Marco_AGJ Reviews

No Hard Feelings (2023)

The epitome of modern cinema.

[1/10 · 6 October 2023]

I try to avoid modern movies as much as I can, but when I saw this I thought it would be some dumb fun for an hour and a half. And oh boy, I was 50% right. The dump part is certainly there, but the fun isn't.

This movie checks all the boxes on why modern movies are atrocious. The ridiculous girl-power premise, the cringe unfunny attempts at comedy, the feminist messaging, the youngster who bosses parents around, the pseudo-dramatic subplot that has no purpose, the random character traits that add nothing, the "edgy" senseless ending. This movie has it all.

The "couple" -- I use that term loosely here, it's more fitting to call the predator/victim situation -- has zero chemistry. The build up for any romantic comedy is certainly the hardest part, because it can easily feel forced. This one is the champion of all forced plots. Absolutely nothing makes sense.

The boy is supposed to be timid, introspective. Yet, after a short while, he's not only quite comfortable with the absurd situation with the girl, he's able to sing and play the piano to a group of dozens of strangers, he also feels pretty sure of himself to juggle the parents and the girl at the breakfast table when he find out, and to confront his parents with the maturity and understanding of what should be done to help of an expert psychologist. It's beyond ridiculous.

It also throws in random character traits that are just there for the sake of it. It's what modern filmmakers think adds depth to characters. For example, Jennifer Lawrence's character rides inline skates, supposedly because she doesn't have a car, and to make her appear more quirky or something. She rides to the parents house to accept the job, and when she gets there, she has to climb a set of stairs to meet the parents, who are at the top. She simply doesn't take off the skates! She tries clumsily going up the stairs with the skates on. They put it there as a comedic moment, but it's just stupid, there's nothing even remotely funny about it, and it actually drives you mad at the idiocy.

The attempts at comedy are certainly ridiculous, but other moments can be just as bad. Like the fact that Jennifer's character somehow can fight off a group young bullies at the beach, or the fact that they expect you to feel sad about some nonsensical subplot about a couple having to move to another state -- they somehow try to make this seem like it's the ultimate drama; and it's just them moving.

This movie is a perfect example of how nothing is safe from modern filmmakers. They are a source of corruption, devastating everything that is even remotely decent.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

As pretty as it is soulless

[1/10 · 13 September 2022]

With what has been reported as budget for this series it was never a doubt that it would shine in its technical prowess. It does look absolutely phenomenal, and sounds just as great too. Unfortunately, that's about it.

The series seem weirdly all over the place. Galadriel is searching for the evil that she somehow senses, and for that she became the quintessential "soldier boy". You know the type, the rigid persona, the stoic countenance, the unwavering focus on "the job". The most boring attempt at a deep character one could think of.

The first episode lasts for one hour, and at the end, you feel like nothing worthwhile came from it aside the cliffhanger to hook you back to the second one. Useless dialog after useless dialog, pretty words abounding. Rarely have you seen nothing being said so beautifully.

I really don't get the scope. One can barely put together what's going on and suddenly we're on the other side of Middle-Earth with a whole new group of people dealing with a whole new story-line. There's a forced attempt at epicness that's permeating the whole viewing. If they just stopped trying to sound poetic at every line spoken, they could probably achieve some kind of depth and coherence. Everything falls flat because there's really no point to anything beside showcase the beautiful scenery. They nailed that at least.

Frankly, the series is bland and pointless. The well-crafted environments should only provide the glue to hold everything together in a grand storyline, not serve as the main feature.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

It starts decent, then descends into a total cringe fest.

[2/10 · 13 June 2022]

This movie could be summarized as three portions of roughly 1 hour each, totalling a whopping 3-hour movie. I have to say, had this movie been a 2-hour deal, with them collecting the stones from the past and snapping their fingers to make everything right, it would at least have been decent. But no, they had to create a cringe fest.

The first half is interesting enough, it builds up on how the erasure of half of the population affected the lives of everyone. It felt like a movie, albeit a very long and tedious one. The second portion is still decent, it revolves around them going back in time to try to right the wrongs of the present. It goes through some of the scenes found in the first Avengers movie, which was interesting. Yes, it's basically a time travel story, how original.

The last portion is just ridiculous. It's basically a gigantic battle between Thano's minions and several super-heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There's no rhyme or reason for anything that happens there, it's just a constant shift from one super-hero to another, showcasing some individual battle where they ultimately triumph. Who is winning? Who is losing? What's happening on a grand scale? No one knows. It's just dumb Hollywood crap.

