story isn't exaggerated, it's human, it's dramatic. The actors (Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Lawrence Fishburne, Johnatan Price) perform well, at least comparing to the Hollywood productions in recent years (which is not hard), and the Pine-Newton chemistry is there. It's sexy, it has sparks, it's like pheromones are coming out of the screen, but the film doesn't lean towards vulgarity and doesn't emphasize it either.

It's the story of long-term consequences, where today's cynicism can lead to tragedies in years, even decades. It's a hidden gem, worth watching and appreciating.

The Matrix Resurrections (I) (2021)

A decent sequel, with quality humor.

[10/10 · 30 December 2021]

OK, "Matrix Resurrections" is not with many innovations and does not excel in any of the points where the first (and, until now, the other two in the original trilogy) stood out.

But it has something new, a subtle humor and a self-irony (towards the whole franchise), and the film's discourse is a kind of a social critique (Wachowski always flirted with the idea of being intellectuals, they even reached some milestones of existentialism and, courageously, post-structuralism) put in a light, nice theme.

Curious for me to see a slightly anti-Woke, boomer-like, plea, nostalgic for the pre-Zuckerberg and Tik-Tok era in a Lana Wachowski film. It was a nice surprise, but strengthened by the extraordinary Lambert Wilson (the Merovingian). The few minutes he speaks make the film extremely valuable.

Keanu Reeves is not John Wicker, and Carrie-Ann Moss is really cool.

And the Jefferson Airplane moment - "White Rabbit" (I'm conditioned here, it's my soul song for a long time) is very well done.

All in all, for me it was unique to see a continuation of a series that is not dilluated, but can be watched with relaxation and without forcing yourselves to like it, just for the sake of the franchise. It's not a typical Matrix, it doesn't have as many symbols and it's not as spectacular as the others (I don't think it had the budget of its predecessors either), but it's a decent sequel.

Rara avis these days.

Dune (2021)

Too little, too soon, too much package but an ampty content

[1/10 · 13 October 2021]

Even if you had at your disposal a notable cast, a script that should not fail (because it's just an adaptation of a famous novel, appreciated by many people), an en vogue composer for the soundtrack, you do not have all the ingredients to make a good movie. And it came out with a rumble: Dune 2021 is only part I of a series!

Remember the disappointment after the first movie in the Lord of the Rings trilogy? At least then the Fellowship of the Ring was an attractive, original, and dynamic film. This is not the case now.

Dune 2021 is a collection of beautiful images, with background music that is meant to be uplifting and mystical, but it's (actually) a Dead Can Dance overuse/abuse.., in which fashionable actors appear (Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brollin, Javier Bardem, Oscar Isaac), but who, poor them, have only three or four dialogues throughout the film.

Let me develop a little:

• Jason Momoa is Duncan Idaho, I think you can see him in about 7 minutes ( the movie is two and a half hours). He does a little fight, as he knows best, but the given scenes are neither spectacular nor funny.

• Stellan Skarsgård is Baron Harkonnen, who looks creepy and crazy, but he's not nearly as impatient and disgusting as 1984 David Lynch's (played by Kenneth McMillan), nor does he inspire perversity and go-getterism like the 2000 version, well played by the brilliant Ian McNeice. This one is a banal negative character, he could be any murderer in a typical police movie.

• Josh Brollin is not Gurney Halleck at all. He doesn't stand out, you don't see him playing "the baliset", he's not the romantic killer Gurney is, he doesn't behave like a grandfather to Paul. He's just the head of the guard corps!

• Javier Bardem is a bit far from how we know him, but he may be the only one who can get close to the character he plays (Stilgar). Unfortunately, he only appears for 5 minutes in the movie.

• Oscar Isaac surprised me. He's better here, as the Duke, than Poe in Star Wars. He's serious, he plays decently.

• Rebeca Ferguson could just as well have gone to a shopping mall. She's not Jessica, she's not a mystic, she's not a protective mother, she's not a weaver of destiny, she's not in love with the Duke, she's not a Bene Gesserit witch. I think in her mind she was thinking about how much more she has until the end of the filming program, because she seems very bored ...
• Timothée Chalamet is not necessarily a catastrophe, but he struggles to look deep, and on big horses. He falls into introspection (a lot, in my opinion) like a foolish daydreamer. And he dreams of details of swirling cloth, grains of sand, sunbeams ... Or, on the contrary, he has a nightmare: he is shown a bloody dagger, the Jihad of the Golden Way (poorly illustrated) and how he kissed Chani. But these more dynamic visions appear seldom, as he rather gives in to dreaming more sunlight and more sand.

