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Reviews
Children of Men (2006)
Good but still short of great
This movie had all the makings of being great but just didn't quite make it. It's hard to say why but I will try.
1. The main actors and some lines are a little awkwardly place and timed, let's say unnatural.
2. There's a little too much, as if reality isn't bad enough and we have to exaggerate to be taken seriously.
3. The ending is too Hollywoodesque and easy 4. It's made to be cool but you can just see and feel they have to try to keep it that way. Caine was the only one who pulled it off. 2nd best was the cop-dealer.
5. The movie oftest managed to bring in emotions subtly but that delicate gift was disturbed by being alternated with scenes telling you how to feel.
I think a little more work on the editing might have solved a lot of these quirks.
A very memorable experience but nothing revolutionary, take away the special effects and it's just a smart piecing together and concentration of current events (you could make an alternative version by editing newsreels.
L'arbre de Noël (1969)
A movie just as it's described
There is nothing bad about this movie, it is typical of the time it was made. I cannot imagine anyone who knows the plot and then decided to watch could expect or want anything else than that which was shown. Obviously some critics have issues. I wonder if they saw it v.o. or dubbed into English. All film d'époque are OTT and nothing is so subtle that any child could not understand it. This is not an intellectual adult movie, anyone who cannot see why actors did the movie should at least have the courage to ask before accusing them. There are also more messages (social and political criticism) than meet the eye and in this respect it is certainly more daring than the less subtle similar criticism Spielberg tried to shove into War of the Worlds which obliviously passed a hundred miles above the heads of the people it was directed at.
Constantine (2005)
Who is this guy
Normally, with time you get better at your job. Considering K. has been playing more or less the exact same roles since years this should not be difficult, even for him. All I saw from him was Top-model poses and stares and corny line deliveries where he desperately tries to imitate Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry style without having any. Some good technical work (sound, special effects and filming) and a good story (most of it fits together) but the actors and script make it hard to appreciate. Still considering it's a Hollywood production at least they tried to break away from the fixed formula film - no real kiss or love-affair (walking away from a kiss at the end of a film must be a first for them). Check voting to see the paradox of how a macho action film gets its highest votes from young girls. Definitely lots of bias here.
Um Filme Falado (2003)
Incredible
Never mind the historical documentary or political education we are offered along the ride, this is an example of the craziest film-making in history. If this had been a one-man show of a 96-year old I would not criticise it however, hundreds of people (of supposed quality) worked on this production and it seems no-one dared speak to the man to question his view. I'm sorry but having made 16 movies since 1990 at his age, you cannot expect much to come out if no-one is prepared to be honest. There are some worthy things but on the whole this really is the worst movie I have ever seen (and I was not alone - my wife, three Portuguese friends including one fan, and one film critic totally agree) and my only 86 year old musician grandmother would too and believe me we are all open to all kinds of films. If the 7-8 ratings gets justified just because it is a script showing "reality" then it must be by people who have never seen any other films about reality, try Iranian cinema to start with, you will not see anything as bad as this and if you're lucky even some really good stuff. Every person was fake and corny except the girl and the priest (who still ended up speaking as if he was rehearsing for a Guide du Routard film. The famous actor's all behaved as if they were about to die, the dialogue about languages in Europe was childish and there was no conviction in the texts. The mother seemed more to be educating a pupil not talking to her daughter. There were some more subtle parts, the importance of the husband (don't touch me I'm married and I have Portuguese pride)was very original. The french subtitles translated the reason for not diffusing the bomb being that no-one could read the instruction manual (think the translator knew he had to do something to help this film) The gossip of whether the famous actors we're talking about their own lives. If this had been on TV no-one would watch. Unfortunately he has never again done something as good as Aniki Bobo, his first real film, and now that he's at the "reverting back to a child" age he probably never will, still he deserves respect. There is one other person who has never recovered from a good start - Luc Besson, who has a good chance of turning into the world's worst famous film-maker.
I Am Sam (2001)
Too real for most to grasp
It's not in my top 20 but it will probably be top three this year and certainly Sean Penn did a better job than this year's hysterical Oscarette. I am very sad to read some of the earlier comments, it seems to me like some are living too much in the world of movies and are forgetting what life is like. There is no formula for a movie but there are reasons to go and see them. Anyone suggesting it's not worth seeing is probably trying to escape from real life. A friend who watched with me used to work with retarded people and is not a Sean Penn (neither am I) fan but had to admit he mastered this role perfectly. It is also a long time since I sat in such a quiet full cinema. Movies are about more than just movies.
Hable con ella (2002)
A great, touching and surprising experience
More melancholic than his last few years, Almodovar shows fantastic sensitivity without omitting that sympathetic "que séra, séra" attitude to life that is so present in Spain. Well worth watching more than once. Some beautiful music too, although I have a suspicion Enrique was listening to the "In the mood for love" sountrack whilst composing.