Aside from the clichéd time travel story - and a very bad one at that -, the whole movie revolves around two Deus Ex Machina moments. In one of them, Captain Marvel saves Iron Man from dying of oxygen depletion in space. He eventually goes on to discover a way to travel back in time, allowing everything that comes after to happen. The other, Captain Marvel descends from the sky to destroy the main ship which Thanos was using to invade the Earth. Having one of the highest budgets of all time for a plot like this is unacceptable.

This is just a celebration about everything that is wrong with Hollywood. It's stupidity taken to the extreme. The fact that this movie is a box office success just shows how much marketing plays a role in crafting a successful movie. Yes, crafting success in and of itself, because the substance for it is just not there.

Everything's Gonna Be All White (2022)

A new low has just been achieved. (IMDB deleting reviews)

[1/10 · 19 February 2022]

This is ridiculous, they're deleting reviews showcasing the atrocity that this show is.

Unacceptable. This show is just pure hatred masqueraded as social justice, which has become a standard for these washed-up actors/directors or whatever. I wouldn't call these people artists, this is not art at all. It's propaganda.

This is straight up racialist to the tenth degree. Generally, in the past, these people tried to at least camouflage their evil intent, but now, they're clear as day. This show is absolutely disgusting and doesn't serve any purpose but to fuel the fires of hatred and create more division. It's not a smart take which delves into the root of racism, it's not supposed to shed light into anything, it's just segregation and resentment in video format.

Deal with it IMDB, deal with it.

Santa Inc. (2021)

A propagandist atrocity.

[1/10 · 6 December 2021]

This is the kind of garbage that shouldn't exist. This is not entertainment, this is simply put propagandist garbage. This insults the audience, it insults the intelligence of anyone watching, and should be avoided at all cost.

Sex Education (2019–2023)

The first season is decent at best, but the rest is insufferable.

[1/10 · 25 May 2021]

The first season of this show was all right, it wasn't groundbreaking at all, but it worked as a mildly entertaining dumb pastime. When the second season came out it was so atrocious that I had to drop it, and that's a rare occurrence for me. The first season would probably be a 4/10, but counting everything I've seen so far it can't be anything more than a 1/10. My advice is that you shouldn't even bother.

So many things about this show just don't feel right. I get it, they're trying to portray an extreme case of progressivism to solve a few problems that teenagers face. But even at that, they fail quite miserably.

The only character I thought was well developed and somewhat interesting was Jackson. He's not your average jock, and is portrayed as having problems with an overbearing mother - he has two, as he's the son of a lesbian couple - and has a few interesting dialogs with the lead actors and their storyline, including a romantic relationship with Meave, the lead girl.

The rest is probably too cliché, too one-dimensional or simply so badly acted that it's not worth it. Take Maeve, she's portrayed as a strong feminist character that is constantly making refences to things related to feminism and old Rock/punk rock bands. She has an attitude and thinks she's way cooler than she actually is. Her personality is so cliché that I'm guessing most left-leaning writers/directors seem to have at least one of these up their sleeve waiting to fit at anything they get their hands on.

The lead character is showcased as being a shy ultra politically correct loser who's ultimately too deep and interesting for the rest of the poor pedestrian classmates to understand. It fails horribly. Once again, he has the music taste similar to Maeve's and is the guy responsible for moving the main plot, as he's the enlightened individual who gives sex advices for everyone in school.

These therapy sessions sound more like ripping off rich teenagers than anything else. It's never really clear how he acquired the knowledge he did since his relationship with his mother is shaky at best. If anything, he should abhor anything related to his mother's work, to be honest. Somehow, he's portrayed as the teen equivalent of the next Carl Jung.

The type of advice he hands out is not necessarily complex, generally it's just the occasional common sense that anyone would be able to do. This actually generates a strange incoherence with what's really his grasp at what he's doing, he could give a very thorough explanation on a topic while on others it's the basic "hang in there, everything will be fine".

Another problem is the setting and the engagement it provides. The show simply does not work where it currently sets its bases. Take the first episode of the second season for example, everyone in school is suddenly going crazy over a rumor that the school is facing an epidemic case of chlamydia - a sexually transmitted disease. Everyone seems to be going crazy over it, even wearing masks to protect themselves from contracting it through the air. Then our main character arrives to clear everything out, chlamydia can't be passed by air, only through sexual interaction.

What bugs me about this episode is that smartphones are the main method of communication for these teenagers, basically everyone at all times has a cellphone in their hands, texting, or using it for constant communication. A measly internet search would yield that chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease and can't be caught through the air, so why all the fuss? It seems like such an artificial setting, absurdly concocted just to have the message about an STD the central theme of the episode. This is just bad script.

In the end, this show feels like it's sending off important messages to teenagers, but it would only be true if it were released in the 80s or the 90s. For 2019 onwards it just feels outdated, silly and a badly acted attempt to copy American school shows. The first season is decent at best, but the rest is insufferable.