It's not the actors' fault! I think Denis Villeneuve got into a thing a bit too complicated for him. Dune is not easily put into images. It's okay to dare to screen it, but either you do it weird and atypical, as David Lynch did in 1984, or you see green horses on the walls (but you leave it after a while), like Jodorowski wanted in the '70s, when he began preparations for the screening of the novel for a 15-hour film, a project that included big names: Salvador Dali, Orson Welles, Gloria Swanson, Pink Floyd, Moebius and HR Geiger, but, hey, he was on LSD, or you don't expect something grandiose, but you are loyal to the novel (The 2000 series, which also had heavy names: William Hurt, Susan Sarandon, Giancarlo Giannini, Ian McNeice, James McAvoy).

Until another one movie will be made, even if it has special effects for a PC equipped with Pentium 2 and an ATI RAGE 2 graphics card with 4 MB VRAM, the 2000 version (SciFI Chanel) is the best, in my honest opinion.

This Villeneuve version might become acceptable after seeing the sequels (as many as there are, I have no idea), but I would be surprised if it did.

A waste of time and money.

Friends: The Reunion (2021 TV Special)

Emotional and great. Too short/ too little

[10/10 · 27 May 2021]

After MASH, "Friends" remains my "closest to the soul" series and it's not for nothing that I watch it at least once a year. So, after seeing "The Reunion ", I have some first impressions:

• The fact that server the connection dropped twice or the show reset from HD to SD resolution while watching it demonstrates that HBO servers were overloaded. Which proves, as if it were needed, how this series is really a phenomenon even after so many years.

-The girls were very very nice. Courtney Cox was extremely decent and modest, as a super-lady as she is. Lisa Kudrow faced small challenges with grace and with brio, and the moment with Lady Gaga was very successful. Jennifer Aniston was to my liking, except for the fact that she called David Schwimmer by his family name, as if to draw a symbolic distance, I don't know... The boys looked a bit worse. D. Schwimmer not very cheerful. I saw recently Mat Le Blanc (on YouTube) invited to some shows, where he was really nice, sometimes with an English lord humor, which made him even nicer than before, so his look was not a surprise. Poor Matthew Perry could have been in a documentary about where addiction and substance abuse can get you. He showed as if he had just recovered from a stroke, maybe that's why he spoke the least.

All in all, the "Reunion" was full of emotions and beautiful moments. It had nice guests (Tom Selleck- Richard, James Michael Tyler- Gunther, Maggie Wheeler- Janice, Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles - Geller's parents). I saw Cindy Crawford (I don't think there is anyone in my generation who doesn't love her!), I said earlier that Lady Gaga had a great moment, even Kim Harrington (Jon Snow), although he wasn't at all in the picture, he had a really decent and impressive speech.

However, it was too much in too little. Like a good cake, with cream and icing, but overloaded with flavors of all kinds. It doesn't work very well, even if we remember Rachel and her famous Trifle... They wanted to make it full of events, maybe too full and it didn't connect anymore (either on the set - Stage 24), or at the generic fountain. But, because it's a great series, let's say it's a minor flaw.

Ah, as gossip, when they referred to the guest stars of the series (many great actors), when Brad Pitt was mentioned, Jennifer Aniston called him "Pitt", not ... "Brad". Hmmmm ... What's with Aniston and the last/family name when referring to people?

Finally, a beautiful reunion, I would have liked it if it were more connected, more about them, the actors, and the moments Janice, Richard, Gunther, Mr. Heckles were more intense and longer.

A great series with a beautiful reunion. It couldn't be otherwise, its creators have in their portfolio other extraordinary series ("Dream On", "Mad about you" and so on).

