anonaki Reviews

Soul Kitchen (2009)

an intelligent comedy

[8/10 · 14 January 2010]

It very rare these times to see a comedy that is not slapstick -funny (trying to extort in some ways the laughter from the audiences) but truly funny in a way that is sweet and charming. I will not talk about the director's previous work because this is a completely new genre for him, and in any case this is not an overall overview of his films. This one stands alone as an example for some people in Hollywood. It is not funny because it exploits some racial stereotypes (no mousaka here) but because it creates a subtle caricature of situations that many of us have experienced (i.e. the one with the tax collectors). The script is very smart and full of reversals of fate that keep the spectators on their toes, the main characters are interesting and the acting wonderful... And because no one mentioned the soundtrack...It is truly unique..Too bad that many of the songs are in Greek and the deeper meaning of the lyrics and their connection to the plot is lost in translation. A must see film for everyone that wants to see a feel-good movie with an actual plot..

.hack//G.U. Trilogy (2007)

what happened?

[5/10 · 25 April 2008]

The truth is that a lot of people have played the games and i believe that actually more than few of them have enjoyed them. What was unique about the G.U. trilogy as a game was the amazing story line that kept u on your toes. A story about love, friendship, respect for others and yourself. A truly mature way to depict how can someone like Haseo (main character) can change from a spoiled, annoying and selfish brat to a considerate, wiser and kind man. It is also a story about taking responsibility and self sacrifice.As it is obvious, such a story would need catalysts to progress a.k.a. various supplementary characters. These are missing from this movie, turning it from a story of a journey towards self improvement to a story of rivalry between two men. That would not be too bad if someone had to consider that the creators tried to fit about 100 hrs of gameplay into an 1,5 hr film what is bad is that they made the characters two dimensional, left many parts unexplained ( who or what is tri edge) and didn't not give them proper motivation for their actions. Artisticaly it is beautiful (although not like advent children from ff franchise), the music satisfactory, and... of you are an Ovan fan (like myself) a must see not only for the amazing dueling sequence between him and Haseo but also for the alternate ending... By the way if anyone is interested more about G.U. the can always watch .hack//roots which is an anime TV series... not sure if this movie would have any appeal on anybody who hasn't played the games. What a shame...

Helen of Troy (2003)

terrible and unspeakable stupidity about the trojan war

[1/10 · 14 May 2004]

This monstrosity was definitely not based on homers iliad and if anyone says the opposite not only he is ignorant but blaspheme as well.Not a single issue that makes homers epic great is mentioned here.Instead of that we watch a lengthy episode of the young and the restless.Maybe the writers should have made a better choice of ancient greek myths before producing this salad made of babble. I almost feel sorry for rufus sewell and stellan skaarsgard which i thought that by now they would have had the luxury to make better choices.They probably needed the money... Another comment: Why did Achilles have to look like a butcher?I guarantee he was not one. The movie was made in a hurry and looked cheap,the actors were confused,the director had no idea.

Troy (2004)

A decent account of the trojan war

[7/10 · 14 May 2004]

This movie is an optical extravaganza.Impressive sets,costumes,beautiful actors and amazing battle scenes. But where is the soul of this movie?Better:Where is the soul of these characters?What made them tick? One of the problems is that throughout this film the average spectator might not be able to identify with any of them. Sean Bean is more than adequate as odysseus and steals the show!Eric Bana is sympathetic as hector and believable as a prince of troy although he could be less rigid especially in his more "private" moments.Cox and Gleeson looked like brothers but were not convincing as brothers.There was no "feeling" between them...Both of them,though,were excellent in their roles.Peter O'Toule was very good although in some moments was too shakespearean for this type of movie.Brad Pitt didn't impress me as Achilleas.I am a great fan of the Iliad and Greek mythology and still i couldn't understand him.Was it the script or his acting i am not sure.Orlando Bloom is doing everything in his power to convince us that he has no talent whatsoever.Definitely not a prince for whom a daughter of zeus would be persuaded to leave her kingdom.At least he is as wimpy as in the original text.Kruger whines too much and seems too indecisive to be Helen of sparta,but this is more a script problem than her acting problem. Overall,decent acting,impressive effects but a flawed script especially in the character analysis.