The Walking Dead: Clear (2013) Season 3, Episode 12

When time and hardship change you forever.

[10/10 · 2 April 2019]

One of the strongest episodes in the series so far and one of the best episodes overall. It messes with people's fond memories of character Morgan, the first guy Rick encounters after he leaves the hospital in the beginning of the series, and also the first person to actually help Rick out. This time around, the time spent on the run trying to survive has taken its toll on Morgan and the episode makes sure to let that stick deep.

It starts with Rick, his son and Michonne going out to loot for guns and ammunition preparing for a final stand against the better armed Governor. They find the police station completely emptied and drop by a few places where some stray guns might be hidden because Rick used to know the neighborhood. When they try crossing a small hold against attackers, they stumble upon a guy -- he gets shot, but was wearing body-armor. This guy happens to be Morgan.

Michonne and Rick's son go out on their own little quest which finally gets Michonne significant screen time and depth, when Carl attempts to get probably the last photo of his mother in existence, thinking that it would be the last chance for his new sister to ever have the picture of her mom and actually see her face. This gets secondary attention.

The real deal lies in the now mentally unstable Morgan. He has lost his own son victim of a decision he himself made in the first few episodes, when he couldn't kill his own wife, even after she became a walker. It turns out that his son couldn't as well, which let to his demise. The Walking Dead has its fair share of decision-making that carry out to episodes to come, but this one really takes the cake, since its results can only be seen seasons after taking place.

Rick always carried lots of emotion when it comes to acting, but this time he finds a man as on the edge as he is, led to near completely losing his mind and surely on his way to it. Both, Rick and Morgan, are completely different people than they were in the beginning, the impeccable acting from both leave no doubt. Rick even tries to convince him of joining his group, though the comeback made by Morgan makes much more sense than anyone, even Rick, would be willing to admit. If he's so much better in a prison where no dead can reach them, why the need of so many guns. In the end, it doesn't really matter what kills you, bullet or teeth, it's all the same.

When heading for the destination at the beginning of the episode, Rick and the group passed by a stray guy on the road, they do not make any attempt to help him even with his constant cries for help, seen twice for even more morbid results. When they leave and drive back, the remains of his body are all scattered over the road and his backpack up for grabs -- they do exactly that. This scenario pictures the change. Once, people were willing to help each other out, Morgan was, Rick was. Now, only the shadowy glimpse of the men Rick and Moran once were remain. Rick picked up the backpack. Utilitarianism at its fullest.

3 Idiots (2009)

Some cringy moments here and there, but overall quite bold in its message

[6/10 · 14 July 2017]

Those Indians seem to be up for the challenge of putting out movies that Hollywood wouldn't really venture into. I hate art-sy movies that depend their own existence on some hidden fundamental meaning of how human existence is badly guided and the directors (artists know nothing about sociology, as much as they want to think otherwise) simply hand out the answers in a silver plate.

The main character seems like the run-of-the-mill politically correct guy that thinks "being yourself" is one of the best pieces of advice you could ever grant someone with. As the movie flows his complete lack of respect for authority gets more coherent with what he preaches.

Basically you have a few students that are graduating in engineering while having to cope with an extremely perfectionist professor. While the protagonist believes that the imagination of the students is as much an education problem as studying hours upon hours immersed in technical books. Their world views collide when Poncho, the main guy, falls in love with the professor's daughter.

This is a funny movie while maintaining a strong message of not having to choose a high-pay job to be successful. Contradictions are bound to arrive, like family problems and old ways that always seem to die hard.

Just forget that the film is desperately trying to output some kind of universal happiness through doing whatever you feel like doing in your life, getting ever closer to a modern day fairy-tale than the cheesy foreign comedy.

The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers

[3/10 · 9 February 2015]

I'm not exactly sure I get the hype, but this movie felt pretty sub-par. I'm not an extremist who thinks films should have a cult format, I do enjoy big production, though blockbusters have seen better days. They basically put together some comic book heroes of some sort and tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for having them all participate in the newest world/New York saving.

Not a good idea, the rushed pace to make every character fit the length is easily noticed. I'm no super-hero expert - quite the opposite - but I'm pretty sure Scarlett Johansson's past doesn't involve two parents made of stone, so I'd argue her acting is not at its finest.

Not that the script helps. Hollywood makes amazing stuff, but its stigma of being shallow, focused on silliness can be entirely summarized in this particular movie. The cheesy lines aiming for climatic humor, the grand scale explosions, lots of well-known names in the cast. Nothing really stand out because nothing has sufficient time to shine, everything feels cramped.