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

I expected more

[1/10 · 3 May 2018]

Not everything that glitters is gold! I'd say this often to the script-writers of the past years successful SciFi franchises. I mean, not every story that ends dramatically is profound, good or emotional. You do not become a name of the universal literature if you repeated the recipe with Romeo and Juliet. Neither applauded, nor famous, even rejected by some, and, definitely, you would polarize the audience. On the other hand, you get some franchise fans who will accept you uncritically, guardians of everything that's included in the story. Look at what's happening with Star Wars. Returning to Avengers, I see the scenario getting out of the accepted framework: they gave us 18 movies with the heroes of the Marvels universe (and movies about them) to kill them suddenly, unbalanced, easily. The last "Avengers" resembles an episode of Dr. Who (older). I paraphrase it: in the last episode they destroyed the universe to revive it the following season. Yes, it would seem. Although, there are some excuses for the TV series: the time crisis, the continuing production for several months (each season), the pressure of the producers, or of the heads of the TV station. The Rock-n-roll machine.

But the "Avengers" franchise had almost everything: a huge budget, PR, enormous production resources, an army in the back. "Infinity War" is not even that movie that you can say about: is not so bad that if you take it out from the bigger story, it could be OK, but it ruins the larger universe ... No. It's a dry sum of mini-stories (for the many characters), some of them gathered together to die like fools. I quote a friend: What's the fool, the one who wrote the screenplay or the one who laughed at the jokes of the "Guardians of Galaxy"?

Secret City (2016–2019)

One of the best

[10/10 · 2 August 2016]

If you expect political intrigue as in "House of Cards", treason, espionage, as in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", dark hints on the geopolitical evolution of the world (USA, China, and the rest of the world), then this is the show to watch. Ah, and a it has the realism that is somewhat lacking (lately) in "Homeland". Also, it has some intellectual references, as well, which is rarely seen in the nowadays cinema (be it TV, even!). A good cast. Anna Torv is convincing, and her complex character reminds me of Claire Dane's "Carrie Mathison". Even smaller roles are played wonderfully by each of the actors.

As it happens, I've recently seen some new Australian movies and now, this show. And all I can say is: Bravo!. I am grateful to all the Australian cinema.

I just hope the show will continue with (at least) one more season. We, the public, deserve it!

The Last Ship (2014–2018)

Honest entertainment

[10/10 · 8 September 2015]

Expect fun, and a small thrill now and then. It doesn't have plot-twists such as the "big" TV Series. Don't expect Lost, The Walking Dead, Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica. Don't expect sentimentality, it's not Grey's Anatomy (in its good period, not the current waste of time). They don't have complicated characters, broken relationships, treason and love, fluid identity, relative loyalties (excuse my oxymoron), tough moral choices, and deep intrigue. Actually, expect a fast solution to come up every time you see a "crisis" during the show (at least, the first two series). One, two, say three episodes per "problem". Is it that bad? No. On the contrary. The show is honest, it is an easy to watch naval, partly SciFi, drama. It catches you, as long as you don't raise the expectation beyond its promise. That is, to be entertained (as I called it "easy Sunday evenings"). For that, I'd give it 10/10, because it is honest. A lot of blockbusters have been overestimated, and they were much much lower than this show.

The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018)

Worst humor ever.

[1/10 · 5 May 2015]

Simply as that: Watch it only if you find humorously to discuss it ALL the time about: - how you poop in a pool/ fountain, - how you masturbate/ why/ how often, - how you can drink spirit from a small swimming pool that you are in, dressed like a hobo, - how smelly you are when you don't shower for days, - how to fit/ fix water pipes with duck-tape (really?), and how to read in a book about this "method" (really? - again), - poop, - masturbation (Yeah, again), - non-hygienic sex, smelly genitalia.

If you like these, then, it's your show to watch. Not for me. Gross, horrible, scary as hell because of its IMDb rating (who are these people, anyway?). I keep wondering how the quality of the shows could drop further down. "The Last Man on Earth" might be one of the worst ever made. I really hope they'll stop making this kind of TV series/ movies, whatever. Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" has come to reality in this case. Are we living a dystopia, already (I repeat, this show has a high rating on IMDb!!!)?

-10, if it were up to me...

