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tana_ricky
Reviews
My Dog Vincent (1997)
it's okay
the movie is quite good. low budget but very realistic. it's low budget in fact, gives it a realistic atmosphere & feel. Nothing feels contrived. There are no moving cameras, no clever camera angles or shots, no special effects. very unHollywoodlike.
An "okay" addition to other good coming-of-age movies like stand by me, summer of 42, class of 44, American graffiti, peggy sue got married.
the characters were not made to be flamboyant, unlike in most films. they're very ordinary people. they may appear boring, but they in fact, have some interesting, unconventional and even strange, ideas.
there is also no attempt to put them in strange, unusual or contrived situations. what happens to them is what happens to ordinary people living day-to-day existence.
the movie is not for all tastes. some people who like slambang action, may find this boring. but it's for people who like realistic films with ordinary characters with interesting ideas.
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso (1988)
one of the best
i saw Cinema Paradiso about a decade ago. Truly, it is one of the treasures of cinema. i saw many of the classics -- Godfather 1& 2, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, Gone w/ the wind, psycho, etc. I saw all the recent Oscar best pictures -- Gladiator, American beauty, chicago, beautiful mind, Shakespeare in love, crash -- and even those nominated.
But for me, none has as much emotional power and heartfelt sentiment as Cinema Paradiso. The director obviously is inspired and imbued his film with genuine love and passion.
i have seen thousands of Hollywood, filipino, European, hongkong, Japanese, bollywood Indian & other films but none has touched me as deeply as this low-budget Italian movie. The film has no explosions, no special effects or computer-generated effects, no expensive battle scenes. It is all heart, all passion, all emotions.
There is something in the story of a young boy who fell in love with the movies, grew up to be a wealthy & famous director but who made a lot of mistakes and regretted them, which is truly touching. the movie is bathed in nostalgia.
Malena, made by the same director Guiseppe Tornatore, is also wonderful but could not equal Cinema Paradiso. Cinema Paradiso should be seen by all who love movies and its magic.