Destruction on this scale demands a villain with capital V. Loki is never that guy. With the exception of a scene that turned out to be faked, with Johansson's character, he never looks threatening. It's hard to tell where everyone came about, even the main antagonist himself, because every few minutes a new super-hero pops up on screen.

The effects are top-notch after all. Expected from a blockbuster of this magnitude. This might appeal to hardcore fans of comics, but I can't see how anyone would enjoy it beyond that. Even at being a dumb action movie it does a pretty awful job.

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Barry Lyndon

[9/10 · 2 February 2015]

Sometimes we forget that technology can change how we see things. This movie was released in 1975 but has such memorable, vivid scenery that's it's hard to imagine a movie that hasn't been tainted by the unforgiving test of time. If movies are moving images then this is one, images moving the eyes and soul.

Every scene takes its time for the viewer to savor every bit of detail. Some of them are especially tasty, building tension as it goes by. I'm of course mentioning the two duel scenes. The second one is a test for the heart.

The story about a humble guy that rises and falls is amazingly told. His love affairs, trickery, the desperate attempt to rise in 18th- century England. From the sharp voice lines to the monumental soundtrack. And of course, the last line in the movie which puts a lot of things in perspective. Truly a landmark.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The Dark Knight Rises

[9/10 · 27 January 2015]

Quite a hard task to live up to its two predecessors. The first Batman was a landmark because it marked the change of direction. Less silliness from comics, more focused on a strong, tangible storyline. Of course we're talking about a superhero here. The Dark Knight wasn't all that great if you think about it, Heath Ledger took the scene though and made it especially memorable.

The third and final statement might not have received the extensive hype of its direct predecessor but the overall result is even better. The movie's main antagonist Bane gives us a memorable performance, it simply won't be easily compared because the Joker is essentially more charismatic. Also, Ledger's death over-hyped everything about his impeccable job, turning him into a legend in no time. I wouldn't want to face a task that difficult.

Tom Hardy takes on this like there's no tomorrow and bring a performance comparable to Ledger's. Although the nature of the Joker makes him much more easier to stand out, Bane's got something on his favor. The story surrounding everything is much stronger. The dialogs are full of witty moments. There's so much happening and everything seems to somewhat be linked with everything that comes next.

The twists are more recurrent, in the last movie action was based on how disturbingly ingenious the Joker's next move would be. This movie inserts important plot links all over the place. Unfortunately for Nolan this is the last movie of the series and might lack a ground-breaking aspect to it. Not in the sense of quality because quality is there. Lots of it in the strong screenplay, the stylish main villain, the background supporting what's being shown. What this movie lacks, and this is mostly an advertising thing, which ultimately leads to memorability, is a title to go by.

Pretty much like Begins is "the new Batman" and Dark Knight is "Heath Ledger". If you compare them without the rose-tinted glasses you'll find that Rises has as much or even more quality as the other two.

Gladiator (2000)

Gladiator

[7/10 · 27 January 2015]

This title does a good job in combining slight story complexity, historical background and action scope. It's been a while since release and time hasn't been tough on quality. The battle at the beginning continues one of the best ever crafted. Sometimes people tend to underestimate the value of drama a film occasionally has to receive not to be deemed shallow. This isn't simply about blood- thirst of the Colosseum crowd, it focus on the relationship between a general and it sking, how this king seems to favor the general instead of his own son to be next Caesar of the great empire of Rome.

When the son kills his father and takes on the throne the general is cast out and his family brutally murdered. After a series of events he ends up a gladiator and seeks revenge against the king. Sure the scope is taken to a hole new level for stuff like battle between the two, a king and a gladiator.

The general expertise in battle grants him a considerable high status upon so many victories as he climbs his way through. All in all the movie seems accurate in whatever history is left to back it and as entertaining as an action movie that thrives to go beyond simple carnage.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Not impressed.

[6/10 · 3 September 2013]

I'll go ahead and speak plainly about events from the movie, not caring too much about spoiling or not. If you haven't seen the movie and do not want the major plot twists told beforehand you should avoid this review.

I must admit I was one of those guys who went on a hunt for this movie just because it is the highest rated movie on this website. It was second place on general public top 250 when I decided I had to see it. Not to mention most recent high-rated films I am familiar with to a point of remembering, or hearing about; this one wasn't the case.

To tell the truth I watched the movie three times now and I still haven't seen anything resembling greatness to be the highest acclaimed film in the most important website about cinema in the planet.

It's not bad, but I found overshadowed by the immense hype surrounding it. It's certainly 7/10 material in my book, but the idiotic fanboys along with the constant praise for it being superior film-making just slides it down a notch or two.