The Trials of Cate McCall (2013)

Wonderful Kate. And a good cocktail of realism, life-drama and some court-movie mystery

[10/10 · 4 October 2014]

This is going to be one of those unfairly underrated movies. It is not a block-buster, not a mystery-driven court-drama, but a movie about life. Kate Beckinsale is more than beautiful. Don't expect her as being the acrobatic vampire Selene, or Anna Valerious, as she is not fighting Transylvanian monsters either. Nor she is a classic beauty in Pearl Harbor, or the serendipity wonder in New York's Christmas. Here, she is a divorced mother, fighting to gain a new sense of professional/personal life. And she is convincing. And a good lawyer, having to make some (difficult) morals choices. And she is convincing (did I say that already?). The movie itself has value exactly on focusing on realistic dramas. It's not about thrilling suspense of some twisting court plot. It's not about a drama of divorced parents. It tells a story that might happen. On the other hand, Nick Nolte lost some of his aesthetics. He didn't act with passion. Sometimes I felt he was just reciting his script lines. As for the movie, I had only one problem. Somehow, it did not suit them (Beckinsale, Nolte, Pellegino) to have that over-dirty language. I'm no hypocrite, I don't blush for the sake of conservative purity, but here, the bad language was overused. My personal opinion is that cinematography should pass the Samuel L. Jackson's characters' language stage. A nice and long expected surprise! Chapeau!

Metallica Through the Never (2013)

Good 3D, good old Metallica, not that good though...

[4/10 · 16 January 2014]

It might be me, getting old and bored. Besides the music (it's good that the majority of the soundtrack belongs to the pre-'91 Metallica), the feature itself was not interesting at all. Some scenes (CGI) that resembled (or reminded of) Massive Attack (!!!), Fight Club, The Walking Dead were put in. A new way of filming a concert. However, not new in its ingredients. The stunts at the stage were a bit surprising, but an insult to my intelligence. They might become a trend-setter with this concert-film(ing). I hope not. Long story short: A Metallica concert that could've been far better off without the add-ons. Those ones had no attractive epic, just some scenes from the above mentioned band videos, or the Fincher's movie, or the zombie-apocalypse TV show. The end credits, with "Orion" in the background, were the best part, if you ask me. Watch it if you like Metallica. Don't expect too much, though. A "Bravo!" for the 3D filming. It is awesome.

Homeland (2011–2020)

Up to any exigent expectation

[10/10 · 20 December 2013]

Now... Homeland is not necessarily original. I recommend Hatufim , an interesting Israeli production, which was the inspiration for the script-writers of the series. Nonetheless, the topic twists, the sensibility of Carrie, the complexity of Saul, the oxymoron that is called Brody. the secondary plots (which, by themselves, define a good point for another autonomous story), made me believe that Homeland is a masterpiece beyond cheap propaganda, stereotypes, all-hail-America movies. It is about intelligence. I mean: intelligent. So. if you are somewhat interested in understanding some of the hidden strings of this twisted world, a bit romantic and idealistic, a believer that there is a greater good up there, I totally recommend watching it. Seriously, completely, free-of-mind-like, rationally, loving what democracy, humanity, sacrifice in the upper-level battles might be. Homeland has become one of my most favourite TV productions until now.

Man of Steel (2013)

Originally mixing of old recipes.

[7/10 · 28 June 2013]

You take 2 teaspoon of "Matrix: Revolutions", 1 and 1/2 of "Independence Day", 1 of "The Avengers", 1 of "The Matrix", 1/2 of "Transformers", 1/2 of "2012". In a large bowl (a.k.a. DC Comics Universe), mix together the cake mix, season it with a bit of "The Hulk", ad a flavour of "Riddick" and sprinkle a bit of "2010 - Space Odyssey", just a bit (the satellite dishes scene). Butter it with a cheap scriptwriting (as if it were a story for 6-9 yrs. old), bake it while using a decent soundtrack and ornate it with a good cast (Matrix, West Wing, plus, you have: Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne). There you go: "Man of Steel", a movie that is not extraordinary at all. Enjoyable, though, should you spend an evening, however not pretentiously relaxing.

BloodRayne II: Deliverance (2007 Video)

No mark less than 1, unfortunately.

[1/10 · 13 September 2007]

Easy to say: on a scale from 1 to 10, I say "minus 20". I've seen bad bad movies, but this one?! Is worse than the worst.

Bad acting (stupid gestures, the mean "Billy the kid" is a joke!, the lady Rayne chews a matchstick that has such a red head - definitely a 19th century matchstick :P ). OMG, I can give examples of bad acting and stupid gesture from almost 99% of the movie... Don't rent it, don't watch it, don't expect anything but regretting wasting your time.

