xu Reviews

Ojos que no ven (2003)

You will want to see it again

[9/10 · 12 November 2003]

Good plot, excellent performances and very good direction. It's an intelligent and touching film. The moral ambivalence of the characters makes them very rich and the background of the Fujimori-Montesinos scandal adds interest to the main storyline(s). One of the best movies I've recently seen

The Adversary (2002)

A dark, sadly true story, with a masterly performance of Daniel Auteuil

[8/10 · 1 October 2002]

This is a tough, poignant film - as it evolves, the viewer becomes submerged in the dark universe of the main character, a man living a lie for years in front of his family and friends. Daniel Auteuil is, as usual, absolutely masterful, expressing extremely well the quiet and sombre nature of the character and the conflicts going on in his mind. Sadly a true story, it approaches us to the dark universe of a person capable of the worst to hide the truth.

What Women Want (2000)

What women want are not films like this...

[5/10 · 18 September 2002]

The subject could have been exploited in a much more successful manner. In spite of good performances and the ageing charm of Mel Gibson, the film doesn't succeed to overcome a dull script and a slow pace. The last half-hour is so boring and foreseeable that I couldn't stand it anymore. What intelligent women want are certainly not films like this.

Thirteen Days (2000)

God save America and all the predictable stuff

[4/10 · 10 July 2001]

For a non-American, this film results even worse than it already is. What could have been a good account of some crucial moments in history results on a long and often boring story, stuffed with the unnecessary sentimental scenes on how all these good men loved God and America above all and tried to save their citizens and the whole humanity of a nuclear catastrophe. The mounting tension of the story succeeds well, but the performances of the actors are as predictable as their lines.

Amélie (2001)

Magic, original and just delicious

[9/10 · 5 July 2001]

This is a vibrant, elaborated film which submerges the viewer in an absurd and hilarious universe. Audrey Tautou is absolutely brilliant in her role of isolated, dreaming girl. From the very beginning until the end, the film is an amazing sequence of witty sentences, wonderful images and colourful characters, from Amelie's mother to the shopkeeper's assistant. A film not to miss. See it in French if you can.

El cielo abierto (2001)

A tender, witty and somewhat surrealistic comedy

[7/10 · 14 March 2001]

A psychiatrist abandoned by his wife is left to look after his mother-in-law who is undergoing an operation; in the meantime one of his patients' sister pays him back the money her drug-addict brother stole from him. This is a comedy full of tenderness, with a witty, kind of surrealistic humour, and with a brilliant interpretation of all actors. The gallery of all insane or mentally disturbed characters adds more spice to the film, making the psychiatrist wonder if at the end he's not becoming like them.

Lumumba (2000)

A moving, true story of an African hero

[8/10 · 29 September 2000]

The story of how the (communist) leader who freed the Congo from Belgium imperialism was eliminated by the Western powers through the hand of Mobutu. A story of struggle and injustice, of hope and the search of freedom. The story could be the one of any African country. A very moving film with images full of symbolism and beauty. If you have to see only one foreign film this year, see this one.