The story about a guy that is innocently convicted and how his life develops inside the prison with a friend named Red and a few surprises here and there is well told. The so-called message it carries? Well, it seems people are all about that "hope" thing since he indeed is innocent of the crime he's in for, and how eventually he escapes prison leaving behind a hostile environment that never really believed in him, a warden that exploited his dry as much as he could, and of course beating the error of the system in his own game.

He loses his whole life while at it though, but who cares, it's all about hope. It's hard to relate anything to real life since even the finale seems too wonderful to be true. The guy just goes to an obscure island and lives happily ever after. Even Red drops by when he's finally out on parole. Great deal.

After 30 years digging a tunnel with a miniature pickaxe after being wrongly convicted for a crime he did not commit and stealing from the corrupt warden in the process sounds the absolute catharsis for some, I thought it was sad, sad that he lost his whole life in a prison, sad that he had to put up with all that crap for so long, sad that he must have been reintegrated after a while if somehow his story went on. Call me a pessimist, but that's not hope.

I sometimes wonder what so many people saw in this movie that I was the only one on planet earth who did not quite "get it". The only thing this movie taught me more than anything else is that democracy is not always the best regime. What did every one suddenly see that back in 1994 people did not? Maybe it's an internet this right? Internet stuff, that serious business. This strange Leviathan that transforms unknown South-Korean pop singers in music sensations and record-holders for most watched movie on the planet. The internet, maybe someone watched it and thought it would be funny to invent a secret message, so deep, so unworldly, so incredible and anyone who could not "see it" was instantly deemed unworthy.

That monster that drives everyone to think this average movie should be considered some kind of demigod due to its averageness. We see that because we're average, enlightened beings see greatness, colossal messages within that lifts the human spirit, cleanse our souls with its reach.

The movie was good, and that's about it.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Worth watching

[6/10 · 30 July 2013]

I'm not entirely sure if I remember this right, but the main difference between this plot and the Pirates of the Caribbean one is that this one seems a little too overdone, somewhat infantile at times, but solid nonetheless. Of course the Pirates movie also had that teen vibe attached to it during the whole ride, but this one seems to take it to a whole new level.

I'm not one of those scum that try to find holes in movies, they're movies not documentaries, but something when something exceeded even what is entirely normal at movies the final result tends to suffer. Riding a horse on top of a train, I'm all up for that, but managing to avoid certain death by squeezing yourself and the horse through the train gap and safely end up inside the train is extreme.

The part where the ranger hits a last single bullet on horseback directly at the pistol of some guy over the train is another example. This is fantasy taken too far.

But overall the movie had its share of comedy and adventure that should suffice for anyone not too bugged by these extreme moments, moments of awkwardness I'm sure, but understandable. What is most impressive about it in the end are the settings and general production. I'm sure the budged wasn't that limited but still they did an amazing job, with solid performances all around.

The Mask (1994)

One of the finest comedies ever.

[10/10 · 27 December 2009]

The Mask has got to be one of the best comedies ever, everything here smells originality. If you've seen a Jim Carrey movie you know his style, he tends to overdo a little sometimes but he manages to stay funny, a lot of people don't like him because of all the weird stuff he throws in while acting, but this movie can change some minds about Carrey. The Mask follows the story of Stanley Ipkins, an average guy who finds an ancient Scandinavian mask, it contains within the Norse god Loki banished and imprisoned, now whoever puts on the mask gets possesses by the joker spirit of the god gaining incredible powers and the will to cause problems.

In The Mask Carrey plays two characters, one is the more-than-regular Stanley Ipkins, who's a shy fan of cartoons and works at a bank, he's not good with the ladies and the world seems to conspire against him at all costs, luck sure doesn't seem to enjoy playing on the side of Ipkins at all. The other is when he puts on the mask and transforms himself into a green-masked party-boy maniac, ready to joke all around town, all his romantic repression is unleashed and he starts acting in a cartoony style much like the cartoons he enjoys so much seeing. There are funny scenes all around but the highlights are when Carrey puts on the mask, including dance scenes; one is particularly funny because it has a cover music track of Cuban Pete sang by Carrey himself, seems like the song was destined to be funny. The movie also features the debut of Cameron Diaz when she actually looked cute and not a super-sized barbie doll.

If you like Carrey you really should see this movie because it's one of the best stuff Carrey ever pulled. If you're not a fan, you can still enjoy it because he also plays a normal character that's actually normal, without the weird faces, with the crazy stuff being performed by his masked person, although the crazyness is probably boosted, it's easily understandable since he's indeed possessed. If you're still not convinced about Carrey maybe his comedies aren't for you, you can probably enjoy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind anyway.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Batman's new style continues strong.