Ah, by the way, it does not have many (if any) things to do with the video game. Except the symbols, the name of the character and the shape of her blades.

Just don't watch it! (1 out of 10, I would give -20)

Pterodactyl (2005)

I wish I didn't watch it

[1/10 · 2 November 2005]

Terrible script, worst acting I've seen in bad B movies (!), a monster that has nothing to do with any idea of Sci-Fi or horror movies in modern era of film-making… You see a landscape that has unnatural colors (watch the green grass, for instance), you see a laughable beginning (guess what? Eggs are hatching). Then, you see a group of so-called scientists that have unbelievable behavior for what I imagine a professor and graduate students should be… I mean, they are stupid… Supposedly a geek likes something that geeks should like (what a stereotype!): UFO stories and spooky compliments to girls. You see a blonde girl that has an annoying way of being (another stereotype about blondes that have money). You see a graduate student that shows her feeling to her professor… How many stereotypes? I lost the count. But this is not the most bothering part. Coolio appears as a captain of the almighty US Army (that, of course, helps the locals fighting against rebels and insurgent). I thought the guy is a tough one, you should see him acting: as if it was the first time in his life when he touched a gun (someone that hasn't yet I think he/she could've kept the weapons in hands in a more realistic way), bad lines (not complicated, only that he made an effort to pronounce the words). His companions were even worse, and, poor them, had to become heroes (victims) in the "terrible" fight against the flying creatures. The rebels, what can I say, not convincing at all. My neighbor kid (5 years old) looks tougher… But their boss had sexual slave(s). That watches him sleeping and then waits for Coolio and only after this appears she grabs a knife to kill the bad gay… Stupid, isn't it? As for the pterodactyls, oh, yes, they were better acting than their human fellows. However, cheap CGI, not convincing at all, bad images, no logic in their behavior, and amazingly fearless against cars (that smell, right?), against fire, that sleep at night as new-born babies (and humans don't kill them at night, either, they wait as gentlemen for the morning), and that tear some victims in two pieces and some others they grasp. Oufff, what a bad way to lose 2 hours… Don't do the same! 0.5 out of 100!!!

Arizona Dream (1993)

If you love films, there's no way you should miss this!

[10/10 · 20 September 2005]

Probably the best of Kusturica's, Arzona Dream puts you in front of many questions that one could have. The movie does not tend to be about philosophy, and it has not a pathetic line. It just shows things. Watch it and say that many other should see it. I first watched it in 1995, but I must confess I need here and then to watch it again, say, at least once a year. It is addictive to see good humor, irony, parody, decent comments on symbols, interesting images and eroticism, in its pure way, but very subtle. What can I say more, it's a must for all, and people should not underestimate it. Johnny Depp is great, Faye Dunaway is marvelous, Lili Taylor is like a genius here, Jerry Lewis is a Lord, as always, and Vincent Gallo shows his talent to a very high rate. It would impress many kinds of people, is more than most of movies can offer: it is a masterpiece. Watch it! 10/10

Megalodon (2002 Video)

Worst than most of all

[3/10 · 17 September 2005]

Watching this movie is challenging… I mean it challenges your patience, even your ego, because the makers offend human intelligence with the so- predictable script. The CGI are made to show themselves as CGI, and not to create a setting or a specific background. Low budget shows the shark as a poor victim of some fish-tank. Low mobility of the monster, lesser thrilling moments than any other horror movies (I totally dislike them), the whole movie looks like a project of a junior student in cinematography studies. Don't watch it, it's not even a B category! I should, though, pay my respect to the actors, that didn't suck, even though the directing, the images and the script were totally under any level of tolerance. So, I salute them and I wish them much better movies to play in. 3/10 (5/10 for the CGI, 7/10 for the actors, 1/10 script, 2/10 editing, 2/10 director, 1/10 music- bad plagiarism of "Jaws" theme)

Alone in the Dark (2005)

The kind of B series movie with monsters, and bad/ stupid persons that open gates or boxes, whatever

[5/10 · 22 May 2005]

Christian Slater saves some of the movie, but not enough (I believe he's a good actor, but this movie was too bad). The plot is as usual, nothing to be surprised of. There are some CGI, some ideas on effects, but the same paradox: you have a monster (pretty much like the classical Alien) and Special Paranormal blahblahblah forces (code something 13, of course) use submachine guns (the bullets are improved). Or, some guy runs into I don't know what gate to recover a bomb that was not supposed to have an effect… And suddenly, a deserted city, a bad line about the end of civilizations and… No, watch it only if you have worse things to do otherwise. It's a B series horror with some good acting, too bad the plot is naïve and the idea obsolete. I liked the computer games though. I played all three in the era when computer games were different than those today. Better impression, much better than the movie: mystery is gone now, monsters, hmmm, "unnatural", violence took the place of the police action and so on. And the end… Well, can they imagine something new? I'm tired of clichés… 5/10

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Addictive, but still clumsy (Some spoilers)

[9/10 · 20 May 2005]

Lots to be said about the movie. Better or worse than the previous, none can really say, unless you watch it a couple of times. As previous people here, on IMDb, said, Welcome Back, Mr. Lucas! Glad to see the starships, battlecruisers, light sabers, the unique sound of the engines and so on. However, I want to criticize the forced manner they made the script about Anakin's conversion. Not that we didn't expect, but Palpatine shows himself suddenly, and just asks: Join the Dark Side! I think it was obviously because the script writers had to overcome the lack of complexity with another lack of complexity. I was uneasy to see some events that have a pace and that others have a different one. I don't know, I am not a writer, but it felt a bit childish, the same error as the Attack of the Clones movie, which made me think I was watching a kid playing computer games rather than watching a SW movie. And then, the same Anakin does things (I repeat, not that we didn't expected to) in such a hurry. Now he is the same restless padawan, then, suddenly, the vengeful and naïve frustrated padawan and the, just like that, Darth Vader himself. The authors wanted to link the stories in such a way that they forced the SW logic, at least the one I expected. Or it is the first time I watched it. I don't know. Still a bit too "juvenile", even for an old fan (the movies of my childhood were "A new Hope" and "Empires strikes back"). But for the sake of all what SW means, it is a wonderful movie. 9 of 10

The Interpreter (2005)

Still, a very good movie, in many ways.

[9/10 · 15 May 2005]

First time I watch a movie I try the comments on IMDb.com, even the spoilers… It gets easier to make a choice. But with this one, I am sorry to say, the comments were a bit under-evaluating the plot, and the movie itself. Yes, it's true, it seems to be written in the original scripting style: thrilling plot, conspiracies, drama, the typical policeman, left (in many ways…) by his wife, a tragic lady, mysterious, yet showing herself to the world, typical policeman colleague: understanding, best buddy, always watching your back, in the background, typical landscape for NYC movies, all that. But still, it's got what it takes for an action movie, a good plot, wonderful lady (I have no doubt about that, she's been lately one of the best actresses), Sean Penn is a cool guy here. They made a good movie, about dramas, about killers and tyrants, about under-developed country in an over-developed injustice: Africa…. I would recommend it for it's action, for the plot, for the NYC and the wonder the city means to the humanity. I would recommend, though, not to expect greatness, mastery of film makers, intensive drama or some deep thoughts in it. Just for fun, but still a movie not to be thrown away. And for the fact that it does what it is expected to do, no more, no less, I gave it with no hesitation 9/10. Watch it.

Azumi (2003)

Katana and the gun

[6/10 · 28 March 2005]

Azumi is the kind of movie to skip the two hours of not doing something else. It resembles too many other Japan Medieval Age related movies, so that I cannot tell you the type of this movie. You shall see naïve acting, as the 70's Chinese Kung-fu movies, the villains are "ugly" (they make faces – can you believe it), they scream (telling us they are the bad guys), they fight like stupid. As for the story itself, I would describe it a strange combination of not "original at all" and "cheap philosophy". As you watch it, you'll see "the development" of heroes, the adventure as it happens (nothing really, except for fighting and some motivating tragedies, if I might call them as such), and suddenly all heroes tend to have different, non-natural path. Somehow this changes also. I mean, they get separated and then they get together, although none could logically find how and what happened with the others (well, I exaggerate a bit). Then, I don't know why they dance so much in sword fighting. It is gracious and aesthetic, of course, but I wonder how one could kill somebody while he/ she is looking on the other side. Or, the same old story, how come one can fight hundreds, and these ones attack only one by one. Or, why should I cut somebody with a sword and then I need a three seconds (ritually made) statue-like posture? And so on… Forget about my irony, watch it only if you don't have anything else to do, it's not tiring at all, it tends to be even entertaining (if you are less than 13), and the choreography of the martial art scenes are, as usual, nice… Cute to kill insomnia, or to wait for your parents in law, or to have a break while working at home in an exhausting project, and so on