[9/10 · 5 November 2009]

It's hard for me to think of a movie which I had more expectations than The Dark Knight, I guess I can thank Batman Begins' ending for that, the way the plot was left for sequel possibilities was genius, and I'm not even a comic book nor a Batman fan, I imagine the effect that caused to some of those. The Joker card presented with information about a new criminal with a theatric vein just like Batman was the thing that caught me. And here it is, Dark Knight is not only a commercial success but also a critics success.

The plot revolves greatly upon the Joker, incredibly played by Heath Ledger, and that's fine, but I believe not even the producers and the director ever thought this impact would be so unbalanced. Heath Ledger is the soul and body of the film. It all started in Begins, where Batman was reinvented to a more plausible manner, out with the weird costume with the underwear wore outside the pants, in with the high-technology suit giving a mere human abilities no other would match. Sounded too good to be true, but they did it amazingly. Now with the Joker they did the same, the Joker is a mysterious guy, it would be somewhat pointless to just have someone out there making jokes in a more mature Batman movie, so now even Joker's smile has a reason, he's got scars on his face that along with make-up form the infamous smile, the actual reason is uncertain due to the character's playful personality throughout the movie. Dark Knight's Joker is a blend of a chaotic, anarchic, mysterious and with a good sense of humor character, the result is an amazing personality that fits perfectly to Batman's new approach and is also stunningly played by Heath Ledger.

The rest of the movie is good and it never goes beyond that, with solid performances from all the other actors. I must admit that the absence of Katie Holmes worried me a little bit prior to the release of Dark Knight, but my worries turned out worthless, Maggie Gyllenhaal did a fine job. The overall atmosphere still has that dark touch. The ending, again, leaves much room for a sequel, and I certainly hope they get started with that soon, now with a new villain, developed during the story of this one. In the end this movie survived the high amount of hype it was thrown against it, but it won't receive a maximum score for the simple fact that the rest of the movie didn't really accompany the massive success of the Joker, and without him this would be more of another great action movie than anything else. But the way it is, it's an amazing experience that shouldn't be missed.

Fast & Furious (2009)

Solid moments of high speed action, but nothing really breathtaking.

[6/10 · 5 November 2009]

The new Fast and Furious movie follows the story of the first movie and brings Vin Diesel back to business. This sounds pretty good, Vin Diesel fits right in for this kind of role and in the first movie he was great. And this is actually a pretty solid movie, one might be deceived by the movie's introduction which sound too unreal even for Fast and Furious standards -- more of Torque standards. Sometimes they just try too hard on first impressions. The rest of the movie flows solidly with a decent story surrounding the action.

What attracts most people into seeing this movie is certainly the cars and the crazy thing done with them in the streets, even though I would've hoped for more tuned cars and more crazy drivers running, the content is not bad. Things just got a little cheesier with the narration of the GPS. The excessive use of CGI is also nothing to be proud of, it's never a bad deal to change that absolutely impossible stunt made by computer for another not-that-much but performed in real life.

It does serve right for those looking for a movie with the adrenaline at constant high rate. I just wish they would focus more on the mindless action than trying to have something Fast and Furious most likely will never have, a deep complex story. Who knows, if they really focused on what they do right they would provide everything at the right dose and would, even indirectly, add some depth, but still focusing on illegal racing, with an illegal racer as the protagonist.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Usual Bond, still amazing!

[7/10 · 5 November 2009]

I loved this movie, what you find here is the typical James Bond. Car chases, explosions, pretty secret agent girls, rooftop chases, bullets, absolute power seekers, stunts defying common sense, and all that. What's not to like? Ever since I first saw the introduction to Cassino Royale I knew Daniel Craig was the right man for the job, and once more he proves me right. You have to understand that I'm all Pierce generation, I grew up playing Goldeneye, always saw his movies in the cinema and actually thought his face was James Bond's face period. But now I've embraced this change, and actually enjoy very much, even more than Brosnan's movies -- except maybe Goldeneye, a guy can have his weakness.

This follows the story where Cassino Royale left off. The menaces to the planet's safety are actually all new, but James Bond still haven't recovered from the death, and betrayal, of his girlfriend in the last movie, and he is haunted by this ghost of the past during this one. The story is well developed as always, it's about a secret organization trying to control the water resources of Bolivia; it was nicely thought-out but what really shines are the moments of action, much more enjoyed if seen in the large screen. Daniel Craig, great as always, plays a more centered Bond, and seems much more lethal, especially now motivated by vengeance.

There's not much to say about this, it's a James Bond film, like many others released, except this one takes advantage of more advances in technologies and increasing development costs. Come and see James Bonds on his usual life-threatening adventures, it's worth to notice that a high definition TV and a good sound system would make you enjoy the ride a lot more.

500 Days of Summer (2009)

I'm impressed.