How High (2001)

Supposedly a comedy

[1/10 · 12 January 2005]

So, if you wanna see jokes that are made by deranged kiddos, bad sitcoms, they want them to be funny, to enjoy the under-educated humour and gross infantile dialogues, not to mention the bad-behaviour promoting stuff, please go and watch it. I didn't graduate a fancy college, but I keep wondering why do they keep making this kind of movies, when traditional schools and universities are victims to cheap mockery? As if everybody could go there (there was a superficial girl - I don't care about her gender and shiny hair colour - that took legal studies, right? - but that's another movie), as if you were a drunk and a junkie you could go just like that and take a Harvard scholarship. I understand the politics, and I understand that we should discourage elitism and racism, but what has this got tot do with showing a couple of MJ consumers (and all they did was that!) as successful (after all) Harvard students? Again, the name of the University doesn't count. I wonder if somebody's frustration (I don't know, writer, director, marketing manager, who cares) is all that is all about. I wanted a comedy, couldn't you give me one?

Too Late (1996)

Not Spoiling

[10/10 · 22 September 2004]

I've seen the movie long ago, however, few days ago (and it's late sept 2004) something reminded me of it. Doesn't matter much, local politics... Still, Pintilie went beyond the art-fancy-sophisticated movie maker style he had so well embraced before. In "prea tirziu" he shows a brutal reality, a strange kind of reactions, bad persons, bad relations, bad values (if there is such a thing), bad everything... And he shows it in a good way. Watch it closely, even though you are not accustomed to the Romanian style, observe some people that exist - of course, not that dramatically, but still - and think that this can happen today, somewhere not far from us.

It's not Romania, it's not the real stuff, but it's about some people that exist. Somehow, this drama is a comedy. And I definitely suggest you to watch it. You won't regret it.

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

I thank all of the people involved for this movie.

[10/10 · 28 February 2004]

I remember a line in an exceptional TV Series: Northern Exposure: `Put a nice car, put a beautiful lady, and you got a movie. What else do you need?' Back to Kill Bill, I believe it's an extraordinary combination of what you need for a wonderful movie, along with what you need for a bad movie, altogether. And here you are: the Masterpiece! A movie that reminds us of Manga, of Matrix, of Martial Art movies, of Police/ Detective-thrillers, of never-aging myths of revenge, betrayal, and all the non-sense Tarantino is so able to observe and laugh at, a movie that puts us in front of what we see, like or dislike (or fake either of them - as snobbish as we claim "not" to be) most of the time when we go to cinema, rent a movie or watch TV… I am grateful to Q&U for giving us this excellent movie. It is a 10 /10, not because we see a rare art movie, but because I welcome the aesthetes. And I welcome the irony, the comic, the bad taste against the bad taste (would this be the real revenge in this series?), the perfectly matched music, and, of course, the Actors and the Actresses (with Caps).

As for the rest, you know Tarantino: black humor, violence, perverts, details of everyday-life next to amazing events (huge crimes, wars, rapes, murders, whatever you want…) in a paradox we all end to accept, as if it is normal.

Ah, and to emphasize anther issue, I must say: I found Uma Thurman more beautiful than ever! So, the recipe of this movie is so complex that you must see it to have an idea. They put ladies, cars, and much more to get a good movie.

I thank all of the people involved for this movie.

Domo arrigato gozaimas, Radu-san

Lost in Translation (2003)

Actors are very good, the script is exceptional, the photography has quality...

[10/10 · 27 February 2004]

Probably one of the best movies made in the last 10 years... I'm not exagerating. Try to imagine some of the best European movies (Russian, Italian, French, German, British, Eastern European, Scandinavian and so on), try to combine all the nice style you've seen in valuable movies, think of the American cinema, and especially the art movie, put more spice, realism, drama, stylish humor, and you have a recipe for this kind of movie. Yes, I believe it is incredible to see a movie of such beauty...

Actors are very good, the script is exceptional, the photography has quality... And the music, also, amazing.

It is a must! 10/10