[8/10 · 4 November 2009]

I'm impressed by this movie. At first I thought it would be just another romantic comedy, then I thought it would be a very good romantic comedy, and finally I found out it was something completely apart from all that. The narrator advised this wasn't a story of love, I grasped that as something they wouldn't play with, turns out he was right, this is actually a pretty depressing movie. Not by a mere generic kind of way, the boy loses girl and that's that. We actually feel he has lost something, and something he had absolute chances of getting, actually, it's revolting. The two main roles are played naturally, the girl has a mystery going on throughout the entire film, we never get the feeling we completely understood her; the boy is more of an open book, a shy guy who lost much of his aspirations even though he had lots of potential.

500 days of Summers actually refers to a girl named Summer and her relationship with the man-protagonist, from the first day, the day they met, until the last one. I would divide the film in three parts, two of them are the part with them getting along well and the one where they weren't, these two are interchanged during most of the film in no chronological order, for a good insight on their relationship overall. Until it reaches almost the end, the last part, and it starts following the correct order of events to finally come to an end. The support roles are pretty good as well, mainly with the guy's friends -- they share similar personalities with the protagonist. I also thought the comedy moments were great, lately I've been having some problems with comedies, they all seem rehashes and leave you with the feeling that you've heard or saw that one before, sometimes even many times before, that's something never actually occurred to me while watching this movie, even when you think that the main characters' overall personalities don't stray too much away from the romantic comedy cliché, but the way they are presented feels fresh.

Well, so much for the heart-warming romantic comedy, even so this ends up being a very touching movie. It's just that it's more of an encouraging "get out of your seat and so something" style than it is a "don't worry, everything's gonna be all right". Either way, an amazing movie nonetheless, full of freshness.

Crank: High Voltage (2009)

Manly action-filled stupidity.

[5/10 · 26 August 2009]

All right, what we have here is the sequel to Crank, known for its fast-paced action almost reaching the point of stupidity -- also known as "GTA 4, the movie". It's a worthy sequel and the but no without its flaws.

First this movie doesn't flow as naturally as the first one. In the first Crank everything fits right in and in a conceivable manner. Of course I'm talking about when things happen, not how things happen; the way things happen is absurd, although immensely enjoyable. This time some scenes seem to be happening "out of nowhere" with no plausible connection, like when that guy comes with the motorcycle to save Chelios. Also, some scenes were rehashes, like the sex scene, only this time the motive wasn't the most plausible as well, as he could have simply used his hands for similar results.

I guess they've overdone this time, the first one was a success, and now they tried to squeeze every second worth of action in this one, that didn't work as well as they thought it would. If a sequel is ever made in the future, they better work some things out, otherwise this will only be going downhill. After all, the guy opened the eyes!

Chris Rock: Never Scared (2004 TV Special)

One of the finest stand-up comedy shows ever.

[10/10 · 18 May 2009]

It's been a while now that I've been having increasing interest in stand-up comedies. I've already seen some good ones from handful of comedians, with Chris Rock being one of them, and I got to say that Never Scared is currently my favorite stand-up comedy show and is certainly one of the best showcases of what this genre can offer to entertain.

It's all about jokes and how you perform them. Chris Rock not only has some amazingly funny jokes, but also has a natural charisma in portraying them to the audience. He often makes weird faces, imitations, and changes on his voice into a harsher tone to make the jokes even funnier. That's how he forged a personality for his method of presentation. Chris Rock deals with subjects like popular culture, celebrities' scandals, rap music, politics, war, love relationships, African American related themes, among others. Be sure to find various topics about things that were happening in the world and especially in the United States at the time it was recorded, which I believe was in March of 2004.

This might pretty much be Chris Rock's finest recorded moment. If not, one of the finest, that's for sure. With Chris throwing several hilarious jokes, non-stop, from the beginning to the very end. All accompanied with Chris's singular way of doing it.

Sin City (2005)

Sin City - You have never seen a film like this!

[10/10 · 21 April 2007]

I love it when you watch a film, and end up thinking "wow I didn't see that coming! That was good!", It happened to me with Sin City, a lot was being talked about this movie, but I always stick to my criticism about large amount of hype, and that criticism is simple, It doesn't work! Sure, people started talking about how good it was and stuff, but I didn't had ears for that kind of chat, I kept on living until a certain point that a friend of mine said she had bought this movie, and asked me if I wanted to see it, of course I said yes, and I'm glad I said yes! What a joy! At first I though it was one strange film, all uncolored, highly violent, weird stories about helping people you barely know, killing, killing…and then it hit me, this is Sin City, it ain't the City of Beauty, it is chaotic, trashy and nasty, it is the city of corruption and violence, and I love it!! Three stories connected to each other, but each one of them with its own focuses, and they pretty much look like what they should, a comic book transformed into a film, the dialogs are sharp and tight, some very poetical, referencing persons as goddess and such things.

The choice of the actors to play the roles were very good, I can't firmly cite better actors for the characters, since all of them did such a great jog, the one actor that happened to be not-so-good on the screen was Jessica Alba, she was OK, but surrounded by actor that surpassed all my expectations about the film, I found her doing the least enjoyable job, but even so, a very decent acting. The highlights goes to Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Mickey Rourke and Clive Owen. I didn't have doubts about Clive Owen doing or not a good job, he was born for this kind of character, dark and mysterious. Mickey Rourke was the best in my opinion, everything about his acting was outstanding, voice, acting, lines, characterization.

I strongly recommend this movie, it's a piece of pure dark art, full of action, suspense and memorable lines, you maybe have got to open you mind for some brutal scenes, even though they're all like a very realistic cartoon, because that's what this film is all about, sins and violence, but yet not losing its comic side. Yes the movie doesn't have any color, except for some key objects like a bed, some blood, the "monster guy" and such, but that just adds to the atmosphere, excellent film!

Mortal Kombat (1995)

The best movie ever!!

[10/10 · 30 December 2006]

When someone dares to transform a video-game series into a film, all gamers expect the best, but it can be a real frustrating experience, video-games based movies like Alone in the Dark or House of the Dead should never have been made, but there's some surprises like Mortal Kombat which stands as the best video-game based movie of all time!

They could just put the fighters into battles and start a special moves festival with fireballs, iceballs, spears, bicycle kicks, flying kicks and all kinds of special moves the fighters had in the video-game, but no, they decided to go more for fighting skills, than special abilities, and with that, less special effects, of course I'm glad for that, because one of the things that this movie is so spectacular are the fights, you won't just see effects, but fights with top-notch professionals showing their skills at its best!

The storyline has to be as close to the story told in the games as possible, differences between them are inevitable, but they got to be coherent, and in Mortal Kombat it was done nicely, the tournament, the fighters, everything, even the most purists of the persons will find this movie highly connected to the games!

The acting is amazing, the actors did a great job bringing to life the famous fighters that gamers all around the world know so well, each one of them have a distinct and notorious personality, which enforce or even create a whole new characterization of the series characters into our minds. Like Sonia Blade that seems to be a very strong, determined and independent woman, Johnny Cage being a funny, full of himself guy, and Liu Kang appearing to be a very calm and mysterious person.

All in all, this movie can't be described in any other way than flawless, a masterpiece that gamers and non-gamers will certainly enjoy!

Collateral (2004)

Masterpiece! - Absolutely brilliant thriller!

[10/10 · 12 December 2006]

OK guys, what we have here is not just one of the best suspense, thriller films, not quite one of the best 2004 movies, but indeed one of the best movies ever made! The greatness of this movie can't be described in words, you gotta see it. The film focuses on Vincent and Max, Vincent is a hit-man hired to take some witnesses down, and Max is a taxi driver, Vincent hires Max for the whole night to do his job - of course the taxi driver doesn't know what kind of job yet - and get to the airport fast enough, but you know, things happens...

Most of the movie the action is set inside the cab, with conversations between max and Vincent, they talk about life, experiences, universe, you get to see both points of view, and then you realize that their relationship gets deeper, it's not just a sociopath and his collateral inside a cab preparing for the slaughter, there's jokes, hangouts, and even parent visits, while Vincent prefers to think that as his job, Max condemns it.

The atmosphere created is outstanding, 95% of the movie happens at night, just the beginning that doesn't, and with it they really got to make the best of a metropolitan city night, and along with the excellent atmosphere created, the soundtrack contribute to set the perfect mood, simply amazing! The acting is stunning, I always liked Tom Cruise's job, but with this he made nothing less than the best acting of his whole career, we can say the same for Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith was just great and Mark Ruffalo did a fantastic job as well! And acting turns out to be not much of a problem when the plot is asmagnificent as this is, just pure original and nicely thought-out storyline! After watching it in VHS, I had to buy it, and I did, yes I did, I got the special 2 DVD set, and expect to buy the soundtrack pretty soon! It's that good!

Resident Evil (2002)

Just crap

[5/10 · 24 January 2006]

This movie is a total crap, there's nothing related with the game, which is one of the best video-games series of all time... I guess they tried to make the movie enjoyable for the people who already knew Resident Evil and the people who never heard about the game or the series story.... When they started with that "the hive" bullshit I just wanted to die! Where was the Resident Evil that I was expecting since I knew they were making a Resident evil movie?.... If you're a Resident Evil fan you can watch this, but don't expect to see that much of classical elements of the games here....just an average action movie....nothing more than it.....